St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-04-14
In Doors Uitd ont.

In Doors ana ont.
Ihclc is no question but that woman
is doing the hardest part of the labor on
the farm. Her work is more eXacting.
more perpleXing, and more protractel
than that Of men. Certain things SHE
must do, tired OF rested, sick or well.
She must do them in gwen way and ut
a given time; and, what i worse, her
work Is never done. Beginning i'll the
morning as early rs her husband, she
works later than lie does, all the time
with the uncomfortable certainty that
the morrow brings no respite and no
change.
Take this case-ihc history of the
actual experience Of Il single day-some
thing that came under the personal OBJ
scrvation Of the writer-a record that
thousands OF men will recognize as Il
sample Of their everyday lives, from
spring to autumn of each year
The scene is i'll a Northern town, and
the parties are Il man and his wife in
middle life, having two clildren, living
upon hundred acre farm Of passablc
fertility, which keeps six COWS, four
young cattle, two oxen, one horse, four
PIGS, four turkeys, forty hens, ana a few
sheep.
Leaving out Monday inr washing,
Tuesday iCr the ironing, and Saturday
for the general baking, we will take We'd
ncslay is specimen of the other days
of the week.
The wife rises at four o'clo K, gcner-
ally lights the fire, puts on the teakctl!c,
and at the same time Il kettle of pota-
toes, washed the night before to boil for
breakfast then fills the churn with wat
or from the well, to cool it for use: then
skins the milk and puts the cream into
churn, then strains the mornings milk
then prepares breakfast, which she hur-
ricdly eats, with one hand on the churn-
crank Qiguralivcly speakine) and the 9th
cr dispensing food to the waiting fowls,
both of which receive attention immcdi-
atcly on her leaving the table
A few minutes brings the butter, and
then come working ard sailing, thea the
preparation OF yesterdays churning for
market; then washing the milk-pailS,
the milk'pals, the churn, and the break
fast-di,hes, with Il thorough subsequent
scalding Of e?"h except the last then :;
general cleaning and putting in order Of
what has been dsordercd by the morn
ing's work then the turkeys are to be
fed the second time AMI let out then
luncheon prepared; then chamber work
until the principal meal of the day is I'M
dertaken; AZ length, from over the hot
stove, dinner then washing the dinner
dishes then skimming milk Gf the wealth
or is hoD: another lunch, then cooking,
always more or less; then getting the
turkeys into their respective apartments,
then supper; then stralning the milk,
washing the pans and pals and dishes,
and at length, somewhere about nine
o'clock-scventecn hours since she lett it
the bed.
All of this inturspcrscd with occasional
sewing, as 4 moment offered; changing
the childrcn's garments twice during the
day, once for school, and then to then
home-clothcs when school was over, be-
sides clping TO get them on and off AT
morning and ut night besides the thou
sand namclcss things that every good
housckccpcr and mother finds to do and
all this but an average of the three light
est days Of the week, giving Sunday MS a
day Of only partial rest at that
Now, take the husband. lie GETS up
at four o'clock, mi!ks six cows, taking
him an hour; feeds the pigs, eats his
breakfast, mows and stirs and opens hay
till noon rakes and pitches till night
never hurried and never pcrplcxcI, most
Of the time talking with his neighbor,
with whom he exchanges work, leisurely
doing his little noon chores and his night
ones, and by set of sun is reading his
paper, in the comfortable consciousness
Of so much hay sccurcd-a lpt moved
over that is finished for Il year. And
this is 4 sample of tine heaviest work Of
the summer.
Lock on this picture and then on that
neither Of which Is, in any particular,
Overdrawn.
1t is not ours to give any specific
counsel. There is no question about the
injustice that the farmers of this country
have, in the main, unconsciously perpe.
trated upon those who are walking with
them the long path. The world has
long since (and most truthlul!y) adjudgcd
that, considering what woman does and
what she suffers, her complaints are few.
And because this is true, there is far
greater reason for that consideration
which she 80 cminently deserves.
What the genius of man can do it has
done TO tighten the labor of his own sex
Moving machines, horse rakes, and the
other implements that serve to Tighten
out-ot-door work but outside of the
blessed boon Of cheese, factories, that lift
ed such 4 load from work-worn women
in some sections, their labor is the same
to-day that it was twenty years ago.
Even If they were divorced from all
dairy operations, and could have good
hclp,it would be then an unequal burden,
since woman's work is never wanting in
perplexity, and is never nc.-He0rM
and Home.
Nor Two PLAQUES AT ONCE Tile
Louisville Courier-Journal, in lis notice