Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-07-26
SOME OF THE LET COS OF
HOUSEHOLD DAILY LIFE
AND LIVING.
BY JUANITA STAFFORD.

1t is rather strange, when you como
to think of it, how many little things
are "let go" in the house, that really
fret the inmates and add friction to the
household machinery, which should
run smoothly. Most of these "let-
go's" are IN the kitchen. l might
philosophize about that fact, but | will
not, Just now. y dull vegetable knife
is one of these. The kitchen which
contains a sharp one is the exception,
yet it is very exasperating to peel
potatoes or apples, cut up beans, or
slice turnips. with a knife as "dull as
hoe" In the first place one be-
grudges the money for fine steel
knife :just to pare potatoes with, "
never stopping to think that the better
the knife, the cheaper It is for this
sort of work. \ sharp knife will pare
thinner and waste less than q dull one,
and will Last long 7. \ good, small
whetstone should accompany it, with
instructions to use II, and not the
stove pipe, stove edge or sole of the
cooks shoe. There Is au Old saying,
that one of the fow questions the Devil
cannot answer Is: "What IS a womGn'l
whetstnne2'
Another annoyance Is leaking tins of
various kinds, notably quart measures,
dippers, dJippingpaus and saucepans.
Bigs of rag drawn through tiny holes,
or flour paste rub on the bottom to
form a patch are common devices for
getting along with these let-GO tins,
instead OF carrying them to the nearest
tinshOp some morning aud getting
them back whole and strong in ths af-
ternoon for very small outlay of time
and money. There is for sale, and
doubt not II is quite commonly used, a
certain kind of solder that the dealers
claim can easily hc used at home.
think | bought some once, but was
not very successful in using it, prob
ably iron lack OF skill. 1t in no way
lessened my conviction that tins should
not be allowed to continue leaky,
when time or service has made then
so
A clothes wringer that will not wrinb
( is another annoyance. Perhaps one of
the rollers will not turn. We oil the
gearing, and fu-s with 1t week after
week, on washday, and forget it the
other days, all the time vaguely but
vainly hoping that the matter will
fright itself" ii only we wall
| long enough. 1t does MT right it
self, and 80 the annoyance continues,
J tie clothes IRE half-wruu-, or wrung
/ by hand, when it wouId be so easy tc
, drop a postcard to the man who repairs
wringers, aud then have this one cease
to be 'Iet-gO."
| them? Day after day some people
!
their jaws meanwhile, and getting {
''pain IN their temTers,' al ecause
this is one of the ''let-go's" that ha.
grown to be chronic. Isn't 1t queer: {:
Why is it so? l only know It Is, anc
that | rarely have friend, who visits me
and uses my scissors, who Iail to say,
"Why, how nice and sharp your scis
sOrs are!" Also, l never 90 anywhere,
taking my work, without being very
sure my scissors are with it, because
know what l shall meet, nine times ou'
Of ten, If / borrow scissors.
! Another "let-go" has connection
with tides. Now tides are very nice
things, and very saving to the furni.
ture, if they are properly made and ad.
!usted; but how few are. Most of then
are 'everlastlngly falling of" and al
. DtCiuSS we ldll To sew on lllile IaDSi
for tying, or little tapes TO- pinnine
underneath. We mean to, each of the
fifty times we pick them mp and lay
them on the sofa or chair; but. some
how, we let 1t go, and fret ourselveI
and others by so doing
The weekly repairing of garments 1.
almost religious duty in some few
homes; but IN how many are the little
rents and rips, the lost buttons anC
hooks, the broken button-holes, and
worn edges, and the tiny holes an6
thin places IN hosiery, let-go from time
to time until nothing remains to be
done but throw aside the garments
1.-The stitch in time saves nine" re
mark, may be trlta, but 1t is Just a.
good as ever, and when ! find a hom.
where mending is one Of the 'Fet-go's'
feel very sure there Is a sad lack OF
thrift, and So of certain moral Qualitie!
that go with 1t.
am well aware that zone cannot dc
| everything" but let us not be self-in.
dulgent or selt-deccived when We say
this. Let us not find that the "let.
go's" are things that we ShOUlH do, aud
that we neglect for other things that
we prefer to do because they are plea.
santer, or through carelessness that
is selfish or dishonest. The fewer 'Iet.
go's" we have the easier will life be
realty,