American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-04-24
Health and E ,onomy
WRITTEN BY A LADY.

fOr the last two or three years would
perhaps be of interest if not profit,
10 some of Your young readers. Be
fore the war we lived pretty much as
all others did, who had servants to
wait upon them. Some one to cook,
wash, aud iron some one to clean
up and nurse. We shopped, made
clothes according to fashion receiv-
ed and returned fashionable calls
read magazines and novels, and, al
had q half-aimless exist
cnce. The table was loaded with
highly spiced viands, two or three
kinds of cakes or pies, with contec
tons every day. The children were
allowed to eat everything and as
much as theylik and all were cross
and sick all the year round, while |
the mantle and closets we're stocked
with medicine bottles. When the
war closed and servants were num-
bered with the things that were, we
must live, and all the homework ne
cessary to living must be done some
how. How could it be done in such
state of health. Husband, chill
drcn, all ignorant, and myself not ell
tirely ignorant of kitchen matters,
yet little inclined to play Bridget
What we did not know we could
learn, but the strength-there was
the dilemma. began to think that
with orr former mode of living we
had no health, and all the elaborate
dishes could not be prepared without
much money and labor. That in the
beginning ! must devise more sim
pie diet, easy to prepare, yet, nice
and palatable. So l set to work,
found pleasure in the excitement of
experimenting. Our whole culinary
regimene was changed; vegetable
soups, instead of the huge pieces Of
smoked bacon that must inevitably
season the turnips, cabbages, beans,
and greens. We learned to cook
them in various ways, using butter
and cream, with less meats, made
nice slaws, instead of roasting our
hams, beef and mutton, with five
hundred OF less ingredients and con-
diments used fewer. Instead of oys-
ter patties, fried chicken, fried mack
ripalates Drowned TO death, and
steak swimming in brown gravy full
of over.done onions, we Substituted
broiled ham and steaks, chickens
smothered with less seasoning, nice
corn mullins, toast, &C., and for sup
per no meats, lightbread or crackers,
mush, rice, baked or fried apples,
fruits of all kinds, with plenty o.
milk and tea, instead of oysters,
fried meat, hot biscuit and batter
cakes, and hot coffee consequence
comparatively good health, sweet
sleep healthy, hearty children, who
have not swallowed medicine fol-
three years. Iagree with some wri
tiers that our climate has uch to dc
in encrvating the system. That tho
people are not, as Il class, so ener
getic as their more northern neigh
borS. If climate is wholly the cause
then why are others whose diet i,
more simple, and whose exercise i.
, regular and constant, stronger thai
others living differently Does no
simple nutritive food, with propc
clothing and exercise promote healtl
and cheer fulness and will they NOT
by strengthening the system, give t,
the body power in measure to com
!, bat the deleterious influences of on
/, sultry, facilitating climate! AnC
= if the icountry is rife with feveriSl
diseases. will not our innumerabl
! vegetables, delicious berries ant
fruits lessen the heat and afford sui
: ficicnt nourishment with less meats
; Certainly, in our mild climate, W
1, have need Of less heating food, an
!, more abundant, until at the tropic
y we find flesh almost entirely discard
= ed, the natives subsisting mostly o
: nuts and fruits.
q Every married lady should have
; well regulated house. Clean, (cleal
:, illness is indispensable to health, Jan
" orderly. To insure this, even if sh
10 have servants, she should overloo
n all the culinary processes, and st
Il that all the closets are in order, fire
= from dust and cob webs. That I'll
n soda, teas, spices, are nicely bottled
Is the kitchen well ventilated, an
20 shelves, rails, hooks; and place f,
"A each article, to prevent confusion
~ Pots should not be left udwashc
. with salty grease; they will rust
i, nor skillets left OH IA hot stove the
nv will bum out.
70 Where vegetables are boiled, Il
rs top OF the pot is good for soap greas
et and should be skinned and pr
or away in u keg, and the liquor throw
#, into another kegr but which shou
n. never be set in the kitchen; mu
ct stand short distance from Il
n. house, into which all the dlshwat
is poured, thus the kitchen is Gle;
and free from. flies. Bed chambe
should be well and frequently aire'
81 all unnecessary bed clothes shou
es be washed and nicely slowed ava
at not lett hanging about, as til
no gather dirt, and fade. They shou
of be looked to occasionally, in o
so long summers, to prevent the ia
nd ages of moths and mice. True
of hORses, out-houscs, poultry house
at or coops, examined and cleansetl III
SO lined /; all these should receive
,r. timely attention, if disease is to
gs prevented. Some of these labC
m rightly belong to the man, but if
or is very busy, don't think it out
re- your sphere to attend to it ourst
In All women should daily and habi
CT. ally eXeycise i'll the open air in t
nd garden, among the vegetables; Il
re in the heat of the day, however, Il
in too long at time, be prudel
of Teach your little girls; intrOdu
NO them into the kitchen and garde
re let them acquire neat, industrio,
cc. healthful notions. All these thin
be we havo done, and from being
ed ways sick and listening to the RI
$ | ings and eomplainings of suffer-
,ey children we are comparative
cs strong do all our cooking, ironl
all sewing, and cleaning, aud, than
De to a system of house Keeping, I
lie. very much of the latter tribe, and
lit have half our time to road, wri
ing visit. or play with the children. if