Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-06-18
How Shall I Get Through
BY MRS. NJ. p. BUTTS.


The morning was very hot and Mrs.
Brown rose late. The baby was fretful, the
children were disobedient, and Mr.. Brown
found fault. 1t seemed as if breakfast new.
er would be ready. The distance from the
pantry to the stove was never so long, so
many things never needed doing at one time
before, and when at last Mrs. Brown tied
the baby in his high chair and seated herself
along side the coffee-pot, she had q splitting
headache aud a general feeling Of despond-
ency and lassitude almost impossible to bear.
How shall l ever get through this day ?"
she asked herself, mentally, as the men
folks" struggled carelesslY in and took their
places at the table.
Mother" said Mr.. Brown, eve must
have breakfast 10 better season. We've
been waiting a full half hour"
Mrs. Brown said nothing, but poured out
the coffee, and prepared some bread and
milk for the baby in silence. Nobody no.
that she ate no breakfast, so busy were
they in disposing Of the cold corn beef, the
delicious brown bread and mealy potatoes,
and in talking Of the wall they were goin
to run through the east meadow before night.
They were not long in eating, and men and
boys showed their chairs back from the table
and went out, leaving the mother with the
breakfast dishes, the milk things" the
sweeping. the dinner, the baby, and various
other delicate bits of work not necessary to
mention. Out into the fresh air and through
the daisied meadows went the men, laughing
and talking gaily; in the hot kitchen sat
the woman surrounded with her monotonous
work.
YEARLY Mrs. Brown rose from the table,
took the baby from his chair and put him in
bis cradle, surrounding him with clothes
pins, the dinnerhorn, and such other utensils
Os he couldn't i%njure then she turned to
the task OF dish-waShing. She had carried
part of the dishes to the sink, when the baby
screamed. He had fallen out Of his cradle
in reaching after something he had dropped,
and, frightened and hurt, he loudly demand
ed his mothers attention. There we're tears
of thorough Encouragement in Mrs, Browns
eyes when she took up the child and began
soothing him by walking up aud down the
room.
How shall l get through to-day" she
asked herself again and q succession Of just
such days arose in the future, each one ask
ing her "How will you get through me p
and "How will you get through mel" until
she felt ready to give up the conflict and
never try again. While she walked up and
down, b~roodiug and f~orIorn, g bright, deter
mined-looking little woman walked in at the
door. 1t was Mrs. Hart, the wife of the
new minister.
Don't mind me, Mrs. Brown" she said,
taking of her hat. I've come over to help
you. Don't say one word" as the house.
keeper attempted to demonstrate. I'm going
to wash these dishes, and | want you to sit
down aud get baby to sleep while l do it.
Then we'll have q little talk"
Mrs. Brown yielded, as everybody yields
to the persevering woman, who went at the
half cleared table as if it were a fortress to
be taken. 10 a surprisingly short space Of
time every dish was shining high and dry,
and the dish.cloths hOated like banners from
the lilac bush at the back door.
"There, now" said Mrs. Hart, seating
herself triumphantly, wasn't that quickly
done 2"
"You have some spirit" said poor, pale
Mrs. Brown. at hasn't all been dragged
out Of you by hard work"
Precisely" said Mrs. Hart that's
just the point l want to talk to you about.
The wife and mother who lets herself get
used up so that she has no spirit 10 put into
her duties, commits a great wrong against
herself and every one connected with her."
Mrs. Brown looked up in amazement,
mingled with resentment.
~ know you think you are doing right"
continued the intrepid preacher, but l
know that YOU are fatally mistaken. Your
first duty is to keep your soul and body in
a healthy condition unless you do that you
must utterly fail in all other duties"
"But l cannot, with all this work"
you ought not TO attempt TO do all this
work. That is the first error"
81 can't help it,"
al beg your pardon, dear Mrs. Brown,
but you can help it. You could have a good
girl in a week il you should use the power
in your hands. Nobody has the right to
make you oyerwOrk yourself. If you act as
a true woman should, a woman who respects
herself as a child of God, as a mother Of
children, in whom is reposed sacred trust,
you will not overwork yourself. You will
hire a servant for the servants place, and
save your energies for their proper use. In
the course you are taking now, you run
every day the risk of depriving your chill
dren of their mother. Can you afford to do
this 7"
Mrs. Browns eyes began to fash. You
are right" she said.
Mrs, Hart laughed. al knew you were
Of the true stuff, or l shouldn't have under
taken you. Some women are born to be
drudges. Let such fulfill their destiny but
let no woman capable of being a real wife
aud mother, dare to destroy these functions
with q servants work. There are cases
where OVerwOrk is ineVitablei but these