Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-12-17
AGRICULTURAL.
Hard Times.

"What docs this new cry about hard
times mean? If to farmers wives and
daughters it means retrenchmont in ex.
ronses. for one should like to know where
it is to begin"
This was said few days ago by woman
who stands as a good representative Of the
class Of economical, hard working women
who abound in the country. Said she
" Ever since | was married and came to
live on this farm ! have done my best to
earn and save something to help along,
going without neodlul clothes and sitting
up late and rising early, that my husband
and children should be fed and clothed, and
now we are oxhorted to spend less till the
financial crisis is past. | am perfectly
willing 10 do il if | only knew how. My
husband works as hard as be is able, and
spends neither time or money unnecessarily
i wish could say as much for all Of our
neighbors Here is Joseph Burt, with a
farm as large and as good as ours, on which
he has lived longer but never takes care of
anything. The consequence is, there is
enough goes to waste in one year to pay
mans wages. His three boys are coming
up to be as careless as their father. Their
mother does the best she can, but has be-
come utterly discouraged and broken in
spirit. When asked why she did not have
certain things for her comfort, she replied
that she never could have cent Of money
she could call her own. You keep four
COWS; do you not have the money for your
buttor2"
seldom 20 to town, and when send
butter or anything else, Joseph has 20 many
things to buy there is nothing left for me"
This was said with such a iorlorn air
expressed some surprise, when the poor
woman told me one Of her many disap-
pointments She said, " 1t was hard to
complain Of her husband but sometimes he
was so thoughtlcss
One day when he was going to town she
put up ten pounds Of butter asking him to
get her calico dress which she very much
needed He took one of the boys with him,
sold the butter for two dollars and half
cash, went with the boy to the circus, then
took him to the restaurant and got supper,
bought pound Of tobacco, then told the
boy he was ready to 20 home
Where asked the boy, ais mother
dress ?" "Oh," said he, 81 have not
money enough left to buy it, and she can
wait"
The selfish creature could say moth.
ing TO comfort her. ptied her, and
thought to myself How can she spend
less and how many there are living jus
such a life Of servtude, with little to chez
or improve!" Let each person inquire o
himself how much less he can spend.
Still, it is not the country farmers s,
much as city people that will feel tn,
gripping Of the present and prosperity,
pressure. Those farmers who are provi
dent and have the wherewith to pay thei
taxes, will suffer less than any other elias
Of people. If their products are less il
value, so are other articles lower in pro
portion.
To all we would say, whether in town o
country, be prudent both in regard to tn
requirements Of health and in daily livinl
and dress We can never have bette
time to emancipate ourselves from the tyr
amy of Fashion. There are few men, W,
trust, that are destitute of frmnoss enough
to dispense with their cigars-we will not
insult them by limiting at any other worse
than useless expenditure. Nor do think
any true woman would refuse to do with.
out any article of dress that would merely
serve for ornament, if the good Of her
family required it; and there is little in her
daily life that she would not sacrifice tc
save the man she loved from financial EN-.
barrassment.-L Republican.