The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-11-15
Grange Column.
Under the Supervision of the Executive
Committee of Pomona Grange.
HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY.

An Essay read before the Richmond Vale
/ Grange, and subsequently before the
Richmond County Council Of Oranges.
BY MRS. I. J. THOMAS.
know shall differ in opinion from
many of our Grangers when I give my
idea with regard to economy in house.
hold labor. There is an economy of
choice and an economy of necessity, the
one is praiseworthy, we deserve no credit
for practicing the other. AS society is
constituted, among farmers as a class,
wives are dependent upon their husbands
sense of right for the amount of money
they spend, and the number of servants
they hire, Ihad almost written that they
were dependent upon the generosity of
their husbands, but I shall frighten the
gentlemen of our Grange when I affirm
that am an equal-rights woman, in so
far that claim for the wives of our far
mers an equal share, at least, in the man
agement of the household economy. 1
do not goiso far as Solomon, who alludes
to the wife, GAS she considereth field
and buyeth it.' A farmers wife who
would 20 so far as to consider field
and buy it," would be thought to have
rather overstepped lady graDger's priv
ilege.
a farmer does not consider that he is
doing generous action when he pays
the blacksmith or mechanic whom he
employs. He does think he is doing q
very generous act when he gives his wife
sum of money to buy clothes for herself
and the children; he calls it present to
her, forgetting that she has been work
ing without wages, and as he bestows the
small sum, perhaps grudgingly, mutters
something about the extravaganza OF wo-
men, and the necessity of economy in
labor. He thinks it utterly impossible
to hire cook. All through the long
summer days his wife cooks, washes her
dishes takes care of the children, her rest
often disturbed by the little ones at
nights; if she complains the answer is,
ooh we must economize, times are so
hard" She thinks he knows best, and
often envies the colored man or woman
she sees him paying wages to, for she
knows she has been working in differ
ent way quite as hard, but then she is his
wife, you know-honor enough in that.
What does she want with money? He
buys her calico dress now and then,
and occasionally a pair of shoes. She
ought to be content. She requires an
other tub or an extra iron she says, but
hereplies, "well, you must get on somehow.
I'm obliged to buy another plough and
some more .hoes"-we can imagine which
are bought, and she does get on somehow,
and weary work it often is.
The farmer rises early, goes out in the
morning to prepare his ground, the green
world and sunny skies above him, sing
ing birds and pure, delicious air around
him. He would probably deny that their
influence caused him to whistle merrily
as he works; he does not deny that he
has an excellent appetite for the good
breakfast his wife has prepared for him !;
he eats it, perhaps, without one thought
for the wife who has cooked it, and again
he leaves for his work. If the sun is very
hot he rests under the shade of tree
until the horn blows for dinner; if a
bucket of cool water is not ready for him,
if his dinner is little delayed, he says,
"Well, Jane, it is strange you can't help
a man". Dinner over, he smokes his
pipe or cigar, Il believe pipes are the ap-
proved style for the farmer, be then goes
to sleep; afterwards he goes out to work
again the field, and either works or seeks
the shade of another tree. Ifthe former,
when night comes heis tired when peo-
pile are tired they are not usually cheer
full companions; supper over he is ready
for bed, and thus time passes.
Rowihas the wife been employed dur
ing the day She rises unrefreshed at
an early hour; perhaps she has young
children; they are to be dressed, break
fast is to be prepared, afterwards, or be-,
fore, the cow is to be MIXED, milk
skinned and butter churned, the dishes
and kitchen articles are to be washed,
then the house is to be put in order,
chickens are to be looked after, the pigs
to be fed, occasionally she does little
work in the vegetable garden; her hus-
band is so busy in the farm he has not
time to spare for the garden; perhaps
she does the fine ironing-sewing, too,
for the family is her duty. The farmer
hires an extra hand occasionally, but he
would think it an innovation upon an
old established custom to give out any
portion of the sewing. He forgets that a
dress is twice as much trouble to make as
in his mothers time. Iexpect she has a
sewing machine, perhaps paid for it by
the work she has done on it since. Din
ner is to be prepared, beans to be strung,
peas to be shelled, aud all this consumes
time; dinner over, dishes are again tobe
washed, sewing to be done, cow to be
MIXED again, supper again to prepare,
the children are to be put to bed. She
is so tired she longs to 60 too, but there
is the basket of sewing, and until late
hour, she plies the needle. When the
watermelons and fruit and fall crop are
sold, the husband takes care of the cash,
pays off the hands he has employed, but
entirely forgets to pay the wife who has
been cooking and doing the housework.
He may say he is paid nothing, but all
she wishes is to be paid in proportion to
what he pays himself. AS Solomon tells
us, "Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her." She will
very probably spend it in a carpet, or
pair Of vases, or shade, something he will
enjoy too, although he may not admit
their influence.
Perhaps this husband and wife may
have been raised in comfort or af1uence
they are reduced so that economy is
ahsolutelv essential. How can we econ.
omize labor is the thought of both of
them. In such cases the burden is apt
TO fall unequally-aside from her other
cares the duty of maternity deyolves upon
the woman. Let the husband take care
that in regulating the domestic economy
It does not fall too heavily upon his wife ;
labor is cheap and there are few men
who are unable to hire one servant. The
sum of money which he spends for tobac-
IL, l. g., l. ol