St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-06-18
Nav Have and Must Have.

''Not long ago" writes Julia &. k.
Dorr in The Century, "a journal OF
wide circulation printed words to this
effect (I quote from memOry:) What
ever ii hOusekeeper does or leaves un-
done, let her remember this: No lady
who makes any pretensions to living
elegantly, or even handsomely, will
allow Il napkin TO appear upOn her ia
bile twice without being Numbered.
Napkin-rings are banished to the nur-
sery, where they should always have
remained. Now, no one can deny
that Il napkin fresh and crisp from the
laundry is a dantier object than one
that has lost its first freshness, even IT
clasped 10y the prettiest of rings If
one has plenty of servants and plenty
of napkins, this is without doubt eX-
ceedingly pleasant advice to follow.
But what if we were to do little sum
in multiplication The average fami-
" is said to consist of five members.
5X3X7=IO5.
In round numbers, nine dozen nap
kins week for a family of five. Mes
danes, who write for the papers, and
tell us what must and what must not
be done, You may not believe it but
there are women who aspire to living
handsomely and dantily, if not ele-
gantly, who have pretty, well-kept
houses and daintily appointed tables,
vet who never had nine dozen napkins
at once in all their lives, and never eX
pect to have What shall they do
about it 4? Perhaps as an alternative
they would better dispense with nap
kins altogether, as those stately and
dignified danes, our venerated fore
mothers, did Elegance and even
neatness are terms hard to define.
Latitude and longitude have IL great
deal to do with them. The Japanese
lady lifts her almond eyes and laughs
with mocking lisdain at the western
barbariaus, who actually wash napkins
and haadkerchiefs that they may use
them a second time. She uses her
pretty iritle once and burns it. This
is very trifling matter? Yes and if
it stood alone it would not be worth
mentioning. But pound of feathers
is Just us heavy as il pound Of lead.
Let those who can afford to indulge
their dainty tastes do so and he thank
ful. But when it becomes matter of
choice between three fresh napkins il
day-or anything else that may stand
book, or the longed for picture, the
leisure to breathe the fresh air and en-
Joy the June roses, OF To take the
children out in the wide pastures and
watch the changeful lights and shadows
on the mountain sides-then what
shall be said about it? 1t is over
anxiety about matters like these that
comes between the soul of many Il
woman and that higher, calmer, sweet
er life for which she really yearns. 1t
is really true of the great middle class
that are scattered all over our land,
from Main to Florida, from Massachu
sets to Oregon, that they cannot have
this and that. They are shut out from
many, indeed from most, of the advan-
tages of great cities. They do not
have picture galleries, museums and
public libraries, nor the stimulus of
busy, magnetic crowds. But they may
have-they may absorb into their own
beings-the strength of the hills and of
peace of the sky, the patience of the
earth, that lies waiting through all the
wintry hours, assured that seed-time
and harvest shall not fail. They may
secure time to read and to think. They
may pluck the roses of content. Shall
they lose all these in IL vain attempt to
grasp, not the best things of IL far diff
terent life, but some of its mereSt cX
ternals, thus adding to all their cares
and labors and getting nothing that is
worth having in return 2"