Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-03-05
&aoies' Department.
For the vermont FARNER.
Woman's Place and Womans Work.

"
This subject in tho Ladies' Department"
seems to me very much like n seethlng, boil
ing caudron, into which each one thrusts
thoir finger, each getting badly scalded, yet
tightly grittinG their teeth upon the pain, re-
solved to "never give up" And | now pro-
pose to bring my humble handful of kind
hngs, TO keep the kettle boiling, without re-
gard to who may screech, woman-like, with
burned finger. Anything is preferable to
letting the embers shoulder and die, until
we are enabled to come to better under
standing and performance Of the duties
which already devolve upon woman. Ara
ban thinks that we need not aspire to any
higher elevation than to make our homes
pleasant, and to strive to elevate our sons,
husbands, and brothers, and cannot see the
necessity OF their striving to elevate us. Now
I fail to see why men are not responsible
beings rs we'll rs women; and why they
should not strive to make us happy, and
raise us to n higher plane of life. as well as
that we should devote all our energies and
livos TO their special benefit. There are
many men, and some women, too, who are
narrow minded enough to think that women
have no business with anything but dish
cloth, and should seek to know nothing but
their husbands "sweet will" and not alt1ays
street. Mt that. They consider character 81
something masculine; and think II HpproP4-
ate to woman that she should he yieldkk,
with no fixed opinion or will Of her Own,
and no ideas that have not been digested by
| r l. "a laI
character Is not necessarily masculine. A
thoroug hly balanced character is If possible
more necessary to woman than TO man. In
that lies her strength. With that she does
her work, and no woman can perform her
mission well without 1t. Nothing 10 more
feminine and lovely than woman with
fixed principles, broad visions, and firm pur-
pose. Without character we cannot be that
noble thing, woman. For the first and
most important period of life the race is com :
mItted to her. She is the queen OF her
home, its center. its light, and its glory. The
home is the fountain of all that Is good on
earth. But it does not follow that she has
no duties outside her own home, or that IN en-
have no duties inside their own home. He,
|
| her constant efforts 10 make home cheerful,
instead OF taking it rs matter of course,
and when she asks for little money, he
should not dole It out to her rs though she
had no right to it. And bet him consider
that she needs recreation now and then Al
well rs himself. A mans work brings the
money, but II does not tax the head, this
heart and tho hand, rs does woman's. A
man has his work-hohrs, and his definite
tasks, but a woman has work Mt all hours,
and an incessant confusion OF tasks. Would
il not make vast difference in the income
of every farmers family If when the hus-
band ceased to labor, on rainy days, or in the
evening, or at any time, the wife should
cease alsoP and whenever he went abroad
she should go, and when he spent II dime or
n dollar, for liquors, tobacco. or oysters,
she should spend tho same amount for some
such foolish indulgence. And supposing that
tho work usually done by women in this
time should be done by hired help at fir
wages. Where would the farmers be Mt the
end Of five years of such administration
Not one farmer in twenty would survive
such change in his affairs. But, sisters
lei us not do so much unnecessary work. r
Is true that it Is our duty to make our home:
pleasant, but not at the expense Of turning
ourselves into mere machines. A. geaI
deal of the work done by women is unneces-
sary and doubtless your husbands would be
rs well satisfied If you did not do It. At amy
rate let us try and catch sunbeam once In
a while, even IL the cook-stoye is not polish
cd every day, and we are Obliged to foregC
the fashionable hounces. II we possess any
common sense or independence Of character
lot us show It in this matter of dress. lie
us not, rs in the past, place the motto before
our eyes; 1--WE might AS we'll be out of the
world as out of the fashion," and consider
ourselves obliged to follow 1t Mt the expense
Of carewoIn faces and shortened lives. Why
trouble ourselves about what Flora McFlim'
sey wHnrsP We see her on the street occ a
sionally, conspicuous among the well-dresset
promenaders by the vulgarity Of over-trim
ming. She looks remarkably expensive, bu
remarkably elegant neVerP elegance anC
style are inseparable from simplicity.
Over trimming. like all excess, Is out o
taste, wide Of tho mark whom it aims nj
beauty, and woful failure when 1t seeks
happiness, Men are not altogether free
from this weakness of following fashion, al
though they amuse themselves cracking
Jokes at'what they term feminine folly.
Do they not torture their heads with stove
Pipe hatsP more sensless fashion than
the smallest bonnet that ever sat on
womans' head. Won't they agonize their dea
feet with No. boot that ought to be No
, 8; wear collar so stlff that Il is impossible
to make polite bow, pants so tight that 4
! a sitting position they wholly prevent oireu
lation ut the knees, and practice other inoou
, ssteneies too numerous to mentione b