The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1867-01-23
Do Earmers' Wives Pay3

Do Farmers' Wives Pay3
We are not in the habit of writing for
the papers, and have some fears lest You
should think this once too many times for
us to aspire to so much honor as your no.
tice, but there has been considerable dis
cussion Of late as to whether :" farming
pays" and the question occurs to us-''do
farmers wives pay?" A man can esti-
mate with some degree of accuracy. the
cost and value of his lands, stock, labor,
&c., but who can estimate the value of his
wife?
sentimental reference to the little COM
forts and felicities that 20 to make up the
sum of our domestic happiness, and come
right to the practical question-does q
young woman, who comes to her husband
with little or no dowry, but with willing
heart and hands, and a fair share of in
telligence, who takes care of him, his house,
and of his family as it increases, without
hired help-really earn anything more
than her food and clothing?
No man will say but that good woman
is treasure. Certainly her care and la
Dor secure him many comforts, but how
much would he consider them worth in
dollars and cents? 1t is a great comfort
to him to have his three meals day prop
erly cooked and prepared ut hours that
suit his convenience. He can swallow a
dinner in twenty or thirty minutes that
she has been all the forenoon in preparing.
He may think it very good dinner, but
how high an estimate, think you, he would
put upon it, if required to state its worth
in money? With what astonishment and
disgust would he look upon his table, set
out with dishes that had not been washed
since they were last used, but how high a
money value would he put upon this one
unromantic item of washing dishes, which,
nevertheless, takes SO large share Of a
woman's time?
With what satisfaction he puts on the
clean smoothly ironed shirt, and the socks
nicely darned! They do not look much
like the ones he pulled of last week, and
threw down with the wash! Some one
had to rub pretty smart to get the dirt all
out-some one steamed over the fat-iron
to make them smooth-some one spent an
hour or so in darning the unsightly holes
in the heels of those stockings. And this
is done-not this week only, but every
week as sure as it comes around. Now,
he does appreciate cleanliness, notwith-
standing his protestations against washing
days and house-cleaning. But is it really
worth anything in money?
Then there is the care Of the milk and
the butter-making. Every day must the
milk be taken care of, the cream must be
churned at the proper time, aud the butter
properly worked and salted. He is proud
to have her make good butter-is quite hap
py when his neighbor says, 81 want to
engage my butter Of you for the season,
for think your wife makes the best but
ter of any around" But then are not the
COWS his? Does he not furnish the food
and do the milking? Is not her work
slight compared with his? Is it really
worth anything in dollars and cents to do
her part?
Then there is the care of the children !;
early and late are her energies taxed to
take care of them. She is interested there,
of course, but then she done pretend to
own but half, though some men would fain
make it the larger half. Is it really worth
nothing to sooth, amuse, teach, feed and
spank his half; to make and make over,
and mend the clothes for his half? This is
real brain work Where is the man who
will say it does not require all woman 8
wit, this care for their children, but if ask
ed to place money estimate upon it, to what
figure, think you it would fall.
A farmers wife that really does her own
work, has no easy task, as can be proved
by thousands of our country women but
we would not ask for more than is justly
her due. If there is any standard by
which the value Of her services can be e.
timated, We would like to know it. We
wish to know whether there may be any
surplus IN her favor? Whether when she
aski for few dollars for the purpose Of
something not strictly nsoessary--s book
perhaps-she ought to feel that she is ask
ing for his hard earned means, or has a
right to feel that it is her due. If the val.
ne of her labor does not ordinarily equal
her expenses, we would like to know how
much she is to credit to her husbands gen.
erosity. Can any one answerY Young
men would do well to ponder these ques-
! tious, and let maidens beware If no salts