The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1859-01-27
q he 4amsehpt d.
fFR0& THH american AGR1cULrURIsT ]
About Small Matters.

WORK BASKETS-MATCH SAFES-KITCHEN BOOK
SHELVES.
There are stndry little conveniences about
which it may seem trifing to speak; yet, accord
ing to the writer's observation useful hint or
two may be given to many families. Take a
lady's work basket, for example. Every woman,
and girl perhaps, has one, but how few have
Weli-contr4ved one. Usually, the common work
basket IS more less capacious receptacle for
sewing UTENSILS and materials but with these
are thrown together promiscuously odds and ends
OF almost every description, such as unfinished
knitting, patches for the good mans clothing,
stockings to be darned, balls of Worsted, skeins
of silk tangled punches Of thread, bits of wax,
buttons; scissors, thimbles paper of needles, ETC.,
etc,-ahd to find any one article all must be ran
sacked Did any one ever estimate how much
time is lost in year in tumbGng over the work
basket? The golden motto of order" Have
place for everything and everything in its place"
is here very singu1arly shown to be most de-
tective rule, the work-basket being literally
place for everything, with everything in it.
This confusion may be easily feRfedied by hav-
ing the work basket divided into compartments
OF different sizes, each to be appropriated to
particular use: say one for the thread, another
tor thimbe and scissors, third for patches, etc.
Ii basket makers do not furnish such, the divis-
ions can easily be made with thin slips of wood,
or pasfeboard neatly covered with silk or fancy
A CIV r. r. \
of the baskets, and divided into seperate pockets,
will be found very convenient appendage As
each lady's taste win suggest different forms for
her basket and its fixtures, merely give general
suggestions, leaving them to he carried otit ac-
cording to each ones fancy.
MATCH SAFES.
Were an insurance agent, I would make it
an imperative rule that every house insured by
me should be provided with metal or earthen
boxes, in which matches should be kept. They
are often seen lying loosely upon the shelfor in
the closet, where careless servant, an unthink-
ing child, or even rfischievous mouse. NAV
produce disastrous results with them 4 little
incident has made me very careful in this mat
ter. One day, when about closing my room /
hastily threw a key into drawer where were
several loose papers and miscellaneous articles
and closed it; but just as it was closed there
was a glimmer of light within the drawer which
attracted attention from its novelty. Opening
it | found that the key had struck the end of a
friction match, fred it, and, if undiscovered the
building worth many thousand dollars, would
probably have been consumed and no one could
have guessed how it took fire. tits unouestiop-
ably true that many fires have originated from
mice hibbling the ends of matches, and we know
that many children have been poisoned by biting
matches careless1y left within their reach. B,w
or make metallic or edrtheh match safe, and
Keep 1t IN safe place.
BOOK SHELF FOR THE KITCHEN
do not mean the mantel-piece, for that is the
cotch-aH of the room, but shelf expressly for
books. | believe that one-third more reading
would be done were this simple appendage at
tached to every kitchen. / name the kitchen.
for this is the room most used in many if not
most farm-houses say book shelf. rather
than book case, because we want the books to
stand where they will be seen, extending their
kind invitation to occupy the hour Of incoming
or the evening, so often spent in a most unso-
cial s'tooze. A few may be selected at time
from the library, which hope yet to see in every
farm house, to occupy places upon the kitchen
shelf, and they will surely receive much more at
tention from simply being handy to take up.
HOUSEKEEPER.