STATE GKANOP: OF ILLINOIS. 121 



sixteen or more lioiirs ii day us before the Grunge wus orguuized, or she 

 permitted to shure in it^ offices or take part iu its deliberali«)ns. 



I clip the following from a California paper by way of illustrating 

 what the condition of the average farmer's wife is: 



Notice. — "All persons are hereby warned not to trust Mary E. Aborns, 

 (my wife) as she has left my bed and board without just cause or provo- 

 cation, and I will not pay any bill contracted by her on and after this 

 diiie. Signed John Abouns." 



San Jose, February 6th, 187;"). 



To which Mrs. Aborns answers as follows: 



"The above notice ajipears daily in the San Jose Daily Patriot. Why 

 am I thus published to the world V and what human being on earth has 

 the right to do itV Let us look at the facts. I have been the wife of John 

 Aborns I'or about ten years, and lived with him during the whole of that 

 time — the prime of my life — that makes 3,650 days. During that time I 

 have cooked about 10,000 meals of victuals, set thetableas many times, and 

 cleared it off and washed the dishes. During that ten ye:'.rs I have spent 

 between 10,000 and 15,000 hours over a hot cooking-stove both in summer 

 and in winter; I have cleared up and swept his house for him over 10,000 

 times. During that ten years I have borne him si.\ children, five of theui 

 now living, the youngest two and one-half years old. Beside the pains and 

 an.xieties incident to child-birth, (which every mother knows,) what steps, 

 cares and troubles (to say nothing of sickness and an.xious cares for my 

 children,) it has cost me to bring them up, it is ini|)ossible for me to say, 

 every mother knows it better than I can possibly tell it. In addition t'o 

 that, I have made all their clothing (besides my own), and during that 

 time I have also made clothing and cUme sewing for others for monej-, 

 which went into the community funds; that is as I understand it, all the 

 property made by the husband and wife is community property, but in 

 reality belongs to the husband, and it is called in law community to take 

 otf the sharp edge of the injustice. More than that, during those years I 

 have milked, on an average, three cows twice a da;, , which will make 

 about 7,000 milkings, besides taking care of the milk and making the 

 butter from it. I have during the whole of that time attended to the 

 poultry, and often have assisted Air. Aborns in loading hay, sewing sacks, 

 and even in cleaning out his stables. 



"Now I have drawn the picture very mildly. I have made allowance 

 for my sickness, when I have had help, something after the way that a 

 farmer would hire a horse if his own was sick and unable to work. I had 

 nothing when I went there, and nothing at the end of tho.se ten years of 

 servitude. I have lived, it is true, and was very moderately furnished 

 with clothing. This is all for my labor. What man is there in the world 

 that would do the work I have done for the same compensation V 



" I make this statement not out of any feeling of revenge for Mr. Aborns, 

 for he has done only what hundreds of others iiave done. In many re- 

 spects he is a good man, industrious, and like hundreds, yea, thousands 

 of others, honest with everybody except his own family. 



" I choose to live with him no longer; my reasons are my own; and I 

 say again, what right has he to impair my credit by luiblishing me? Iu 

 the name of all that is just I solemnly protest against it." 



M.\UY E. AnoRNS. 



And now, my brothers, I might stop right here and let the article I have 

 read carry its own weight with you, but as I have read it as a sort of text, I 

 proi)o8e to add a few words by way of application or exhortation, which- 

 ever y<i\i may please to call it. 



