Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-06-01
NAE WIVES SIDE on LIE CASE

There 10 q class OF people IN this cum
try who ge, up a, five o'clock IN the
morning and who never ge, back to bed
until ten or eleven O'Clock a, night; who
work wi,hou, eeasing the whole Of that
time, and receive no other emolumeni
than food and the plaine.t clothing;
they under.,and something Of every
braneh Of economy and labor. from hn-
.nee to cooking; though harrAs'ed by hun.
dred responsibilities. though driven and
worried. though reproaehed aud looked
down upon. they never revolt. aud they
eanno, orgsnit. for their own protection
No, even sickness releases them from
their post. No sacrifice is deemed too
gr,., for them TO make. aud no ineomPe-
ieney in any branch Of their work Is eI-
eased. No assays or books or poems are
written in tribute TO their s,eadfas,ness.
They die In the harness aud are 'upplAni-
ell a. quickly as may be.
These are the housekeeping wives OF
the l.boring men. I, is they who get
their husbands breakfast a, ) o'clock IN
the morning. &c, the children OF to school,
do the washing. ironins. baking. sewing.
.crubins. sweeping marketing. caring all
the while for the babies aud doing the
mending after the husband lie. snoring.
They do 70 to bed. but hardly sleep.
for nursing children often draw their life
from them all the nigh, long
What leisure or enjoyment for them
whA, chance for improvement or upllh'
ing, And wha, DO they ,hink Of the eight
hour movement They ,hink IL means
,hA, the calico they now buy for 5 cents
will cos, cents by and by; ,ha, the coal
will soon be ~ and IS a ton. and ,hA,
the pittAnce. on, Of which they now buy
these will be les, before long. l' iIA
pleasure TO them that their husbands will
have two hours more leisure, II the men
stay a, home during ,ha, time. the chances
are the wives will be reproaehsd Tor What
I. deemed neglect. aud ,ha, some OF the
children will be whipped. VIII the ha'-
band. fetch coal or black the stoves. take
the washing from the line. or 20 TO the
market, Not for one day ou, of,he J6).
They will iri,a,e them with their crit.
ei.m., will make the children unhappy
and then leave for some place more suit
ed to their self.hnes.. IL sounds hard,
bu, /, /. true. She know. ,ha, there will
be two hours less in which 10 earn money
and two hours to more in which to spend
il. She know. ,ha, her burden will be
no lighter and in p.,ien, eyniei'm she
awaits the result.
Are these women striking for eight
hours, Have they union to which
they can appeal sgains, the cruelty OF
their tA.kmls,er Are eloquen, voices
raised ia their behalf, Are iher, any
prominen, journal. advocating their cause
What would their husbands say II these
women turnei out en- ml,,e aud so,eito
work bu, q certain number OF hours fe'
day and demanded that more righteous
division Of the ieome be made hereafter :
They woolh doubtless say Il was mid
summer madness. |. the picture over.
drawn Do or do no, these women re-
ceiye their share , 1, working fifteen
hours . day, cooking over hot stoves
scrubbing over washiub.. exposing the
body to every change OF our fekle climate,
bearing on an evenge one child year.
and making both ends met after the
ren, i, paid and the husbands beer mon.
ey /. spent. in return for food. shelter and
the plainest clothing i, this fair hall
Of the working partnership. Is this an
equal division Of labor with an equal dis.
,ribu,iOn Of the prOh,s' whl, would some
OF the men who are parAding the s'r.eis,
voluntarily out OF work and In thsir best
clothes, do lfthey found themselves bound
10 employers by . tie that could not be DIS
solved, while work Was made tholsand
times more lAborious aud the holrs nearly
dos oled i-CAicdgo NsWs