The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1914-08-29
Consider The Needs
Of The Farmers Wife
By REUBEN BRIGHAM.
Maryland Agricultural College.

One of the striking parts of the
working program for the rural min
lister presented at the recent Country
Life Conference at the Agricultural
College was the one directly relating
to the country woman. 1t is asserted
that the country minister should en-
courage the introduction of modern
conveniences into the home in order
to reduce as far as possible the tire
some drudgery incident to housekeep
ing, and should urge fair division Of
the family income among all whose
efforts produce it.
According to Anna B. Taft, of the
Presbyterian Board of Home Missions
one of the speakers at the conference,
the development of happier and
more contented womanhood lies in
these two things-the elimination of
drudgery in the farm home and the
securing of better business basis.
Husbands Real Partner.
In no other line of industry does
the wife come so near being her hus-
bands partner in business. Often
we find the farm woman more than
half the house in her ability to add to
the farm income and saving. 1t is
only fit that she should have her share
in the benefits of this income and
saving. If Improvements. are to be
~,ade, they should be provided first in
the house, instead of beginning with
the barn. An example of the wrong
way was found by Miss Taft in
prosperous community where the far
mer had just built new barn with all
modern conveniences, among which
were electric lights. These were put
in to equip the barn, and it was only
as an afterthought that they We're
connected with the house. Probably,
as far as the farmer was concerned
his wife and daughters might have
gone on indefinitely cleaning and fill
ing kerosene lamps every day of thelr
lives.
Family Deserves Its Share.
The farm home is on a poor bust
ness basis when the farm woman can
say that all she has for her work is
board, clothes and steady job, with
none too many clothes at that. She
and her children should be sharers in
the work and in the pleasures of the
farm. Churning butter, raising chick
ems, doing the family washing, feed
ing the farm family, and rearing the
farmers children are quite as valu-
able a part of the farm business as
anything the farmer himself does.
Certainly, if the farm woman lacks
for things to make her work easier
and for money to buy things she
would like to have, she should demand
for her children better business
basis in farm life. If she has failei
to secure her share of farm profits
e., h. IF
Portable and attractive home, she
should not allow her sons and daugh-
tiers to grow up slaves to farm bust
ness and with a dislike instead of
love for country life.
Think OF the Woman's Needs.
Even the progressive farmer, with
vision of more productive farm as
his guide, fails to take into considera-
ton the needs of the women in the
house, who is compelled to follow in
the footsteps of his mother and grand
mother in the doing of her work. Ore
farm on which she visited particularly
appealed to Miss Taft. The farmer
was enthusiastic over his work and
was realizing his ambitions in splen-
did crops and live stock, and in q
fn;m equipment which she had raraly
seen equalled. The farmhouse from
the outside was unusually attractive.
Inside she found the farm woman,
who had been well educated and
teacher before her marriage. She
found the wife neither as happy or
enthusiastic as her husband. When,
after supper she went into the farm
kitchen with her, she found the rea
son. The farmer had equipped his
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