The Somerset reporter., 1896-06-18
How Mrs. Adams Wrote A Club
Paper on a Subject She
Was Not Interested In.
Written by Mrs. Anna +. Merrill for the
Skowhegan Womans Club

! if you had accused her of being old she
would doubtless have resented it. To
be sure she did hold her newspaper off
a little farther than she used to, and
she liked a good light to thread her
needle, and once she vas mortified to
+ find she had been trying as much as a
minute to get the thread into it's point,
/ but then that was on a dark day. She
looked round to see if Maud, her grown
i up daughter, noticed but She was study
i ing her geometry and didn't look up.
/ No, Mrs. Adams wasn't what one would
formerly have called an "old woman
she was barely forty.five. But she
wasn't a New Woman. She was
very domestic, but even her cooking
was of the old style; she had never
made angel-cake on eroquettes. She
could make the lightest white bread
the best minee pies, plum buildings,
pound cake, etc. Really her house was
the best boarding-place in town and the
/ high school teacher and minister, when
he wasn't married, always had a home
there. The miliner wanted to come
but there wasn't room.
Mrs. Adams had good education for
her day. She had never graduated any
where, but in the academy she was
thought to be really brilliant. She had
taught some, but Mr.. Adams took
her to himself when she was little more
than twenty. She had been a busy
woman ever since, having had six
children. Her home was her kingdom;
hers the duty and privilege to train
three boys and three girls 10 act well
their part. Reading WIS her recreation,
history and some fiction, her delight,
poetry rather than politics. her pleas
ure; and while she had a fair knowledge
Of what WAS going on in her own
country and abroad, She WAS far more
interested in her religious paper and
the doings of the church than in the
political paper and the doings OF Con-
gress.
When Mrs. Cartwright brought
around the petition To the legislature
for Woman's Suffrage. asking for her
signature, Mrs Adams replied, II don't
want the suffrage. | will do my duty
here at home the best | can, but | want
no more responsibilities laid upon me.
When | read or think outside the
duties that now devolve upon me,
choose that, that will rest me. am
more than willing that men shall bear
the burden of state.''
About five years ago there had been
formed literary society in the village
where she lived and Mrs. Adams had
been one Of its foremost members: her
essays and critical reviews were among
the best they had. But for the last
two years there had seemed to be a
growing restessness within the society.
The privileges and duties of women
were talked about. Mis-. Cartwright
was president. They had had several
ladies' from abroad address them upon
"Woman's Suffrage The New Wo-
man was coming forth This restless
ness affected even Mrs Adams. She
desired to see and had firm faith in the
progress of the world. She was con-
scientious and she could not help ask.
ing herself SIS it possible woman must
bear another burden. must she take
upon her shoulders the Fighting OF
many wrongs and bear with her
brothers the weight and stress of gov
ernment?s In her heart of hearts she
felt the time was coming, but she
hoped it wouldn't be IN her day. She
said, Il believe men are degen, rating
into mere financeers, they desire to
shift more aud more the re
sponsibility of reform upon us"
This is how she felt when Mrs. Cart
wright asked hel to write paper ON
the "Machnery of Government"
ooh DEAR she said this is altogether
out of my line; give me something else
to do. NO said Mrs. Cartwright,
"This is just what We all need to know,
the time is coming when it will make
great difference to our country if wo-
men are ignorant of these things. You
need to interest yourself more in them,
Mrs. Adams, it is your duty
Mrs. Adams thought moment.
Could she take the time, 81 suppose
Mr.. Adams can tell me what | want to
know and then Maud has been studying
civil government and the constitution of
the L. 5. guess | can find out what
| need, but | have such a lot of
sewing to do and she looked regret
fully to the set of Mrs. Jameson's
works, Maud had given her for Christ
mas, which she had meant to read
every spare minute. She said aloud
"Well I'll do the best can, but | con
fess it will be Just drudgery".
just before supper John, aged twelve,
came in with the sleeve torn half out of
his REFER; and Walter, aged ten, had
both knees of his stoc ,ings out. "My
evenings work is plainly set before me-
she said to herself. "Well, I'll talk to
Christopher while | sew and get him to
post me up.
Christopher was the head of the
Adams family. SO after tea when the
youngest children were in bed; and
she had settled dispute between John
and Walter over the corn pepper and
molasses jug, Mrs Adams seated her
self beside her work basket to repair
holes and rents. Christopher, little
bald, in gold bows and slippers, tipped
back in his easy chair with newspaper
extended, looked the personitication of
comfortable, good natured wisdom.
christopher she said as she fitted a
patch over the largest hole in the dilapi-
dated stocking. "Why do they have
three branches or departments of gov
ernment?"
| The newspaper went down to Chris
topher's knee, almost escaped his limp
grasp, the gold bows slipped to the tip
of his Roman nose as those blue, aston
ished eyes peered over them, MARY
what are you talking about?"
| "Why the federal government at