Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-11-05
Holidays for House keepers.

ings, and the curtains to be drawn close
and the most devout lover of Nature gives
up tie stroll in shady lanes, or the row on
the moonlight river, and comes indoors
for the winter, 1t is worth while 30 consid
er what is to be done indoors. The work
Is ready for everybody who chooses to do
1t; but the relaxation, the rest, the stimu-
iant, which Is to fit US for the work-what
is that to be? For fashionable classes. this
mater of amusement is ruled in almost as
inliexible grooves as drudgery for the
poor; for men or young people, too, it ad-
Justs itself naturally. The father ora fam
lily has his clubs, his share in polite al or
church meetings, or, at least, his quiet
newspaper, cigar and slippers, a. home
precisely the drowsy reaction he needs af
ter the friction of the busy day. The boys
and girls have their concerts, their lect-
nres, the thousand devices of "sociables. =
"accidentals,' ETC., by which they contrive
TO fock together, to chirp like young birds
IN May, and, perhaps, to mate like them.
But the wives, and mothers, the great az
gregate OF women no longer young-what
Is to be their tonic? They certainly need a
tonic The American mother of a family
Is the real maid of all work in it, and the
more faithful and intelligent she is the
more she usually tries to deserve the
name, she may work with her hands or
| not in the large majority of cases, she
does work with her hands), but it is she
| who, In any case oversees and gives life
to dozen different interests. Her bns-
bands business, the boys education, the
girls standing in society, the baby's teeth
ing, the sewing aud housework for them
all, are all processes which she urges on
and which rasp and fret daily and hourly
on her brain-a very dull unskilled brain
too often, but almost always quite willing
to wear itself out for those she Ioves
whether IL would be no6ler or more po-
litlc in her 10 shrk this work-husband,
oaoles ana house,-and develope her Ia
tent talents a physician, artist or saleswo-
man. is not the question with US just now.
\ lew women have done this. In the cit
les, too, money can remove much of the
responsibility from the mistress of house
hold; but the great aggregate of wives
and mothers in this country are domestic
women who ask nothing better of fate than
that whatever strength they have OF body
and mind shall be drained for their hus-
bands and children. Now this spirit of
martyrdom is a very good thing-when it
Is necessary. For our part, we can see no
necessity for it here. We are told that the
women's wards in the insane asylums. in
New England, are filled with middle-a-ed
wives, mothers, driven there by overwork
and anxiety; through the rest OF the coun-
try the popular type of the women OF forty
Is neither fat nor fair, but a Sallow, anx-
ious eyed creature, with teeth and hair
furnished by the shops, and liver and
nerves which long ago took her work
temper, and, we had almost said, religion
out of her control. This rapid decay of
our women may be owing partly to climat-
ic influence, but it is much more due to
the wear aud tear of their motherhood.
and anxiety to push their children forward
added to the incessant petty rasping of
inefficient domestic service
y mans work may be heavier, but is
single, 1t wears on him on one side only he
has his hours sacred TO business, to give
to his brief, his sermon, his shop there is
no drain on the rest of his faculties or
time. His wife has no hour sacred to this
or to that; he brings his trouble to her and
it is her duty to comprehend and AID him,
while her brain is devtsing how to keep
her boy Tom away from the companions
who brought him home drunk last night;
how to give Jenny another year of music
lessons; how to contrive a cloak for the
baby out Of her old meriuo; the burning
meat in the kitchen all the while .ssetting
her nerves in a quiver." She has not
power of mind, 4 skill of body which her
daily life does not'draw upon. Her hu>'- i
comes and goes to his office; the outdoor
air, the stir, the change of ideas, the pass
ing word for this man or that, unconscious
ly refresh and lift him from the cankerIng
care otthe work. She has the parlor, the
dinlng-room, the kitchen, to shut her into
1t, day after day, year after year. Women.
without single actual grief in the world,
grow morbid and ill-tempered simply
from living indoors, and resort to PRAYER
to conquer their crOssness, when they on
ly need walk of a couple of miles, or
some wholesome amusement 1t is Il nat
axrfp 20 hi
which drives them to the ea-parties and
sewing circles which men ridcule as alb
| surd and tedious.
There is no reason why our women, who
are notably rational and shrewd in the
conduct ofthe working part of life, should
cut themselves of thus irrationally from
the necessary relaxation, or make it either
costly or tedious. Let every mother of
family resolve not to put off her holidays
until old age, but to take them all along
the way, and to bring good share of them
into this winter. Let her give no ball, no
musical evenings, not bot, perspiring tea
parties, but manage to have her table al
ways prettily served and comfortably pro-
Vlded, and her welcome ready tor any
friend who may come to it; let her set
apart an evening, If possible, when her
rooms shall be open to any pleasant friend
who will visit her; the refreshment to be
of the simplest kind; and above all, if the
table chance not to be well served or the
friends are not agreeable, let her take the
mishap as jest, and meet all difficulties
with an easy good humor. 1t is not neces-
sary to take every bull of trouble by the
horns; if we welcome and nod to them as
to cheerful acquaintances they will usually
trot BY on the other side of the road.
Let her take our prescription for the
wiuter, and our word for it the spring will
find fresher roses in her cheeks and fewer
wrinkles in her husbands forehead.
ha