Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-10-23

/ -hUJL<tHe JOT 4NOCeHtOeI
THE HoUsEKEEPER's WoRK-The ques-
ton of economy is not the first one in the
advantages Of homework. American wo-
men need it for their health. The great
want of our nervous, complaining women
in cities is exercise Taking horse. car
trips to the park, or going shopping, won't
supply relief to the muscles wasting for
want of use, or stir the blood from its
languor. The ideal of perfect employment
given by philosophers Is four hours work
day for the bodily wants, the rest to be
spent in study and society. Our women
accept this theory. leaving out the work.
Of course they suffer for it. Debiltated
muscle and bad circulation cause nearly
all the mysterious disorders which make
our women thin, morbid, and useless. All
the iron, quinine, and bromides in the city
will not restore tone to i disturbed system
without good old-fashioued exercise, In
the shape Of sweeping, securing. making
beds and bread What are our women
good for} They can't stand in one place
ten minutes running up and down stairs
Injuries them they can't walk of at a
breezy gait without losing breath. They
are tired if they travel, car-sick 10y rail,
lose their honest appetite and grow red
or yellow in the face, and have doletul
diseases which tire out the patience OF
their friends Tney can't sweep, for the
dust hurts their lungs they can't turn
over thirty pound mattress, nor do up
their own collars, for ironing is too hard
for women, as they comfortably affirm
nowadays. Upon special occasions, such
as getting up fairs or entertaining COM
pany, these same women rush into the
/ business with a frantic energy that goes
I off n delrum and nine days uselessaess.
| 1t they could be persuaded to work briskly
every day four hours, taking employments
up by degrees, resting whenever tired.
yIgor would return at the demand for II.
Homework Is better for calling many
muscles into play than gymnastic-- and
exercise taken with some other object ln
view is always better than exercise Tor its
own sake Women who are busy iu men
tai pursuits need this diversion to rest
their brains, and balance the nervous
power. They would find their account in
\ working an hour or two every halliday
with broom indoors or spade outside. and
4 the nervous irritabiIity which maze, them
often a by word to their acqu4in,fn1es
would be exercised. The example would
20 far if women Of ordinary staining. ln-
stead Of keeping their house affairs 10 the
background as something TO be gulrs8.
would concsde that IT is the dIty ana iu-
teresr of their lives. Horrible cries
an advanced female. =. ar, Wougu'~ gifts
given for no other purpose than tn >eT on
buttons and count up haudsercu ..- ~
Somebody must do these things tor tae
gifts Of grace- will not make much im-
preston unless buttons and hauisercaiet-
are forthcoming in their company. The
race Is for cultivation but Z women are
useless for practical purpose As fast as they
become cultivated, pras where are we t0
look tor dinners when the last r5v -rldu-
ates from the comical university There
Is verse in q brilliant prophecy % tae
future which assigns king, aud queens aus
servants and it implies that the most
beautiful and lofty OF the renovated human
race Will have learned noble and delicate
ways of serving, so that the meauesr w'ra
in the world will not be deemed beneath
them. In the social fabric one duty Is as
C~~cutidl as duUtuCi toyhAC}'AJ 4A .@t
preach to people, inspire them, elevate
them with essay. song and go>pe, but
then preachers and regeneratei AMI uo-
lifted alike must have dinners au. c..ln
linen. or the culture aud amiabity w.lI
have a hard struggle to survive. Tua
woman. be she wife, mother, or employee.
who carefully attends TO the physical well
being Of 50 many people as fall into her
charge does a better work than the one
who writes platitudes for newspapers, or
utters svbilline lectures. The good house
keeper does frst-rate wor. the lecturer
or writer must be content, save IN one case
out Of a thousand, to rank as third or
fourth rate. Nothing but buttons in d.
nestle life So there is nothing but clay
and marble in scuIptors, or bones ID
physicians work and there is no ca
reer which does not pail on the taste IS
surely az home work. In time women VIII
find cut the devotion, the poetry AMI honor
OF keeping house, do not mean marry
Ing and throwing their hearts into the work.
If they are not strong enough for the task,
all that can be said Is they are not fit to
be women, AM the sooner they change to
angels the better for them ard the world.
Shirley Dare IN Golden dye.
AN ANCIENT HUMoRIsT-H ierocles,
who lived in the sixth century, collected
twenty-one jests under the general title of