St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-01-14
TRAINING FOR HousEwoRk


Daughter.
1t is . common thing for mothera
who. like Martha Of old. are numbered
with many things, 70 forget the need Of
their daughters for practical training
in the very household duties which have
formed the greater part of their own
life work Il i . fashion Of late years
to apply the harsh term Of drudge" 70
the plodding household worker. who
has no time In the stress Of her worldly
cares fos the many smusements and du-
ties that belong to . more leisurely life.
We are wont to hear Il said that all
women ought to do thus and %. and
ought to enjoy this thing and the other.
Just how such social changes are to b
brought about these would-be reform
ers fail TO tell N With the sang froid
Of the FEenchman who criticised the
solar system as . poor piece Of mechan-
ism, they proceed to judge the work Of
An infinite Providence with Anite eyea
It IS not At all likely that IN All-wise
Father intended that all women should
occupy the same station, but that they
should be fitted into different kinds Of
work, - best suited their own spiritual
development It seems to be certain
that the vast majority Of women are in
tended to be house workers, and It h
the duty Of . mother to train her daugh-
ters to this work. Important as tho
house-work of . family il to the health
and happiness Of mankind, It Il
one to which women are rarely
trained. They are educated In super
fetal accomplishments. in the classics
and foreign languages and in the high
er mathematics. all Of which are valua.
BILE for the discipline and culture Of the
mind.
But it is our duty to look to practical
matters also It has been proved BY
statistics that college bred women make
the best motherA - fewer Of their
children die in infancy proportionately
to the children Of uneducated mothers.
Education has made them wiser and
more capable, and, though the matter
may be dihicult to settle by statistics.
it may well be argued on exactly the
same premises. that they are better
aousekeepers. better wives. as we'll ~
better mother4 the sphere Of their use-
fulness being enlsrged just - ,their
0inds have been developed. In fact
tho present demand for the education
u women IN practicaa matters comes
from -eollege-bred women, who know
the value of;specific training.
While the cooking school accom-
olishes the very best results in purely
culinary training. the most practical
and most valuable training In house
hold matters b that which the capable
and wise mother givea her daughter in
the limits Of her own home It is often
insisted that this manner of practical
training for girls Il one-sided affair In
which there Is no equivalent offered In
the education of boys This Is . mis-
take We have IN example Of the lack
of practical training in that despicablc
specimen whom, for. want Of . better
3ame. we viii call the ',dude" The
father gives his son training
IN practical matters which teaches him
to be useful about the house, and capa-
Bile Of taking his place when he II away
from home.
II girl receives . thorough mental
training In school or college, that il no
reason why she should not also receive
the practical training which fits her for
home life. Nor should the practical
training take the place of the mental
training at school. which fits her for .
life of the highest usefulneaA-N. 7.
Tribune