Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-05-23
The Vermont Farmers In their Homes.
FAMILY PRAYERs.-THE oyERwcIKED WOMEN.
SOME EARNEST WORDS TO THE FARMERS
WIVES

sha II be read iC!thOW note or comment III tnO
public schools. believe there Is no such
law in existence with regard to the reading
of the sacred word in the private domielle.
1t is good thing in the early morning, be-
fore the hustle and work of the day nave
fairly commenced. to stop and reyerently
knecl before Him who is above us all, to ac-
knowledge our allegiance to a Heavenly
Power; and when the Psalm beginning Inc
Heavens declare the glory of God; day unto
day uttereth speech, - is read in the pres
ence of our sublime mountain scenery, per
haps no mote or comment is needed. but
the attention of the children needs to be at
tracted: this Is the season for their religious
education. and it should not be passed over
lightly.
The housekeeper plans the morning meal
before she goes to bed at night, and the
farmer arranges his business for the next
day, and for several days to come. Would
it not be a good thing to select also the
chapter to be read next morning, and to
study its lessons, 50 that it might be intelli-
gently rendered and explained? The break
fast is eaten and forgotten, the food goes
into the system and nourishes or vitlates
the body according as the various articles
have been well or i'll prepared. 50 the
conduct of these morning prayers sinks into
the child's mind and nourishes it, and he
grows in reverence and holy faith, or else
the ulcers of distrust, hypocrisy and indil-
ference to spiritual things find then and
there beginning in the soul. Vt family
prayers the children have an opportunity to
become little acquainted with the God
their parents worship. If those parents
desire TO have their children love Him, 10
find His service attractive, they will make
these daily offerings beautiful. 1t Is well If
there is something in which all the family
can join The singing Of iavorite psalms
or hymns brings to the worship fresh ele-
ments Of devotion and sympathy, which
commend themselves iuStinctiyely 20 every
one, and Will reach the heart when the
reading lesson and prayer fail to DO So
am not superstitious. but believe the
members Of a family who repeat together
the Lords Prayer, day after. day, and sing
in chorus the grand doxology, " BE thou,
o God, exalted high, or the sweet hymn
Of conservation, " Nearer, my God, to
Thee" possess a charm that viii keep
them nearer each other. farther from the
entertainments Of sin. nearer TO the great
source of good, than any amount Of correct
advice, prayer-meeting prayers, or even
church membership.
- But, says a tired-looking woman, with
a glanceat her hard hands, despairing
look in her heavy eyes. Doyou know that
all this means tme Reading, double
meals three times day, clean table linen.
a change Of plates, no doubt. flowers on the
table, half an hour for prayers, and study
Of the Bible lesson at night Do you know
what it is to take care Of a family Of ten
persons-wash. cook, make and mend for
thom-a dozen cows beside2"
So well. my dear madam, that wonder
You were not dead and in Your grave long
ago, with this motto written upon your
head-tone " She hath done what She could,
and great deal m0re than she could"
grow tired, and faint, and sick at heart
when think Of one of these handy and
savin'" Ito quote from my friend the
driver farmer women Of Vermont.
The newspapers sometimes tell Us about
the vast deal of work our grandmothers
used to do in the olicn time II wonder if
they ever heard how much i sometimes
accomplished by women ofthe present time.
Ii isa common thing for 4 farmer wife.
with the help OF one hired girl, Of the
sort we get in New England. TO DO. as was
intimated. the entire work of family,
varying in number from five TO ten. OF from
ten 10 twenty persons, washing, cooking,
sewing. mending for them, and carrying on
a business. beside, Of making butter or
cheese. or both; and she Is considered
rather fortunate person among her neigh
borS, because she has help. II l. quite a.
common a thing for one woman alone TO do
all this work, and perhaps she has added TO
it the care of old people.
Very frequently You hear the remark
when one i III or dead, or dying by inches.
=" Oh. she has oyer-worked, - a. if they had
said. The weather was damp and she
took cold " and you marvel a little that
people are i'll, or die Of such slight and ap-
parently accidental causes.
1t Is wonderful to see how these women
work right on under any, under all circum-
-, -
crying. sickly habies-and their usual work
does not stop a single month. There are
nights of wakefulness and watching DAYS
when it seems a. if the weary body could
not contain the spirit; but the mother
works on. washing, scrubbing. securing,
sweeping, busting making pies, and cakes,
and jellies, and preserves; tending the
baby all the while. " Men-folks must have
something 10 eat, she says. This work
has got to be done. and there's nobody but
me 10 do it." Her neighbOrs unless re
lieyed by some fortunate circumstances, all
do the same. and she does not know there i
any other way.
- want TO get out Of debt, " one woman
explains, when You interrogate her; and
yod find that her husband has added a new
iarm.to his already large possessions, and
she Is killing herself to pay for j.. q" We
pay girl tc0 dollars 4 week, another as
sured me. s0lemnly, when | asked her why
she did not get rid of that dreadful wash
ing-day she was complaining Of, d" and 1t
does not seem as if we could afford to pay
another dollar for a wash-woman :; and Yet
the income of this family was among the
thousands. and they We're putting money IN
the savings bank every year
\ farmers wife wrote to the Home De
partment Of the New York TrliHHe some
thing about her domestic cares Three
Young children, | think there were, the
baby crying every nigh. the Others with
whooping-c0ugh, measles, scarlet-iever or
some aiiment, most Of the time; large
family of farm labOrerS, and she alone doing
the work. - We are paying for our place,
she wrote. and | want to help all | can
but get 50 tired, and am 50 sleepy all the
time. my head aches SO. that | do not know
what to do. Is there any other way she
asked. pathetieally, and the answer from
the editress was worthy of woman " Bear
up little longer she said. Keep up
your courage, and kcep at irork. In few
years your farm will be paid for, your chill
dren will have grown large enough to help
You, and then you will begin to enjoy the
fruit of your labors and to be glad Of the
sacrifices you have made
Begin to enjoy the fruit Of her labors -
in heaven (et u hope it will be well with
herr, though do not think heaven smiles
upon such Suicidal policy. wonder if she
will - be glad, as She = leans out from the
god bar that she made such strenuous
efforts to give her children n step-mother.
Perhaps her friends will say Of her sue
cessor as | have 50 often heard How
much more the husband thinks of her than
of his first wife and she (the first) worked
50 much harder; helped him make all that
property, and gave herself no rest until
everything was paid up.
Sensible man, think, when | hear such
things. If his first wife worked like beast
of burden he probably valued her in the
same way. am sure at any time he would
have preferred an agreeable woman to
tired-out drudge.
And so want to say to the women, the
farmer women of Vermont, in the name of
oil ;ustiee wit. and GOOD sense. strike for