The Portland daily press., 1898-03-04
THE HOME.
NOTABLE HoUsEKEEPERs.

ever said was, eff I were asked the mis-.
sion OF the ideal woman, would reply
1t is to make the whole world home
like
1t is interesting to note how many
women, famous in widely different lines
have in one way or another expressed the
same idea. Though good housekeeping
is not ali OF home making, ii is an essen
tial foundation to one. The homely arts
of housekeeping have been learned and
practised by women who have won re-
nown in vooations which might have ex-
cused them from common tasks.
Royalty surely would not be supposed
to dabble in cookery even for amusement,
but an English exchange tells us that
Queen Victoria and her daughters have
enjoyed practising this art.
Although less than formerly, Her
Majesty still delights in cooking simple
dishes for herself and the royal compan-
ion who is always at her side. Omelets,
baked apples and other such delicacies,
are of this description. A complete mod
ell kitchen was fitted up in the early days
for the instruction Of the Queens daught-
ers, and whenever they were successful
in producing a palatable dish with their
own hands, Her Majesty would always
seek to encourage them by having the
dish served at the regular table. TO this
day the feats Of the Princess Louise as a
cook are quoted with pride by the old re-
tainers of the royal establishment.
| Wo ,lc ind cd ho
Elizabeth of Austria, the sovereign of a
court whose aristocratio prejudices are
of the strongest kind, has been proud of
her fame as pastry cook.
The popular ideal is that literary
women are, from the nature of their
work, prone to careless habits in house
keeping, but facts do not support this the
ory. George Eliot, according to her hus-
band, j. W. Cross, was proud of being
an excellent housekeeper. g Nothing
offended her more than the idea that be-
| cause woman had exceptional intellec-
tual powers therefore it was right that
she should absolve herself Or be absolved
from her ordinary hounsehold duties. -
Louisa M. Alcott always pictured the de-
tails of home life in her stories, and in
one of her letters recently published
shows how head and hand work can be
com bined: II am glad you have dis
covered how much that is lovely, as well
as useful, that word housekeeper means.
The mere providing of beds, meals, etc. I,
| is a very small part of the work. The
home-making, the comfort, the sympa-
thy. the grace and atmosphere that true
woman can provide is the noble part, and
en- braces all that is helpful for soul as
well as body. I wish our girls would see
this, and set about being the true house.
keepers. Mrs. Ripley used to rock her
baby's cradle, shell peas, or sew, and fit
a class of young men for college at the
same time. One can discuss Greek poetry
and chop meat, as 1 saw her doing once
with Mr. Emerson and Margaret Fuller
and the one task enobled the other be-
cause 1t was duty.
Miss Braddon, the English novelist, is
said to have genius for housekeeping.
She trains her own servants and can teach
something to even the accomplished pu-
pil of school of cookery.
OF her girlhood, Mary Anderson de Ma
varro writes: "We were blest with but
/ little of this worlds goods at the time,
and, my help in the household being
needed, was taught the culinary art.
In a few months I could cook an excel
|
Der sitting by the stove with basting
spoon Ito be used on turkey in one
hand, and Charles Reade's Put Yourself
| in His Place in the other. The VIM
ter's Tale Julius Caesar, and Rich
ard the Third were also read as sat by
the kitchen fire baking bread. The theo-
~ that it is impossible to do two things
at one did not appeal to me. l felt GER
| tain that no one could enjoy the poet 8
inspiration more than I, and ct the same
time turn out better loaf. Thankful
| have always been for the knowledge of
these useful arts-whioh l think every
girl should master-as they are whole
some both for mind and body"
| Madame Patti, who is reputec to be
wonderful housekeeper, takes especial
delight in linen. Her eupboards are filled
with sets of beautiful Sheets pillowcases,
towels, table cloths and napkins
! Most of Mrs. Amelia K. Bars hero
ines are thrifty housewives, so we are
not surprised at the following paragraph
from her pen OF to know that she herself
| is accomplished in home arts: "One of
the saddesb domestic features of the day
| ia the disrepute into which housekeep-
| ing has fallen, for that is q woman's first
natural duty and answers to the needs OF
her best nature. 1t is by no means
necessary that she should be Cinderella
among the ashes, or a Nausica washing
linen, or a Penelope forever at her needle,
but all women of intelligence now under
stand that good cooking is a liberal SOL
ence and that there is a most intimate
connection between food and virtue, and
food and health, and food and thought"
Every one will agree that Josiah AL
LENS Wife has summed up the matter
correctly in these words: tShe wuz q
good housekeeper and good cook, so
| felt that he would be KEEP good natured
the most of the time. For no matter how
much Romance and Sentiment may scoff
at the idee, good yittles play most i'm
portant part in the tune of married bliss
sometimes I think it plays the highest
bulge in the orkestry. "-Amerioan
| Kitchen Magazine.
MAIDEN HAIR FERNS.
Some people will not be convinced that
| it is possible to grow maiden-hair ferns
in an ordinary dwelling, says Vick's
Magazine. The other day I saw. in a
furnace heated, gas-Ighted house as pref
ty a specimen of maiden-hafr fern as any
one could wish to see. 81 grow it Just
like my other plants" the owner said,
with this exception. Then she lifted