The Wife's Share. 335 



comes from long contact with the business of the world. It would 

 in time (allowing a man to judge) spoil them for that greater, 

 nobler work that Nature has particularly given to them, that they 

 should be the home-makers. Nature has made woman the superior 

 of man in loveliness, and tenderness, and gentleness, and patience, 

 the very qualities best fitting her for making heavenly homes here 

 on earth for us men. Let us fully appreciate the gift and then 

 we can consider it no more than simple justice to make our wives 

 our full equal partners. 



I would like to speak of one other point in this connection : 

 The work of the farmer's wife is usually exceedingly monotonous. 

 It may not require as much physical exertion, but the everlasting 

 treadmill grind is what makes it so hard. It isn't washing dishes 

 and sweeping and cooking for a week or a month, but year in 

 and year out for all time. It isn't getting meals fora day, but 

 for 365 days in a year. Notice the 365 no Sundays for the poor 

 wife. Just about the same work that day as any other. It is the 

 constantly occurring little worries, too, necessarily connected with 

 her share of the life's work. All these tend to make her life not 

 an over-easy one. We may safely say that a great many farmers' 

 wives have been driven to insanity by the monotonous character of 

 their work and the working seven days in a week. It is a serious 

 point that we should all think over. Now notice the difference 

 with the farmer himself. There are constant changes in his work. 

 He plows and sows and cultivates and mows, runs the binder and 

 threshes, and works in different fields. Also his work takes him 

 to town, the blacksmith shop, the mill, the store. He sees new 

 faces and new scenery, and has new matters brought to his mind, 

 which is a rest or recreation. All this, more or less, in the regular 

 line of his business. Is it so with his wife ? Does she not work 

 right on in the same kitchen with scarcely any variation in her 

 monotonous duties ? And does the farmer do Jiis regular work 

 on the Sabbath day ? He has his chores to do, but entire freedom 

 from regular work, unless he keeps a large dairy. His wife gets 

 meals Sunday the same as any other day, washes dishes, sweeps 

 and cooks. No change for her, or rest to speak of. If they go to 

 church, as I hope all my readers do, how much rest does the poor 

 mother get ? Well, it is good for her to go, but more than one 

 tired mother has told me that Sunday was the hardest day of the 

 whole week to .her, with the children to get ready and her house- 

 work, too. 



But now what can we do about all this? Well, my friends, 

 the wife can be helped very much by a little care on the husband's 

 part. Take her away from her monotonous work often. When 

 you have to go to mill or town on any errand, systematically plan 

 to take your wife with you whenever you can, even if not always 

 entirely convenient. Encourage her to visit friends. Go to 

 grange meetings, picnics, etc. Broaden her life a little. Take 



