Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-03-09
FARMERS INSTITUTE PAPERS.
How to Make Easier the Work of the
Farmers Wife.


60 the rainbow. 1t depends upon the
point of view of the beholder. The
task, in other words, the background
for the rainbow, which looks formid-
able, to one woman may be real pleas.
ure to another. In this case the
d ference in the point of view depends
upon judicious use of the capability,
industry and perseverance which she
possesses. We believe the spirit III
which work is done and the object fol
which it is done determines to a great
extent the amount of work that q
woman can OF will do; provided, that
her efforts and ability are seconded by
her husband and her surroundings. We
believe every farm house should have
a bathroom located at the barn side OF
the Kitchen. and the men should enter
the kitchen through this room. They
should also leave their rubbers, over
shoes, hats, caps, mittens and all
outer garments worn in the barn, in
this room. This method faithfully
pursued for great many years. might
finally teach the man of the house in
which room to find cap and mittens,
and at the same time relieve the good
wife of the necessity of exploring the
house from garrett to cellar in search
of the missing articles. This we are
sure would make some farmers wives
work easier.
We suggest that the hall should be
in the rear of the farmhouse, instead
of in the front, for the following
reason. The farmer usually greets his
guests at the hitching- post near the
barn, and as merciful men are merciful
to their beasts, they go directly to the
barn, and after the welfare of the
horses has been attended to. they take
the shortest path to the living room.
This usually leads through the kitchen.
Now there are days in the week and
seasons in the year when the path
though the kitchen may not be very
broad, but be it ever so broad it is not
pleasant for a guest to enter house
through the kitchen, neither is it con-
dusive to the serenity of the hostess to
welcome her husbands guests in sight
of a tub of half. washed clothes, her
dinner yet an unknown quantity and
the quality growing more doubtful
every precious moment We know
nothing of the views of others on
this subject. but speaking for our
selves we do know that a hall leading
from the center to the rear OF the
house would be a very welcome addi.
tion.
We would not be surprised if the
ownership, possession and occasional
use of horse and buggy might be the
means of relieving the tired feeling OF
q woman's mind as we'll as some of
the ills that flesh is heir to. The
horse in question, should be gentle,
we'll trained and not more than thirty
years old, in fact able to take his mis-
tress there and back again. for she
may be already tired of pushing and
showing the way.
In order to keep the domestic
machinery in as good order as possib BILE,
the husband should stay in the kitchen
and rest we mean rest, from man S
standpoint. He might then see the
necessity for few improvements
around the house, and he would GER
tainly need fuel that would burn and
plenty of soft water, and he would see
at once how easy it would be to have
the water piped from the we'll into a
cistern under the kitchen.
A friend of ours suggested that it
would make easier the work of the
farmers wife, if she had a machine
OH which she could ride while she
swept, busted, scrubbed, ironed and
collected eggs. Now with such a
machine at her disposal, any woman
ought to have enough reserve strength
and a little spare time SO that when
the telephone rings, she may reach the
phone in time to hear the news.
Whether she has learned the fact from
the telephone or in some other way
she does know that if there was less
card playing, together with its atten-
dant evils, her work would be less dis
tasteful and therefore easier.
The most important problem that
confronts the farmers wife of today.
is how can she best train, guide and d.
rect her children so that they shall
escape the pitfalls along the way, and
that they may be able to live up to
their privileges and enjoy the bles-
sings with which they are surrounded.
Mrs. Anna W. DeCou.
uJl,ox Es..:t Coo Eaeoare1