part of a farm hand or a farmworker,
she is a unit in the farm business as well as a partner, and should have
the value of the service she performs paid to her in wages. Of course we
hate the word. We want at least the mother in the home to be the final
unmerchantable thing there. But there are families in the country
scattered here and there who painfully need some such planning of home
affairs as this. If the happier women would move on lines of economic
system, even though they do not themselves feel tragic need for it, but
just in the interest of scientific accuracy and efficiency, the other
wives would be happier and all life in the home realm would have a
better adjustment. As long as the farmstead is a combination of home and
farm business, the presiding genius in this combination may work for
love many hours in the day; but where work is done by the woman
administrator that a house servant, if one were employed, would be doing
and would be paid for doing, the woman administrator, the mother in her
function of housekeeper, should be paid in money at commercial rates for
those services; and this should be accurately recorded day by day and
week by week and taken full account of in the budget.

The spirit that will uphold the mind and heart during the instalment of
such plans is the desire to know with scientific accuracy what the
annual budget of the house is and likewise what the budget for the farm
business is, and what each contributes toward the success of the other.
That each institution will be more efficiently run under such a system,
and that the elastic interplay of the two will move more harmoniously,
with less friction, and with a larger output of happiness for all,
admits of no possible doubt. Also that the Country Girl of to-day will
be anything less than fitted, disciplined and willing to act well her
vigilant part in this plan is equally inconceivable.

In order to meet this situation the average Country Girl no doubt needs
training in system and in bookkeeping. She needs to adopt a point of
view. She must take into account two things: first, every item, however
small, is important; second, every item, however small, must be
recorded. The apron-pocket should have pencil and tiny pad in it all the
time, except that every few minutes it must come out to receive a
record. One of the most important principles of efficiency is that we
should record our daily or momently efforts. We must know exactly wha