Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-11-01
Home Life.

Brother farmers, did you or do you
ever think that there are other duties
for you ON the farm than cultivating
corn and cotton a? Do you realize that
it is as much your Christian duty as
anything else, that you make home
cheerful and happy for your wife and
children Do you know that you are
committing great sin when you kill
your wife with over-work; when you
put on her the duties Of nursing the
children-making and mending their
clothes, and doing your cooking, wash
ing and milking? Do you know that
only in the South are women made to
do the milking, while the men folks
sit around doing nothing? Do you
know that it is your Christian duty to
haYe, for your wife, all the little con-
veniences that will tighten her labor,
and that none but a savage would put
the labor Of working the vegetable
garden on his wife; and that the man
who fails to provide good vegetable
garden for his family is worse than a
heathenH And you, my good sisters,
do you do your duty and learn how to
cook the food your husband or father
provides for the household; do you
study your business and try to set your
table so it will be nice and tempting,
or do you depend on boiled bacon and
corn.bread to keep soul and body to-
gether.
One Of the great faults of farmers is
that they work too much and read too
little. There never was a greater lie
uttered than the oft-repeated adage:
early to bed, early to rise,
Makes you healthy, wealthy, and WISE"
The man who rises at 4 a. M, and
works till 8 p. M, will never be either
rich, wise, or healthy his intellect will
be dwarfed, his body bent, his face
furrowed, and his limbs aching with
rheumatism long before mid life. No,
no; work less, read more, eat slower,
and think moro; beautify your house
and your board, love your wife and
children, and have home that they
will love. Haye plenty Of vegetables
to eat-plant big orchard--then all
the berries you can get raise plenty
of horses for your children to ride
don't work mules that will make sins
ner out of a Christian, but get mares
to raise colts.
Neatness and tidiness makes the
farm attractive and cherry, so your
children take in good habits, and when
they grow up they won't run to the
cities, Young folks think a good deal
about looks, so dress them as well as
their neighbors.
If you want your daughters to get
good husbands, keep a nice, cheerful
house, and learn your daughters to be
neat. Make farm>life cheerful, SO your
children will always love the old home.
| have been a good deal among the
farmers homes, and / find many of
them lacking in comforts that make
life happy. And in none are they so
deficient as IN table comforts. don't
mean to say that there is not enough
of food, but it is poorly cooked and
poorly put on the table. If the farms
ers' wives and daughters would study
and learn how to set table 80 as to
look nice and inviting, it would make
home happier than it does when thrown
haphazard on dirty tablecloth. 1t is
not necessary, by any means, to have
fine table ware so they are clean and
put on tastefully is all that is needed.
Not long since l had dinner with a
widow woman there was little on the
table, but everything was so nicely ar
ranged that it gave all the party pleas
ure TO dine.
Now, brother farmers, quit getting
up before day and sending your boys
out to work before it is light. Don't
wake your wife up at A a. M, and ex-
pect her to work till s or 8 at night.
Treat your family as well as good
horseman treats his horse. Don't make
your home perfect hell, and don't
talk about being Christian, for you
amt. You are only vile hypocrite.