The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-04-23
REFORM in the Household.

Besides the general discomfort of the
dwelling ard the (often) coarseness Of
food which were the lot of our Puritan
ancestors, their rough toll left but scantv
margin for many of the refinements Of
civilized life. Their work was that of
the pioneer, and many of the elegances
of their former life must have been left
behind them. Most of the furniture Of
their dwellings was of the rudest kind.
Some few in ,emigrating hither BROUGHT
some articles for domestic comfort, and
their knowledge of the decencies Of life
was not left in England, even if. to a
great extent, the, practice of them was.
The Dutch on Manhattan Island, COM
ing as traders, and the early English
emigrants to Virginia, having more of
the spirit of Adventures and less that of
permanent settlers than the Puritan fore
fathers, undoubtedly looked more care
fully to physical comfort than did they.
But those of us who sit down to a we'll
laid table, with its snowy napery, fine
silver, cut-glass and delicate china, or
who lounge in our easy chairs, or enioy
the artistic furnishing of our homes, can
have small conception of the want of
beauty in those of the early. settlers.
Very much time at the present dav is
wasted in making and using flimsy trash
having neither true worth nor beauty
only snowy and meretricious in every
respect. If the settle in the corner Of
the Puritan's fireplace was rude, it was
substantial, and could be sat upon, and,
unlike the chairs in some modern
parlors, would not give way and
let its occupant upon the floor.
There was great fault among the
American people in this whole matter of
house-furnishing for many years, until
within very short time, and many a
good housewife has had her patience
tried by broken articles, and felt her
money spent in things of little worth.
But decided improvement in the make
of many things for household use has
taken place, and it is now getting to be
possible to purchase, if one has knowl-
edge, most things needed for domestic
purposes of sterling value, and in many
cases for reasonable price.
There are women and women whose
whole life is, bound up in a small circle
OF daily cooking, washing, ironing,
sweeping, and dusting. Their families
must be provided for, and almost I'M
needed by them the world with its mo-
mentous interests strides on. The spring
bird may MARBLE, the seasons come and
go the only changes in their life are
those which effect their work. They
have little time for reading or thought
and are narrowed down in intellectual
life. A few women, of greater culture
and furtherreaching ambition, live less
in the. treadmill OF domestic routine.
Opportunity has broadened their life,
and their horizon takes in many inter-
ests beyond their household cares. But,
from the wife of the President, who so
gracefully presides over the White
House, down to the good wife in the
humblest dwelling in the land, some GER
tain duties must be performed, else the
wheels of domestic machinery may be-
come clogged, and confusion in the
house result. Who has not been in
homes where the play of this machinery
has been SO noiSeless and accompanied
by so little friction that peace and quiet 4
ness seemed to be the very atmosphere
of the dwellingP and in others where
noise and jar destroyed all harmony of
thought ana feelingP Other causes than
adaptability of dwelling and appoint
ments can often be assigned for such dis
turbance, and it has been well said that
domestic peace can not be preserved in
family jars; but to any person who
keeps house this adaptability to use is of
wondrous service in the making of life
run smoothly. There are some things
which every woman, from the lady of
the mansion to the washerwoman in the
tenement-house, who is housekeeper
must have: food for the number de-
pendent upon her, comfortable sleeping
arrangements, and facilities for cleanli-
ness. Not every housekeeper has an
exact idea of the amount of money she
can or ought to spend. Business often
fluctuates, and the even balance is diff
cult to adjust; but after making as close
an approximation as possible, the heavy
side being in favor of less rather than
greater expenditure, then the rule should
be necessities first, next comfort, then
luxury. In food, the best and most
wholesome to be obtained; in clothing,
good, plain, serviceable are the cheap
est. There are problems of race and
climate and resources to be yet solved
by this American people, and the
housekeepers of the land are daily help
ing toward their solution or otherwise
Good, strong Drawn and muscle as well
as fine brain-power are in constant de-
mand, and they can not be made with
out suitable nourishing food and warm,
comfortable clothing. The children Of
the rising generation are the hope of the
nation, and in caring for their daily
wants the mothers are slowly but surely
laying the brick and foundation-stones
of what shall be fair edifice or
crumbling fabric. Physical develop
ment is not all, but in adapting the
means of living to the end every faculty
of the soul is called into play, and the
housekeeper, in the exercise of her daily
ayocations, is consciously or uncon-
sciously helping to build character as
well as homes u Christian at Work.