Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1858-06-08
5 tIlttrs sflistfIlann.
From the Springfield (Mass.) Republican.
TIMOTHY TITCOMB'S LETTERS TO
YOUNG WOMEN,

Among the more homeIy but most es-
sential accomplishments of a Young wo-
man IS that of housewifery. There are
many things at the present day to inter-
fere with lis acquisition, but the fact that
ii is essential should lead you to subordin-
ate to 1t those which are not We hear
great deal about the laziness of the pres
ent generation of girls. l think the ac-
cusaton IS unjust. Girls who acquire a
really good education now, accomplish
much more genuine hard work than those
in " the good old times who only learn
ed to read and write, and occupied the
most of their time In the kitchen and the
dairy. Nothing that can be called edu-
cation and accomplishment can be achiev-
ed without great labor; and, IN my opn-
ion, the principal reason why good house
wifery is so much neglected, as an ac-
complishment, Is, that the time is so much
occupied in study. Laziness is very apt
to come with wealth, and there are un-
doubledly great many more lazy girls
now than fifty years ago. They are GER
tainly very undesirable article to have
about. and pity the poor fellow who gets
one of them for companion but | say
candIdIv that | do not think there are any
more naturally lazy girls in he world than
usual.
You expect, one of these days, to be
/ the mistress of Il house. Yonr comfort
and happiness, and the comfort and hap
piness of your husband, will depend very
much upon your ability to order that house
well. If your companion be in humble
circumstances. you will very likely be
/ I l. L. t<,c,- l.
self. In this case. a thorough knowledge
/ of, and taste for, housewiterV will be very
necessary to you. If youmarry a man of
competence or wealth, 4 knowledge of
good housewifery is quite as essential 10
/ YOU as if you were required to do your
/ own work. The expenses of your house
will be large or small as you are bad
or a good house-keeper. If YOU do not
know how to do the work of the house
if YOU have no practical knowledge of all
the offices and economies of an esta ablish-
ment, YOU will be dependent. So far from
being the mistress of your house, YOU will
be only It's guest. Your servants will CIR
cumvent YOU, they will cheat YOU, they
will make you miserable. If they do not
perform their work properly, through will
futness or ignorance You cannot tell them
better. You will scold them for things
which YOU cannot tell them how to mend,
YOU will be unjust, and you will not keep
them Many really good servant Is
constantly suffering from grievances grow
ing directly from the ignorance of her
mistress. Unless you are willing to take
up for life with boarding house-a place
for people 10 yegetate in-you must be a
good housewife. Il matters bot whether
you are rich or poor. You need prac-
tical knowledge Of cookery, of the laudry.
of the prices and qualities of provisions,
of chamber work-of everything that en-
tiers Tito the details Of home life.
OF course, IF YOU have no mother who
is capable of teaching you these things,
YOU are IN a measure eXcusable for not
learning them. | play a family of girls
whose mother Is a know-nothing and DO
nothing and a say-nothing. | 60 not blame
girls for not wishing to put themselves
under the tuition of the cook and the maid
of-all-work. But even when you find
yourselves under disadvantages like these
YOU canpot afford to become a woman with
out knowing something of the homely util-
tiles of life. Your own aptness of mind
your own good sense and ready ingen-
uity-wiil give you a clue 10 the myster-
les which practice viii ultimately make
plain. Your comfort, your independence
your reputation, your husbands respec
for YOU, depend so much upon your abili.
tv TO keep house well, that | cannot leave
the subject withou, insisting upon the i'm.
portance of your learning TO do IL while
YOU have chance There are few high
er compliments that can be paid 10 :