El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-07
Farm Women Emancipated
Investigation Of Conditions Results
In Tfghrenfng the Burdens OF
Many Farmers Wives.
&
By Frederic ). HnskiH

/ brought to light many OF the reasons
/ why women as wen as men are discon-
tented with the life upon the farm The
young country girl often is more eager
! than her brother TO desert the country
/ home for the attractions Of city nIe,
and in many cases with more real
reason. The Investigations Of the com
mission appointed several years ago
/ revealed the fact that while the III
/ yention Of modern machinery has done
much to revcIutiOnIze the work upon
/ the farm, the met are the IlfSl 10 pI OLAt
Z by it Upon thousands Of farms "HSt 6
the stables were eQulppeu n LlI - -
/ water and every improvement a llu ~
/ latest machinery was IN use TOT Out-C--
| door work, the women sun were COlll-
| PEELED to pump every drop q 49, 49,.
| needed for the cooking and Cleaning
| from a strength taxing pump or per
J hans to carry water from a sprlhS "
/ well some distance from the mouse
| They had no more assistance IN ne
! way of modern housekeeping apph-
| ances than their mothers mad
| Women Prisoners in Homes
| It was found that Wnlle the me-
! frequently went TO town 70 aILe1u
! mail. and do sundry other erranus'
! the women in charge did not IeaNe
/ the farm for months The excuses
1 that there was no suitable conveyance
. that the roads were too bad or the
| horses too tired and other seemingly
J insurmOuntable obstacles OFTEN mace
| the mistress or a prosperous farm a
! complete prisoner so for as recreation
/ or social diversion were concerned
| Those who have been studying the
| causes Of insanity, the increases OF
which is alarming the allenlstS o. thS
1 country, give the mOnotony OF farm
I life as one Of the chief causes OF IN
sanity among women. Instead or beng
! produced by the busUing excitement
of the city insanity comes Oftenest to
the lonely woman upon the farm one
authority gives the figures as three
I to one among the women lunaucs OF
the past twenty years The loneliness
has been increased among the older
women from the fact that the young
women, their daughters, run away
from it. Women have been 1oun0
! living upon farms valued at thousands
of dollars who have passed months
without seeing another woman, the
( farm being situated off the main
thOrOughfare with no provision Tor
them to get away from it The report
of this commission stimulated interest
in the conditions Of farm women The
woman in rural localities now is recOg-
niZed as one OF the valuable assets OF
the nation and the conservation Of her
happiness and health matter OF public
advantage Efforts to do this were
promptly inaugurated under various
auspices.
Women's Federation at Work
The General Federation OF WOmen'S
clubs continued study Of the needs
of rural femininity after the report
by the commission Each state fed
Grafton was asked TO report upon the
needs Of the women upon the farms
IN its own state. Thousands OF letters
went out for this purpose and hundreds
Of visits were paid in every state II
was found. that a large proportion OF
western women had advantage over
the eastern women in the way of
modern home cOnvenienCes- More Of
these houses are built with pOrches,
running water and bathrooms, be-
r.
the western cities have advantage over
the eastern cities in more up-tO-date
street railway service and other public
cOnVenlenceS W lille the western WO-
cause the size OF her farm makes her
isolation greater In MANY instances
she has more attractive home
Long for Front POrches.
The New England farm woman ire
quently lives la the tyL,c;l New E--S-
land farm hI -sse * 2en"IatiO or tw0
aSo which has little to make il attract
I've In survey, made by the club
women of one state, over 200 women
mentioned pOrcheS IN front of their
houses, upon which they could sit when
their work was done, as the one thing
which would contribute most materially
TO their happiness Others wished for
running water and bathrooms.
Another matter which tended greatly
to depreSs many farm women was the
strangeneSS she felt In her few visits
70 town. She would accompany ner
suffice TO do her small shopping She
might have several hours to wait be-
FORE her husband finished his more
time-a bSorbing errands. and was ready
20 take her home. Frequently there
was no place for her to wait save in
the public parlOr of the hotel where
she sometimes felt herself the object
OF critical scrutiny because perhaDs
ner clothes were not quite according
to the latest style. A timid shv woman
would prefer TO sit exposed to the cold
IN her buggy rather than submit to
Making Country Women Welcome.
IN hundreds Of towns situated in
rural communities the activity of pro-
5teSslEe Womens club has done away
Win WIN this hardship BY providing a
waiting, room for farmers wives.
IeTe Jhe woman coming from the
farm Is welcomed cordially nv otber
women who are glad to ask her CO
operation in forming one of the rural
Improvement clubs with which tbe
slate decorations are greatly strength
enlng their ORGANIZATIONS TravaIfre-
library work and other advanfse-ss
come TO her in this way and the tam
woman usually Is willing to receive in
C1uer lhaL she may pass on the same
Get Some OF Luxuries Now.
Is result OF this work there are
LdIIH women IN many communities
EHO nave so Tar emerged from their
former bondage that their lives are a .
Iuu OF civic and social activities as
thCse OF their sisters in the city. The
Injuries OF modern life are fast reach
ing out to them. They are no Longer
so tired at evening that they are lad
10 90 TO bed with the chickens - on
the CONTRARY the up-tO-date farmers
VIE IS ready TO don a frock pretty
enough for her city sister and 20 out
W1Jn her husband for a spin in the
newly acquired automobile or to en-
ter the carriage behind pair of wen
cared for horses and drive off to
spend the evening with a friend. or
so into the town for some sort of en-
tert3inment- Most Of the Improvement I
or her own resources the farmers
VIE is bringing about for herself by
the study Of modern economic urfn-
eiples and their application to her own /
The value OF cooperation is especial 1
ly strong in rural communities among
the women. The village improve
ment club may be the medium BY /
which II iss arranged. Cooperative !
laundries. vacuum cleaners and other ]
c0nVenleuces frequently are found
More appreciated even than these are
mechanical musical instruments which !
are passed from one family TO another
and thus enables those who never have |
had an opportunity TO enjoy grand I
opera NJ least TO become familiar with
the musical compositions which have
delighted the world. In some COM
munitles arrangements are made for
a musical program to be given at some
y . .