The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-06-04
THE FARM HOME.

likelihood of happiness than in more
pretentious beginnings. Both work
to the limit of their strength, but
not beyond it, and there is still time
for little sociability, little visit
ing together, little of the gracious
ness that makes them pleasing to
one another. There is present en-
tent, and hope of better things
ahead, the hope of little children
about them, of prosperity, and of a
little leisure, later on, to enjoy some
of llfe's best things.
And SO they work, early and late,
little harder each year, and pros
perity comes, The husband buys
more land, better machinery for
cultivating it; he reads Of new
methods and grows more intelligent; !;
he meets his fellows and the social
side Of his nature grows. Children
come to him, and he sees in them
intelligence and Industrious habits.
The dream with which he started
life is coming true. His wife?
Why, she is good and patient wife.
She helps him Loyalty. To be sure,
she complains some, but then women
are apt 20 complain. No, now that
you mention 1t, she does not look as
pretty as of old. She doesn't seem
to pay much attention to her ap-
pearance. She does net laugh very
often, now. She has lost her gaity
which was her charm. But she is a
good woman, and her husband is
very well satisfied with her.
Meanwhile they live in the same
old house. 1t has been enlarged to
meet the growing needs of the fam
lily, but it has not been made more
modern, more convenient, more
pleasant. Quite the reverse. The
added rooms have only made more
work. There are stairs to climb,
now. There are more beds to be
made, moro rooms to be swept,
bigger washings and ironlngs, more
dishes to wash, more potatoes to
peel, little bodies to be clothed and
bathed and cared for, more people
to be nurssd through illness; hired
men to be worked for equally with
the family. And still, only one pair
of hands to do it all, only one not
overstrong back to carry the heavy
load of work and care. The loving
h ,art is faithful still, but the old.
time gaity has fed. Irritability has
become q habit, she has grown des-
pondent and sharp -tengued, narrow
minded and critical.
Such, In my own words, is the re-
port of the Presidents Commission.
as to the condition of large mum.
bsr of farm homes,
Whom shall we blame? The wife?
No, poor thing the husband? No,
not aim, either, for he does not see
himself. Mr.. Roosevelt, then? Yes,
he had no right to be iHquiring
abeat such things.
But We do not really care who is
to blame. All we want is to have
things righted. There are two
things to be done.
First, the wife must have help
when she needs it. That sounds
simple, but 1t isn't. 1t is next to
impossible to get a woman TO work
IA the country for love or money.
Often a good woman will come in
an emergency for love when she
would not for money. But the con-
slant daily emergency of hard work
and long hsurs-who can afford to |
fill that emergency for love and ?
pittance2 or for the pittance withou
loves Help for the wife is bouno
to cost more than the husband wants
to pay. But in the name Of human
ity, for the leve Of his wife, let him
pay it. The hero who saves a life Al
the risk of his own gets a medal.
The husband who saves his wife at