The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-12-29
THE IDEAS OF A FARM WOMAN.

The skeleton in the farm house
closet is often found to be thriving on
the domesticity of the farm wife. She
is so anxious to have her house as it
should be, and she has the ambition
to excel any woman in the neighbor-
hood in the number of cans of fruit
she puts away, and the pounds of
butter she makes and in chicken rails
ing; all virtues within themselves,
but after they pass certain point
they become vices.
She is so busy upstairs and down,
in garden and chicken house, that she
has no time to keep pace with her
husband intellectually; her motive is
Of the highest; she desires to give
her life to helping her husband and
children, and she undertakes more
than she should do. She may add to
the income and procure indulgence
for the family, but in other ways she
is doing her family and herself an in
justice.
The mother should keep herself
blithe and CHEEKY, and the children
are better children if the mother is
not always worried and hurried the
mother who does the best work is the
one who has leisure to listen to her
children, to assist them with lessons
and to share with them their trials
and joys.
The best type of American woman
hood is on the farm. We find ex-
emplifed all that is good, true aud
noble. Many of our greatest men
come from the farm home, their early
lives being shaped by the elevating
influence of loving mother.
"The loving mother p These are
divine words, and yet we often say
"it's only mother; anything will do
for her." Only the best is good
enough forImother; her devotion sur
passes all other love, and is deserving
of the deepest respect and affection.
The good wife on the farm does not
live for herself, but for her family
and her home. Little by little she
drifts to the place occupied by SER
want unless she makes heroic efforts
to command higher estimation.
She does her work uncomplainingly,
and her rights should be respected
and her importance appreciated.
She fills her life so full of work for
others that she has no time for self
and social Improvement. We are so
often ungenerous and uugrateful to
those who make the greatest sacrifice
for us, to those who offer us them
selves most fully and freely, asking
nothing in return.
We accept her devotion to us as a
duty she owes and pass it by without
considering her self-denial and the
many sacrifices in the interest of
those she loves.
We are constantly reading so much
advice to wives, and it was strong
pen who waited to the floating breez-
es the following lines to husbands: !:
f'You are husband yoI, =
absolutely at your mercy =
not have known this when she be-
came your wife, but she has been
compelled to feel it since that event
ft1l moment. However neglectful,
unkind, cruel or penuriously oppres-
sive you may be sure she has no re-
dress. To publish her woes to the
public is her disgrace toreturn your
conduct in kind Is only to increase
your injustice to her.
"It may be that both your success in
life and your ability to earn food for
the children depends upon her skill
in hiding from the public your con-
duct to her in private. She has to
smile before the world to conceal the
wrongs she has to endure, and she is
compelled to silence in private lest
these wrongs may be increased"
She has left everything to devote
herself to you and you have never
indicated your appreciation of her ac-
ton. She has planned, toiled and
exhausted the resources of head and
hand to minister to your comfort and
advance your interests. but not word
of gratitude has ever escaped your
lips. She has been confined to the
hearth within ali day long to piece
out your income, to beautify and
bless your home, to rear and mould
the minds of your children, but never
an encouraging word has been spokz
en- to her ears. You are the one who
occupies the most sacred place in her
heart but you have not spoken the
endearing word, nor given the gentle
touch of affection since the day she
became your wife and her life has be-
come bleached and blasted desert of
sand. All this has come to pass for
the lack of those trifing attentions,
the little marks of affection, and the
acts of appreciation and consideration
that constitute the food and life of
woman's soul. Home life on many
of our farms should be commenced
over again. n.-Ame,ic0n Fa1me1.