Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1868-09-02
THE REAL QUALIFICATION FOR
MARRIAGE.
BY A LADY.

That good cookery is an essential to the
happiness Of the person and the family,
is a fact SO obvious that it needs no argu-
ment to sustain it; for aside from the
pleasures of taste, it is necessary for
b ealth that the food taken into the sys.
tenn be cooked IN proper manner, and
without health there can be but small de-
gree of happiness. Look at the tired
father of a family as he comes home from
his days labor; everything has played at
cross purposes with him all day, and he
feels strongly inclined to be in ill-humor
with himself and the world at large; as
he nears his home he is thinking, Il hope
wife will have good supper ready for
me; y and see how the sired eyes sparkle
and kindle as he enters and sees the table
spread with an array Of tempting viands,
and the careworn expression Of his face
passes off with the fragrant steam of his
tea, smiles begin to play around his mouth
pleasant words are circulated, "and Rich
ard is himself again"
When you see table set out with sour
| bread, tough pie crust, aud muddy coffee,
you invariably see set Of sour faces en-
gagged in its consumption. No rejecting
person will deny that good cookery is an
important essential to our happiness, and,
therefore, it is Of the utmost importance
that young lady makes herself mistress
of this art before she attempts the man
agement of household. In the estab-
lishment OF home, after such necessary Y
articles as tables, chairs and the paraph-
arnalia of household furniture are arrang-
ed, next comes the inevitable question
"What shall we have for dinner 2" and to
the un Initiated it is a question fraught
with untold difficulties.
To be sure, it seems but trifing mat
ter to boil few potatoes, and mai lit
tie coffee n that beautiful new coffee pot
and you have seen a beefsteak cooked SO
often that you are sure you can do it to a
turn, but the reality presents far differ
ent picture. and you find that having nc
practical knowledge everything takes the
advantage of you. In your Ignorance
you havn't put wafer enough in your po.
tatoes, consequently while you are turn.
ing your steak they burn ON the kettle
while despairingly attending to these, youl
steak sends forth a cloud Of smoke, and
horror stricken, you endeavor to remove
it from the gridiron, and only succeed in
burning your fingers, and landing the
steak in the ashes. There you stanc
nursing the burnt finger, and ponderin2
in amazement at "the total depravity Of
inanimate things" when in walks thai
better half of yours with that most tan
talizing question: Dinner ready, Mel
lie 2"
Are not such scenes frequent enough
to impress upon the mind of every young
lady the importance of making cooking
not only part, but very important par
of her education; to show her that sh'
will find this to be the practical, while al
the rest will be but as ornamental IN com
parison. Cooking is not a theory which
can be learned by the study of the cook
cry books, neither by seeing how it il
done by others, but 1t is only to be ac
CURED by long study and attention, and
Therefore it is necessary that its practice
be commenced early We do not say
children should leave their school to make
bread, but we do say, that if children