The San Francisco call., 1909-11-16
COUNTRY LIFE
CURES "NERVES
Wealthy Widows Raising OF
Bees and Chickens an
Object Lesson
BY MARY AsHE MILLER

NN bought a 20 acre farm near Hay
ward and will engage in bee
farming, raising chickens and supply.
ing at least a small portion of the mar
ket with fruit and walnuts.
This sounds rather like an item
from an agricultural publication and
might be dismissed with the comment
that it is all right if Mrs. Cornwall
likes it. but there is much food for
thought lying back of the simple
statement
Mrs. Cornwall is the recently be-
reaved widow OF we'll known and
prosperous businessman of the city and
has been prominent in club and phil
anthropic circles here for several years.
She is left with ample means to fol-
low the dictates of her own desires
She has many friends and a multiple
city of interests in San Francisco. and
it is simple a question of cheice with
her as to what she will do with her
life.
her deepest interest near to natures
heart" and she is studying bee culture
and chicken raising. A comfortable
old fashioned house is being remodeled
to make it modern and attractive in
its fittings, a good cook is installed and
there Mrs. Cornwall will spend most
of the year. Dressed in skirts of SEN
sible length and boots of sensible
fashion. she will personally supervise
the labors of the competent men she
has chosen to carry on her miniature
farm. She has promised that she will
not give up entirely her civic and
philanthropic work here and Hayward
is near enough to town to contradict
the idea that she may get out OF touch
with urban affairs. but her visits are
to be veritable visits and not in reality
a residence at the st. Francis with a
make believe home at her farm.
Now the question arises as to why
this is not done more frequently. Each
of US knows at least a score or more
of women, practically alone in the
world, of independent means. who
spend their life seeking to kill time
wandering wearily over the world
with no settled object in their travels,
playing at charitable work, perhaps
delving into club work, probably play
ing a great deal Of bridge. probably
also fighting against fesh-not the
flesh as sandwiched between the
world and the devil. but the actual
too, too solid variety-and having
great deal of time for nerves, in
somnia and a vast and dreary loneli-
ness.
Why should not some of these try
Mrs. Cornwall's plan?
Abstracty there is no particular in
terest in the mind of the average
woman in the swarming Of bees. the
| Matching of chickens, the sprouting OF
peas or the prospect for the peach
crop. But mankind. which is inclusive
! of womankind in this case, is of such
unique mental fiber that the sense of
possession generally provides a certain
| excitement in such occurrences. The
! vagaries of ones own bees become of
almost national Importance; ones own
yellow CHICKS are a peCul1ar uSngnJ-
even if they aren't yellow; the first
| tepder green leaves of the pea vine
are an altogether delectable discovery
and-although there be acres of the
pinkest of fruit blossoms in the vicin-
| ity-the season has never really opened
until ones own orchard begins to
| blush.
No matter how delicate--or lazy-a
woman may be there need be no hind
rance to her leading this near-agri-
! cultural manner of life. Men can do
all the manual labor. but it is the in
/ terest and the technical knowledge of
the workings of ones own flora and
fauna and the outdoor existence. that
bring the forgetfulness of the length
of the days, provide the excitement of
bridge-slightly sterilized in form to
be sure-sooth the tired nerves,
bring. hours of delicious, dreamless
/ sleep and last but no means least re-
duce the superfiuous adipose tissue
without starving or rolling or any of
those tiresome things that we are al
ways hearing about these days.