The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-03-11
LEE in GERMANY.
The Foreigner Abroad.

The account-book. OF such family, con-
sisting of parents, four daughters, two of
Dm are mere infants, and two servant
gwls, shows the expenses for one years
provisions to be ZOO forms; clothing,
1;750 forms; tuition, $50 forms gas
and fuel, 1916 forms; washing, IT'S
forms; city charities, $50 forms; furni-
ture, kitchen utensils and sundries,
1,150 forms; total, $3.50 forms, OF about
$4,000.
Each fiat contains, of course, all the
necessary rooms for housekeeping. In
addition, every family. has the use of
two cellars, one for wine and vegetables.
the other for fuel The floor of the
main entrance is of colored stone, in
handsome patterns. The principal OBJ
lection to this sort of residence is the use
OF common hall by the various inmates,
since it gives entrance and exit to every
thing animate and inanimate that per
tains to living. Visitors, children,
butcher, baker, milkman, coal, wood,
slops and garbage pass through this
passageway, which, as a consequence,
cannot be kept in the nice order that
characterizes this part of the household
III America. The pavement is swept
everp morning, and requires sprinkling
twice a day. This work is divided be-
tween the different flats. A general
laundry-room is in the cellar, and is
common property. There are water
works in the kitchen, but not in the
rooms. The noise of uncarpeted floors
is at first unbearable to Americans.
OF course, some of the very wealthy use
carpets, but several reasons prevent
their prevalent adoption. The doors fit
% closely that they would require to be
planned off at the bottom to admit a car
pet beneath; but perhaps the most i'm
portant consideration is the utter absence
OF furniture-rollers. In such simple
matters as these, Americans miss many
little contrivances for household comfort
that are accessible to the humblest at
home
The floors are of different colors of
oak wood, accurately fitted together in
small blocks to initiate mosaic. The
waxing is renewed every few weeks, and
the sweeping of such floors is followed
byfrequent wiping with buckskin. Large
rugs in handsome patterns are laid in the
most exposed places. White floors are
easily disfgured by every drop of water
and require fortnightly scrubbings. This
involves whole days discomfort, to say
nothing of the herculean task of moving
the rollerless furniture and the annoy
ance OF having detachable pieces wrenched |
off by clumsy cleaners. Then we miss
the warm, dry climate that so speedily
etfaces all traces of the scrubbing brush. |
A days cleaning is followed by a cold |
night, through which the dampness is
perceptibly felt. The windows here,
even in the humblest houses, are draped |
with white. The wealthy add handsome
lambrequlns of damask and other similar !
materials. Inside shutters are found |
only in the new houses erected by for
elgners, or at their suggestion. All win
dows have the Venetian slat-blind. hung
the outside. Nottingham lace our
tains are much used, and require lar1n-
drying once in six months. The double |
winter windows are usedin cold weather,
and add to the warmth of the rooms at
the expense of imperfect ventilation.
Our fuel is beech wood and coke; peat |
is much used and inexpensive, but it's
disagreeable odor prevents it's universal
adoption.
Girls receive 100 forms a year and a
present Christmas and at the time of the |
two annual fairs. This salary seems
small yet when one takes into consid-
Grafton their demand for beer and wine,
their dostructiveness, and their habit of |
levying 10 per cent on the market money,
their wages do not fall short of the girls
at home. Ladies seldom attend market, |
gentlemen never as a consequence,
there is ample opportunity for this habit |
OF levylng which seems to be in general |
use among the Stuttgart servants. These
girls read and write well in the matter
of work they accomplish far less than the
Irish and German girls, upon whom our
domestic comfort depended across the
Atlantic.
Preserved vegetables are known only
to the wealthy. A vegetarian diet would
not be pleasant to one compelled to rely
upon our markets. The principal winter
stock consists of cabbage, carrots and
turnips. Of course sourkrout is a fire.
quent dinner dish.
Chestnuts boiled in water and sugar,
to which little butter has been added,
make delightfully."- sweet dish, and are a
pleasant accompaniment to various
stewed fruits. They are also used for
garnishing the rose cabbage. Each
little cabbage is the size of walnut, and
grows around stalk foot or more in
height. It is pretty plant, with deli
cate flavor. In ear y spring hop sprouts
are brought into market. They are pre-
pared like asparagus, and served with
white sauce.
Fish and foul are expensive food
here, and meat is beyond the reach
of the laboring classes. Ham, like
our sugar-cured, is not known in
Stuttgart. That which we have bought
here is already boiled, and sold at the
charcutiers or sausage-houses in any
quantity desired, and Of inferior quality.
Yet North German hams and sausages