The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-07-23
Small Things.

tSEs8. az E'
Small Things.
"A knowledge Of many little faels that
ar,, not always to be had systematically
laid down in books, but which descend
|traditiosally from mothsE sto'dsughteg
By word Of mouth, as the unwritten
music OF the songs Of SAakspesre de-
saeuds from actress tosActress,b often
more usefulto the sorely bestead young
house mistress than all the Latin and
mathematics that she learned 81 school
can be-. She may know how 70 play
Beethoven's sonatas so as to hold
drawing room breathless and entrarced,
but it stands her poorly if, while she
plays, a grt at ink spot on the drawing
room carpet stares her in theface, that
she does not know how to wash out
with milk, and clean up afterward with
warm and nice soap-suds, or grease
spot that could have been absorbed out
OF existence by frequent applications of
magnesia or Of buckwheat flour, If she
had only known enough to sprinkle it
abundantly on the spot, and brush it off
afterward. What does nSbenetit her
that her wit and ready repartee can
keep 4 whole dinner table gay, while
the 6ne cookery, that 1t no end of
trouble she has taught her cook, keeps
them contented, if the company are
forced all the time to be neryollsly tlirt-
ing fans and napkins and adjectives
against the pestiferous flies that she
could have driven away by leaving in
the room, an hour or SO beforehand, a
little preparation Of equaiquantities of
cream and brown sugar;;ssnd half rs
much black pepper, had her mother
ever known as much, or thought to tell
her of it? Of what use is it to her, liy-
ing possiblyfar from bakeries and bread
shops, to keep crackers, for instance, in
the house, if she has never learned how
to freshen them by leaytg diem for
three minutssin aAot pve1 ,soEto pre-
vent their befng nibNedSa' over by
ants by strewing the store-room shelves
with few cloves, occasionally renewed?
Such things are trihes, each one by
itself, Of course, bit h,lf q hundred
such things eau contribute very materi-
ally to comfort and good nature in
/ family nut. rstiis, n
If the knowledge that the steam of
green tea sw1l revive her rusty black
lace. and make it as fresh as new, has
not descended to her, OF what good is it
that the lace has? Or why should she
have costly lit of the beautiful Brus-.
sells lace in her keeping il nobody has
ever told her to shut it away from the
air Or from any peculiarly strong per
fume2 She will spend more pre- entity
in ftqsehtsppahs, and rtdrdsfnEs than
the lace coitsin the first plsceI She can
afford possibly Is weargbld embroidery,
in an era of gliding, if she knows enough
TO clean il, when it furnishes, with q
brush dipped in burned and pulverNed
rock-alum; and she may be, splendid
and graceful in long, white ostrich
plumes that would need as long p purse
to provide frequently il she had not
seen them dipped again in the thick
warm lather OF curd soap, then rinsed
and dried, and curled over a Knitting
kneedle before the fire.. go =.
What right has she tn be the head Of
q family if she is not sufficiently mistress
of herself and of a few surgical facts to ar
| rest the bleeding Of a cut limb bya tight
ligature between the cut aud the pulsing
heart Pill she does not know that always
handy mustard and water will empty
! the stomach that hasreceit edpQison, or
/ that the white of atfegg when admins
tered internally will TRANSFORMS swal-
lowed corrosive sublimate with its dead.
" torture into the simple salvation Of
I Blue maSs2--if sheican not distinguish
between apoplexy and drunkenness by
Knowing that the whole limb will DON.
yulsiyely Withdraw in, the. former case il
thdsoleAf (hS foot b tictfd, and does
not thenifhrther know thai hhe' clothing
must be at once loosened, and blisters
be applied to the calves Of the legs, the
pit Of the stomach, and the back of the
j .neck2 I. If she DO a, pioneers wife,. II
would lie "a vseflh thing for her to, re-
member that when her grandmother
was q. pioneers vile before her,. she
found pine sawdust nearly as good a.
soap with whichlto wash her linen. .....
A myriad uch'small things a. these
migbtibe supposed to- form ,necessar!
parts of the education of all women bu
in reality not even, a small fraction. o
either facts, or women are acquainted
with each other Few, wives know how
to take the white spots out OF their: ol,
mahogany, the stain of their artifcia
!. roses from their light; silks, to cleal
their filigree. silver, to choose q genuine
> silk, to make their own ba9dDline;. Q
> even more imperative things than an!
!. such as these. :,ra
! OF course they may never have iligh
\ silks or tiligree silver, or use bandbline
Z k1nd 81 course it is impossible all at one
: to make one's mind an encyclopedias @
!. practical facts and small recipes; but
: would seem as, if, so long Us all thes
Y tritles form essential features Of goo
4 housekeeping and women are. tqb
J. housekeepers, that women should j
d some way or other, be nEsass fa1nilis
8 with all the processes by which the
! a pqssesipusege nell Rse9 end well KEEP
9 addtatsed I thd III avalege1 an
Z thu il jheif own nd II sn( tuardias
}. do not teach them orally and by exam
u ple. at the time when the mind mO
7 rsadilyy 'accdmulates facts. then som
70 body else should teach them. noab
z leA IN the next lgenscstioq doze
y scholarships may be founded In women
.! colleges fur the knowledge Of the "
= movable, but none will ever be fouOd1
for the treasuring of these and simi''
y therefore becomes the part Of all your
y women who have; graduated in trig
q nometty and the MUSICAL glasses to hu
~ -, H., AhS, IA -