Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-03-07
For the VERMONT FARMER.
FARMERS WIVES,


ergies and ingenuity, that any one can de.
plore and lamcut the fate of being farmers
wife. 1t is not only wholesome discipline,
but an amusement for us to walk into the
pantry, and before the window at the broad
shelf mix these agents that sparkle and TO-
ment with each other, when the exact pro.
portions are prepared for crea N tartar bis
cult" "Sour bread and poor mullins belong
to the days OF barbarism." II. l.. O., in the
VERMONT FARMER
Now, Mr.. Editor, as | have never been
anybody's wife but IA farmers in all the
seventeen years Of my married life, perhaps
| attn not so well prepared to discuss this
question on both sides, as is" II. L. c." But
looking from my standpoint it is no such
"prodigous wonder" to me that woman
should deplore the fate of being farmers
wife, even with the big turnips and fat
cattle thrown in.
Big turnips and fat cattle are doubtless
good eating, and help to make the lends
meet" but they wont cook for the hired man,
scrub floors, skim milk, wash pans, salt but.
ter nor the thousand aud one other things
that keep farmers wife busy from early
morn till night, or until WEAKNESS disables
her from further labor, until rest has recuper-
ated her overtasked powers. 1t is not only
wholesome discipline but an amusement
for us to walk into the pantry and before
the window at the broad shelf, mix, &C." 1t
may be wholesome discipline, for suppose
all our happenings are a part of our life's
discipline and meant for our good, but dmuSe-
ment, my dear madam, is quite another
thing, aud | should say that it depends de-
cidedly on circumstances. If one had spent
most of the day in reading, writing or sew
ing it might be a pleasant relaxation to pre-
pare biscuits for tea at this same "broad
shelf" But supposing one has been on her
feet since FIVE O'Clock in the morning, has
skinned II hundred pans of milk, sailed fifty
pounds Of butter, washed the dairy utensils,
got dinner for from eight to dozen, washed
two or three floors, perhaps done some iron
ing, and the thermometer up close to the
nineties," fancy it would be anything but
amusement to look into the bread box and
find there is not bread enough for tea, and
some of the aforesaid biscuits must be made
nOLenS rolenS. don't call fancy to my aid
here, for have Mt been there hundreds of
times myself?
have had the charge of dairy of from
twenty to thirty cows for many years, and a
family Of from six to twelve to care for
probably averaging ten for the last ten years
and if do not know the pleasures Of
farmers life, or farmers wife, | must be
poor scholar. | admit that as class we are
too much inclined to look more at our hard
ships, than at the advantages Of our life,
especially when we visit our village sisters
and see their houses filled with dainty things
their own dett handiwork, which we should
enjoy making and having so much, if we
could ever find the time for it in our own
busy homes. Aud | have had these same
village ladies, with perhaps three or four in
their family, talk to me as if had decid-
eddy easier time than they did. have
thought TO myself at such times, "my dear
madam, wouldn't like to have you tryn :"
And they will say, too, &" can't find any
time to read, how can you read and write so
much as you do2" And yet they find time
to scrub when it isn't dirty, dust when it is
MT dusty, crochet intricate tides and edg-
ugs, spend days on drawing in rugs, and in
working rufles and Aounces and tucks and all
the et ceteraS of modern wardrobe and
these things are nice and | would like them
too, but when | must choose between these
and an empty, uncultivated mind, it does not
take me long to make my choice. How much
more important it is that we catch every
leisure moment for improving our minds,
that we may have sources OF enjoyment with
in ourselves, that We may be able to instruct
; our children aud help to form in them Guilt
waited tastes. Unless person has a strong
taste for reading or writing it will be much
easier to spend their time, when too tired to
work with their hands, on the lounge or in
the easy chair. But let them try taking up
; an Interesting book or paper at such tunes
aud see if it don't rest them. know this
cannot always be done, for there are days
when we are too hurried to remember that
we have any minds to cultivate, or, | had
liked to have said any souls,-when we are
t literally driven by our work so that there ID
no intermission until night brings us respite
, and we must give up from physical exhaust
q ion. But there are some " let ups in the
; busiest lives and let US improve them as best
we may,-ior it is written that man shall
not live by bread alone 1t is poor Inf
, indeed, that never rises above eating drink
Il ing, aud putting on Of apparel
- " Sour bread and poor mullins are relic
Of barbarsm perhaps, but | don't conside
it one of the unpardonable sins in house
keeper, who has dozen irons in the fire a
, once, to let some of them barn, for they can
well be in only one place at time, and
. the cream wants putting down, the potatoe
. to be washed for dinner, the bread to b,
kneaded, all at the same time, something
must suffer.
LAURA BRIGHAM BoYcE.
/ A Chicago Judge has decided that mar
5 ried woman may make business contract
10 with her husband and enter into partnership
with him, according to the laws of the state