The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1891-04-17
Idle Women.

All idle people are more or less mis-
chievous. Their innate activity must
find some vent, good or bad. The man
who is too lazy to work is not too lazy
to be actively wicked.
The idle man is generally a gossip and
a mischief maker. The time which ought
to be usefully employed must be taken
up with something and so the regulations
of neighbors and acquaintance are torn
to shreds in many instances and the con-
sclentlOus and useful members of the
same household are continually aggra-
waited by the idleness which affords leis-
ure for such disrgreeable and contempti-
bic employment, if they are not them
selves sooner or later dcmoraliZed by it.
An idle person cannot bear to see 9TH
ers employed. A woman who has no
home duties, or who does not attend to
such duties, is pest in any neighbour
hood. 1t may take her a long time to
make her breakfast toilet, but her outer
garments 90 on like magic when she has
once decided to make morning or after
noon call. She will not work and she
will not let her neighbors work. Her
acquaintance are kept in a state of
chronic discomfort in the expectation of
a visit and door bell in her vicinity cam
not ring without striking terror to the
heart OF the lady of the house. A call
from this idle person means simply loss
of time without the slightest compensa-
ton. The work in the kitchen or the
nursery must be abandoned and this
means, with practical, conscientious
housekeepers, not only giving up of
work for the present, but for some time
yet to come. The work planned for that
day and omitted for that day, means oy-
erwork at another time, confusion and
anxiety.
What can be more exasperating than
to be compelled to entertain an idle per-
son to the neglect of necessary duties?
1t occasionally arouses all the antago-
nism and latent ugliness in ones nature.
Hands and brain are all ready for the
work which has been laid out for the
time. "When will she go?" the spirit
keeps asking. IF she will only go now
/ can rush through with the work and
the morning will not be lost"
But she does not go. In fact, it is a
rare thing for this particular kind of
caller to take her leave until the utmost
limit of time is reached, as well as the
utmost limit of her hostess patience.
So, sensible ladies protect themselves
by feeling at liberty to report themselves
engaged, with the exception of the time
set apart for the reception of guests.
One of the greatest difficulties that
inOtleIS nave W CODJeUu Will III Tie cd
ucation of their girls is the idle miss, who,
having unlimited time at her disposal,
drops in at study hours, at practicing
time, in the moments devoted to culinary
and housekeeping employment; in fact,
at any and all times which she takes a
notion to select.
1t is a fact that two idle girls can more
or less demoralize,a whole set.
There are only so many hours in each
"a that can be safely utilized and so the
careful mother, anxious to prepare her
daughter for the responsibilities which,
il she lives, she will be called upon to
take up, fits the special occupation or
lesson to the special hour. Everything
is going on smoothly and successfully
when the door bell rings and one of the
idle girls appears. That precious hour
is broken in upon, every moment hope
lessly wasted, for no one ever learns any
thing that is good to be learned from an
idle girl.
Having no occupation in life but to Wis
it or be visited, it is inevitable that she
should be impressed and influenced in
such manner as to make her a danger
GUS companion.
1t may be that the idle girl is relative
or so connected socially as to make it inn
possible to refuse to admit her, or there
may be various other reasons for bearing
with her; such as natural reluctance
to inf1ict pain, or lack of moral courage
to protect ones time.
And so it comes to pass that girls who
would be industrious if they were let
alone are constantly interrupted by this
common pest.