The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-13
FOR FEMININE READERS
GERMAN HOUSEWIFE HAS LITTLE
TIME TO CALL HER VERY OWN.
Dressmakers Busy Preparing for Holt
day Festivities-TO Choose COiors
For the Kitchen.

She had Just returned from abroad, says
the New York Times. and was getting COM
fortaby settled in her home when she said:
I'll tell you one thing l saw there that
interested me immensely. It's the way
they keep house in Germany. Those poor
German housewives! 1 wouldn't run things
the way they do if my life depended on it.
They keep house too well. You wouldn't
believe all they submit to. l have never
ceased wondering why they Will continue
year after year a system that's so full of
drudgery.
THE mistress and the maids do work
enough to move mountains Instead of re-
ducing the daily mechanical grind to a
minimum, as we do, they are always look
ing for a--chance to do a little more. TO
make the home little more complete, even
down to the smallest details.
THE eating hours seem arranged on pur-
pose to spoil womans forenoon, her after
noon and her evening. There many
meals and they come at such awkward
hours that they keep the kitchen constant
ly in a turmoil and the servants always
busy.
THE first meal is simple enough; just
coffee, rolls and butter. If the family is
alone they eat this meal together in the
dining room. But if it is a more preten-
tiOus household and there are guests the
coffee is served in each persons ROOM
Just think of the trotting back and forth
that that makes
THE second meal comes about II o'clock
and is more substantial They call it the
second breakfast although the first meal
is never called me first breakfast. They
Nnsat
fast
''Then about or 23O D. m. comes din
ner. Every one makes it important af-
fair. the event of the day. They will make
any sacrifices to arrive promptly and TO
remain the full time Even the men do
this, and when / saw those German men
of business coming home for two hours in
the middle OF the day II made me think OF
our men and how they give business first
place even If they have to postpone their
meals or snatch bite to eat between deals.
Their dinner is a heavy meal. A Ger
man housekeeper would be shocked at the
idea of stinting the serving at any meal,
and least of all at dinner. A German cook
scorns the French art of making dainty
dishes out of nothing. There must be an
abundance of real nourshment, and every
dish must be prepared with greatest care.
Eating is not, however, the whole of
the German dinner, important as that fea-
tare of it undoubtedly is. 1t is the great
gathering OF the day, and the family makes
the most of ii. Ii is the time for discuss
ing family interests and for hearing news
of relatives and friends.
They talk more than we do at dinner,
and l really believe their dinner hour has
more cheerfulness and lively good humor
in it than ours.
'They linger around the table. and it
isn't long then from the time they rise
from the dinner table until afternoon cof-
fee at about 4. This is scarcely a meal
just cup of coffee and some kind of cake.
Afternoon coffee is more for the women
than the men. although you often find mid
dle-aged and elderly men making a break
in the afternoons business affairs TO drink
a cup of coffee and chat for half an hour
THE final meal of the day comes at
about o'clock, and such an hour for a
meal strikes as stupidity. 1t comes
just at the right time spoil the evening.
Now at what hour of the day is Ger
man housekeeper free from kitchen cares?
What do you imagine our servants would
say to such arrangements?
But Ii Is all a labor of love TO the Ger
man housewife. There isn't a stroke i'm
all her days work that is done grudgingly
The completeness and order of her house
holds are her pride. and she would think
our simple household arrangements were
nothing but proofs OF laziness and general
untitnesS for a wOmans real duties No
amount of the time for other things that
we think so much of would tempt her to
leave out the slightest of her unceasing
ministratiOns to the comfort of her fam