The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-07-05
NO. Is.
HOUSEHOLD.

housekeeper as poor one. 1t is just as
bad to be better housekeeper than there
is any call for, as it is to be a poorer house,
keeper than there is any justification for.
There are plenty to exact perfection in all
household machinery. If l could induce
women to be willing to be poor house-keep-
ers when, through their poverty life could
be made rich, l should feel that l had not
lived in vain.
There are, no doubt, reckless, brainless,
wasteful un gincipled women who bring
ruin Into = mans heart and home. Such
women need no exhortation to wise negli-
gence. 1t is of no use to admonish them
one way or the other. They may extract,
even from moral words, encouragement for
their folly; but they would be foolish just
the same, whether they had encouragement
or not. There is nothing to be done with
them but to make the most you can of this
world, notwithstanding the wounds they
deal, and to look forward with hope to
fresh start in another and better. But
these women are small minority. Female
America is, in the main, conscientious, dis
posed to be frugal, and to do its full part in
building up the family fortunes. To my
observation women err through being too
careful and troubled about many things, IA
ther than in not being careful and "particu-
lar > enough. They look too well to the
ways of their household, and do not eat go
much of the bread of idleness as would be
good for them They need to be encourag
ed to let things CO." rather than be ex-
horted to look after things" When some
troubled wiseacre tells US that a French
family will live luxuriously and keep board
ers off what an American family throws
away, patient Griselda feels admonished to
renewed and still more scrutiniziDg pursuit
of every morsel of meat from the moment
when it leaves the butchers stall till it ia
set on her overlooking table; nor even
thence shall the diyectd membrd be per
mitted to depart in peace, but must be fol-
lowed to their final classification and depos-
it in the frying-pan or soap-jar, lest some
atom be prematurely ,dehected to pig pen or
poultry yard, and so the harmony of the uni
verse disturbed.
But the overwhelming probability is that
Griselda already gives quite its due share of
time and thought to the salvage of scraps.
She may or may not make as much out of
shin-bone as a Frenchwoman would; but
in our happy country shin-bones are many
and sirloin steaks not few, and it is a ques
ton whether energy and ingenuity may not
be better expended than in wrestling the last
fibre of nutriment from dismantled bone.
Must is word from which there is no APP.
peal but where there is freedom of choice
let us remember the great army of dogs and
cats which is glad to feed upon the crumbs
that fall from our tables and if the manip-
ulation of fragments into viands seems likely
to cost more than it would come to, let US
not be deferred from comforting our dumb
brethren Herewith by any fears of foreign
comparisons.
Some pestilent fellows lately prostituted
our agricultural fairs to the promotion OF
patches by promising premiums to the best
mender. And there were not wanting fool
ish virgins to come forward and compete
for the prize. Now do not mean to say
that patch may not sometimes be neces-
sary as well for the body as the soul; but
but there is great deal of darning and
patching and mending beyond what is
wholesome. have seen women darn stock
ings which, as stockings, had no right to
further existence. True economy would
have put the feet in the ragbag and sewed
up the legs into dishcloths and to see
human being, capable of love and hope, and
memory and judgment, turn away from
this great, beautiful world. and all the stir
and thrill of multiform life, and give itself
to driving stupid little steel crow bar back
and forth through yawning heel and de-
lapitated toe when whole stockings
can be bought at forty cents a pair, is mel
ancholy, not to say exasperating.
GA little darning now and then
Is relished by the best of men,"
And there is nervous irritation which is
really alayed by short and solitary turn at
the needle, and there are accidents and in
cidents which demand stitch, and which
no rlght-mnded woman will refuse but a
protracted and repeated darning, a darning
on principle and from choice, premeditat-
ed and vainglorious prostration before the
shrine of this little one-eyed despot, is
sight for gods and men to weep over, not
hold out prizes to
| say again, if woman must, she must,
and that is the end of it but she often
thinks she must when she need not. She
often darns and mends and makes over what
it would be cheaper to throw away-inf-
nitely cheaper, as regards time and patience
and happiness, which are real values-and
not dearer in respect of money, which only
represents value.
Patient Griseda do not let your patience
which in right measure and for right pur-
poses is a divine acknowledgements into
meanness of spirit, insipidty of mind, power
ty of resources, and acquescence in what is
not inevitable. Life is short and its issues
mighty, and there are things which ought
. ho until fol nd fho4
ought to be done slightly, and things that
ought not to be done at all. She is the
wise woman and the thrifty housekeeper
who accurately discriminates and intelligent
ly chooses the good part which shall not be
taken away from her-GdiL Hamilton IN
Harper's Bazar.
To DESTROY ANTs.-Houses that are in
tested with ants, black or red. may be disin-
fected by little attention to trapping them.
A sponge is one of the best things for the
purpose. Sprinkle it with dry, white sugar;
the sponge being slightly moist, it will ad-
here. The ants will go into the cells of the
sponge after the sugar in large Numbers, and
can be destroyed in hot water, and the
sponge squeezed out, and sugared again, and
returned to the closet for another haul, until
all are caught.
JELLY CAKE.-One cup Of sugar, three
tablespoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of
baking powder. one cup of -four, three eggs.
Bake in three round pie tins.
GINGER SNAPs-One and half CUPS of
molasses, one cup Of water, one cup of but
ter, one teaspoonful of soda, two OF ginger
-four enough to roll ont