New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-15
WOMEN FARMERS-SOMET THING PRAC
TICAL.

Correspondence OF The N. l. Tribune
PORTLAND, Me-, Oct. >, 1889.
The following extract is from letter recently re-
csyed. on subject or which your columns have often
spoken. Every IOne who understands how directly
and intimately the health of women is connected with
the character and destiny Of individual and social
man, will appreciate the effort of the writer OF this
extract to open way by which health aud irdepend-
ence can be secured to her daughters and to the mil
lions of women that the vcti of anxiety as
to how and where they shall secure to themselves an
honest living. The extract is as follows;
"PEKIY, Niagara County, n. Y, Sept. 10, 1872.
"FRIFND WRIGHT: [ want to give you lhts OF
nv experience the past season. There Is nothing
or nearly nothing to stimulate woman 70 any
kind of honorable and remunerative e1erhon-
nothing 10 call out the true nobility OF her
Misunderstanding TO arouse her dormant energies,
ard 70 direct them 10 noble end-nothing to develop
her true womanhood. Girls are educated only Tor the
matrimonial market, without reference To their aohty
10 follow any pursuit by which they gam an honest
and independent living. Woman has been crippled,
and then tainted with her inability to do anything
useful, worthy. and noble.
- have family of daughters. They say TO ne,
What shall we do what we doi' found 1t
hard 10 answer that question Now, ask you, W hat
are the Young women-the daughters OF farmers and
laborers-to do Marry for home says society.
"Now we may wage with sin and wrong IN high
places we may talk Of the Of lnemperance, the
horrors and outrsges of chaeI Slavery, and OF the
practice of using that thiest of all weeds tobacco; and
we may look the aud cure OF other evils
but what will it avs in the long run, long as the
oer of the is becoming more diseased and more
inbeoile more helpless! Till the mother of mankind
can be aroused 10 eIerton to attain to healthier aud
nobler life and till she can step upon the platform OF
life with her rights "a Woman, Wife, and Mother,
fully and practically recognized and entitled TO the alb
sou.e control of her own person and esrnings az Is
with Man che can never be true Woman. Womsns
degradation and he pessness lie at the oundaaon of
NM at ia N IN
- believe that Woman, q well as Man, has right
20 labor rken she will and rAere she will, and NJ any
and every kind Of business that she chooses and that
she should receive the recOmpense for the same
labor that Man does. But Man will not give US en-
poyment in the various departments of business and
ii they do, they do not admit that our labor as vau-
able as Mans, though done as well and a. perfectly.
II woman dares to dress that she might earn her
living by outdoor labor, che cannot get employment,
unless she will orsake her principles and put ON the
shsckles of fashionable dress. This state OF things has
awakened ia my mind determination to do something
for mytef and to open rome business to give useful
employment to my daughters and TO the daughters Of
others hope il may be the means OF awakening the
minds of others to pursue in the same direction.
90 want to tel you what kind Of a school and my
daughters have been 70 the past season to get
the edu cation which think necessary to our health,
elevation, and happiness. Ii Is Farming small
garden patch, but en- large scale.
" In the Spring one hundred acres were piowed ana
plapted mostly by men, with broom corn Indian corn,
sorghum and potatoes. Then l and my four daugh-
tiers the youngest eeren and the eldest sereeen took
the entire charge Of the whole. We have cultivated
and hoed it twice over the girls taking care OF tper
own teams Ny daughter Carrie, who is fifteen, has
done the principal part OF the blowing; she has, within
two weeks, ploxed about twenty acres 10 have 1t
ready for the next Spring crops The frosts having IN
iured our crops very much, We tried our hands at
clearing. We had some new land to clear; We took
hold Of that II timbered with taIndrdck and the
beet wood was chopped off, and the land was grown
over with bushes. We had them cut down and when
dry burned it over and then. with the help OF one
man to 90 the choppng picked up, and piled, and
burned the stumps and logs remaining on htteen
and Carrie is now blowing the last half OF that iot.
We have about twelve acres more that We intenh 70
clear and plow this FALL so as 70 nave II ready iof
Spring crops another season 8,
:" Now This il Just such schOo. as need Tor myself
and daughters, and am sure Il would 90 every woman
especially every young woman, good 10 90 10 sach
schoo at least for one term and II they go tor one
tenn, they will surely keep on going. My health,
which has been very poor for ak years-and l. mas
been prophesied by those who knew me tnat couia
not i've long-hss been steadily improving since
commenced outdoor work. l an now able 10 DO -
COED days work as any one could de.ire and there
is now q prospect Of my living many years.
1T is now my intention TO take the whole charge OF
$50 acres rext season, and have all the work done by
females So much for my first effort and II ysu are
Interested in my efforts TO induce women 20 become
practical farmers, will keep you lniorInei Oh my
NOV ements and Of my success. .o,r.r.
INC wRIGHr!" MARVIN 5. ROBERTS
The names OF the wife and husband are both affixed,
and they are both Yankees. Hitherto the income OF
their farm has been consumed in hiring men aborers
The wife and daughters have undertaken to aid the
husband and father in ting the farm, and thus they
will save all the profits to themselves What heart
tina, prays for the true development and happiness Of
man and woman can help but visa success to the e.
fort Of that wife and mother The education which
her daughters will get on the farm, in cultvaiing the
coil will be Of more use to them than all they learn at
boarding-schools. While they follow the plow, and
plsn. and hoe they are in no respect deficient in intel
hgence, and in refinement Of taste and manners But
leave the letter TO speak for tsef hoping thst many
mothers and daughters viii 90 and do likewise.
HENRY C. WRIGHT