Southern Confederacy [Atlanta, Ga],
September 28, 1861
God bless them! We always love to write, or talk, to and about the dear creatures.
The men love you all–this you know. They have told you so a thousand times.
But these are war times, and we must give up romancing for a while. We desire a short business chat with you this morning–have but a few moments to spare from our constant labor–you have no idea how hard we work. Then to the point. Don’t be excited, we are not courting.
We want you with a ready hand and a willing heart to help your husbands, fathers and brothers protect our sunny homes from an invading foe, who are waging a cruel and relentless war upon our sacred rights–seeking to deprive us of all that men hold dear–liberty of person, rights of property, and peace at home.
We do not expect you to shoulder a gun. Oh, no! not yet; but you can be very useful, nevertheless. You can work. You can card and spin; you can weave; you can cook; you can wash, (your Sunday clothes, at least); you can iron; you can “clean up” your house; you can knit, sew, quilt, and we could not, in a month, think of the thousand and one useful things you can do, which you never dreamed of when you were at boarding school.
But you say, “what’s the use?” You have servants to do all your house work. Very well; but this is the idea: Send all the male servants to the farm, to raise provisions, and all your house girls to the garden and field to work, and you do all you can at home, while they make something out doors to satisfy the cravings of hunger. Your husband will love you more, and esteem you as a priceless jewel–far above all rubies–and labor all the more to make himself worthy of such a treasure.
But you say your husband does love you, and ought to love you anyhow. Granted; but dismiss your careless, negligent servants; pitch in and do your work yourself, and see how much more attractive home will soon be to your husband! The coffee will be better–not as unsettled as usual, the cakes will be browner, the waffles more tender. It won’t take half as many eggs; the sugar will last longer; you won’t have so many chipped cups and saucers; you won’t have so many dishes and glasses broken; brandy peaches and preserves will hold out longer; pickles won’t disappear so fast; and we don’t know what all will be the better.
Make your children sweep the yards and gather your vegetables for dinner, it will improve their health and elevate their character. Encourage them; speak kindly to them; never scold them, and keep them at their lessons, or at work, a good deal more than you do. (Let them play some, of course–just enough–not too much.) It will make them feel proud that they can help you and do something useful; and when grown up, they will not be the poor helpless creatures that the victims of wicked servants, careless parents, and idle bringing up, always are, when they leave you to take charge of a home of their own.
Then, again; by performing the duties we have indicated, yourself, you not only have everything nicer and more satisfactory and agreeable to yourself, your husband, and all concerned; but you will be better pleased with yourself. You will sleep better, be better contented, have less use for Spalding’s Glue and Cephalic Pills. You will enjoy better health, have a sweeter temper, feel more independent, be a better wife, a kinder mother, and be more useful to your country. You can save money; have more to give away to those in need, and thereby cherish and cultivate one of the most lovely and distinguishing traits of Christian character–charity.
If you cannot at once enter fully into the plan we have marked out, you can do this: less extravagance in dress. The fact is fine dressing is becoming hateful to all sensible persons, and the extent to which it was carried by some, before the blockade, never was genteel. If we can get salt and powder enough, it will not matter if we are blockaded till every old French hat and gaudy flower is as dim as a faded dogwood blossom. You can re-trim, the best of you, three or four cast off bonnets. You can cut up your last fall dresses, and out of the skirts make the children nice new dresses; and, rather than miss doing a good thing, you can wear some of them yourself this fall and winter.
You can “take in” your hoops (to suit the hard times–shorten sail in this storm,) and save several yards in making a new dress for yourself. There are a thousand little plans which a thrifty house-wife can adopt to save money, and look well too.
With these remarks we will close on the part of the married women, for the present. At our earliest opportunity, (by your permission,) we will have a half hour’s chat with the young ladies.