The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-07-25
The Work of Farmers Wives.

In the Doylestowu Farmers Club Ia.
dies as we'll as gentlemen take their turn
at contributing brief essay in order to
open discussion. Some excellent re.
marks on the duties aud labors of farm.
ers' wives were recently made By Mrs.
William Wynkoop, for an abstract of
which We are indebted to the Doylestown
Intctfigenccr $50 gsg. t# ,cs
The essayist said that there are MANY
who will assert that the farmers wife has
no more trouble than the wives of men of
any other vocation, but she was here to
assert that this was not so. The wife of
the merchant, without affecting the hus.
band, can finish on the following day
what she has failed to accomplish on the
preceding day; but how vastly different
is this with the farmers wife She la.
bors conjointly with her husband, and
the toll and strife of one is dependent up.
on the other. The work of the farm in :
cludes labor for each, and this must be
operformed by one as not to conflict with
the other. 1t is generally the case in
farm houses throughout the country that
We 6ua only one help in the household,
irrespective of the size of the family aud
the amount of labor to be performed
But wien We visit our city friends we
find there the case entirely different
There family of medium size generally
has two or three helps.
In advocating the use of modern inyen-
tions to Tighten the labors of the farm
house, the essayist wished to kown how
many farmers wives went to their wash
ing in the same manner as their grand
mothers. We must either 60 back to the
oldeu times or have machinery. She had
come forward to advocate the later. In
advancing her argument that the use of
machinery was as essential to the sue
cessful performance of the wife's as we'll
as the husbands duties upon the farm,
she wished to known how many of our
farmers follow the old time methods of
farming? How many NOW their grass
with thescythe or reap their grain with the
cradle? Or, how many farmers are there
who now DO ther threshing with the fail?
And, going still farther back, how many
farmers of day pursue the old custom
vi OCdtluS OuI tHCii Siaiu Will hoiseS
If such revolution has taken place in
the performance of mans labors, and the
use of machinery has been an indispen
sable aid In the successful pursuance Of
his vocation, why Is it not equally as es-
sential to tighten the cares and burdens
of the in door labor of woman !? We will
find that much more will'be accomplish
ed by the use Of a washing machine,
clothes wringer, a sewing machine, and
such modern domestic inventions. Why
would not the establishment of cooper.
ativc dairies be advantageous And
why could we have public laundry In
every neighborhood We could easily
have these if the farmers would not look
at them as dead loss if they would on
ly consider that for the money expended
there is an equivalent returned, and
money thus given ost is proftably ex.
pended. r
Thus would the health and temper of
the farmers wife be preserved, her many
thousand little cares lightened, and the
home Of the farmer rendered more attrac
tive
AD'utC HldO I'm. WOuCu uO
if they had all of these modern inven-
tions? There would still remain plenty
to do, and the wife would have no oc-
casion to remain idle. She might then
have an opportunity of looking over her
children's lessons chance to read the
papers aud post herself in regard to the
current news of the day would not be
ignorant as to who was to be the next
President and would be able to ascertain
what their husbands did at the farmers
clubs Our farm houses should be con
.tructed with more of the city conven-
fences, with hot and cold water; and for
kitchen we want large airy room,
where the wife will not have to run to
the garret three tunes for -four while she
is baking, or to the cellar three or four
times for lard or eggs. These can all be
done, and are within the reach Of all we'll
to do farmers. No one knows how they
will tend to tighten woman's cares, and,
with such advantages, those who now
look down upon will then be proud of our
farmers wives.