Evening star., 1895-01-12


in New England, where servants were not
to be had, and only a very few kept help
We kept none, and at fourteen had TO
quit school to do all the housework for my
father, brother and sister. 1 did all the
cooking and baking and scrubbing and
cleaning; all the ironing and usually the
washing, and l made my fathers shirts
and all the clothing for myself and the
younger children. Many, many is the night
1 have gone to sleep crying, because when
bedtime came L was so worn out with work
L could not keep my eyes open to read
and 1 have slept with perhaps copy of
YoungS Night Thoughts or Paradise
Lost under my pillow to be read few
minutes on waking in the morning before
my father would call up, Come Mary; time
to get breakfast l married at nineteen.
Then there was my husbands home, and
later the little ones to absorb my time and
energy. We have five in family, and take
as many boarderS as my home will accom-
modate, in order to keep my daughter in
college. My house is well ordered, l know.
do the work myself with the assistance
of one servant. i do the marketing, and we
bake our own bread. 1 have the washing
done in the house. But while all this is
done successfully under my hands, 1t leaves
me little better than slave. My chill
dren 1T is true, are affectionate, but they
cannot help knowing they have long ago
outstripped me in their education. / am
not a companion for them-cannot be. 1 am
too much a servant, and my influence over
them Is correspondingly diminished / feel
that my whole life has been a sacrifice-a
burnt Offering Of the cook stove-and 1t
does not seem just. though as servants and
the necessities of housekeeping are, don't
see how it can be any different"
Born, Not Made.
The next housewife 1 encountered was
proof positive that housekeepers. like
poets, are born, not made, and that our
social fabric ought to be constructed so as
to have all the housekeeping done by born
housekecpers, while women who are born
something else attend strictly to their own
business.
This born housekeepers face was happy
enough to set one to shouting glory. How
do 1 keep house." said she while she
rocked in the midst of her shining sur
everything, even her face, re-
fiecting sunlight. "Why, / keep house as
my mother did; and old DR.. -, who Wis
tied all the best houses in Washington In
those days, said that my mother was the
best housekeeper in the city. She reared
me to do houSework and take pride in It,
/ was taught other things, too-plain sew
Ing fine needle work, tapestry and the
music and loving it; and / was early given
practical instructions in charity. When /
was no more than eight years old l was
sent among the poor to help nurse the sick
and polish up the unclean. / can see my
self now standing on chair every Satur-
day to scour the cupboard shelves of an
old woman-a shoe binder-who had got
crippled with rheumatism. For year and
over l went every morning to get this old
woman out of bed and wash and dress her;
and then, as 1 went to school, my mother
would send her breakfast by me. Yes, my
mother was the best housekeeper and the
best woman in Washington, and my father
the cleanest man. He retired on his for
day of his death said to our pastor that in
his whole life he had never done anything
to be ashamed of. Being the daughter of
such people, 1 can't help beirg clean. 1
don't leave my house to servants. / look
after 1t myself. ] never go out on sweep
ing day, and do every bit of dusting my
self. / had friend tell me yesterday that
sweeping day is the day she always goes
out, and 1 thought, If 1 did not say 1t,
AS anybody could tell just to look at the
chandelier in your hail. Another friend
told me, oh, she had such jewel of girl
"a perfect treasure. 1 went to her house
one afternoon at half-past 2, and my friend
was out, and the whole house upside down.
cleaning Now, that's something / couldn't
stand My cleaning has to be done early
In the morning, one room at a time. be-
lieve a house is to live in every day in the
week, and I don't believe in upsetting
every thing and everybody to clean one day,
so that you may live in peace and be dirty
the rest of the time. Pretty soon my
friend with the jewel let the jewel go. She
wasn't particular with the corners, my
friend said, and told her, no wonder, and
you around the corner while your home
was being cleaned! No, ma'am; I don't
think a woman can keep house properly
and be charity worker or a professional.
DR. be anything but a housekeeper Come
with me. Now, I'm not ashamed of that"
Nor had she reason to be. She had ush-
cred me into her kitchen-polished and
secured to the last degree. She opened
closet doors, one after another, and all the
while she was doing what I'm sure 1
wouldn't dare. She was still serene, ra-
liant, even, with the self-satisfaction of
The rare woman who has no doubt that her
vocation lies within the walls of her home.
Good Hearted, but Discouraged.
The next woman I met came into her
pretty parlor with a couple Of toddlers
.linging to her skirts. Don't ask me
ny ideas about housekeeping" she said |
I have kept house till haven't an idea |
eft don't have any time to read. and. |
g for thinking. If I stop to think 1 go |
razy. I Just keep my eyes on the tread |
Mill and don't look beyond the next step. |
have given up my friends, and 1 rarely |
70 to the theater, because when I'm ready |
o go out the babies cry, and all my cour |
ge goes. / have had advanced ideas |
bout housekeeping, but / can't keep my |
ourage up long enough to push any of |
hem to finish. I keep one servant, who |
axes less interest In her work the longer
he stays and the more 1 pay her. 1 do |
Ill my own sewing ana work with tne |
ervant every day. We spend all we make, |
nd, oh, dear. what it all amounts to but |
worry and wearing out, I'm sure I don't
now. / dare say / am a poor manager.
was a good school teacher before I was
married., and, perhaps, I got married too
ate to ever hope to master the profession
( married woman. You can't teach an
Id dog new tricks, and it's the greatest
Mistake In the world If anybody thinks
here's no trick about keeping house. 1t
,n't instructive in women by any means,
nd yet If a woman wants to study good
ousekeeping where's the school in which
he can learnr'
bureau of Domestic Economy.
This hopeless query from this discour-
ged, little, good-hearted woman was so
D the point of designs 1 had upon the gov
rnment that turned my feet toward the
apartment Of labor.
Commissioner Wright told me that the
apartment of labor has never concerned
self with the conditions of domestic labor
he commissioner said, however. that some
me ago he perceived that food Is an ele- |
rental consideration Of the Industrial
reatness of a people, and therefore, on
is personal responsibility, instituted an
lquiry into the nutritive values of foods,
tth a view to enabling everybody to eat
itelligently.
Prof Atwater of Wesleyan University |
ushed this investigation, which more re-
.ntly was recognized by the government, |
OnpreSs apprODriatnp 10000 for the as |