Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-10

There is an old ballad of the farmer
who boosted that he did as much work
in a day as his wife could do in seven.
She answered his challenge by propos-
ing that he should stay at home and
she would go into the field. After CIV
Ing him careful directions for his work
next morning, she left the house and
did not come home until night. She
found the old man with his head tied
up where the cow had kicked him
oilnd; the milk all soaking in tho
ground; the hens strayed away and all
lnelr eggs laid where the old man
could not lind them; the calf missing
ana everything gone wrong, everything
topsy-turvey. The old farmer took it
all back and agreed that it was his wife
who could do more work in a day thsn
he could do in seven.
A New York young fellow. hauleI
up before 4 magistrate for laziness and
refusal to support his wife, had very
much the same notion of woman's
work as the old farmer in the ballad.
In answer to the Judges questions he
grumbled that he was sick and tired of
standing behind a counter all dav, and
therefore took 4 much-needed rest.
but the baby and | starve in the
meantime, demonstrated the wife. He
said he loved her too well for that, but
she couldn't expect q fellow to kill
himself, could she? She naturally
thought there was very little danger of
that
Then sudden thought struck him.
'1'u tell you what II do, Nellie" said
he. You take my place in the store
and l will attend to the household du-
ties" His wife expressed good deal
OF amusement at the idea, but he re-
peated his offer. You must have Il
nice time, " said he, your work is
awfully easy" The wife answered she
would be only too glad of the change,
and agreed to "Swap" occupations.
Now" said she. you must get up in
the morning and make the fire, prepare
the breakfast, mind the baby The
husband stopped her right there, and
gave her to understand that she would
have to take the baby to the store with
her. Not bit of it, was her answer
''YOu are, taking care of the household
and that's part of it. He protested
that, as she knew, the baby's CRYING
made him almost crazy, but she insist
ed that if he took her place he must
look to her duties. She told the mag
istrate she was willing to take her hus-
band s place in the store, and that of
fetal was about to arrange the affair or
that basis, Just here her husband was
very skeptical about her being able to
stand it; thought she had better at
tend to the household and he would 90
back to the store. The Justice re-
marked that 1.-the baby settled him."
which was much wiser observation
than some of the more elaborate and
longer decisions which come from the
bench.
As matter of fact man is not we'll
fitted to endure the petty annoyances
and has no patience with the petty
cares which make up large part of
women's domestic work. Ii women
have no business tact or capacity, men,
on the other hand, have little of the in
finite painstaking in the dull routine of
house service that women attend to
every day in their lives. The affair
seems to have been pretty well ar
ranged by Providence. The backs and
the burdens of the sexes seem mutually
and respectively adjusted to one anoth-
er, and so the world wobbles on after its
fashion of the last several thousand
years, and is not likely, in this respect
at least, to fly the track for good
many years to cOme.-D3trOt Free
Press.