The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-11-07

cease TO regard those of her own house
hold and the loving recognition they are
to give her To the female gen,us the
praise of the many is a small thing to
the praise of one. Mrs. Browning has
expressed this thought far better than
| can do.
we women are too apt to look to one,
Which proves a certain impotence in
art
We strain our natures at doing some
thing great.
Far less because it's something great
to do
Than, haply, that we so commend our
selves
As being not small, and more appreci-
able
To some one friend.''
Poor little Jenny Welsh. Who that
reads that does not also pity her:
Made to stand between this ''giant''
and the practical, eracting necessary
facts of life. made to face the question
of ways and means" when ways
were devious and ''means"- nothing at
all, Made to stand between this
giant and the whole wide world of
''grocers and bakers and candle stick
Makers" bearing burden which by
right belongs to man of the house. Who
can say anything else but poor little
woman!'' Women are not fitted for
these things. Women were made to be
shielded and taken care of.-to order
their households and rear their children
with wisdom and patience and iudg
ment. in peace and quiet so far as the
world is concerned. WAYS and means
cannot rightfully be put upon her.
That should be the business of the man
who calls himself the master A
woman who loves her husband will be
careful housewife according to his
means; but when she has to puzzle over
perpleXing questions about how provis-
ion is to be made for the family neces-
sites, things are surely going wrong.
and the wife will as surely be unhappy.
Therefore | sav again poor little Jen-
ny Welsh!" with this great giant OF
hers to be taken care of.
l grant YOU that .'hoth these geniuse,
were irritable and both Scotch;' but for
the female genius plead that not to have
been irritable under the circumstances
would nave evinced .'thick- -hidedness'
wholly incompatible with the feminine
nature.
To feel obliged to endure ''the frettine
cares of household in which there is
little money! will try the patience o
| the best of us. oh. wise and earnest M
B. u" Bat you must have read youl
own thoughts when you found theil
household presided over by an equally
nervous and excitable man of genius
Read again, friend, and see if the mar
of genius was not quite independent o
the household methods and quite ignor
ant thereof. Except to quarrel at the
noises. l do not remember a single in
stance in which his voice is raised in tht
government of his house. and | mus
confess that about the only idea | got o
this mighty giant was that of yer,
selfish fellow perpetually running ava,
from a house-cleaning. If you hav,
read his "Reminiscences" you will NJ
doubt remember that when thev wer,
living at Craigenputtoch there was NJ
BONNER. merrier wee wife in all the
land than this brave and winsom,
Jeanie. 1t is after his humOrs hav,
tried her, after his fretting and fumins
and spasmodic silences have worn ou
heart and brain and nerve-tissue. tina
she too begins to quarrel with tn,
noises, and to find horror in the night
time.
l agree with you that it was a pathet
ic mistake in Froude and Miss Jewsbur,
to publish these things. They though
to do their hero honor. Instead, the,
have shown us faults which convince u:
/ IL hri1 lin,
English and the very bravest of brave
truths, he was, like Mrs Carlyle's Scotcl
parson-''a man with like passions as
ourselves y They have given us q
highly readable book according to my
poor Judgment, the finest letters, with
out exception, that 1 ever real. A let
ter. to be good and true, should be th'
offspring of impulse; and this, Mrs
Carlyle's certainly were.
They have given us a book wortl
keeping. And while 1 regret that the'
have taken from me my greatest hero,
thank them for giving me create
heroine.
Now I've ''had my say" Nj. B. c
l have tactly admitted the ''pigmy'
charge. 1t is well to be reminded some
times that we are not of great stature
l accept the suggestion with meeknes
(and no surprise.) But may not pig
mies' sometimes catch glimpses OF
] giants" face, and read the lines upol
it? Are we to be short-sighted piynsies
Will you tell us that, most grave am
mighty M. b. c.?
This one of the Household can ente
into the spirit of your letter, Farmer
; Wife" 1t is altogether impossible t
teach small child grammar as it i
taught in the schools. l know whereo
l speak. This is an old song with me
kindergarten Grammar is well enough
but these books put into their littl
hand! Why it would be comical if
were not so cruelty like mind-mwde'
WI at can you expect from such force
culture but an unhealthy growth? Civ
the young mind plenty of time and yo
strike at the root of all this mental dys
pepsia which is the first cause of muc
of the new school, of literature
Grammar is hard to learn. l am nc
quite sure that l know it after all thes
wears of school-work. Do give til
children growing-time
n. L. II.
IT, N,rt,p oo,,pfv T,,o,oe .or,