THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND, SUNDAY" MORNING, APRIL ti. Jilt
Re Country Mother' and Ier Problems
I. .
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m i i m k . . s r taw a. i i ? em . ' - - .. ... x ft ttti
. riMii iu b:'v fira rr?ii v ...r v, ;
She Gin't Keep Her
Boys on the Farm,
Says an Agricultural
Expert, Because She
Is Unable to Keep
Their Brains Busy
T ET us first consider the xvonderful
women who, in spite of their
V!'"V- tar!ed, hard Ikes in the country,
have sent out into the world some of its
greatest leaders. Also that 97 per cent of
the successful city men have been bred on
the farm'
There is a xvoman xvho knows, aho is in
the thick of farm educational work, her activi
ties touching it specially where it affects the
farm child and the mother. She is an en
thusiast who gives herself up to her voca
tion with all her might and main, and trob
akly comes more closely in touch with the
women of the farm and their children than
any one among those women themselves
snore closely, perhaps, than anv one else in
this country. It is she who makes those sen
tences the keynote of a-talk.
THE woman who bear tha children Of tha farm
la truly unique among her aex. Tha woman of
tna city iluea not, cannot, comprehend her; thalr
wo .it loo lar asuuder. tJomatlinea, when
'country boarders" find "country boarding," tha clty
Ua.tieu moiiier nein a lew, stray gllmpaea of thla femi
nine exinteiK-f , &o utterly at variance with berg; but those
glimptcs are gamed iliiuu!i ine natural. aelllsU haae of
me buyer dealing with the aeller.
c s And the woman of the larin. if she has a single busl
" nasa lnatinot to bless l.erself wish, makes It her Hrt law
at nature, aa a country beaming house keener, to put
her own private affair in Hie background; her boarders,
gue knows, are pleasurt-ieckeis, not irlends or even
- guclologtsts.
- bhe is not to be compared with the women of Europe
,- Whose homes are l lie larm. fcUie Is ol a kind totally
. i tliflereni in naoit, tuoutjnt, altitude lonaid; me. In ine
' very air sne Drealhes and mo relations sue maintains
.'toward those near her or near to her. There a wnois
-pountryside migiit, more or lesi, be classed lor tolls anu
r aspirations; lieie past, prnsent and lumro are innnkciy
Vaitous. And now, even as the American tarm and us
taimer are In process of unusual development and
change, o the farmer's wlie and tne farm child's mother
linos hei auirounuiiuss ctianginK, her dunes cnanB.iiK.
iir outlook on her home ana tne world beyond cnang-
- ing, too.
i Keurly all of these mothers of the farm, from the
.. very eviuerice tnat uk have done their part, command
.the respect of their titers In tho cities, as trlumpuing
over tiimculi tasks wen dune, iiut oniy some li'ieud uf
- many of them, admitted to their lircsides and their
hearts, who knows iium well, learns what truiy heroic
figures may live and die. unknown of the outer world,
in some quiet lannliouie at tneiid of a shaded lane.
- '."Some of the women who live" on our farms,'' said
- alia, "more than deserve tiie word "wonderful' 1 apply to
them. The one, narrow avenue of feeiiiig through which
tlie people of the cities olvine something of those lean,
tarved mental Uvea Is their dread of the 'loneliness.'
; Hut It la not mere lonellnebs the ' woman of the farm
endures; nor IS she necessarily lonely,. In the word's llt
' eral.sense. Bhe has neighbors who are, to her, mors
" than neighbors ever are in l:;use great, crowded, heedless
city hives. t But sne Is cut oil lrom lhat world of life
and action, 'whose every sight and sound fill to overflow
tha interest of the day; and, too often, the past she has
. Inherited leaves her debarred from the intellectual stim
Ulua which her husband takes as his natural, man s right.
. . "Men In the country have been less starved than
women,' for they are in rather frequent contact with
their fellows In the country store, in the market, at the
grange. In the associations of fruit growers. But many
of tha women lack these broad and broadening Influences.
