The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1858-11-04

ParlOr Daughters;
The Folly Of "Hating HOuseWOrk,"


Girls, young ladies', and if you please,
mothers too, just listen for moment,
for / have a short story to tell you; and
perhaps at the close of it we will find
"moral, and perhaps sermon.
A few days since called upon a
young lady / may as we'll say that
having been considerably Impressed"
by her beauty and brilliant conversa-
tion, at several evening social parties, l
had resolved to prosecute the acquain-
tance l will not affirm that there had
not hoated vaguely about in my brain
certain pleasing aud rose-colored "bach-
elor's reveries, in which figured con-
spicuously the boaming face and ell
egant figure Of Miss f.
Be that as it may, l called; and be-
ing ushered into the parlor, sat down
and waited with some impatience the
appearance of the lady.
My attention was soon arrested by
voices in an adjoining apartment, and
the door being ajar, I was perforce
a listener.
"Oh, Carrie, said a weary voice, eff
you would only have assisted me three
hours a day, this attack might have
been avorted; but now it is too late. 1
know that weeks, if not months of ill
ness are before me. 1 am all tired
out"
"Why, mother" replied a voice, al
most petulantly-I had much admired
1.-THE evening previous, for its spirited
yet amiable tones: "Why, mother,
nobody does kitchen work now; at
least nobody that is anybody. just
think of Mrs. Smythe, or Miss Brown,
or Mrs. SOule associating with your
kitchen girl, with her dingy hands
Why, the idea is absurd; and besides,
1 hate houseWork." "
"Well, replied the invalid voice,
"I don't know what would have been
thought of your assisting me about the
house awhile each day; but l do know
that for the want Of this help / am
now ill. Yes, Carrie, for the want of
help, have bee8 obliged to Overtask
myself" "
Miss F. soon made her appear
ance, with her winning smile, gay
laugh, and brilliant repartee; but,
somehow. the image Of her overtasked
mother constantly came between her
and my previous admirationj so, after
a few ill-at-ease attempts at converse
tion, took my leave.
As 1 slowly walked away, musing,
"a change came over the spirit Of
my dream" A daughter who "hated
housework" to such a degree as to al
dow her mother to get tired out and
all from being overtasked, could such
a daughter become that most inestima-
BILE boon this side Of heayen,--a good
wife2
What if her husband had wealth, and
filed his house with troops of servants,
could he have a quiet, neat, Wel-order-
ed horae? Would his children have a
true mother? No. A parlor daughter
will make a parlOr g0je Brilliant,
fascinating rare and costly orna.
ment-challenging the admiration of
the world, it may be, but never the ho-
ly source and center of the comfort and
peace Of her family.
AS thus rudely my rOse-colOred rev.
cries were changed to sOmber-hued re-
alities, queried, was Miss r. an
exception to the rule? How many
young ladies of nay acquaintance we're
really helps to their mothers in domes-
tic affairs? How many would not
blush with shame at being seen making
broad-Rot cake but bread? How
many could cook and got on the ta-
bic a good dinner, or superiutend and
direct such an undertaking. How
many 10 whom the old-fashioned dish
cloth is not a horrid thing2 How many
could starch and iron a Shirt bosom OF
collar, SO itWould look respectfully?
Alasi how few could / recall who
would not properly be numbered in the
long list Of those TO whom these things
were not only mysteries, but absolutely
disagreeables and undesirables,
/ say, alasl for IL is a sad thing, no
N.. r.. a..