Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1871-08-05
Eaoies' department..
TO MEND OR NOT TO MEND.

litl 10 nltht one tOltr 20 Us TIT rs TWO. anu
one garment do the work of three. should he
the height of their ambition after marriage.
know that many men get wife to
save money, but also know that many wo-
men mend, and make over, against their
husbands wishes, so that they may have the
money saved" to spend for some article of
nery not at all necessary for comfort.
what are you going to do with those old
dresses?" says Mr. 4. to his wife,
IL intend to turn them bottom side up
and hind side before, and take Il piece out
of the skirt to mend the waists and sleeves.
and fix them over generally" says the saw
ing wife.
"Will they pay for SO much trouble?"
"Well, no, they are hardly worth it, but
want to make them last us long rs can
Cant you sell butter enough to get new
ones and take these for bedquilts, or some
thng?"
80 dear. you seem to think can yet eve
ry thing | want with butter; but I've got
other use for that now
''Well, then, here is the money! now don't
waste time on those old things, but get some
new ones"
Now, of course. you think she takes her
old dresses and covers ragged comforters. or
makes curtains for unsightly cupboar,ls or
closets. or throws them into the rag-bag, but
she don't. On the contrary, she keeps on
ripping and turning, and metitates us to
whether she will now have enough to pur-
chase that splendid dress" and whether by
little more scrmping in the butter and
eggs, and making Johnny's worn-out shirts
last little longer, she cannot get Il shawl as
fine as Mrs. Harris.
Or 1t may be that she wants her daughter
to have as fine II dress or hat, and AS many
laces and ribbons, as Jennie Hart has: so
she keeps Lucy darning and mending old I'M
der garments when she ought to be ut work
in the garden, or building snow forts with
the boys; and stitches, and tucks, and ruff
Hes, hour after hour, when she ought to be
IN bed, until she gets nervous and cross all
the time wondering why her children do not
love her better, when she does so much fol
them. Ii we ever get 'behind the curtains
IN her house, we are rs much astonished nj
lts i'ck OF comforts us we were mt her dis.
play OF dress at church or fair.
But there is n class of women who do
not believe in mendng. They make IL g.r.
ment, and then it may say farewell" to the
needle, Tor II 1t is torn, or burned, the first
time 1t is worn, they will not mend it. Sucl
woman never looks tidy, and her children
are always ragged and dirty. Her hlsban,
looks disheartened, and no wonder, for h,
never gets dollar ahead of absolute want
She is the woman who gives sissy II lump o
sugar if she will close the door, and Billy :
saucer of syrup if he will bring in the wood
and Henry two Jumps of sugar if he will
have his head combed, and not cry.
If her husband is taken sick, the neighbour
are obliged to furnish provisions to keel
them from starving, bedclothes to keep then
from freezing, and soap and water to kee,
them from sticking fast in the dirt.
ito not consider the woman whose who'll
soul is centercd in her wash-tub and work
basket us the best of patterns, but she is Ger
talnly two or three degrees better than TIN
woman who never mends mt all