VERMONT DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 153 



neutral ground and the farmer and his family must keep pace 

 with the progress of the rest of the world, or lose influence 

 and position. 



There is much talk and theorizing - about woman's rights 

 and duties, but she can and certainly should teach the chil- 

 dren that work, even hard work, to provide or prepare food 

 and clothing for the family is neither dishonorable or unre- 

 fined. The child is to be pitied whose mother does not feel 

 the need of providing regular work for the different members 

 of the family. A reasonable task at fixed times soon forms a 

 habit and makes it much easier to assume the greater cares 

 that always come to the ambitious child. 



Prof. Wm. James of Harvard, in his text book on psycholo- 

 gy says, " Could the young but realize how soon they will be- 

 come mere bundles of habits they would give more heed to 

 their conduct while in the plastic state." While there is 

 much truth in this, is not the mother more responsible than 

 the child? Is it not one of our rights to instruct the children 

 concerning harmful effects of narcotics and alcohol on the 

 human system, using every effort to induce the boys and girls 

 to form temperate habits early in life ? 



Mrs. Ida H. Read, State President of the Woman's Chris- 

 tian Temperance Union, in her annual address before the con- 

 vention at Barre last September said. " that the greatest ob- 

 stacle she found in temperance work in our State was the 

 apathy of our christian women." 



It is amazing that women can continue indifferent when our 

 boys of the late Spanish-American war came home to tell of 

 the destruction and ruin wrought among them by the army 

 canteen, and when we remember that those high in authority 

 have placed an interpretation upon the law prohibiting the 

 army canteen in the interest of the liquor traffic. 



The women of our state can find work with petitions and 

 resolutions at our next legislative session and thev need not 

 petition for the ballot either. 



The prevalence of cigarette smoking should arouse every 

 mother to action, and there are among us social problems that 

 should be soon solved by clear intelligent minds. 



We should seek to inform ourselves along the lines of cor- 

 rect sanitation and ventilation, not ceasing- our investigation 

 until we know just how, and what food is necessary to make 

 good blood, for "the blood is life." 



The education of our girls should be an all engrossing sub- 

 ject. Those who have thought much on the subject believe 

 that farm life demands on the part of women as well as men a 

 special culture and training more largely scientific and practi- 

 cal than that given in the high schools now. More time 



