Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-05-07
AsHTABULA OHIO FRIDAY, MAY l. 1875.

matter. ''Continue the process of
dividing as long as the parts can be
discerned," and then "prolong the
vision backward across the bounda-
ry of experimental evidence" And
if brave enough to attempt to count
them, he must bear in mind that
what appear to be blank intervals,
or blurred, nebulous spaces, are, in
reality, filed with innumerable little
duties which, through the glass of
observation, may be discerned quite
plainly. Let him also bear in mind
that these household duties must be
done over and over, and over, and
over, and as well, each time, as if
done to last forever; and, above all,
that they every one require miad.
Many common saying proves
this last point. ''Put your mind on
your work" "Your mind must be
where your work is" "She's a good
hand to take hold, but she has no
calculation. "She doesn't know
how to forecast her work" "She
doesn't know how to forelay" ''Nan-
cy's gittin' past carryin' her mind
inter her work. Wal, I remember
when 1 begun to git past carryin'
my mind inter my work." said an
old woman of ninety, speaking of
her sixty years old daughter. The
old couplet,
''Man works from rise till set of sun.
But woman's work is never done"
tells the truth, "Woman's work." as
now arranged, is so varied, so all
embracing, that it cannot be ''done." "
For every odd moment some duty
lies in wait And it is generally the
case that these multiform duties
press for performance, crowds of
them at once. $50 many things to be
done right off, that l don't know
which to take hold of first" CTS
just as much as can do to keep my
head above water" ooh, deal! |
can't see through!' ''AIy work drives
me" 81 never know what tits not to
feel hurried" "The things l can't
get done tire me more than the
things l do" Such remarks have
meaning.
And those who keep ga grip have
almost equal difficulty in always pre-
senting the smooth, agreeable sur
face just now spoken of. With the
greater ability to hire help comes
usually the desire to live in more
expensive houses, and to furnish the
same with more expensive furniture.
Every article added is care added,
and the nicer the article the nicer
the care required. More, also, is de-
manded of these in the way of ap-
pearance, style and social civiIities,
and the wear and tear of superintend-
ing ga girl" should by no means be
forgotten. At any rate the COM
plant, ''no time to read" is frequent
among women, and is not confined
to any one class.
We see, then, that in the present
state of things it is impossible for
woman, that is the family woman,
the house-mother, to enjoy the de-
lights of culture. External activi-
ties, especially the two Unsuitable,
all-devouring ones which know neith-
er end nor acknowledgements
and sewing-work; these demand her
time, her energies; in short, demand
herself-the whole of her. Yes, the
whole, and more too; there is not
enough of her to go round. There
might possibly be enough and even
something left to spend on culture,
were she in sound physical condition;
but alas! healthy woman is scarce
ly to be found. This point, namely,
the prevailing invalidism of woman,
will come up for consideration by
and by, when we inquire into the
causes of the present state of things.
1t is none too early, however, to
make note of what some physicians
say in regard to it. "Half of all
who are born," says one medical
writer, "die under 20 years of age,
while four-ffths of all who reach |
that age and die before another score |
owe their death to causes which were
originated in their teens. This is a
fact of startling import to fathers
and mothers and shows a fearful re-
sponsibility.'' Another medical writ
er SAYS, "Beside the loss of so many
children (nearly 25 per cent. socie-
ty suffers seriously from those who
survive, their health being irremedi-
ably injured while they are still in
fants. + Ignorance and injudi-
cious nursery management lie at the
root of this evil"
We must be sure not to forget
that this prevailing invalidism of
women, which is one hinderance to
their obtaining culture can be trac-
ed directly back to the ignorance of
mothers, for this point has an i'm
portant bearing on the solution of
our problem. A. NJ. DIAz.
Boston, March 81, 1875.