The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-12-20
Comfort, Of the Woman to Small Things.

~-s A@0
Thousands of women drag their wea-
~ way through their appointed house
hold toll and feel that life is not what
they meant to make it. They say with
m%onotonous intonation that is most de-
pressing. Il get up early in the morn
ing and bake and scrub and wash and
iron, and get three meals q day, and
mend old clothes and take care of the
children-and what does it all amount
to-"
It amounts to a great deal. There is
hope, and Joy, and comfort III the world
for the woman of small things. It is
true that q woman of DISCONTINUED spir-
it can go through her daily work Of
sewing, cooking, and washing. in q mon
otonous, ~uninterested manner whichre e
duces household work to the plane of
IN everlasting and slavish drugery.
But it is unnecessary. 1t is safe to CON
tend that there is a genuine pleasure to
be derived from any work that has
been we'll done. There are some wo-
men who seem naturally to dislike
homework, but are nevertheless obliged
to do it or let their families suffer from
an untidy house; now, if they do this
work conscientiously and with some
loving thought of what it is for, there
is no drugery about it. A woman may
hate to do cooking. but how can she
help deriving a deep satisfaction and
v pleasure from the row of shapely,
light, and perfected loaves which she
has baked, and which she considers
will be digestible and in every way
healthy for her family? She may hate
to wash and iron, but there is some
thing delightful to her in the piles Of
clean and neatly ironed clothing, when
she stops to think how this work of her
hands will minister to the health and
comfort of her dear ones. She may
hate to make beds, sweep and dust
rooms, and scrub floors; but q tidy
house can not be anything but a joy to
her heart when she realizes how much
the purity of the moral character is in
fuenced by the neatness and order of
the house one dwells in. Thus all the
so-called drugery Of the household il
far from being ignoble when looked at
Alright
Aud as for taking care of the chill
dren. which is so important a part in
every mothers daily life, what nobler
work is there than that? It is no drug
cry to wash the little faces and mend
the little frocks, and train the little
feet to walk in noble paths.
Housework, when viewed Alright, is
the noblest kind of work. The most
famous and exalted women of the world
have not felt that they stopped in do
!cg it. OF course, women doing their
own work, especially if they are moth
ers, get very tired performing the null
titude of tasks they have to do, and
ought to have as much help as they can
afford; but there is a class who are
amply able to do a whole or a part of
their own work. but who look upon it
as a drugerv, and feel that if they have
to do it life is for them q failure. De-
spise not the days of little things.
Doubtless many OF you have heard this
simile, and it Is beautifully appropriate
to the woman who feels that her OBJ
8 ure work is of no Importance in the
world; the world is " vast and noble
edifice in which every living being has
a part. the strongest and most neces-
sarv parts are hidden out of sight in
the walls and foundations; the Office Of
each is different, but essential; remove
a single brick from the wall and the
whole structure is impaired and laid
liable to danger; we are each q brick
in the wall whether we he placed so as
to be seen or unseen; if we do not faith
fully perform our whole duty in u
home and in society, so far as u
means extend. in so far do we endanger
the whole social fabric.
It is not work, put thoughtless, aim
less, Indifferent work that kill the spirit
and reduce one to slavish drugerv.
God pity the woman who can see no
meaning in her work. There is some
measure of thought and beauty in every
thing. Let us open our eyes to see it.
and raise life, however humble. above
the spiritless roltine of monotonous
Tribune,