The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-07-15
OF Interest
to Women
Plan 10 Win State Aid in Securing
Small Tracts of Land on Which
Women May Engage in Profitable
Asriculture-A Refuge for Mass
100000 Who Can Never Marry

To solve the problem Of what to do
with the 100000 spinsters and widows
of Massachusetts who can never hope
to marry owing to the scarcity of men
in the Bay State, and who are Obliged
at present to drag out a weary exist
ence. three score prominent business
and professional women Of Greater
Boston have formed an organization
for the purpose of winning State aid
in securing small tracts of land near
largo cities where women can engage
in profitable agricultural enterprises.
The Women's Massachusetts, Home
stead Association plans to encourage
the many thousands of women OF all
agcs who are forced to struggle night
and day to gain livelihood, to take
IN the cultivation OF small plots OF
land in tho suburbs and raise flowers
herbs, plants. mushrooms, strawber'
rles. vegetables, squads, chickens,
bees and pigs.
To achieve this end the association
wants the Commonwealth to buy
tracts Of land wherever available, d.
vide this land into acre lots and then,
through a commission, supply women
particularly spinsiters-who would
like TO engage in such pursuits with a
share OF the land. II the State is not
willing to furnish the land free, then
..e association asks that 1t take a
mortgage on land bought by philan-
thropists, develop this land, build
cheap, comfortable homes, barns and
outhouses on 1t, and then furnish the
necessary implements for cultivating
the SOIL
This plan. says the members OF the
Homestead Association. will take
thousands of women and children out
Of the large cities of Massachusetts,
will thin out the congested slum dis
tricts, and will place these women and
those dependent upon them where
they can be profitably employed un-
der sanitary conditions, and instruct
ed in garden and truck farming.
Man owns the earth and has heav-
en- preempted," says one OF the most
enthusiastic members of the new as.
sociation. I'VE ask the right to live.
We want homes. There are 100 900 Of
us In Massachusetts who cannot get
them because there are not husbands
enough to go around. We must either
be provided for or else taken out like
worn-out horses and shot
Think of It! There are 100000
women without husbands who have
TO future under present conditions.
Besides that, there are thousands Of
middle-aged married women, either
w,tows or the heads of families de-
pendent upon them, who are willing
to take advantage OF the legislation
we seek II the oportunity were offered
them"
The Homestead Association has es.
tablished literary bureau for the dis
tribution Of literature calling atten-
ton to the necessity of women shar.
ing in any legislation which would
tend to provide homes. The associa-
tion has also organized a lecture bu-
reau, and plans to have women, we'll
versed on the condition Of women
workers in Massachusetts,, lecture be-
fore all the women's' clubs OF the
State to arouse interest in the cause
Of the organization.
The members of the Massachusetts
association declare that their work
has been greatly aided through the
statistics and information gathered by
one OF the members before the asso.
citation came into existence.
This woman has interested a
wealthy New York woman in the pro.
ject of providing small tracts of land
for spinsters and widows, and 1t Is
announced that she will spend from
100000 to 100000 IL the cause ap.
peals to her in buying land for strug.
Cling "old maids" and mothers of fam.
lilies.
Options have been secured on sew.
eral farms. One farm, consisting OF
acres Of land, and located but eight
miles from Boston, can be bought for
$4,000. There is also a philanthropist
living in Brookline, who offers to give
his big farm for experiment, II the
State decides to aid widows and spin
sters in earning living from the
soil.