if a woman grow a cabbage and take it to the market, she sells it for just as much money as would a man had he grown the cabbage.
this i said to myself as i passed through the market yesterday and saw a woman selling cabbages. i bought one of her for fifteen cents. “are you from the country?” i asked.
“yes, indeed,” she replied pleasantly. “i am a widow, but i have a nice garden spot where i grow my cabbages, potatoes and other things for market.”
“you spade your garden, plant your seed and do all the work yourself?”
“yes, indeed.”
“have you children?”
“i have two little fellows, but they are not old enough to help me any.”
“you are a farmer, then, eh?”
“not exactly,” she replied, laughing; “but i have two cows; i have customers for my butter here in the city; then i have an apple orchard – only a little one. i have rented just now three acres of land near my place; so next year i will have potatoes – a good many – to sell.”
“and,” i said, “you will sell your vegetables for just as much money as would a man?”
“oh, yes,” she replied.
“and so you have woman’s rights?”
“that is so, that is so!” she said with a laugh; “yes, yes! woman’s rights!”
i walked away meditating; i meditated all the way home, and now i have had a dream which i believe was the result of that woman, her cabbages and my meditations thereupon. i am compelled, however, to confess that this dream which i am about to relate was not given to me in the night-time. it came to pass that when i arrived at home with my cabbage and marketing, i was so tired and sleepy that i laid down on the sofa in the parlor and went sound asleep. yes, i have slept three hours; have just woke, and must now make haste and write my dream before my husband comes home from the office.
i dreamed that i was flying – or rather floating – through the air. is it not a delightful feeling? how happy it makes one feel to dream of flying! well, it seemed to me that i was high in the air and moving rapidly. hamlets, villages, towns and cities, also the vast expanse of field, meadow, wood, river and lake were spread out as a map to my delighted gaze. but oh, the smoking, dirty cities! as i passed over them something drew me to descend, not that i so desired, but that the collective magnetic forces of the human beings therein immured, deprived me not only of the power, but, in a great degree, of the disposition to resist. so i came near enough to the surface to view the dark alleys, the narrow streets, the dark, brick walls of houses huddled together, and i longed to fly from them and again behold the beautiful country; but i was compelled to linger in each city and visit hundreds of places of which i had heard but had never seen – every garret, cellar, workshop or workroom in which poor half-paid working women toiled. but i found very few, indeed, of such individuals. what could this mean? then millinery stores, fancy stores and all other stores were visited; but the number of women employed was really very small and those few had not that pallid, under-paid, over-worked look usually characteristic of women in such positions.
mystery of mysteries! i said to myself; who does all the slop-work of those great cities? who make the shirts, drawers, etc.? who does the tailor-work we have heard so much about women doing for a mere pittance? then with a rapidity much greater than that of flying i seemed to visit the homes and places of business of those who did that work; but lo, it was principally done by men and boys! there were women, certainly; but few – very few – compared with the number which i supposed were employed on such work. what has become of the women? i asked myself. has the race of woman tailors died out? are they all married, and so have husbands to provide for them? no answer came. so into hotels, jewelry stores, telegraph offices, paint shops, where i knew that the advocates of woman’s rights should be almost exclusively employed, i looked but found scarcely any women there. into counting-houses, broker’s offices and banks i looked; and though in these latter i found some women looking quite vigorous and contented, women were by no means in the majority.
well, perhaps they had all gone into “law, physic and divinity!” so, after considerable search, i found a few doctors’ and lawyers’ offices scattered here and there; but the occupation of that class of people seemed to be gone to a considerable extent – there were not one-tenth the number i expected to find; but about half the lawyers, and three-fourths of the few doctors remaining, were women. as to the pulpit, i couldn’t exactly understand it, for many of the churches had been turned into lecture rooms; others had been fitted up as unitary homes; some had become polytechnic institutions and schools of science; and many of the tall steeples were transformed into observatories for the people. in about half of the churches, however, preachers were grinding away as usual, and about one-fourth of these were women.
it rejoiced me greatly to find banks wholly conducted by women, who were also, to a large extent, proprietors of stores, and seemed not to be excluded from any occupation. still, the majority of business people were men; it was evident that but a small proportion of women were employed in business, and that the number of persons employed in what are called the professions was so few that the disappearance of women from so many employments could not be accounted for in that way. what had become of the great surplus population of poor working women? was it possible that their work had been taken from them and given to the men and boys who seemed to fill their places?
