The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1910-08-23

recreation. .aI.-:.. more 7o, ....dIct
than for Dogma. more for ethical. s,ir-
ifual. pracitcat hei;crmrni Than for
merely formal p!eiy. The country fair
offers far greater possibilities for con.
tinuous ard healthy usefulness than
II at present affords.
The country s,i i,ool should he made q
vital center far economic. social and
educational corporation. II Is natural
" fitted to Er such Il center for those
engaged In coE!:n.rc.a farming and
still more for those engaged in dones-
tic farming. for these who live on and
by the small farms they themselves
own. The problem Of the farm Is real.
~ the problem of the fnmiiy that lives
on the firm. On all these questions
there IS need "f Intelligent study. such
as marks the books Of Professor Bal
ley of Cornell and Of Horace Plum.
kett's book on the "lsural Life Prob
lens OF the United Sta,es."
Laberers o, Farms.
One feature of the problem should
be recognized Icy The farmer at once
and IN effort mace to deaf with II.
1t Is our duty and our G,tSiucss to con,
slider the fnrm Iaborcr exactly as we
consider the farmer M country life
can be satisfactory when the owners
Of farms tend. for whatever reason. to
60 away to live in cities instead OF
working their farms. and. moreover. II
cannot be really satisfactory when the
labor system is 81 managed that there
is for part of the year n demand for
labor which cannot t,e met and during
another part of the year no demand
for labor at all. SO that the farmers
tend TO rely on migratory lab0rerx who
come ont to work In the country with
no permanent interest In It and with
no prospect of steady employment
1t Ia exceedingly diE!cult to make n
good citizen out 0f man who can't
count upon some x,endiness and con-
tinuity In the work which means to
him his livelihood. Economic cOndi-
tons on the farrn-tn variety aud kind
of crop Gr"win= especially as distribut.
ed in time aud In housing for the men
must l,e I'D shaped AZ to render II
possible for the man who labors for
the farmer to he steadily employed un-
der conditions which foster his self re-
spect and tend for his development.
Above all. the conditions OF farm life
must always lie shaped with view to
the welfare of the farmers wife and
the farm labor~r's wife quite us much
as to the welfare Of the farmer and
the farm lalmrrr. To have the woman
q mere drudge Is nj least us bad as to
have the man n mere drudge It Is ev.
cry whit AZ important to introduce
new machines tO ecunOnnize her labor
within the house as II is to introduce
machinery to increase the effectiveness
Of his labor outside the house.
haven't the slightest sympathy
with any movement which looks to ex
cusing men and women for the non.
performance of duty and fixes atten
ton only on rights and not on duties.
The woman who shir'ks her duty as
housewife. as mother. Il d contempti-
BILE creature. Just as the corresponding
man IL contemplate creature. But
the welfare Of the woman is even more
important than the welfare of the man
for the mother is the real atlas who
bears aloft- in her strong and tender
arms the destiny Of the world.
She deserves honor and consideru.
ton such a. no man should receive.
She forfeits all claim to this honor
and consideration II she shirks her du.
ties.
But the average American woman
does not shirk them. and II II q matter
of the hichest obligation for US to see
that they are performed under condi.
lions which make for her welfare and
happiness aud for the welfare and
happiness Of the children she brings
into the world.
The Thoughtful Parent.