' "But wbaf achievements of sacrifice and resolute will
their Uvea oftentimes 'show: 1 know one such woman
whose life of toll has .been filled with high, true heroism,
bhe has sent her .six children through college by her
wn effort. It waa no unusual thing for her to retire at
midnignt and be up at 4 o clock In the morning. To keep
herself Informed on the affairs of the day, she borrowed
. Uikb'aslnee and newspapers from her mora fortunate
neighbors.
v- "Her "toU and devotion, I believe, are rivaled by riot
few other mother among the poorer farm folk. They,
like thoir intelligent eisten among the more prosperous,
rt-preeest the) .-women who discern truly their duty as
mothers; who realise that their ftrat material care should
bo to let their children have tha full opportunity the
"toatton'a wfeole, wide. vaHed opportunltlee present
"W nuit not overlook tha -fact that H per cent of "
tho eucceeaful city, men ara those who have been edu
cated cm the farm. It la -tha Invaluable moral yea, and
tna phyiJcal training acquired on the-farm that fits a
tnan to survive in the so-called strenuous Ufa of the
-ret dry. ' -( . r J -
1 noee soccwirui men. mm wero continually
'-- v - v r Mt ff elnc v.tha close econo
lea, tha shrewd bargainings -the "work- Which tenaaa
xy moral fiber that enters into, the straggle for life
ro repetition wiia others, na man In Mall street
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" SWa--- WSaaaaT- llteeM"" " " aaaa
II W I II
She is the trusted counselor t adviser and
friend, by this time, of pretty nearly every
boy and jjir living on a farm in one big
state, and looked to for counsel by many
of their mothers. So she knows, in a way thut
no individual mother among them can quite
know, what are the varied difficulties and han
dicaps such a mother faces; and she realizes, as
no woman who is not living on the farm can
realize, the things that should be done and the
means that can be depended on to aid.
When, therefore, this expert consented
to tell of the country mother, she brought
to bear not only an exceptionally broad
knowledge and experience, but the sympa
thetic, intimate understanding, without which
no word on this least known yet most vital
of the nation's ' farm problems can
true weight or bearing.
have
wrestles with other men; the worker on the farm
w ics lies with nature.
"He who wrestles best with men Is be who possesses
most of fundamental endurance. For any city task, one
can recommend the country bov for elemental require
ments; he may lack the polish; he may lack many
things. But all of these he can acquire. Jiis elemental
virility ha brings from tho soil Itself, and he knows his
own powers and his own nature. You can plow it field
and dream your dreams, and It Is often the dreains we
have in youth that make of us what we become In
manhood. ,
This country life expert, because' she has seen- so
many sides of farm life, Is too practical to be the
sheer sesitlmenlanst. iter appreciation of the devo
tion a mother can show, when Inspired by a right
discernment other high duty, la balanced by an equal
severity of Juagunent of her sex where women prove'
stv irm Wl' I fl TOL trL W ft IVJJIT
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Uaweat'iWa? .etomwafr ittTmtt-xi--JI,)lm,mmmm, I it t f, -, , ,? inwj I "A
HE man of the future the "y&fy hear future
if he isn't a man of concrete himselft
will be so snrrounded, occupied aniburied
bv concrete, when the cement nrtai o-pt
through with theit adaptations, that he will feel '
he ought fo be made ot concrete, though h isn't.
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recroum-to thels children's 'bajif Interests. She under
stands, but she refuses to' condone.
"The woman who la a mother often indulges In a
selfishness that Is colossal. They thlnk only with their
mother hearts, which urge them to keep their boys for
ever at their apron strings, however unjust life on tile
farm may be to the son's real "talents. If they can-
He
wont eat concrete: no
o, not that, although
we have had clay-eaters in the United States lonjr
enougli toraake ven such - diet seem not inrpo.-,1
aible. .But he may very well take hia meals sitting; -
on concrete cjiairabt a concrete tabl h can do
1
aMpHMHMSl '
it now--nd:thc?e4eem4 to be no special reason.
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tail many (lm tMy frv too ihy ci fcf
auuld Oeprtv feojr during him maturing ro&aoo4 (
tfeat tnoal prloalM ( tna 4larniit. bla trmm will.
II la tmt (rota tapoaatbt to erun young amUUa a4
nlarprtM tor ttbr and, pvaiul. tivilvr aaiua. aa
faugad by o individual fitaaaa. by depriving a boy
vl a cnanea to know ina.ctiancaa thai wdar and lb
oueupatloa Ibal aJluro blm.
"1 anouJd by no iuuix urgo that a boy ba dayrlvad
af kla tKy Ufa on llta farm, lta altould hat bit young
Ufa In tha laboratory of naiura, lla win mut immanaa
baaaflt from tha rontact but. hB ba haa rateavad tka
( whan hla character imp la blm to hla Jtrua ooalloa.
ha abould bar oiwnad to blm ary avanua that may
Invito hla ebotro.
