The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-03-06
In the Kitrl.e,,.

In the Kitchen
While almost universally taking Il back
seat in household architecture. the k;tch
en- is an important feature of domestic
life. Like all other features, these arc.
sometimes handsome, and sometimes
ugly: sometimes meat as a PIN" and
sometimes not SO neat as great many
pins. The dining room does not always
know what is going on in the kitchen.
If it did good digestion would often not
wait great while Oh appetite. 1t would
digest at once.
Cooking is generally done in the kitch-
ell, and the kitchen odor often penetra tes
through the. doorways to the dining
room, into the parlor, music room and
library, and even out to the front Diazza
The cook is generally the reienins
queen Of the kitchen, now and then al
lowing the second girl to enter her
domain if she will mind her own bust
ness and not tell tales upstairs. Dishes
arc washed in the kitchen, and when the
mistress does her own work. there arc
not so many dishes to wash nor so many
to be "nicked' as when Bridget Dresidcs
at the kitchen sink, after meal times
Where there is no laundry, washing and
ironing are done III the kitchen. Then
the odor of soap suds and burnt linen
relieve the other part Of the house Of the
fragrance that went through it about the
time that dinner was ready.
And, again, it is here that the runners
LOT the grocery stores, meat and fish
markets, farm and garden truckmen,
fruit dealers, berry pickers and ,ramps,
like to sit down and talk it over" either
with the kitchen maid or the mistress,
but seldom with the ''oll man Of the
house."
Here the plumber rests his kit Of tools
and waits while he sends his "assist-
ant back to the shop for a forgotten
soldering iron, and cndeavors to tide
holding interesting conversation with
,whoever may. lie present, such as sug-
costing that there would not be so much
work for plumbers IF folks were not SO
awful Careless or only knew just when
and where to turn the water off, to
keep it from freezing.
Here the glass put in man asks for
a little space on the kitchen table. where
he may work his putty here the coal
man, on bis Way down cellar to open the
window over the coal bin, makes tracks
Oh the kitchen floor, which has just been
,'mopped up here the next door neigh
Dor. who ''don't feel quite we'll enough
acquaintcd' to ring the bell at the front
door: runs in with shawl over her
shoulders, oStcnsibly to he neighborly,
but after all to find out what the family
are TO have Tor dinner, or to learn about
what Susan Jane is to wear to the
party tonight.' Mayhap to gossip about
the last engagement. the ''trOuhle in the
church, and last. if not least. to find
out what is thought about that awful
scandal i'll which the neighbor. across the
street, is said to be deeply interested.
Here IS where the slattcrn makes sad
b,,)J
Wastcful of sup olieS. and where the tidy
and competent maid treads the path Of
duty to the JOY and comfort of the whole
household
Here is where the mistress comes to
count the cost of daily living. and finds
it such hard work to make her ''calcu-
lati"nS and the financial outcome
,.dwcll together in unity comforting
herself with the fervcnt ejaculation of.
'"Neti. don't see how | could possibly
DC any more economical than I have
Eccn. and then sits down to doze and
dream Of another world. where meat.
fish and vegetables may be had with
out money and without price
Here is where the Observation-Disclosures. if
from the Old country. crosses herself
counts her beads and says her prayers
with an abiding faith, at once comfort
ing and soul satisfying: if from the
''S'lnn! So'lth.' opens q flood of delici-
Gus music from an unwrittcn reper-
toiro: varying from "Jcsus Lover of NY
Soul to the air of Lucy Neal"-beau-
uful and approorjatc hy the way-and
Roll. Jordan. Roll, etc
The drawing room may be kept in "ao.
plc-pie order' without the other house
hold departments. and so may the Ii.
Hrary. sitting room, music room and
sleeping rooms. the dining room alone
excepted. but all are dependent on the
Kitchen. and there hangs the key that
unlocks the door of the household ma.
chine, and sets in motion the intricate
machinery Of household wcll-being. As
runs the kitchen so we'll or ill runs on
the daily life of the household.
The sitting room can be made to do
duty as parlor. The library as a mu.
sic room. \ drapery hidden corner of
the second floor hall as Il bathroom. 4
chamber with :, folding, turn-doWn or
sofa bed for q sitting room, sleeping
room, smoking room or reading room,
But kitchen, however metamorphosed,
will be. must be. and cannot be other.
wise, than a kitchen still. These consid-
crations mark out the kitchen, in the
plan of household salvation, as the most
important room in the domestic economy
of home-making.-A Household Pro.
WIDER III Good Housekeeping.
National Chara cteristics of the Attire of
European Women.
1t is strange that whereas in every