Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-06-30
FIRST EDITION.
Life or IA Farmers vile.
THE kxpLniENcE or wEerERN WOMAN HARD
SHIPS ON A PRAIRIE FARM

'hh hNflHlkNcE OF A WEerERN WOMAN HARD
eHlp5 ON PRAIRIE FARM.
alany instances hayo known, says Tribpn,
correspondent Of women who received ia th,
East an education IN spmo cases auporioi to tim
| OF thor Husbands, but lie Of constant car,
and d,udgefy has caused them to lose instcat
OF gaia IN mental culture, whilo tho husband,
nave grown away from tlem and it il only il
snblecth OF Il lower naLurO that they have IL com
mou interest. A man, ia his every ,lay utter
course wlth other Len, and his baiIers CALI
INTO all Kinds OF places and rcencH, must be q
fool not to receive new idcas--not to hecomt
more Intelligent On many subjects. But What
can be expected of the wife almost AWays Il,
homoin the isolated farm house, in y sparrely
settled community, and IL poor, and struggling
with uebs ~ nhuy arc, with no reading except
one or two newhpapera! II she had library OF
books it would make but litto difference, for
she has no time to road thon. All through the
western Country there s an absolute dearth oi
woman's "holp." "a girl" can hardly he OBJ
tanned for lOvo or money. Girls IN towns
or cities will not go into the cUuntry, and
country girls are too Independent. Ii
they haya fathnr's Iouse tLey
will net leave it for any length OF time, an actual
want ib not known here IN tho country. within
radius OF five miles in every direction from my
hC!ne. where | have lived eight years, have
never known or heard OF family OR person
suffering Tor anything to cat, drink, or wear,
never GILL HSI Ill IilAL ulrpC.
ton. mathor Of our acquaintance whose
husband owns 'sectiun' farm, suffers much
from ilnoBs and has a largo family, yet for
months has been without any holp il her work
but that of her little girlsthe Oldest twelve
smply hecause she could not get 4 servant
The farmers themselves are uader less neces-
sity to labor than IN msny other parts Of the
country. Farms are comparatively largo md
produce large crops, and IL pays them 10 hire la
borers. Many farmers work in the field very
little whlo the wife and mother does tho house,
work not only for her own family but for from
one to three laborers. During the .rsh Of crop
raising and harvesting, from April 10 August,
she must be up at -four IN tie morning, and she
cannot have her supper until the farm work is
ali done, and by the time her cIildron are put to
bed, the milk cared for. and dishes washed, it is
nine o'clock or after. 1t IL hard for u woman
who is hungry for reading TO zee how much lei
sure even "hircd men have to read-their win
ter and rainy daye, their long noonngs and eve
ming, aud odd bits OF time, while she has COM
paratively none.
Will it be out OF tho way to relate my ex-
periencc," or portion OF it, AZ a fair sample Of
Il large class Born and reared IN village OF a
Middle State, educated in a " female seminary,
husband III college, married, wont west, lost pro-
perty iu 1857 dropped down to =" hard pan on
all Illinois farm. II was new farm in a new Sec
ton of the country IL was all work and 10 plivi-
legos. For years,as long my husband worked
in the field, We worlen made tine garden. say we,
for our household was complete one. contain
ing not only grandma, but maiden aunt We
made the garden, after 1t was plcwod, taking all
the care Of the growing vegetables, and raised
the chickens and turkeys and calves, and Home-
times at IL pinch helped to DO mems work. Many
are the acrGs Of corn which | nave piantcd
dropping" from the planter while my husband
drove. Many times have herded
eheep all day when tue " herder' whs cspeci-
ally needed in another place, Bat those
we're golden opportunities, for couldn't L
take my book ont with me and ''read MP While
my faithful shepherd dog performed most of
tho labor of hcrding? Two days i'll huccession
remember Of hording 'mnlo-back.' There
was not II tree, shrub or stone by or on which
to Sit and tho ground WAS damp so | backed
my mule to the sun, and getting my book ia the
shade Of my sun-bonnet, read by tho hour. Bat
those opportunities were like angel visits.
pair of twin boy babies co:Ging during those
early years added not little 10 the wori. The
baby on the hip was & constant thing An or
chard of four hundred rcach trees was .arteG
with my own bands, and assifled in the setting
OF three hundred naples, besleea quantities OF
strawberry plants and other suai fruits
Though not educated to this sort oil th!nB - |
took to il as naturally as duck to water. IL
was my recreGtion, my amnsementi an escape
from the drudgery Of dirlwlshing and cooI.nS
However, | bad two great blessings, health Of
self and family, and the maiden amt. ono 9th
or help which | should mon;ion-my hushands 3
fouduees for reading aloud, and his unwilling
ness to enjoy anything IN which a. not par
t!ceaIe No new farming implement was con-
sidared satisfactory untii ! had been out IA the
field nid hal seen il work and understood the
use of all ta parts. For ten long years the piano,
winch was sold, could not be replaced there
were no Injuries Wa had just tho barost COM
forth. The little sitting-room, with it's bright
rag carpet, pretty wall paper, lounge, ana easy
chair and its case OF boo.-shelvcs wae tho one
bright spot, after day OF t1il--a little heavon
below.
Comforts gather about liz with tho years that
pass, but leisure comes not with them. "i-ei'
cure" is worl have almost lost tho meaning
of. Even with the help of two women, there
seeny 10 be no moAlent of the day Which mas not
pressing dltles; no time for reading or music
unless we steal it. say to my sister ''liow l
wish could ever sit down to read without ieel-
ing guilty" Sho has moro courage tiian l. ana
rc;,if,s, in defiant way 81 don't feel 30; l
think it is az much my duty to read .s to do any
thing else" | read my magazines last summer
while churning, and al no other time. IL the
butter was long in coming, ! was at iease re-
signed. ~ -. -
which | had great tasta when girl, in twelve
years Aud THIS in u family where there are no
DAUGHTERS to draHB Tho farmers VIE, II sne
has not SO much rlfiiug and ilutlng to DO and
she does all Of that shc can-las many otl-
or extras in tho way Of LocsaNolk M tlinss OF
harvesting aud thrarllg corn cutting, husking,
aud shellIng, etc l!er friends do NOT "cali,
but 'vsit:" and every casual acquaintauco VINO
has business that way "rtols oven, nlSh.' Tor
What is u meal or tsu in Il farmers ho"te, where
vctiials are prepared By the wholesale
Tho question is often put " How did our
grandmother got along when they not only did
their houaeworli, but 50 large AL amount OF
spinning, weaving, etc., My answr Is that
their housework WAS not 30 complicated. Large
families we're the rule, and the daughters were
kept at work moro than in school. An aged
amt of mine used to say, with sigh ION =!
for for an oldfeshioned leg cabin, with one or two
largo rooms, and very little furniture, few
chairs and tables and iew dishes, and world
less OF work, worry and care! we do not
want to 20 back o:snch simplicity but how may
voIneu improve their worl-a-day condition!