The Portland daily press., 1878-10-07
AGRICULTURAL.
anted.
Labor Saving Machinery for Farmers
Wives.
GoRHAM, Oct. 1st.

Saving AACnineEy
Wives.
GoRHAM, Oct. LIST.
To the Editor of the Press:
l attended the Maine State Fair and found
1t very interesting, so interesting, in
fact, that it started train of ideas
which would like ventilated. I was pleas
aDtly surprised by the number of labor saving
implements for farmers that were on exhbi-
ton. There were the moving machine, the
horse rake, the sulky plow, all things which
do away with the laborious hand-work of a
few years past. What though the thermom-
ter stands up among the nineties during the
"hayiDg,', while instead of swinging the
scythe or handling the fork the farmer takes
his seat and draws the lines over spirited
team? Then there were the cultivator, the
seed sower, the horse hoe, all things which 1
admired intensely, for they are raising the
tilling OF the soil from the hard, slow, grub
bling process which drove so many young
men to the city. into science.
But alter had examined and enthusiast
cally admired each piece of machinery l
turned to a gentleman and observed, "Now,
whereabouts is the department for farmers
wioes' labor saving implements" He did
not seem to understand me. "The sulky
broom, the bed maker, the patent food cook
er, the self-washer. the ever-ready ironer," 1
hastily explained, "Oh !-well, don't know
how absurd! yes, in the hall there is
patent carpet-sweeper," was the response.
eyes; but where is the sulky to attach 20
it? did not see any around. 1 observed
that affair you speak of, but also observed
women had to 60 on foot with it in the old
fashioned style; l mean something new !;
something which will make the sweeping of
a dozen rooms and halls one or more times a
a week, usually more, not such terrible
strain on weak back; cooking machine
that won't require you to close the
doors and heat the kitchen to point several
degrees hotter than the hottest days in July
the sun thought of ascending to, in order to
roast your meats, to bake your pies and pud
dings, and biscuits, to appease the healthy
appetite of the farm hands?'
"You must be jokingP' he calculated.
"But let me ask you one question-These
Indicating the implements referred to by
wave of his hand, were invented by US for
our own sex; now why don't you do as well
for yourselves ?" That triumphant ques-
ton, from 'lord Of creation" confused
me, and could not at the time think of any
reasonable explanation. have since; and,
for fear some other sister might be silenced in
a like manner 1 will give a few cogent
reasons:
La the first place women are not accus-
toned to the use of tools or machinery of any
kind. While the boy has his kit of tools, and
his miniature engine, and such things to play
with, the girl is gwen doll and pieces of
cloth that she may be training herself to
fashion clothing in the future for Susan and
Henry, and host of others of their kind.
Then if her mechanical genius was strong
enough to overcome the want of early famii.
arity with tools, she has only dim recollec-
ton of studying in her school books of me-
chanical powers. She knows there are three
kinds of levers, that they all have fulcrnm,
but uever having studied any practical work
ing of those laws, has not the faintest idea
which should be used In constructing an i'm
PIGMENT which she might be sure she
needed; could not tell what resistance would
be brought to bear, what power friction
would overcome, in short, be as ignorant of
anything that would be OF service in construct
ing piece of machinery as I am. Then
again, if she were determined to obtain a
practical knowledge Of those things, would
you tell me where or how she could do so?
Usually the women who think of such
things are the women who feel the need of
them. The Independent, single woman with
money has her servants to perform all such
laborious tasks, and servant, you know, has
no right to have back or feel the heat. The
wealthy married woman is not free agent.
If she undertook to invest in set of tools, to
study, to invest, to experiment. her lord
would soon cry out against such waste of
time and money. Altogether he might fritter
away fortune on an Impossible
perpetual motion or useless gilded butterfly.
The women without wealth are helpless.
They can only sigh for such luxuries while
they WELD the broom, knead the bread, iron
their husbands shirts, rock little Johnnie,
and mend Tommie's garments. 1t is impos-
sible to study up, to plan a delicate piece
of mechanism, while hushinga crying child,
or washing the molasses off a dozen little
busy hands.
There are probably many more better rea-
sons than have urged for women not con-
tributing larger share to the inventions Of
the age, but dare not take room to bring
them forward. And now, Mr.. Editor, have
positively only one word more to add. II any
man can or will contribute more laboc-savlng
implements, not only for the farmers wife,
but for the wives of men of every profession
and trade In the land, let him do it-and our
sex will rise up and call him blessed; but if,
through ignorance of our need, or the inabl-
ity to devise intricate working machinery,
adapted to our household wants, he fails TO
do SO, let him not throw our great dearth of
them back upon US as punishment because
we cannot do that for which we were never
trained, and, perhaps, not even originally de-
signed by our Creator.
REB ECCA FORBES STURGIs.
SlauR hie ring Swine.
A correspondent of the New England