Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1884-10-25
AGRICULTURAL.
KITCHEN TALKS

l was, u AVE." said a young moth.
er OF her little two-year OLD BESSIE
|" When was married, | knew No
more about the mysteries Of bonso
Keeping than she does now of tho
schoolroom. Ny mother Thought i
she could gige her girls good elo.
cation, they conld make their wav !,
the world, even under the most adj
verse circumstances. and if we aid
not become as proficient as our teach
ers it WAS no fault of hers. But sha
never seemed to think we might
need a drill not usually found in
schools.
eft, during our vacation, there
was any dispotion exhibited on orr
part to assist her about the house
there was nearly always some reason
that she could not be bothered with
little girls work +; and so, while we
conned lessons, or passed the time
playing with dolls, or doing fancy
work, she worked in the kitchen
dining room, or chambers, or hired
a foreign born girl to do the work
her own girls ought to have done.
and, often enough, she had to teach
her bow to do, before she became
anyways efficient.
"We read great deal about the
higher acalks of life, and you may
laugh at my taste; but will leave
it to any sensible woman's Judge.
ment, if it is not like walking on the
most delectable heights, those wo-
men who thoroughly understand all
the mysteries of keeping a well or.
dered home, and have learned the
art, step by step, from the lowly
cabin in the wilderness, to the palat.
ial residence on Fifth avenueg
would willingly give up all that |
learned from my school books the
last two years Of my girlhood, for
the ability to always make good
bread, first-class butter, to cook
meals satisfactorily, aud potatoes
that would come out of the kettle
like fake snowballs; and, witha,
make a little 'go a great way
"The lack of this knowledge, and
the inability to do up fine shirts in
creditable manner, and to keep up
repairs in general, has caused me
more grief in my three years Of
housekeeping, than / ever experien
ced in all my previous life.
Now, we hire help all the time,
and have a good experienced girl.
l am trying to learn by experience
and observation from my servant
what / ought to have learned from
my mother, long before / thought
seriously of getting married.
"No, little Bessie will not be kept
in the school room all the time, year
after year; she will spend part of
the season in learning to keep house.
And if | had no other incentive to
learn all there is to be taught about
making a home the most delightful
place, / would do it for her sake.
~ know cooking schools are get
ting quite fashionable. But they
will not take the place of he yearly
teachings of an experienced, patient
mother. Besides, my daughters
may not be so situated as to attend
one, just when it would be most de.
sirable; and cooking is not all
girl needs to learn. Mamma and
Bessie will work together, won't we
little one ~ and the fond mother
took the child upon her lap, who
was now the little playmate; but
would soon be her mothers right
hand supporter and companion.
"Then, when Bessie marries, she
will not have to bear the frets and
frowns of an over exacting husband,
because she does not know how to
do the work of the household will
also teach her 10 be interested in
reading the general topics of the day,
instead of love-sick stories, that are
SO numerous, attractive, and yet 50
disastrous to a giddy mind.n
Will the young mothers who read
this form the same resolution that
Bessie's mother did, and thus save
their daughters untold grieff And
will those mothers who have daugh.
tiers going with John, Dick and
Charlie, sons of neighbors, toparties
picnics and rides, seven times
week, ask themselves whether said
daughters are fitted to become the
heads Of we'll ordered households
Remember that the education that
can be utilized every day as their
necessities require, is that which will
fit them to both serve. and command.
A.aaa..s.an., Dual Ia.a.n