, 1874-12-27
HOUSEKEEPING A La MODE.
Mistakes in Marrying---What Man
With a Small Income Should
Marry.
Rare HouseWives-.-The Usual
Mistress of the House.

Mistress of the House.
From the London Saturday Rsrit,o.
When young professional man marries lie
often fondIy imagines he ia acting wisely in
choosing his wife from family poorer than big
own. He fancies that young lady brought up
with few luxuries will be simple in hor ideas. He
calculates that, having never hal money to
spend, she will be moderate in her expenditures
that, being poor mans daughter, she is tue
better fitted for the part of poor mans wife,
and that. having lived in q household supported
on. say. .E400 a year, she will be easily able to
make both ends meet where there is E500. He
could hardly make greater mistake There are
brilliant exceptions, no doubt. But the girl who
has never had any money to spend, and who has
never seen money spent, has no idea Of how to
spend it when ahe has it. She thinks .E500
u year fortune. Her notions of
what may bo done with it arc perfectly
unlimited Dsoughams, little dinners, al
occasional boz at Covent Garden, Nudes
Il maid, lots OF new dresses, gloves that
never need be cleaned or mended-all these and
other visions float through her mind. Sheis, OF
course, very soon awakened to realties, and is at
first amazed at the 1apidity with which her
housekeeping allowance melts away. Tho region
of extras Is never reached, and it is we'll il abe
does not soon got into debt with her weekly
bills, or fo1estall her income to pay for souae-
thing she has ordered without having counted
the cost. A man with small income cousults
his future comfort to much better purpose by
choosing wife where there ls money, even it he
is not to hava any share OF it with her. II abe
has seen her father give hundreds Of pounds for
picture or horse she at least knows how
much such things cost; and il, az in most fami-
lies OF the kind. the young ladies have q regular
allowance, she is able to tell how much will be
required for dress, and how impossible i. will be
to have any OF the thugs which an inex experienced
wife will wish for and perhaps expect. She has
also the advantage of knowing how little married
happiness really depends upon such things, nnd
how small is the qualification to be obtained
fr3u possessing them. And Hte probably knows
that extravaganza is just as fatal to Est, 900
year az to $500, aud that to keep out OF tc.: re-
quires management, whatever the amount OF the
annual income. Accustomed to many servants,
she knows what care will be needed to get tho
work Of even small house doue by two: and SO
she helps them az much as possible, will take
share in the busting, especially of ornaments,
will not hesitato to go to the hall door when thoy
are busy. On Sunday afternoons she will ro-
ceve the milk in tue orthodox manner through
the area rails, rather than keep the cook from
performing her devotions or taking walk with
her sweetheart. Even if abe is not good
housekeeper, her servants have some considera-
tion for her IN return, and perhaps even oc-
casioaally endeavor to be saving and careful in
their own departments. But such mstresses
arc rare and the man who has one Of them for
his wife |. fortunate. Too often the young and
inexperienced woman begins married life with
tho idea that having servants and house of
her own means simply doing just what she likes.
She probably commences With protracted tit Of
threo-voluma novels, the first fruits OF her
emancipation from mother and Rchoolmistres8.
She reads them reclining on hor Sofa and often
hurts her health by alternately spending all
in close atmosphere and taking long WALKS
on damp afternoons to looa in at Bhop-wiudows
--apotler pleasure hitherto forbidden She is
addicted to wearing tight stays and h:gh-heeled
bouts, and cats chocolate between her MEALS
She rises 80 late that breakfast il always a
scramble, and, as she has not remembered to
ore.er it the night before, her husband is often
obliged to be OFF before the eggs and tho ham
hays been procured. II he is at all demoustra-
tive, the chances are that he goes to hls days
wo:k 1eaving tho wife Of his bosom in tears, and
Ing. aud bad breakfast, will unhinge than for
tho day. But such feelings become blluted pe-
fore long, and the husband who does not dio Of
h1.ying to work almost fasting survives to
make his wife wonder how she could have mar
lied him.
After breakfast and the departure OF her hus-
baud, sho dtscsnds to the kitchen. Her temper
ia already rut1ied. Her dress. owing to the hurry
of her toilet, is unbecomlug, often untidy; aud.
disordered herself, she proceeds to order dlnuer.
Her own condition il admirably reflected in that
OF the kitchen and the cook. Having mads no
plan beforehand. and having no idea of how bsat
to the things already in the house, she 1ca7es
it to the cook to suggest what Will give her the
of the business il over. The air of tue kitchen
ia not 50 sweet aa to make it pleasant to stay
there long; aud she departs with relief when
the invasiabla mutton aud rice pudding
has been proposed by tho cook and adopted
by the mistress. No thought of going out
to soc what may DO had in tho market, no idea OF
choosing vegetables or meat. ever crosses her
mind. She Is quite content that tho grecn-gro-
Ger and tho butcher should serve her ct their
will and allows her cook, who BY this time
out for what il required, while she lcrAelf retires
to her room. Her education has only taught her
the necessity OF following tho fashion, aud sho
probably puts off her u0vel-rca0ing Thiso SHE
occupies her time with trying to initiate in cheap
materials dress sue has seen on shno oEe else,
though its beauty may have consisted 10 tho
cunning cutting-ont of an experienced hand, or
Meanwhile her servants got through their work
as they please, their ployeuly hands learning no
ueatucas from her example, aud their
experieuce teaching them only how to
do as little as possible for ther wages.
He! view Of hoasekssp,ng consists ost eh.ey ia
any accurate knowledge of how mnch or how
littc il really required The cook ia trusted
with money to pay tho tradesnen. and If sho
pockets the money aud lcaves the bills to be paid
when she has gone to another place, is
more surprised than her mistress. Such things |
happen even iu well-regulated households, and |
they arc common occurrences where tho mis- |
trcss knows nothing OF Ee value of ready money, |
the blame seldom falling where 1t should. Servants
arc taught dishonesty by neglect. and ara often
a. much demoral1zed bv too little trust AZ By |