The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-01-31

by the varying seasons Of the year.
by the general oversight of the
whole, by the particular claims of
each individual Of the family in
sickness or health, the saving and
mending, the ordering and contriv-
ing-from the latest brood of chick
ems, and the youngest child on the
lot, up TO Dotelt0mili0s himself who
often needs as much "seeing to
as anybody else Woman's work Is
never done. And with this steady
strain upon their energies of mind
and body through the narrow daily
round of years, think for a moment
how few the relaxations-how sell
dom comes a resting spell, or a d.
version. | have purposely omitted
the heavier burdens which lie on
many in addition to the above
enumeratiop-the cooking, and
Washing and ironing which too
often in these days fall to the hands
of women in feeble health, with no
labor-saving contriyances at hand
not even a well of water IN the
yard. The spring and the milk
house are Il hundred or two yards
off at the bottom of a hill.
What are the relaxations of such
a life. Going to meeting every
third Sabbath, what time the old
country church, guiltless of a stove
in winter or of a shelter in summer,
is opened, and the faithful country
preacher makes his monthly rounds;
al occasional trip to the nearest
village-an occasional wedding or
an occasional funeral are all that
break the monotony. Is it any
wonder that III women get broken
and wrinklcd and worn out, that
their health fails, and that every
year adds to the already long list of
obscure nervous maladies which
battle medical skill, and force upon
Us increase of accommodation at
IL insane asylums.
Twenty OF thirty years ago did it
ever seem-from all that we heard
of them-that farmers or their
wives had any erv Nervous
people we're the easy living, rather
idle people. with nothing particular
to do.-and to have nerres was a
tinc-lady compliment. and was
about the same as having fancies,
or a peevish temper, or an i'll regu-
lated mind. Ask the doctors now
a-days, and they will say that our
country folks have found out they
too have nerves, and some of the
saddest cases they are called upon
to prescribe for are those Of the
overworked mothers of families,
broken all to pieces by the crushing
weight of drearv domestic drudge
rleS.
Is there no way ont of it +? Cam
not our good, patient, careful, in
d~ustr,ous, country women be in
duced and assisted to lead, less JOY
less, monotonouS lives, taught to
understand that recreation should
go hand in hand with needful toll,
and the time -pent in rest is as we'll
spent as that spent in labor.
A year or SO since | heard a gem
tleman in public life who had had
an unusual opportunity for observa-
ton during the travel Of an cleo
ton canvass say that he wanted the
next emancipation proclamation for
North Carolina to mean the freeing
of her farmers wives from hard
work. He said he had often been
ashamed to eat the food prepared
for him when he had seen the sick
ly pale-faced woman put her baby
down and go out in the rain to the
kitchen to start the fire and collect
the material for the meal and cook
it. No one seemed to think other
wise than that it was all right she
should do it. | remember once
looking from the window of a small
farmers house, and seeing the
oldest child q delicate pirl of civ