The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-16
WOMAN AND HER HOME.
DUTIES WHICH OCCUPY WIFE,
MOTHER AND HOUSEKEEPER.
Care of the WardrObe-Famfly CO.
OperatiOn-Dainty Work for Femi-
nine NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. at the
Breakfast TabIe-Making towards
of Children.

girl who perhaps has had perfect
freedom and immunity from all care
becomes, as soon as married. her hus-
bands companion. She must be fresh
and attractive in appearance and feel
ing to greet him when he comes home
in the evening. She must have topics
of interest on which TO converse and
make herself charming TO him after his
days toll, or be ready to go out with
him to the theater, lecture, card party
or entertainment, as the case may be,
or to make the evening agreeable to
him at his home if he is domestic in his
taste If she does not do this con-
stantly and persistently, the average
man will, after the novelty of the new
life has worn of, betake himself to the
club, or if he is lacking in principle he
may drift away altogether and find
other company which is more agreeable
to him.
Where there is a strong mutual af-
lection and the man has a fine sense Of
honor. chivalry and high principle he
will of course feel that obligations are
mutual, and he will find for himself and
make FOR her and with her interests
that will be harmonious. When to this
happy condition are applied ample or
very comfortable means, the womans
work in the home is greatly lightened.
But take the case of the mistress of
| family in moderate circumstances with
three or four children. The house must
receive enough attention from its mis-
tress each day to keep all in good run
ming order. even supposing that two
| servants do the actual work of the
household. Meals are TO be ordered
three times each day. with provision for
the requirements ana lQlOSyncraSleS or
each individual from paterfamilias down
to the last conner in the establishment.
Now, this may seem a mere trit1e to the
lookeron, VINO at the well-appOinted
table see the daily bill of fare, but let
any such loo1eron try it for days,
weeks, months, years, season after sea-
son, and he or she, whoever ii may be,
will think that the position of caterer
alone TO a family Of ordinary size is no
sinecure.
Then the difficulties with the servants
and their management, the settling Of
their difficulties with each other, the
task of instructing them in their duties,
| the frequent directions which must be
| given to the details of cooking by ordi-
nary housekeepers, is something which
few of the other sex understand. Those
who are able to pay very high prices for
| fine cooks may be exempt from ordinary
| trials, but the average housekeeper
| knows that she must often supplement
| her own knowledge and experience with
! remarks like these: ''The bread this
week is not baked slowly enough or
| long enough" The soup is too weak"
etc, to keep up the cooking to the stan
| dard requisite for the health and salts
| faction of the family. Then the care of
| the house, the weekly cleaning, the con-
| slant supervision of cellar. closets and
| drains form with the catering a de-
| partment in itself sufficient for the en-
tire occupation of one woman, and the
| health and comfort Of the whole house
! hold are dependent on the fidelity and
| intelligence which direct it.
Yet the mothers responsibility and
| care have only their beginning here.
| The needs of the children from infancy
| to adult life in health and sickness,
| their training-physical, intellectual and
mOral-here is another department that
| demands for it's fulfllment the vitality
| and the best powers of the mother in
| the home. The oversight of the cloth
| ing Of young and changing forms is a
care that is sufficient for one head and
| pair of hands, even when the people are
| sensible enough to pay little court to
| Dame Fashion.
| Most of all in the home Is the com
partnership of the wife and mother to
| husband and children for which she
| needs time for her own rational physi-
| cal requirements of air. rest and re-
! freshment, time to keep up her reading,
| her interest in books, pictures and mu-
sic, that she may never become a house
| hold drudge, a mere minister to tenn
! poral needs. but that she may be the
| beloved friend and counselor.-Anna A.
! Comelin in N Y. Advertiser.