The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-18

A ing l had pears peeled and weigh
 ed, the sugar weighed too. for preserves, wLen my plan first to parboil the fruit being questioned, I ran over to a neighbor lady of the old regime to borrow her memory or her cook book Of course both sustained my side of the argument-or, l would not be mentioning the pears.
 Better. however, than this, than these, than all" was the cook book she loaned me-the only one. she said, she had left in the house, granddaughters having bor- rowed her modern ones.
 l have been devoting to it all my spare time since it came into my hands. Bound in leather-how significant of the dig nity and value of household laws, or. as we now call 1t, domestic science, this is it's title
 "rhe Virginia Housewife: or Methodical Cook. By Mrs. Mary Randolph Method is the soul of management. Stereotype edition with amendments and additions. Baltimore: Published by John Pasktt 2ls Market street e36.
 The title of the book was deposited by William B. Randolph in the office of the clerk of the District court for the Dis trict of Columbia. Edm. I. Lee was the clerk who set his hand and affixed his seal"
 The spirit of the past breathes in these names-of the book, the author, her hus- band and the district clerk
 So immanent in the preface and the in- troduction is this spirit of the past, that send these in full to your column. in order that we women today may take a backward and upward look to the house. hold ways of the long ago.
 Imagine the old-time Virginia lady, her soft grey dress and her exquisite faces. her rooms so sweet, so calm, blest, while having gone her daily round, she takes her quill and writes:
 The difficulties I encountered when I first entered on housekeeping life from the want of books sufficiently clear and concise to impart knowledge to a Tyro, compelled me to study the subject, and by actual experiment to reduce every thing in the culinary line, to proper weights and measures. This method l found not only to diminish the necessary attention and labor, but to be also econ omca: for. when the ingredients em- | pioA tu Ntft gwen III Just pTOIOIllODS lnG article made was always equally good.
 The government of family bears a Lilliputian resemblance to the govern ment of nation. The contents of the treasury must be known, and great care taken to keep the expenditures from be- ing equal to the receipts. A regular sys- tenn must be introduced into each depart ment which may be modified until ma- tured. and should then pass into inviola- be law. The grand arcanum of manage ment lies in three simple rules: Let ev- erything be done at the proper time, keep everything in it's proper place, and put everything to it's proper use." If the mis- \ tress of a family will every morning ex- anime minutely the different departments of her household she must detect errors 9 in their infant state. when they can be corrected with ease: but few days growth gives them gigantic strength, and disorder with all her attendant evils is , introduced. Early rising is also essential to the good government of a family. A ; late breakfast deranges the whole busi- ness of the day. and throws a portion of 1t on the next which opens the door for confusion to enter.
 The greater part of the following re- ceipts have been written from memory, where they were impressed from long continued practice. Should they prove serviceable to the young inexperienced housekeeper 1t will add greatly to that qualification which an extensive circula- tion of the work will be likely to confer
 NJ. RANDOLPH.
 Washington, January, 1881.
 A few years later a new edition is call ed for. and then, retaining her first pre- face, she adds introduction-it is call ed by modern writers foreword-in tone somewhat deepened and mellowed, just as tender and a little more authorative:
 Introduction: Magnanimity is an art that may be acquired by every woman of good sense and toerable memory. If unfortunately, she has been bred in a family where domestic business is the work of chance, she will have many diff faculties to encounter; but a determine ed resolution to obtain this valuable knowl- edge will enable her to surmount all obstacles She must begin the day with an early breakfast, requiring each per son to be in readiness to take their seats when the mullins, buckwheat cakes, etc are placed on the table. This looks so- ciable and comfortable.
 When the family breakfast by detach- ments, the table remains a tedious time: the servants are kept from their morn ings meal and a complete Arrangement takes place in the whole business of the day No work can be done till breakfast is finished The Virginia ladies' who are proverbially good managers, employ themselves while their servants are eat ing, in washing the cups, glasses etc. arranging the cruets, the mustards, salt cellars, pickle vases and all the appar- atus for the dinner table.
 This occupies but a short time, and the lady has the satisfaction of knowing that they are in much better order than they would be if left to servants. It also relieves her from the trouble of seeing the dinner table prepared, which should be done every day with the same scrupulous regard to exact neatness and method, as if a grand company was ex-