Cuilionn,
Do you know whether lecturers went to truly rural areas much in the late 1800s? That's something I've never really thought about.

I suspect letters carried as much to talk about as periodicals in some areas..and probably a broader variety when the ladies shared what they'd each been told by various relatives/friends.
There were a LOT of church-related organizations in the early 1900s! Did they do anything other than pray and stamp out demon rum?