THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



has been in woolen tissues, worsted tissues, 

 tin plates and sheets, jute manufactures, 

 and linen manufactures, the import of the 

 first in 1898 being only one-sixth of what 

 it was in 1896; the second, one-fourth of 

 what it was. and the imports of tin plates 

 and sheets one-half of what it was in 1896. 

 In our exports to the United Kingdom 

 the most decided gain has been in oats, of 

 which almost five times as much is exported 

 now as in 1896; wheat, which has almost 

 doubled, and unwrought copper which is 

 almost twice as large. Our export of 

 horses and wood and timber also show a 

 decided gain. 



There has recently come into 

 Misdirected ex i s (; ence a c i u b or society 

 Benevolence. , . . , , . ,, , * 



whose aim is to benfit the far- 

 mers' wives, and a vigorous protest is go- 

 ing up from these same farmers' wives, 

 through the various farm papers, 

 against being benefitted that is ben- 

 fitted in this way. This society is called 

 the ''League of Farmhouse Industries and 

 Domestic Manufactures" and as its circu- 

 lar states, "was started by a few intelli- 

 gent and sympathetic women for the ben- 

 efit of a large and widely scattered com- 

 munity and has proven to be a signal 

 success." Its purpose is to foster and 

 direct domestic industries among the far- 

 mers families and provide a market for 

 the handiwork of individuals. Or to put 

 it plainly, its aim is to encourage women 

 who live on farms to spend their spare 



moments in work such as is done by the 

 peasant women of Italy, Sweden, and Rus- 

 sia, homespun and embroidered linens, 

 lace-making, the knitting of golf-stock- 

 ings, etc., especial stress being laid on the 

 golf stockings. The promoters of this 

 benevolent scheme are society women, 

 most of whom probably have no conception 

 of what duties are comprised in the daily 

 toil of the farmer's wife. The acquaint- 

 ance we have had with the latter class 

 leads to the belief that her day is crowded 

 quite full enough without having any ad- 

 ditional work placed before her. If she 

 has a few spare moments after her work is 

 finished it will be more profitable for her 

 to lie in a hammock or read a good book 

 than to amuse herself by knitting golf 

 stockings or doing crewel embroideries in 

 imitation of those of colonial times. The 

 rest will do more for her than will the few 

 dollars she might earn. What the aver- 

 age woman needs is not more work but 

 more rest. You who envy the farmer's 

 wife her outdoor life should do her work 

 for a day and find how very little time 

 there is to spend outdoors aiter doing the 

 thousand and one things needful to be 

 done within the house. 



The members of this League undoubt- 

 edly mean well: they desire to help their 

 fellows, but their efforts seem to savor too 

 much of patronage to make them palat- 

 able to the average woman. 



