The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1894-06-20
y Their Daily Life at Home as Com.
pared with That Experienced
by Americans.
WASH DAY ONCE A MONTH.

prices, we see that meat is about the
same in both countries, and some staple
articles, sugar, -four and lard, much
cheaper in America. Rents and wages
are OF course much lower in Germany
but it is cheaper principally because
every thing is used and nothing wasted
A family here will buy pieces of meat
that in America we should think toe
poor and cheap to use, but they under
stand cooking them better than we do
and make them very appetizng, and we
learn to live more simply and altogether
on smaller scale. Everything is bought
in small quantities. for one reason, there
are no store closets and poor cellar &C
commodation in these houses, and it is
largely the custom to pay every day for
what is brought into the house. The
cook receives every day money to pay
for the milk and bread, meat and vegeta-
lies are paid for when ordered. Ger
mans are people of small incomes, and
to pay for each days needs simpliiies
arranging for other expenses, which
must perforce run stronger. Servants
have quite different bill of fare from
their employers, which is as it should be,
and they are perfectly satisfied with it.
They do not expect to eat meat every
day, and are not accustomed to it in
their own homes but they get strong
nourishing soup always, made principal
ly OF bread and vegetables, as in France,
plenty of vegetables cooked in ways pc
culiar to themselves, generally with a
bit of bacon, of which they are very fond,
and bread and coffee ad libitum, gener-
ally three times day, but no sugar, and
each one half pound of butter per week.
Neither do they expect the choice cuts
Of meat and poultry common in Amer
lean kitchens, yet are well fed and con-
tent, and excellent workers.
A German servant is always taking lit
tie lunches all day long, and one general
ly finds them with the mouth full, and
large slice of bread and butter is always
lying near by, where they happen to be
at work, polishing the stove, or ironing,
as it may chance.
This difference in feeding servants
makes an enormous one ii expenses.
Wages, of cou Sc, are in proportion to
other things. A cook, who is also a gen.
eral servant-for very few families keep
more than two, even where there are
children-gets from 10 to 20 marks per
month (S3. rs to So and she is always
neatly and comfortably dressed, but she
never wears hat or bonnet, except on
Sunday and invariably knits her own
stockings. The housekeeper always has
in her stock OF household linen a large
quantity of aprons for the use of her SER
wants, so many Of white and colored be-
ing given out each week and accounted
for when servant leaves. But they
wear no fine feathers or silk dresses, and
every one OF them, men and women,
pays small tax to the Government OF
about soc per month, credited to them
in a bank book at the end of each year,
and called the hospital fund, entitleing
them TO care and support during illness.
This small amount is often, though not
always, paid by the employer and cred
tied each month by small stamps issued
for the purpose and for sale at every post
office. These are affixed to a card in
scriped with the name OF the owner, and
good for one year or more, as it may be,
and when full must be presented at the
head police Office for registration, where
they receive credit for it. Arriving at
old age or incapacitated from work, each
one is entitled to pension, which,
though small, is better than nothing.
There Is no homemade bread in Ger
many but washing day has its own ter
rors, especially 80 when it comes but
once month, as in most German fami-
lies.
Then the servants do not hesitate to
tell the visitors, "Nein, die gnadige Frau
list NIGHT zu hause, wir haben crosse
wasche" mo the gracious lady is not at
Houlc VIC nave Jul bik NbulHBJS anu
very likely this servant may be soldier
dressed in his linen suit, and bare red
arms, looking boiled from the wash tub.
Most ladies help in some way with the
washing, and invariably do all the cook
ing on that day, and on the next they
assist in sprinkling and folding the
clothes TO go to the mangle. Every Ger
man girl is taught how TO fold the sheets
and table-cloths, and ii is quite feat Of
gymnastics as they stand, one at each
end, holding the linen, with the right
foot planted firmly forward and the left
one back, and then pull with all their
might TO stretch il and very iatiguing
process II Is.
But the average German woman is
very strong; she must be to do all that is
required Of her. She has little or no
time iof reading or any accomplishment
after marriage Il Is kitchen and house
III "..I