The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-02-25
Gpetlin9 State gonrnaI.
SATURDAY EVENING, FEB. %, 1871.
How mapy wives Fade.

How many pale, lifeless women you see
in the West and in the East, too, as for
that matter. Young, fresh looking women
marry, and in five or ten years you. can
scarcely recognize them, while their hus-
bands look as well as on the day OF their
wedding. One cause of this is comph-
Gated housekeeping. When man under
stands a business, be finds learned men
ready to assist him he knows what there
is to do and secures help accordingly. A
Young woman goes to housekeeping very
often without any help at all, or perhaps
with one awkward girl, like his wife In
this respect. There are three meals to get
every day--that means cooking; and then
comes the dishes to be washed after each
meal. 1t would take about forty-five
pieces for breakfast and supper, and seven
ty for dinner for family Of live--one hum
dred and sixty-fve pieces to be carried
from the kitchen TO the dining-room every
day, washed and carried back. Ii you
have six rooms in your house there is one
to be thoroughly swept and cleaned daily,
besides brushing up the others, making
beds, bringing in wood and carrying in
water.
Twice week there is bread making,
twice week yeast making, one day wash
ing, one day ironing, pantries and safes
washed out once week, dairy work to be
attended to, besides innumberable jobs in
the way of preserving, jelly-making,
picking, cutting hams, putting down
pigs feet, looking over apples twice in
winter, and making hogshead cheese,
mince meat, thorough house cleaning
twice year, then sewing on dresses,
aprons, shirts. drawers, gowns, etc., by the
dozen.
Then surprising the house keeper has a
baby-an.averag six months old baby that
weighs about eighteen pounds. Suppose
she has this child in her arms thirty times
day ia cross infant is taken up more fire.
uuently,) and is obliged to work with the
right arm whilst carrying the burden Of a
baby about with the left. Who is it that
says there is nothing in gymnastics equal
to the endurance of a mothers arms? Even
when the days labor is accomplished, and
she goes to bed, she still holds her baby
and does not sleep soundly for fear of roll
ing on it or of its getting uncovered she
must attend to its wants several times in
the night, and must be in constrained
condition for fear of disturbing it.
| have heard women say they would
give almost anything for night of undis-
turbed sleep, "with no care on the mind. :
Then in the morning up and at it again
Don't you see why women get pale, and
why sometimes little cross, and how
their husbands wonder that their wives
don't look pretty and dress well, entertain
them as they did before they were married
The wives don't reason on the matter
they think it all the mans fault, and ther
they turn cross, and so things go at sixe
and sevens, and this is the place wher'
women's rights should be taken hold OF
/ don't think voting would help that much
woman's labor should be made a study
In the first place, man must realize that
is great labor to keep house. A grea
many women sink down under the weight
then everybody says: Poor thing, sh
always was weakly, good for nothing
creature, and the poor thing has bee
doing more for the past ten years thai
two women ought to have done.-Ea
change.