Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-09-05
HER WORK is NEVER DONE
SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE ISN'T
ENOUGH SYSTEM ABOUT IT.

n housekeeping Il Properly systematised
II Can he FinisAed Just ~ Mans La
bors Are-Plans Suggested by . Lady
Who Has Studied the Subject
Women are constantly complaining
that their work never ends-that while
aman works only during certain hours
Of the day they never get through. The
principal reason, perhaps, is that they
do not put enough thinking into their
work.
"Why couldn't you tell me every
thing at onceT was the petulant protest
Of a child who had been sent up stairs
10 her mothers room first for pair Of
scissors, then for tape measure, then
for a spool Of cotton, and finally for a
garment that was to be mended and had
been forgotten.
The child received sharp reproof for
Aer impertinence, the mother placidly
remaining quite oblivious of the fact
that she also needed a reproof for her
own heedlessness. The child recognized
the injustice and didn't forget it. A
little thought would have saved steps
and temper; and it is this same thought
that needs to go into the everyday
work.
One trouble with women-many Of
them-is, they fail to recognize house
keeping as business, to be carried on,
as any business is, with dignity and with
method. They regard it as a drudgery,
and they fret and worry over it until
both mind and body are disturbed, and
the peace of the household is worried
with contention. The mental atmos-
phere of the house mother is felt by
every one, and she cannot be out Of sorts
without putting everybody else out. 1t
may be impossible to keep from fretting,
and difficult task to be always serene;
but one can more nearly approximate
the latter condition and keep free from
the former by having things so arranged
about the house that everything will go
like the traditional "clockwork.
Mrs. Cornelius, who has been the friend
and counselor to so many young house
keepers, has arranged the work of the
week in few words Of kindly advice.
Nothing better has ever been written,
and it is good enough to quote as text.
She has arranged this for the benefit of
families whose pecuniary means allow
an entirely comfortable, but not costly,
mode Of living. You will see that it
differs somewhat from the customary
Monday work." etc. She says: On
Monday have the house swept and busted,
the clothes for the wash collected and
such articles mended as should be before
being washed. On Tuesday wash. In
families where the washings are large it
is better to delay the ironing till the next
day but one. This gives time for doing
some things necessarily omitted on wash
ing day, for instance, baking if the size
Of the family makes it necessary (bake
twice week. and for folding the clothes,
as one is better able to do the whole IRON
ing in day than if she was to perform
this labor on the day Immediately after
the washing day.
Therefore on Wednesday bake and
fold the clothes, on Thursday iron,
on Friday have all parts of the house
that are in constant use swept and
busted again, the brasses rubbed,
the windows cleaned, and if there
are closets to be cleaned let them be
done on that day also. On Saturday
bake and provide such supply for the
table as shall supersede the necessity Of
cooking on Sunday, which should be
''the day of rest" for the house mother as
well as for all the rest of the household.
Still another way is to wash on Mon
day, bake and do other things necessarily
omitted on Tuesday, iron on Wednesday,
mend and take your ease on Thursday,
sweep and clean on Friday, bake on Sat-
urday and lay out the clean linen for
rooms, beds and individuals This is
the plan that is the most often followed.
But there are Improvements even upon
this well tried method, if housekeepers
are not so welded to their ways as to b.
unwilling to try the experiment.
Women who do their own work, rely
ing possibly upon young daughters for
the little help they can give them out
side of school hours, often find the laun-
dry work, particularly the washing, the
stumbling block. It is not always easy
to get woman to come for washing; il
is an expensive matter to send to the
laundry, and the only alternative Is "dc
it yourself" The task is much simpli
fed if the husband will send shirts and
collars to the laundry. and there are
comparatively few who cannot afford tc
do this. That part taken out, half the
dread of the work is DONE Summer OF
winter the shirts and collars are bug
bear, particularly as they are made. 81
begin by supposing that that part Of the
family linen goes to the laundry.
That leaves washing larger than mos
women want to do at once; so on Friday
when the rooms are swept and busted
change the bed linen. Friday evening
put it to soak, and it is very easy mat
ter on Saturday morning to boil it anC
hang it out. The bed linen is not hard
but large and heavy, and it is gooC
deal gotten out of the way, and the Mon
day wash does not seem nearly so hard
The baking can then be done, and 20,
will be all ready for Sunday. On Mon
day the remainder of the washing can b.
done. On Tuesday the clothes may b.
folded and necessary baking done. o.
Wednesday the ironing; Thursday ma,
be a rather restful day. That Is, th
basket of clothes looked over and mend
ed, and no extra work done. Tha