The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-05-27
"HUMAN CATTLE"

The following editorial taken from
leading Philadelphia paper is so mani
testify unfair and misleading that we
cannot let it pass without comment
We feel sure that the vast majority of
farm women, loyal co-partners of their
husbands, will resent the untruthful
presentation of the subject.
The farmers wives are not happy.
Thousands of them have said so in
letters answering the queries of Secre-
tary Houston. In fact, their condition
is so nearly unbearable that some of
them have even urged the passage of
law compelling their husbands to treat
them with rs much consideration as the
live stock. Tho the stewards of riches,
they themselves are kept in poverty;
they have no pin money, no entertain
ment, nothing but days of incessant
drudgery And despite their labors,
which often take more time than their
husbands, they rarely enjoy the COM
forts or graces of life, for the profits
are always returned to the farm. "Of
what use is it, D." one of them asks, Ito
buy more land, to raise more corn, to
feed more hogs, to buy more land?"
Amaryllis, once an individual who could
thrill at the mooing of COW, thus be-
comes farm implement. with no more
personality than hoe or sickle.
These cases where the farm is run
solely for itself, without regard for the
human beings on them, may be in the
minority, but they are not rare. The
countryside is no longer a field of
asphode, where every living thing is
happy, where lambs are skipping to
the tabor, while Phyllis dances quantity
with her Damon. each in fresh new
smock. Necessity keeps the farmer at
his work, but it is not necessity alone
that turns his entire family into band
of helots. The tedium and drudgery
that makes the wives complain and
drives the fretful children to the city
and finally leaves the farm a deserted
ruin spring from the missrule of that
supposedly docile creature, who now
appears as tyrant-the farmer him,
self.
But in its Judgment of him the
world can easily be too severe. Nearly
all Americans still crave the kind of
prosperity seen in the reports of boards
of trade; they like to see the wheels
running, but not the human product
And how can the farmer be singled out
and blamed for stepping to the univer-
sal music? The same passion, which
may be called commercial ambition or
simply greed. that has driven him to
buy more land for more hogs has per-
suaded Mr.. Grundy and many another
manufacturer that it is right to grow
rich from the labors of children, or
from money that should have been
spent in wages. Personalities are not
crushed merely on farms. And in a
land where living, for all but few. is
only a mechanical operation, it is per-
haps a little fastldious to protest
against the farmers for discriminating
in favor of their live stock"
In all probability there are farmers
who are greedy, over-ambitlous and
therefore hard taskmasters, but this
type of human being may be found in
every occupation. Wives can be found
in every walk of life who, if given the
invitation and opportunity, would write
as complaininglv and as uncharitably
as were some of the answers to the
Secretarv's invitation to farmers
wives. The unfortunate thing is that
men in high and influential positions
should be so unacquainted with the
spirit and integrity of the farm women
of this country as to draw such unfair
and damaging inference from the letters
of small percentage of the Is, 900, 900
farm women. We feel that not since
Edwin Markham wrote THE Man with
the Hoe," has there been drawn so un-
true a picture of the farmer. We wish
to ask our farm women readers to write
us short letters of 500 or 600 words,
choosing one of these subjects: "Why
| am Happy on the Farm" or "Why
am not Happy on the Farm" Write
your real feelings on the matter, writ
ing on one side of the paper only. The
writer's name will not be used unless
desired.