"It ta aaiy to aao how tha boy'a Inngtnia and amal
tlont may run counter to hie mother hopaa and bar
fear. Tna avara'a mother on tha farm prohaMy tha
-eme mwk - 1 ' -- --n' Ufa for bar
boy. Rba would rather aao Mm harbored there at homa
forever than nm.in 10 ...a ii.yrtail danger tha draada
In tha world about them
"But to beep anv anan bound down Impriannad. whara
harm can't rch htm. la criminal. Tie nuaht to know
hla world: ha rtuirh to learn tha rtnoathllttlee of hla
at rone. boatiMful hodv and aoul for good or lit. Ha muat
ooner or latar. anroantar tha world ahnnt him: for. avail
thaugh ha aoab to flea from It. thla world will forro Itaalf
upon Mm. Ha muet learn how to ftht It
"pnranta romo to in at my offlca and aab ma to lot'
tbam know wrathar thalr Boy la going to chtireh. I
hava aald. no; I won't py on Roy. If ha bitn't baan
nroparry praparad for h'a mild orej o achnni life w.v
from homa. It cannot ba accounted hla fault. Lot htra
falter now, "if ha must, so that he shall find bis feet in
grim reality.
"A father told me he wouldn't let his son, 18 years
old, drive a good horse; the boy must take the old plug.
All I could say was that It was a pity; 'your hoys, any
boys, are ashamed of driving an old plug, and all tha
reward you will earn Is that, down In their hearts, they
VVJH J M fltf If
why he shouldn't help himself to potatoes aud pork
and beans on a concrete plate; if he feels like it.
And there ia no reason at all why hq shouldn't
fill up a concrete pipe afterward they're doing
that now, too and lean back to the luxury of hia
concrete, smoke in a concreto armcliau Hke the
substantial citizen he's goinpr to be. When, at
last, he kicks the concrete bucket, they'll put him
in a concrete coffin -they're - doinjr it now and
plant him in a concrete vaujt doing that, too-1-and
there let him rest under a concrete monument
to concrete forever and ever, amen.
- It'll be a concreted land and nation, all right,
ivhcn th Ambitious specinlists in cement and its
uses shall have wrought all the miracles they hope
for, and seem to be in a fair way of performing.
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l HE cement men had an exhibition tnls year; they .
have It every year It was In Kansas City, Mo.,
for J912" and they showed one . another their
latest achievements With tho universal plastic.
with the general public looking on, more surprised than
they were.
There seem to be only a couple of handicaps on tha
use of concrete for every' purpose under the sun, .Includ
ing sundial and burial-vaults. One of them is fitness
for purpose; the other Is weight. Every year that passes -
gives evidence that the fitness of concrete Increases and
the weight decreases. A third limitation, cost, has now
reached the stage where it meets the exoense of many
older, rival materials and. for tho rest. Is atoned for by
superiority. , - '
This -Isn't a concreted .country yet; but already so
many of Its most familiar phases of existence proceed
on concrete bases, that it could be almost made of con
crete, from the cradle to tha gravo. with small expendl-
ture of new,
along, the lines of intimate homo uses, with -the one.
m'hn &b1d7mcul v
bimr Tbey can make countless articles in cement and
creauve lur&a. lam miiwvmiii w
with an onequsled etrength and pertnanenea. . V4.. ' -i
Tha- Cltlea, oc course, anow innumarauiv , 1
ta teu w.' 1 tut a l-ef hiM i M
ta lain a, ftwity gvt an a n. Nr 1 ai
lalUk U tVai aaaaatly Uaad boy l tag leiaa, I
faa, a net! e . Iaa taa weitd. aUaig at m Ika
a. tt 4k4 . a-a afia4 ! L
'a. to a iiaae aea .ae ta IWa faiftv
watUd aayi lm net l'4gt y tbttdraa) e4 tawd al
iw ala.a aay obat aa faealtat aea'
aaaat oa aad aaaola ih. lay let o-iae f
axaai beta e . lee tka awb U aaty
-e. let teili Kuf a aaatlg aieag lea Utei
f ,fc1r aei Ihay
- novo. I baew a boy af li waa aMad to
, 'waa laaao aver a- wrtiuaj wi im1 1
lava Nee bailey laaa aayibia a4a la taa watU '
' 'H tad. I tutetiH a-ad 1 gaa hlaa a
bind oaated laat bay Waa buagartag ef
raadlag lag Iba lu.a f bia deUFla lte. At taa
ago at It b bag a 14 baif a data and aaaed a
af bta ooa, aarnad la tn f'eata.
