Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-01-12
FARMERS WIVES.
ADDRESS BY
Hon. H. S. McFadden,
OF CADIZ.

MIR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLRMEN:-
The committee of your Institute made great
mistake in placing me on the programme
| never had any training in oratory or writing
essays. My training consisted IN buying
wool from farmers, and selling calico to Far
mers' Wives. l think l speak within bounds,
when I make the statement that have sold
more calico to Farmers Wives, than Governor
| Foster, snd | know must have sold them
cheaper, because he became immensely rich,
and l only made comfortable living. fiat
ter myself that ii Farmers Wives had the bal
lot, | would outrun the Governor for any Office
in the gift of the people.
have had very pleasant relations with Far
mers' Wives. In business of 40 years, rec
Ollect Of only one dispute with woman =
That was with a lady who came in to settle
her account it proved to be much larger than
she anticipated. and she therefore made the
grave charge, that had two splits in my pen
when made the charge; that is new way of
keeping books by double entry. This was
strong insinuation that did not keep accounts
honestly. The dispute resulted in my accep-
ting and settling the account by single entry,
using only one split, dividing the account by
Two. This conclusion was not arrived at with
out protest on my part, but / have learned
that it is better to suffer loss than to have
fuss with woman.
There are many Farmers Wives that are
highly cultured, and would grace any position
in life. Farmers Wives are grateful and un-
selfish. If you give them bargains they will
inform their neighbors of the fact. They are
good medium for advertising. They are
hospitable, for the meanest tramp will not go
away from their doors hungry. The longer l
live, my sympathies are stronger for Farmers
Wives. They are the most over-worked class
IN the United States. Their work is never
ended. Their oppression and labors are hard
er than African slavery, that prevailed pre-
vious to their emancipation. The slaves were
generally tasked by their masters, and by
working hard they came TO the end, and could
rest.
1t is true that Farmers Wives have vol
untary servitude. That however does not
make it less oppressive. They are in the har
ness and work pressing them all around on
every side. They can not rest if they would,
the round of duties and work has to be per-
formed. In justice to many Farmers, who ap-
preciate that their wives are oppressed by
over-work, they endeavor to hire help for
THEN wives. But of late years female help is
hard to obtain, there being false pride abroad
among girls. They have an idea that it is de
grading to do house work. These girls prefer
trades, such as mantua making, milliners, store
throws the heavy burden of work on the poor
wives.
Let us examine what work Farmers Wives
are expected to perform. We will start Mon
day morning. She is up probably the first in
the house, and prepares the morning meal.
Breakfast over. she milks the COWS and pre-
paIes her children for school, She has large
washing on hand. Towards evening she gets
through her washing, but is she through her
days workp No! This worn and tired woman
has to milk the cows and prepare supper for
her husband and hungry set of children. -
This is part of one days work that Farmers
Wife is expected to perform. Next days work
consists of the same round of duties except
washing But she has churning to do this
day, and churning is very hard work. have
tried churning, but not long enough to bring
the butter. always got tired before the but
ter came.
A woman has great patience, perseverance 6
tenacity of purpose She sticks to her churn
uLtil the butter comes. If she finds the tenn
perature of the milk is unfavorable to bring
the butter soon she 6ashes some hot water in
the milk; when she is quickly rewarded by
beautiful white butter. 1t is true its color |
initiates against its commercial value, but it |
is good enough to exchange for goods at the |
crossroads store. If her husband had pro-
vided her with thermometer, TO enable her |
to test the temperature of the milk before |
churning, it would have saved her the morti- |
fcation OF scalded butter. Farmers of late |
years who sympathise with their oppressed |
wives procure and attach dog power to their |
churLs. This is an admirable coDtrivance, |
but am creditably. informed wher the cAurn- |
ing hour approaches the dogs skulk and hide, |
not liking this tread-mill work. So you per-
ceive the very brute creation shrink from la |
bors that Farmers Wives perform without
murnnur of complaint?
Is the Farmers Wife's work done when night |
sets in? Not by any means. You will find |
her darning and knitting stockings and per-
haps putting aApatch on the basement of her |
husbands pantaloons, after he retires to rest. |
If this husband is shepherd, he should not
wear patched pantaloons, as he is interested |
in the consumption of wool.
Many Farmers, it would be charitable to |
say, thoughtlessly, leave home without pre- |
preparing wood to cook their dinner. Under |
these circumstances, the poor drudge of |
wife resorts to the wood pile, consisting Of
perhaps few knotty and crooked sticks. She !
takes the axe. and hacks away until she sue
ceeds in getting few chips. She returns to |
the house with palpitating heart and un
strung nerves. The husbands of such wives |
may be theoretically religious, and are proba |
bly, visiting some cross-road store or the near
est village, arguing with a neighbor the point
of difference between predestination and fore
knowledge, or the propriety of the Govern
ment establishing Civil Service Reform. 1t
would be better for these men to stay at home
and study Domestic Reform and practical