The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1890-12-06
POOR RICH WOMEN.
BY MARY SIDNEY.

There is class of poor rich women in the
country would like to speak of. Women
who are rich because they live in fine houses,
and have husbands with large purses and in
fluence, but poor because among it all they
have not dollar to call their own.
what care l." said one of these one day
when wanting to use few dollars which she
had not and could not get, to help needy
relative, "for all our finery while I can not
command single dollar myself" She was
well dressed-it was fitting that This wife,
should be in harmony with the establishment
but her purse was always empty. And this
woman had helped her husband to rise. She
had worked in poverty with him-made his
shirts and stockings, and her own and chill
dren's dresses and other clothing, had washed
and scrubbed, baked and boiled-and now past
the meridian of life, when their labors had
been crowned with such abundant success, it
was all his to command. This was told me
long years ago, and l watched the career Of
this pair with great interest. AT last the hus-
band began to see that his wife should have
some cash her very own, and when she was
80 every week. That's enough to fool
away, as pay all the bills for needful things
he said. How big 'T' shines in little world.
He paid the housemaid $500 each week.
Which was the richer, wife or maid
This man long since passed away, his two
sons destroyed themselves in dissipation, and
daughter married fortune hunter who makes
her life intolerable; but the widow, now past
four score, still lives on, and her generous hand
be while her lord and MASTER lived.
In the country as well as the city this condi-
ton of family life exists. All about may be
found the poor wives of rich farmers, enduring
hardships and toll, the wives of laborers know
not of. We do not have to go back to the his
toric homesteads of Mount Vernon and Month
cello to find examples of busy women. The
wives of Washington and Jefferson, looking
after their large households, teaching their
slaves to cutand sew, and trying to bring order
out of chaos unpaid, irresponsible servants pro-
mote, were scarcely so busy as the wife of the
owner of large farm nowadays, who, with
the help of half-grown girl or woman with
a child, or with no help at all, spends her days
in cooking for workmen and evenings in darn
ing and patching their clothes, to say nothing
of all the other requirements that fall to her
lot. Where much is given, much truly is re-
quired, and only those in the harness know
Just how much
The larger the farm the more help is employ
ed outside, and the harder the work for her to
feed them all and keep her house and table
and general surroundings tidy. There are
numbers of rich farmers who employ plenty
of help for themselves, and have leisure to go
and come and pursue outside objects that at
tract them, whose wives are tied closer at home,
to harder service and drudgery, than any hired
help would endure. The indoor help is not in
farm that know of.
The lonely wife is expected to get on with
the same amount of help as women on small
farms with only one hired man or none at all,
and it often occurs in these days since farm pro-
ducts are so reduced in value, that she has to
do almost entirely without help. As charity
begins at home, so economy begins in the
house.
If, at the end of the year the farmer finds
there is no balance in bis pocket, as is frequent
ly the case now even by those out of debt for
their farms, it is she, generally, who first dis
covers that some retrenchment must be made.
and tries to keep the ends meeting by working
harder herself, and by giving up her help and
all social enjoyments and comminglings.
1--WE can't have pies and strawberries and
such nice things to eat' said the mistress of
large, rich farm house. where from eight to
ten men were constantly employed mot en-
ployed arOund), because we can not get such
tedious things ready for so many" It's need
less to say that there was bad management on
the outside. The men were not only depriving
the wife of all leisure and enjoyment, but they
were eating up the farm profits as well. This
woman had a fortune of her own, and her hus-
band had one also, but the sheriff wound up
the whole business.
Tell it not in Gath, but the sons of rich men
as class are not good managers; they are un-
safe to marry; they don't waste time senti-
mentaliZing over women's burdens; they are
thoughtful about No. 1. "Well, they don't
want their wives to be widows in hurry"
said the Head of the Sidneys; 1T is mighty
good of EN-"
81 can't see why women are so busy all the
time" said young farmer whose mother was
chief cook and baker all the year around for
seven or eight men and boys with inadequate
help, 'men can find time to do something be-
sides work, why can't they?"
No; men cannot see where their living comes
from Can not take in how wearing is the
constant watchfulness and labor that is requir-
ed to feed large family with good fare. Can
not understand why the spirits droop and lrri-
liability and bodily infirmities set in, when the
outside world is shut off and hard grinding at
the mill for the benefit of thoughtless, raven
Gus men, is about all there is in life for the
weary housekeeper.
"But evil is wrought by want Of thought
As we'll as want of heart"
And there are countless women on large
| farms filling the hard place assigned them,
| only keeping their heads little above steam,
by the most indomitable pluck and persever-
ance. They receive no pity from anybody,
only censure that they do not do more for the
goings on in the neighborhOods, and be more
| agreeable withal. People envy them in their
| big houses, their consequential husbands, and
the plenty which surrounds them, forgetful
| that wealth and contentment do not always
| dwell under the same roof, and that some OF
our rich women, so called, are the very poor
est in all that goes to make life happy fore
taste of the Heaven beyond-Farm Journal