ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 83 



his, but was hers. She knew that year bj year the fields must 

 be prepared, sown, cultivated, harvested, and products sold 

 to reach the desired result; so she planned accordingly, put- 

 ting hand and head heartily into the work laid out to do, the 

 same as my father did. Mj mother's example is one of many 

 that I think of. 



According to the account history gives of the first farm 

 home, this seems to have been the divine intention — the man 

 was placed in the garden to dress it and keep it, and the 

 woman was to help him, only I do not believe Adam's garden 

 was so large that Eve needed to help as much as many of our 

 American farmers' wives do their husbands. 



In the rush for wealth characteristic of our nation, we un- 

 dertake too much. To one unaccustomed to physical labor 

 it is simply appalling the amount of w^ork women do on the 

 farms. Work is one of the farmer's wife's unlimited, undis- 

 puted rights, and yet I do not know any happier class of 

 women. Work is a safer extreme than idleness. 



"The honest, earnest man must stand and work, 

 The woman also; otherwise she drops 

 At once below the dignity of man 

 Accepting serfdom. Free men freely work. 

 Whoever fears God fears to set at ease." 



We are told that hard work is the cause of the large per 

 centage of insane women from farm homes. I believe it is 

 not so much hard work as worry, injustice, too close applica- 

 tion to every day duties without any outside interests to 

 break the monotony of regular work, which troubles could be 

 avoided in many instances. 



A part of the business of husband and wife should be to 

 aim to lessen labor as they can afford it. There is labor-saving 

 machinery to be had for indoors and out. Employing help that 

 board themselves is a farm luxury. Many farmers do this. 

 Good help in the house is a greater luxury. Own a good 

 family horse. Live on plain, wholesome food. These are 

 some of the comforts of farm life that are a hundred per cent, 

 better than their money value deposited in banks. I do not 

 know that there is any question about farmers' wives helping 

 to earn the farm income. 



