Henderson gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1911-19??, 1911-06-22
THE FARMERS WIFE.
Richmond Woman Makes a Strong
Plea For the Ameiioration of Her
Condition In Life.

/ LuSs
/ Said Richmond woman week or
two ago, discussing questions of in
terest in regard to farm life; "You
may talk as much as you like about
the farmer of the future, his business
like basis and his utilization of every
possible labor saving machine, but |
go beyond the farmer. | should like
to know what is being done, and
what is going to be done, for the
farmers wife.
There is no class of women" she
says, "whose service to humanity
is 80 little recognized, or whose COM
fort and advantage is SO little con-
sidered as this class. The farmer, it
is true, attends to the blowing and
the reaping, the sowing of the seed
and the ingathering OF the crops, but
he is more and more applying the
principles of science to the improve
ment of such crops, to saving them
from injury through adverse weather
conditions, to bringing them to full
perfection and maturity. This tend
ing to crops takes the farmer out
into the open, and it has at least the
advantage of variety.
But within doors lies the province
OF the farmers wife. She must rise
early to have breakfast ready for
men whose work calls them early
afield, whose morning duties include
the feeding and watering of the
teams, ahead of breakfast This is
| Flnafaa aa1 ho x1,nroorto nf hT-
milking time and by the straining
and putting away of the milk. -
''Then, after breakfast, there are
dishes to be washed, rooms to be
put in order, churning to be looked
| after, dinner to be planned and
cooked, the table to be set again. In
the afternoon, when other women
are resting, the farmers wife is set
ting her dining room and kitchen to
rights Then she has to get an early
and substantial supper against the
time when her men-folk, tired and
hungry, come home from the fields
to enjoy the closing meal of the day.
Even if the farmers wife faced the
strenuous problem of the daily round
with a kitchen equipment that trans
formed what had been difficult into
comparatively comfortable achieve
ment; even if her domestic help was
trained and efficient, as it is scarcely
likely to be, she would have to be a
woman of unusual executive ability
in herself to render her department
of farm life anything but drudgery,
and mOnOtOnOuS drudgery.
"But when it is remembered how
long women i'll rural districts have
been making bricks without straw,
how long they have been wasting
youth and health and energy in
kitchens, destitute of all but the
most primitive methods for baking
and brewing, they are the human
beings for whom my interest is most
strongly aroused" concluded the
woman advocate of the farmers wife
class, pausing to take breath and
looking around on her little audi
ence with an expression that seemed
to challenge contradiction.
And while the American nation
she resumed, "is preaching back-to
the soil doctrine, and getting out
improved farming implements and
writing handy pocket series on sci
entific agriculture, | should wish
someone to get up pictures of model
kitchens and dairies and chicken
houses. | should like for farmers to
be encouraged in having water put
into their houses and in building sub
stantial outhouses, especially houses
where stock can be kept in winter. |
should like public sympathy and at
tention called to the long suffering
farmers helpmeet. She should have
her chance. If she is sure OF help in
the devices she needs to Tighten her
daily labor; if electricity and ma
chinery are associated to come to
her deliverance, she will have the
time she needs for practical training
and can preserve her pretty looks
and wear her pretty frocks, trans
forming her farmer husband into
her perpetual sweetheart.