The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-04-07
promptly inaugurated Under various

the commission. Each state federation
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. 1t was
found that a large proportion of west
ern women had advantage over the
eastern women in the way of modern
home conveniences. More of the
houses are built with porches, running
water and bathrooms. because they are
newer, just as many of the western
cities have advantage owe the eastern
cities in more up-to-date street rail-
way service n other public convent
ences. While the western woman suf-
fers most from loneliness because the
size of her farm makes her isolation
greater in nan instances she has a
more attractive home.
The New England farm woman fire.
quently lives in the typical New Eng
land farmhouse of a generation or w
ago which has little to make it at
tractive. In a survey, made by the
club women of one state, over a hun
dred women mentioned porches in
front of their houses, upon which they
could sit when their work was done,
as the one thing which would con-
tribute most materially to their happi-
ness. Others wished for running awter
and bathrooms. The New England
farm is small, as are most of those in
the eastern states, compared with the
broad areas of the west, so the loneli-
ness and isolation is not so strong a
feature as in the cas- of the western
women
The rural conservation movement all
ready has become widespread and is
increasing to active work. The farm
woman is the greatest beneficiary Of
this movement. 1t has been for the
establishment of good roads permitting
easier intercourse between the farms;
the organization of rural social centers
at which women as well as men de-
rive fresh ideas n inspiration; the
improvement of rural churches and
better school facilities for the children.
These last two objects are nearest to
the heart of the farm woman and any
means by which she can help improve
either her church or the school attend
ed by her children will go far toward
making her forget the monotony Of her
own work.
Another matter which ended greatly
to depress many farm ONE was tbs
strangeness She felt in her few visits
to town. She would accompany her
husband to town and a half hour
might suffice to do her small shop
ping. She might nave several hours to
wait before her husband finished his
more time-absorbing errands and was
ready to 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,
perhaps, her clothes We're not quite
according to the latest style. A timid.
shy woman would prefer to sit exposed
to the old in her buggy rather than
submit to his. In hundreds of towns
situated in rural communities the ac-
tivity of a progressive Woman's club
has done away with this hardship by
providing a waiting room for farmers
wives. Here the woman coming from
the farm is welcomed cordially by
other women who are glad to ask her
cooperation in forming one of the
rural improvement clubs with which
the state declarations are greatly
strengthening their organizations.
Travelling library work and other ad-
vantages come to her in his way and
the farm woman usually is willing to
receive in order that she may pass on
the same good to another.
AS a result Of this work there are
1, ~, ,r,,,n ~
who have so far emerged from their
former bondage a their lives are as
full of civic and social activities as
those of their sisters in the city. The
luxuries of modern life are fast reach
ing out to them. Theirs is no longer
the life of hard work, loneliness and
sacrifice, but rather of the fullest,
sanest enjoyment becausetthey are be-
ginning to use the help modern science
has provided for them. With the
utilization of these the heavy work
upon the farm largely is being over
come. They are no longer SO tired at
evening that they are glad ito go to
bed with the chickens" On the on
trary, the up-to-date farmers wife is
ready to don a frock pretty enough
w. iCi cltS SlSlcl anu 80 out Will mex
husband for a spin in the newly-ac-
CURED automobile, or to enter the car
riage behind a pair of Well-cared-fO fol-
horses and drive off to spend the
evening with a friend, or go into the
town for some sort of entertainment
Most of the improvement of her own
resources the farmers wife is bringing
about for herself by the study of mod
ern economic principles and their APP
%plication to her W needs. The value
of cooperation is especially strong in
rural communities among the women,
The village Improvement club may be
the medium by which it is arranged.
Cooperative laundries, vacuum clean
ers and other c~onveniences frequently
are found. More appreciated ever
than these are mechanical musical in
struments which are passed from one
family to another and thus enables
those who never have had an oppor-
tunity to enjoy grand opera at least to
become familiar with the musical COM
positions which have delighted the
world. In some communities ar
engagements are made for a musical
program to De given at some house or
at the rooms of the Improvement