Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-05-04
Comfort OF the Woman to Small Things.

Thousands of women drag their wea-
ry way through their appointed house
hold toll and feel that life is not what
they meant to make it. They say with
monotonous information that is most de-
pressing. Il get up early in the morn
ing and bake and scrub and wash and
iron, and get three meals day, and
mend old clothes and take care of the
children-and what does it all amount
to-"
It amounts to great deal. There is
hope, and Joy, and comfort in the world
for the woman of small things. 1t IS
true that woman of discontinued spir-
it can go through her daily work of
sewing, cooking, and washing, in mon
otonous, uninterested manner which re-
duces household work to the plane OF
an everlasting and slavish drugery.
But it is unnecessary. 1t is safe to con-
tend that there is genuine pleasure to
be derived from any work that has
been well done. There are some wo-
men who seem naturally to dislike
homework, but are nevertheless obliged
to do it or let their families suffer from
an untidy house now, if they do this
work conscientiously and with some
loving thought of what it is for, there
is no drugery about it. A woman may
hate to do cooking. but how can she
help deriving deep satisfaction and
even pleasure from the row of shapely,
light, and perfected loaves which she
has baked, and which she considers
will be digestible and in every way
healthy for her family? She may hate
to wash and iron, but there is some
thing delightful to her in the piles OF
clean and neatly ironed clothing, when
she stops to think how this work of her
hands will minister to the health and
comfort of her dear ones. She may
hate to make beds, sweep and dust
rooms, and scrub floors; but tidy
house can not be anything but Joy to
her heart when she realizes how much
the purity of the moral character is in
fuenced by the neatness and order OF
the house one dwells in. Thus all the
so-called drugery of the household is
far from being ignoble when looked at
Alright.
And as for taking care Of the chill
dren, which is so important part in
every mothers daily life, what nobler
work is there than that? 1t is no drug
cry to wash the little faces and mend
the little frocks, and train the little
feet to walk in noble paths.
Homework, when viewed Alright, Is
the noblest kind of work. The most
famous and exalted women OF the world
have not felt that they stopped in do
ing it. OF course, women doing their
own work, especially if they are moth
ers, get very tired performing the mul.
titude of tasks they have to do, and
ought to have as much help Is they car
afford but there is class who are
amply able 10 do a whole or part OF
their own work, but who look upon II
as a drugery, and feel that il they have
to do it life is for them a failure. De
spise not the days of little things
Doubtless many of you have heard thii
smile, and it il beautifully appropriate
to the woman who feels that her ob
ure work is of no importance In the
world the world is one vast and noble
edifce in which every living being haI
a part, the strongest and most neces
gary parts are hidden out OF sight II
4he walls and foundations: the Office q
eacn IL oruerenr, out essential; remov'
asingle brick from the wall and tn,
whole structure is impaired and laiC
liable to danger; we are each q bricl
in the wall whether we be placed so a
TO be seen or unseen; il we do not faith
fully perform our whole duty in on
home and in society, so for as on
means extend in so far do we endange
the whole social fabric.
IL is not work, put thoughtless, aim
less. indifferent work that kill the spiri