The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1898-01-07

see that the tombstonss all read beau
tifully poetic; but If those tombstones
would speak the truth, thousands OF
them would say: Here lies a woman
killed by too much mending, and sew
ing, and baking, and scrubbing, and
securing; the weapon with which she
was slain was a broom, or sewing
machine, or a ladle." You think,
man of the world! that you have all the
cares and anXieties. II the cares and
anxieties of the household should come
upon you 4Gr one week, you would be
ut for the insane asylum. The half
rested housekeeper arises in the morn
ing. he must have the morning repast
prepared at an irrevocable hour. What
If the fire will not light; what If the
marketing did not come; what If the
CLOCK has stopped-no matter, she must
have the morning repast at an irrevoc-
able hour. Then the children must be
got off to school, What if their gar
ments are torn; what if they Go not
know their lessons; what II they have
lost hat or sash-they must be ready.
Then you have all the diet of the day,
and perhaps of several days, to plan;
but what If the butcher has sent meat
unmasticable, or the grocer has sent
articles of food adulterated, and what
II some piece of silver be gone, or some
favorite chalice be cracked, or the roof
leak, or the plumbing fail, or any one
of thousand things occur-you must
be ready. pring weather comes, and
there must be a revolution in the fam
be ready. Spring weather comes, and
you must shut out the northern blast;
but what If the moth has preceded you
to the chest; what if, during the year,
the children have outgrown the apparel
of last year; what if the fashions have
changed. Your house must be an
apothecary's shop; it must be dis
pensary; there must be medicines for
all sorts of Notwithstanding to
loosen the Group something to cool the
burn, something to poultice the inflam-
nation, something to silence the jump
ing tooth, something to soothe the ear
ache. You must be in nGlf a dozen
places at the same time, or you must
attempt to be. If, under all this wear
and tear of life, Martha makes an i'm
patient rush upon the library or draw
ing-room, be patient, be lenient! Oh,
woman, though may fail to stir up an
appreciation in the souls of others in
regard to your household tolls, let me
assure you, from the kindness with
which Jesus Christ met Martha, that
he appreciates all your work from gar
ret to cellar; and that the God Of De-
borah, and Hannah, and Abigail, and
Grandmother Lois, and Elizabeth Fry,
and Hannah More is the God Of the
housekeeper! Jesus was never mar
ried, that he might be the especial
friend and confidant of whole world
of troubled womanhood. l blunder;
Christ was married. The Bible says
that the Church is the Lambs wife,
and that makes me know that all
Christian women have a right to go
to Christ and tell him of their annoy
ances and troubles since by his oath
of conjugal fidelity he is sworn to SYM
pathiZe. George Herbert, the Christian
poet wrote two or three verses on this
subject:
THE servant by this clause
Makes drudgery divine:
Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws,
Makes this the action fine
A young woman of brilliant educa-
ton and prosperous circumstances was
called downstairs to help in the kitch-
en- in the absence of the servants. The
door-bell ringing, she went to open it
and found a gentleman friend, who
said as he came in: Il thought heard
music; was it on this piano or on this
harp" She answered: mo; l was
playing on a grid-iron, with frying-pan
accompaniment. The servants are
gone, and l am learning how to do
this work" Well done! When will
women in all circles find out that it is
honorable to do anything that ought
to be done?
low great are the responsibilities of
housel<eepersl Sometimes an indioas-