The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-07-04
The Wives of Farmers.

her trials and the means by which her
burdens may be lightcned are receive
ing much of the attention which they
deserve. They are discussed at farm
ers' meetings, and it is hoped that
practical good may ultimately be ac-
complishcd. Recently two papers on
the subject have been read by women.
One was by Mrs. Lucy Cleavcr McEl-
roy, of Lebanon, Ky. She was talk
ing 10 the men. She described the
visions Of the wedding day, with it's
glamor and brightness, and then said:
After that day Of all comes the
home making, the nest building: and,
oh. how it absorbs the farmer busy
young wife. Unlike her city sister
under similar circumstances, she has
no constant stream Of guests, full Of
interest and suggestions for the new
surroundings; her life is necessarily
one Of much loneliness, ever her hus-
band being absent from day to dark.
But She is happy as she works and
sing, and dreams Of success when the
home shall be theirs and &. snug bank
account will make possible the little
luxurics both desire So she builds
her castles in the air. God help her
if, as they often do, the airy, fairy
building crumbles to dust before her
very eyes and sorrow comes to sit
amid their ruins and Groom over her
vanished hopes. For the first few
years there are gay little visits home
and to girlhood friends, there arc
guests to entertain Row and then,
Sabbaths are always pleasure they
give husband and wife so much of
each others socicty-and church
going seems quite Il social dissipation.
"Thus time rolls on till the children
come, and as the mother 5 cares in
crease the hopes for the future are
mingled with fears, interest in outside
things are lost, pleasures arc dropped
one at Il time, seeing which the hus-
band becomes moro and more absorbed
in money making until we'll nigh all
else is forgotten. Holiday and feast
day for the rest Of the world pass un-
noticed; in the isolation of farm life
it is SO easy to forget how others live,
and they slowly drop into rut of
dreary monotony. Isn't that true of
SO many of us? Have We not lived
alone on the farm SO long as to almost
cease caring for things beyond it? Is
it not true that this history of day
on the dark side of farm life tells the
whole monotonous routine of exist
ence?
"At the first gray streak Of dawn
the wife's pet rooster crows long and
loud. He does it on purpose to
awaken her from her beauty sleep.
and is always successful. She has
obeyed the summons so often that it
has become second nature, and before
she realizes it she is out OF the warm
blankets, noiselessly trembling into
her clothes, lest she awake the sleep
ing baby; half clad, her cold fingers
still fgeting with her brooch, she
scampeFs 70 The kitchen. Ones siiere
a nervous fear that breakfast may be
late seizes her, and she rushes about
until it is on the table and the family
seated, when she draws her first long
breath while the blessing is being
asked. The breakfast bolted in hot
haste and the men off to work, she
resumes her hurry, skurries through
the dishwashing and kitchen work,
hastens through bed-making and house
cleaning, skins over milk vessels, re.
frigerators and churning, hurries to
the garden for vegetables, rushes
through dinner, makes her fingers fly
on the afternoon sewing aad securing,
so she may worry through supper at
the proper hour, to sink exhausted
into chair at bed time, too weary to
speak or think.
"She has not only done the thou
sand and one duties that fell to her
lot that day, but she has done them
we'll. has sighted nothing, and before
falling asleep has thought in utter
WEAKNESS, oh, if tomorrow might
never GOMEZ! Bnt it does come. and
it is always just the same tomorrow,
the same unceasing routine of labor
and rush. Day after day, year after
year, nothing but toll, toll, hurry,
worry, rush; that is the strange thing
about 1.-THE eternal rush. Amid
the peace and quiet of the country
why not 60 on peacefully and quietly
doing ones duty as it comes? There