Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-08-23


moment, but as all the other children, by
this time, are waiting to be dressed, there
is no time for bathing any of them, but the
older ones must wash their hands and face
little, very quickly, and be ready lol take
the baby, and help dress the other little
ones. | am now supposing all the fami-
lily to be well, and pleasant, which every
mother of such family knows is not al
ways the case, and sickness will, ofcourse,
make her cares and la5ors more numer-
Gus. By this time glance at the clock,
shows The hour for breakfast TO be rapidly
epproaching, and the meat is still 10 be
cooked, which is usually steak of some
kid. Down goes the wife again, over
the hot stove, hauls out the scorching
Goals, and places the meat over them, and
away she jumps, to prepare the table.
Then she must heat herself almost 10
melting, in turning her steak, fixing and
blowing the fire. for. it is time it was
ready; the husband is coming, and it is
not quite done The children, luckless
creatures, are in The wayr and in her haste,
she steps on their toes, runs against, and
perhaps knocks them down, and leaving
them to get out ofthe way as best they
can, she still hurres on. The. HUSBAND
comes in. Wife, is the breakfast ready?
Not qaite, the baby would get up, and |
was obliged to stoplo dress it. You did
not get up very early did you2 | was
so tired, when went to bed, could not
get up earlier, hope shall not have quite
so much to DO to-day, and wIltry to get
up early in future. Poor soul! To-mor-
row will be the same MS 10 day. At last
The breakfast is on the table, and the wife
out of breath, and almost broiIed herself,
feels sort Of momentary relief, while,
With her husband and children, she is par
taking of this unhallowed trio = hot coffee
hot potatoes, and hot meat-to say moth
ing of the hot bread, biscuit or toast with
butter, which is almost always an accom-
paniment or eflhe lettuce and cucumber,
with salt, pepper, vinegar and oil, used as
condiments. AS soon as they are all sa-
t;ated, by this foul mass. the wife begins
her toll again, and the detail ola morning,
is that Of day, a week, year, alife!ime.
Sure, there are several hours interval be-
tween three such meals day, bat there
are all the clothes TO ma Ike, wash, iron and
mend, the house to take care Of, in short,
three times much labor as the wife can
possibly do. Therefore she must do all
she possibly can, and get somebody to do
the rest. She must hire as litle as she
can get along with, for it is hard times
So her husband tells her, and can she
doubt il? Thus she must toll on through
life, for the paltry consideration of having
good (0things to ea;, and "doing as 9TH
er folks do Il is true, some have ser
wants laves-to do all their hard work :;
but who are these servants? Are they
not aeonaeD = sisters OF the great family !?
II the wife does not do these hard things,
some other sooman does, and, as I am
speaking Of tie degradation of the sex, il
matters llttle who does the drudgery, so
long as it remains with females; and in
deed, under our presen: social organiza-
ton. those who keep servants to do their
work, are thoughtIess spendthrif,s of mon
ev, time and lalent, and therefore do not
deserve the hai!owed name of wifi, or
mother. The name belongs 10 her alone
who takes the care Of her own family. -.
Now let me ask how such a woman as
| have portrayed can improve her own
Intellectual nature, or that Of the little
helpless innocents placed rnder her fos;
tering cafe2 Can she stu5g while hur
rying about bot Kitchen, amid the din Of
pots, kettles and gridirons? If not, can
She assist her children 10 improving and
enabling their intellectual and moral fac.
uitirs2 Every one sees the impossibiIty
Al once. Whatthen is ODE dong! There
Is but one course: independent of reform,
the mothers mind mus! BE- barren vase.
AMI the minds ofthe children must be left
to FL with noxious weeds, until they are
old enough to send to school, where, under
the present education system, very few Of
the weeds are ever CHECKED, or uprooted,
but nurtured iato rank luxariaDce, and
foslered until the harvest, when the main.