Evening star., 1936-07-05
WOMEN OF AMERICA
Those of the Desert Have Their Old Loyalty
to the Land, But it Takes Modern
Form in These Days.

4
KS little girl Is better dressed than
hers because Mrs. x. gets check from
the Government each week. Another
worries that the people on relief can
wear good shoes, for they have the cash
to buy them. Here, for the first time
during my travels through the cities
attempting to learn what the women
are thinking about today, women have
said to nae that the disgrace of those
families who have taken relief from
the Government will be passed unto
the second and third generation, that
desert women have long memories and
these things will never be forgotten.
Love of the desert is a minor reason
why families remain to struggle with
homesteading. The high, dry climate
keeps them here, for most families
have an ailing member. This health
building climate has also made Phoe-
nix a prosperous resort city with
thousands of visitors spending money,
thereby tempting many women to
commute from the ranches to earn a
weekly pay check out of the citys
commercial life. For the male Ari-
zonian is not interested in taking a
city job. He prefers to build from
the ground up and homesteads TO
make permanent place for his fam
lily. When this is not possible he hires
out as a tenant, provided they give
him an adequate house for his folks,
until he can begin to homestead H
is therefore glad when his womenfo.k
work. 1t means more cash in thc
home and the ranch can be built up
quicker.
This change in family habits wa
brought clearly home to me when
questioned stenographer in a law
yer's office. She is the wife of a strug-
Cling rancher and has two young
daughters in elementary school.
What about the children?" I asked
after she explained that her case was
not unusual who gets their meals
and attends to them in general?"
My husband and I have worked it
all out" she explained. "Of course.
without his help I could not manage
it. We always work together. When
the ranch got too large for him to take
care of himself We had to hire ten
ant farmer. The man helps in the
fields. And since his wife has small
babies and cannot do much oustide of
her own work, she is glad to come in
every morning and clean up for us. 1t
leaves me free to take a job
MOT satisfied. I persisted. "But
what about the food problem?"
She laughed. why. that is easy these
days. even on the ranch, If you are
lucky enough to have an electric
refrigerator and plugged-in cooker"
Many of the women on the ranches
look to seasonal agricultural Jobs.
They hire out for date packing and
grape boxing. However, they have
some competition among the Mexican
women, for there is a large Mexican
population here. And between the
groups social lines are tightly drawn.
They have never forgotten the an
cient war with Mexico in the early
days of Mexican aggression, when the
feud between the greaser and gringo
was violent.
But it is the Indian woman who Is
the skilled worker in the crafts. Her
native weaving is one of the important
industries here, for she makes the rugs
and woven articles purchased by the
tourist trade. However, these women
still maintain the habits of their tribe.
They are meek, self-efacing and un-
obtrusive and take no interest in the
life of the community.
On the whole, the social life Is a
democratic one. Families realize the
struggle to take hold. A ranch woman
does not judge her neighbors from the
exterior Of her house. She knows that
often it will start with one room, with
additions from time to time, until it
ends as a substantial home. She
realizes that the money needed to give
it fresh coat of paint must be spent
in irrigating another field. But she is
a severe critic when it comes to judg-
ing the interior of the home. She
tells you frankly that If a woman isn't
interested in giving her family proper
living quarters they are inferinr mao
pie. AZ. saae ADDS mat she and her
neighbors cannot be bothered with
them.
p EMEMBER, because of our cli-
mate" she explains, 1--WE get the
backwash Of the other States" You
see these squatters in many places
along the desert. The women and
children look so forlorn and emaciated.
How different was the silent tread Of
those mothers who crossed the desert
In the covered wagon, walking so as
not to overburden the horses. Some
too tired to 60 on, with little ones sick
and weary, remaining to create a COM
Portable family life even in the desert.
The desire to give her family COM
fort rests closest to the desert woman's
heart. She studies every phase Of
homemaking, and her motto is II can
do anything you can do" One of the
most interesting things she has devised
is the air-cooling system for her house,
for in that dry cactus, sun-beaten
valley 1t gets mighty hot. It Is O
simple homemade device. She has
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