Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-29
Farmers. Wives. Again.

i misunderstanding and misrepfesen
tatien by some members of the COM
munity are ever the reward of those
who dare speak the truth. From such,
however, it should make about the
same impression that a grasshopper
makes nibbling at a load of hay In
| my description of Farmers Wives
in your issue of Oct. 10th, did not
i for one moment expect to please both
types. byswhat there said, indeed I
knew one type would take offence.
andsJ$c1 not know. were charged
with Intentional chastisement of that
type, that L. should lay myself out to
plead Innocent of the charge. l do
feel, however, that the best type of
farmers wives will thoroughly agree
with what / said, and submit to any
reasonable man or woman, farmers or.
otherwise. that my description of the
two types of present day farmers
wives was very nearly true to life.
They were, however, descriptions of
i extreme cases, not average ones, and
in fairness should only be read as
such. Did | not say as good as any
man could possibly say concerning the
best type of farmers wives? And al
Though | may have been somewhat Sc
we're in my criticism of the worst type.
! maintain that it was perfectly justi-
fable and perfectly true.
/ But surely it is not necessary in de-
| bate to make up by abuse what one
lacks in logic? That is resorted to only
by the weak and uBscrupuldus. Nor
is there any need. If one has the cour-
Iage of ones convictions. to skulk be-
hind a NOM de plume. One of the
| things which your correspondent,
| "Suffragette,e has misrepresented or
misunderstood me To say concerning
lhoeing the garden, this l certainly
have never advocated nor ever seen
any farmers wife doing, nor ever
want to see. was referring to
flower garden, and surely growing
| flowers is one of woman's pleasurable
and healthgiving hobbies. | should
Judge that "Suffragette" from Wayne
| is not a warmers wife, nor can l
| imagine her anybody else's. She
thinks that the farmer is well paid for
| his labor and that farming is in
prosperous condition, when thousands
| of farms are in the hands of estate
agents for sale. When tens of thou
sands more. although not on agents
books, would be gladly parted with II
anything like price could be OBJ
ltained, that the farmers in the whole
State are able to support but one
small farm paper. that the number OF
| children on the farms is lamentabiy
small, that farmers do not live any
thing like up to the standard of other
classes that debt and discomfort exist
| to an enormous extent, and that over
half of the farmers do not get their
by strict til1ils of the soil land
what it produces, but exc out pre-
carious existence by some side line
that brings in few dollars and makes
Iexistence on the farm just possible
and that's about all.
Your correspondent says that the
farmer is getting $500 barrel for
his apples, so cents for his potatoes
ETC., etc, which is no. entirely true.
| There have been few sales made
| this fall at that price for the cream OF
his fruit only. in 40 cent barrel
which he pays for, and also which he
delivers at his station besides other
l Items of expense connected with the
packing of same, 70 say nothing OF the
growing, picking, etc. She forgot to
mention that last winter No. apples
l sold for one dollar barrel at the sta
/ ton. that potatoes fetched 40 cents in
| the spring, that thousands of acres OF
potatoes rotted in the fields of the
State for which he didn't receive one
| cent and in addition. cost him about 40
cents bushel to grow, etc, etc., which
according to "SuffraGette" from Wayne
| is being well paid for his labor. l
should say that what she knows of the
| farmers difficulties and what she
| doesn't know amounts together to
great deal
| | do not wish to side step into the
Suffragette question. 1t may, however,
| smooth her ruffied feathers to know
that | am thoroughly convinced that
/ were the laws concerning the drink
curse and white slave traffic, to men
ton but two things, in women's hands,
such blots on civilization would soon
cease to exist. 1t may possibly be
news to some to know that the mill
tant or fighting suffragettes, of whom
l Mrs. Pankhurst is che of the leaders,
are but a small portion of those Eng
lshwomen in favor of woman suf-
Ifrage. Tens of thousands of the best,
most enlightened, and highly educated
women there, as here. want the vote
land will no doubt in course of time
get it. There are drawbacks to this,
as to everything else, not the least Of
which in my humble opinion. is the
friction ii would often create between
Imam and wife. and al ything that caus-
es friction in the heme is u cursed
thing.
Mr.. Editor Your other correSpon-
dent. l., T.. Moody, with whom | have
not the honor of an quaintance, and
who poses as an auti ority on the up
bringing of children and has, let us
hope, a nice bunch of her own, for
they are good property. 1t is some
what of a hobby, in an amateur way.
of myself and a certain little woman
of my acquaintance. and we are also
| experimenting on a little crowd of six
Bows and girls with the hope that they
will be men and women some day. and
although poor man, | should be
pleased. if this lady can show as good