Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-07-23
Alice's System.

do wish we could hire extra help on
washing and ironing-days," said Ada, as she
threw herself, with martyr-like air, into
Kitchen chair and took survey of the table
al have all those breakfast dishes TO wash,
and don't believe | can get through before
eleven o'clock. | think Jane pulls every
dish out of the cupboards on washing-dav
Just to plague me. Do you have to do such
work at home, Alice ~
Plenty of it," said Alice; and don't
think it such bad work either. Do you
clear the dihing-room table You have
things pretty well mixed up out here"
You would have had to look sharp 10 find
place to set down another salt dish.
"Come, Ada, aud will help you make
the work look great deal less, at least. 1t
is something like the bits of glass in the
Kaleidoscope But when you look down
from the top what orderly, beautiful shapes
they fall into. like to reduce my work to
kaleidoscope order. 1t makes it 50 much
pleasanter and easier. The more compact
the better. There is science even in wash
ing dishes. Now, let us gather up all the
spoons and forks into this bowl, and the
knives in that dish. Looks better already.
Now you put the plates together, the largest
at the bottom, and | will finish off with
these saucers. 1t makes quite pyramid,
doesn't it2 Then we'll set all the glass " are
by itself, and here are the meat aud vegeta-
BILE dishes, one inside of the other. Now
there is the whole mountain brought down
to fair mole-hill in the middle of the table. "
There doesn't seem to be half so many
of them," admitted Ada, land if it wasn't
for these old sauce-pans and kettles
shouldn't mind the rest much"
Let us do those first of all. That is my
mothers way. Then she says you are sure
of having fair water for them. She has nc
opinion of washing kettles in water that
has served for all the other dishes. She
says the articles we cook our food in ought
to be as neat as the best goblets, if they dc
not show it so much. or course, you will
be obliged to get clean water for the other
dishes. | don't like to wash the cooking
things very well either, so am glad to have
them over with as quick as possible.
always take the most disagreeable duties
first, when | can Just as we'll 1t is SC
pleasant to think that they are done as you
go along with the rest. Now let us wash
the glasses, and then the silver, and then
the cups and plates, and so on. We wash
them i'll one pan and then set them in
another on their edges, and pour scaldine
water over them. 1t takes but minute
to wipe them then"
Alice's kaleidoscope system worked won
derfully well, and Ada said the work was
done before she knew it. With great sat
isfaction the two unbuttoned their wide
aprons and hung them in the closet then
tripped off upstairs to make lovely pair
of rice-and-shell frames for the pretty chro
mos. Here, too, Alices system came into
excellent service. Indeed, she seemed tc
have the faculty of reducing everything she
touched to beautiful system, and it was
great advantage to her and to all her friends
This order must first exist in the mind
if we would make it of everyday use. Liz,
all our other faculties, it can be greatly i'm
proved. Even persons of very much tn,
opposite turn by nature and practice hav,
been able to turn right about and becom,
very orderly and tidy. So you see there il
encouragement for every one who has first
willing mind Selected.