Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-11-03
9adies' Column.
BUSINESS HABITS.

beside the one who has them. The lat
ter has fixed hour and day for every
domestic duty; the former has things
done when she thinks of it. The one
replenishes before an article is exhausted
the other runs round and borrows. The
one knows just how long an article
ought to last; the other is robbed before
her face and eyes. The one makes her
''rags" pay for her "tins," her grease
pay for her soap; the other has to give
ready money for both commodities. The
one has her house-clcaning done in
May; with the other 1t always bangles
along into July. The one can see
visitor at almost any hour of the day the
other has to hurry and skurry to make
herself presentable. The one always
has something toothsome in reserve if
an unexpected guest must be asked to
tea; the other has nothing but an apol-
ogy. With the one all goes smoothly,
noislessly, pleasantly, and with a smil-
ing face; with the other the jar is always
evident, the house and its mistress and
its servants are forever in snarl. The
one has business habits; the other has no
habits at all.
We have heard of lady whose hns.
tied in her hands a check-book for some
FIVE hundred dollars, with which to
make certain purchases. On his return
he asked her if she had enough money,
upon which the charming little creature
instantly answered that she had not only
had plenty, but that she had bought a
multitude of things which she had not
expected to buy. and still had two or
three checks left, which she triumphant
ly produced, and which he filed away as
trophies of "woman's worth and worth
lessness," 10 company with the letter
from friend in the bank informing him
that his wife had overdrawn her ac-
count by double the amount originally
deposited, but that that friend had as
sumed the responsibility, knowing that
it would be all right. In the lady,
unacquaintance with business she had
supposed every check stood with the
bank for just so much as she chose to
write down on its face, and considered
herself pattern of praiseworthy econ
omy that she had two or three specimens
of this invaluable and Fortunatus-like
sort of check left.
Every girl, we think, should be given
knowledge of certain business matter:
as much as every boy she should have
a sufficient insight into banking to make
her independent of the kind services o.
men. She soon learns naturally the
nature of bills and receipts, but sht
should know also the nature and forms
of deeds and writs and leases, power
of attorney, contracts, bills; she shoulC
know what steps to take to get out o
business difficulties if she gets int,
them; she should be taught the maune
in which to maintain her rights will
, frmness and without anger, so that il
, extremity she may not be left at tn
mercy of any with whom she deals, ant
who may be disposed to cheat her; ant
E as preliminary step, she should b
taught to file her papers alphabetically
and her letters by date. If, in addition
to this, every father would give hi
daughters in their early girlhood fxe'
allowance in so much money, represent
ing what he can afford for their expen
, diture, and demand that they shall kee]
! strict account Of it all, subject to hi
own or to their mothers inspection, h
!, will have established beginning 0
business habits that may at some after
day be of Infinite service.
Yet it is not merely as a matter o
t. money, as matter of clear and plai
accounts, as a matter of preserving prop
erty, or of being ready at call to ear
her own livelihood, that it lis importan
! for every woman to have business habits
r 1t is quite as valuable to her as mean
/. of general comfort during every day 0
g her life, be she rich or poor. Withou
r them she does nothing decently or il
a order with them she is mistress of ever
t situation; she controls the unknown
9 provides for the unexpected, and lift
e herself beyond the need of the kindl
e contemptuous assistance of those VIII
t have been wiser than she, and hav
e made themselves by means of bushes
0 habits all that she might be. Withou
s them she is only a waif and drift, care
e for and kept. in fact, only by what ma
e be described as business habits of th
great universe, which. in the foresight
, looks out for the apparent useless atoI
o as much as for races and continents
n while with them she might, if only il
o fnitesimally, assist in its work.