St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-10-22
THE CALEDONIAN.
UHO Earned That Money!


self ont rs "A common -laDOrer. he l;tlu
IN GRADUALLY small sums of money. In
time. he was enabled 10 pay in part the
nricr of a farm. the remainder being
held upon mortgage-the interest TO be
paid yearly, and principal in instalmcnts,
till the whole was llqudated.
John took TO wife Mary Evans, one
of the pretticst girls in the parish, and
they two commenced housekeeping to-
gethcr. Mary brought to the establish
ment beds and bedding, household linen,
crockcry, and china, the fruit OF her own
industry, or the wedding gifts OF her
parents. Both understood that HE
OF toll was before them but both were
young and hopeful, bred up to constant
industry and economy, and Their toll7
seemed LIGHT to them. John was rrnown-
ed in this vincinity rs the man who
could do the longest and hardest day
work. and Mary soon became celebrated
among the housewives for her skill and
prudence in household management.
Her butter was known as bringing an eX
ira price her cheese had remarkable
flavor and iinencsS. She had a wonder.
full adroitness and skill in the cutting,
shaping, and making of household gar
mcnts. and her husband was wont to
boast that since his marriage his clothes
had cost only one-hait what they dIu he
fore As to her own dress, .uch was her
skill in altering and mcndin%, such her
careiullncss in wearing, that her person.
al expenses seemed scarcely percepti-
Die item
John and Mary became parents OF a
numerous family. Six fine boys and
three blooming daughters were success
lively added to their household. The
care otrearing all these infants was en-
tireiy borne 10y Mary without IA servant
of any kind, any dimimution OF her house
hold labor,, except Tor the first fortnight
after the birth OF the first child. when Il
rood woman OF the ncghborhood came
III to look after things while Mary WAS
getting back her strength. But after
the first fortnight, Mary went back to
her work with the added care of the in
FAINT ~ her children crew up. she
trained t!l.m 10 be their helpers. The
eldest daughter early became proficient
i'll household iudussr ice, and whcu only
twelve year, ot age WAS competent to
take her mothers place in the family at
the birth of little brother. These BOYS.
when they were little, we're trained to
household labor, and helped their moth
cr in the house till they were large enough
10 make thci. service OF value i'll the fields.
In time, this family became perfect
little industrial associations every mem
Der ct which WAS working toward one
cnd-namcly: the payment of the yearly
interest on tAC mortgage, and the gain
ing OF SurPlu, whcrwith to pay the prin-
cipal.
But 30 large family has many ex-
pcr-c-. There were ~ickncsscs and &C
cidcnts 10 increase laborS there were
bad crops, droutlts, and all other di>ap-
pointrcmls OF t;umin- life; and some
times the domestic ak seemed TO roll
and Plun% heavily, like q watcr-logged |
vessel, threatening every momcnt To 70
over. John was something of a hypo- !
cuUudriHc, and at these times would talk |
bitterly about family expenses, and ac-
cu-o his wife and daughters of cxtrava-
gancc. He icll INTO 4 way that many !
OF the r.;lc SEX have. OF rc"tr,lin. all !
that i bought Tor i woman ~ OF course /
a superiority. The pretty Sunday bon !
net, Of hi- blooming daughters, their nice, !
lady-ikc dresses, their li,tie girlish orna-
nonts, were remarked on with Il savage /
severity. ii work hard for the money
that you ~Pend on iinery,' was a COM
mon say M. accepted in silence Dy his
wife AID daughters.
lac t.tct was, that john never, in hi,
own mind, had considered that any
WORK but hi, had earned the money
that paid for the farm and supplied the
provisions lOr the family Every cent
that came into the family Golfers he re
g;Irdcd as his by right OF ACQUISITION, ana
lis vie and daughters rs dependents up
on hi- bounty.
Now comes our inquiry. Who did
earn the money that paid for Johns
farm II his wife performed ior him ali
the service tor which he paid tailor
formerly, did she not earn that mouey ;t-
really a. the tailor If John had been
obliged 10 hire Il woman to perform the
l:bcrs which Mary performed in the
hous- and dairy, how much a wccl,
would he have been obliged to pay her
And did moi Mary fairly cam this sum
IL fairly rs John earned his days work
in the field
But suppose John had been obliged. in
addition, TO lire Il woman, not only cap
able OF experimenting his dairy, but OF