Ellsworth American., 1883-08-02
&aym aaS 6oassbc!a.
The Farmers Wife.
HER LOT NOT HARDER THAN THAT OF HER
SISTERS.

From the Lancaster Examiner.
Il is good deal more pleasant to read the
poets dreams about purling brooks. lowing
kline, the scent of new -mown hay, and the
milk maid singing bithe, than in the Ian
guage of Josh Billings. 10 "cradle oats down
bill IN the dorg days with both gallus but
tons broke" The poetry and reality Of
farmers life are two different things. As
the farmer him>eIfl>, morally and intellect
ually. so will his wife be. The path of mel
ther is one Of primroses and violets. The
character OF household work on the farm and
its associations and isolations are wearisome,
long continued and necessarily monotonous.
All this breaks ambition and leaves liitl.
time or inclination for self-improvement.
The average farmer can be independent and
is, but he acquires II BY continuous and
careful labor. and his wife Is Ike unto him.
All this Is largely true, and therefore one i
no, surprised to hear now and then COM
plants from farmers wives that their lot i
no, happy one. In TUESDAYS New York
better-half bewailirg her condition and
among other things saving
Il am not thinking lightly on thi, topic
nor sorell for myself; vet in my own case
cannot see " here We have been IN fault. !
am - and ,ray-harcd have stri,en for
wear, with Al. N, nerve and strength. and SO
la, ~, good husband We have pgac,ic-
"a economy. -tfdcuiAl and frugalIty, along
with our hard labor, to painful extent.
We have done the very best We could. and
our toll hA> not been Adequately repaid.
Wha, We haze TO sell brings always too little
for what We buy. can bear ordinary
pr, ,atIons # not with cheerful. at least
with patient submission; but when see no
hope OF anythin. but the merest rudimenis
OF an education for the bright, bonnie barns
the Lord has given me. without sacrificing
the home Itself feel That il is too cruel
Providence, if it Is not mans injustice
The farmer is not properly paid, OF there
would not be thousands OF mothers similarly
situated"
When read this complaint are in
cllned to think that this represents the COM
mon condition Of all farmers wives and that
this unhappy condition is peculiar alone TO
farmers lives. Evidently this wife has a
yearning for The so-called reinement> of
life a fashionable education for her children
and the association Of cultured society. The
only advantage other classes Of the com
munlty, the artisan and iradesman, have
over the farmer, is in the culture of close
association. The majority Of men and
women have 10 work for living, and when
wages are measured by endeavor, the farm
ers wife gets as much for her churning as
the seamstress for making a shirt. When
We look a, work in a general way. We find
that no special class has al, antage.
The wife Of the artisan. the tradesman. and
even Of the professional class j. just a. bad
off as the farmer, wife. in fac; worse she
works harder. for the scheming 10 keep the
larder full. cloth, the li,ile ones and max E
both end, meet requires the expenditure y
more nervous iurc, than j. called for from
th. farmer, wife. On a. average the
lawyers ofthis toWn are bot making II yj,o
wear many trsdesmen 20 more. and al
wofkingmeR scarcely half Prom one end
q the land % the other lslag j. bat from
hand o. mouth. and NJ tim, j. s.iosed for
much higher r4lture of more Agreeable
~Ay. nf h.ing ~ course ~s aTc Speaking
generally. lhs nchss ~hieh giYe luxury
are tat sAespt4an .n thl. uorid nat ih. rule
Au4 ~ tssing j eli ID III, ihe farmer and
hi- uf, have b Boa ihsr po~rr % b. more
s1.liy happy than tha-s who i've upon the
furia.iaa. = TRADE or ~ d@niand g .aiaf
from the artisan Nsrs muth - oar con-
di n dtpeuds upon oar.sis-s. fac have
hrala- - can live u ne wuril u ealtsrs 10
spite IL rrrlui.;ancy.- The ~lit ~ho ha.
its inclination 10 sialy and r,a-ci can iu-
stHl ths same .a,s " .rsTtiug into daughter
o. ssa- i-aek e time = a.~a,. the excuse
81 fhe inia.rui ~ Incompetent. A. gen
era than. farmers 30 not care for as,ocia.
tam. tiah.. ETC.. are hot common. H..
lluraN j. the famii, newspaper ant fc~
r4rHt Oihce Report. sent him ~ Ia. Con.
grt--nian- Ilis parlor j. opened on state
OCCASIONS and his children live in the kitch-
en-. There i no ease in his life. and there
is no ROYAL road To learning. The situation
of the farmers wife is as good as that Of any
other woman. save the actually rich. The
trouble is. work is made the end of life and
sufficient time j, not spared for improvement
even. which is rare. if there is inclination
There are no artificial WAYS to better exis.
tenee; this depends upon ourselves, and il
farmers wives resolve to do nothing bul
churn and bake in season and out of season,
they need not complain if they do not have
the culture of those who spare the time for
self-improyement.