The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-11-10
Household Cares.

to men to learn the result. The bus
mess as it is conducted at present
would be voted out of existence. or.
failing in that, the voice of the ma
jority would be for boarding. The
work of the household has increased
greatly within a quarter of century
and the servant of the period is not
an improvement upon the typical
one of the past. The Injuries which
one by one have come to women, the
multitudinous things that are requir-
ed to make holmes attractive and the
modern houses which have their
mountainous stairs to weary weak
backs. are all things which have
combined to make hou9eheepin
drudgery. Tine and strength are
consumed while the routine work is
being performed, and the intelligent
minds of American Wounen rebel
constantly.
What can he done? Break up
homes and live in those modern car
ayansaries-hOtels? Not so. The
remedy lies in simplifying home
life in leaving out of houses 1t@
endless traps that are hard to keep
clean. and harder still to make and
by putting in homes nothing too
good for usage.
Women used to know so nuch that
they do not now, and cannot while
they worry and fret over Iamber-
quins and pilloW-shams, tides and
Hamburg borders on clothing, that ii
is discouraging to try to fight the
matter at all. They are trying to do
their best, working early and late,
saving here, spending there, judi
ciously al they hope, yet never real
izing any blessing for themselves or
others. What is nice parlor or
fine dinner to visitor, if the hostess
is dull, worn out person : The
guest who is hidden to enjoy such
hospitality is cheated out of the bet
ter company at home and deserves an
apology rather than offer thanks for
such attentions as are extended.
House wives do not emancipate
themselves from the thraldom put
upon them by variety of condi-
tons, In the first place their homes
are not adapted to housekeeping.
Men, and not women, plan houses
and the sole idea in view in building
them is to get the largest number on
the smallest possible space. Then
women, having inconvenience of
this kind to start with make every
effort to overcome them by furnish
ingS.
Fashion has to he consulted in this
latter matter, and upholstered arti-
cles that get soiled and fade out are
bought when the family purse cannot
afford it. Nice china or glass is pur-
erased when ignorant or careless
help will make quick work of it and
the company rooms are furnished as
richly as possible, when in fact the
social circle in which the family move
is so limited that sitting room would
answer every purpose.
If cheap carpets, and stone-ware,
and plain clothing should be fashion,
able for all people, how soon the bur-
dens would drop away from the
shoulders of the housekeepers. How
soon would the fault, finding and
complaining cease, and the dull
women become intelligent interested
members of the family circle. Sup.
pose the pillow cases have no shams;
it would be all the better for the
home-Iife of home. Shams should
be unknown in them anyway, and
real pillow cases would give more
satisfaction.
Then common sense should save
women from wasting their time on
ruff1es and fallals that add nothing
but wrinkles to all brows. House
holds, as they are now, seem to be
run for the benefit of lockers on,
rather than the comfort of inmates,
and the result is generally dissatis-
fed army of housekeepers. 1t is not
amazing that they are dissatisfied,
for that urges appreciation of uncon-
genial work. and those who are alive
to the fact that their tasks hurt them
in spiritual sense have one hope of
saving themselves.
Simplify life; this is the way
through which women may hope to
rise to an estate wherein they will
find themselves serene and patient,
honest and true. 1t were worth all
of life to live if the best half of hu-
manity could be lifted out of drudg-
cry of domestic kind aud placed
where the home would be what the
Divine power designed it would be,