Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-09-06
Week1p gutelligenfer.
oTFICIAL COUNTY PAPER.
WHY FARMERS WIVES BECOME
INSANE.
BY w. B. CARY.
From the New York Observer.lI

from the New York Observer
One winter l met a farmers daugh-
ter who had Just returned from a visit
to some relstive in another state. She
was the farmers main stay, for his
wife was dead, and all the other
daughters married and gone. The
family was not large, yet they Kept
half a dozen COWS and made butter
for the market, and kept farm hands
enough to work their place. In fine,
there was no lack of homework for
two able-bodied women, and only
one to do it.
When l saw her in the winter she
was rosy and plump and strong as
any of her neighbors. l met her casu-
ally during the spring and early sum-
mer without noticing any change.
But, toward the close OF summer. l
met her face to face, aud was shocked
at the tired, worn look she exhibited.
l inquired if she was we'll, to which
she replied, "Why, yes, [ suppose
So" But it was very evident to me
that she was far from well. l knew
she had broken down before, and had
gone away from home to recuperate.
l knew she had had a cough which
she assured me, voluntarily, "was
not the consumption" thus betray-
ing her fears that 1t was the consump-
ton !; and she had gone away for her
health, and had returned with rosy
cheeks, and fresh, elastic manners.
1 compared the vigorous girl OF
eight months ago with the nerveless,
tired girl before me, and involuntari-
ly asked myself-because l feared be-
lug misunderstood if 1 asked any
body else-"Why will they not see
that they are killing that girl with
work and worry ?" And there the
question rests unanswered.
In one of the late reports on insane
asylums, the statement is made that
the largest proportion Of female iD-
mates is from farmers wives aud
daughters.
We have been 30 accustomed to
think of farmers, their wives and
families, as the h%ealthiest and sturd-
lest Inhabitants Of a country. that the
statement astonished me-. But l be-
gan to open my eyes and look around,
and one OF the first things L saw was
a buxom, fresh lass, sfull of life and
vigor, transformed by farmhouse
work into a tired, nervous, pale,
weak girl, in a few months.
Are farmers wives cheerful2 Will
the question in mind make an inves
tigation. Some of them are cheer
full. Those are who have farmi
successfully carried on by careful
| husbands, who only demand of theil
wives supervision Of the "help," o
which plenty is furnished.
But go through the country. OBJ
serve the farm-wife carefully, ant
you will sec generally tired women
tired women with careworn faces ant
mechanical actlons, going about thei
daily routine of hard duties.
Is there any connection between
this tiresome and unvarying druds
cry aud the meaningless jabber of a
insane asylum? Perhaps there is
closer connection than farmers ar
aware of. Perhaps there is q predis
posing cause of insanity in the cor
slant pressure Of anxiety and tn
vexatious care of al unvarying roun
of drudge-like duties which hurrie
farmers wives to the asylum.
Men may sneer at the idea of VIC
mans work being 30 burdensom
when they remember their own labo
rious tasks. But sneering does no
bring back the lost wits of the wive
to whom kitchen, pantry, milk.room
dinlng-room, suggest drudgery.
The man has q constant change Q
scene with all the excitement inc;
dent thereto. He goes from break
fast to the plow, the harrow, and tn
constantly-varying duties of the farm
lie comes in to dinner-if it isn't o
the table at the hour. he growls o
looks sour-and 20 supper prepare
for him, and after supper, goes out t
the barn or the neighbours dooryar
to smoke a comfortable pipe and cha
with the neighbor about the crops
The wife rises to kindle the fire
dress the children, cook breakfast
wash the dishes, send the children t
school, get dinner, wash the dishes
land if there Is q moment to spar
between dinner and supper, to spen
it i'll sewing,-get supper, wash tn
dishes, put the children to bed,-an
if a moment more offers, to sew, b.
side taking care of the morning an
evening milk, gathering eggs, churl
ing and working butter, and a hui
dred things that must be done ever
day, in exactly the same way an
order, and then, perhaps, meet til
sour or disappointed looks of tn
lord of the manor if anything is amit
in all this endless detail of drudger,
She does not attend any lodge &
society meeting; she visits a neigl
Dor but very seldom, 'she's SO busy;
she does not walk out after tea I
meet q friend, to drive away care b
social CONVERSE; her duties vex he
till bedtime, when, anxious and car,
worn, it's long ere she car sleep, c
if she can, the teething baby or til
sick child demands her care; and st
may spend half the hight in quietin
it, to be reused from a troubled slice
all too soon, to get breakfast, &c.
l have known farmers to sneer
the idea of indoor work being lab,
rious andihard, and even be booris
enough to jeer the hard-working vii
for "making q mountain of q mol,
hill" But in point of exaction an
wear upon the body and mind, tt
farmers work, though laborious,
easily borne by the constant shiftin
of the burden and change ofduty all
neighborly chit-chat in compariso
with the wearisome sameness All
petty drudgery of the farmers wifi
Farm life ought to be the healthie
7and the happiest of all lives, and
the story-book it is 80. The booI
tell OF arduous, tiresome work int
], spersed with recreation. A falthf
%portraiture of one years weary ro'
tine on the farm as it actually is
New England II in the middle state
where the wife does all the hous
work and dairy.work and the ms
does all the farm-work, would hard
. by a profitable book to the publishe
But where Janet the maiden do
the dairy-work in a scrupulous
neat dairy, and the house wife supe
intends all matters connected wit
the house; where there are "harves
, homes" and excursions and visitln!
where the dull routine of irkson
duties is broken up and enlivened |
recreation, there is a charming al
attractive picture. And why shou
not this charming picture be q I
atty?
The farmer who loves his wife al
cares for her welfare sees. with any