Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-04-04
MeniaI.


Not being privileged to peruse from
week to week the columns of the house
hold department, only semi occasionally
glancng thercat throughout the year
save a cleaning time near ibis season of
the year during visit to dear friend
who is a writer for its columns, by which
am enabled to sort of eptomize their
contents and to gather for future thought
some gems or pearls" contained therein.
-"Why good help in farmers kitchens is
so hard to getP' seems to be leading
question. have not read any of Bro.
Hoskin's piece, but from others in reply
to him, am led to infer that he makes the
declaration that "there is plenty of rea-
oning to show that household work is
no more mental than any kind of work.
which emphatically believe, that is as
understand the definition of the word
mental. / consult "Webster," "Book OF
synonyms. etc.. and tony underst tnding,
mental must and does apply to character
and not to occupation. The domestic
servant, man or woman. to whom mental
applies, must be one whose natural pro-
pensities, desires and acts, separate from
necessary labor, are low and mean, and
not because of the particular labor he or
she is doing. 1t seems to be natural
law that from the first crude conditions of
life shall be evolved the higher, refined
conditions and beings; but that the first
steps in the grand march Of creation,
civilization and refinement, arc meaner or
of less importance than the latest steps in
this direction is q mistaken idea. Work
which must be done to secure comfort
and health is not low, mean nor mental
bnt is much of it very hard and disagree.
able. To me the idea that the kitchen
girl, because she washes the pot wherein
is boiled the vegetables or eatables te
nourish and sustain the physical form o.
Rosa Bonheur, while executing her mas
ter piece of art, "Horse Fair" is an
erroneous one; but the kitchen girl is
and her part of the work is more
important factor in the painting thar
paints. brushes, easel. or anything else
without the work of the kitchen girl there
could not be the work of the painter girl
Is the tiny seed low, mean and menia
because it is not the boundless forest? Il
the leaAet and bud OF less importance ant
beauty than the blooming flowerP Is the
helpless babe in its mothers arms low OF
mean because it is not the robust full
grown man or womanp Is Garfield s
mother mean or mental because she
prepared the food and clothing by digging
scrubbing and mending, or. in Other
words. working hard, doing the work o
a domestic servant3
Nay, my sisters, kitchen work is moi
mental, but healthy and extremely neces
sary and is the great source whereby oul
never ending needs are TO be supplied
which machinery we indiscrminatcly
denominate mental, Let US not slighingly
ignore any being or class of beings upon
our earth to-day, but remember that
humanity is essentially an unit progressing
through the ages and that experience,
thought and effort will sometime in tho
future place the farmer woman and hei
co-workers among the nobility of the
land; and here | desire to add my
contribution to the crown that the faithful
domestic servant will eventually wear
1t is in our opinion because of the poorly
paid, misrepresented condition and posi-
ton of the kitchen that makes it so hare
to yet good help therein. And the channe
through which my purbind senses are
enabled to catch the rays of light il
lettering the condition of the hard work
ing man or woman, is in .the create
diffusion of knowledge, whereby wrong
shall be overcome by right, injustice b,
justice and selfshness by unselisbness.
About year ago asked he-queston
docs the married working woma,
support herself and is it so considered b,
lawP" Bro. Tinkham says, custer an,
nobler men exist than is suggested by m,
question that exceptions will occur an,
exist. which is very true, but not to til,
point, not to the question, which isis i
considered by lao that married working
woman supports herself? or is she consid
cred Il relict an old fossil, an encun branc,
upon her husbands csate-not Mei,
estate neither that of the ',joirt stocl
company" CLARA.
Washington Co.