TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V 417 



Something has been said of the tenant farmer, but don't forget the 

 tenant farmer's wife. Abraham Lincoln said that God must have loved 

 poor folks because he made so many of them. I don't know how it is in 

 Iowa, but I do know that in my county alone, in the northwest part of 

 Benton County, Indiana, we have a plat of land containing 19,600 acres 

 held in three estates. That means that they are cut up into small farms 

 and operated exclusively by tenant farmers, moving perhaps annually, 

 and the farm women — I am sympathetic with the problems of the farm 

 men, but the farm women have decidedly the worst of it, and if there 

 is anything that the farm bureau can do, either as a state group or as a 

 national one, to make a system of leasing such that the farmer's wives of 

 these tenant farmers have an easier time, they have done a great deal 

 towards solving the great problems of American agriculture. (Applause). 



Will you stop to think how much influence the children of the tenant 

 farmer may have over the children in your own home? I believe that 

 anything we may do to make their lot easier and brighter, and help them 

 along the way, will be amply repaid, for we know that out of these tenant 

 farms have come some of the very best men and women of our country- 

 side, and that by so doing we will be doing a great deal to help ourselves. 



Now, we have talked long and loud about motherhood; all along the 

 years we have said so much about the mothers. It doesn't make any dif- 

 ference whether you are a farmer, or not, or a farmer's wife, or not, who 

 are represented here this afternoon, but I should like that you get this 

 statement if you forget all else that I have to say: The farmer's wife, as 

 well as the wife of any other man, in order to be the best possible woman 

 in the world — and that is to be the mother of fine children — needs the help 

 aud the co-operation of the father. 



A little fellow was given a basket ball in his Christmas stocking, and, 

 being of an inventive sort of mind, instead of blowing it up with his 

 mouth as he might have done, he went out and got father's tire pump to 

 pump up the basket ball. The mother found that on that snowy Christ- 

 mas morning the little fellow, in his haste and excitement to blow up his 

 ball, had gone out into the cold without overshoes, cap, coat or mittens; 

 and, getting all flushed and fussed as mothers do, she remonstrated about 

 it, and he replied, "Just see, mother, I am not a bit snowy. I just 

 walked in dad's tracks." And that is exactly what he had done, just 

 walked in the tracks that father had made earlier in the morning, and 

 his feet weren't snowy a bit. Oh! how many times that has been true — 

 they followed in dad's tracks. And if dad wasn't particular the direction 

 that the tracks took him, mother would have a great deal of trouble in 

 overcoming that influence. So I repeat it, we need your help! (Applause). 



Thus far I have talked to you about the help that expensive labor-saving 

 devices such as water system, electric lights, washing-machines, and all 

 these things, may do. There is another place where farm women may do 

 well to keep up with father and the boys, and that is to learn all of the 

 short-cuts. A great many farm women have not been careful to keep up 

 with father and the boys in this idea. They told me when I was going to 

 become a farmer's wife "Really, dear, it's a dreadful life!" They thought 



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