Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-20

china it may be and linen not of the utmos
fneness or satiny texture, perhaps, but ye
spotless aad polished. The cooking will b
beyond reproach, and the happy wife will
find her reward for her work In her hus
bands admiration and appreciation Of her
efforts.
THE FIRST CLOUDS
usually come with the baby-the new home
ruier-who lords 1t over the whole house.
A baby always ''bosses' the situation. A
yell from that baby" will set the entire
nousehold in an uproar and commotion.
Ihat baby has powers to spoil everything,
and yet they would not part with him for a
million dollars. He more than doubles his
mothers work, and harasses her by day
and night. II any man doubts this let him
imagine himself at work with baby to
take care of. Let him contemplate himself
with that baby on one arm while he en-
deavors to do his accustomed work with one
hand. We have seen women cooking din
ners with a sick and fretful baby in arms
while they only had one hand to use. Men
have their work for eight or ten hours
day, but woman, with children
to take care, is never done-is never sure of
holiday-can never count upon a good
nights rest An excursion may be planned,
but II that baby chooses to raise a>,rumpus
its mother cannot go. A picnic is proposed,
but if that baby is cutting an eye tooth. or
takes notion to be cross and cantankerous
the whole thing must be given up. Perhaps
invitations come to card party, and that
night, of all others, will be seized upon by
that baby to show symptoms of measles,
or the whooping cough, or something that
will keep his mother at home. Then his
father will go alone to the party. and will
come home in splendid spirits and detail to
his tired wife how very handsome Mrs. Smith
looked, and how we'll Mrs. Brown played
and how elegantly Mrs. Jones was arrayed,
and snch other interesting facts as are likely
to make his wife, who has spent the dullest
of dull evenings, cheerful and happy.
1t is fortunate for these babies and house.
hold darlings that mother-love is so deep
and strong and true, that the mothers are
such loyal and devoted subjects Of his
majesty-the reigning baby. But alas!
with all the wealth of love for them, they
serve to break up, in large measure, the
charm Of housekeeping. The nursery far
outweighs the parlor, and the tides 90 bang,
and the scarfs no longer look aesthetic.
and the bric-a-brac is not busted, and
a general air of neglect begins
to pervade the premises. The baby out
ranks everybody and everything. The
husband finds that his comfort is not so
carefully attended to-that his wife is abb
sorbed in nursery cares, and thar overwork,
weariness, loss of sleep, and all the small
troubles involved in the care of young chill
dren have made her irritable and cross, and
then come sharp words and domestic infelic-
ity, amid the cares and
WORRIES OF LIFE.
It is hard thing for a man to put him.
self in his wife's place, but if he would
take time and thought to try it occasionally
and to endeavor to realize that human ma
ture is the same in both men and women, he
could form some conception of the worries
and troubles that beset her path in the care
of family, and the demands of housekeep-
ing. Consideration and appreciation Of
what she has to contend with would do
much toward making the happiness of the
whole family.
"Oh, If I had known what it was to be
married, said the young mother of three
little children, Iwould not have married
the best man that ever lived, if he had
mint of money. I am so wearied, and
worried and worn out, that if it were not
for leaving my little darlings to a step
mother, I would gladly lie down and die.
When the baby cries, as babies will, Harry
puts on his hat and goes to the club, or the
Y. M. G. A. rooms. I wonder what he
would think if I should put on my hat,
and do likewise"
This poor woman could not afford to hire
help iu her housekeeping. Poverty COM
PEELED her to drag along as best she could in
caring for her children, and doing the
household work. No pleasures for her,
nothing but endless incessant toll without
the sympathy of the husband she loved,
Does any one wonder that she was discour-
aged and dishesrtened and that her house,
keeping was what the energetic, brisk,
hefty old girls call ''slack and shiftiess."
Housekeeping is a noble art, and in its
best state is essential to happiness, but in
the present stage of civilization it is becom-
ing 80 complicated and onerous in its re-
quirements that the average woman cannot
live up to its demands and take proper care
of family of children at the same time.
To keep up with the present pace of the
procession requires woman of iron nerves.
Of tireless energy, of unAagging zeal, and
strength far beyond the capacity and
powers Of the ordinary woman. It NAV be
that the present rage for physical culture
may develop both body and mind to such
extent that women will take hold of the
domestic problem, and solve it by cooper
alton or organization, or some
method that will overcome the wasteful
ness and extravaganza of the common
mode of housekeeping. Men pool their
issues, and form trusts to economic time
and money in their business enterprises. SO
why should rot women? 1t is stated Mrs.
John A. Logan, Mrs. Ellen Foster, Miss
Kate Sanborn and Miss Frances Willard
have formed stock company with capital
stock of $4,000 to establish a training
school for domestic service, and also an
Office. This is praiseworthy
dea, but as long as domestic service is
considered menial occupation and ranks
Is the lowest of industrial occupations.
heir success will be something of a
miracle. A scheme to do away with the
most onerous burdens and trials Of house.
.eeping would be more to the point and
he acceptance of the age.
BESSIE BRAMBLE.