Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-03-26
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPEED THE PLow."

Correspondence on practical agricultural opics
Ia solicited. Address all communications In
tended for this department to HENRY ID. HAN
MoND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Democrat
Paris, Ne.
! wOMAN'S WORK ON THE FARM.
The farm ought to be, and in most
cases is, the most healthful place to live
IN, for min and woman. Numerous in
stances might be cited TO sh0w-how peo-
pie In poor health have left the city or
town and regained strength and vigor in
the fresh air and under the blue skies of
the farm. There are many reasons why
this should be true. Fresh air, sunshine,
good food and chance TO exercise ones
muscles will work wonders in restoring
tired nature.
There are many things woman may
do with safety and profit mentally and
physically, on the farm. She may care
for poultry. The labor connected with
this is not arduous. There is salts
faction about seeing fowls eat, talk and
exercise, and chickens grow, which does
not come from many other kinds of
work. Then, woman may grow flowers
with pleasure and genuine profit. Her
sense of beauty may be cultivated and
her knowledge of plants and their growth
increased in this way very much. The
same may be said about the wild flowers
and plants of the country.
Ii may be some will say that all this
may be pleasant and helpful, but from
an economical standpoint lit does not
pay" From a utilitsrian standpoint
this may be true; but all life is not to
be measured by that standard. To do
so is to miss life's true purpose. 1t is
not right to be constantly thinking how
we may turn life and strength and every
thing else into dollars and cents. To do
this is TO dwarf our natures and miss the
grand opportunities which have been
given to US for doing good to those about
US.
But there are many things about the
farm that no woman should attempt to
do. Some of these have presented them
selves to my mind very forcibly of late.
Not far away q young man caught the
war spirit, and enlisted to go to Cuba.
He thought he would be at home in
few days, but fortune ordered otherwise.
His old father was sick and unable to
work. Spring came, and the son was
not at home. There was young sister
at home, and with woman's bravery
she harnessed the horses, hitched them
to the plough, and went into the field to
do the work they were not able to hire
done. The brother was taken sick in
Cuba. Anxiety and hard work were do
ing their worst on the sister, and she was
in danger of breaking down. A friend,
knowing the circumstances, appealed to
the Secretary of War, and the son was
discharged from the service none too
soon TO save his sister from being broken |
down.
Another woman, married and the |
mother of several children, anxious to |
help her husband, went out and pulled |
her end of erosscut saw TO get wood |
for the kitchen. But this was not the |
worst. Getting over into silo to feed |
the cattle she found herself out of reach |
of ladder. She called for help. None |
appearing, she drew herself up by the |
arms and finally escaped; but in doing |
so she had injured herself internally, and
in less than a week she was in her grave
None in the world could lament this |
awful thing more than the young hus- |
band for whom the woman gave her life. |
Another woman | know Of dropped |
from scaffold in q barn, fourteen feet, |
TO the floor. Sue had gone there to get |
down straw To fill bed. She happened |
TO 90 down feet foremost, and, striking |
on some hay, escaped with nothing more |
serious than sprained ankle. This |
same woman broke through the rigging |
to a hsyrsck while helping her husband
unload some corn fodder. Beyond some
bruises, she fortunately escaped without
injury.
Now, work of this kind, jeopardizing |
as it unquestionably does the delicate |
organism which has been given to |
woman, never should be attempted by |
her. For even IL she does not meet with |
fatal accident, she is very likely to un-
dergo injuries which may make her a |
cripple or an invalid for life; and when |
sons most wretched.
Ii may be said that where farmer is
in de bt and working hard to get start |
in the world he is sometimes compelled |
TO accept the services of his wife or |
daughters when he otherwise would not, |
and this argument appeals TO US most |
forcibly. Few women are not ready |
and willing to lend hand in this way |
when their husbands are embarrassed
and crowded by the seasons work; aud
vet there are very few farms on which |
the feminine portion Of the inmates do
not find enough, and more than enough,
10 busy them all day long. The man
who has under the force OF circumstances
been compelled for little while to do
the work which was formerly the care OF
his wife knows that it is almost beyond
his power to keep things in order, even
when devoting all the time to that OBJ
iect. But that is not the worst of it. Ii
Is far better TO hire few days help in
the stress Of the season than to run the
risk of having the health of the wife de-
stroyed, and she be compelled to suffer
for wears to pay for day In the field
with her husband.
There are women who successfully
manage large farms, keeping all the de-
tails of the business we'll In hand; but
they never do any OF the hard work
themselves. Good executive ability with
them takes the place of manual labor.
This is all right. There is no reason why
a woman should not be farmer and
successful one, too. There are scores OF
instances all about US which might be
quoted to prove that the wife has far the
best ability to plan and execute farm
work. But the strenuous part OF plow-
ing, lifting heavily, climbing, and, In
fact, ANYTHING which is likely to serious
ly strain one Internally, should be LETT
TO these who have bodily mechanism
better calculated to endure such exer-
ton.
IL seems to be fact that our women
are living to better average age than
formerly. Without doubt this is in no
small degree due to the better care they
take of themselves. Woman has In this
late dsy and age of the world reached
period when she is recognized as mans
equal in every possible way. This was
not always so, and, although it may
seem harsh to say it, the man who e1-
poets his wife to work side by side with
him everywhere belongs to the dark ages
in point Of honor, if not in point OF time.
The Homestead.
NtipDlNHS