Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-05-06
THE REASON WHY.
BY IsADoRE ROGERS.
From the Ohio Farmer.

ASNIAos
From the Ohio Farmer.
FNeighbor, if you wouldn'thave anv
objections to tellin', I would hike to
know how you manage to support y0nr
family as you do, and always keep
your head above water too. If was
to do as you do, I should have to
mortgage my farm inside of three
years. Folks do say that them girls
of yourn don't hurt themselves at
work, don't knit their own stockings,
and instead of loom and spinning
wheel, you keep piano and a sewing
machine, and some how or other you've
always got the best of help in the
country; you can hire girls to work
for you that wouldn't think of going
anywhere else, and I'd like to know
how you fetch it about said one
farmer to another as they rode home
ward together from the market.
Farmer Harrison turned his jolly
good-naturned face toward the speak
er with smile, and replied: Il do not
intend to allow my girls to hurt them
selves at work, but if any person pre-
sumes to say that they are not Just as
energetic and industrious as any girls
In the country, that person is very
much mistaken. And I consider that
any man who insists upon having his
wife and daughter do the spinning and
weaving, in this age of machinery and
progression, is very much behind the
times. l can take my wool to the fac
tory and exchange it for yarn or
woolen cloth much cheaper than I can
have it manufactured at home, and
without having my wife and daugh-
ters wearing their lives away in labor
that is entirely uncalled for. In re-
gard to the sewing machine, it is just
as much an improvement upon the old
way, as the threshing machine is to
fail, and whenever man is able to
afford one, I consider it injustice 20 a
woman, as well as very poor economy
to occupy whole day in sewing, that
might easily be done in an hour
Women folks are always teasin' for
things that man can afford said
the first speaker.
Mine are not, returned the other;
when my girls want anything out of
the usual line, they say, Can't you af-
ford it, father p and if I can afford ii,
I get it; if not, ] say not this.year,
daughter, and they always reply, sAll
right, father, If you can't afford it, we
don't want it. Perhaps if every little
indulgence had to be teased out of me,
and I begrudged every cent of money
expended for everything except my
own personal qualification, they might
be different. As far as the stockings
are concerned, they can be knit BY
machinery at very trifing cost, and
if my daughters prefer to occupy their
time thus saved in improving their
minds, am willing; but if their
mother prefers to stick to the old
fashioned way, and knit her own and
mine, it is her privilege. keep every
thing upon my farm that can prop
erly attend to, and turn to advantage.
l take pains to have everything that
offer for sale in the best order, SO as
to bring the highest market price. I
get fair profit upon my produce, and
am willing to allow those with whom
I deal, profit upon theirs, and I do
not wish to be considered as belong
ing to that class of persons who think
their money little better than any
one else's, and do not want my goods
little cheaper fseeih' it's me- [ do
not intend to purchase anything until
I am able to pay for it, and I consider
it just as easy to pay the printer, the
grocer and the merchant, at the time
of receiving their goods, as to put
them to incalculable trouble and in
convenience, by a careless and dilato-
ry manner of paying. My girls rise
with the sun and attend to feeding the
poultry, churning and preparing the
butter for market, ETC., and they sci.
dom fail to have everything properly
attended to, and find time for reading
and playing upon the piano. You
know that Lucy has been teaching in
the city for the last two years. Lizzie
attended at the seminary last year, and
it was Jennie's turn this year. Mother
is little past her prime, and l don't
want her to have too much to manage
to prevent her taking life easily as I
do, and I want to secure good and eff
icient help for Lizzie. Now YOU know
that neighbor Thompson has been
rather unfortunate of late; he has had
sickness in his family, his crops were
none of the best, and he lost one of
his most valuable horses. He wants
to educate his children, not to be 9th
er peoples servants, but to be good
and useful members of society. He
wants to give Susie another term of
school in the city, and know that she
will need more dry goods than he will
be able to buy. So 1 go over to Mr.
Thompson's and say: 'Sussie, your
mother has rather more girls at home
than she really needs, and we need one
more badly, and I don't think it would
be any more than neighborly for you
to come over and stay with US this
summer. I will give you good wages
and the money will fix you up nicely
to go to school this winter Her
eountenance lights up little, and she
looks around at her father
4 don't really like to have my girls
work OUT says Mrs. Thompson.
Working at Mr.. Harrison's will be
different from working anywhere else,'
says the father.
I'm sure wouldn't think of going
everywhere says Susie.
We'll, fix it up to suit yourselves
says l, going out on the porch, and
watching the honey bees, while they
talked the matter over; and Susie
went home with me. After a while
Lucy sends me note, telling us that
she aud Jennie and half dozen other
girls from the city are coming to
spend the afternoon with US. Lizzie
and Susie are uncommonly busy in
the morning, but before the company |
arrives, everything is done, and both |
girls neatly and prettily dressed, and
if was entirely disinterested, I don't