Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-06

must be carried and placed in q certain
receptacle and the plate washed. that the
| food left on the plates and a bit of some
| thing in one of the dishes must be scraped
| into the cats dish. that the sugar bowl
must be emptied and washed: and she sees
about it in the most expeditions way-the
way that requires the fewest steps and the
| least possible expenditure of energy. In
| trips to the pantry she carries all she
comfortably can, and on the return trips
makes point of bringing back any soiled
dishes that may be in the pantry. She has
method of packing the dirty dishes that
are on the anticipates together: saucers.
cups, silver, the Same-and when she ga r
ries them to the sink there is full load
each time Wnen .here she disposes them,
as she sets them down in a compact way.
within easy reach, and where they will be
| handiest when she comes to washing
Then she gets the crumb trav and brush
ana brushes on the table, and it is ready
for any dishes that may be brought back
| to it when washed The whole operation
has taken perhaps ten minutes.
| Priscilla has no method and everything
is done haphazard; Her eyes alight on a
dish of food, and she carries ii to the nan
try, setting it down where there happens
to be vacant space; she returns to the
table, heSitates moment as to what 10
do next, for her mind is on something
quite different, finally taking a Gun and
saucer and spoon to the sink. then she
comes back, looks the table over uncer
tainly, and takes plate with a bit of food
left on it and carrying it to the back stoop,
scrapes it into the cats dish-all the mates
| that have food on Them she carries in
the same way, one at time, to the back
| door, she takes some food to the pantry
and leaves it, then remembers that it
should have been changed to a different
| dish, and has to go again purposely to
attend to it; she makes many more trims
to the pantry than are necessary and
| never thinks of bringing anything back
so that II there are soiled dishes there she
/
| travels four times to the sink where once
would answer; the dishes are set down
| niggledy- piggledy, and occupy much un-
| necessary space, SO that when it comes to
| washing them, there will be more indie
cision and hesitation and much reaching.
| To see her work reminds one of those
dreams in which we are trying to get
ready to go somewhere and never succeed
ling.
By the time Priscilla has her dishes in
readiness for the hot water, Penelope has
| hers washed and wiped and put in their
| places, and is well advanced in the next
wants to do, and exactly how she is going
| to do it Penelope is able to do three or
four times as much work in the same time
as Priscilla, and to do it more thoroughly
and with less friction.
| Because of the difference in tempera =
ment and training, Priscilla is perhaps
| no more to be blamed for her lack of
faculty than is Penelope to be lauded for
ner eIHclency. nevertheless, if Priscilla
We're really DESTROYS of Improvement.
| there is no doubt she could become much
| more efficient than she is To be sure il
| would require an effort; it would be neces-
| sary for her to exercise her mind and her
| will. She would have to study to find best
ways of doing things and how to plan
the different kinds of work and make them
tit together, and then force herself to do
her work in these ways; she would have
| to cultivate the art OF concentrating her
mind, the faculty of looking ahead the
| habit of deciding quickly
First, last and always, she would need
| to keep herself in good condition physi-
cally, for then only would her mind be
at its best, her will the strongest-New
England Farmer.