Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-08-02
The Agricultural EdItor Chastised.

1
Contributions should be sent TO the Editor Of the
Agricultural Department
The Agricultural Edlter Chastised.
Now, Mr.. Editor, if haven't caught |
you mapping! have always supposed |
editors were set up as q sort OF physical |
and intellectual guide-board to point out
the way to us humble pedestrians on life's |
road, and that the index always pointed
the same way; but shall pin my faith |
on no editorial sleeve after this. Here |
you have been advocating in this house.
hold department the idea that out-of-door
exercise and labor for women was greatly
TO be desired for its beneficial effects on
the health and spirits Of the weaker sex.
and regretting that some of your cores
pondents could not suggest some practical
BILE method of bringing about such
desirable result, and now, in your Ram
bling Talk" you tell us that you have just
seen your fine theory practically illustrated,
and-ugh! the editor does not like it bit.
Another thing we saw which we have
never seen in Vermont, thank fortune-a
woman in q gang of men taking her
regular row with them hoeing corn"
" At another place we saw women weed
ing large field of onions; down ON their
knees poking along natural as life. Well,
we suppose that is one phrase of 'women's
rights but we don't like it all the same,
though if they like it perhaps we have no
business to complain" Well, our editor
isn't the first man who has been disguised
with the practical working of his own
theory, but isn't it rather hard on the
ladies OF the " household department"
who, in obedience to his former teachings,
have been trying to improve our consttu-
tons by improving our gardens. TO raise
our spirits by raising potatoes and beans.
to have him go back on US and his former
theory, and tell us that he "don t like itP'
Such is the influence of custom and
prejudice on the mind that | have no
,ioubt If those women had been " down Oh
heir knees" wedding flower beds in their
ront yards, instead of field of onions,
or daintily welding a croquet malleI
instead of hoe the editorial sensiblities
ould have received no shock, tut instead
we ieminines would have received dis
sertation on the beauty and healthfulness
# out-of-doOr exercise.
You say, if they like it, perhaps we
have no business to complain And il
they don't like. suppose it is their right
O complain, but you have no reason tC
suppose that hey like it because they dc
1t. Necessity knows nc law Of likes ant
iislikes. How many women cook, scrut
doors, wash dishes and mend dilapidate,
garments because they like it. do yol
.upposep 1t must be done and they do
is all there is about it.
by tho way, we wonder how 1t hap
pened that when man and woman frs
took up the job of running the business G
the world, and have followed it dow
along, that the women took the housewor
the cooking and making and mendin
+ and washing dishes-instead of plowin
3 and hoeing and pulling beans. Come /
= think of it that is an idea we would lik
q to have some of the long-haired men {
' short.haircd women elucidate." AS al
e neither "long-haired man nor shor
n haired woman" perhaps you wont wal
Of me to elucidate," but l am going
I'd say my "say" all the same.
In the first place, Mr.. Editor, it didn
ID happen. According to the history Of Il
n beginning, as given by Moses-and that
,g all the history we have of these fir
III things-our first parents were put in
I'd the garden of Eden to dress and keep
to II, and as they lived on the fruits of Il
garden-an eminently proper diet for
ed tropical climate-Eve didn't have 10 roa
" herself over the cook stove in dogday
:. there wasn't much making and mendir
IS, TO do for that family, and the washil
ns and ironing could not have been ve
y. burdensome; as all good things gre
o na spont lneously, there was no planting
hoeing to do, and altogether there "
by about as desirable state of things, as
md can we'll imagine, for both man n
e NV woman, and there was no division
1v. labor, they worked together. But dIsot
dlence wrought sad change in Arcad
dis vet we do not learn as there was y
division Of labor between man a
on woman after the exile from the fair q
God den. In fact, in primitive times, a
fair among savage nations at the plesrnt tin
=, there was and is no division of labor,
>" the woman do it all, or nearly all,
,, men assuming the onerous duties of hu
- ing, fishing and fighting. 1t is OF
Eys among the civilized and refined matte
ia THAT women are relieved from the hard
ia kinds of labor, and not always there.
~ have known a stout, able-bodled man,
81 feet tall, walk about the field with
ID arms folded, while his daughter drove
LII oxen 10 harrow it, and dare say she
So the blowing as well, but am not certain
"a that. lie could knit very nicely, and
"a out clothing rnush better than his W
"a who had always been used to cut-of,dc
81 labor. need not say that he was no
IN native of this country.
s The Indian women plant and hoe
N corn and do nearly all the labor of car
81 for their families, and they are as sire
Al b,,t
CT when they become civilized ald live
e. house after the manner of the whites tn
q nealth md strength decreases, and Il
a ecome subject to ali the ills of tt
-~s white sisters,
~, But admitting that among civiil
= people the making, mending and cooki
- and ever so many other kinds OF work f
"a 10 the woman, 1t does not prove at all t
=. It was her choice, but rather that her |
md master chose to do the outdoor w
M and lett the other for her to do.
NJ LAURA b. BoYCI
81 Maple Grove, July, 1882
81 REMARKS Our valued corresponds
\ supposltion of the editors use and re
e bllity as IN universal gulde-board is q
e correct rs applied to general editors,
h O agricultural editors and other "donk
browsing about on the outskirts of jot
alism," Gas a brother agricultural ed
very pithily puts it) II certain latitude
VI inconsistency, so to speak, is allowed
- - expected But in this case we eli
u entire innocence of all inconsistent id,
I. If we have recommended outdoor "
and exercise for women, when have
ever limited such work should bo done
the fields with men? Indeed there SCI
= to be inherent reasons why such She
not be the case. What amount of "