American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-06-08

The Farmers Wife.

hold according to the seasons, so a
to. enable them to prepare agains
winter especially. Every wintel
garment should be completed by tn,
first Of November, ready to be pu
on.when the first winter day comes
In multitudes of cases valuable livel
have been lost to farmers familie,
by improvidence as to this point
More special attention should be Civ.
en- to the under clothing that should
,be prepared first, and enough of il
to have a change in case of an emer-
gency or accident. Many farmers
act even niggardly in furisnhing
their wives the means for such things.
1t is wiser and safer to stint the men,
bers of his fArnily in their food than
in the timely and abundant supply
of substantial under clothing for win
ter wear. 1t would save an incalcu-
liable amount of hurry and its attend
ant vcxation, and also ofwearing anx-
iety, if farmers were to supply their
wives with the necessary material for
winter clothing as early as midsum-
mer. In this connexion it would be
we'll for farmers to learn a lesson Of
thrift from some of our long-head-
cd city housewives. 1t is particular
ly the habit Of the well-to-do, the
forehanded, and the richly which
they legally and rightfully get at
least twenty per cent for their mon
ey-to purchase the main articles of
clothing at the close of any season,
to be made up and worn the cores
ponding season or the next year.
Merchants uniformly aim, especial
ly in the cities, to "close out" their
stocks, for example, for the winter,
at the end Of winter or beginning of
spring. They consider it profitable
to sell out the remnant Of their win
stock in March at even less than
cost, for on what they get for these
remnants they make three profits
on the spring. the summer, and the
fall goods-whereas, had they laid
by their winter stock, they would
have had but one profit from which
would have to be deducted the year
ly interest, storage, and insurance.
Thus by purchasing clothing mate
rials six or eight months beforehand,
the farmer not only saves from twenty
tof orty per cent. of the first cost,
butgives his wife the opportunity
Of working upon them at SUCH odds
and ends Of time as would otherwise
be unemployed in a measure, and
would enable her also to have every
thing done in a better manner, sim
ply by having abundant time; thus
avoiding haste. yexation, sohcitude,
and disappointment: for nothing so
clouds household as a sense of be-
ing behindhand and of the necessity Of
painful hurry and effort.
6. Few things will bring more
certain and happy reward to a far
mer than for him to remember his
wife is a social being; that she is not
a machine, and therefore needs rest,
and recreation, and change. No far
mer will lose in the long run, either
in money, health, or domestic COM
fort, enjoyment or downright happi-
ness, by allotting an occasional af-
ternoon, from midday until bedtime,
to visiting purposes. Let him, with
the utmost cheerfulness and hearth
ness, leave his work, dress himselfup
and take his wife to some pleasant
neighbor's, friends, or kinsman's
house for the express purpose of re-
taxation from the cares and tolls of
home, and for the interchange of
friendly feelings and sentiments, and
also as a means of securing that
change of association, air, and food,
and mode Of preparation, which al
ways wakosup the appetite invigor-
ates digestion, and imparts a new
physical energy, at once delightful
to see and experience all of which
in turn, tend to cultivate the mind,
to nourish the efIections, and to pro-
mote that breadth of view in relation
to men and things which eleyates,
andexpands and ennobles, and with
out which the whole nature becomes
so narrow, so contracted, so barren
and minteresting, that both men and
women become but shadow of what
they ought to be.
7. Let the farmer never forget
that his wife is his best FRIEND. the
most steadfast on earth; would do
more for him in calamity, in misfor-
tune, and sickness than any other hu-
man being, and on this account, to
say nothing of the marriage vow,
made before high Heaven and before
men, he owes to the wife of his bo-
som a consideration, tenderness, a
support, and asympathy, which Sbould
put out of sight every feeling of pro-
fit and loss the very instant they come
in collision with his wife,s welfare as
to her body, her mind, and her affec-
tions. No man will ever lose in the
long run by so doing: he will not