NO EIGHT-HOUR DAY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4233, 19 January 1940, Page 3

NO EIGHT-HOUR DAY

A FIFTEENTH CENTURY HOUSEWIFE

The following recommendations for the use of good housewives taken from an early fifteenth century manuscript are a salutary comment for women of the present day who may feel over-worked, acid it is a comforting thought that most of the women for whom they were intended were unable to read them:—<

“In the beginning of March, or a little time afore, is the time for a wife to make her garden, and to get as many good seeds and herbs as she can, and specially such as he good for the pot and to eat. Let the distaff be always iready for a pastime that thou be not idle. Undoubtedly a woman cannot get her living honestly with spinning on the distaff, but it stoppeth a gap. It is convenient for a husband to have sheep of his own for many causes, and then may .his wife have part of the wool to make her husband and herself some clothes. At least she may have the locks of the sheep, either to make clothes or blankets or coverlets cr both,. And if she have no wool of her own, she may take wool to spin of clothmakers, amd by that means she may have a convenient living, and many times to do

other works. It is a wife’s occupation to winnow all manner of corn, to make malt, to wash and wring, to make hay, shear corn, in time fo need to help he|r husband drive the plough, to load com and such other. And to go or ride to market, to sell butter, cheese, milk, eggs, chickens, capons, hens., p’gs, geese, and al. manner of corns. And also to buy all manner of necessary things belonging to her household, and to make a (true reckoning and account of her husband, what she hath paid.” Even the author seemed to suspect these were large orders, for he warns the housewife, not without good reason, (that “it may fortune

sometime that you shall not know where to .begin!”