New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-02
HOUSEKEEPING A SCIENCE.
rrJzABETH w. STEVENS NARRATEs
SOME OF HER EXPERIENCES.

sui,s Of men concerning which books arc published
puhlic discussions are held and great parties are
formed.
Tho Treasury OF the United States handles vast
sums and the recital of its figures staggers the
comprehension Of any but trained hnanciers' he.
&c utmost in receipts and expenditures would
prove only petty and an inconsideraoe item "ne"
COMPARED with the annual output OF those h''''
considered sisters OF minc-the housekeePeis Va
Amer,ca-and | am forced to confess, 10 my own
confusion that all the extravaganza ana crihliiai
waste in all the National departments from Una.
r,emorahle Fourth Of July when our sires put
their names TO the Declaration OF independence
down 10 this present day would not begin 10 eaun
IN amount the waste and extravaganza for "hich
those same sisters Of mine should be heiu respo'
BILE within the current tWelvemonth
For almost every man who is worker 'here 'N ="
woman-some woman. wife. mother. sister OF o'''S
landlady-whose hand is held open TOT iii" "
Saturday night or at the end Of the month or tie
quarter or whenever the fruits of MS to are ed','
cred and to whose care he gives up all pu' '''o
little he needs to jingle in his pouch ana Keep III.
ghosts away. This woman is the houseKeepei' "N.
upon her discretion and ability and thrilt oepe""
not only that mans creature comforts ou'' ~ :"
great extent his success In lie
MANY CLASSES OF HOUSEKEEPERS.
Having thus dignihed the name Of housekeeper by
showing that she is the principal dlsoursirs as.n
,o- tho wages of man. II in order TO CLASSIFY
the various grades OF this profession from the WIG
OF the aborer. living in a two-roofh cottaee Vi
three-room tenement, up innumeraoie Hle""
dark rickety. dirty stairs. 10 the smart "'e
woman OF affairs who manages the establishments
of a millionaire. whether she be the '''ui"i ~
of the house or n paid employe. ,
Among those who. for want OF better "oio
NAV be called the lower classes II IL general!
understood that thrifty. busy wife MAKES Vi ne,
husband thrifty and. within bounds successi u
man unless indeed he be one OF those sooo'0
naughts whom nothing can redeem.
stem higher IN the social scale although by no
,raans so long step she likes TO think IT, IS the
woman whose means are such that she Is e'ao'ou
70 employ a maid of all-work. hired girl l
believe is the accepted term In this class are u
be found the two extremes-'he pes'
and the worst. ,.
When woman attains to the dignity or employ
ting hired girl II makes or Il mars her. IL she
keeps her hand on the helm. II she continues 10 w
mart Of the work herself and 10 personally super
wise that which she does not do. the resu''s are
likely 10 be most satisfactory. II, on ING o'"ei
hand the great bulk Of the work is dumped upon
the hapless "slavey" while the mistress conhnes
her exertions to seedlings and faultnhdihs' 'hei
has the whiterobed angel OF peace left that mouse
and the sooner the fagged-out husband and neg
lected children can follow the angel '"e ~
will be their sufferings.
An establishment In which from four to six ser
wants are maintained is likely TO tax the gooo
housekeepers abilities 10 tho utmost TOT the
reason that people in that class OF life are quite as
critical In their tastes and exactng In their
needs as those more favored ones who are abe 10
maintain a complete and well-ordered equipment
OF trained domestcs. while yet the bottom OF the
household purse is much nearer TO the Top thah
is quite comfortable. Expenses must be kept down,
while appearances must be kept up. and rn'ord
will be testy (and show IT, too II his roast Is not
SO prime q cut HIS wine not so SOUND vintage
as that OF his neighbor. Sir Gorgius Midas with
whom he dined recently.
TOO LITTLE PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE.
am frequently called upon. IN my business
capacity. 10 furnish housekeepers to grand estao-
Nshments and often struck with the ao-
sence OF that practical knowledge. training ana
aptitude for controlling servants which my ap-
pcants exhibit.
T., "a not essential that a housekeeper should her
self know no 10 cook IN order TO spread COED
table nor need she be able 10 clear starch nor 10
clean silver In order to direct competent servants
IN these matters The first and greatest requisites
IN a housekeeper system and method Equipped
ter ,base and q tolerably equable temper. she Is
nrenared 20 face an army OF servants. and TO bring
order out OF chaos
BY system and method DO not mean the wretche
cut-and-drieG precision with which some house'
keepers q regret say they. with some snow OF
truth. call themselves enthusiastically make their
homes wre.ched and forbdding alike 10 their man
servant their maid-servant and to the stranger
that is within their gates.
lean recall some houses In which II has been my
hard lot 10 find myself sojourner, wherein shouo
one On much as walk through a drawing room, the
hostess could detect the fact readily and I'M
erringly as the red Indian could detect the trail
OF q settler passing through the forest DOCK
IN the side table. which for countless years hau
lain with its title up and its length northeast ny
southwest may be now heaoed hor'h-"oi ''ea'' ~
south southwest.
The narlor-maid could never have been guilty or
such careessness. For all those countless year,
Of her colorless and wretched existence each morn
ing she has carefully lifted and busted that SINE
booL and replaced II in automatically the 81 .
osi,,on Evidently strangers vandals. perhai
have been about And there's that sofa cushion
nearly two inches out Of place mary! Mary
DO come and put this room into some sort OF order
again"
Such housekeepers as that should be reegated 70
,ha sanoe bourne as the self-martyred fagellants
and the wearers Of horsehair shirts. Perhaps
they may derive morbid enjoyment from
,be,r miseries but they render unhappy all with
whom they come in contact
DROP IDEAS OF EQUALITY"
FINALLY. 10 such OF my sisters as may think OF
taking up the profession OF housekeeping LOT inc
,rorev there is in it, would say. that TO succeed
,bev must first of all be fitted for the task either
nv nature or by a long and hard tussle win 'he
Stern eaties OF life. which Will divest thcfn OF an
those romantic ideas OF the maintenance oi 'he'I
ovn starched and frilled notions OF dignity and
equality. $3.50. - 49,,
when q woman be she If gentle birth or other
wise takes a position the manager OF house
hold she may or she not =. better than her
emuIovers in her own estimation. but the less
thought she devotes such sub.s's the better TOT
herself and her household.
The young man who succeeds IN oo'aii''hs I"
position In some great mercantile or banking
Sousa rarely notices. much less complains. II by
chance it happens that his employer is at times
brusoue. cross even unreasonable he hafd'y
thinks OF throwing up his Job because the poriel
Is npudent or the chief clerk scolds MIN oeyoi'u