West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-03-13
FARMERS WIVES.
OsouasiOn Of AN Interesting Question
From tho wopan'S Standpoint.

Dlsouasipn Of AN Interesting Question
From the woman's Standpoint.
Being Interested in all matters per
tanning to farmers, feel like express
ng my views concerning the present
condition OF their domcsti, affairs.
While 1t is true that the !algcr share o..
these wN"'G not excite feelings Of envy
m the bcholdcr, aud that the sad, list
less faces of farmers wives often arouse
our sympathy, and that thcir daughters
shrink from following in their moth RS
footsteps 10y marrying farmers, and liv-
ing similar life of toll aud sclf-de lial
and farther admitting the fact that
tarmcrs' wives are almost Universally
ovcrworkcd. | lwish TO affirm that the
cause of this lies almost wholly. not
with the blamo of the farmer but with
| the TURNER'S toJc herself MANY wears
OF observation and experience have con-
vnced me that the remedy lies in cdu-
eating farmers wives up tO n point of
knowledge, whore they will understand
their rights aud privileges and take
them
As a class, men are normally and
from education, inclined to tyrannixC
Whether at tho head of a Nation. u
state, "a community or family,
wherever you find man placed with nu
unlimited power invested I'm him, he
will cncroach upon the rights of others.
Now, in the family he has the oppor-
tunity of exercising this prociivity, and
the wife should kindly, firmly teach him
that she has rights which hc il bound
20 respect In learning to rc,pcct
them, hc will learn to respect her, too.
| A man can not understand the scores Of
little odd jobs which come into wo-
mans work, and which are counted rs
nothing I'm the days balance of work,
| and yet which take vast amount OF
woman's strength 90 accomplis sh;
| neither does he know OF the hundred
| and one little expenditures necessary
for well ordered house. And how
can he tell when Jennie moods now
dress. or Johnnie new pair of shocsp
| DO YOU expect him TO see that the sew
| ing machine is worn ont, or that tho
careless little choppers have broken
necessary dishes. or that carpets or
| table linen are needed, or that anything
else about the house Is i'm state of col
| lapscP
know of farmers wives, Intelligent
women too, who never buy calico
apron without the consent OF their hus-
bands. Such an order of things, II we
| had our husbands under a good sub.
| iugation, would make tyrants of even
us, meek aS we now are.
Once n farmers wife ia telling how
| she suffered daily, at the Same time
doing the worl, for family of eight
| said II don't caro-. If Henry does
not care enough for me to see when l
feel so badly, II not complaint Here
was the spirit of martyr, with tho
| judgement, il seemed, of little child.
| Women know when they are over
taxed, and they should take care Of
themselves. IL Is n sin against WON
| ems own nature If She permits her life
| 10 be drained from her by ovcrwork
| No one will see tha' she Is killing her
self, until the damage is past repair,
| and. in the end, no one VIII thank her
for so doing.
We common farmers can neither
| board our hired men out Of the house,
nor even provide "A separate table for
| them in our own hOus "; but wc can have
| plain, nicely cooked food, and our
| table, can Doe arranged with taste Our
| rooms may be- so neat and attractive,
| that even hired men will be glad 90
help keep them so, being careful In
their own habits; for hired men arc
men after all, whether German, Irish
or American.
II farmers get extra help, let their
wives get extra help also; and il your
| husband won't get YOU the "hclp,' 90
and get IL yourself or send some one on
your own responsibility The women
| on farm win have the same chance 10
do their work a- their husbands or
| fathers, when the, take it
! Let the farmer manage his own bust
! ness, buy machine IL he needs them, do
! his work as bee plnasc4; this is right, II
| not carried TO an extreme; but let the
! farmer wife manage her business, re-
! place her "achine If need be-, buy cloth
! ing or groceries, and direct All the de-
| tall of the house and family ~ her finer
! "a str and better judgment dictates. II
/ she does not DO it,, 10 is her own fault
! II you question the experimental knowl-
! edge Of this declaration, one glimpse at
/ the family, the hired men, the endless
! routine Of work i'm this busy Western
! home Of ours would convince YOU that
| there is one farmer wife with oceans
/ Of work 30 be attended 10, yet not over
\ worked nor twenty years behind her
/ husbaud.-E. =. Is. Cjtusc, H COuHtry Gca-
/ LrJygy