The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-01-17
Valuable Household Knowledge.
IHarper's Bazar.l

IHarpers Bazar.l
If every young girl were instructed In
the very common incidents of everyday
life in housekeeping as thoroughly as she is
In analytical geometry and metaphysics, let
US say, or if she gave as much of her habits
Of observation to them as she does TO the
distinctions of shape and color for her en-
broidery or her paintings, the duties falling
to her Ia her subsequent life as q housekeep-
er would be very much lightened.
There are innumerabie things in the
course of both nice and narrow housekeep-
ing not generally known. AID not laid down
in books, but which are handed down ira
ditionslly; and il the young girl does not
observe them in her mothers house, she
will not have them to bequeath when she
leaves it for hvuse Of her own. Perhaps
they do not signify great deal, bat they
do signify certain amount of comfort, and
if no one thinks to call her that she may
see them done, she does well to keep her
own eyes open. Let her learn thus orally,
and she will thank her teacher daily for
years to come-learn that lsmp-wicks SOAR
cd in vinegar and dried will not smoke af-
terwsrd; that there is nothing better to re-
move grease spots from carpets than OK
gall from the butchers, used in water, and
swelled as little as possible in the using;
that an ounce of alum will purify q whole
hogshead of foul water; that furred tea
kettle msy be cleansed by boiling in it q
few spoonfuls of ammonia; and that ii
yeast is bitter, it may be sweetened By
TRUSTING into it red-hot poker. She msy
learn in school that wood
ash makes hard water soft by means Of its
carbonate OF potassa uniting with the sui
phste of lime, and forming other substances,
which fall to the bottom, and leave the
water all right, and be glad of the knowl
edge in some situation where she can not
buy washing-sod but che will not learn
there. even though the principle be taught,
that a steel pen heated In gas-light and dip
ped in cold water becomes SIS good as new
nor know anything about it unless she sees
somebody do it. And she may generalize
from her books the fact that if shot is used in
cleaning wine bottles, and is left by acct
dent, the acid of the wine acts on il poison
ously; but unless she sees her mother cover
port and clsret stains with salt. and wei
them with sherry before washing with hot
water, she will be helpless when some swk
ward elbow turns her best white damssk &
ruinous red. Nor, when she is in furious
hurry to boil some preparation for dessert
in her "bain marie" or in one kettle set IL
the hot wster of another, and, fire up as she
msy, it will not boil, Is she likely to know
unless she hiss seen il done at home, that /
the outside portion of the boiler be filled
with brine, the inside Will boil Immediately
owing to the much higher temperature o
boiling brine than of boiling water. Tn
homes of people who have thought it wortl
while when on earth to be comfortable sr
replete with such little bits of odd prac.ic
that one becomes familiar with only by oh
servation and experience; and one may G
forever to the cooking classes of learne
professors, and learn nothing about them
Perhaps many of them are make-shifts in
manner, but they are not used unless need
ed, and when they are needed they are need
cd so very much indeed tina. 1t is boon
know them and their like.
There are, however, trihing bits of trad
tionAry knowledge, of a different nstur
from make-shifts, that it would DO no harI
to drill into the memory of the young b
constant repetition, till on occasion TO us
the knowledge it would ba almost instinc
Thus every child should be repeatedly tol
hat in escaping from burning house 1t
better to go on ail-fours than upright, how
ever great the haste, as the cold air falls I
the floor, and one can breathe there when
: is impossible elsewhere; ard that, when OF
must pass by flames, the mouth and moi
should be protected from their inhalation b
wet bsndsges, or by thick woollen thi
! Sits at least q portion Of the smoke al
; FIRE. Should not every girl. also, who
, ever likely to bear any weight of respons
bllity. be forced into acquaintance with ce
tain items in the management of diet, of 81
D vantage not only to herself but to whoms
ever may come into her hands and under b.
carer She will remember then that if OF
falls i'll in dark room, one can not get We
in it, but must be moved to room whe
sunlight enters with healing on its wing
that il is well, moreover, to have fe
green plants in room. giving out oxygt
and inhaliRg carbonic acid, but that man
produce a sort of malaria; that rom ms
be ventilated by pulling up the windo'
sash and filing all the open space with bC
or board, letting air 10 without dire
draught through the open line between Il
two sashee; that fire will always ventils
by its own drsught, but that, in case of i
fictitious Illness, one must not stand betwee
the patient and that fire. Our young 81
may even be made so much of philos
pner anu surgeOns as 10 KNOW, iIotu eeclL
it done, that strong magnet will draw o.
broken needle from the flesh it has pen
trated, and distinguish between sudden a
tack of spoplexy aid drunkenness by ticl
ling the soles of the feet, which in ap
plexy causes spasnodic drawing up OF q
whole limb, and IN drunkenness causes I
effect at ALL OF course it is neither niece
sary nor best that every young girl, irr
ha ~
as q surgeon or a sick-nurse, but she cou
easily be prepared to take care of the sic
on an emergency, or till the more educate
nurse can be provided, and it is only carr.
ing out the old tradition of woman in Il
days of chivslry, when she is able to bind
wound with fit bsndages, or stanch the fo
, of blood with tight ones in the proper plac
or lance an ulcer without shrinking.