800 



NEW ENGLAND F.\R]\IER. 



June 



uhilc, and she won't have to he watching for rents 

 and rips, nnd buttons off, and button-holes tearing 

 out, really because the cloth had not strength 

 enough to hold itself together. 



The stocking lieels and toes are recommended 

 to be lined nicely with leather or kid, or good 

 stroixg cloth, arnd ripped off and sewed every week. 

 I find knitting a new toe and heel, now and then, 

 saves me more time and is quicker done, than the 

 other way. Although the sewing on of cloth 1 ap- 

 prove, yet I find a double heel, when the stocking 

 i* knit, answers all purposes for me. Many other 

 things, too numerous to mention here, such as 

 have time and think it profitable, would of course 

 approve. 



I am not one that sustains the "Woman's Rights 

 excitement, only so far as looks reasonable. I do 

 think if a farmer, or man of any other occupation, 

 would look as much to the good of his wife as he 

 does to his stock of cattle, or a nice horse to drive 

 — for but few men like a lame, poor, rough-looking 

 animal to drive off out of town — there would be 

 less poor, sickly, suffering looking wives and 

 mothers. A man gets up before breakfast, — goes 

 ■ out doors, gets the fresh air, comes in all right 

 and hungry for his meal. His wife, who, perhaps, 

 has sat up and worked the night before, two or 

 three hours after her licge-lord was in bed and 

 asleep, then has had to nurse a fretful babe all 

 night, or get up from one to five times to see to 

 croupy Susie, and then must be up betimes in the 

 morning, with weary head and bones, hurrying 

 to get breakfast and dress baby and the other 

 little ones. Breakfast ready, husband comes in, 

 hurrying it on the table, not even helping the 

 little one into his high chair — mother must do it 

 all, and be round in time to pour out coffee, and 

 fix the little ones' breakfasts, too, which "father" 

 can never spend time from eating to do. By this 

 time, husband's coffee is out and needs replenish 

 ing, then the hired man's, and by this time, baby 

 finds out she won't lie in the cradle any longer, 

 and Charlie and Susie have cleared their plates 

 and want more. Mother has not had a breath of 

 fresh air, or a mouthful to eat, yet — husband is 

 done by this time, gets up and says, while buttoning 

 np his coat, "Wife, I expect some men here to-day, 

 to look at them South Downs and Devonshires, 

 they will be here to dinner, probably. Fix up 

 something nice. I must ride over to town an 

 hour or two — if they should come before I get 

 back, entertain them 'some how,' " and the master 

 is off to another airing, gets braced up, cheered 

 up, sees folks and country, talks, and comes back 

 all right. Where is mother all the time ? Hurrying 

 through her breakfast, she hurries all the fore- 



noon to get tidied up, and prepare a good dinner — 

 she neglects ])aby — which frets her, hearing it cry 

 — gets up her dinner for those out of town men, 

 and 80 another meal goes by, and so goes day by 

 day. 



Does her husband ever think of these things, 

 when he wonders Susan grows old so much faster 

 than he does, and looks so poor and yellow, and is 

 getting almost ashamed of her ? Does he think of 

 the times he has hatched np excuses for not carry- 

 ing her home, or out to Uncle John's, or some- 

 where to spend the day, and give her an airing and 

 put a flush on her sallow cheek ? Oh, husbands 

 and fathers, I wish too many of you that are just 

 such husbands could be made to change places 

 with that patient wife of yours, before you are 

 brought up suddenly, findmg your children moth- 

 erless. Your second wife, if she looks better than 

 the last has, for a while, will not fill her place to 

 your children, or take more pains to shield you 

 from cares. 



Where is such a mother's time to fallow all the 

 rules in "Domestic Economy ?" Every one knows 

 our land is filled with just such mothers and wives. 



One thing more, Mr. Editor, — please send in a 

 petition to the Legislature that mop and broom 

 handles shall be made as smooth as men's hoe or 

 spade handles, or the makers shall pay a fine. Just 

 look at our broom handles — left just as they are 

 turned, and rough, and splintered and scraggly 

 enough to keep our hands chapped and sore con- 

 stantly. This I call one of Woman's Rights — don't 

 you, Mr. Editor ? Susan. 



No. Ferrisburg, Vt., March 4, 1868. 



Remarks. — We can only say that we are in full 

 sympathy with the overburdened wives and moth- 

 ers whose daily routine our correspondent so 

 graphically describes. We heartily advocate any 

 improvement which cap lighten their labor, and, 

 by expediting their household work, increase their 

 leisure time for self-improvement, for neighborly 

 calls, or for more than occasional breaths of that 

 life-giving air which their husbands so plentifully 

 draw into their lungs in their daily out-door em- 

 ployment. 



As regards the broom-handles, competition in 

 cheapness is very apt to cause carelessness in fin- 

 ishing; but a little sand-paper will smooth down 

 the rough places, if not inexcusably bad, and a 

 little care in buying the broom, on the part of the 

 husband, who generally looks out for the house- 

 hold furnishing, should spare his wife that annoy- 

 ance, at least. Let the husbands look out for the 

 little things — for they are what render life happy 

 or miserable. £s. 



