Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-30

"Oh, my dear, if you find pleasure in or
daining that your digestion shall wrestle
with beans every Saturday night through
out the year, and that you shall don your
fiannels on the first of October, and wear
muslin in April. whatever the weather.
have no objection" laughed Mrs. Appleton.
II don't do anything SO irrational" cried
Miss Stuart, blushing. But here our genial
old lady. Mrs Merriwether interposed
My dears there is one thing you have
not mentioned. and that is the great saw
ing of time there is in an orderly manage
ment OF all our affairs. find it the great
est comfort not TO have to think Of the lit
tie details of the days work, but to know
that everything will go on without worry
ana excitement, that the meals will be at
exactly such hours, and the china closets
will be cleaned on Thursday, and the bak-
ing done on Saturday. whether I am sick
in bed or down stairs"
"Oh, I acknowledge that there is COM
fort In certain amount Of SYSTEM" as
sented Mrs. Evans. But / think we ought
only to have general rules, not such fin
icky' regulations as interfering with
child's preference for play or our husbands
liking for a late nap on holidays"
Il was waiting to hear II anything was
to be said about husbands" now put in de-
mure young Mrs. Lawson. II am anxious
tion"
Most certainly" said Mrs. Tadema,
laughingly. "A mans hours of occupation
| steal and mental. are the very basis Of our
plans. But when once formed they ought
to be like the laws Of the Modes and the
Persians.' Order means security. and Just
30 far as we bring all our affairs under a
general law we know our possibilities and
privileges knowledge is power surely,
In the matter Of knowing exactly what Ia
going on in our little home province, and
we cannot know unless we have orRaniza-
tion.'
well, I don't profess to enough knowl-
edge to be able to lay down straight rules
for other people" said plain Mrs. jerks.
who claims to be IAN old-fashioned house
keeper" II am orderly enough to have a
day for washing, and one for sweeping and
baking, and so on, but leave the hours to
take care of themselves. 1t seems to me
that In housework the best-laid plans o.
mice and men gang aft aglec,' and I try
not to set my heart on any particular
plans"
Nevertheless. I go the whole length"
said Mrs. Bright. Il have a method past
ed inside my wardrobe door to regulate my
personal concerns. I go through my house
early In the morning and see that every
thing is as 1t should be. Then 1 attend to
my own room, do the marketing, give or
ders for dinner, and after that every hour
has its special engagement. I make calls
on certain days, and stay at home one az
| ternoon in the week. / always know ex-
actly what l am to do. and there Ia NO
| furry of mind over anything. In fact.
have become so used to a certain way that
l proceed without even thinking about it.
consequently, my mind is always at liberty
| to attend to what / want to put 1t upon, In
stead Of worrying over plans"
You have led up beautifully to sor,e-
| thing l wanted to introduce" said Miss
Stuart. I'VE must consider the effect of
things upon ourselves. Listen to this
please 1t Is from Prof. William James: The
| more details of our daily life we can hand
over to the infallible and effortless custody
| of automatism. the more our higher powers
of mind will be set free for their own prop
| er work. There is no more miserable hui
man being than one In whom nothing Is
habitual but indecision, and for whom
every little act is the subject of express de-
liberation. Full half the time of such
man goes to the deciding or regretting a
matter which ought to have been so in
grained in him practically as not to exist
for his consciousness at ALL"
There was a little silence. and Mrs. Ap-
pleton looked skeptical and q few others
half convinced, but the chairman said:
Now. ladies, to sum up evidence II
seems that most OF US are agreed that rou-
tine in the household Is essential to COM
fort and the best interests of all, but that
regulations should take account Of individ-
uality. and only such rules imposed upon
the family are necessary for uniform
action in affairs affecting the general well
fare"
"Bravor' said Mrs. Appleton We then
adjourned