The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-11-29
Self.DeDendence.

never 40 IOr IL Culu Iuat Which ITO
can reasonably do for himself, Is an adj
mirable maxim, but one that we, as
mothers, too often fail to adopt as our
rule of action. How many scenes we
can all recall of q fretful, exciting child
demanding service of a frail mother,
which he is much better able to per-
form himself!
And by this one mistake alone thou
,and of women allow children to hang
as a weight about their necks, while
they might not only be self-helping In
large degree, but save her many steps
in the performance of other duties. 10
be sure, children will be waited upon
if they may that is but natural, and in
this as in other things much depends
on the way we begin with them, so that
the mother who is waiting till Jennie
and Kittie are big girls to help her will
probably wait in vain.
We recall family of children we
once knew, whose mother appreciated
this fact, and practiced most success
fully what we now preach The father
was mechanic, man determined to
lay aside n little from time to time for
the rainy day that may come to all, and
the mother agreeing with him in his
policy, put all her woman's wit to work
to help him to accomplish his purpose.
The children were small, and there
were six of them, but the two Oldest
were girls, aged IL and g. AT this
time the mother determined to dispense
with the help she had felt obliged to
keep and arranged her household ac-
cofdingly. To begin with, each child,
from the oldest to the little toddler of
%, had his own drawer and hooks for
his clothes, and when they we're folded
from the bars all that did need mend
ing were sorted, and each little one
took his clothes and put them where
they belonged. Then, when bath
night came, each one knew just where
to get clean clothes to put on, and those
for the next days wear carefully laid
out. Nor was this all, but the soiled
ones We're also put where they be-
longed.
Now by this one arrangement, 1t is
only one of the many unusual things
those children did, what world of
wear and worry the mother saved her
self, only one similarly situated can
properly appreciate. But they did
more than help themselves, for self
helpfulness developes a desire for gen.
eral usefulness, and each morning,
when the breakfast was over, the two
older girls washed the dishes and put
the kitchen in order and brushed up
the crumbs in the dining-room, while
the mother put her room and the sit
ting-room to rights.
Moreover, the children made their
own beds before school time; the two
little girls who slept together, one at
each side of the bed worked together in
making theirs, as did the boys next
younger with their little bed. The three
older ones of the family needed no help
whatever to prepare them for school,
but when they came to the breakfast
table, were ready, with the exception
of removing the large work aprons they
always wore till the work was done
SO by 9 o'clock, that mother with baby
dressed for the day and wee Edith
made tidy, was ready to take up her
sewing, and that without feeling tired
and Hurried and out of breath from
undue hurrying. In fact, there seemed
to be no hurry in that home. The
work was so ordered and divided that,
with family of children that would
ordinarily require two women's con-
slant effort to care for, the mother with
their help did it all, with more ease and
satisfaction than is usual in families
amply supplied with help.-Erchange.