The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-23
HOUSEHOLD.

Someone has said that the better way to
improve a woman'S lot was to build house
upon il and thus give her a home OF her
own. There are certainly few women who
would dissent from this method of improve
rnent, the sole amendment would be that
she be the architect. 1t is Just cause for
pride that woman designed the woman'S
exhibit hall for the Columbian exposition,
and there is no reason why women should
not become capable architects. Certainly
in house planning they ought TO excel, once
give them the power TO carry out their ideas
and the interior arrangements OF homes
would be modified to suit the conditions of
domestic life.
House-buildin., like all arts, passes
through progressive stages, at first like
the hut and the tent the desired end Is to
furnish shelter from heat, cold and rain,
then follows the idea of room and per
manencc, then beauty OF adornment IS
considered, and singularly, last Of all, con-
venience is considered. Men have ever a
laugh for woman'S fondnesS for closets;
she knows their value and can afford the rid
icule she meets when her high cncOmlum IS
that the house has an abundance OF closets.
Every housekeeper needs closets TO stow
away summer and winter clothing, and
roOmy, sunny garnet is 4 greater necessity
than extensive drawing rooms re
served for guests When women
are permitted to plan their Nome, large
airy kitchens will become more geSeral and
greater facilities for doing the necessary
work will be provided. These Convenlen-
ces are oftener found in the grand house,
where they are less needed, than in the
houses of the tOilers, where every step
counts and where lost health is often the
price paid for mistaken economy. in Fort
Worth ut this time there are many houses
being put up by men of small means, and
there is no better basis to build Il belief IN
the real progression of the town than this,
but the builders should be mindful that
whatever conduceS to tightening house
work is in no sense extravaganza.
1t is better to foregO towers and fancy
gables and give ample Railways, plenty of
closets, kitchen finished SO as to be COM
Portable in summer and winter, with every
facility for getting wood and water without
exposure, and provision made for making
the daily labor as easy as possible. In
house wisely constructed housekeeping IS
robbed of many serious annOyanceS and 1t
becomes much easier for 4 wife to maintain
that equanimity which lies at the root of
domestic happiness. Then 1t IS easy, If the
woman be systematic. to have the wheels
roll nOiSleSsly and to conceal efforts so that
the machinery seems to run by magic. 1t
servants are employed 1t is easier to secure
and retain good ones, for who can blame
a working girl to prefer a house
y
modern conveniences. Two things are
necessary before it is possible in Southern
lands to reach perfection in house construc-
ton: One is that women study the needs
and intelligently define them, then that
Southern men divest themselves of the
idea of Dinah's kitchen, and come TO believe
that money spent IN Yankee notions about
the house is not ill-spent. Too often is
it that the delicate, dainty creature man
marries, presides in the kitchen for lack of
Dinah, Bridget or Gretchen, and unneces-
sary hardships there soon convert her into
an invalid, whose life is burden 10 herself
and little pleasure or service to her family.
CLEANSING FLUID.
In a country where it is so difficult to
| keep clothing clean the following recipe
| published in Harper's Bazaar will be valua-
| bic. 1t is prepared as follows: Dissolve
| four ounces Of white CASTLE soap shavings
| in a quart of boiling water. When cold
| add four ounces of ammonia. two ounces
each of either alcohol and glycerine and q
gallon of clear. cold water Mix thoroughly
bottle and cork tightly. 1t will keep long
time and is said to be a most excellent prep
| aration for cleaning coat collars and mems
clothing.