The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-11
POINTS FOR WOMEN.
A Southern Woman's Experience That
OF Many Others.

A Southern Woman's Experience That
OF Many Others.
BROOKLYN, N. ", May 10-"I do not
lace myself. and try to eat proper food in
proper way. l have never pinched my
feet, nor have been in the habit of wear
ing dragging skirts. But all the same am
not, nor have l been in good health for
many years. l have had to be a very busy
woman. and ray work has required earnest
endeavor and unusual concentration of
thought. Once l dominated my work, but
now my work drives me. | am under its
dominion every hour of the twenty-four,
for even when / am asleep | am dreaming
about it. Please remember that this condl-
ton of worry aud hurry has not been de-
veloped by any of the commissions or omis-
SONS of fashionable women. have been a
bread winner and have complied as far as
possible with true hygienic rules. see no
reason, and suppose there is no cure for
such mental absorption
This letter, from a well-known literary
woman of the south, is so clear and SO well
expresses the condition of many other cor
respondents, that / have given it to my
readers | know with what force it will
strike home to many an experience. Liter
airy folk are not the only ones whose work
dominates them. Many housekeepers are
driven in the same way Each day and
each hour of the day brings its respective
duties, and the unameliorated monotony Of
the treadmill finally wears into the soul
My methods are esteemed very radical by
some writer's aud some housekeepers. 1
think | have as active a conscience about
the fnltillment of engagements as | need,
and know that could not be happy in an
ill-regulated and slovenly home. l intend
to have all the buttons ON my boots, and |
never wear stockings with holes in them,
nor do | often look out of dirty windows. |
cannot remember that / ever failed
to have my literary work deliv-
| cred at the proper time. But
all these things might have happened if l
bad not always been mindful of the protest
OF the spirit. My belief, which has been
| strengthened by solid years of personal ex-
| perience and large observation, is that the
inner voice which says mot to-day" had
better be needed. The Jealous aud the
over neat and particular may hurl at my
head the old adage as often as they please,
do not put of till tomorrow the work
which should be done today IL makes
no impression upon me. This protesting
voice is the danger signal of the soul, ard
| not sign OF laZlness on the part of the
individual. When / rise in the morning
| and find that the spring and enthusi.
| asm upon which we must all depend for
successful work has given place to fatigue
and disgust; when my head Is heavy and
the article or story or the review which |
had promised myself to prepare seems an
impossible task, I Immediately say to my
self: What do you wanta viii you sleep,
will you read, will you walk or drive or
| make visit2" 1t does not take long to find
out, for the spirit is exceedingly responsive.
| Hundreds of 9imes / have closed my desk
on the paper engaged to be covered the
next day, and with a novel or some
hQu M OF rfa &c.
park, or the edge of the sea, or
some favorite spot on the mountain, and
| there have | stayed the whole blessed day
without a thought of the desk or its con-
| tents. A fifteen minutes nap, bath. a
| good supper at the close of this vacation,
| and 10! the spirit was on hand with the in
spiration for the task. This obedience to
what seems to me like the voice of God
| has never failed me in one instance. The
housekeeper will say, 30. yes, but one can
| not spend Friday at the park and come home
and sweep and dust half the night.n
shall probably be considered a lunatic.
but / do not see why little necessary
! sweeping cannot be done in the evening
after one has become refreshed and rested
| and the work no longer seems like q forIni-
| dable Undertaking The fact is, there is too
| much sweeping and too mnch baking and
| scrubbing and washing and ironing done in
| the world. The intellect and tho demands
| OF the spirit are to an appalling extent
| dominated and crushed by this domestic
| Juggernaut. Ii the spirit says, No sweeping
to-day" mo pies this mtrning," obey the
voice. A little busting or picking up will
| do Just as well, and, of course, the whole
! family Will be better off without the pies.
| Make nice pudding that can be thrown
! together in two minutes and, by the way,
| here il an unfailing recipe. A scant half a
tea dp of well washed rice, a quart of
milk, salt, sugar and Aavoring to taste.
| Stir all together and bake till creamy. This
| is good Tor the strong and the weak. wish
| | bad space to talk more about overwork
| and its consequences, for my whole heart is
| in it.
/ am sorry to hear that some of my friends
made failure of their bread and squirrels
tails. but l also regret that they hold me
responsible for their i'll LUCK. | have taken
the pains to write q private letter to each of
these housekeepers, and in response have
| discovered that they all followed nv recipe
"almost exactly" II they did not literally
do as told them. then they are themselves
to blame. My only reason for specifying
the yeast to be used for the ''staff of lifen
and other things which depend upon a care
full rising is because it is my rule for
success. 1t has never failed me nor any
of my friends, and so recommend it to
others. Home made yeast is exceedingly
variable Sometimes it is sour, sometimes
it is dead, and sometimes it is just right
Atmospheric conditions have much to do
with it. To those who have asked me to
specify how much good home made yeast
would answer for the squirrels tails, l
should guess about half tea-cup full.
shall be glad to hear from any of the
housekeepers who have trouble with my
recipes, or who cannot get the proper rails
ing power. We will put our heads together
and do the next best thing