Morning journal and courier., 1889-12-10
AN EYE FOR DIRT.
Like Many of WOman,s Faculties, It Must be Cultivated.
 (From Harper's Bazar.

From Harper's Bazar.l
 There is general impression that ridding house of dirt must be simple matter. Off, ten it is said of slatternly woman, whose untidy personal appearance is merely an in dex to the condition of every part of her es- tablishment: CT should think that even if she is not good manager she might at least keep the house clean"
 Now that is just where many sensibief peo- pie make mistake. The hardest thing fqs the negligent housekeeper to do is to keep her house clean. And for this there is @ very sufficient reason. Eight times out Of ten she does not know it is dirty-or at least she does not notice it. If her attention is called to the fact that the paint is grimy, the window glass is smeared, the door knobs sticky, and that dust reigns everywhere, she may possibly per- ceive the state of affairs, but it does not strike the horror to her soul that it would to a more careful housekeeper. If it could pro- duce this impression, it would not have exis- ted so long. The woman simply has no eye for dirt.
 This doubtless sounds at first like an ab- eurd statement, but it contains an element of sound truth, and ought to convey amoral. In the beginning the owner of the aforesaid un- tidy abode may have had superficial neat ness that was the result of circumstances. She never had the true root of the matter in her. Her habits of tidinees were like the seed sown by the wayside, that beneath the rays of the sun presently withered away: or, perhaps, more like that which fell among the thorns, and when the cares of children and the worries of domestic contretemps were brought into her life, the good seed was ehok- ed and became unfruitful.
 We talk often nowadays of the lack of thoroughness in all departments of educa' tion, and bemoan ourselves over the tenden- cy to general smattering that we gay Is em- blematic of the age in which we live, when everything must be done in hurry if we would not be left behind in the race. All this we see and discuss, because these things meet the eye and are questions of public in- terest. Could not housekeepers, if they would, tell similar tale concerning domes- tic matters that are spared comment because they are out of sight2 Are not many houses, inside as we'll as externally, arranged, to quote the phrase by which story writer re- gently described modern cottage, with 8 "Queen Anne front and Mary Anne backa" Do not heavy draperies conceal dust, stained glass windows dim the light that might re- veal neglected corners, and the sesthetlc glo- ries of the drawing room cast into the shade the untidy condition of the kitchen pantry. s ye1rs of effort have perhaps made neatness instinctive, save herself trouble, and her children and children-in-law that may some day be-, unhappiness, by beginning at the very outset to teach her daughters, ay, and | her sons, too, that it is essential that they should have an eye for dirta
 l The tired woman sighs as she gathers to-
 gether the articles of clothing and the news papers her husband has tossed down ant l 1ofk for oIo fn mfr n naturally untidy," she says, with patient smile that holds no hint of blame. In the same spirit she goes at stated intervals to the closets and bureau drawers of her boys and girls, and restores them from chaos to some
 thing like order. "Children will be care-
 less," she tells you, apologetically.
 Would it not be better for her and them
 if more stress were laid upon the old maxim
 Solomon ought to have uttered, though he didn't, "Cleanliness is next to godlinessa' | Would she not do wise thing if she taught her little men and women that to be dirty l is as much sin as it is to lose one's temper
 to utter angry words, or to strike blows in
 wrath, and that it is the duty of every one
 to fight against such fault, and, if possi.
 ble, conquer it before it conquers them l Could she not explain all that dust and air, mean as breeders ard carriers of disease germs, as injurious to the skin, ths eyes, tht | lungs? And finally, could she not impress il | upon them that the laziness which will lea6 ! the girl in sweeping to brush the dust under the sofa, and the boy in dressing to leave his
 boots and soiled clothes in the middle of the l floor, is manifestation of that self indul gence and love of ease which, if not curbed | will, in time, vitiate even the finest charac' l tersa
 The teaching tidiness to boys does not re uuire much attention to details. A mans | life has SO little to do with the minutiae o1 housekeeping that it ought to be compara 1 lively easy matter for him to learn to kseE | hie especial corner of the house neat, and tc avoid disordering the general family rooms | But with a girl the case is different. She
 must comprehend the importance of little
 things; she must learn the evil consequences | that may result from neglected refrigera'
 tor; she must appreciate the extra labor that is involved when cooking utensils are put
 away half washed or half dried; she must
 know the injurious effects upon carpets and curtains of allowing dust to become ground
 into them, the saving it is to wash clothes
 before they are too dirty, the absolute neces
 sity of keeping sinks and drain pipes per fectly clean. Drilling in all these item
 should be part of girls education, just af
 much as training in mathematics or Ian l guages. If she is as thoroughly versed il l these things as shs should be, 50 that the
 Knowledge and it's practice become part O
 herself, there is little fear that, even in house of her own, free from all supervision
 her surroundings will ever bear the look o
 those of the woman who has no eye for dirt l