122 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



vide means of ventilation, but should be allowed to serve their legiti- 

 mate purpose, that of letting in the sunlight. Houseplants are desirable 

 in the home, but to see every window filled to its utmost capacity with 

 plants leads us to remonstrate against this practice. Let the cheery 

 living-room windows be free and open for the enjoyment of the family. 



Regarding houseplants, better have a feAV well-kept plants arranged so 

 as not to be in the way than a promiscuous quantity occupying every 

 pleasant window view. 



The time comes in the life of nearly all farm women to see the new 

 house built or the old one remodeled; then is when we, as farm women, 

 should be thoroughly informed upon the best arrangement of the house 

 toward the end of saving steps and lessening labor and at the same time 

 make the house attractive and pleasant. Women should look up and 

 study out all conveniences tending to help them in this housework and 

 have the right to direct the arrangement of the house when it is being 

 built. We believe the majority of men on the farm will be willing to 

 concede this right if. after it is done, the wife is not finding fault about 

 the house not being built to suit her. 



There is so much more that might be said upon the farm house, but 

 our time is limited, and as there is another phase to our subject — the 

 home — we will briefly consider it. If all houses were homes as well, 

 we would not need to make a distinction, but unfortunately it is not so. 

 There are houses that possess all of the modern appliances, and externally 

 have the appearance of homes that on entering reveal none, or but few 

 of the home characteristics. They are but places where the inmates go 

 in to eat and sleep, leaving the door with a sense of relief. These houses 

 of w^hich we speak are not essentially those of Avealth as the dollars and 

 cents value does not make the distinction between the house and the 

 home. The home is a secret organization. It has its signs, password 

 and salutations, but unlike other secret organizations, its password never 

 changes. From the time that two join hands and hearts in the building 

 of a home until the last good-by is said, the one password is love. The 

 love that sufferethlong and is kind. 



Confidence must exist in a home. The mother should have the confi- 

 dence of her children, for where confidence exists, love is stronger and 

 the home is more united. We cannot specially emphasize the many rea- 

 sons for confidence between husband and wife, or mother and daughter, 

 but will speak of the great need of confidence between mother and son. 

 The mother has the confidence of her son when a little child ; why should 

 added years divorce this trust? The boy from twelve to twenty is in 

 greater need of mother's counsel, knowledge and confidence than at any 

 other period of his life. He is most likely too bashful and timid to ask 

 the questions that are day by day coming up in his mind. He wants 

 to know of the mystery of life, of the development of his own creative 

 powers, and he should be told the facts in clean, pure language; he 

 should be furnished books to read that will give this knowledge. We, 

 as mothers, must remember that ignorance is not innocence, and if we 

 would keep our boys free from the vices that demoralize their character, 

 we must give them the right knowledge at the opportune time. We must 

 keep in close touch with the boy, share our secrets with him and give 

 opportunity for him to talk things over alone with mother. We believe 

 the girl in the home today is given more attention and better opportuni- 

 ties than is the bov. 



