, 1889-03-21
A MAN In THE KITCHEN.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BETTY"
AND THE OTHER KIND.

Is n Regular lul N "A Chtn1l SnOpA
Most women heartily despise a
Betty by which is usually meant a
man who pokes his nose into the details
Of household affairs, dabbles in the work
Of the kitchen and irritates the house
wife by assuming, regularly or occasion
ally. functions which she deems exclu-
sive to herself. The dislike Of women
for this kind of man is in the main well
grounded The average man is, unfor-
~tunately, unable to make himself useful
in household work without making
himself, also, more or less a nuisance.
\ question of this kind has, however,
many sides
II WOMEN IRRESPONSIBLE
The women who ARE most jealous of
their prerogatives in the kitchen are not
always possessed of the best capacity for
maintaining them: and some of the most
perfect housekccpers the writer has ever
known, easy mistresses of the arts and
systems that make up the various de
partmcnts of household management
and industy, have been most indulgent
and appreciative Of the efforts of hus-
hand, son or brother to help about the
house, even encouraging original expert
mcnt along the lines which have brought
into being the scornful epithet above
quoted.
In their households the men were
ncvor spitefully ordered to "Let things
alone" told TO Keep out of my way"
or requested 10 mind their own busi-
ness" because, in the first place, the
housewife respected herself too much to
use such expressions or their equivalents,
and because, in h esecond place, the men
had acquired such familiarity with the
ms and outs of the kitchen that they
were not likely to hinder rather han
help when they had occasion 10 turn
their hand to this, that or the other mat
ter of homework. This touches the
secret OF the whole matter, and q little
thinking along this line will suggest n
query whether women are not, generally
speaking, to blame for the fact that the
average man Is n nuisance in the
kitchen.
a mother carefully taught her sons
many details of work usually considered
the sole province of girls and concerning
which boys generally grow up in utter
ignorance. They washed and wiped
NAaAAAot sAA " BANPAlS lAhAAl ltiAn
had practice in sweeping and busting
and putting to rights, and were taught
to patch and darn neatly and to sew on
buttons. Some of them learned some
thing of the ''higher branches" When
they went out into he world they had
frequent occasion TO bless tho mother
for these useful accomplishments; and
when they became heads of households,
they had an intelligent practical knowl-
edge of the details of tho work of which
their wives had charge and were able to
mako the burden easy in many ways
where another man would have made 1t
heavier.
THE REALLY food
No man worthy of the name permits
his wife or any woman in his house TO
perform the heavy drudgcry of carrying
coal and wood, caring for furnaces and
stoves, moving stoves or heavy furni-
turc, beating carpets, and 80 on. But
this need not be tho limit Of a mans use
fulncss about the house. There is no
reasonable reason why n mar should not
be able to broil a steak, boil or bake po-
tltocs, cook an egg, make coffee or tea
and prepare other articles of food should
an emergency arise to make It desirable
land such emergencies do often arise),
and do it too without turning the
kitchen and dining room topsy turvy in
the operation. Some men can and do
accomplish such work, and even make
biscuits. griddle cakes and the like.
y woman whose husband is in tho
habit of taking hold" when needed in
housework has been heard TO say that
she would rather have him to depend on
in case of ~indisposition or other emer-
gency han any girl that could be hired.
He does not interfere when there is no
cause for it. but he caves labor for his
wifc and expense for himself, and he
is not ut all ashamed of doing it nor
afraid to undertake it. No man need
be; rather, any man should be ashamed
of unwillingness and should regret in
ability to perform any ordinary house
bold task on occasion.
Some men have OF profess n horror of
all homework. 1t is often grounded in
l~aziness. They will go to great expense
and trouble rather than turn their hands
TO anything in the house, even to making
a fire. The "Bettys" do not come from
that class Neither are they recruited
from The husbands of common sense,
tact and Judgment, who know ''how to
do thinks" n know when TO do them
and when to refrain. The genuine
Betty is n genuine meddlcr, whose
zeal is without knowledge, whose help
fulness is without discretion, and whose
oficiousness and conceit neutralize what
might be useful in his make up. Wom-
ankind is excusable for detesting him.
Let her, however, accept these lines as u
plea for Withholding the opprobrious
title from men who do not deserve it,
n for an honest recognition of the
right usefulness of a properly taught and
sensible man about the house, and ever
in the kitchen.-One Of the MEN Folks
in Good Housekeeping.
a Clock with Many Faces-