Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-10-31

"ARE FARMERS WIVES ILL TREATED?"
am very glad Mary Ann Ackworth, N.
|, has spoken out, as she must feel
etter after having "nursed her wrath so
ong to keep it warm" but cannot agree
With her when she says 'the farmers wife
works. harder than any other woman"
m afraid her circle Of women workers
must be very limited, or the farmers near
Ter hard hearted men. l have lived In
his weary world "nigh onto" fifty years.
nd of all those years with the exception of
,ur Grom twelve tn siXteen) | have lived
,mong farmers and in close proximity to
antilles whose men folks work at other
hings-mechanlc of all sorts in fact, and
ny experience has been just the reverse
# hers. was brought up in the rocky
yiltls of New Ham, shire, coming as I
id from good old stock. pioneers from
he southern part of the state to the
unsettled north, going thither on horse
'ack with their household goods lashed on
behind, and that only tour generations
mck. A rugged, hardworking. thrifty
set of farmers were those same ancestors,
asting to a good old age (my grand
mother lived to be 94) and gaming more
han living from their farms; and can
,onscientiously say that those women
worked no harder than nearly every
mechanics wife of to day. WhyP Merely
because they did not consider their work
lrudgery.
But we will not 60 back 80 or Is years,
but will glance at the farmers wives of
Co-day as compared with other working
women. know of women who take in
washing and go out washing, that work
en- hours day besides doing the house.
work for family of four, five or six as
he case may be. | know of women who
work in shops and do their washing,
roning and baking in the evening, to say
nothing of sewing and mending. know
# mechanics who take a sweet nap in
he morning while the tired wife is getting
breakfast, building fires, feeding horses
ind chickens, and getting everything in
order that he may 90 10 the shop free
from care. | know OF women who take
sewing to buy clothes for the family
hat the man may take his wages to pay
or the little cottage they live in. 0 my
lear Mary Ann, you entirely misjudge
women if you think the farmers wife is
he only one that rises early and eals
he bread of careluness.
Farmers taken as whole are noble
hearted race of men. Their very work
brings out the latent goodness in them
md makes them bind to those about them,
ind if you ever noticed it, rough rugged
uan is tender 10 the weak and would give
hem lift when common men would
never Sc they needed one. Besides the
'armer is about home and can render any
,eeded assistance, which a mechanic can
not do. tell you, farmers wives if you
ire i'll treated, it is because you have not
The tact 10 get help about your work.
Much depends upon tact. have heard
women say. Il would not ask my husband
10 get pail of water or an armful of wood
# he never did it." say if anything is
not worth asking for, it is not worth
having. Supposing the farmers wife
loes not feed the chickens and calves, if
1he loved to do it. she would find no fault.
Why is it any worse to do those things
than TO sew or wash or run sboe-making
machine? If a woman is in the walks of
life where she must labor, the work she
las to do on the farm is no more drudgery
han the work anywhere else. The wo.
N IN makes the place, or ought to, not
he place the woman.
And then the beauty Of her surround.
ngs should make the farmers vile happy.
The break of the day, the song of birds,
he bloom of the trees and ripening of the
ruit, should all combine to make her
lobe woman. Her children are no care,
speaking. She can dress
he M as she chooses and send them out to
,lay. They find shady nook in the
richard or the sunny spot in the field, or
he seat in the crooked tree, and there set
Up their little household goods. They beg
or an old quilt, for tent. some food for
picnic, and are happy. They bake
potatoes in the ashes of their camping fire
" the side of the chattering brook from
whose noisy waters they bring forth little
,ony fishes which they cook on crotch
ID stick, and roll as a sweet morsel under
heir tongues, and their mothers have no
ear for them.-MrS. S, B. Saa0yer, Merit
nae, Mass. in N. 2. Homestead.