The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-30
(Edited by Dr. David F. Reeder,
 La Porte, Ind.)

GRANDMOTHER'S DAY:-I know of a club that is composed of grand mothers. l would judge most of the members to be past seventy years and some are past ninety years They call themselves tho 'Up-to-date Club" and all of them live up to that name in the remarkable manner in which they are able to discuss the currents events of the day. When they get together for their regular meetings they usually play bridge whist. but not for prizes.
 At one of their recent meetings the ever present subject of house. maids was discussed in an unusually spirited manner and one of the oldest members, with indignation showing in every feature, exclaimed, Well
 thank goodness, I can still do my own housework when I cannot get help for reasonable price, and call S1S to SIS per week wfth room and board an unreasonable price and I refuse to pay It There are only the two of us and we send out all the laundry work and I refuse to be robbed by lazy and Incompetent help. I would not mind tne wages so much but I do mind the waste; three times the gas,
 three times the grocery and meat
 bills; to say nothing of my broken dishes; and then they complain all me time of being tired out and over
 worked while can do 1t myself and not work half the time"
 Then others told of the work that they could and did do in the early. pioneer days and of the large families they had raised, some on farms. some In the cities and it was quite evident that none of their children had the G1 rr1n oy r.f
 ance that their mothers had with the possible exception of the first born. The rest of the children, as the grandmother sarcastica1ly expressed 1t, were just naturally born tired" which according to their ideas was a refined way of saying that they were lazy.
 Now to my mind the expression,
 born tired' is tragic truth and tells story of so much hard work on the part of the pregnant women that all of her surplus energy is exhausted and there,ts none left for the new life that is coming into the world. Thero are few farmers that work thet~fine blooded mares heavily when tn foaL They consider the colt of more value than the work its mother might perform and that she should
 give her strength to the offspring rather than to pulling the blow, but many of them forget this when it should apply to the mother of their children They also take the very care of the eires of their stock, no work of any kind is permitted during the breeding season, but not a thought is given their own physical condition at such times Is it any wonder that the children are born tired"7
 am convinced that the way to get back the pep and energy of our fore-fathers will be through the rigid application of the eight hour labor
 rule to all kinds of labor, whether the work be o1fhe farm. in the shop, mine, factory. office or in the kitchen. The Masonic rule that was estab- lished during the building of King Solomon's Temp1e-eight hours labor. eight hours sleep and eight hours for rest and refreshment or recreation l Is the most logical I believe thar more can be produced under that rule and the whole people be better on than under any other system of hours for work. If work is properly systematized and real work is done for eight hours even more will be accomplished than by ten, twelve and fifteen hours Of 'loafing on the job" Yes I know the housekeeper will at once say that Man works from sun to sun but wo- | mans work Is never done," but before writing this have demonstrated tha the housewrk can be done on the eight hour system and that through l that system you can keep the maid. :"