The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-12-25
HOUSEKEEPING.
Valuable Hints Fer Young Wives just En.
tering Upon This Responsibility.

tering Upon This Responsibility.
The first year of housekeeping i
usually very trying to most young
housekeepsrs. The natural desire t.
have everything in perfect order. and t.
show that one is capable of keeping
house as it ought to be kept, often asso
ciated. rs it is, with ignorance of meth
dds and uniformed habits of domestic
industry, places the neophyts in mes
unpleasant situat OBS. She may moi
know just where her preparations fol
any specified work should begin. mol
where, nor how. and she must of neces
sity do things the wrong way In order
to learn what to avoi !, what not t,do,
as we'll as what to do. She has to learn
by experience that there is II everys
even the smallest. domestic enterprise.
a succession of steps to be tax n, which
ii taken in their natural. logical order,
make the work possible and even easy.
She has to learn how to hold score or
more of threads in her han g and not
let them get tan led with each other or
let any one OF them be broken
There are certain rules of proceed
ure, which will aid one very much in
keeping her homework well in hand.
and at the same. time keep her mind
not only free from doubt and vexation.
but serene and cheerful. The first Is
to think out as far as she can every
domestic undertaking before begin
ming it To ascertain what prepara-
tons are necessary, what time should
be given to them, what is the first
! thing to do, what the next, and what
the last, how long the work is likely
to occupy one, what it will demand.
and what il will cost It is helpful to
have a notebook in which outlines of
plans for various industries may be
kept and commented on as occasion
suggests. In this notebook may be kept
a list of sewing or other work to be
done during the coming month or
months; and when one is at . loss as
to what had best be done next,
look az her notebook will refresh her
mind. She will be encouraged by
seeing what has already been ac-
complished, or stimulated to in
creased industry. if she needs
stimulus. by seeing how much re-
mains to be done. When we first
went to housekeeping, we heard an
old housekeeper say of some UNDER
taking she had IN view: .'Oh, that's
down in my book; haven't reached it
yet. but shall in time" II was re-
lief to hear somebody say that some
things desirable to have done could wait
till they were reached in their turn, for
it seemed to rs then that everything
that needed doing should be done at
once.
There are many tasks that are better
and more easily done if due time for
preparation is allowed. So apparently
simple thing as the making of mince
pies or fruit cake may require several
days of preparation, procuring the
ingredients and getting them ready to
put together takes time and thought
So of the more complicate and difficult
task of house-cleaning. If taken in
certain order. it may be accomplished.
not without labor and WEAKNESS of head
and hand, but without perplexity and
friction.
Another rule that commends itself is
to finish the work on hand without I'M
necessary diversion to side issues. Some
times one is compelled to divide her in
dustry between several different projects
and keep them all on the tapis at once;
but it is better. when one can. to do one
thing at q time. the nearest and most
important first. and have it finished and
ont of the way before another is under
taken In such everyday tasks rs wash
ing dishes or sweeping room, IL is
we'll, il possible, to hold ones self to the
one thing till i. is done. rather than mix
in with it hsf dozen other little jobs
at the same time. In getting mp meal
one must attend to all the dishes which
are to be served, whether they be many
or few, excepting such as may be pre-
pared beforehand, and it requires no
small skin, patience. strength and jude-l
ment to have everything .dope to-A
turn,n served the moment it is done, |
and all punctud to the hour. and then |
preside with ( GOODNESS, self-possession |
and grace st the table. Some one has |
said that it requires as much intellectual |
readiness and acuteness to pre-
pare and serve = meal in the best man.
1er as to perform difficult example in |
algebra We think it requires q great |
1eal more.
The young housekeeper will soon End |
hat her industries have wav of /
'cttling into routine. n after moving. |
1arious utensils and Furnishings NATURAL
y gravitate to their places, and seem to
ind them without human care-takinp:
mt she needs to assure and reassure |
lersef that the routine is such Is makes
t possible for her to do her work easily
ind we'll in the shortest time; for one
hould from the first devote some time
very day to mental Improvement. sndl
he cultivation Of such graces and &C
- make home life at
ractive.
II the young housekeeper has ..help,"
he viii find that the interests of her
require her to know exactly
low everything Il done, and to see that [
Il done we'll; that there are no ner-sI
ccts. no wastes no extravagances. II
he has faithful and trustworthy helm.
bis close attention viii enable her TO
ppreciate and commend her assistant
nth discrimination. and will be CRATE
nlly received. II her help IL slack and i
arelees. there il the moro need that