Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-03-23
che farm and the Grange.

WV dD"fM WV WV VANNUN'
SHEPHERD Pc MONA GRANGE, No. 2, held
meeting at the hall Of Wide Awake grange,
March 18th, which was fully attended
Among the exercises was a paper from f.
t. Richardson Of Waterford subject,
"Ought the Wheat Crop TO be Abandoned
in Vermont" which we intend to publish
soon. How may farmers Wives be Help
meets was responded to BY MrsJ. A Hunter
Of East Burke as follows:
Brothers and Sisters, should enjoy meet
ing with you at the Pomona Grange, to be
holden with Wide Awake Grange, St. Johns
bury Center, March 18th, and TO take part
10 the exercises, but as my duty seems to be
at home, aud duty calls in but one place at
time, l will send you my paper, although
for want Of time and health it may be short
The subject assigned me, allow may Far
mers' Wives be Helpmeets ?" is one Of
great Importance, aud yet to every intelli-
gent thinking mind il would seem very sim.
pie or easily answered.
Helpmeet, Webster defines ia hepler,"
ia companion" l suppose in the common
acceptation of the term it is genera lily I'm.
derstood to mean helpmeot to the husband
but 10 its widest sense think it may mean
more than this; it may mean helpmeot to
the grange to tho neighborhood and to the
whole community, as her influence is, must
and should be felt by all these.
The first word Of my subject asks, hO0
may farmers wives be helpmeets 2 | shall
say in various ways, and then euumerate
few of those ways. First aud the basis Of
the whole, it seems to me is, intelligence
which means intellectual capacity, skill or
knowledge. An intelligent person is one
endowed with reason, this is generally under
stood to convey the idea what nature has
done for them, so we will suppose that all
the class Of which am speaking, namely,
farmers wives, have this element or capacity
without which they are not capable to fill SO
important place.
Next, | shall put education. 1t is not
enough that farmers wives be intelligent or
intellectual, they must have their intellect
educated, in order to be helpmcets. The
intellect gives them the power Of being edu-
Gated, and by education do not mean the
greatest amount of knowledge which may be
acquired from books at an academy or col
legc, but thorough and practical knowledge
of the work they are to perform and OF the
sphere in which they are to move.
Helpmeet, helper. Help to do what
To gain livelihood to pay our honest
debts to lay up something for rainy day
as it is called, for sickness, reverses Of for
tune, aud for old age. Aud not only for
these temporal things, but to help them to be
good, honest upright citizens aud by influence
ing them to be kind, tender-hearted aud
charitable to the poor, whom the Lord said
ye shall always have with you, and above
all to help them ia securing their souls sal
walton, by leading them to the Saviour, the
pearl of great price. In order to be a suit
able companion as we'll as helper, good
moral and religious education is necessary
for who eau be companionable without u
well.informcd mind, kind and loving heart
and an amiable disposition. Therefore We
should cultivate these traits of character as
duly as well as part Of our education.
Some may think it they had but limited
means when young for common school edu'
cation that it is too late, that there is nc
help for it now. This is q mistaken idea
Our whole life is a school, aud it must be a
poor scholar that cannot learn something
new every day; then do not despair for W.
may be constantly educating ourselves ant
others, if we, by proper thought and observa
j: ton aud by this power Of intellect retain in
our minds, and practice in our lives what
we may learn. Thus constantly adding lit
tie by little, gems Of thought which may b
acquired not only by reading, but by min
Cling in society, exchanging thoughts aud
ideas as you do to-day, and just here comes
in another thought on this point education
: BY attending these meetings with wis.,
purpose, we may be better educated thus be
i coming better helpmeots. Another way o
: being helpmeets, and thus extending our owl
education as we'll as that of our husband
and children, is to have set hours or mo
q ments for reading aloud. l know some igno
rant persons think that farmers people mus
not spend much time reading, they mus
work every minute, aud think they canno
/, even take a weekly newspaper for there
# no time to read it, and perhaps these yer.
y persons who advocate this doctrine spen
Q more time loungng at the village store or a
Is some place of amusement every week tina
they would in reading two or three newspa
pers or some good instructive books at home
IS We will suppose that in all well-ordere
). households, if the inmates are living as the.
should, they will spend u few moments ever
, morning after breakfast in reading tn
N Bible for their religious instruction.
"a would suggest hat in farmers families
- while the husband is resting after dinner
a. he does not feel like reading, that perhaps
of half an hour or SO might be spent in readin
n. aloud some good book or paper by the wifi
think it would be help to her husband .
we'll as profitable to herself even il it be br
=, the first page of the FARMER, it will not hui
p her, neither the quality Of the reading, nc
M the resting What il the dinner dishes d
= stand unwashed for half an hour. If
=. needs rest for that length of time why dot
ID she not the same and it would not be an irl
- some task for her If she likes reading a
10 we'll as do. BY so doing VIC should ad
slime upon line, precept upon precept," her
a little aud there good deal to our educi
ton.
70 Another way to promote our own cdpcI
W ton and thus assist our husbands and chi
: dren is to take an interest in our children
- studies when attending school, encourage
W aud assisting them if necessary and it N
ID | aay 10 than nWhu vua amniov and nav