The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1901-01-25
"PARM OR CITY LIFE
FOR THE FARMERS DAUGHTER
A Paper Read by Miss Nora Foley at the
Farmers Institute held In Yale, on
Wednesday, Jan. 10, 1901.

n paper Redd Dy MISS nora Foiey at tne
Farmers Institute held in Yale, on
Wednesday, Jan. 10, 1901.
Is farm life preferable to city life for
our girls? We mean the girls of aver
age financial circumstances; not the
multimilliOnare's daughters or society
belle, but the girls who work for liv-
ing, whether in city or country, and for
themselves, or under an overseer. W..
Z. Andrews in his talks with farm
girls, says it's glorious thing to be q
girl, and above all it's fine thing to be
a farmers girl. l will follow the aver
age girl through city and country life
as briefly and well as L am able.
To begin with, if her lot happens to
be in the city, it is not at all probable
that she will ever become Hetty
Green financially. To be sure, if she
works in the farmers household, she
will see some hard work and early
hours; but the world has very little use
for the healthy young woman who is
afraid of little work; and woe to her
of average circumstances who possess
Us hands too small, too shapely, or too
white to knead out a good, wholesome
loaf of bread. A story is told of a GER
tain young lady who sent money to an
advertiser for "sure recipe for max
ing the hands soft and attractive" In
due time the recipe was received. 1t
read as follows: "Soak the hands in
good soapy water in the dish-pan three
times day after meals-while mother
rests" Certainly good recipe, but not
needed by most farm girls.
No matter what your vocation is,
whether scullion in the kitchen, or a
bookkeeper at the desk, do your work
cheerfully and as we'll as you are able,
and you are doing all that God requires
of you. Bear in mind that it is not the
occupation that disgraces the person,
but quite frequently the person dis
graceS the occupation.
The systematic hOusekeeper and
those under her care, living in the
country, can find ample time for rest
and recreation. The average girl doing
house-work in the city has no time
when she is really off duty. The work
may not be any harder than it is in the
country, but there is feeling that she
is always at somebody's call. In the
evening there is no thought of spend
ing the time with those she loves. She
is rarely allowed to share the family
sitting room; and when, she is, is as
much alone and apart from the real
life of the family as if marooned upon
some desolate island.
Now let me give you one glimpse in
to the factories of this broad land. See
you the thousG ends of white slaves liter
ally chained to their posts. And why
this throng. The city girl as soon on
even sooner than the law permits, must
be earning wages. In our large manu-
featuring towns the factory affords her
the opportunity to exc out miserable
existence, and hither she HES herself,
as yet a mere child, there to remain for
years if not lifetime. See her from
early morn till late at night, week in
and week out, and year after year stand
ing before a piece of work that has
long since become a mOnotonous ro-
tund. Is it any wonder that her men-
tai powers are blunted? Take her
from that piece of work and she knows
less than when she first entered the fac
tory. Look at the pale wan face, the
bent form. Ne poet sings of the "Spar
kle of her eye." Wouldn't farm home
be an earthly paradise to the factory
girl?
Then there are the store and Office
workers, laundreSseS, and seamstresses.
Ask any of these how much rest they
get during the year, and they will tell
you it does not exceed two weeks out
of the fifty-two.
There is very little recognition shown
by the dissatisfied ones in the country
of what dependence upon some one
else means. City position lasts during
the pleasure or business success of
some one else, or "good behavior" that
is measured by another's caprices. If
either of these fail the income stops;
while on the farm the crops grow and
the income keeps up, even if we are at
the picnic or take in the fair. All over
the world we find business wrecks and
abandoned mills and works. The sala-
ried people who worked in them are
scattered, taking off their little remain
ing stores to transport them elsewhere,
or support them until the wheel of for
tune brings up another salary payer to
their relief. On the farm, though the
income may be small, there are none of
these anxious waiting hours.
1t would be but a twice told tale to
enumerate to you the advantages the
country girl has over that of her aver
age city Observation-Disclosures mentally,
morally, anu physically physically See what ad.
vantages for practical knowledge she
possesses. Yes, even the finer arts are
at her command. What leisure time
she has! If any one can prove that the
country girl does not have one-fourth
the time at her own disposal, L will re-
trace my steps. See her city cousin
from morn till night, week after week
throughout the year, toiling behind the
counter, at the desk or ever the loom
Is it any wonder that her store OF prac-
tical knowledge is limitedp Is 1t any
wonder that after some Misguided
young man has chosen her for house,
keeper that he often signs for the bis
cults his mother used to make? What
is to hinder the country girl from be-
coming an expert in this line? What
is to hinder the country girl from being
a practical housekeeper; and who can
find more honorable calling? And If
she is at all systematic, she can find
ample time for her reading. her music.