The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-17
spring Thoushts-Not a Poem.

t'In the spring a young mans fancy
lightly turns to thoughts of love- and in
the spring a woman's fancy lightly turns
to thoughts of move. The latter has par
ticular reference to the married woman's
fancy. 1t may not be as poetical orras
grammatical as Tennyson's line, but it is
equally true, and truth is sometimes strang-
er than poetry.
1t is not known that any explorer has
yet discovered, or any philosopher defined
the subtle connection between the spring
season of the year and the perennial desire
in the female heart to change and overturn
things. 1t cannot be attributed to reason,
because the trace of sweet reasonableness
is not in it. 1t can scarcely be attributed to
intuition because it partakes too much of
the character of a fixed resolve. Perhaps
it is due to the instinct Of women and
birds to build new nests in the spring. So
far as known there is no case on record of
a bird occupying or using a nest a second
year. They sometimes rebuild in the same
place, but as for using last years apart
ments, never. More often they discard the
old location as well as the old nest, and not
only move but rebuild. Women are prone
to do the same, and perhaps it is not the
only respect in which they resemble birds.
The feminine instinct to move in the
spring is very apt to find vent in the direc-
ton of housekeeping, for, next to a COM
plete change of environments is their COM
plete shaking up. The next Shing to getting
rid of a house entirely is to clean house.
A bird cannot do this, but a woman can,
and in this respect. at least. women are
superior to. birds. A bird can discard it's
nest of last year, and, with many trips and
much labor and patient toll. can build a
new one without the use of soap, water,
%scrubbing brushes, ste~p-ladders or any such
adventurous aids. But women cannot do
that, and in this respect. at least. they are
inferior to birds. They exist under more
imperative conditions. They cannot have a
new nest every year. but they can give the
old one a terrible shaking up.
1t is not likely that women resort to
spring house cleaning for amusement. 1t is
rather a yielding to an uncomfortable in
stinct than a seeking after pleasure. But
if she does not enjoy it neither does her
mate. The average man does not enjoy a
pickup dinner more than two or three days
in succession, and if he is a reasonably
well-trained sort of person he does not en-
joy taking his meals at a downtown res
taurant where the deliberately nodded and
beautifully pressed butter patties are strong
ly suggestive of oleomargarine. On the 9TH
er hand, it is not probable that the average
woman enjoys rubbing, and %scrubbing, and
polishing things for more than two or three
days at a time, and whatever her executive
ability may be she must get tired OF plan
ming, directing and supervising the move
ments and operations of two or three help
ers for several consecutive days. That sort
Of thing is exhausting. 1t Is really much
harder than the building of birds nests
and more wearing on the nerves. Perhaps
this is one reason why we see so many
more nervous women than birds. If birds
cleaned house and ~repapered their kitchens
every year there would probably be as many
nervous birds as women. And, by the way,
why should kitchens be papered anyhow?
Neither Queen Elizabeth nor Louis XIV
had a papered kitchen. and there have been
more good meals cooked in Southern I'M
plastered cabins than were ever dreamed
of in kitchens with papered walls. In short,
why not do away with housekeeping al
together?