Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-31
Housekeeping, Babies AID Servants,
BY CHRISTINE TERHUNE HERRICK.
IL. = l. L L


''Shc has degenerated sadly" said {
man, regreliully, of a married woman o
fYe or six years. standing. "BefOre bel
marriage she was fond Of study and read
ing, but now she can think and talb
OF nothing but housekeeping, babies and
serVants.v
poet-a woman, by the way-giVes a
young GRIPS criticism OF married life as
being all very well at first, but that when
the babies begin TO come dust gathers on
the piano and the books, and woman
settles down into a household drudge.
IL Is a common fault with conscientious
women to esteem too lightly the material
part of their duties. While the truth is
a0mllted thatlt is an exceptional man
who will enjoy a discussion OF poetry or
philosophy with his wife while his but
tons are neglected and his dinners ILL.,
cooked, yet 1t is also true that the wise
Old words, MAN shall not 1--we by bread
alone" apply to things Intellectual as
well as to physical and spiritual nourish-
ment. A mans body NAV be well fed,
clothed and housed by his wife's constant
and efficient toll, while his mind goes
stlnted and hungry for the food that 1t is
just as much her obligation TO provide for
him. Many women learn this when it is
TOO late, when the knowledge comes to
Them With the sharp accompanying pang
]
mental - we'll AS material helpmeets. If
the blunder were caused by willful blind
ness II might excite less compassion. But
the majority of wives have meant so well,
| only lacking keenness Of perception to di-
Vlue what is the cause of the narrowing
ana oellttling Of sympathies that once
used to be broad aud deep.
Ihe saying ls not inireQuently heard,
''She has grown so domestic since her
marriage that she seems to care for moth
Ing outside Of her house." DR.. JOhnson's
! celebrated query whether knowledge of
! Latin was compatible with the delicacY
OF the female seXp' has been triumphant
ly answered, aud the time has gone by
when woman was supposed TO lose her
feminine charm in proportion as she en-
tered Understandings into her husbands
business pursuits. The antquated idea
| tbat man preferred q woman who was a
pretty TOOL, doll to amuse bim in his leis-
ure hours, is rapidly losing ground. Some
men may yet be found among those whom
| the world esteems sensible, who do not
hesitate TO declare that it does not lie in a
wOman's power to be an intellectual COM
| panlOn for her husbanG-unat lt is useless
for him TO expect this impO possibility or for
| her TO attempt it. The long list OF those
wives who by their unbOunded ia tn, their
unvarying sympathy, and their constant
stimulus to ambition and effort have
made their husbands gives the lie to this
statement.
ThaJit requires no more energy on
woman's part to bold her standard hiph
than 1t does for man nay he questioned.
Women lack not only the constant con-
tact with the outer world, the friction Of
mind upon mind that man experiences
IA MS dairy life, but she is handicapped
by phi, steal ailments aud indrmtjes from
winch "A man is biessedly exempt. Small
as the Items OF his labor may reem, they
can hardly be - petty in their details as
those that compose the round Of her daily
life. The devices OF how to use up the
scraps, the endeav0T to TecOlicct that soap
and candles are needed, the struggles TO
reduce the expenditures OF butter and SUI
gar 10 reasonable limits, the setting of
little jars between children ana servants,
the planning to get silver polished. WIN
dOWs washed and parIOr swept without
letting any one of them become disrepu-
tably, dirty, and yet to avoid crOwding
too much cleaning into one week-all
these and a thousand other tiny cares
that will rush to any hOusekeepeT's mind
must be better calculated to contract the
mental horizon that any branch of trade
or professional occupation.
! Then, too, the conversation OF sensible
men is generally wider aud more varied
10 compass than that of sensible women.
| Politics, even local politics. must be a lit
| tie more eleYating than housekeeping
! babies and servants"-certainly more SO
than are these when the elements of yOs
sip and scandal are introduced. A man
can hardly hold his part in political dis
cussion ia village store without smat-
| tering Of information on the tariff, the
monetary system of the country. unlim.
/ lied Immigration, the history and cOmpa
| alive merits OF Democrats. Republicans
and MugWumps. One sided as his opin-
ions may be, he nevertheless possesses
them. With a woman the case is differ
ent. No one talks politics with her. She
knows the silver dollars are a nuisance,
but she has very misty notions as 10 why
| they happen to be so much more plenti-
tul than the paper notes; nor is she much
clearer upon Tree trade, the Chinese ques.
ton and the operations of Congress and
the Senate. She is not altogether to blame
in this. 1t is the mans duty to the wife
1 who devotes herself to his comfort to be
no less diligent in his efforts to prepare
mental nutriment for her. the fact re.
mains that many women decline TO re.
ceive it, and even the most patient OF us.
bands wearies OF the frultless toll ofstriy.
ing to interest his wife in these questions.
whether OF politics, business or litera-
! ture, which attract Dim. He either seeks
| cOmpanionship elsewhere, Or--perhaps a
sadder DISQUALIFICATION his early de.
sires for higher things and settles INTO a
money making machine.
II woman owes IL T. her husband 10
I keep The weapons In her mental armorv
| bright and Keen, the obligation is no Joss
binding upon her for the SAX OF ner chill.
| dren. A child's respect can be compelled
! up TO certa age; after that IL must be
earned. Ii IS terrible shock % juvenile
faith when a child once realizes that the
father and mother are not Omniscient.
! The discovery must come sooner or later,
but If possible 1t should be deferred until
the reasoning powers are sufficiently well
established Tor the little one to under.
stand that dearth OF information upon
some one point does not entail ignorance
upOn all subjects. In the desire 70 avoid
this difficulty the other Que OF feigning
knowledge is 10 be equally summed. Cbil.
dren have astonishinglb quick percep.
t!Ons, and if they once ascertain that they
have been deceived or intentionally mis-.
| informed their faith is gone forever. Far
! preferable il II for parent to say can
didly: 81 do not know, but viii try %
ind out FOR you" Where there is no pre-
tension there can be no lack OF respect.
The idiOticaliy self.c0nceited perioi
/ comes 10 nearly every child sooner or Ia
| ter, when lie tntnks be knows more than
can be taught Dy either father or mother
and regards Their stores OF facts and &C.
complishments with patrOnizing con.