The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-02-16
The Girls of the Farm.

AZ. AS tSiFIs Oh the KarfEl.
Mrs. Roberts, Of Pskia, Niagara eoun
~, NY. Is the most prcctieat woman
rights person Of whom We haveyet heard
Sire shows her faith by her works She
has Tat.eD : long letter, ia ghieh sbe
discusses tie drarih Of occupations fol
wRmania tbs sOuatFg. and urges theiI
claim 10 labor when aad where they will
She THINKS there Is nothing, or nearly
n<thih5, 10 stimulate woman toauy kind
Of honorable ard romuRerative exerion-
nothing To call oat the true nobility OF
l.r nalurc-nothiDg 70 arouse her dor
rians energies, and to dirsst them to q
noble e'i1i- nothing to develop her true
woranhood. Girls are educated oulY fl
,be niattimouial market, without refer
eaee e their ability TO follow any pursuit
by which they can gain an honest and
Independent living Woman has been
crippled, aud then taunted with her ina
bi!ty 20 Do anything useful, worthy and
psbte.
Mrs. Roberts argues that it is useles.
to wege war against SIN, vice and gari-
ors Mrong, 50 long as the 4Hgther Of the
race is becoming more diseased and more
i,nbeeile, Eore helpless. Till the mother
Of mankind can be aroused to exertion TO
attain healthier and uob.er if. aud till
she can step 2pon the platform of life
Blth her rights as q Woman, a Wife, and
Mother, fully and practically recognized !;
and entitled 10 the absolute eOGtrol OF
her own person and earnings, as it is With
fIan, she can never be & true Woman.
Acting on this principle, Mr. and Mr..
L bcrs have sei their daughters to goTk
On their farm Hitherto the income Of
their farm has been consumed In hiring
!4beTers The wife and daughters have
undertaken TO aid the husband and faith
er IN tilling farm oFonc hundred acres,
and thus they viii save al the profits to
themselves. But let Us take an extrast
orawo from Mrs Roberts tl,ef. She
shall speak for hagsslf.
'' have family Of daughters. They
say to me, " hat shall We DO? what can
nc do 2 I found it hard to answer that
question. Now, | ask you, What are
the young w0men-th6 daughters Of farm
ers aud Iaborers-to do? MARRY fur a
hcnee, SAYS society l want to tell YOU
what kind Of a school / aud my daugh.
;erS hare been "a The past season to get
the education witch l think is necessary
10 our health, elevation and bappiness.-
1t Is tarmIng--not small garden patch,
but on large scale.
'ln the spring, one hundred acres were
plowed and planted, mostly By men, with
broom corn, Indian corn, lor.ham, and
potatoes. Then land my four dau ghters.
the youngest eleven and the e. lest seven
teen, took the entire charge of the whole
We have cultivated and hoed it twice
over, the girls taking care of their own
teams. Ny daughter Carrie, whois fl
teen, has dona the principal part of the
Tlowlng; she has, within two weeks.
piowed about twenty acres. to have it
ready for the next spring crops The
fEosts having injured our crops very much
We tried our hands at clearing. We had
some new land to clear; we took mold Of
that. 1t was tinbered with tgmrack,
and the best wood was chopped of, aud
the land was grown over with bushes
We had them cut down, and when dry
woburned 1t over, and then with the
help Of one man to 90 the chopping, We
picked up, aud piled, and burned the
gtumps and logs remaining on fifteen acres
and Carrie Is now plowing the last half
Ofthst let. We have about twelve acros
more that We intend to oivar ana plow
this fall, SO as to have it ready for spring
CT. ps another season.
'Now, this is just such school as |
need for myself and daughters, and I am
sure it would do every roman, especially
every young woman, good to 90 to such
school, at least for one term, aud il
they 90 for one term, they will surely
keep on going. Ny health, which has
been very poor for SIX years-and it has
bean prophesleq by those who knew me
that | could not live long, has been stead
ily improving since l commenced out
door work. | am now able to do as gooC
days work as anY one could desire, anc
there IS now prospect of my living mani
years 1t is now my intention to take tht
whole charge Of $50 acres next season
aud have all the work done b. females
So much for my first effort; and if yol
are interested 10 my efforts to Undue
women to become practical farmers,
will keep yo' informed of my moyemep
and of my success"