Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-03-20

IL VIC lltNt tOiioNACuON III thO il'teeSi
of economy, or of making our family as
comfortable and happy as in us lies, we
may get along easier, and more pleasantly
to ourselves, but the woman who can de-
liberately sit down and enjoy reading the
most interesting book, when her children
are suffering for their new clothes. or en-
Joy making lamp mats, and card receivers,
when she is aware that her husbands socks
are out at heel and toe, is not a woman to
be enved. | have heard of one such in
actual life. so fond of reading light. trashy
fiction that her household duties were en-
tirely secondary. There was u certain
shelf in u certain cupboard, where the
hired girl (such women always keep help
was instructed to put the husbands socks
after they were washed and dried. 10
this shelf would the long-suflering man
repair whenever he needed clean socks,
and whisling softly to himself. would
tumble them all over, select the two most
hopeful specimens and don them, rs care
less of mismating pairs as was ever
Chicago divorce lawyer. But the "stltch
in time" which " saves nine never being
taken, it would naturally come to pass,
after repeated visits to the cupboard, that
no wearabe socks could be found. Then
his whstling would give place TO swear
ing, though | grieve to say it, and he
would pour forth his walls of wrath on his
wife and her novel reading. She would
listen with meek plainingness, be-
cause. to tell the truth, her mind was so
full of the adventures of Feliciana Ara
bella, the Curate's Daughter, that his words
could make no impression. But at the
first opportunity she would-lay aside her
novels and 90 and mend up all his socks?
Not Il bit of it. She would consign those
old socks to the back yard, 90 to the store
and buy him half dozen new pairs, on
his credit, and thus purchase another sea-
son of uninterrupted reading for herself.
But truth compels me 10 add that there
was another volume of swearing when
the store bills came in.
We only know what we have lived. )"
A great many people who have never
tried it see a vast deal of poetry in farmers
lives and assure you they would be per-
fectly happy if they could only live on IL
flrm-there are so many good things that
only farmers can have. Yes, but the good
things do not come without toll. Cream
does not rain down on the farmers table
like mama from heaven. without any labor
or forethought on the part of the recipients,
nor did those plump, attempting looking chick
ems attain that perfection of growth with
out care and attention nor divest them
selves of feathers and walk up to the oven
ready to be roasted. Maple sugar is deli
cious to the taste, but fearfuly sticky to
those who must handle it through all its
stages of being, for it does not run from
the tree direct into the sugar tub, ready to
sweeten your pies or pour melted over
your buckweat cakes. In fact there is
nothing really worth having in this world,
that does not involve more or less of care
and downright, honest toll.
Solomon directed the attention of the
sluggard to the ant, and in the same way
ours is often directed to our grandmothers.
How do you suppose" asks II man with
exasperating GOODNESS, hat they ever got
along, brought up from six to sixteen chill
dren, not only made their clothes but made
the cloth first; spun and wove all their
toweng, bed and table linen, and to their
dying day never dreamed of such Il thin%
It's II sewing machine, clothes wringer or
large milk-pan?" give it up ut once
ask me somethi g easier. And yet, they
had some things in their favor. Their
CLOTH when once made, was genuine cloth
not shoddy, and was good us long as two
threads were left to cross each other
fhere was far less outside demand upon
them than upon us, the style Of living aud
of dressing which custom made necessary,
was not 50 cumbersome, and | will believe
that they had more natural stamina than
their degenerate descendants can claim
At all events, they could not work more
than all the time, and we do that. If we
must go back to our ancestors for II pat
tern Of life, who shall say how far back,
and that it is not best for US to 90 into the
harvest fields and CLEAN like Ruth of Bibli
cal fame? she CLEANED, not only her apron
full Of barley, but II husband besides
wherefore, if | believed that the chief end
of woman life was to be married, should
point to Ruth and advise all single women
to " 90 and do likewise But, believing
that for the single women there are still
broader fields of usefulness than for the
married, with hands unfettered. and mind
and heart free tor action. proffer no such
advice. Were II husband always an un.
mitigated blessing, the case might be diff
ferent, but marriage is much like u lottery,
and there are cases where the apron full
Of barley would be II more valuable posses
sion than the man.
1t is often remarked of woman, " how
fast she grows Old" Occasionally we hear
the same thing said of II man, but it is Of
the rare few men who are shortening theil
days by overwork. I see no mystery at
all in the matter. The lives led by the
majority of women are sufficiently wear.
ing to plant crows-feet about our eyes
and SOW grey hairs thirky upon our tenn
pies. The sameness of the routine, and
the narrowness of our sphere beittles on!
minds, and | am inclined to think that
much of our indulgence in light gossip and
the interest, and perhaps the absorption
which we find in trivial matters, come from
this continual narrowing in of ourselves.
Men make themselves exceedingly merry
oyerwomen tea-di inkings and small-talk
and wonderingly query how they can en-.
Joy such things but they do not consider
that many women are fairly driven into il
by the lives they are compelled to lead
Recreation, of some sort, seems an impera.
tive demand of nature, but while circum-
S'"iNNo iii''J ipl bit bui IL III luG Glt-
waited manner we might choose, we can
tuck the baby under one arm and knitting
work under the other, and 20 and spend
the afternoon with some good prosy neigh.
Dor. Not very intellectual recreation, te
be sure, but it is II change from our own
four walls.
But after all that has been said, :" Gu
bono?' In plain, blunt English, what,
the use?' To what purpose are we wear
ing our lives away in this treadmill Of toll
half of ii unapprecated because not realiz
edP The good time coming" that We
have so long waited for, never comes The
ship that is to bring us leisure, and rest
and all sorts of pleasant things, does not
come in, and our waiting is all in vain
We shall 60 on, on, in the same old way
till we drop in the harness. Sure enough
what's the use?
Look around you and see what the use
is. Look at your home made comfortable
and tasteful by your busy hands. 1.-THE
homliest tasks get beautiful if loving hand,
do them Look at the children growing
up around you, who consider you as the
center of the home; see how quickly they
ask, " Where's mother?" if you are ont Of
sight when they come in. Such love ant
appreciation is worth having, and YOU ar,
| M hnilHip,r II, III