The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1886-07-30
A WORD FOR WOMEN.
The OveryyOrked and Undcrpaid HOuAe'
keepers and their Wrongs.


keepers and their Wrongs.
There is class Of people in this country who
get up at five o'clock in the morning and who
never get back to bed before 10 Or II o'clock ~
night; who work without ceasine the whole OF
that time, and receive no other emolument, than
food and the plainest clothing; they understand
something of every branch OF economy ana
labor from finance to cooking, though harassed
by hundred responsibilities, though driven
and worried, though reproached and looked
down upon, they never revolt, and they cannot
organize for their own protection. Not even
sickness releases them from their posts. NO
| sacrifice Is deemed too great for them to MAKE
and no incompetency In any branch OF their
work is excused. No essays or books or poems
are written In tribute to their steadfastness
| They die in the harness and are suppanted as
| quickly as may be.
These are the housekeeping wives OF laborlng
men. 1t is they who get their husbands break
fasts at five o'clock in the morning, get the
children Off to school, do the washing, ironing,
baking, sewing, scrubbing, sweeping and mar
keting, caring all the while for the babies, and
doing the mending after the husband lies snor.
| ing. They do 60 to bed but hardly sleep, for
| nursing babies often draw their life from them
| all the night long.
| What leisure or er joyment for them what
chance for improvement or uplifting! Ana
| what do they think OF the eight hour move
ment? They think that it means that the call
co that they now buy for five cents will cost
eight cents by and by; that the Goa! VIII soon
| be So and IS ton, and that the pittance out
of which they now buy these will be less before
long. Is it a pleasure to them that their nus.
| bands will have two hours more leisure! LII
the men stay at home during that time tne
chances are that the wives will be reproached
fox what is deemed neglect, and that some OF
the children will be whipped. Will the nus
washing from the line, or go to the market
Not for one day out of the 365. They will irrl-
| tate them with their criticisms, will make the
children unhappy, ana then leave for some
place Imore suited to their seltshness. 1t SOUNDS
hard but it is true, and every woman knows
that it IS true. She knows there VIII De TWO
hours less in which to earn money ard Two
hours more in which to spend it, She knows
that her burden will be no lighter, and In pa
tient cynicisrn she awaits the result.
Are those women striking for eight hours
Have they union to which they can appea
against the cruelty of their taskmasters Are
eloquent voices raised in their behalf Are
there any laws enacted for their benefit are
there any prominent journals advocating tneli
causei What would their husbands say j
these women turned out EN- masse ana voice
not to work but q certain number OF hours PEI
day. and demanded that more rlghteous oi'i
sion of the income be made hereafter
They would doubtless say it was mid summe
madness. Is the picture over-drawn' 10 O
do not these women receive their share Il
working fifteen hours day cooking over no nc
stoves, scrubbing over washtubs, exposing tn
body to every change Of our tickle climate
bearing on an average one child year, AM
making both ends meet after the lent is pal'
and the husbands beer money is spent in return
for food, shelter and the plainest clothing
this fair half of the working partnership l
this an equal division of labor with distrio d,
lion of the profits What would some OF tn
men who are parading the sire IS voluntaril.
out of work and in their best clothes do II the.
found themselves bound to employers by Il
that could not be dissolved, while their worl
was made thousand times more laborlous an
the hours nearly doubled?