then sorrow came into my soul, and i said, “alas, alas! it would seem that tens of thousands of women must be out of employment – must be starving – who did manage to live, if ever so poorly, by the labor of their hand; at least seventy-five or ninety per cent of these women must be starving!” then i remembered a book entitled “apocatastasis,” or progress backwards. how i had laughed at the idea of progress backwards! but did not his look very much like “apocatastasis?”
it would take too much space to detail all my wanderings through that and many other cities all over the continent. it will be sufficient to state that from maine to texas, and from florida to alaska, what is now woman’s usual work in cities was nearly all done by men. had to women all become wealthy? it was evident that they had not taken all the lucrative employments once monopolized by men.
then the scene changed, and i found myself walking along the sidewalk of that city, like other mortals. i was pondering on what i had learned, and was feeling very sad. by-and-by i lifted my eyes which, in my gloom, had been cast on the sidewalk, and lo, in every direction, large bills met my eye, headed with the words, “fifty years ago!” “semicentenarian festival!” across the street were large banners, as we see on election days, in commemoration of some great event. on these were the same words, with appropriate emblems and devices. flags of all sizes were hung out of the windows, and carried by little boys and girls in the streets, all having the same or similar mottoes. on one of these large banners was represented, on the left, a sickly, starving woman, sewing and shivering in a garret; beside her was a coffin containing a dead infant, the pointers of the clock indicated midnight. under this were the words, “fifty years ago!” on the right of the same banner were represented groups of beautiful, healthy, intelligent women and children, gathering fruit and flowers in the bright sunlight. this picture was entitled “to-day.”
most of the banners and flags were graced by the faces of two noble, earnest, beautiful ladies; but no names were given and only the words “fifty years ago!” replied to my many questions as to the meaning. the bells rang joyously, and bands of music were in almost every street, but neither drum nor cannon brought back memories of war. the beautiful, the joyous and the free were manifested in every countenance. maidens and matrons, boys and girls, gentle men and intelligent women, all participated in this celebration. but i could not learn from any of them what was its meaning, all seemed so fully occupied with their destination.
by-and-by the street cars came along, fluttering all over with small flags, on which were these same words, “fifty years ago!” the cars were labelled, “for the festival!” then rattled along the street two carriages in which were seen the beaming faces of ladies and gentlemen, and smiling children, and flags fluttering, with the same words, “fifty years ago!”
slowly, patiently, with the crowed of pedestrians, i moved along in the same direction as the carriages and cars, which frequently passed me, decked out with those magic words. all at once i found myself approaching a magnificent pavilion, large enough to hold tens of thousands of people. what large and beautiful flags were unfurled to the breeze! leaves and flowers were everywhere made to repeat, in wreaths, those predominant words, and it seemed as if the very atmosphere multiplied and repeated, in each constituent action, the words, “fifty years ago!”
i entered the pavilion and beheld a sight, which, for beauty and magnificence, i never saw equalled. never, while life may last, shall i forget this part of my dream. verily, it was a paradise far surpassing any that adam and eve ever beheld. here was gathered all the beauty belonging to the vegetable kingdom. here fruits, flowers, spreading branches and crossing vines were woven into a thousand floral arches over our heads – formed into summer bowers, grottoes, shady walks, secluded retreats. there were miniature lakes, waterfalls, fountains, fish ponds that surprised and delighted my eyes. here were gathered specimens of all flowers, edible fruits, grains and vegetables grown in the united states. ladies – only ladies – presided over all this wealth of beauty. then i looked up and beheld in letters of living flowers and vines these words:
women’s agricultural fair.
i looked at the beautifully-executed design, and many times repeated to myself the words, “women’s agricultural fair.”
“this is a most beautiful place,” i remarked to an old gentleman who was leaning on his staff, looking up and about him, evidently feasting his eyes.
“yes, grand, grand!” observed the old man.
“will you inform me,” i asked, “what is the meaning of this festival, or how it originated?”
he appeared astonished at my question, but soon showed by his countenance that he had decided me to be in earnest.
