The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-06-02
"Superfluous Branches"

on
To a pretty young girl Sydney Smith
once said: do you ever reflect Q
YOU pass your life If you live to bs
seventy-two, which | hope you nay,
your life is spent in the following man
ner. An hour a day is three years
this makes twenty seven years sleep
ing, nine years dressing, nine years at
table, six years playing with children,
nine years walking, drawing, and Wis
iting. six years shopping, and three
wears quarrelling." The terms of thi'
enumeration would doubtless be chan
ged for most Of US, and candor mus
admit that we are sometimes 'ess WEI
EMPLOYED. But at the best it is APP
paiiing to think how much of life must
be spent IN merely p~crfunctory en-
ployments, which do not enhance It's
value or our pleasure in 1t.
Knowing. then, what an immense
subtraction must be made from the ap-
parent sum Of existence, it would seem
the choice Of reasonable mortals, an
xious to make the most OF the remain
der, to cut down all e~1travagant and
superhuous demands upon it on the
part of the meaner qualities.
From no class of persons, for exam
pie. is the sad and hearth felt cry of mo
tims"more general and more persistent
than from the great host of married
women-mothers, wives, and house
keepers. They long for leisure, they
tell u.-for leisure which means rest,
culture, companionship with husbaDd,
children, ard friends. They weuld
fain study nature, art. politics, social
science. But their vocation Is a drag
net which sweeps up all opportunity,
and I o struggle against their lot IS to
breed discomfort.
Yet every woman living has all tt e
time there is. 1t is her use OF 1t which
make. her bondage of her freedom.
And if these Slaves of the Ring would
but measure carefully a single day @
penditure of the golden hours, they
would almost certainly find that they
have paid it away for nausht. There
i, hardly a home In the keeping of
well-to-do househoIders whose nachin-
cry might not be so simplitied as to lft
q heavy burden from the mistress
Suppose some reforming spirit should
declare: Il will have a house which
shall be my enlargement, not.my prison.
am told that travellers IN Japan are
much struck with the airness and room
mess of Moderate sized apartments, re
sultiDg from the absence Of cumbrous
furniture. Each article, though al
ways e1qui.itsly finished, is light; the
lounges are Of some elastic woven MA
<or, fh> AnnrS rE hora or pnraTp1
with mating. The fastidious Japan
csc call our style Of furnishing unclean.
too will have bare floors in my CHAM
bers, or, if their shabby nakeduess
must be bid, it shall be only with mat
ting. will no longer make to myself
idols Of pillow .hams, lace pincushion
covers, embroidered towels. petticoat-
ed dres.ins-tables, and time devour-
ing draperiss. Neither shall my parlor
harbor 4 %tyranDical carpet, but Il meek
mat. which Gin be shaken any day, and
defes moths; nor furniture so fine that
myself must take care of it; nor IT,
dies, footstools, and sofa pillows, which
are very Min0taurs for the destroying
of precious minutes.
I'm my liying-Ioom the books shall
abide, and plants shall grow.
The dining Don shall ri ice in
plated silver and plain china, that loss
and bresL age need not worry me. The
kitchen shall be pleasant rs sunshine,
n~eatness, and fit furnishings can make
it. 1t shall be a store house of %contri-
vances for making house-work easy.
For | Will again ssvs time and nerves
by insuring cheerful service from the
servants. The food shall be good.
abundant, and well chosen. But |
will have nothing for show, nor to
placate Mrs. Grundy. Nor will | put
the freshness OF my day into q difficult
cntree, nor let my ambitions b crushed
out beneath the rolIing-pin. Nay. if
this moderate scheme of existence be
found still too exacting, it shall be re
duced one-half. Il may not be of
much consequence that I should live.
But surely it is of infinite moment that
while l live nay days should hold some.
thing more than fine upholstery, nur-
sery jingles, pie crust, sia broidcry, and
vlsltlng-cards."
Who would be free, thens-!s es must
strike the blow.