Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-05-07

dwellings,.
Observing closely the lives of the
immense majority, think we shall
see that in conducting their house
hold affairs the object they have in
view is one and the same. | think
we shall see that they all strive, some
by their own labors wholly, tie rest
by covering over and piering out
the shortcomings of 'help," TO pre-,
sent a smooth, agreeable surface ia
husband and company. This smooth,
agreeable surface may be compared
to a piece of mosaic work, composed
of many parts. OF the almost infinite
number of those parts, and of the
time. skill, and labor required to ad-
just them, it hath not entered, it
cannot enter into the heart of man
TO conceive.
| wonder how long it would take
to name, just merely to name, all the
duties which fall upon the woman
who, to use common phrase-and
a true one-carries on the family.
Suppose we try to count them, one
by one. Doing this will help to give
us that clear view of the present
state of things which it is our pres
ent object to obtain, though the idea
reminds me of what the children
used to say when l was a child, eff
you count the stars, you'll drop
down dead"-a saying founded prob
ably on the vastness of the under
taking compared with human endu-
rance. 1t certainly cannot be trivial
to enumerate the duties to which
woman consecrates so large a portion
of her life, especially when we re-
member that into each and all these
duties she has to carry her mind.
Where woman's mind must 90, wo-
mans mind or mans mind should
not scorn to follow So let us make
the attempt; and we need not stand
npOn the order of our counting, but
begin anywhere.
Setting tables; clearing them off;
keeping lamps, or gas fixtures in or
der; polishing stoves, knives, silver
ware, tinware, faucets, knobs, ETC.;
washing and wipIng dishes; taking
care of food left at meals; sweeping,
the grand Friday sweep, the. limited
daily sweep and the oft-recurring
dust-pan sweep; cleaning paint;
washing looking-glasses, windows,
window curtains; canning and pre-
serving fruit; making sauces and jel-
lies, and catchups and pickles; max
ing and baking bread, cake, pies,
puddings; cooking meat and vegeta-
bles; keeping in nice order beds, bed
ding and bedchambers; arranging
furniture, dusting and "picking up;"
setting forth, at their due times and
in due order, the three meals; wash
ing the clothes; ironing, including
doing up shirts and other "starched
things" taking care of the baby
night and day; washing and dress
ing children, and regulating their
behavior, and making, or getting
made, their clothing, and seeing
that the same is kept in good repair,
in good taste, spotless from dirt, and
suited both to the weather and the
occasion; doing for herself what her
own personal needs require; arrang-
ing flowers; entertaining company;
nursing the sick; "letting down."
'and letting out" to suit the growing
ones; patching, darning, knitting,
crochcting, braiding. quilting-but
let us remember the warning of the
old saying and forbear in time.
This, however, is only a general
enumeration. This is counting the
stars by consultations. Examining
closely these items, we shall find
them made up each of a number of
smaller items, and each of these
again of items still smaller. What
seem homogeneous are heterogene-
Gus; what seem simple are complex.
Make loaf of bread. That has
simple sound, yet the process is COM
plex. First, hops, potatoes, -four, SUI
gar, water, salt, in right proportions
for the yeast. The yeast for raising
the yeast must be in Just the right
condition, and added when the mix
ture is of just the right temperature
In 'miJing up'' bread the tempera-
ture of the atmosphere must be con-
sidened, the temperature of the wa
ter, the situation of the dough- The
dough must rise quickly, must rise
just enough and no more, must be
baked in an oven Just hot enough
and no hotter, land must be ''tended"
while baking.
Try clearing off tables. Remove
food from the platters, care for the
remnants, see that nothing is vast
ed, scrape every plate, arrange in
piles, carry out, wash in soap and
water, rinse in clear water, polish
with dry cloth, set away in their
places three times a day.
Taking care of the baby frequent
ly implies carrying the child on one
arm while working with the other,
and this often after nights made
sleepless by its worrying" "I've
done my baking with a child on my
hip" said a farmers wife in my
hearing.
But try now the humblest of
household duties, one that passes for
just nothing at all; try dusting.
"Take cloth and brush the dust
off. )" Stated in this general way
how easy process it seems! The
particular Interpretation is that you
move, wipe, ana replace every arti-
Gle in the room, from the piano
down to the tiniest ornament; that
you ''take cloth" and go over ev-
cry inch of accessible surface, ,includ-
ing paneling, mop-boards, window
frames and cords, gas or lamp fix
lures; reaching up, tiptoeing, climb
ing, STOPPING, kneeling, taking care
that not even in the remctest corner
shall appear one inch of undusted
surface which any slippered individ-
ual, leaning back in his armchair,
can discover.
These, are only few examples,
but little observation and an eX-
caadinulv little nNDarience will show