The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-12-29
Reasons Why Women Are InValids.

Nv professional work gives me an OPP
portunity of seeing real home life, and
| no longer wonder that three-fourths OF
all sickness is among women and chill
dren.
/ This is not due to any inherent weak
ness among women, but to the many
hours of hard work which devolve upon
them, or rather, which they take upon
themselves Let us briefly consider the
difference in the hours of labor between
men and women. l refer to that large
proportion of our population who labor
either on the farm or in the workshop
and store, and the wives of such men.
A mechanic works from eight to ten
hours day, while his wife works from
early dawn until late at night. The
hour or more at midday is to the man
time of rest. When the wife takes
her place at the dinner-table, 1t is with
WEAKNESS too great for taking food, and
she makes tea or coffee supply its place.
Mechanics have also the evening, when
they go out to meet other men, and talk
of the political affairs of the day, or
listen to less valuable conversation at
the corner grocery. The wife has the
children to care for, to work for, to feel
anxious about. With farmers there is
less difference in regard to evening du-
ties, but generally we find the mother
planning to relieve "father and the
boys" by milking the cows, feeding
pigs, chickens, etc. When, at last, the
tired mother seeks her couch, the ach-
ing back and sides prevent sleep. If the
children are sick, it is the mother who
rises to take care of them, often doing
this without putting'on extra clothing,
or even protecting the feet from the cold
floors.
Can such mothers have healthy chill
dren? This is a question of vital i'm
portance, and it ought to be brought so
! plainly before the people that they can
not fail to- understand it. Once, these
questions were only discussed in medi-
cal works; but now we fnd large, re-
fined, and intelligent audiences listen
| ing decorously to those subjects which,
few years ago, were merely hinted at
in our public prints.
We need not expect healthy children
until our mothers cease working beyond
their strength. When l appeal to them,
am met with the assertion that it is
necessary. They have not means to en-
able them to hire their work done. You
will find, in the workshop and on the
| farm, every labOr-saving machine, while
the wife is considered recklessly eXtrav-
agant if she has a clothes wringer and
sewing machine. This state of affairs
is not due solely to the inherent selfish
ness of men. Women must bear great
part of the blame. From the cradle
boys are waited upon by their mothers
and sisters. They grow up, seeing
constant effort on the part OF women to
sacrifice themselves to the comfort of
fathers, brothers, aud husbands. This
is radically wrong. Mothers! for the
sake of wives that are to be, teach your
boys not only how to save making
work, but how to help do work. 1t may
give you more trouble at first than to
do it yourself; but there is principle
involved which it is your duty to OBJ
serve. Educate your sons in the art of
seeing and observing. So many good
men cannot see that their wives are
working their health and strength
away. They do not see the empty
wOod-bOx or cOal-hOd, the water-p pail,
or worrying child. They may hear the
child from behind their paper, and
wonder why its mother allows it to cry
aud interfere with the pleasure of their
reading.
There is a field for missionary work
among the. sous who are growing up.
See to it, women, that you do not neg
Iect this, for it is not small matter.
The future welfare of our country de-
pends upon the health and strength of
the peopIe.-Dr. Mary ID. Little, az
WOmaR'S Journal