Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-05-28
Small Leakages.

of water trickling through one of the
embankments that protects the low
country from the ocean tides, and she
had the wisdom to hold her little hand
against the weak place in the wall of
earth until the patrol came round to her
relief.
1t is a constant duty of the house
mistress to look out for the small leak
ages that have it in their power to do so
much harm to the finances of the house
hold. 1t seems small matter to the
maid to throw bit of fat into the re-
fuse; but a little bit every day will
doubtless amount to pound or two in
the week, and in the course of the year
four or FIVE dollars worth of fat that
should have gone to the soap man, are
wasted The bar of soap used at the
sink is often left lying just under the
faucet, to be washed away uselessly by
the dripping water The furniture is
carelessly handled in sweeping, and
thrust back against the wall, to the
great injury of itself and the wall. The
buttermilk reveals the wasteful hand
that did not think it worth while to
gather all the crumbs of butter floating
about. The knives have their handles
spoiled by hot water. The silver is
handled carelessly in the iron sink. The
half-dozen cold potatoes that might piece
out the bits of steak, are not considered
worth saving. The piece of cheese that
has dried in the cupboard, and might be
grated over the macaroni, is thrown into
the waste. The crumbs of bread that
might serve in dressing the next turkey,
or might do the birds good turn, are
carelessly thrown into the fire. The
bones of the last roast that might be
boiled to help out the bean soup, are
scornfully cast aside by the lavish hand
The spoonful of milk left in the pitcher
is so little as to be of no account, and
yet cupful of sour milk is soon accu-
mulated for the cookies or griddles. The
mop is hung up dripping from the last
water, instead of being carefully wash
ed. The pieces of cake grow mouldy
when they might be used in a nice pud-
ding And so on through the long list
of the painful possibilities of wasteful-
ness.
Young and inexperienced girls can
not be expected to think of all these
things at first but the mistress of the
house should realize that all these small
leakages will in the course of the year
amount to a sum sufficient to do great
deal in the way Of beautifying her home.
And it is her duty, for the girls own
sake, as well as for the good of the
household, to train her to the feeling that
it is grievous thing to throw away that
which with little care may be made of
use in the family. And the house maid
that takes kindly to this training and
conscientiously uses the materials and
the implements put into her hands, not
only adds to her own nobility of charac-
ter, but earns along with her wages the
respect and gratitude of her employers.
Mother nature isa beautiful exemplar to
us, in her economical ways of managing
all her interests. With lavish hand she
pours out her bounties for her children
but in all her domain no leaflet is so
small but having done its summer work
for the tree, it falls to the earth to do a
new duty as food; no drop of water is
so insignificant but it is sure of serving
over and over again.