Ta baag-r laa baaoieia. (at aatnalbiag diitai
ant f ra taa raatiaa o4 la faeoa. aa ba daaiad aiv
. at tha aik-aaao of iba beet la a ti4a nature Ana
tho kandwa t apo ikeaa van b traataaittad da
ta agaa.
rt bav aaa Ba a wba Va araallrally aaaaaetf:.
et atiangaie Bar raw, ruriaualy eae.eUe4 In lter
aaantal develapraaaL Orauy Ikera la imm eauairr
diatrtct. and ibay can ba aa putliad t ba weKara af
tbelr on cbUJren Ikat lay aid aaa apaitajanta
at teachers bacauao aielera ar lliu hava to leaa
abo a oar a .living, or bacaaea aaeaa man ar
wamaa bappwna to ba aa ahjact af rpaikr aa caa
ba eoavealeatly aut at Iba teaebera dee a to draw a
alary aad aaull tha yauag btatna that deeart a tha
eel tka acbool lag baoaaya can buy la iba way at
pert Inetrurllan.
"At iba lima wban ruaalry abaala ara having thalr
ioaeara appaiated tar any 'aa In iba warid but
the rigbl one. I anew of eaa women who. after teeth.
lag for thirty year, like the geaiu aha la la br call
lag, nn herself new aul of a aeeiilea. ailer gletr.g
lha bast af bar l.fa to a roualry school where the
parent ware deiertalaed Iba children ebeatd have
aaly iba aarrew round at studies ibey were au
tamed lo.
"Any one. with ball an aye. can see that there Is
vast field of usefulness and Influence awaiting iba tsoiaer
aa t Ua farm; and I ehouid ear, after all mat eipwteaca
vl I h rondHMM aad all my hnewiedge of lha neiureK
bent and iba grave handicaps of the average woman
there, thai aha la aaaUaad lo laao bar poelMea In lha
new order that la being born."
It Inte woman aspen on rural Ufa were S mere
enthusiast, aba would have aad a panacea ready for all
the troubles gad enatalies woman face an the farm. Km
aba ooafeee berealf a cluneal auii. becAuse she bag
found thai rhrtnlo Ilia and new eondllloos preaeat con
stantly changiag varletiat of dlffleully aad dilemma,
soma of tbam akin, but many calling for Individual
con al deration.
"Kveii though the mother on tha farm has tsaks tbt
engage bar ardpoualy." eaid she. "and even though ibe
i aauuces of the borne be all too eiender. the farmer
wife bss ataeta of character and training which, with
Ihe new epirtt that hi coming over country Ufa generally,
will enable bar to lake advantage of taa agendas, now
so readily available, tor bar own. gdvaAcement gad for
that of har children,
"People In rural districts msy not think so quickly
those In the cities, but they evro very steadfast of,
f urpoee i hey are trained to do genuine thing. It is
heir lisbl j do a concrete, rounded, complete pteco of
work, wna.oker they undertake. Bridge whist and shop
ping bava uut sidetracked rruuey a rutal school improve
ment em be i k ad on by groups of rural folk I know.
Thoee people, when Ibay made up their minds that tha
betterment must come, went straight at It. and persisted
' la It until It was accomplished.
"1 feet sura that the farm woman Is ready to lake
an active part In tho direction of country life. Bhe may
net do it alone; perhape II will ba beet lhat she do not do
It alone. The country life this country will most profit by
will com Jhrouih co-operation of tho people in the clllea
with tboaa on the farm.
"It Is neuet significant that tha woman in country
districts srs organising Into clubs. Olva such organisa
tions the right help and the larger communities will, la
turn, be benefited. Mistakes will be made; we must
aspect i them. . Bwt anry a bint or so Is needed; It la
astonishing bow thorough reslly thorough women can,
be when once they are on the right track.
"The women whose children attended one rural school
I know of organised a mothers' meeting of about twenty-
five members and got together a library. 1 think they
were partly seeking soms relief from their own monoto
nous round, but wholly esger to make It of genuine
service to the children. At any rate, they asked the
ststs to send a. speaker who should tell them what
to do next, and they provided the nicest refreshments
they could prepsre for the speaker.
"I was the speaker; and 1 am afraid I was cruelly
ungrateful. I told them I didn't want their refreshments,
but I was sure their children did. So the very first thing
they ought to do next was to have the children hold a
school-clnnlng bee, and give them refreshments after
ward. Thera was a practical piece of work in cleanli
ness and housewifery which they, were perfectly qualified
to supervise and the children were fitted to profit by.
