416 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



of the night I was awakened by the little fellow crying and whining in 

 his solitude in the basement; but I had made up my mind that I would 

 stand by my statement, and in a little while I heard a noise in the upper 

 bedroom, and then he came quietly slipping down from the second story, 

 got a tin of milk in the kitchen, and then went down and talked to that 

 little lonely puppy. The little fellow seemed to understand that there was 

 some one in the house that really loved and understood him, and after 

 a bit he went whimpering back into his nest. That sort of thing is mak- 

 ing character for boys, the sort of character that is being molded to build 

 a great country, and not for bolshevism. (Applause). And we must have 

 all over the farming country some of these farm homes. And because of 

 the need, these bankers and men of finance must help us, as has been 

 said they are ready to do, to make some sort of plan or find some way 

 whereby these young folks who are wanting to build homes in the open 

 country may finance a home, sure that they will not lose their little all, 

 and build homes that will be the cornerstone of the nation in the next 

 few years. 



Another reason is because women must have time for the higher things 

 of life. A great many times a woman is so busy with her household 

 duties that she doesn't have time to be a companion to her husband or to 

 play with her children. You know how glad you are when the circus 

 comes to town, so that you can take the children to the show. (Laughter). 

 Have you noticed, and I am sure that you always have, with interest, on 

 each succeeding circus day the juggler, that man who can keep so many 

 butcher-knives or plates in the air at the same time, and never lose one? 

 Have you ever stopped to think how well the farmer's wife may be likened 

 to the juggler? How many things she keeps going at the same time; how 

 many things she keeps in the air, and never lets one of them get tangled 

 up or lost in the doing? The United States census taker says that the 

 farm woman has no occupation, and some one has written these lines: 



"The farm wife has no occupation, 



'Twould seem her life were one long vacation 

 Of pies and cakes and pudding making. 



Of washing, ironing, churning, baking, 

 Of feeding men and kids and chickens. 



Of working, all day, like the dickens; 

 At night she creeps into her bed. 



Far too tired for prayers to be said. 

 She must rise next morn at four a. m.. 



And do the self-same things again." 

 (Applause). 



During the career of Napoleon Boneparte, he is said to have asked a 

 brilliant woman of his acquaintance, "What can we do to more quickly 

 make France great?" and this was the answer, in a very few but a very 

 forceful group of words : "Educate the mothers." And so that is the reason 

 I am asking, above all things, that the farm women have conveniences in 

 the farm home. 



