Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-04
FAIR W0MAN'S WAR
Against Dirt and Dust and CobWebs
and Insects Generally.
IT'S A SPRING TIME CALAMITY,
And Up to Date No Way of Patching Up a
Peace Has Been Found.
A SYSTEM OF SUBSTITUTES POSSIBLE
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. i

| WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH.
The time has come around again for
women to enjoy what masculine critic
calls their "Spring Festival" To be sure
there is no enjoyment about it, but many
men tell US there is, and what they say, as
to women, must or should be true, since
they have assumed since the world began to
know all about women better than do the
sisters themselves. 1t is useless for house
keepers to say that they would prefer to go
to Atlantic City, or Fortress Monroe and
hear the band play, and the waves roar, and
find the house all swept and garnished and
cleaned when they return, because the be-
! loved brethren are so rooted and grounded
in the belief that women revel in torn up
house, with everything in muss, that moth
| ing said TO the contrary will make them
"disbandon" the idea.
A man writing upon this momentous sub
| ject says that if houses were kept as they
| should be there would be no need for clean
| ing them in the spring time-or any other
time, but he might as we'll tell the merchant
| that if his store was kept as it should be
there would be no need of stock taking once
| a year, or a general review of the establish
ment every quarter. Good housekeepers
who understand their business thoroughly
know there must be system of clearing out
| and renovating, as we'll as the merchant
knows that he must get rid of his old stock
and make the new appear attractive by re-
arrangement and new display Of fresh
| ness.
THINGS THAT MUST BE DONE.
Carpets will wear out and require chang
| ing around, and alteration and removal;
| curtains need to be done up and busted and
cleaned; closets must be cleaned and in
spected; all the corners must be shown up
that not cobweb remains, or a moth has
the remotest chance for existence; linen
rooms must be looked over, renovation and
renewal follow-and, in short, the whole
house from attic to foundation stone must
be gone over with an eye to having every
thing in proper trim, and to insuring full
knowledge Of the situation. With all OF
this, in addition to the regular work, it will
be readily understood what "picnic" it is
for the responsible housekeeper. especially
when she has her hands full all the time,
and has no "surplus" to draw upon for
extra help.
The annoyances that crop up on these oc-
casiods are without number. Company will
drop in when things are at the very worst
the good old gossips will take time to tell
the stories that talking people are eyerlast-
ingly engaged in retailing, the paper hanger
will come one day and stay away for two or
more, leaving his work unfinished, the gas
will be short when it should be long, the
water works man will turn off the water
without breath of notice, just at the most
critical moment, household treasures will
be irremediably ruined by careless hands,
and trouble after trouble, worry after worry,
affo will nj in
quick succession until nerves are shattered,
patience is exhausted and women feel fully
assured that housekeeping is a system of
martyrdom, and that, as Talmage says,
1.-The health-shattered womanhood of Amer
lea cries out tor God who can help ordi-
nary women in the ordinary duties of house.
keeping"
THE LORDS OF CREATION.
These troubles in the household seem
small and trif1ing to the men who look on
woman's work as of little value. But when
they consider that mother and house,
keeper gets no day of rest-not even the
Sabbath-that her nights are disturbed by
the care OF children; that the continual
daily grind must 60 on whether appreciated
or not, it will not be so surprising that so
many wrecks are to be found at the freside
and so many go down in the struggle, and
of the kitchen and nursery"
1t is comfort to know there's q good
time coming-that women are now begin
ming to use their reason and common sense,
and are giving their minds to solve their
own household problems. When they have
reached the conclusion that martyrdom in
the kitchen and nursery does not pay they
will cease to be ''wrecks strewn upon the
shores of time" but will set their
wits to work so as to manage
their affairs in very different fashion.
1t is all very we'll to be assured by the
reverend brethren that the Lord will not
forget them, and that He will help them to
get the meals and prepare the wardrobe for
the family, ard dispense hospitality no
matter under what circumstances, but the
fact is that people will have their doubts,
and housekeepers do not find that prayer
puts a meal upon the table, or lessons the
pile in the mending basket, or makes
joyous May festival out of the spring house.
cleaning.
POETRY WITHOUT SUBSTANCE.
It is quite poetical to tell the weary
mothers to go where the streams leap down
off the rocks and their crystal heels clatter
on the white pebbles-to bark to the heeting
OF the winds and the long meter psalm Of
the thunder-to look at the morning coming
ing aside the curtain from heavens wall of
jasper, amethyst, sardonyx, and chalcsdony,
to look on all these and be happy" But
alas, they have something else to do, as it
happens. Instead of looking at the
morning coming down the mountains
they have to fire up, and, may be, get
breakfast with baby on one arm. Instead of
looking out upon the night so fair and sweet,
they have perforce to contemplate the stock
ing bag, and perhaps torn jackets and rent
trousers. Nobody knows the trials of the
ordinary woman 'swithout help" but she |
who has been there.
The worst folly that woman can commit,
however, in her wilderness of work is to |
worry over it, to grow wrinkled and saliow |
and cross to lose nerve and temper, and fret |
herself to fiddle strings Suppose the Lord |
does not forget her, as Brother Talmage as
sures US, this knowledge does not make her
work less burdensome. What she needs to
do is to survey the ground, study up improved |
ways of doing things, short cuts, rapid transits,
labor-saving devices, simplifying sewing,
finding time to read up the best ways for
managing children. The old order changeth |
why not the housekeeping? Find out |
what there is in cooperation by expert |
ments even on a small scale. No woman |
need make II pies just because her hus-
bands mother did-no harm will happen if |
no pies at all are made.
EIGHT HOURS DAY.