The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-04-05
Woman and Her Tolls.

What mysterious providence! say
the farmers wives, as they come to-
gether to look for the last time on one Of
their number; and they glance pityingly
on the bereaved husband and the family
of children, varying in size from the
tall youth or blooming maiden, down to
the little child. Truly it is mystery
that she should be taken away in the
prime of life when her children need
her watchful care and counsel more than
ever before. But let us examine into the
life led by many farmers wives, and see
if we can gain clue to this mysterious
providence, which 80 often leaves the
family circle desolate.
A young farmer marries, and for a
year or two his wife can do very well
without help; but by and by his work is
too much for him alone and he must
have a hand; and, one by one, little
children increase the family, until the
wife's burden is much heavier than when
she took it up. But he is getting start,
and if they want to get rich-as every
body does-they must economic; so
she gets along without help. She rises
early, milks the cows, gets breakfast
Gotten for several menl, dresses the
children, washes dishes, skins milk,
churns, perhaps sweeps rooms. makes
beds. prepares dinner, cleans up, snatches
an hour to sew, keeping restless baby
quiet gets supper, milksagain,
puts the children to bed, and after they
and the husband are asleep, resting from
their WEAKNESS, sits up to sew, that she
NAV save having 81 seamst ress
In addition to this daily routine, she
does all the washing, ironing, baking,
scrubbing, house cleaning, soap.making,
and hog-killing work-it costs 80 much
to hire help. So year after year she tolls
and drudges, not allowing herself the
least opportunity for improving her
mind, so that she may be better guide
and counselor for her children. And
very soon her face is faded and care-worn,
her temper soured and fretful, and her
self Frustrated now and then by fits of
illness, only to resume her wearying
labor as soon as returning strength per-
mits. And thus yearly she becomes less
able to bear the burden Of her increas-
ing household duties. If the husband is
a kind, considerate man, who has been
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he makes her work lighter, by carrying
wood and water, amusing the children
and doing numberless little things which
may seem trifing in themselves, but are
of much importance in the aggregate.
But too many men leave the wife
to draw water and carry wood If she
finds it cut part of the time she considers
herself fortunate and for the baby he
thinks it's a woman's place to nurse
children-sO it frets and cries, or mamma
must work with it in her arm, while he
reads the paper or talks with the hired
men.
Well, the farm increases in value and
fertility, and his labor for producing for
his family becomes lighter as he is able
to hire more help; butt is an old thing,
both for himself and his wife, for her to
do all the homework, with what little
help the elder children, if they are girls,
can give her; for If they are boys they
can not work much for her--as soon as
they can use hoe they must help father,
and she tolls on in the same old fashion.
And when the comfortable new house
is built and nicely furnished, and her
children are beginning to be a real help
to her, the pale, sickly wife and mother
lies down to diel Truly her sun goes
down at MONDAY.
The wife has saved, by her ceaseless
wearying toll, hundreds of dollars for
her husband and he has lost what
money is powerless to recall-the COM
panion of his youth, the one who has
walked beside him through life's most
thorny paths.
And friends say it is a mysterious
providence