The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-07-25
TRYING TO KEEP COOL.

mountains or seashore in efforts Il
keep cool while solsticial heat i.
raging; but the farmers wife-what
must she do2 How is she to keer
cool, fanked on all sides by sweating
dutiesl
To ask her to go away for a fort.
nights rest would not be appreciated
by her, because she could not make
It applicable to her case. Especially
is this true in this month--the busiest
and hottest month of all the year,
when hay and harvest and big eating
are in full blast. It makes the per-
spiration stand out on her brow as
big as young apple dumplings to have
to decide every morning what shall
be had for dinner, and then cook it.
81 Shs Jgu %Ss&E 5kesR he5 sds dmsn T. healthy and
and more of them will fall to her lot.
But let me tell her-the big drops of
perspiration that ooze from every pore
are carrying impurities from her sys-
tenn and making her strong as we'll as
useful, thus distinguishing her from
the idle ladies of leisure, who have
nothing to do but make the house
hideous with lamentations over their
ailments. How much healthier would
the human race be if women would
stop dosing themselves with drugs
and go to work. A dose of sweating
will drive out the minor ailments and
make one stronger and better able to
bear the heat of the summers sun.
In my section of the vineyard farm
ers' wives have more ease than their
mothers had, as regards feeding har-
vest hands. I remember that in my
childhood most farmers ate FIVE times
a day. They were up moving and
cradling by four O'Clock in the cool
of the morning, coming in to break
fast at half past FIVE. At nine o'clock
they wanted luncheon-pie and
cheese, biscuit and milk, or some
thing to keep the inner man comfort
able until dinner at noon. Supper
must be had at five O'Clock, and out
to the field again for two or three
more hours of work, and by dark
somebody would be calling, Mother,
isn't there any pie and cake or any
thing we could have to eat before we
go to bed 7" OF course there was.
Under this pie and cake excess some
one was frequently getting "bushed,"
aud laid his illness to the hot weather.
I have vivid recollections of my tired
little legs going about over the farm
hunting up the men to give them
their forenoon luncheons. They were
not hungry-it was an unwritten law
that men were not to be allowed to
get hungry in harvest time-and so
they did nothing themselves toward
getting to their luncheons. One man
maybe would be cultivating corn an
other turning hay or stray fellow,
hrematurely fabby under his waist
house might be lettering IN the DIacK-
smith shop-that is a good place for
heads to congregate while the dew is
on the grass. The work Of taking
account of our stock of men in the
middle of the forenoon was immense
for a small child of the soft persua-
sion to go through. graduated in
that and quit.
By the time that I came into pos
session of man and house moving
machines were coming into use and
reapers were looming up, and it was
not many years before working in the
field before breakfast was lost art.
Farmers began to have later break
fasts and later suppers. I was one OF
the first in our neighborhood to per-
suade my men that three square meals
were enough for one day and to aban-
don the morning lunch and bedtime
bite. They seemed to thrive under
the new system and could stand the
heat without difficulty. Gathering
the harvest went along with no him
drances caused by sick men. How
often is the heat of the God-given sun
and the humidity (overworked word)
of the air cited as reasons for the et-
fects of imprudent eating 1t is the
hardest thing in the world to look
within for causes, where they are
mostly to be found. 1t is light feed
ing that promotes long life, and it is
far better to fortify ones self by abb
stemious habits to bear the variable
temperature native to the place OF Our
birth than to skip away into untried
climates trying to keep cool. We
must remember that we have been
turned out of Paradise and the gates
have not been reopened to receive US.
We shall have to roast little for the
sins of our first parents as well as our
own.
Many inventions are now in COM
mon use to make things lighter and
pleasanter for hot weather house.
keeping, such as washing without
hot water, self-heating fat-irons, fly
screens, canned and cooked goods
galore and coal oil stoves.
The woman who tries to keep cool
bv slimming her dinners may find
herself in hotter quarters than dream
ed of in Der philosophy. Her hus-
band will want divorce in a few
weeks-and will get it, too-for men
rule the courts and their sympathies
would be with their hungry brother
man. Let us not be overly anxious
for a cool, comfortable, lazy life, but
make the health and happiness of oui
families chief in importance. To be
healthy and good tempered is the
best way to keep cool.-Mary .Sldne)
in Farm Journal for July.
FIRST AID.