The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-01-05

, those below stairs to protect interest!
and privileges in their life, separate from
, ours, and to prevent, by quick resentment
! any break or change in our lives from al.
terlng the current Of plan in theirs
|, What is that but war, constant war be-
tween the two sections of our homes
Now a house divided against itself car
not stand" a
"Land ~ quoth Miss Dinsmore, sarcas
tically, Il see toward what rock we
are driving -Servantgirlism! Show us
q passage around that, Mrs. Emery
and we will make you queen Of the
republic, though where is the connection
between" s.ir
''The passage around the rock begins in
our own Kitchens" answered Mrs. Emery,
smartly; "and the connection between
kitchens and gibbous-hat reasoning is
closer than you think, perhaps. My grand
mothers kitchen was not like ours-a
dreary room for labor without any love
or soul in it. There were flowers, and an
easy chair, a lounge, and clock, and the
most exquisite neatness, and she talked
there with her maids with the same grace
and dignity that she used in the drawing
room, and ruled there with an intelligence,
comprehension of what was around her,
kindness, and firmness that no absentee from
any post can delegate to any deputy. Meet
| ing her women in this way, she was often re-
minded to recognize their common human
lty, and her maids responded by making
common cause with the family interests and
crises. Their work and her work grew to
be interviewer. They were all busy on
the same pattern. they with their coarser,
she with her finer threads, but keeping
time with the music of the home loom Of
common interests. Their lives and hers
made whole home. She was in the very
core of it, and her influence was as para.
mount there as on the Shower outside.
Her house was not plundered by conflict
ing interests; below-stairs was not in re.
bellion, full of wrath, gloom, annoyances,
between which and herself she must bar
the door OF the basement stairs; and the
office of handspring in such an establish
ment keep her lower faculties in more
healthful exercise than the stimulus of
society and a luxurious life could have done,
and detractng nothing from her higher
powers. The atmosphere in such home
was pure, bright, and satisfactory. 1t was
possible TO develop men in it with aspira-
tons beyond the clubs, and to keep men
there, firm in faith and womanhood, and
(blushing deeply ''proof perhaps against
Venus Aphrodite."
"That is, convert ourselves into maids
of-all.work, and the Millennium will have
commenced )" thus Miss Dnsmore, cold
and defiant.
eyes, exactly as the general command
ing who marches in front of his men,
shares the vicissitudes of their day, and
everywhere animates them by his voice
and example, thereby becomes the corpo-
raj of the guard and cook for the mess,
and plainly expects to win victories by skill
in cooking and attention to petty drill"
retorted Mrs. Emery sharply.
The other ladies looked uneasy, and
Mrs. Honey began to hover about pacifi-
cally.
''Of course. Yes, Miss Dinsmore was
only joking, and your idea is beautiful.
Your ideas always are, Mrs. Emery. But
then, practically, you unexpectedly
Our Bridget does well enough in her way.
But lounge and flowers! The flowers
would be dead Of hot water, the lounge
would be the favorite resting-place for the
gridiron, and I really could never do my
work alone. Besides, what Is the use of
killing myself just to save little more
money to buy the new furniture for Mr..
HIS second wife ?o And Mrs. Honey's
pleasant face grew suddenly grim. Mrs.
III. number two was the skeleton in her
closet.
"Just 30 |" echoed from all sides.
"The days of beautiful kitchens are gone
by, and if not, what would be the use of
reviving them ~ 'ss
'And BESIDES" added Miss Dinsmore,
"why should not the men commence re-
form? Why leave 1t all to US?
"They have eyes said Mrs. Emery soft
ly to herself, land they see not ears, and
they hear not" Then aloud: Ladies,
see that Ihave not expressed myself clear
ly, and that you have failed to comprehend.
What think is, that there is wrong in
our living; that wrong thinking brings it
about that we are responsible for part
of it, and that it begins in our Utmost
homes, and in the humblest parts of our
lives; that as wives, mothers, and lovers
of our country, it is our duty where we
see an error to reform that we cannot re-
form any individual but ones self, any life
mence there, and let what will grow from
dLu bOluk w pCE,iuS ubo pCioCtCiO5 dii
l find the women, Irish, German, colored,
OF American, who shall help me to make
home in which Ruth Emery shall no
longer add her mite to the national folly,
and in which my boy shall grow to believe
in good women, and not in lovely--para-
Sites" s 2
"Ah, yes, you are so efficient!"
''We shall be very much interested in
the experiment
"You can accomplish it if any one. But,
really, the meeting has been a protracted
one. 1t is very late." -
And so "the meeting" melted away
complimenting, but not one convert.
Mr.. Emery, looking across the table that
evening at his wife, had too much tact to
say, II told you so" But Mrs. Emery
caught the inuendo of his eye, and, 81
shall begin, for all that" she said stoutly.
The writer of editorial Etchings" in
the Norristown (Pa.) Herald keeps his eagle
eye on society. He states that much
ruffled young lady, with four-button kid
gloves, refused to go out and take her
music lessons on Saturday, because her
mother had neglected TO darn hole in her