Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-03-13
Written for the Free Press.
The Vermont Farmers In their Homes
NEW SERIES NO. vi.

The Place and Work 81 women
Women are not fit to be trusted with
money, they know nothing about business.
" Don't expect woman to keep 10 her
bargains" I'D rather not do business
with woman are current remarks
The law regards this idea of woman S IN
ability to do business by quietly removing
as far as possible both business and proper
ty from her hands. The theories are that
woman is to be supported-that 1t is an IN
dignity and misfortune Tor her 10 "orA
for any but charitable or insignificant pur-
poses.
Right in the face of law and theory
come the actual facts of life. and we KNOW
some of us. that lie is no nearer the truth
for having been repeated four thousand
wears. Iput it down, then, as an important,
in these days necessary item OF a woman 5
education. a knowledge of theprinciples OF
business. a little insight into the sublime
art of reckoning, some actual practice IN
buying and selling and keeping accounts,
and, oh. preposterous an honest hold on
the family purse.
Does anybody know with what light
grin these farmers hold their money "oula
ANYBODY believe that they treated their
wives in this regard as they do the rest OF
mankind dealing out to them small
pieces of scrip only. when they know ex-
actlv what is to be done with it and have
approved such an outlay. Some are more
generous than Others and deal with more
liberal hand. but it is still on the principle
If granted fayors that the hardwOrking
wife vets her pittance or her largess from
the average husband. All | have Is
YOURS" this husband calamity says, which
* true in the same sense that the poor
hook -keener Titbottom Of :" Pruc and L.
owned the landscape while the rich Bourne
owned only the dirt and fences. lie had a
right to contemplate it at respectful dis
lance. and 50 have you, madam, you of the
great house and two hundred acres Of land
which you have worked day and night to
helm nav for. You are the mother of child
rem and have dcoied yourself everything to
make them mfortable-restful days and
quiet nights. " soft raiment, which ssuch
a pleasure TO women. and the society OF
friends. You look back sometimes to the
DAYS when you worked out taught
school or made bonnets for living You
sometimes show Us younger people bits OF
dresses. handsome silks, embroidery, lace,
that YOU could afford in the cid time before
YOU were married.
You do not regret these things now, OF
course, for you are 50 much richer IN the
love Of husband and children and the many
blessings that such love brings; but 50 far
a. money l. concerned, dear Madam, you
would have been a great deal better of, il,
with your present economy and industry
You had remained single and taught school
or done homework for other people, all
your life.
You are doing extra work now to pay for
a newlv-adled fifty acres. but You cannot
control a dollar of its proceeds. If your
husband dies to morrow not an acre Of that
farm remains TO you. Only the right to
Use oue-fiird oft As best YOU may. without
power to convert it into money, and such
of Your own precious household furniture
as the Judgc, n stranger to you and your
affairs, Is craciously pleased to bestow upon
you.
] am not finding fault with the law or
the law-maker, now. have no doubt but
If women controlled our legislature j;
would be quite a. bad in another direction
We should. for convenience, take TO our
giro, the control Of property. yes, and
learn business. too. fancy. think more oil
providing against a second 'rife in case OF
our own demise than Of providing for tho
dear spouse left on earth, and vote TO our
selves " by courtesy" the u=e of las 'rhot
estate in case tre tarried behind. Ii alter
the case 50 when your bull CORES my OK, in
stead OF rae rersa. But confess it doe
make me uncomfortable to sec a woman
working So hard and DENYING herself =
much to earn or save few dollar- that shC
can never call her own.
think it would be better to accept the
situation and persist in charming C) lg
norance Of money. it. uses and values. as a
little feminine idio~yncracy. and Try tt
keep q pleasant home and bring up iami-
/ IL Of larse-soaloi. loving chiidren-regard
les Of expense. | an not sure but some oil
Us DO that now certainly there are more
feminine Skimpolo, in this part Of The
world than masculine ones. The character
is not an admirable one in either gender.
The truth Is, we canno, afford to give "
this matter Of money and business it i
necessary to our own -elf-reSpect and eff
cheney. and to the well-being of the family
If the law fails to recognize u, or to fairly
apprehend the circumstances-well. what
then? This law which we have such a
wholesome respect for-we talk Of IT. ma
jesty, sometimes-is a mortal machine, a
useful one. indeed such as it IS We could
not do without it. but it Is clumsy neverthe-
less, with all due Difference to the wise one
who puzzled their heads over it and found
such a wonderful difference between
tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum, and work.
clumsily. 1t CRATES and creaks when we
get near it until our teeth are set on edge
and every nerve czasperated. And We wo-
men arc responsible for it to some extent
Especially for some Of its late twists. We
put our small fingers in places here and
there; guided by instinct, luminosity or in
telligence, and give it impulses and direc-
tons that the actual voters never thought
Of.
If We would only do the best We know
with the things that are in our hands, and
know the best we may about them. think
our much-talked-of wrongs would right
themselves in time and our rights come
as naturally as breathing to the healthy
lungs.
All Of which means, coming back to the
particular case, that Madam of the great
house and farm does honestly own the prop
erty she has helped accumulate, in part
nership with her husband, or, if she has not
added dollar to the estate, she owns it in
partnership with him by virtue Of her wife
hood and motherhood, law and theories to
the contrary notwithstanding, and when
she becomes unconscious of this fact and
gives up entirely the management of her
affairs she loses in self-respect and dignity,
while the family, the husband and children,
whom the law seeks to benefit by such an
arrangement, lose more than she.
Does any one suppose that if Madam, a
woman of some intelligence and taste, had
done her duty as Administrative of family
affairs, that acre would have been added to
acre of that great farm, barn to barn, while