American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-06-10
TO COOPERATE IS TO LIVE.

DrIndgery and Lonssomeness Put Tragedy Into
Farm Life-The Only Way Out is by Co-opera-
ton, says q Farmers Wife.
Much has been written and spoken about the
hardships attendant upon life on the farm and
the ~drudgery that must be borne there, and the
relief from these conditions that life In the city
afford, has been set out in contrast" writes Mrs.
Ernest Clark, a Kansas farmers wife, who knows
life under both conditions.
I'm the city there is tragic suffering and depend
ence among the poorere classes. In the country
there is OCCASIONAL suffering and poverty, but with
1t all Is independence. / have lived in the city and
observed the conditions there. I live In the coun-
try and know the conditions of country life. / pre-
fer the country.
There are conditions In the city that are pro-
hibitive to the poorer classes-there are conditions
In the country that entail hardships. I have lived
on a farm in Kansas thirty years. The three great
hardships to farm life were mentioned by the
women who wrote the letters published under the
head 1.-THE Great Rural Tragedy" and every wom-
an who has lived on a farm for any length of time
understands SO we'll what they are: Hard work,
isolation and lack of entertainment.
The first OF these complaints cannot be elimi-
mated, either In the city or in the country, under
average conditions. In the first place, hard work
does not hurt the women. That is not the real
complaint when hard work Is used as an ~illustra-
ton of the tragedy of rural life. What is really
meant In ~drudgery. Many farm women are subject
to actual drudgery, as are countless more city
women, and hard work" is not the term to apply
to 1t There Is no escape from hard work. except
through wealth that enables one to live ia, actual
luxury, and even the rich who desire to keep their
places in the world, do hard work. 1t requires
hard work on the part of the woman In the city
to keep up her house and care for the family.
II Work Isn't Drudsery.
My observation has been that women on the
farm, as a rule. like farm life and are willing to
work hard and deprive themselves of conveniences
in the home until they have the means to get them.
But there is no reason why any woman on the
farm should do more hard work in her house,
keeping than the woman in the city who does her
own house work. The work Of keeping up a little
garden, attending to the chickens and culuvating
a few flowers is not the work that hurts farm
women.
The complaints, as real as they are and as thor
oughly justified as they are by conditions in al
most any farm community, are largely the fault
of the farmers themselves. By proper thought and
effort farm life for women can be made as pleasant
and agreeable as life in the city, with the added
advantages of the farm being the best place to
rear q family.
II a woman is neighborly she can have all the
society in the country she wants. We have the
telephone, rural mail and motor cars, too, az fast
as the farmers can afford them. In addition, II
one has health, what is better7 1t is the most nat
ural life. A farmer can take a day off II he wants
to and he don't have to consult anyone about 1t.
There is restfulness that is health-giving, watch
Ing the crops grow and the stock increase. This
view may seem ~optomistic to some, but 1t 10 our
experience on the farm, and such conditions exist
more often than the reverse. a 4.
Iner0 ID b 6malloT per cent OF suffering uAIu-
ships and poverty In the country than in the city.
even on a basis Of population. Then why not "Ths
Great City Tragedyw
Organize to Live
The great tragedies In rural life are the easiest
to overcome by men and women In the rural dis
tricts. The greatest rural tragedy, in my mind. is
bad roads. And where bad roads exist It is the
direct fault of the men and women of that COM
munity. I don't mean by that that the women ought
to encourage their husbands to do it. ! must adj
NIT that we miss a great many advantages OF the
city when some great lecturer, the Farmers Insu-
tute or some other meeting is held and the wealth
er or the roads are In such condition we cannot at
tend.
There is where cooperation comes In and CO.
operation will do more to solve the problems OF
rural life than anything else. Why has the city
30 many conveniences? Simply because a city 10
an organization under which everybody must CO.
operate to obtain the things which add to the at
Effectiveness and pleasure of living. They have
their improvement associations and their clubs.
The reason why many women In the city are
not isolated IL not because they were q burden.
turned into places Of Joy and pleasure. Pleasures,
like money, must be sought. 1t won't come along
and dump itself into your lap. In the great bust
ness world men and women find time to play a lit
tie and enjoy themselves. They can work better
when there il work to do and the world looks
brighter. All work and no play not only makes
boys and girls dull. but grown people too.
Not an Experiment
The most miserable existence on earth. I imag-
Inc, Is being in a city without friends. The thea
tTcb ana ptdCeb Vi amusement 90 not III the Dill.
Having near n~eighbors and seeing many people
pass and repass many times a day does not fill
the bill. 1t is being neighborly, cultivating friends
and acquaintances and getting together for social
intercourse that fills the bill. There isn't any place
In the world where that condition can bs enjoyed
to a greater extent than In the country. {
Every rural community has a school house and
should have a church. Those places should be
used frequently as meeting places. Those who have
them and do not use them have only themselves to
blame. They stand there idle the greater part OF
the year. Social centers should be organized. Get
acquainted with the neighbors. A little time spent
in seeking pleasure will brighten life and make
work easier. II will make life longer and health
better. 1t will brighten life for the children and
set a splendid example. 1t will solve the great
tragedy of isolation" In rural communities.
Best OF all, 1t costs nothin. Each family in a
community, struggling separately with no comon
interest or community purpose, makes a dull COM
munity and a dull life. / have seen 1t here In our
community. A few years ago we visited more and
had a lot of pleasure. Even in early days when
neighbors were not SO near, we visited and had q
pood time Aa we Qrow oIdar and afrauUara couoa