The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-07-07
Limitations.

Limitations.
The aspiring house-mother is met at
every point by the fact of her limita-
tons. If she resolves to set a table
perfect, according to the conventional
standard, not only in all its appoint
ments but in the dishes served on it as
well, she finds every hour in the day
mortgaged. If she resolves to keep her
house in absolute order, she finds that
there is no time for anything else. If
she sets out to keep the family ward
robe in perfect condition, what with
laundry work and mending the day is
fully occupied IL she devotes herself
to her children and her husband, they
easily absorb every moment of her
time, and when she tries to cult
vate herself little, other things
clamor for attention and cry out be-
cause of neglect. The higher her ideals
and the stronger her aspirations, the
more numerous and harder the labors
seemingly devolved upon her.
Seemingly. None of us are required
to do more than we can. There are
only twenty-four hours in every day
and only six working days in one week
One-third at least of every day we
spend or ought to spend in sleep. The
other two-thirds we must divide as
wisely as we may among the various
industries that rightfully claim our at
tention. The questions always arise,
or ought to: Which shall we choose?
How shall we best distribute the work
to be donep and these questions an
swered, we can calmly proceed to do
what we decide to do and cheerfuly
neglect what we decide to neglect.
Duty never points two ways at once,
and. having chosen that which points
in one direction, it is weak and vain tC
lament that we could not or did not
choose the other. If we had any
quadruplex method of multiplying our
seNes, as Edison has over the trans
hitting power of the telegraph wire,
we might do half dozen things at
once. As it is, we must confne our
selves within the limit of our capabili-
ties and be as content within that limit
as we may.
A grammarian who spent his life in
studying and writ NO upon the noun.
aiterward regretted Il at he had not
limited himself to the dative case
I ere are some who think three, seven,
4 ten acres, thoroughly cultivated,
enough" For twenty years nat
uralist on the banks of the Delaware
has studied the single square mile
around his house and still every few days
| discovers something new. Whatever
the house-mother may be She can not
be specialist. She must study not the
dative case alone, but all the cases; not
the noun only, but all parts of speech
She must do little of a great many
! diverse tasks.
To one who wishes to give exact at
| tention to each separate duty the value
J of routine is inestimable. BY its aid
the house-mother can 90 over the
| ground she has marked out regularly, if
only specifically. and know the condi-
ton of her domain and give to each
portion such attention as it demand
and she may lie able to bestow. Unless
she have willing and capable hands
other than her own in her employ, she
will hardly ever fail to feel that the
highest measure of her Accomplishment
1 is obtained by persistent and innumera-
bic neglects of what may be cons dered
4 by some important interests, but which
in her estimat on are comparatively UNI
important Doing with fidelity what
n she has chosen or what circumstances
have chosen for her, she may M 4rit that
highest eulogy bestowed by Christ on
any one of His followers; ''She hath
done what she could" -.... 81.
The surest relief for the house-moth-
er is in simplifying her methods of work
and her mode of living. Plain food is
easily cooked, plain dress is easily made
easily washed and ironed; plainly fur
nished rooms are easily taken care of
Limiting herself in these matters She
will have time and strength for those
of higher and more permanent value. -
AZ J. IIlIL1Luo