1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



37 



Woman's Rights and Washing Day. 



Within the past few years great progress 

 has been made in labor-saving implements 

 for the farm, in all departments of rural 

 economy, from a hean sorter to a steam 

 thresher, while the patient wife has had to 

 plod on almost in the old beaten paths ; it is 

 true that a large amount of genins has been 

 employed in decorating the more fashionable 

 part of our lady friends ; and in this regard 

 they have had all the necessary attention. 

 While the ornamental part of a lady's ward- 

 robe and the general trappings of her toilet 

 have been pretty fully up to the standard of 

 invention, yet in the useful departments of 

 her household duties she has been sadly neg- 

 lected. The sewing machine was a bright 

 spot in her life of toil, but not half of the 

 credit of this great invention is to be charg- 

 ed to woman, for the main stimulus was given 

 by the tailors— not out of any good will, it 

 is true, to their lady customers — but result- 

 ing in depriving them of a large amount of 

 labor, though it must be confessed at a poor 

 paying rate, just enough to keep them out of 

 better employ. The sewing machine was 

 sent out to the world and while it deprived 

 thousands of busy needles of work in the 

 large towns, yet it was to the wife of the 

 farmer a labor-saving boon such as had nev- 

 er before crossed her threshold. The tin- 

 ners and stove makers have made no incon- 

 siderable progress, but we must confess that 

 the farmers have not been as ready to avail 

 themselves of these for the lessening of 

 household duties as they do to avail them- 

 selves of the last improvements in farm im- 

 plements. This is perhaps one reason why 

 genius could not afford to while away his 

 time on articles of household use, when the 

 husband of the plodding wife was but too 

 willing to let her plod on. But even across 

 t is broad stretch of wifely wrongs we catch 

 an occasional gleam, and genius, in spite of 

 himself, will now and then grant a boon that 

 the million will be all the better for. The 

 latest in this department is one that robs the 



washing day of many of its terrors and will 

 take another wrinkle from the brow of a wash- 

 ing day scowl and illuminate it with a smile 

 that shall give to the impromptu dinner a 

 zest before unknown. This new candidate 

 for public favor is called Putnam's clothes 

 WRINGER. We believe they are made at 

 Cleveland, Ohio ; Mr. James Frisbie is the 

 agent for sale of territory and machines at 

 Springfield, but we presume they will soon 

 be for sale in all the large and small towns of 

 the State. The clothes are passed through 

 India rubber rollers that press out the water 

 at one passage through, much more effectual- 

 ly than it can be done by hand. Any child 

 of a dozen years can do the wringing for the 

 largest family washing in a few minutes. — 

 The clothes are ready for starching directly 

 from the wringer. In the process no but- 

 tons are broken, hooks and eyes are not dis- 

 turbed and the fabric is not strained in 

 twisting, as by hand, lor it is simply run 

 through the rollers and the water pressed 

 out — a saving of labor, of fabric, and of 

 back and arm aches, for it is well known 

 that the wringing is the most laborious part 

 of the washing, and on an average of at 

 least one-third of the labor ; added to this 

 is the better condition of the clothes, as the 

 dirty water is expelled from the whole sur- 

 face instead of having it forced through the 

 fabric, which retains the dirt and allows the 

 water to run out. The machine has had a 

 fair trial in our family and unanimously pro- 

 nounced a most valuable assistant, saving at 

 least one-third of the labor of washing day 

 and leaving the goods in better condition 

 than can be done by hand, and ready for 

 starching without further drying. As the 

 cost is only $5, no family, however small, 

 can afford to do without one. It is one of 

 those things by which " you get your money 

 back," as the news boys say. We will sup- 

 pose that a washing is worth thirty-seven 

 and a half cents only, one-third of this for 

 forty washings is just $5, the cost of the 

 machine, when you have your money back 



