Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-04-04
HOUSEHOLD TORRENTS.

Tread before Gloucester County
Board of Agriculture March 4. at
Harrisonville, by Lizzie B. Kirby.]
what is the greatest torment to
the life of the average houswife?'
From the question it would seem
there must be theory in existence
that each and every housewife must
necessarily have something to tor
ment her life. The word torment, as
defined by Webster, is excrutiating
pain or misery to either body or
mind. In speaking from country
woman's point of view, ] must con-
tend that the average housewife un-
der ordinary circumstances and with
even a limited amount OF common
nothing to torment her life. Certain
sense and intelligence, need have
ly we have exceptions and hnd
among our acquaintance women who
do not have the happiness and COM
forts and conveniences that should
rightfully be theirs. Such conditions
may exist through unavoidable cir
cumstances; and on the other hand
housewife who is chronic scold and
continually nagging has no one to
blame but herself If her life is one
of torment and misery. AS we know
| life is what we make it, to very
great extent, if we expect to be happy
and have no trials and torments we
must also avoid everything OF a
pessimistic nature. Certainly IN TINS
advanced age we have everything TO
promote happiness and comfort;
numerous household convenlences
with which to facilitate our work,
thereby giving us time to qualify our
selves for some of the good things or
life such as literature, art, music,
socialibility, ETC., thing that our
forefathers would deem as extraVag-
ance. While cleanliness is next 10
godlinesS, we have the Scrupulously
clean housewife who never rests her-
self or allows those with whom she
is associated to rest or be comfort
able. | know of one woman who al
WAYS meets callers at the door with
fiy brush, and brushed with one
hand and held the door with the oth-
er while the visitor squeezed through.
Evidently flies were the torment OF
that woman's life Then we have the
young and inexperienced who were
never taught many of the substantial
and necessary things in life conduc-
i've to comfort and happiness. Tne
mother who never teaches her daugh-
ter to cook and make her own
clothes, is not helping that daughter
have a happy and comfortable life.
While she may be so situated in life
.1a hn nave
a knowledge of making children's
clothes and cooking meals and OF
housework in general, but If one only
knows how, how much worry and ex-
pense it saves The majority OF
housewives often find themselves con-
fronted with many perplexing propo-
sitions, but with little tact and in
genuity and knowledge of household
affairs we usually find way to solve
all problems that may come our way.
Now, above all, do not allow business
to interfere with pleasure any more
than is absolutely necessary. We have
the housewife who never has time to
attend County Board, Grange meet
ings, etc., must stay at home and
work. She does not seem to realize
that she is losing more than she IS
gaining, for even if when old age
finds us with no great amount OF
wealth accumulated, we can think OF
the good times we had when we were
young, and the memory of such hap
py occasions will be with us to the
end.
The duties and opportunities of the
average housewife are of such char
acter that her life need not be one
continuous round of mOnotony, but
of such a nature that we may derive
much pleasure ourselves and give
those with whom we associate con-
sciousness of having derived some
benefit from being in proximity with
u.s.
Caroline Minton, in Feb. issue of
the Housewife, says: THE farm wife
! is happiest" The explanation of this
is that there is a new kind of farm
er's wife to whose existence the city
woman has not yet awakened. That
she hasn't is not strange because this
woman of the farm only began to be
born ten years ago. She came in
with the new era of big crops and
better prices, of telephones, free ru-
Tai u6llf0Iy VI lndll, llol1Oy So10 e'tiA
labor saving machinery. From the
moment of these larger crops and
better prices the farms began to
blossom with wonderful machinery,
and when this happened the farmers
wife was suddenly emancipated. Sell
dom if ever was such an emancipa-
ton known Soon every farm de-
serving the name acquired greater
comforts than those offered to the
average city housewife.
Now where are the torments, point
them out to me if you can. contend
the average housewife has nothing to
torment her life unles she wills
| it so. Of course I will not contend
that our lives are one continuous ray
of sunshine, unbroken by any cloud
or shadow We have sadness to come
to us at various times in our lives.
Now and then we are called upon to
part with loved one, and we all
have at times sickness in our home