, 1878-05-03
Shall We Bend to Our Work, or Bend
Our Work to Ourselves


In the early days of our mothers and
grandmothers it was generally consld-
cred by good danes and housewives II
most unpardonable lack of thrift for u
lady to commence new piece at work
of sewing, for in.tanCe--whle an untin'
ished piece lay before her. And, indeed,
so decided was my early training in this
respect, that have felt it sometimes to
be almost q disgrace when, for the lack
of strength, | have sometimes been com
PEELED to lay aside for the time being in
completed work for something lighter
and more in accordance with my tastes
aud feelings at that particular time. In
deed, have practiced humoring my pc
culiar moods-provided they were not
acknowledgements of late years,
and am fully satisfied that it is economy
to do so; economy, not only of time and
strength, but of good nature, and Of gen.
eral wear and tear Of the system. lind
that / am not alone in this digression
from the ways of our good mothers.
An esteemed neighbor said to me some
two years since: II have done nothing
but mend for three days" excepting, OF
course, her daily household duties. II
used to think" she continued, "that my
mending must always be done at Ger
tain time, but when mother was here last
winter, after noticing one day that my
mending and were not at all agreed, ,and
that | could make no satisfactory pro.
gress, she said: Lay it away now, Min
ME, and perhaps tomorrow you will en-
Joy doing such work She then gave
me rule" said my friend, (which have
adopted, and find that | can accomplish
much more, by observing. 1t is THIS
Never, unless it is necessary, punish
yourself by doing certain piece of
work when you cannot enter into the
spirit of itn | will remark right here
that hardly think that this rule is ap-
plicable, except to energetic, driving peo-
pie, invalids, and to tired, overworked
mothers. There are times when | can
heartily endorse this rule. Why, some
times could mend, every day for a week,
if it was necessary, but | could not do it
with pleasure if were always obliged
to attend to it as fast as the rents were
ready for the needle, and | was rejoiced
to know that such good and exemplary
woman, in all respects, as was the mother
of my friend, should advocate such ideas,
for few women--if any-have accom-
plished more in busy, useful life, than
she.
And have additional evidence from
another most useful. energetic woman.
She is great Christian worker minis
ter's wife, and does her own work for a
family OF four. Yet, with all this, she
finds time to do fancy-work, and of diff.
ferent kinds, from the charming patch
work quilts and embroidered table-covers
and Afghans, to some Of the most beauti
full oil paintings that ever graced par.
lor in the West. She loses no time, how
ever, always having some light work
ready to do whenever she has visitors or
is visiting.
When she showed US some six kinds of
work which she had begun and bad de-
termined to finish before Christmas, |
said You do not follow the teachings
of our mothers, to always finish one piece
before you begin another2" "No, indeed" !"
she answered, II never should accom- plish
much if l did,"
After all, think that our mothers were
right in forming such habits OF "stick-to-
it-iveness" in early life; for after We reach
mature years, if Il "new departure" seems
necessary, it is then soon enough to he
gin Hope Eoermore, in the RuraL NeW
Yorker.