The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-06-23
THE OLD ADAGE.
SWHAT IS WORTH DOING AT ALL IS
WORTH DOING WELL"

EAe Notion Of EconOmiZing Time BY
Sighting Work il as Foolish ~ RobbinR
Peter to Pay Paul-Lsarn to Distinguish
Tasks Which Are Duties and Those Not.
The adage that What Is worth do.
ing at all is worth doing welr' is as
well known as the truth that the pro-
verb Is oftener quoted than practised.
Life Is such whirl of duties, there
Is so much to be rushed OF in a given
space of time, that the hurried and
haTried houseworkcr does things with
what the oidfashioned country people
call "a lick and promise" This mo-
ton of economizing time by sighting
work is as foolish as to rob Peter to
pay Paul. Sooner or later-and it Is
generally sooner-Peter must be paid,
and Oftener with interest. The room
that was only half busted yesterday
will look more untidy to-day because
Of the fluff collected in the corners
and the deposit of dust on the rungs
of the chairs, and tie whole apartment
will have to be thoroughly busted. So
the time spent yesterday in fiecking
the impalpable, but perceptible, pow
der from the mantel shelf and in wip-
Ing off the polished table tops was real
ly time thrown away. This morning
the price of former mornings neg
lect must be paid.
SO with the ugly tear that was hasti-
ly mended last evening. 1t took much
less time to run together the sides of
the rent than would have been used
up in laying another piece of stuff I'M
der the hole and neatly darning down
the edges. But tie first time that a
strain comes on that weak spot-rip!
go to the thin edges, and the last end
of that tear is woi Sc than the first.
Now, protiting by experience you patch
and darn it. But who will give back
to you the precious time spent last
night in superficial work? Those min
utes are as much wasted as if you had
sat with folded h"nds while they
licked themselves away. Indeed, the
folded hands would have been bet
ter investment thar the careless stitch
es, for they would have meant bene-
fetal rest, and therefore gain, while
loss.
1t is time the American housekeeper
appreciated the great truth that time
and nerves are too precious to be
wasted in performing that which
avails naught. Suppose you do not
turn off" as much work as your
neighbor, what difference does that
make? If you have done what you
could, thoroughly and conscientiously,
you have done all that it is your duty
to do. To do we'll is better service
than to do much.
Our dear Mrs. Prestiss says-"If
you could once make up y0GT Gaind, IN
she fear Of G0d, never to undertake
more work of any sort that you can
carry on calmly, quietly, without hurry
or furry and the instant you feel your
self growing nervous and like one out
of breath would stop and take breath,
you would find this simple, common
sense rule doing for you what no pray
erS or tears could ever accomplish"
Abr some weary woman signs, "If
one could do thatl But there are SO
many MuStbe's in ray life that | have
no time to do any one of them thor
oughly."
Are they all Mustbe's? There are
hosts of things that come to us women
In the garb of essentials that are really
only Maybe's. The great thing is for
us to learn to distinguish those tasks
which are not our duties, which, as
sweet Leslie Goldthwaite learned by
experience, must he crowded out
Let them be crowded out! Never mind
what other people think you ought to
do. That is not the point.
The problem to be solved is what
God and you know you ought to do.
When you decide that, and then take
up with both hands each duty that he
assigns you. bravely and calmly and
with determination to perform II rs
unto Him, the furry and hurry will
disappear and the needed strength
will come.
Work accepted in this spirit must
of necessity be we'll done. 1t cannot
be nervously hurried out of the way,
only half performed, because of the
hundred and one other Claims Marion
Lilo ilnnd