THE FARMER'S WIFE VERSUS THE DAIRY COW 45 



The church should not be beyond her reach. A clean 

 buggy from which the dirt and mud are carefully kept, 

 a nice horse with well preserved harness, and a be- 

 coming bonnet and gown, should be at her disposal to 

 attend the church and see the beauties of country life. 

 The first duty of the farmer should be to his wife and 

 family, in the way of making them comfortable. 



If a system of farm credits can be devised, among 

 other things which should be regarded as a legal ex- 

 penditure in the borrowing of money, should be the 

 comfort and convenience of the house. We are told 

 that the chief danger to be guarded against in rural 

 credits is to see that the money which is raised by the 

 pledging of the farm property be applied for farm pur- 

 poses. What more worthy purpose on the farm could 

 be imagined than making the home comfortable ! One 

 need not wonder that the mother, engaged in the duties 

 which I have described above, favors in every possible 

 way for her son a life as far removed from that which 

 she lives as possible. In the future of her daughter 

 what greater concern could she have than to see to it 

 that her own life be not duplicated in that of her child ! 

 Thus one of the great incentives for the leaving of the 

 farm would be removed if the home could be comfort- 

 able and the labor of the housewife lessened. 



While I favor all the large measures which look to 

 the improvement of the condition of woman and her 

 participation in public affairs, while I am an advocate, 

 and have been for a third of a century, of equal rights 

 before the law for man and wife in every respect, I feel 

 that even a greater service to humanity could be se- 

 cured if industrial freedom and equality, as well as 

 political freedom and equality, could be secured for the 

 woman in the farmer's home. 



