Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-09-05
The Golden Mean in Housekeeping.

"a we'll ordered household is essential
to happy home" A housekeeper,
| whatever Der circumstances and sur
roundipgs, occupies en- i'm portant posi-
tion in life. Upon her management de-
ponds largely the successes or failures of
the entire family.
That a housekeeper ought also to be
homemaker we all agree; but is it such
an easy matter? Housekeeping means,
in very many of our homes, the cooking,
washing, ironing, sewing. knitting sweep
ing, dusting,. iairying and economlz ing, to
say nothing of the soap making, apple
drying, and carpet bug hunting. All
these things attended to, each in it's proper
time, and in the lest possible manner,
how much energy, how much ambition,
remains for the development of the social
nature?
Home should be made SO attractive
ones, but draw others into its cheerful
circle. The house should be, all day long,
the scene of pleasant looks, pleasant words
and kind affeotionate acts. But neither
the music or the mendlng must be neg
lected; cobwebs Or conversation will surely
suffer. We would be good housekeepers;
we would be true to the highest impulse
of our beipg-what shall we do?
In every community you find three
Glasses of housekeepers presiding over as
many different homes. There is The one
alluded TO as the perfect housekeeper.
Heavens first law is written outside her
door. You feel il in the very atmosphere
as you enter. Every thing, from cellar to
attic, is in perfect order; no: neglected
closet or corner; no dust On the floor Or
window. Dirt and disorder find no place
in her vocabulary. A place aud time for
everything and everything in its own time
and place, yesterday, today and forever.
Next door, may be, TO this immaculateness,
is a home where we may we'll exclaim
"House-kee ping is indeed failure!" No
order, no forethought nothing done in
season; every thing haphazard aud the only
wonder is how the eoUls and bodies of
families areheld together.
Thirdly, we have the woman who keeps
house fairly well. She cannot boast of
any particular methods. She leaves
many things undone that she knows
ought to be done. Her dinner is some
| times a few minutes late; her washing is
not always done Oh Monday; the bread is
| not Invariably moulded at the same sec
ond, and possibly may, on occasions, allow
stove is sometimes neglected; her sewing
drags, and yet she frds time or takes
| time to edge in little reading every day.
| She leaves the kitchen work occasionally
10 arrange some flowers, to look over
some new music, to walk and talk with
| some friend or to entertain the children,
| and she never refuses to go where her
husband invites her, on the plea of $50
| much to do"
Now in which one of these homes shall
we look for most comfort, for most con-
| tent, for most of everything that goes to
m ke life worth the living? Not in the
| home of the slattern and not where the
domestic machinery is engineered by a
household crank, for such we must term
the woman who is perfect housekeeper.
It goes without saying that we have none
such present, today. They are at home
attending to the Tuesdays work. Il must
be done today; tonight will find them
! just where last Tuesday night left them;
| yet they count it success that Ehey have
not fallen behind. If the washing, iron
ing and mendipg be done before Wednes
Gay morning, what greater end or aim
| have they?
Give Us the systematic woman who has
no 81 stem; one who is a good cook but
does not make q shrine of her pantry;
one who attempts TO keep the flies out of
her boLse, yet does not chase flies and
kill flies and talk flies from starry morn
till dewy eve; one broad minded enough
to realize that the earth is not bounded
by the four walls of her domicile; woman
not careless IN dress, but not one who
devotes her life TO her toilet:
/ s'Not the first by whom the new is tried,
/ Noryet the last TO lay the old aside
she who is neither nikgeIdIy nor ex-
travagant with her purse-she who does
not devote herself wholly TO missionary
work neither refuses her aid in times of
distress and need. 4 woman VINO e. joys
best her own family circle and always
gives her guests q cordial welcome. We
should not have woman idle nor have
her hands everlastingly busy. No e1tre-
mist in anything.
1t is said the happiest women are the
ones without q history. Are we not each