The citizen., 1917-07-26
WOMAN POWER VS.. MACHINE
POWER

For many years foreigners have
been saying that we Americans are
wasteful people. For almost as
long the people Of the North have
been saying 1t Of the South. Forced
by our entrance into the war To con-
slider ourselves and our ways, we
have all acknowledged the truth Of
the accusation and set about, more
or less earnestly and efficiently, To
reform ourselves of this national
vice.
We have been wasteful Of many
things. but of nothing more wasteful
than of human labor - Of our own
very strength and life. And we
have been even more wasteful Of the
strength and vitality and health of
women than of men.
The average farm woman does an
amount Of wearing, Improbable,
useless labor that would appal any
sane man if it could bc ascertained
with exactncss and set down in
plain figures. II all the useless steps
taken by the women on Southern
farms in preparing the meals for
their families - steps taken be-
cause of badly arranged kitchens
and lack Of kitchen equipment -
could be computed the total
would be great enough TO
make q mathematician dizzy. II all
the energy expended in year by
our mothers and wives and daugh-
ters in the carrying and drawing
ard lifting of water could have been
utilized at one time on the Panama
Canal 1t would have been dug before
Goethals got his plans well sorted
out. II all the backaches and head =
aches and fOotaches endured by
farm women because Of their hours
or labor over flop-dasher churns
and primitive washboards could be
transferred in a lump to the farmers
Of the country. the groan that would
go up would be as the noise OF
mighty thunderings and as the roar
OF many waters.
The men on the farms are not 10
blame for all the unnecessary work
done by farm women. The people
who talk as If il were a mere mat
ter Of neglect and sclflshness fail To
be convincing. The women them
selves are To blame for much Of il.
Too many Of them have never ser
iously studied the matter Of making
their work easier. Many Of them
are attached to the good old ways.
and doubt if task can be well done
If the doing is not at least moderate %
~ painful or worrisome. The man
on the farm is generally busy
enough with his own particular job
and has neither the time nor the
Knowledge TO solve his wife's labor
problems. More than all else. both
man and woman have failed TO re-
alize just how much cheaper ma
chine power is than woman power.
how much more labor can be taken
III the housekefper by improved
machinery, how much lack Of equip
ment and disregard Of convenience
add Ia her burdens, how great a
proportion Of the hard work done
on most farms is little better than
waste Of time as well as waste OF
energy.
II is time for these things to be
seriously considered. Machines are
cheaper than they used To be. and
women are still the dearest things
in the world. The writer once
knew an old man who had had five
wives. Such a man, perhaps. could
afford 10 be careless with a wife.
One or two more or less would
have made little difference with
him. But the average man gets only
one, and II rs up 10 hlm 10 take care
o' her. There are few farmers
who could not get a new gasoline
engine easier - and at less expense,
il time be counted - than they
could get a new wife. and many a
farmers wife would last years long
or and be much more pleasant TO
live with if the farmer would get a
gasoline engine and put il to work
while his wife was still new and in
good running order. Why, to many
farm woman. a gasoline engine
harnessed TO pump the water, turn
the churn and run the washer,
would bring more freedom than she