The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-12-17

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close folds at one end of the fraane It
dries quickly after using, and beyond
getting a little widowed in spots, per-
hape, keeps in excellent order. Instead
OF the expensive bath seats that ev-
erybody wants, but not everybody can
afford to buy, a 70 cent canvas covered
campsto0l to stand in the tub will an
Wer the purpose. TO prevent this or
the bather slipping, in highly polished
porcelain tubs, a piece Of the corrngat-
ed rubber that IL sold by the yard at
rubber stores may be bought and used
as a mat in the tub
Small hand towels for use in the av-
erage family are to be recommended.
Many housekeepers take great pride in,
their store of towels, each yard long
and three-quarters wide, more or less,
but this IS an imposition on the wash
erWoman unless an elaborate establish
ment is kept up. For the average FAM
lily, where one, or, at most, two girls
do the work of the household, it is OBJ
vfously unfair to increase the weekly
washing in this way. No towel should
be used by any one more than once,
certainly never by two persons; If the
family supply is in the shape of small
towels, perhaps twenty by twelve inches
in dimension, this rule can be enforced
without burdening the laundress un-
duly. As a rule these small towels are
apt not to be of as good quality as
housekeepers like, but any dealer will
have them made to order for any Gus
toner at a trifiing increase Of cost.
The kitchen roller towel should be
abandoned, and in its place plenty of
the small cheap towels provided. It is
good plan to have those intended for
kitchen use banded with certain color,
which will insure their always being
kept for that service. Add, too to the
equipment in the kitchen and in the
family bathroom a nail cleaner attach
ed to a chain and fastened convenient
~ near the wash bowl To care for her
nails is the last thing that occurs to
the average kitchen maid, but this hint
brought to her notice every time she
washes her hands will, after while,
be taken by even the most careless of
maids. These nail brushes and chains
can be had of dealers.
1t IS rather a humiliating fact that
In occupations which custom spe-
clally relegates to women, the greatest
successes are achieved by men, In the
highest development Of cooking and
dressmaking it is the men, not the wo-
men, who have become most proficient.
Similarly the man who has been what
may be called an official housekeeper,
who has looked after the institutions
that are conducted by the State. can
often give points to all other house
keepers. The essentials of State house
keeping are economy, system, and
principles which apply as forci-
bly, to everyday housekeeping. The
wife Of a former State housekeeper is
indebted to her husband for many
time and money-saying and health
promoting suggestions some Of which
have been borrowed for the benefit of
other housekeepers.
'tStreet-car conductors" says a pas
senger who has suffered, sought to take
a course in car-housekeeping to qualify
for their occupation. They should be
taught that the ventilation of the car is
an important duty devolving upon
them, and one that should be attended
to on each trip according to the
changes in the weather and the more
or less crowded condition of the car.
They should see, too, that each pas
senger occupies only a reasonable
amount of space and thus prevent the
uneven packing and spreading out, or
the standing Of timid passengers while
seats are covered, but not occupied, as
is now common. Not one conductor in
fifty pays any attention to these mat
tiers, and if a passenger asks to have
ventilator opened or that several per-
sons will move closer to make room,
he receives usually a surprised stare
from all sides as If he had quite over
stepped his privileges"
.
A carver likes to flourish his blade
over the steel before he begins to slice
a Joint or fowl but this flourish makes
q man who knows smile, as it is of lit
tie or no value. "A fat file, not too
fine, that may be had for 10 cents,
puts" says this expert, "a finer edge on
a carying-knife than the most expen-
sive steel sold"
It is a curious sort Of economy that
makes housekeepers buy cheap matches
and ignorance or carelessness that pre-
vents them from teaching every MEM
Der of their household how to use them
The really safe matches are
those that can be lighted only on the
box, and these should be used. Every
child should be taught that a match
must never be thrown away while
IL 30 avk
guish it: it must be held still in the
fingers and blown out. Many valuable
lives have been lost and property de-
stroyed from the careless using OF
matches. An unlighted match dropped
on the floor may be as dangerous as
loaded revolver. Matches are so COM
mon that their. danger is overlooked,
but the statistics Of every fire depart
Il 81 1n{r