Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-02-08
A Reform Needed.

1t is through the unequaled manage
mont Of the French women of all classes
that France now, despite its enormous
losses m the recent war, is showing re-
sources which amaze all Europe, and seem
to rank her as the richest country-or at
least the country of best distributed
wealth-under modern civilization. Ev-
cry family has been trained to save, and,
in the middle class, to make a tasteful
appearance on small means. This is, of
course only done through careful man
agement and judicious sell. control. A
RENTER in Paris who sees an expensive
play, dimes that day on bowl of bouil.
lon, will, on the next day have stylish
dinner-ln both cases keeping within the
eXactayerage expense apportioned to, each
day. The German woman succeeds in
the same department, but with much Sc
yerer labor. She trusts more to work
than to management. She saves by doing
with her hands great deal which an
American woman gets done. She is con-
tented, too, with less show for herself /;
and her main eXtravagancies are in din
ners and outdoor pleasures. The Ger
man matron has, moreover, an immense
advantage over the American, in escaping
two OF our heavy expenses--carriag hire
and cost of education Whatever else is
dear in Germany, these two are always
cheap. The market supply of teachers
whether in music, art, or science-is
always beyond the demand, and thus the
teaching of children costs little. For
some inscrutable reasons, also, hacks and
carriages are remarkably low-priced in
German cities. Rent, too, in French
and German cities is less than in ours
but then you get much less with it. Tie
same comforts in New York and Berlin
would not now cost so very differently.
Still this does form q marked advantage
with the Continental housekeeper in
making both ends meet ON small in
come.
The grand reason, however, of the SUI
periority in this matter of the foreign
house.lady, we are convinced, lies in the
fact that she looks closely after her kitch-
Ell. She sees waste at once; she detects
thieving or giving she can direct the
application of each odd and end ; she
knows Immediately if grocer and butch
er and tradesman are putting down
wrong items, or are overcharging. The
mere fact OF her overlooking the kitchen
checks great deal of petty jobbery. The
kitchen being on the same floor with
the drawing and bedrooms, puts the
Continental housekeeper at once on n
vantage ground. Probably our basement
kitchens sink good deal of our incomes.
We doubt if most American housekeep-
ers make study of house management.
The immense gain in the winter season
Of wholesale purchase of meats the lay
ing in of wholesale groceries, and careful
watching Of them the using of provis-
ions, and checking Of waste, are not
much known in practice to our American
matrons. 1t is true that, owing to the
democratic spirit Of equality, the middle
class here aim often at Il style far beyond
their incomes. And in the matter of
dress and furniture, all classes are extrav-
agant. This general style cannot easily
be varied from. Yet with all this, and
under all our disadvantages, and with
taxation eating out our means, skillful
ought to enable our families
to lay up one fifth of an income of five
thousand. The reform must begin with
our women, who, in American society,
are absolute. They must be trained, as
girls, more to accounts and house man
agement, and not he kept in such charm
ing ignorance. And they must set the
fashion of more moderate display in dress
and house furniture, and show that high
est business faculty of the cultivated lady,
the power of producing effects of beauty
in the homes by small expenditure Of
money.