Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-06-29
WHAT Is SIMPLEL LIVING?
SOME QUEER NOTIONS Aas HELD ON
Tnis QUESTION
A>ss upssa Clara Bsxfss . s~asfsis Ar
fieis by rsiitas hS. o.. H~~ss~ifs
Whs Pridsa Herself 90 the "a. piisasy'.
90 Hes Csskiss Fed Hss E.aiIy.

81 Hes SSskias Fed Her fs0iiy.
tCspyri.hI Lsi 0y American Pres AssucsA-
tio1-l
I'VE live very simply 40 our house"
said wealthy woman, somewhat az
fecteily. I'VE believe Ia simple living.
and have brought nay family ID 70
practloe it.
The lady % whom this remark was al
dressed was Interested 10 observe the
simple living" which was thus COM
plaoently described. She knew that al
most every one or the ten members Of the
large family who were said u live thus
simply had been very III during tho
preceding three or four years. They had
suffered yAriously from erysipelas. spinal
meningitis, nervous prUstration, typhoid
and other fevers, and qulnsy aud diph-
tharcsic sore throats She did not De-
live that such diseases could exist where
genuine simple living was practiced.
She found that the food ia this family
was very generally fried-that fried oys-
tiers, croquettess. Lyonnaise and Saratoga
potatoes, griddle CAKES aud similar dish
Is, with always bot bread In some form
and coffee for all members Of the fam
lily, from the youngest child. girl Of
ak. ~ the father and mother-were the
rule for breakfast. She found that
cereals were seldom served there They
'hated" them, as was natural for palates
= accustomed % highly seasoned fried
food. Neither was fruit popular there.
She found that tho young men and
women OF the family. even TO the school
~hf y asark
were IN the habit of sitting up until
midnight. often later, and then retiring
% sleeping rooms which were furnace
heated and into which, with one or two
honorable exceptions. no breath OF the
outside air was allowed 70 penetrate.
These exceptions had learned, the
mother declared, cranky" notions while
away at college and boarding school.
Most OF these young people had been
obliged To- leave school early in life. be-
cause their health" would not permit
them To study.
She found that the girls Of the family
wore corsets at the age Of eleven, and
that the pretty, doll faced daughter of
eighteen, with a bust measure of thirty
SIX, after she had been subjected 10 the
manipulation of the dressmaker. had a
waist twenty one inches round, like
thousands of other girls who never laced
IN their lives"
She found that the boys Of the family
the younger ones surreptitiously, the
older ones openly--had smoked cigarettes
from the time they were eight or nine
years old. She found that the girls, be-
yond making their own beds and doing
little of their personal mending, never
exerted themselves to do any wholesome
work. that they and all the children were
allowed To take hot baths as often as
they liked, and 10 stay In them as long
as they liked: that all were free 10 go to
the pantry whenever they felt like it, and
that only the richest cake was ever locked
away from them, while an abundance of
doughnuts, cookies and ordinary cake was
always at their disposal; that it was
impossible TO keep them supplied with
pickles, ''the children all liked them so
much;" that while the boys wore heavy
underfiannels during the severe weather,
the girls wouldn't" because such I'M
derclothing made their waists and arms
look so large; that neither the mother
nor the two elder daughters-although
the former was suffering from chronic
disease and the two latter had had sew
eral severe illnesses and were always
very delicate-ever rested during the
daytime unless they had been up late"
at an entertainment the evening before.
"They had no time TO waste in lying
down." the mother declared. with con-
stantly increasing complacence as she
rehearsed her way of doing things; she
chad always brought her daughters up
10 DO busy-it didn't make much differ
ence what about-but to be busy about
something"
Two of the girls were really very fond
of reading. but the books which they So
lected were such rs they would far bet
ter have left alone. They often read
themselves 70 sleep at night, the mother
assured her horrified visitor proudly. and
not infrequently ''the gas would be
found in their rooms burning brightly
at 3 or IN the morning. when they had
fallen asleep before they knew it. Such
a joke on them
This wealthy and misguided dame is
not the only one who imagines that she
~ living SAtupiI Wutn sue ~ living
after a manner As far "a possible re-
moved from that ideal standard. Many
q comparatively poor family. too. fancy
that they are Giving simply" when they
ars In reality almost "A far from it as In
the csse cited. In fact there seems to be
a general lack Of understanding in the
popular mind rs TO what simple living"
Ia Yet everybody seems TO approve Of
1t and 70 feel that it. and il alone, leads
TO health and genuine comfort. 1t ia
worth while 10 try and get at proper
definition q term which seems 10 be so
widely misunderstood
Undoubtedly our pioneer forefsthers
enjoyed something akin TO the simple
living which we want. We need to
s.backsisie." after Mr. Ruskin's detiui-
ton Of backsliding con the ways most
Of us GO SAYS that Gerry apostle. Of sim
plicity. "the faster we slide hack. the
better. Slide back into toe cradle. II
going on IL 70 the srave-baex, | tell
you. back. ont Of your long faces and
into yunr long clothes"
An old provsrb says:
Sunrise. hrrskfsss. sunhish dinner.
Shutdown. sup. uasse- a saint 81 sinner
The iwsilers in cities canno. well adj
suzt their meals 10 the simple hour. IT