Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-12-31
Household Marvels.

"A remarkable man, a very remarkable
man." Why so, / asked. Why? HE is
head man of Mr.So & Sos establishment.
He attends to all the little perplexing de-
tails Of the business; he keeps everything
that goes on; he detects any negligency,
or any omission of duty, Immediately
he" Oh, stop. said /; for this man
You are praising, will find yon five hun
dred women, within speaking distance,
who do Just all that, only it is taken so
as matter of course, that nobody thinks
of praising them. or even mentioning it.
The good house-mother, for instance, who
is often at once housekeeper, cook. cham
bermaid, sempstress, dressmaker, school
mistress, nurserymaid; who goes to mar
ket who does the shopping; who enter
tains company; and who has eight or nine
children to look after. and who performs
all her motherly duties, in spite of the
drawbacks of occasional sickness, with
patience, cheerfulness and quiet per-
serverenee which has net its PARALLEL
among business men.
Listen.
In the first place, your business man has
certain allotted hours when his work is
over. lie don't generally sleep with one
eye open, after it, watching young child
or baby. In II.e next place, he has an
uninterrupted daily system in his labor
and at night IS able to see some result
Now il IS impossible for busy mother of
family to have uninterrupted system
She may, indeed, plan upon her pillow
that days work: but can she foresee how
long that dear, little, troublesome baby's
forenoon nap will be- which is 10 give her
the only chance she has for that dav to
accomplish some necessary Bit Of mead
ing or sewing? Can she ward off the un-
lucky fate which brings an idle neighbOr
on " drop-in call, in the golden hours
of the forenoon? Can ''she" build high
pen round herself, as dOesa business man
in his counting room, nor see, nor hear
what is going on outside, though the chill
dren's pin-a-fores may catch fire, or they
may be playing the mischief gener-
ally, when she is the busiest? Must not
she stop, fifty times u day, no matter how
hurried she may be, to adjust little, nice,
difficult, unpoStponeable questions of
''meum and teum' between little broth
ers and sisters? And when night taeomes,
and she lies wearily down, after all this
toll, to be broken of her needful rest by her
babe, or young child, does she NOT often,
poor soul, repToach herself with ''not haT-
ing done anything all that day but see to
those children" Nothing b,d"-I
should he to see the man who, through
all these discouragements, and often with
intervals.of feeble health, would keep on
patiently and cheerfuliy DUNG this moth
ing but" as do these women, whom
declare that only God and his angels can
fully appreciate. And don't the business
man have his invigorating, open-air walk,
to and from his place of business, at least
twice q day, while these house-mothers
bleach out, for the want of it, sometimes
for a week or fortnight at the time, new
er leaving the house for rest, or change of
scene or recreation? Business men! Look
at these patient, business scom7li Who
ever thinks Of PIsIising bss0 for slch-eeH1-
mon, everyday feminine virtues? Not
that / think they are praise-worthy for
working on until they drop dead for want
of breath to work any longer would
have them take time for needful outdoor
exercise, whether they can get it" or
not would have them, since they are
to be the hope and salvation ofthe future.
| though their healthful motherhood. con-
slider this duty of preserving and main
tanning it before all other dsties--no matter
how many buttons or strings need sewing
on-or how much ''house-eleaning" may
be left undone-Or how many ''calls," F." or
visits may be unretuTned. The mother
of children comes frst-should be cared for
| first. Let her assert herself Since, un-
fortunately in many cases, if she does not,
there is no salvation for her in this life.
"How is this? | thought you did not
like s0ome1,!" whispers ayoiee at my elbow.
They have way in Yankee land, where
l and everything good came from. of
answering a question by asking another.
Did yOu scer k,O,o me 10 aloe anybody 10 .fH&
tciH ,cih 'rome1, bit myself
FANNY FERN.