Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-04-05
HOUSEHOLD COLUMN.
What 10 Have for Dinner-SaNinG ana
Mnking-wOman'sS Sacrifices.

What TO Have for Demonstrating and
Mnking-wOman's Sacrifices.
The words "NNhat shall we have to-
day?" are ascOmmOn in the phraseOlogy
of ordinary housekeeping aS what
shall we wear" are familiar i'll the
vocabulary of unmarried young ladies
But should there be any so unlearned
as to be in ignorance Of the meaning of
this phrase, it may be explained that,
0NYhat shall we have" in domestic
phrase signifies what shall be provided
Tor the breakfast, dinner and supper.
To know exactly what to get that Will
cause satisfaction is a Chinese puzzle
for most housekeepers, especially when
the family is q large one with differing
tastes. At some seasons of the year it is
almost impossible with people of Ordin-
arv means to have great variety i'll the
daily bill of fare, and it would therefore
be well if a certain routine were obScrv-
cd i'm regard to the table, as in other
departments Of the house.
TABLE ECONOMY.
1t is all-impOrtant, too, to know how
much to provide and how to guard
against waste. Comparatively few
American hoIIsGkecperS have reduced
the victualing of the garrison, If we
NAV use so strong an expression, to the
exact science which this department OF
housekeeping has attained in the old
world. The very richness, fertility and
infinite resources Ola virgin county like
this have a tendency to encourage
wastcfulness and extravaganza mhouse-
hold rs well as in larger matters, and
the generous and open handed habits
which have come down from the lavish
prodigality of the old plantation times
still cling like an instinct even to
families where former glOrieS are only a
distant memory. They order things
differently in France, where thriftinesS
has been elevated to fine art, and
where the salvation of the nation ere
now has been fOundin the savings which
the good wife has managed to lay up
out of the family revenue. 1t is n COM
mon saving, in which experienced
travellers declare there is little or no
eXaggeratiOn, that 4 French family
could live on what an American family
throws away. Certainly there is wide
room for reform in this direction, and
the more the subject is studied the more
thoroughly will its Importance be ap'
preciated. After ell, savingis quite Is
| important SIS making, and the careful
administration of thc household finance,
| as.essential to the comfort and smooth
sailing of the family ship rs the provld'
ing of these finances is in the first III
| stance.
AN INTERESTING PROBLEM.
With an economical and able adj
ministration ut the head OF affairs il
would be surprising on what com
paratively small sums even tOlerably
large family might be supported
| Considerable discussion was excited III
! st. Louis at the beginning Of the yaai
| by complaint from 4 young unmarri
| ed man that he could not live even in
| q state of single bleSscdneSS on 5000 {
year, and he was promptly answered by
| host of female correspondents, who
showed very concluSiTcly the prrpostcr,
Gus, character Of his assertion, ant
| proved that il was quite sufficient L
! support two or more. But the great
majority Ofpeople have not even 500,
year, the average income OF people
belonging to the lower strata of what
| are called the middle classes probably
not exceeding ST. $40 Il year, even il
| reaching that amount. Poor people
| and people of moderate means, are il
general blessed with large number o
olive branches around their tables, il
accordance with the prOvcrb, and there
fore the question of how To make botf
| ends meet-ends which sometimes must
be stretched terribly to be brought to-
gether-is problem that is constantly
| engaging the attention of large numbers
of domestic arithmeticians.
wOMAN'S SACRIFICES.
While to all these economies thC
| wife necessarily occupies the mos
important relation, it should be remem'
bered that there is something in her life
| higher than the mere material needs t.
which she 50 diligently ministers. L
| there be neat and cheerful home
awaiting the husbands return each
night, and "a bright and happy house
hold gathered round the helrthStOne, it
should not be forgotten that she is the
presiding genius of the place, and that
To her is due most OfitS sunshine and
but few of its shadows. Some husbands
not MANY, we truSt-dO not estimate
Us they deserve the trials, difficulties
and sorrows encountered by their wives
in the discharge of household duties. 1t
may seem simple matter to order
domestic affairs, see that meals are
properly prepared, keep the children
Cleanly and in order, sew on buttons,
and make old garments look almost a
good as new; but these things, which
scarcely comprise half the catalogue of
many a woman's duties, require not
only maximum of energy and thought
fulness on the part of the housewife, but
a patience and love which it is to be
feared would be found in few of the
opposite sex. \ wife should be a
heipmate, but few men, it is to chopped,
would desire to go back thousand
years to the barbarism that made the
woman a mere newer of wood and
drawer of water-a human machine to
contribute simply to the physical COM
fort of the husband. A wife is not
merely to be regarded from standpoint
of sweeping, cooking and nursing, as if
only destined for pots and kettles, and
possessing soul not even half Q degree
above buttons. These things belong to