Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-05-26

Just now the domestic queen h ON tho
war-path. We hear the shrill tones Of
feminine command, the sweep of the
broom, the clatter Of the dust-pau, the
steady thump of the fiagellating stick,
and the fitful tapping of the tack-ham-
mer. With cobwebby pennons OF VIC
tory, and flourish of dust-cloths, towel
helmeted ranks charge through the
house, swooping down on the weak and
the unwary. and some they drown, ana
some they drive to distraction.
By-and-by when the victory Is won,
when not even the ghost of a dust-speck
Is left to fight against, and calm-eyed
peace. emerged from calico aprons and
crimping-pins, sits once more beside the
family hearth stone, everybody will re-
joice in the spic-and-span atmosphere
which pervades the house from attic to
cellar.
Except 10 those housekeepers who
have joined the ranks of the great I'm
neat, this annual upheaval appears In
the light of necessity so inevitable that
we women submit cheerfully, and "tear
up, :" and !" set to rights" with jealous
haste, not because we want to, but be-
cause we must. As for man, the be-
nighted, the very thought of carpet
coming up or stove-pipe coming down
puts him out of sorts. 1t would seem
that for the sake of quiet and comfort
he would prefer to be like the people in
old-fashioned stories, who ''lived in
peace and died in grease, and were
buried under a lump of tallow."r
If you want specimen of mans
housekeeping, just look at the barn. do
you suppose the dust and cobwebs gath
cred there have ever encountered
broom, or the window-panes been re-
lieved of an atom of dirtp Now, II
woman had charge of that building the
walls and ceilings would certainly have
an occasional sweeping, and the win
dows would at least be clean enough to
see through, and the first man who
found time to whittle q stick would find
himself armed with q whitewash brush.
But houses must be cleaned even If hus-
bands do grumble; of course they will
anyway, and to tell the truth some of
them have just cause-when, for in
stance, housekeeping means q cross
and collarless wife, carpetless,
draughty house, week of cold dinners,
and q succession OF minor mishaps and
miseries, winding up with coughs and
colds and maybe a doctors bill, it is no
wonder it grows to be bugbear. Such
fanaticism is nearly out of date now.
We women have learned the truth of
the old adage "the more haste the less
speed" in this respect at any rate, and
most of us are content to go about our
spring work sensibly and Systematically,
taking one room at time and leisurely
completing it before beginning another.
As a preparatory step, closets, trunks
and drawers ought to have a thorough
overhauling. There is no place in q
house that needs publication more than
an unventilated closet; clothing that has
been hanging long in such place is I'M
fit to wear until it has in some way been
restored to freshness. IL
All wooden garments and furs should
be we'll summed, beaten and carefully
examined to make sure that they are
free from moths; if afterward they are
put directly into paper bags rand pasted
up, or even tied up securely in paper
and packed away, they will be safe until
they are needed again. If there is the
least sign of moth about them it is best
to keep them where they can have u
weekly brushing and examination.
The moth miller flies and lays its eggs
during May and June. 1t is, of course,
necessary that things should be put
away before that time, and many con-
slider it wisdom to examine such articles
in July. If packed as directed, in o
tight trunk or chest, and there Is no
doubt about their perfect cleanliness,
the latter precaution may be dispensed
with. The seems and cracks of packing
boxes should have strong paper pasted
over them, but If there is an empty
liquor cask to be had use that instead;
one can ask for no better paking case.
Where q carpet is found to be infested
with moths, wash the floor with hot
soap-suds and when dry brush it with
spirits of turpentine about yard wide
all around the room, then when the car
pet is down, wiring strip of muslin out
of alcohol, lay it on the carpet and press
it with hot iron until dry. Proceed in
this manner all around the room and il
the carpet is properly swept you will
have no further trouble. If the moths
are in upholstered furniture use the in
sect powder. It will kill them, sure.
Paint and varnish are not expensive
articles, and they are SO easily applied
that old furniture can be made to look
like new with next to no trouble; it
should be remembered, however, that
every article should be thoroughly
cleaned with hot water and soap, and. IL
necessary little washing-soda, before
painting or vanishing. To clean wall
paper, cover smooth block of wood
with two or three thicknesses of canton
flannel, fleecy side out. When the car
pet is up, dip this block into dry whiting
and rub the paper lightly with the soft
side, doing a breadth at q time so as not
to skip any. When all is finished brush
the wall with a soft cloth fastened over
the broom. If paper has been spotted
with grease or hair-oil, brush the stain
with shellac varnish to prevent the
grease striking through, then patch it,
cutting it in some figure to exactly
match.
All stained places coming from leaky
roofs SHOULD be coated over with the
same sheilac varnish before whitening
ceilings or walls; otherwise the stains
will strike through. ia
To whiten walls scrane off all old