, 1873-11-02
A VISIONARY H0UsEKEErER.

What VIII Sho DO About lt1
The Muslo Of tho Future IlAa already l1oen
Wfltton listened to, and ono Of its most ardont
apostloa has but just loft our midst. Now, why
Hhould not tho Domestic ECONOMY Of the Future
MAO hayo claim On o,ir attention as woil2
Our tity.honabs with modern improvements
ha7o rondored tho traditions Of cir grnndmoth-
cfs, aAd oven tho practices Of our mothers. In
many thinga impraotlcable, ridiculous, md q
foolish waato Of timo and money. WHO thinkB
now OF stretching canvas on tho Rido Of \
barn, aud painting, ropainting, aud vanishing
it, at tho risk Of oneH neck, and
thus preparing au oil-c1oth for tho
kiteheh-aoor Or Of sitting down evenings,
and cutting up all tho old coata and pantaloons
in tho houso for rag-carpot7 Yot It ia bit 3
little while sinoo these very things wero noces-
sary, and tho performance Of such labor praisc-
! worthy. To-day, we paint or oil our hardwood
floors, md buy an ingram carpet at tho same
prico per yard that it costa to weavo ono Of
rags,
Thus I Grated to Karl ono evening, who. man
like, had beon sitting in tho samo room TO-, huff
an hour without opening bis lips, except to
from hia cigar. His oycs wore tlxoa on these,
! or-uothing, L couldn't toll which. Yes," he
observed dryly, haying actually heard my
last n3st,.s s02toneo 2aa "N9;,o you s9l ny cid
the house. haven't forgotten yet how you OK
changed my best ovoTcoat, within fortnight
after re wero housekeeping. for rag Of a laco-
collar, which you docared was such bargain,
italian syos. Now, Kari! you Know ha' thss' colar o
was bargain, and, besides. it ~asnt your best
resumed: Yet, in the simple. old.fashionctl
aud pickles to be put up, fruit dried, clothes cut
out at horne and eowed by hand, stockings knit,
aud quilts quilted In 1ne patterns, housekeeping
WAS not tho wearing labor 1t Ia at prosent witt
all Of our modern improvements. The reason Of
comfortable houses did not in themselves rc-
Qnire 30 much cnre to be kept noat and Glenn.
Tho family lvod In rooms adihoont to tho
kitchen. society did not require TINT tho lady
of tho houae lthough sho should always bc
laces. A simple dress, suited alike for hor pat
1or Or kitchen, would do. Neither WAS 1t mecca
aary Hhe should disguise tho fact that sho not
only gave her own poraonal eupervision to hor
tasks with her own bands. Then, it was .
praisoworthy thug to bo known as q skilltul
housewife IN addition to other accomplishments.
Our modern luxurious inventions, while they
havo become legion. It Is Just as much mat
ter OF design, among houeekcepers to-day,
that q woman should be ignorant of
tho details Of her household, us it waB
fifty yeara ago. But ahe muat always appear aA
IL II vas unnecoBsary for Lor mover to perform
my Of tho many labors Of the household espe-
eially II abe has servants for tho various de-
partmonta. Elso, why employ servants !? Tho
tne woodwork, the rich carpets, tho paintings
tho Htono stops without, and tic furnace within,
arc harder to keep in order than tho comforta-
bic. old-faslioned house Of twonty~lve years
ago. Aud Tho gucsta that como to-dny must be
served with aoupn, salads. aud reloves, that
tho Roasting Of q turkey and the making Of
"WoIl1 let's buy h cottage somewhere In tho
country, md begin life again. Tin willing II
do talk / exclaimed. It seemed to me that
my. vs.a-ris looked q little astonished
and hurt at this, md hastoned to say: !" I ON
Housekeeping, and trying to keep all tho virtues
| Of the presont and got rid Of its faults. Indis-
| putably, furnace is delightful fact in 4 house
| in winter hut lavo never yet found any QUO
faithfully without constant oversight. I havo
that furnace on my mind from tho time it Is
lighted in tho fa1l until it goes out in the spring.
How many tons dooa 1t weigh7" asked tllia
gentleman derisively, AZ lie threw away the
stump Of his cigar
Now, what would DO economy and good sonso
Ia this, I continued: Lot each ueighbothood
hare it's steam-mauufactory somewhere III tho
block, aud each house bo supplied with steam,
IN the same manner that it now is with gas.
Hasn't that plan been tried somewhere in Eng
land and proved SUCCESS? asked.
''Don't know" said the loquaoious Don
Carlos.
Think, I continued, Of the economy of coal.
time, md temper,
Think" Interrupted he, ."of tho tstoan,~
nun coming around with his bill as often aa the
gas-lnan doos now."
If ono, said I, could have lis house hest.
cd on tho Cooperative Plan, then would the
other mu1tituGinous caroH Of Housekeeping
dwindlo away and 'be easily performed. It il
thoHe two last Rraws that break tho bnckH Of tho
modern femmeH." Now, do think Of the sub
ject, and make some rational reply. I exhorted.
Don't It aeem practicable; aud wouldn't it bo
better arrangement
Yes, suppose 1t would; !; but you once start
this Co-operAtive Plan, and there's no telling
where It will end, We Hhall wake up somo morn
ing and hna 9 ourselves boarding out in cur own
No, answered.. Some Of the extra time saved
from building fires and laundry-work would be
devoted to cooking the most delightful mealB;
and thlnk OF The nice ordcr tho house would d.
"Yo-s," drswled my listener. "I think have
heard sometLing like that before. It's tho
woman Of genius, my dear, who conquora all
impedlmonte, and whose household ID never
Rwalo that she has any difficulties to overcome.
Sac mover talks of those new-fanglod, labor
saving plans."
Alas { NO are not all women Of genius. az yon
we'll know. ratortcd, riaing and going il search
OF my basket OF socks and, finding thom, pro-
ceedod to darn with aomo yohomonce, moro tLnn
ever impressed with tue faots, that was
woman, and that I couldn't help it il vas.