“you are a stranger, i see,” he replied. “well, this is called the ‘women’s agricultural fair’ because everything you behold here – no matter what – has been grown by women agriculturists. it is this year combined with a semicentennial festival for the following reasons: fifty years ago, a large surplus population of poor, toiling women, crowded our cities, while the land was not one quarter cultivated, causing, on the one hand, high prices for provisions, and, on the other, low prices for labor. “from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” to-day that large class of women who have no family duties and no husbands to provide for them are in the country; and they are no longer poor but are saving money. besides these unmarried women and widows there are large numbers of married women in the country, many of them with families, carrying on farms, their husbands remaining in the city for a few years in order to get money to pay for and improve their farms and furnish their homes with requisites for comfort, culture, and refinement. in this way our cities are but little overstocked either by workingmen or workingwomen; for just as soon as their farms are paid for and sufficiently improved, the men, too, go to their farms and remain there.”
before us played a fountain of water in the center of a miniature lake, in the depths of which beautiful salmon sported, and on its surface water-fowl were swimming and diving. from its banks were reflected orange and fig trees, lemon trees and grape vines, all laden with fruit, and kindly shading the old man as he sat in a rustic chair.
“take a seat,” he said, pointing to one near him; “take a seat. we may as well rest while we talk.” how, at this moment i recall that spot! what beauty, what wide spreading branches, what luscious fruit hung all about us!
“now,” said the old man, as he rested his two hands on his stick, “let me tell you how all this has come to pass.”
“i would like it, if you please.”
“fifty years ago to-day the first womans’ agricultural convention was held. the call was made by two brave, beautiful women, who had made a business of agriculture for ten years. there are their portraits,” he said, as he pointed with his stick through an avenue of trees, “by-and-by you can go and take a near view; they will bear close criticism; one of them has passed to the farther shore, but the other is still in the physical body. ah, you ought to see her! she is very old, but beautiful, so beautiful! she seems to have absorbed into herself the essence of the fruits and flowers and natural beauties which she so devotedly loves. her eyes are blue and her face beams with goodness and intelligence. she can make a speech as well as ever, though she is now eighty-seven years of age. well, these two ladies, as i said, had made agriculture a business for ten years. having tested the matter to their own satisfaction, they resolved to urge others, particularly women, to adopt the same business. every winter both of them left their farms, for a month or two, to lecture on agriculture for woman. thus others joined them, and in a few years numbers of women had secured land for themselves and had engaged in its culture to great advantage.
“to make a long story short, it came to pass that just fifty years ago to-day the first womans’ agricultural convention was held. i was there. the best hall in the city was secured, and there was a large attendance. many women were on the platform who owned their farms and houses, and they really made some excellent speeches, abounding with eloquence and logic, for they were both experienced and earnest in their plans for redeeming woman from poverty and privation.
“how well i remember some of the ideas advanced by one of them. ‘we tillers of the soil,’ she said, ‘have discovered the great royal road to wealth – wealth and independence for woman. on this platform are thirty-five ladies who have demonstrated in their own lives that agriculture is woman’s work just as much as it is man’s work. those ladies own farms and houses, cows and horses, of their own’; then, turning round, ‘and i believe every one of you has money in the bank. you are healthy, you are happy, and this has been done not in your miserable cities, not in garrets, not for cheating slop shops, but by each person in independence.’ how she did urge poor working women to go into the country if they only had just enough to take them there! ‘farming,’ she continued, ‘with the machinery now at command, is far easier and lighter than it was when we were children, and it is only habit and tradition that causes it to be regarded as requiring great muscular power. in general, it is much easier work, and far less exhaustive, than cooking, washing, ironing or sewing, especially in view of the accompaniments of fresh air and abundant food, in the one case, contrasted with foul air and semi-starvation in the other. at any rate, if it is not easier, we can do it, as it pays better and fills our pockets; and money is a great stimulant, as well as country air, beautiful scenery, fruits, flowers and singing birds.’
