Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-09-14

Kitchen tolls and domestic cares are cx-
trcmcly oppressive on many excellent women,
especially among farmers wives, who are
frequently worn down and bent under pre-
mature old age at middle life. They cannot
be free from care and toll. neither is it desira-
ble that they should be but the excessive
weight which some have to bear, calls for moro
effort towards relief There are many who are
compelled TO rise at dawn, and commence "a
routine, which only closes late in the evening
and even then rest does not come, when
the care Of young children, and possibly Of
sick ones, prccudcs in great measure the
wholesome and refreshing rcpose of sleep
IL requires a stout constitution for woman
60 wash. iron, mend, scour, bake, milk, churn,
sweep, cook three meals daily, as often wash
dishes, and 90 through other routinos for
supplyiug daily food, besides the care OF a
family Of young children, whose endless wants
are continued interruption to all other op-
cratious, without soon being broken down
by these ccasoless tolls.
very common course is this The moth
er labors incessantly, in order TO give her
daughters school education, and perhaps TO
render them accomplished :" while they are
learning, or playing the lady, she is struggl-
ing under mountain of drudging, until she
gets them "marricd of" They in turn, for
the first time, are compelled to assume the
same course of labor-thc change sours and
dishcartcns them, and the bloom and elasticity
of youth have all disappeared before tho first
ten years have gone while the greatly high
er object Of living, namely the continued cnl-
tvati0n and improvement of the mind, for
ever ceases.
Whatever unfeeing, selfish, and ill-bred
men may say. one thing is proved by the
history Of the human race, and that is the
farther people advance from the savage or
barbarous state, the greater is the improve
ment in the physical and mental condition OF
woman. There arc no exceptions. All ctyH-
izel men will therefore seek assiduously for
the means that shall relieve the condition OF
women. and restore them from the state OF
mere drudgcs for the benefit OF the men, to a
condition Of high domestic usefulness and
mental refinement. What arc the means for
accomplishing this desirable cnd-of relieving
the housewife from tiresomc, ceascess labor
We mention few-simplo, homespun, and
practical.
l. Provide domestic conveuiences. Let
the wood-houso be leyil with and adioin the
kitchen, and be always supplied with good
/ fuel and dry kiudliug wood let the we'll be
provided with the best apparatus for drawing
water casily-proyide ample cistorns, and
connect them by means of good pumps with
the kitchcn-procurc the best cook-stoye,
washing machine, easy churn, butter worker,
clothes frames, carpet sweoper-and If needed,
the family sewing machine should not be over
looked We have known the time when at
least one active domestic was required to per
form the extra labor of the various operations
of building fires of wet wood, working an
awkward churn, washing on a rickety wash
board. scrubbng the floor with wornoui
broom, tying the clothes line to peach tree
horse-post barn corner, and smokc-house
borrowing water at a ncighbor's driving the
pigs out Of the yard, making sour bread foI
want of good wood, making rancid butter for
want Of good dairy, and deficiencies in
smaller domestic appliances
Let tho man Of the house and such of his
assistants as occupy it, provide themselves
with slippers, and then, instead of marching
with dirty boots directly into the neatly kept
rooms, place them in proper outer closet
and assume the slppers-and if the soled
working coat should also give place to a clean
er one, it would appear more like civilization.
In order to lesson the heavy work Of pro-
viding meals extensively for workmen, erect
cheap and neat cottages, so that laborers may
board themselves, as we have elsewhere rec
commended.
4. Adopt simpler fare. We have knowr
men so fond of good eating. as to keep scvera
members Of the family occupied from dawr
til dark ia cooking fine dishes, baking OF
roasting costly meats, and manufacturing del
cale pastry, with all the numerous appurten-
anccs belonging to this system of gormandiz-
ing. In one case, the man who ordered these
luxurcs had to take blue pill once fort
night to set his machine straight, which was
constantly dcranged by high living.
s. Bring up girls to labor cheerfully with
their own hands-to make themselves gener-
ally uscful--to regard active employment as
infinitely more honorable than to be nothing
but simpering, gggling rag babies. Then
when they are compelled to take hold with
both hands, the charge of family will be
natural and comparatively easy; and instead
of being soured because they do not find in
real life what they had read of in sentimental
novels, they will find much happiness in two
ways,-one, in overcoming dficulties,-a
the other in comforting happiness on those
around them in hundred little ways.
INGENUIrY OF CAT.--lt is a general
saying that cats are hard % die, and it is also
common saying that cat has nine lives.
The naturalist De La Croix gives an account
of one that escaped wretched death by out
whiting philosophical professor. He says ;
IL once saw lecturer upon experimental
philosophy place cat under the glass re-
ceiver Of an air pump, for the purpose of de-
monstrating that life cannot be supported
without air and respiration. The lecturer
had already made several strokes with the
piston in order to exhaust the receiver of air,
when the cat, who began to feel herself very
uncomfortable in the rnrefcd atmosphere,
was fortunate enough to discover the source
from which her uneasiness proceeded. She
placed her paw upon the hole through which
the air escaped and thus prevented any
more from passing out of the receiver. All
the exertons Of the philosopher were now
unavailing; in vain ho drew the piston; the
eats paw efleetually prevented its operation
Hoping TO effect his purpose he again e' air
into the receiver, which as soon the cat
perceived, she Withdrew her paw from the
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