The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-10-09
Women mt Fairs.

The agricultural fair is abroad again
and the annual reports and premium
lists will soon fill the papers. There i,
nothing much dricr intrinsically than !:
| premium list to non-exhihitor, but
nevertheless it has its value in the social
history of the time. We have been
struck in particular by the character of
| the articles in which womcn are en-
! cn'iraIrd tn compete, and we think those
articles arc peculiarly significant of the
| toll cNactcd from the sex and the cul-
| turr commended to them. Although
| these fairs are called agricultural, we
arc clad To see that they are also largely
domestic and becoming more and more
so. In no case do We value the compc-
titi"n and rivalry aroused so much as
the direction and attention Of the mind
toward improvement
mere are always premiums on butter
aHd cheese and usually on bread, and
perhaps on pickles and preserves and Il
few other staples of hnuscwifcly produc-
ton. This Is very proper, and our only
suggestion is that the competition is not
carried far enough and with proper dis
elimination. We noticed, the other day,
Il premium granted for "the best one
hundred dipped candles" when in this
l@r OF cheap Kerosene and dear tallow.
dipped candles" must he Il t0iS0mc
and expensive luxury. We can not but
entertain Il feeling of Indignation also 1T
the encouragement of elaborate bed
quilts and other products Of the needle
in which the amount 6 labor involved
seems quite diSpropnrtionatr to the use
alM beauty extracted. The American
H. m-witc is generally hard-workcd
p'ison. and we believe that there :rc
moe rcsttul diversions than in shaving
irfclf to triileS of this sort. We do
no mean 10 trQwn on the adornmcnt of
'l" house and tie person, bat taste
teaches simplicity. The compctition
should be turned into other channels
al>o. The clothing of the family, and
particularly of the children, how much
my be learned and saved from Judi
cicns comparison in this direction? In
short every branch of woman's effort in
the exhibition community should he re-
presented, but with view to the en-
c"nra"cmcnt of the useful, the tasteful,
the labor-S;,ving, the hcalthful, rather
than the merely curious, the prodiri-
ou>ly toilsomc, or the sccmly impoSsi-
bic.
y suggestive field of exhibition is
that of " female accomplishments, in
which arc usually awarded Zone dollar"
or two dollars for Il few Indifferent
paintings in oil or crayonings. This is
Il relic of the New England female cul-
lurc, which ilourishcd most violently
about twenty years ago, and which II
fortunately is not yet extinct. We shn-
have To acknowledge our gratitude all
the chromos for this, among OF to
things, that they have aided in the cx-
tinction of the passion for painting,
five dollars extra" which used to he a
conspicuous feature of girls cducation
The chromos are better pictures than
the girls can paint, can he had for less
than the cost of material, and don't
waste any time. OF course there are
some excuses for it; it was wnman's
crude effort 10 ;otuTn the bare old farm
houses, and she toilcd rcligiously ut it,
heaven bless her, unconscious that she
w:is daubing. 1t was no worse than
multiplying wicked tucks ad intinitum
on the sewing machine, and the great
sin is that Will" they are painting and
tucklnS they are growing up empty
headed, and without the knowledge
which would sustain life when it pressed
hard.
There are other accomplishments not
SO cxhibitahlc hut better worth while.
\ familiarity with English literature
will adorn the house more even than
chr"mos and tides, though these have
their places. We have been struck bv
the good sense of Vermont grange
which has offered and Just awarded
premiums for the best flower gardens
Il wise encouragement to Il healthy out
door art. The first prize was awarded
to Il lady who had raised ninety varic-
ties of %craniums and some vcrv choice.
flowers, this in one of the remote hill
towns. From horticulture the step j.
easy L" hntany, and so 10 Il whole class
of accomplishments which are really en-
lar@ing To the soul, rccrcativc and ionic
t" the whole being. OF course il almost
goes without saying that fairs, as con
Germs women, should be in the hands of
womon - Sp1nNfcM Rcpublicom.
COTTON prcsSof extraordinary power