The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-02-14
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
IN ever Kill Yourse1f to Keep Your
Se1f!''

| read few hints in newspaper
the other day that struck smy mind as
sound delivcrancc Of good common
sense. Some energetic house mother
was rcbuked for running out Of doors
with sleeves rolled up, head bare, no
extra wrap on shoulders, to look after
some triAing domestic matter when
oyerhcated from stove or ironing
room on cold winter day. She was
told that every housewife and mother
should feel that she is Of too much
consequence to her family to be laid
up for day, and such needless ex-
posurcs always caused more or less of
suffering.
Such imprudcncc has been known
to kill, while general housework rare
ly does it. 1t is, perhaps, clumsy
old adagc that runs this way: "Never
kill yourself to keep. yourself!'' but
there is wisdom in the homely
thought. There is no selfishness in
taking reasonable care Of your own
health and comfort and in making for
self as many helps in your daily du-
ties as your means will permit. If
you make slave Of yourself be sure
you will have no difficulty in finding a
boss to drive and selfish people
enough to allow you to make martyr
of yourself after this fashion.
l have no wish to decry heroism-
that sort Of unselfsh zeal which steps
in to make crooked paths plain in
debt and disaster and to help along
the unfortunate and the suffering
out of unforeseen difficulties; but the
longer J. live the better 1 am satisfied
that you can take care of yourself and
at the same time do your proper share
of domestic work without making
pack horse of your frame, or attempt
ing to do everything that "every-
body else concludes not to do about
the house"
Women as rule arc careless as to
their feet. Thin shoes on cold floors
and on cold, frozen back yards simply
invite disease and create colds and in
fuenzas. When we do rough work we
must wear stout shoes, or at least gum
overshoes. The mortality and fire.
quent cases of consumption among
colored women since the war grows out
of thin, sorry shoes and insufficient
clothing. In slavery times sthey were
provided with thick soled coarse shoes
and consumption was scarcely known
among negroes. Every woman who is
exposed to cold in doing house work,
milking and such other duties as fall
to her share should be provided with
pair Of stout, heavy shoes, which
could be changed nnd Lighter onea pnt
on after the heavy work OF the day is
over. Suppose that extra pair costs
some money, what of it? Take care Of
yourself. have seen a nursing
mother with little ones dangling at
her heels, going about on cold days
with half worn thin shoes, when I
knew it would give her cold, per-
haps gathered breast, and make her
and the baby ILL.,, without almost q
miracle for her escape from spell of
sickness. There is no earthly use in
thus killing yourself.
1 have heard people say you must go
around without taking care to make
yourself tough, SO you can stand shsse
hardships. Some few may be tough
ened and live out their three score and
ten years, but nine -tcnths will land in
the bed, sooner or later with doctor
to come and maybe the un6 ,ker.
Motherhood means great deal more
than what to eat and wherewith to be
clothed.
1 have seen feeble women, whose
state Of health actually should have
forbidden the use Of heavy sewing
machine; yet they would fatigue them
selves almost to exhaustion with hur-
ried horsework 20 get to that machine
to hem rufiles, stitch and befrill clothes
for children without single thought
as to what suffering it would entail on
their own feeble frames. cob! but
my children must look as nice as other
people a children when they go to
school and on Sundays" Yes, and
your children can don as some other
silly mothers children have done; go
sobbing after your coffin to.the ceme-
terry and then go to the bad afterward
because there was nobody they loved
well enough to obey and keep out Of