St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-16

AS it Is about spring now, by the
calendar. the time has come when the
thoughts of the ideal good housekeeper
turn to that saturnalia of confusion
and discomfort known as housecleaning.
1t is important to be clean. The win
ler'S accumulation of rag bags and dust
must be cleared away, and these early
spring days are the best time in which
to do it. The work is necessary, we all
acknowledge, but there are few points
about it that should like TO talk about
a little. OF course, you are too wise
woman to tear the whole inside of the
house up al once; that is entirely out OF
date; and yet YOU let the whole house
be permeated with the spirit of
the matter. and everybody be madee
As uncomfortable as it IS possible for
them to be. Some unwise women let
q frown settle on their OrOwS at the be-
ginning of a campaign, and it does
not clear away until the last curtain is
hung and the last bit of bric-a-brac is
busted, and in its own place. They
seem to resent the fact that they as the
head of the house are compelled to take
all this care and worry upon themselves,
and feel like martyrs from the begin
ming TO the end, instead of feeling that
this is only one of the unpleasant Incl
dents in the pleasant occupation which
they have elected to follow, that of be-
ing 4 hOusekeeper. a hOmtmaker and
the hOusemStress, as well as a loved
Wife,a social leader aud a loving mother.
Since, then, this work must be done, and
YOU have elected to belong to the class
of people who must see that it is done
and, often, must put your hand to the
work yOurSelf-l beg of you to have
dignity and selt-reSpecC enough to do 1t
in wOmanly way. Be mistress of your
self, ana all will 90 well. And keep
some one place comfortable and cosy for
the men of the family, who come home
at night tired out with that struggle
with the world that all men must make
who, by marrying the woman they love,
have given hostages to Fortune, and 50
are bound TO do all that in them lies to
prOpitiate the tickle goddess, for fear
that she may be offended by a seeming
lack Of Teverent attention. and wIeak
her spite on the helpless hostages. The
fierceneSS of this fight women. safe in
the shelter of their homes, cannot CON-
prehend; and, III all justice, those who
participate in it should be spared the
additional care aud wOrryO the house
hold crises. So while the parlOr and
bed rooms aid halls are being trans
formed into miniature maelStromS of
scurTying maids, buckets and brooms,
leave one little corner where there may
be peace and comfort. THIS will not be
entirely an unSelfiSh arrangement, you
will find; as, if there is a refuge for
man secured, it will Serve the same pur-
pose for woman after the days work is
done, where she may sit and read the
evening paper at her ease. Another
thing | beg you to do is TO provide some
thing good to eat. If there Is ever a
time when a tOOthsOme relish is appre-
ciated, il is the day on which big lot of
work is done. | knew a woman once
who made wash day sort of gala day
for tine whole family by just a little
foresight. She used to say that, be as
nice as one could on that day, there was
a sort of mugginess in the mental at
mOSpheTe that was most disheartening,
so she always planned to have some
thing nice for dinner. In those days we
knew nothing; or almost nothing. about
canning fruit, but rich, Old-fashioned
preserves were the order of the day. and
in this house were especial jars of de-
licious peach preserves set apart
to be used Oh wash day. Sometimes the
work went pretty well; pan of such
biscuit as this generation know nothing
about was baked to be eaten with the
preserves. She made it a rule also that
every trace OF the days work should be
removed before the girls and herself sat
down to the attractive table. Those
girls and boys have none of the dis
agreeable memories of wash-day and
housekeeping that others seem to have
under different dispensations. Life
is too short and uncertain Tor us to dare
TO make one day. much less a succession
Of days, almost unbearable to the FAM
lily, if, by little fOrethought, these dis
agreeables can be avoided.
AUNT POLLY,