News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-01-09
Living on a Farm.

Then the second thought should be
that only one-half oft ought to be
done; for it is the nervous strain of
overwork, of attempting too much,
that breaks women down. And it is
true, also, that oftentimes it seems
unavoidable; for the out-Of-door cares
and labors have a trick of coming in
doors in the spring-time, and it seems
as if everything depended on getting
a good start just at this time There
is the milk to be skinned and warmed
for the calves, and it is certainly good
fortune if some wee, shivering lamb,
whom the mother refuses to own is
not brought in to be warmed and fed
by the kitchen fire. And perhaps the
: poultry is left entirely to her care;
, and such is the need of foresight on a
farm thatev the Thanksgiving tur-
key must be anticipated, and doubt
less lies in the shell in that cunningly
hidden turkeys nest which nobody
as vet has been able to discover, and
it is the farmers wife or daughter
, who must persevere until it is found;
for is not their time of less value than
that of the husband or brother? And
there is the house-cleaning and spring
sewing No work is so discouraging
t as that which is behind-hand; and
this continual pressure of hard work
seems to be the one thing from which
there is no escape.
1t is one of the miseries of being
overworked in any calling that makes
it almost impossible to do things to
the best advantage. 1t surely is a
hard lot to be thus situated, but be
assured it is not the inevitable one.
living on a farm means living as well
as farming, and has to do with the
real aims and purposes of life, as well
as its homely details. And the life of
farmers wife is certainly as impor-
tant as the life of woman in any
other calling. Every life worth liv-
ing has its drudgery. We have to
master the daily routine before we
can develop the higher possibilities
of any situation. In being on farm
an intelligent and refined woman will
find much doubtless that is hard and
distasteful, which she must accept as
part of her life; for everyone who lives
for a purpose must meet these. But |
| if she persists in her endeavor to make |
the most of her opportunities, she
! has within her reach all the compen- |
stations of a really noble, useful and |
| beautiful life. She can make herself |
felt not onl y in the home, but in the
community as power on the side of
everything good and true. Do not
say that this is true only in theory
that only farmers wives can know
how many pleasant and desirable
things get crowded out of their lives
and there is no helpfo it; for, should
you ever be otherwise situated, your
thoughts would be haunted with
memories of the many pleasant and
desirable occurrences crowded into
living on farm. The abundance of
the farm, its genuine luxuries and
dellcacles not too expensive to be .
shared with many friends. The beau .
tiful prospect of hill and dale The
dear, faithful old horse, protruding
his honest face from the barn window
and calling for some delicate morsel !
from your hand. The patient COWS
in the yard waiting their release to
the grass-pasture yonder A few /
brooding mothers busted with the f
nurture of their chickens, while the S
proud father of the flock tells with
clarion voice his happiness. Those C
who, from the hot, dusty city, come q
to breathe the pure air of our peace f
full retreat, take note of all these as
adding great beauty to the landscape.
Do you say that these things are all v
very well to gaze upon and admire q
once or twice in lifetime, but to you Il
they saFe-aonotonous2 Listen to
what one of our ladies writes from a Q
western city: 81 begin to think / a
would rather have a lodge in some a
vast wilderness than live in a city
With growing craze upon it. You d
Ire no sooner costly settled in your "
than some angel or demon n
IF progress comes along with his Il
tanning sword to drive you out. o, a
or some refuge among the Vermont
Hills where things have not changed
ince the foundation of the worldl'
Ind judging from the number of peo- O.
BE who gravitate from our western D
titles during the summer months, we :,
hould say that Stowe was the place .
described. But we think most of us 81
would be willing that the whistle of A
he train and the resounding stroke er
If the town clock should reverberate :,
through this wilderness of ours on OF
heir next arrival; for a certain j;
of progress is very desirable, bl
md wewould not like to stand entire Ii,
y still while all the rest of the world ia
soes whirling on There is so much
Natural beauty open to everyone who
las country home that if we but
I'VE our eyes and our heart to it we WI
hall soon become more eXacting in
'ur standards for artificial objects of -
aste, and less dependent on them. wi
Let us not covet the costly things pI
hat some people have to handle, dust,
nd carefor: they consume life instead MI
# enrichingit. Ii
A table plainly set, but with exquis-
Je neatness, a few simple dishes of
he very best of food such as farm 90
RS table may supply inexpensively,
surely worth more than the great su
st variety, which detracts so much da
ON the health of the family, and
dds so much to the worry and over TN
xertion OF which wehave been speak -
~. Mr.
Women are curiously indifferent to bu
~ ANoUACo Vi OiIClI NOIh. IIbN VIII
ork to the extreme limit of en- m m
urance from habit, from sense of inI
1ty, or from affection, without con-
dering whether what they are doing
lys or not, or whether the same eX- N
'nditure of force in another direction 6
light not accomplish twice as much. WA
o rule, however, can be laid down I
lat will apply to each individual NJ.
sc, but there are general principles r
hich allmay adopt. woman needs OF
think out all her plans as carefully +
her husband, deciding with all the
actical wisdom at her command
st how and when her efforts will tell T
ost upon the general result Every A
plan must fit herself. Z"
is not matter of course that her con
lghbor's excellent system will be NJ; =
cd for her. 1t will not be good for i'l ~
r unless it is adapted to her condi- tric-
ms, to the wants of the family and vers
her own strength, tastes and ca T,
cities. And without good system cau'
work there is always too much to Sno'
done to-day. We believe the time tb 0t
coming when living on farm will Hyd
ply less hard work and more pleas Yeal
than almost any other calling.
t in the meantime let not the heart
wv faint; for no good is lost and C.
effort toward good is lost. 1t is La