Year: 1871

4 every now and then, about the way il


which our women are killing themselve:
, off with hard work. There is no doubt


much occasion for this. No one can &C


into the families or the audiences of oul
: Northern, and especially our Northeast


ern States, without seeing scores of wo,
, men whose care-worn looks, and pale


faces, and prematurely gray hairs, tell Of
excessive toll and broken health.


Many causes have been blamed fol


this, and principally the lack of eff
cient servants, and the thoughtlessness


of husbands. The former item is 4 seri-
| Gus difficulty in our domestic economy


and one largely agitated; but we will


not enter upon it here. And to the lat


ter item there is no doubt but that there


are many husbands who do not concern


themselves, rs we are told, half 50 intel


ligently about securing the best condi-
tions for their wives and children as
they do for their stock. Perhaps ii this


be true they are no more tbOughtless
than the wife herself. But even when


they are thoughtful, the remedy is not


always within their power. / know one


husband who is so grieved at this little


using up of his wife by her tolls and


cares, which he has neither the time nor


the money to remedy, that he some


times tells her in his desperation that he


wishes she never had married. | be-


lieve she never agrees with him in wish


ing so too, but have reason to suppose


that his feeling is prompted by the true
spirit of thoughtful and devoted love.


Some there are who lay aside their


lofty prejudices against 'women's


work" and help their women folks as


freely as the latter would help them
about anything when within their pow
er. to do so. Why this should not al


ways be the case, am at a loss to see.


cannot tell, for the life of me, why it
should be any more degrading, even for
man of culture. to make fires, sweep
the parlor carpet, do the washing or
even wash dishes, than it is for his cul-
tured wife to do the same things; nor
why it is not just as honorable for him
to help her thus about any work for
which his nerve and muscle is more
adequate, as it is for her to indite his
letters and attend to his business i'm his
absence, or illness, or to read Latin and
Greek to him if his eyes should fail him
in time of need. The prejudices of this
kind under which we have been labor
ing are far more worthy of our aborig-
inal predecessors, who looked with lofty
scorn on "squaw's work." putting every
thing upon her, excepting when they
close to hunt, or fish, or fight. believe
matters are improving in this direction.
1 think of a family at this moment
whose early prejudices against any such
work were very strong, but who now
get breakfast as neatly, and wait upon
the temporary disabled wife and mother
as deity as any woman. The acme of
attainment in this direction is that when
all men and women, allowed to follow
the pursuits for which they find them
selves best adapted, those shall be con-
sidered the most accomplished lords and
ladies of creation who shall be able most
readily to adapt themselves to the cir
cumstances in which they may be
placed, and do what is needed.


But setting aside all attempts to
blame, eXonerate or defend the men in
this matter, let us first inquire what wo-
men can do to help Themselves: for we
find such 4 practical ignoring of sup
posed male responsibilities, as strongly
suggests the idea that there is some re-
sponsibility elsewhere. 1t is not en-
ough in any case that women work like
slaves to help their husbands, and kill
themselves in doing it. Woman's duty
to herself, and her God, and her chill
dren, cannot be ignored if she would
even help her husband to the best ad- |
vantage, as many wife broken down
with hard work comes at last to realize.
Perhaps she makes the very best amends |
she can for her mistake by working si-
lently and doggedly to the very last.
but too often, with all her silently borne |
pain, she has the yet more bitter pang of
feeling that her chronic invalidism is |
dragging down the man she has been |
trying to help, with the triple burden of
a suffering wife, a cherries home, and
growing doctors bill.


These are terrible things even to talk |
about, and fancy l see the sad, hope |
less eyes of too many women drearily |
questioning my words; and the clouded
brows of half-despairing men lifted
moment, as if to ask if there be any
hope. All, how true it is that often |
only when it is too late do men and wo- |
men begin to think about such things!


Now, do not mean to intimate that |
all women are working too hard. There
are many wives and mothers who have
little enough to do, and do not half ac-
complish that. And a still larger pro-
portion of young unmarried women
scarcely make pretense of regular
work. They are, L believe, as Mrs.
Stowe says, sour only aristocracy, priv
ileged to live in idleness.' 1 am not |
talking to them, nor about them at |
present, but to and about the much |
larger and wOrthier class that are am
bilious of doing their part in this work
a-day world. These are found in nearly |
all grades of society, high and low,
rich and poor, but mostly in the fam
lilies of farmers, mechanics, and profess
sional men, with moderate incomes.
know many such, and it is my sympathy |
with them and their sufferings that has
led me to discuss these questions, and
inquire if there is any remedy for the
present state of things.


think that many of these women are
piqued into attempting more work than
they can safely accomplish, by injudi-
ciously comparing gthemselves with their
husbands. The latter do the work that
brings in the money and that looks very
large. The woman's department is gull
ty of consuming much of it, and that
looks greedy and wasteful, and the man
often does not realize where it all goes
TO. He thinks and perhaps saws, that ifl