The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-06
ces in the vicinity of the school

publications banished, and care should
be exercised that such volumes of his
tory, biography, science and travels as
are placed upon the shelves, should be
the most interesting of their kind that
relish for good reading may be fostered,
for some good books, like some good
people, are SO dry and tiresome they are
almost impossible even to cultivated
mind.
''In the realms of domestic science are
broad fields which have been well and
rather hopelessly investigated A good
committee might do some important
work there in lines of invention
"In one of those departments COM
monty known as housekeeping, which
is not one of the exact sciences, there is
much for this aggregation of sisters to
do. One thing would be to counterfeit
the influence of such papers as those
read by Mrs. Kedzie and Miss Coburn, in
which they advocate increasing the
number of schools of manual labor. Now
if they meant the training of those girls
who intend making sewing and cooking
their life profession it is we'll; but if the
intention was. as I think, the training of
! all girls in those industries, it was a call
| to go backward.
SIN the industrial world the tendency
| is to specialization, trend attended by
some danger, but, on the whole, bless
| ing in the interest of economy, of better
work and a broaden intellectual life for
the uation and of dignity for the so-called
! la boring class
! $50 many domestic industries have with
! good results passed into the hands of
! specialists that the speedy specialization
| of all homework is greatly to be de-
! sired; aud, why? Simply that woman
may have time and strength for true
motherhood. To that end, the firm that
will, upon your order, place, hot upon
your table. meal prepared upon scien-
tific principles of the adaptation of food
| products to the needs of the body, will
confer a greater blessing upon humanity
than has any immortal poet.
t'But, says the constitutional unbeliev-
er, who could wish to break up the
sweet associations of home life with
mother patiently toiling in the kitchen?
! Then there were the fragrant odors from
the delicious dishes she alone could pre-
pare. OF course she was too tired to eat
or read, or to sympathize with US III any
of our pursuits, but then there were the
odors and the victuals. The mother died
with the lamp of her intellectual life al
most exiting uished; but ah, well, tits the
| fashion of the world. l would like to be
one to help change that fashion, to give
the weary mothers chance to rest and
read, and time to go out on the hills with
their children gathering flowers, as they
! talked of the everlasting hills and noted
with what care the Father has painted
each tiny blossom, as if nothing were too
choice for US, his children. I want her
to sit on the steps, in the early evening,
and teach the little ones the names of the
| stars and consultations and talk about
the One who made them, until the chill
dren love Him. l want her to tall them
! the history and classification of every
! stick and stone and tree. until their plas-
tic minds are too full of interest in ma
lures lessons to hold an evil thought.
! Such a woman could be mother of the
mind and soul as we'll as of the body.
"Send men to the cooking school if you
will, but teach the women to be moth
ers. Then there will soon be no need of
! jails and penitentiaries. The men ought
to do most of the work of the world, for
they have not the strain of motherhood
| to bear
"For a committee on philanthropies,
the avenues are many and ever open
If any woman prefer the busy walks
! of trade or politics to the quiet
! of home, do not understand her She
! seems to have lost some of the delicacv
which is her birthright, but, when ami
mated by ChristIike pity, for suffering
humanity, she sacrifices her tastes to aid
some lost soul She goes forth clinging to
!
ton, and she shall be of those upon his
right hand, of whom, no form of belief
was asked, but of whom, it was ex-
| planned, that they fed the hungry,
| clothed the naked and visited the sick
and in prison,-it was the failure of
those on the left hand, to do those things,
that closed the gates of heaven against
them"
When Mrs. Woolger had finished, the
| ri nj Har
surprised at the independent and origi-
nal stand taken by the writer.
The ladies were about equally divided
for and against Mrs. Woolger's ideas and
ideals.
Mrs. McCarter thought the paper far
from visionary and was ready to bear
personal testimony that a successful
home maker need not necessarily know
how to bake and brew to begin with. She
said she did not know how to cook any
thing when she got married except it be
to boil water, but if the ladies did not
believe she could make good bread now,
! they had a standing invitation to sample
it.
Mrs. W. C. Campbell rather favored
the manual training idea.
Miss LoveweIl showed herself thor
Oughly in touch with the writer by say
ing she could not imagine spirituality as
| divorced from any good work; that it
should be as Mrs Woolger implied, far
above any isms, the highest and last re-
finement of a noble mind open to the
| truth.
The club will meet with Mrs. Richard
Gundry Saturday the 23rd The hostess
will read paper on food"
IN SOCIETY CIRCLES
A Few Items Garnered in Spite of the