The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-02-23
Do Farmers Wives Payi
A lady correspondent of the Country

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A lady correspondent of the Country Gentle
man discusses the question as follows:
We are not in the habit of writing for the
papers, and have some fears lest you should
think this ence too many times for US to aspire
to such honor as your notice, but, there has been
considerable discussion of late as to whether
farming pays" and the question occurs to US
"Do farmers Wives Pay?" A man can estimate
with some degree of accuracy, the cost and val
ue of his lands, stock, labor, &C., but who can
estimate the worth of his wife?
Now we wish to leave out of sight all estimate
all reference to the little comforts and felic-
tiles that go to make up the sum of domestic
happiness, and come right to the practical ques-
ton. Does young woman, who comes to her
husband with little or no dowry, but with will
ling heart and hands, and fair share of intel
ligence, 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 what that good wife is
treasure Certainly, her care and labor 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 properly cooked and prepared mt
hOurS that suit MS convenience.
He can swallow dinner in twenty or thirty
minutes that she has been all the forenoon pre-
pairing He may think it very good dinner,
but how high an estimate, think you, he would
put upon it if required to state it's worth in
money? With what establishment and disgust
would he look upon his table set out with dish
es that had not been washed since they were
last used, but how high money value would
he put upon this one romantic item of washing
the dishes, which nevertheless, takes so large
share of 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 off last week and threw down with
the wash? Some one had to rub pretty smartly
to get the dirt all out-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 surely as it comes
round Now he does appreciate cleanliness,
notwithstanding his protestations against wash
ing days and house cleaning. But is it really
worth anything i'll money!
butter-making. Every day must the milk be
taken care of, the cream must be churned at
the proper time, and the butter properly worked
and sated. He is proud to have her make
good butter-is quite happy when his neighbor
says, II want to engage my butter of you this
season, for think your wife makesthe best
butter of any around" But then are not the
COWS his? Does he not furnish the feed and
do the mlking7 Is her work slight compared
with his Is it really worth anything in dollars
and cents to do her part3
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 don't pretend to own but halt, 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? That is real
work Where is the man who will say it does
not require all woman's wit, this care for their
children, but if asked to place money esti-
mate 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 oar country women; but we
would not ask for her more than is justly due. If
there is any standard by which the value of
her services can be rightly estimated, we would
like to know it. We wish to know whether
there may be any surplus in her favor! Wheth-
er, when she asks for a few dollars for the pur-
pose of something not strictly necessary book
perhaps-she ou ght to feel that she is asking
for his hardly earned means, or whether SHE
has right to feel it is her due. If the value
of her labor does not ordinarily equal her ex-
psnses, we would like to know how much she is
to credit to her husbands generosity. Can any
one answer? Young men should ponder these
questions, and let maidens beware if no salts
factory answer can be given, for farmers
wife has life of too much toll to make it de-
srable, if, with all her labor, she is still con-
sidered beggar.