I905-] QUESTIONS. 123 



energy. It seems to me if that woman would make a success 

 of her chickens, and that woman make a success of making 

 honey, and that woman make a success of bakery stuff (if she 

 knows how to make it homelike), and that woman raise celery, 

 perhaps it would be better for each woman. I haven't tried any 

 of these things, but I have been thinking along that line and 

 wandering why farmers cannot have united interests. I hope 

 some of you will disagree with me and take up the other side, 

 for I am very anxious to know if these things are at all possi- 

 ble. I would like to see the things tried. To be sure it would 

 be better for the women to eat fewer pies and to get along with 

 less cake, and have a simple table ; perhaps that would be a bet- 

 ter solution of her household problems. 



The President. I would like to ask the speaker if she 

 doesn't think the women are largely responsible for this routine 

 work into which they are so likely to fall ? They get a certain 

 round of duties and they follow the thing up day after day 

 and never think that they themselves can make an improvement. 



Miss Van Rensselaer. I think that is true. It takes 

 thoughtfulness. We are doing things at a great disadvantage 

 simply because we have got into the habit of it, but I do want 

 to say that the men can help a great deal in that respect. 

 Women do get very tired in their work and some people need 

 encouragement a good many times ; they need to have the man 

 drive around with the carriage as bright as before he married 

 her and say, " Let's go for a ride ; let's go to see our neighbor ; 

 let's go to church today ; let's go and hear a concert." Then 

 she will begin to see other people and see how other people are 

 doing. But when the conditions are such that she gets up at 

 five o'clock in the morning and works until nine, and goes to 

 bed and just lies down to sleep exhausted, without any of those 

 things like music or books to rest her, it is very natural to fall 

 into that rut, and that rut, expressed in a common way, is the 

 thing that is wearing her out, not the hard work, 



Mr. KiRKHAM. I got up with about the same motive that 



