Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-24
REWARDS OF HOUSEHOLD WORK.
Healthful Exercise for Women. and II Should
Be a Source Of Pride to the Housekeeper.

The family as the unit and founda-
ton of stability in the state makes the
home and its opportunity for the train
ing and education of the citizen the
social institution of greatest import
ance. And the home, like the state.
can only be helpful institution when
there is good housekeeping.
The fondest associations the most
precious memories, the sweetest senti-
ments. the purest earthly ties are con-
nected with home and family life. But
underlying all that is built in the mind
and heart life of the home is the
prosaic actually of the domicile.
Home life in its utmost reality is heart
life. But the dwelling place and it's ar
rangement and ordering are either an
environment contributing to the poetry
of existence. and to character and
comfort, or a distraction and impedi-
ment to growth and happiness. Love
of the home as center of the whole
soonest spiritual activities, and the
idealism and aspiration of the artist
are the forces of mind and heart
needed as the inspiration of housework
Its SO monotOnous," is often COM
planned, getting three meals a day and
washing the dishes over and over
again. 1t is immense variety COM
pared with many occupations. Look
for instance, at the daughter in the
factory who is churning up and down
the appliance for examining the cut to-
baccO into it's receptacle. For ten
hours daily. standing in one position.
| she repeats over and over the same
motions. She stands, perhaps, in a
stuffy room, and poorly lighted, prob
ably, as her occupation does not make
well-lighted apartment necessary for
its correct performance. That the
worker needs the blessed tonic of light
quite as strenuously as vegetation
does, is no economic consideration of
! the business management.
This woman as a worker is but an
adjunct to the machine. She would be
a being of unusual endowment to be
able to exercise any mental activity
Unless she is blest with unusual buoy
ancy of spirit and a cheerful tempera-
ment her occupation and environment
must have very depressing influence
upon her. Unless she is as duh and
unaspiring as a cfod she must need
the heroism of martyr to be resigned
to the life which is merely on the level
of the machinery that she manlpulates.
On the contrary, even the generally
irksome dishwashing is not void of
features that appeal to the artistic
quality, especially if dishes and table
appointments are pretty and dainty
And while the set of movements are
more monotonous than in some other
branches of Homework there is no pro-
longed continuance of them in the
private household.
The process of making clean in am
manner is one that satisfies a keen
moral sense and tends to strengthen
the moral nature. To be clean all
through is a noble aspiration. \ ha,i'
of making things clean in the houss
tends to wholesome habit of though,
and taste. Good housekeeping pro-
notes good character.
And the bread winning mother who
for years tTeads the sewing machine |;
hours a day. stopping only to prepar.
the garments for the machiae--whst /;
limitation to the normal. healthfui
bodily activities! Even q pleasan
home environment and plenty OF high
cannot make this ino.otouv pl .asan
or wholesome. IKE rloao,opy q
housework is refreshing variety com
pared to that of the sewing wornai,
either With the needle or the ,nacs.int,
There is nothing in housewnr.s exact
ingness equal 10 me c-ose and monoto