"Tho women had the right Impulse; all they neaded
was the right direction. They began at tha right place
the scboolhouse. I'd rather see, in such an organisation,
the best breadmaker disclosing tha secrets of her In
valuable art to the children In the rural school than find
the whole mothers' meeting learned In parliamentary law
and delving Into scientific works on motherhood. Tha
breadmaklng is so near to homemaklng that it Is funda
mental. And If only the earnest, deeply loving mothers
will see to It that their children have books fitted to
awaken their Imagination, bright enough and broad
enough to give them vistas beyond the farmhouse lane,
they will ba doing their highest duty to the mind and
the soul, as they try so hard to do It for the body.
"in many states the women of the rural districts
are already making well-defined efforts to bring atiout
better education. Time was when local politics hsd much
to do with the choice of rural supervisors and teachers.
But a new spirit Is abroad, and the women are working
with the men for better education of their boys and girls.
" 'Oh,' some will say, 'all this must tend to take tha
boys away from the farm.' Don't be alarmed; only those
will go who are better gone. The very books that open
their minds to the world at large reveal to them, too.
the opportunities which He at their feet. And the mother
who will learn to school herself to be the mother of a
man Instead of a human drudge will enjoy a reward
infinitely greater than that which her unreasoning, blind
mother love can ever bring her."
. - 7'
material; but they have scarcely the range of need
afforded by the farm or country house.
The man who chooses now to have a home that Is to
present concrete's durable qualities can, of course, fence
It around with concrete posts and smile at the futilities
of weather, insects and decay. lie can build his barn
of concrete from barnyard to roof, grin at lightning and
watch his fields turn Into an Interest-bearing bank ao
count from tha manures his watertight floors restore to
, them. He can stable his hogs in concrete and smoke hla
. hams In a concrete smokehouse tha latest fashion la
fireproof, bugproof, thlefproof smokehouses for the Amer
ican farm.
He can lay all his cutters In concrete and prevent
road washings Hudson Maxim did It years ago along tho
steep hillside of his home at Lake Hopatcong, In New
Jersey. He can build his house of concrete blocks- sur
round It with concrete walks; raise his porch on' con
crete pillars; set his lawn with concrete benches- raise
his fancy flowers in a, concrete conservatory; gro'w the
home window plants In concrete boxes-mighty hand,
some they are, too: lay his floors In reinforced concrete
frlese the walls with, classic concrete reliefs; build hla
fireplaces plain, quaint or magnificently designed-ln
Dune in am uamroom or concrete; run hla -
wu, vwulicib, "iii ins concrete statuarv
set up his stained-glass windows In intricate concrete
frames; Install concrete laundry tubs; set uuconorata
clothesline poles; make the kitchen sinks olTconcrat.
put in concrete drainage pipes; build the tank of con
crete; pipe the water from the spring In concrete- aY
the bens In concrete nests; and, the whole Job finished
light the candle in tha concrete candlestick to lead I thi
Way to bed after phonograph muslo from a concreto
Thua fa- .n1 . II,.
niture. from settees to chairs, is made of concrete' andlX
it can be designed to approximate raahoaanv in wii?hr J
with finish and color tones equal to fine woods. Evan
the children now have concrete nlavtMn- r: " I
molds are i sold for children's use. which enable them to
turn out blockjand columns in concrete as a diversion.
Bo.lt may belaid that the new generation la growin
ttrl III Tt mlllS Mr V aWlth thai nrajrra I a
'probabiy one of tha . best guarantees of future unlver-
sauty .that could have been devised, it rioaa lank
able that the boy who. in manhood, finds himself caned
on to construct a dipping tank for stock, or a lot of
watering troughs, or a bouse, will naturally turn to tho
material he played with and tested when ha was a boy
Theee. things- are all real enough, and many mora
Why, if the house is on a river bank and the now popular
concrete bridge don't happen to be handy, like as not you
will decide to build a concrete r motorboat for pleasure
and for ferriage when you need It. ' -. ,
Tha concrete omn. vault, monument all are 'as raal
as tbe little concrete tobacco dIds: the dealrna In enmH.
and memorials range from 1 tha - simple ' headstone up
iMiuuftu kin i.bi i k Huiymira ig iuch irn vu i nrca m thm
McKlnley Mausoleum, at Canton. iO. The cradle to tha
grsTe that is about where cemetft stands with us now
ow.
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