Daily Kennebec journal., 1883-07-02
Household Cares.

III lHt NOtt Vi HOiltfl EVutu Dt tthtU bu
the question of housekeeping. it would be
matter Of great surprise to men to learn
the result. The business as it is conducted
at present would be voted out of existence,
or falling in that. the majority would be
for boarding. The work of the household
has increased greatly within a quarter of
a century, and the servant of the period Is
not an improvement upon the typical one
Of the past. The luxuries which one by
one have come to women, the mulitudinous
things that are required TO make homes
attractive and the modern houses which
have their mountainous stairs to weary
weak backs, are all things which have COM
bined TO make housekeeping a drudgery.
Time and strength are consumed while
the routine work is being performed, and
the intelligent minds of Americapwomen
rebel constantly.
What can be done? Break up homes.
and live in those modern caravansaries
hotels? Not so. The remedy lies in
simplifying home life; in leaving out of
! houses the endless traps that are hard to
keep clean, and harder still to make, and
by putting in homes nothing too good tor
/ hard usage.
| Women need to know SO much that they
do not know. and cannot while they worry
and fret over lambrequins and pillow
shams. tides and Hamburg borders on
clothing. that it is discouragiDg to try to
| fight the matter at all. They are trying
to do their best, working early and late.
saving here and spending there, .iudicious
/ ly as they hope, yet never realizing any
blessing for themselves or others. What
is nice parlor or fine dinner to a visitor,
if the hostess is dull. wornout person !?
The guest who is bidden to enjoy such
hospitality is cheated out of better COM
pany at home and deserves an apology
rather than offer thanks for u'h attentions
as are extended.
Housewives do not emancipate them
selves from the thraldom put upon them
by a variety of conditions. In the first
place, their homes are not adapted to
housekeeping. Men, and not women.
plan houses, and the sole idea in view in
building them is to get the largest num-
ber on the smallest possible space. Then
women, having inconveniences of this
kind to start with, make every effort to
overcome them by furnishings. Fashion
has to be consulted in this latter matter.
and upholstered articles that get soiled
and iade cut are bought when the family
purse cannot afford it. Nice china or
glass is purchased when ignorant or care
less help will make quick wreck of it :;
and the company rooms are furnished as
richly rs possible, when in fact the social
circle in which the family move is so linn
tied that a sitting-room would answer
every purpose.
If cheap carpets. and stone ware and
plain clothing should be fashionable for
all people. how soon the burdens would
drop away from the shoulders of the ma
iority Of the housekeepers. How soon
would the fault-finding and complaining
cease. and the dull women become intel
ligent, interested members of the family
circle. Suppose the pillow-cases have no
shams it would be all the better for the
home life of homes. Shams should be
unknown in them any way, and real pill
low-cases would give more satisfaction.
Then sound common sense should save
women from wasting their time on ruff1es
and fallas that add nothing but wrinkles
to all brows. Households. as they are now
seem to be run for the benefit of lockers
on, rather than the comfort OF inmates.
and the result is generally dissatisfied
army of housekeepers. 1t is not amazing
that they are dissatisfied. for that argus
appreciation of uncongenial work, and
| those who are aware that their tasks hurt
| them in a spiritual sense have one hope of
saving themselves.
Simplify life; this is the way through
which women may hope to rise to an
estate wherein they will find themselves
serene and patient, honest and true. 1t
were worth all of life to live if the best
half of humanity could be lifted out of
drudgery of domestic kind and placed
where the home would be what the Divine
Power designed it should be. a temple
where
f'Sin sud evils cease,
Ana oniv rest ard peace
Continually are found"
- NetU York Weetiu.