Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-05-13
The Bride in her New HONS.
BY MRS. STOWE.

EY MRS. STOWE.
Young people who cannot expect by
any reasonable possibility to keep more
than two or three servants, if they hap
pen to have the means in The outset, fur
nish house with just such articles as i'll
England would suit an establishment of
sixteen. We have seen houses in Eng.
land having two or three house maids,a and
tables served by butler and two walters;
where the furniture, carpets, china, crys:
tai, and silver were in one and the same
style with some establishments in America
whore the family was hard pressed to keep
three Irish servants.
This want of servants is the one thing
that must modify everything in american
life; it Is, and will long continue to be.
leading feature in the life of . country
50 rich in openings for man and woman
tina. domestic service can be only tho
stepping-stone to something higher
Nevertheless, we Americans are great
travellers we are sensitive, appreciative
fond of novelty, apt to receive and incor-
porate into our own life what seems fair
and graceful in that Of other people
Our women's wardrobes are made eabo-
rate with the thousand elegancies of
French toilet--our houses filled with
thousand knick .knacks of which our plain
ancestors never dreamed. Cleopatra did
not set sail on the Nile in more state and
beauty than that in which our yousg
American bride is often ushered into our
new home. Her wardrobe all gossamer
lace and quaint frill and crimp and em.
broidcry, her house a inuseum of elegant
aud costly gewgaws; and amid the whole
collection of elegancles and fragllitles,sh
perhaps, the frallcst.
Then comes the tug of war. This
young wife becomes mother, and while
she is retired to her chamber, blundering
Bidly rusts the elegant knives, or takes
off the ivory handles by soaking in hot
water-the silver is washed in greasy
soap-suds, and refreshed now and then
with thump, which knocks the nose away
or makes the handle assume an air CT
drunken defiance. The fragile china is
Clipped here and there around its edges
with those minute gaps SO vexatious to
woman's souls the handles fly hither and
thither in the wild confusion Of Biddy's
washing-day hurry, when cook wants her
to help hang out the clothes. Meanwhile.
Bridget sweeps the parlor with hard
broom, aud shakes out showers Of ashes
from the CRATE. forgetting to cover the
damask lounges, and they directly look as
rusty and ,ime-worn as if they had come
from an auction-store and all together
unite in making such havoc of the deli.
cate ruffles and laces Of the bridal outfit
and baby-layette, that, when the young
wife comes out of her chamber after the
nurse has left her. and, weakened en-.
5arrassed with the demands of the new.
conner, begins to look once more into tho
affairs of her little world, she is ready to
sink with vexation and discouragcment.-
Poor little princess! Her clothes arc
made as prnccsses wear them. her blbys
c'othes like young dukes. her
house furnished like lords, and only
Bridget and Biddy and Polly to do the
work Of cook, scullery.maid, butler, foot.
man, laundress, nursGry-maid, and ladys.
maid. Such is the array that in the Old
Country would be deemcd necessary to
take care of and establishment got up
like hers. Everything in it is too fine
not too fine to be pretty, rot in bad taste
in itself, but too fine for the situation,
too fire for comfort or liberty.
What cnsues in house SO furnished 7
Too often, ceaseless tretting Of the nerves.
in the wife's despairing conscientious ef.
forts to keep things as they should be-
There is no freedom in house where
things are too expensive I'd choice to b.
freely handled and easily replaced. Life
become series of petty cmoarrasslnents
and restrictions something is always 60.
ing wrong, and the ma finds his hresids
oppressiye-the various articles of his
pa.lor and table seem like so many TEN.
per-traps, and sprin! !-guns, meanacing ex-
plosion and disaster.
There may be, indeedi the most perfect
home-feeling; the utmost eozness and rest.
fune.si III apartments crustcd with gild.
ing, carpeted with velvet, and upholstered
with satin. | have seen such where the
homeike look and air of free use was al
genuine us in a Western log-cabin but
this was in a range of princely income
that made all these things as easy to bo
obtained or replaced as the most ordinary
Of our domestic furniture. ut 40 long
as articles must be shrouded from use, or
used with fear and trembling, becau.e
their cost is. above the general level Of
our means,we had better be without the,.
even though the most lucky Of accidents
may put their possession !n our power.-