The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-03-18
GOSSIP FOR THE LADIES.
The American FamiIy---A Disserta'
ton on the Busy Housewife.

There are some families who seem to
be In a continued state of unpleasant
surprise over the natural order OF
events, who, in maintain nc persever-
ingly the attitude of wait .ng for some
thing to turn up are overwhe. med
with astonishment when the ''some-
thing" actually happens. The weather.
for instance, causes perpetual dlscom-
fort. ''The rain. it raineth every day,
when the sunshine was looked upon as
q foregone conclusion. The frost is
apt to nip the tender leaves of the
plants too soon, and the snow winds
sound dismally around a shivering
house. When the sultry warmth sud
denly comes, when the early spring is
transformed into summer, and all ma
ture reioices in the transformation
with easy adaptability, the greatly sur
prised household is almost reduced to
despair, for their preparations for the
season are never completed at the prop
or moment. Then the direetress of the
household, who has the guidance and
management of affairs, is sore pressed,
Signing over the work before her,
which looks mountainous in the warm
weather, she tries to smooth the tangled
threads of family life until s.le is quite
distressed at the eomp.exity. "There
is so much to do, and it is not her
fault that the much is not done; for is
she to be blamed for the delay of the
painter, the plumber, the carpet-manp
Is she entirely responsible for the heaps
of sewing that will require the ''stitch,
stitch" OF weary fingers beyond midi
summer? So in her signing thoughts
she becomes nervous and the whole
family is troubled. Theoretically and
practically this state of the household
Is unpleasant; but unfortunately it is
not an exceptional phase of American
life. From mistress to maid there is
always the restless, ceaseless struggle
to accomplish the many things, so that
all the requirements of our social life
shall be met; from the heads of the
house to the smallest members there is
the constant desire for ''more," that is
the characteristic of our political and
social system. And so the years re-
volve, and we are never quite ready for
the day of the month. The hurrying,
nervous, typical American family, who
have never the means to crafty all de-
sires and who are apt to misunder-
stand even blessings which come un-
expectedly, will yield in time most pos
sibly to cooler, more quiet, and more
self-restrained type of household. AT
present the life of the American wo-
man is made up of emergencies which
would severely tax a less complex
nervous system. Whether she lives in
Chicago, where the majority of citizens
move fifteen times in fourteen years,
or whether she resides in Aroostook
county, where life is more tranquil, she
must encounter the unexpected so Of
ten that it is no wonder that her nerves
are unstrung and existence becomes
something to be feared. But in the fu-
ture, when American life becomes more
stable. and when women will not find
happiness only in continued excite
ment, the family will be more COM
posed, more harmonious. Health,
which brings the strong power of over
coming difficulties, will be more COM
mon possession of our women than
now. Nerves will not mean nerv-
BUSINESS and excitability, and the ex-
asperating events of life will be met
with u calmness that will disarm half
the cause of irritation. The woman of
the present screamed on the Brooklyn
bridge; the woman of the past would
have had.hysteries or tainted. Is not
that slight improvement? The wo-
man of the future who is trained by
carefully arranged gymnastics and out
door exercises will never scream nor
faint. She and her family will be
ready for ali emergencies