The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-05-17
FARM LIFE.

Some Conditions Shown by
Roosevelt's Country Life Com
missions Report Conditions
Observed in Robson - Do
Men Give Proper Considera-
ton to the Comfort of Their
Wives?
To the Editor of The Robesonian:
| have been reading recently
some of the literature furnished |
the public by the Roosevelt Com
mission on Country Farm Life,
and am aroused at the conditions
shown therein. 1t is hard to con-
ceive of the average farmer treat
ing his wife with less considera-
ton than he does his farm stock.
1t shows that while he uses all
kinds of improved farm machin-
cry, he suffers his wife to get
along with the most primitive
household and kitchin furniture;
that while he has plenty of hired
help, he leaves his wife to do all
the drudgery of the household
without any of the modern con-
veniences that we find in the
town and city households. One
man states that in a drive of
some miles in the vicinity of St.
Louis, he visited IA families and
found step-mothers at the head
Of every one of them. He init
mated that the first wives were
killed out by overwork. | imag-
inc that the conditions are better
in our Southern country, if it
wasn't for the hook-worms that
DR.. Styles says are killing out all
the poor whites.
Wonder what would be the re-
port it our county were investi-
gated? Are any of our farmers
wives lives shortened by over
work and loneliness unenlivened
by anything to make life more
attractive, save the inevitable
tooth brush and snuff box? Are
any of their children growing up
in ignorance and slothfulness?
Are there any young girls grow
ing up without any future save
the inexorable fate of following
their mothers example, when
right here in Red Springs is an
Institution founded by DR.. Var
dell wherein the poorest girl in
the county can get an education
to tit her for any work in life? |
refer to the fine brick laundry
recently erected, where a girl
can work her way through col
lege. ask myself are there any
such conditions, as mentioned
above, existing in Robson coun-
ty today? | don't know, but will
mention one circumstance that
occurred to my own knowledge.
lsometime ago spent a night
at a farmers house. He seem.
ed right we'll to do. He had a
t good house and farm. His wife
had no help and had to do all the
work, while he,a great numbering
hulk, sat idly by enjoying q com
: Portable smoke. She drew the
t water out of the old-time we'll
/ he evidently didn't believe in
pumps, when now you can't hire
a tenant without putting down {
} pump for him at the door. | no
r tlced that she had to provide the
= fire-wood-they had no stove
for as we ate in the kitchen.
! couldn't see any cooking utensil.
2 except a frying-pan and skillet
s She looked worn and listless
: whilst he was full of jokes-some
of them not very refined, either.
s | felt like telling her that if any
t body had cause to strike, it wa,
e she. Another case witnessed
but In this instance the mother
| was to blame. She was a widow
and had four strapping boys, VIII,
f suffered their mother to do al
the household and kitchen work
even allowing her to bring in tn,
t llghtwood to keep the fire up.
o | am convinced of one thing
e and that is that the majority o
e men do not give that considera
ton and attention to the comfor
f OF their wives that they should
j Snyder.
+ Red Springs. N. G..