“i really believe i could remember most of her speech. however, she continued by informing the audience that she had purchased a large tract of land, on which she could immediately employ twenty-five women, and hoped that number would volunteer to go, as she would pay them more wages than they could earn at any sort of sewing until they could purchase some of her land themselves, after which she would rent to them, at a low price, various farming machinery, so that they could work to the utmost advantage. fifty-seven volunteered at once; twenty-five were selected, all of whom succeeded – a wonderful success, i think. the callers of the convention were so encouraged that more were held in various parts of the country, and the movement rapidly grew into a power, and its adherents were numbered by hundreds of thousands. all did not go into heavy farming; many concentrated on grain culture, as machinery enabled them to perform most of the labor with ease; many made a specialty of fruit; some of poultry, and others grew rapidly rich by pisciculture. some settled in southern california, cultivating oranges, lemons, nuts, grapes, peaches, etc., or raising silkworms, while others profitably raised berries in the immediate vicinity of large cities. finely they were caricatured by reckless, half-starved, half-intoxicated ‘bohemians,’ always ready to sell their birthright of brains for a very small mess of pottage, and too lazy to work at any useful calling! editorial wiseacres wrote labored articles to prove the utter futility and demoralizing tendency of any attempt by women to live by cultivating the soil. the popular lecturer said that a woman might as well attempt to keep a livery stable or a bowling alley, or pre-empt 160 acres of land in the moon, as to try to carry on farming; that, by attempting it, women would become rough, uncouth and masculine, and no man, who loved refinement and delicacy in woman, would ever marry such, etc., etc., etc.
“i have two sisters who were left widows when quite young; both with children. after the deaths of their husbands they came home to father’s house. one had a little over a thousand and the other but three or four hundred dollars. after many long talks as to what was best to be done (for it was really a serious question with so many children), they finally purchased for a thousand dollars ten acres of land, on which was a small house; they planted trees, or rather paid a man to plant their fruit trees, and then went to work to raise vegetables for the city market. their children became, every year, more and more useful. in ten years their success was complete; they had a fine orchard of choice fruit, a comfortable house and commodious family carriage, their boys are grown, and all of them farmers. my sisters taught the girls the importance of being self-sustaining, paid them for all work done by them in the garden or orchard, and at twenty each girl owned a piece of land. one of them, however, is now in the city with her husband, and together they carry on a large mercantile business. but,” he remarked, “i am afraid i shall tire you; old age, it is said, tends to induce garrulity.”
“not at all; i am glad to hear you,” i replied.
“oh, it amused me,” he continued, “to see how the women have stolen a march on the men. yes, yes, they have outwitted them. you see we have a numerous race of dandies and would be do nothings who prefer a good fit, morocco shoes, gloved hands, sidewalks and high brick houses to anything else in the world. this race of men had fashionable mothers and equally silly fathers, as thousands of children have to-day, who are taught by their fathers and mothers that the preceding requisites are indispensable to respectability.”
“yes,” i rejoined, “and i am thinking of the little boys of whom mothers are saying to-day, ‘willie or johnny is going to be a lawyer, a doctor, or a preacher or a fine gentleman, or he is going into business (meaning the business of trying all the time to outwit somebody else, and persuade somebody to put money in his pocket without an equivalent.)”
“yes,” replied the old man, “and thus the supply of would-be do nothings exceeds the demand, and hence the surplus of empty-headed, little-brained dandies afraid of any business that would bring them within the class of mechanics. these, by the pressure of want, are necessitated to fill the places once filled, but now vacated, by the very women who are now far removed from cities, from poverty and from toil, with the birds, the flowers, the trees and the beautiful of which they are a part; and those shams of men fill their places in garrets and cellars.”
“nature has taken her children to her home and heart,” i remarked.
“just so, my friend,” he replied; “birds, flowers, hills, rivers, mountains, running brooks and women should never be separated. there is,” he continued, “a feature of this agriculture for women that i should mention; it is this: you probably know that in all our large cities we had a super-abundance of honest mechanics. these, having seen what women could do in the country, concluded to try what men could do. the experiment succeeded to that extent that the only surplus populations in our large cities to-day are the miserable weaklings i have before mentioned as having fashionable mothers, who have little ability and less disposition to perform useful labor.”
then i thought in my dream that i arose to leave, and, shaking hands with the old man, thanked him for the pleasure his conversation had afforded; then directed my steps to the portraits of the two noble women who were the first to originate any extensive movement for placing women on the land. my whole being throbbed with happiness as i walked through the long avenue of trees, trails and flowers and noted the hundreds of healthy, happy women who presided over the specimens of their own culture. verily, woman has worked out her own salvation! i said to myself; the good time coming has surely come; woman has planted herself on the soil. she has health, she has wealth, and with these she has power. self-salvation – this is the rock on which she has built; and not all the powers of hell shall prevail against it.
then i found myself in front of the two portraits which the old gentleman had pointed out to me. while admiring them he came and introduced me to the surviving original, a dear old lady, whose hand i grasped with feelings akin to devotion. with her hand yet grasped in mine i awoke. a dream! i said in astonishment; but may not this dream, after all, be a prophecy?
