Is there any justification for requiring a girl to work in the field with the men and boys? Many girls are doing so, whether required or not. Careful consideration of the matter seems to bring out a few suggestions. The farm girl while a child under ten years may accompany the father or the brothers into the field and there be permitted to do some light work occasionally, provided she regard it in a semi-playful way. On very rare occasions, when older, she may be rightfully called on to drive a rake for a day or take some similar part of the work in order to help prevent the loss of a valuable crop. But the practice followed by some farmers, of often requiring their daughters to do a man's work in the field, and excusing the fault with the thought that it is for the sake of laying up wealth for her future enjoyment--that is abominable and should be prohibited by law. Among other objections, it is probably most hurtful to the young woman's pride and self-respect to be forced to perform farm labor. And then, during such time as she works in the field her much needed opportunities for the practice of the womanly arts and refinements are slipping away. Of course we should not take away from the country-reared woman the poetic sentiment about the days of her childhood when she helped rake the hay and drive the cattle home, "just for fun." SOME SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS It is difficult, of course, to lay down specific rules here, because every case is a special one. But nearly all intelligent parents can easily determine whether or not they are fair to their girls. It would seem reasonable that in addition to the affection and interest properly bestowed upon her in the home, the daughter should have at least the same measure of value--money value--put upon her work as is the rule with the hired helper. Certainly no worthy parent would ask her to work for a smaller sum. Too many of these good, promising girls are cramped and limited in their lives until the self-pride is crushed well-nigh out of them. Often such young women will be seen moping about in a stooped attitude of body, stiff and awkward in their manners, lacking in self-confidence and in that beautiful grace and ease of movement which mark the well-developed young woman of twenty years. All of this is more or less indicative of parental disregard and mistreatment--indicative that some one has cheated her out of the time that should have been allowed for rest and recreation and social improvement and given her in exchange an over-amount of grinding toil and enforced seclusion--_all for the sake of the work and the profits_.