158 HOME AN. 



York), points out that "human beings 

 having a dual nature — physical and men- 

 tal — it is impossible for mind to be re- 

 ceptive of the beautiful when vital energ}^ 

 and nerve force have been so drawn to 

 muscle that but little is left for the brain. 

 Such, through household drudgery, is gen- 

 erally the condition of the woman in the 

 country/^ This drudgery, however, is un- 

 necessary, and Mrs. Organ makes a few 

 general suggestions for doing away with 

 much of this drudgery. Women should 

 make the saving of labor their dominant 

 purpose, she says. 



"Laundering, by the old spine-breaking, 

 muscle and nerve-depleting process, su- 

 perseded by scient^Tc methods, will be ac- 

 complished as thoroughly with half the 

 expenditure of time and labor, and less 

 wear of fabric. 



"The thrice daily drudgery of cooking, 

 hygienically simplified, will result in 

 manifold improvem_ent to the cuisine, and, 

 as a necessary corollary, increase normalc} 

 of appetite, greater health and vigor to 

 the entire household. 



"The labor expended alone upon these 

 superfluous and more or less — ^generally 

 more — unwholesome compounds, pie, cake, 

 puddings, pickles, etc., if devoted to the 

 cultivation of fruits, would supply abun- 

 dance of these delicious foods. And, in 

 this exercise, what manifold blessing to 

 woman! Taken in sunshine, and tonic 

 air, the bodily functions will be invigo- 

 rated, the nerve centers energized — the 

 entire being brought into physiological 

 harmony. Mind, through sympathetic re- 

 lation, will be commensurately benefited — 

 brought into condition receptive of all the 

 inspiring, beautifying, elevating influ- 

 ences of nature. 



"Woman, emancipated from unneces- 

 sary labor, will command the essential 

 conditions for growth into the life beauti- 

 ful — time, normal balance between brain 

 and muscle, and repose of mind, this latter 

 from the consciousness of having right- 

 eously earned her freedom. Given these 

 conditions, the woman in the country has 

 superior advantages for gTOwth into the 

 higher life." 



Edit your life. Do only the things 



FL0WEE8 



that are worth while. Mrs. R. S. Web- 

 ster (Ohio) urges women to discriminate 

 between duty and obligation, and thus 

 save much valuable time. 



"Stealing a moment here and there from 

 duties which crowd us is how we obtain 

 strength to continue our labors. Looking 

 at the things we love, watching them de- 

 velop and anticipating the fulfillment of 

 their possibilities, lets the sunshine into 

 the clouded brain and heart, brings a 

 happy light into the eye, and a buoyancy 

 to the step." 



* * * 



It is generally agreed that, as a rule, 

 the life of the farmer's wife is hard and 

 sordid, so hard and sordid, writes Sallie 

 B. Hatch (Missouri) that, "though sur- 

 rounded by the beauty and harmony of 

 nature, she is blind and deaf to these sur- 

 roundings. The farmer so often has so 

 little eye for the beautiful that the stable 

 yard and ugly out-buildings form a ver- 

 itable blot on the landscape, instead of — 

 by an unconscious neatness and suggestion 

 of thrift— blending into the fat meadows 

 and deep woodland beyond." In the bet- 

 terment of means of communication in 

 the country, however (by trolley, tele- 

 phone, rural free delivery of mail), Mrs. 

 Hatch sees great possibilities for eleva- 

 tion and refinement. Respect for farm 

 life is at the foundation of the life beau- 

 tiful on the farm, is the opinion of Mrs. 

 Albert Leeds (Ohio). She says: "Sister, 

 3^ou want to bring up your children to 

 respect farm life, and never, no, never, 

 let one word fall from your lips that shall 

 give them cause to think there is anything 

 degrading or uncultivated in being a 

 farmer. Three-fourths of the occupants 

 of farms, both men and women, need to 

 fall in love with their farms, and then 

 set to work to clean them up." 



