The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-04-04

with us. They like to write and find II
no task. / don't say that some OF
them MAY not do too much of 1t. IL a
woman loses her thimble she VIII
make up an article about her loss. We
on the contrary would think II a oother
to get out writing materials IN order
to give "A recipe, or correct an error or
describe a process of domestic manage
ment. We are injurious as well as
INDECENT. HOuc TO do 1t Is not any more
interesting than Hor not to do It, and
we are satisfied with an amount OF
stagnation in life that 10 outsiders
looks like stupidity. However we are
not really stupid nor really lazy and
we are quite As capable OF Judging
through half-shut eyes, of Northern
performances as they. wlde-eyed
and full Of snap" are of ours. Gil
mate has much 10 do with these dit
~ferences. and | am very glad to thlhh
that il has. 1t Is at once a reason anu
an excuse for our characteristic dolce
far niente. and rolls off upon
dence all the responsibility. And IS 1t
not q good thing when We come to
think of it, that there Is some quiet
softly spoken. slow moving people
somewhere in the world: Everybody
cannot always be making pickles or
r~ag-carpets, or %inquirlng into n rea-
Ill., at SAnlahnIV SIT still
and admire the rush that keeps a
stir.
Much of the incessant northern
mental activity that seems SO wonder
full and SO admirable when contemplar
ted al a distance, does not bear
very close inspection and IS admirable
chiefly when taken in consideration
with the opportunities and situation
of those who write, and also when
viewed as merely the preliminary to
something better. There certainly
must be something better III store for
~thereading public thanthe trash which
northern publishers throw out by tom
in the shape of books books which
are not books" Helen's Babies, Chance
Acquaintance, Young Husbands,
Mothers-in-law, and the like. i shall
never be persuaded that we are not
doing better in these ATTITUDES, just
able to read our Bibles and believe
them to be true and infected with no
desire to shine in print, than the pro-
gressive people who produce and en-
wish to have such results of higher
culture" inaugurated here, that |
would be glad to see the ladies who g
this paper taking a l~ivelier interest in
their own department.. | should be
sorry TO see North Carolina teeming
with weak-minded novel writers, and
still more debilitated novel-readers.
Indeed there is no need to fear IL.
What we need is a disposition to de-
velop our W resources, to cultivate
what Nature has given us, certainly a
different inheritance from anyother.
A steady move In this direction Will
bring out a variety of civilization OF
which we shall have no reason to be
| ashamed. Not as stirring as in some
parts of the country, not as high and
dry as in other parts. but on the whole
very comfortable and very agreeable.
North Ca~rolina-isms are peculiar and
to the manor born, and not a few Of
them are well worth perpetuating.
Our women have much of North Car
olina's future in their hands and much
as l should be glad to see certain re-
forms begun by them, | still secretly
rejoice to remember how strongly con
sentative they are, and what break
waters they were found to be in the
revolution we have passed through.
| hope they mean to cling to some of
old North Cardinals fashions, and
teach their daughters SO. North Caro-
lima domestic industry needs improve
nent and development. That is q
fixed fact. Let the ladies discuss il
together quietly. | think we need
dress reform. Has any one anything
to say about this; either for or against
Has anyone anything to say on the
600 question lately touched upor
here? Those Yankee women sit dowr
and tell each other what they had fol
dinner and how they cooked it. Per
haps how they managed to get it to
gether.
Has any n good, well-tried recipe:
that would help some young or ole
housekeeper to improve her table fare
or to beautify her house, or to keel
her hair from turning gray: Let III
have them. Have our ladies any in
genious inventions of their own TO i'm
part. how to make a baby's afghan on
of nothing: saw a pretty notion 70