The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1856-02-21
From tho Ladies' Department of the Indiana Fsras-.
NeAtness and Order.

E1eabAcSS ANU
Neatness and order go hand in hand, ike
twin sisters You seldom see one without the
other In ali the departments and avocations
of life, these virtues are necessary 10 ensure
any degree Of success or proficiency, and
where there is lack Of these although ev-
cry necessary or every luxury may be fur
nished in the house, yet where disorder and
confusion reigns, there is little comfort little
happiness, little real enjoyment 10 be found
The spirit of beauty dwells not therc-it is
not amid scenes Of discord and confusion that
the love links of families strongly united
by the exercise of goodness, purity and true
love, Joined with moral and intellectual cul
ture But their tendency Is downward. A
familiarity with filth and dirt is degrading,
debasng to the mind, and if by long use
persons become accustomed to il, 1t is con-
elusive evidence that they have been drag
ged down to the level of their daily sur
roundings. Neatness and good order have a
strong practical bearing upon the welfare and
happiness of families. A place for every
thing, and every thing in its place, is rnle
that ought to be observed ard enforced in
every household, for where disorder and
slovenlness prevail, discomfort is sure to fol-
low. But neatness is sometimes carried u
such extremes by housekeepers, that the
peace, harmony and social enjoyment of the
family circle is almost entirely Destroyed
Scrubbing and securing is the order of the
day from Monday morning till Saturday
night and indeed in some cases the stiffness
of the sacred Sabbath is broken by the reno
waiting and polishing that is continually kept
up. Every thing in the house is too nice to
be used-the doors and windows are kept
carefully closed, and darkness reigns supreme
in hall and parlor, lest some fugitive spider
a.. 81 f,,l @Ia;r Il.
polished furniture, or dim the shining glass;
therefore, every member of the family,
young and old, must walk round TO the back
door of the cook shed to enter the house,
lest they should soil the snowy whiteness OF
the sills.
We candidly believe children are often
driven to seek society and pleasure at the
tavern or country ale house, because they
can have no freedom at home. Now, there
certainly is no use III having house, if You
can't use it, and men who toll and labor for
the comforts and conyeniences Of life, ought |
to enjoy the pleasures to be derived there +.
from. Give the husbandman resting place I
in that cool, cosy room, instead of combining |
him to the kitchens din and cook stove odors.
Throw open the window, ami let the balmy
breezes, laden with the fragrance of sweet
flowers fan his brow while he sleeps Make
and inward beauty-train the woodbine,
sweet briar, honey -suckle, and other graceful
sweet-scented clambering vines over the WIN
dows and around the portico; plant modest
wildwood flowers along the walks-their
very perfume will give your home an air OF
beauty and refinement. Let the family often
be brought together in the neat but cheerful
room with useful and entertaining books and
papers 10 read and discuss, the different mem
beers of the family Will learn to love and APP
preciate home, and goodness, purity and pl-
ETY. will dwell within its sacred walls.
What magic dwells in the sacred word
home. How the heart thrills with emotion
atsthe very sound W hich brings to the mind
the loved ones the heart holds dear; all the
holy and generous affections cling around and
centre in that hallowed spot Il is there that
the weary hoart turns for comfort and hap
piness when it has felt, in its contact with the
world, its holowness, its treachery, its deceit
and falseness. How sweet to find within the
precincts of home the sympathy of loving
hearts and kindred ties. How beautiful the
family relation of husband, wife, father, mo
the, sister and brother.
The home influence is an endearing one
and all powerful for Joy or sorrow, happiness
and misery. There should be great care ia
ken that no undue restraints be laid on the
loving hearts that cluster around the hearth
stone
We do not wish to be understood as ma
king any compromise with dirt-no indeed;
we abhor it, detest dirty kitchen or sloven-
ly housewife, and we think that man an OBJ
ject of commiseration who has the misfortune
to get an untidy wife; and vice versa; but
let neatness and good order prevail indoors
and out. In the meantime, wSa<hould not
let domestic cares fill the mind SO entirely
Dispense with so much extra scrubbing and
cleaning; do less cooking and baking OF pies
and cakes; make less sweet meats-familes
will be healthier children will he more robust
and rugged Then. and not till then, will
wives and mothers have time To tit and quail
~ themselves for the higher duties OF life
Every woman ought TO spend some time IN
the cultivation of her mind. and thus lay up
stores of knowledge that viii be a mine OF
wealth, which cannot be wrested from her.
FARMERS, SAVE YOUR HUsas.-It ought
to be more generally known that the best,
healthiest and cleanest bed is made of corn
husks. Take the fine husks and shred them
the finer the better-aithough they are
sometimes used without, and fill your bed
full You VII have cool, soft bed, that
will not collect or retain dust, ana far supe-
rior to your fever-generating beds, which
ought long ago to have been numbered with
the things that were. These beds are more
durable than feathers or straw, and the cost
would be amere trifle. A friend tells me she
has used one for several years, which Is vet
good.
To KEEP STovE BRIGHT.-Make a
weak alum water, and mix your British