Morris tribune., 1889-10-02

If Housekeeping Is Pronera.y ystematized
1t Can BE Finished just as Mans La
~ pors Are-Plans Suggested by Lady
Who Has Studied the Subject.
Women are constantly complaining
that their work never ends-that while
a man 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 once?" was the petulant protest
of a child who had been sent up stairs
to her mothers room first for pair of
scissors, then for a tape measure, then
for spool of cotton, and finally for
garment that was to be mended and had
been forgotten.
The child received a sharp reproof for
her 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 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 &c
like the traditional "clockwork.' d.
Mrs. Cornelius, who has been the friend
and counselor to SO many young house
keepers, has arranged the work; of THE
week in a 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 a costly,
| mode of living. You will see that il
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 il
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 ano
fold the clothes, on Thursday iron
on Friday have all parts of the house
that are in constant use swept an6
| busted again. the brasses rubbed
| the windows cleaned, and if there
are closets to be cleaned let them bt
done on that day also. On, Saturday
bake and provide such a 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
we'll as for all the rest of the household
Still another way is to wash on Mon.
day, bake and do other erthingsaeeess
omitted Oh Tuesday, iron on Wednesday
mend and take your ease OIL 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 oven upon
this well tried method, if housekeepefs
are not so welded to their ways as to be
unwilling to try the experiment.
Women who do their own work, rely
ing possiblyupon young daughters for
the little help they can give them out
side of school hours, otter find the laun-
dry work, particularly the washing, the
stumbling block. 1t is not always easy
to get a woman to come for washing: /.
is an expensive matter to send to the
laundry, and the only alternative IS "do
| it YOURSELF The task is much simpli-
| fed If the husband will send shirts and
J collars to the laundry. and there are