While tracking the day-by-day events in the sex scandal of Senator Benjamin Harvey Hill of GA in spring 1880 (accuser is kicked out of Senate Gallery, THE baby in arms, while Hill's fellow Senators question whether he has the wherewithall to possibly be guilty..good story), I came across the following column, which I thought might be of interest...along the lines of "nothing ever really changes".

Best Regards,
Janet Baugh Hunter..descendant of most likely illegitimate son of Hugh Lawson White Hill of TN, first cousin of Benj Harvey Hill, and a Congressman himself...again in the "nothing ever really changes" department.

(Alexandria (VA) Gazette, p. 2, March 19, 1880.  "Among the petitions introduced in the Senate today was that of Susan B. Anthony, praying for the removal of the political disabilities resting upon her by reason of her being named Susan instead of George).


FARMERS WIVES Directly from microfilm of Alexandria Gazette, page 2, March 25, 1880. (no copyright involved.)

It is no wonder that farmers wives breakdown so early in life.Working late at nights, after a day of continuous toil, is one of the main causes.  One woman
tels me that she never sews a stitch until the rest of the family are abed, then she runs the sewing machine until almost midnight.  She says, "What a blessing this machine is to me," but I do not quite agree with her, for she is so tired when she does retire that she cannot rest.  She is only 38 years old, yet she looks to be 50.  Her husband is as much in the fault as she is, if he could only be brought to see it.

He begins in the morning by keeping breakfast waiting till every possible thing is done outside, no matter how long she must wait, working over the hot stove to keep things just as he likes them.  Next, he must have every boy and girl on the place out helping him to get ready for his days work; meanwhile the house work stands still while mamma cares for baby.  He is very
particular to request the dinner should be ready at 12 oclock, when he knows that he never gets ready for it before one.

And so it goes.  With washing, ironing, baking, cooking, putting things to rights and carng for children, gets no time to sew, and as for reading, that
is out of the question save a little while of a Sunday, and then the farmer generally monopolizes the solitary weekly.  Under no consideration will the farmer quit his work before sundown, and that brings the milking and most of the "chores" after dark.

Of course supper waits.  After that late, unwholesome supper, the farmer sits awhile, tired and sleepy, and consequently stupid, and by the time tea things are washed and put away he is ready to retire.

Now, the poor woman takes up her nightly task, and works out the hours which should be spent in sleep.  I have no patience with the woman who does so, or
with the man who would allow it. THE WATCHMAN

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