The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-04
WOMAN'S WORLD

/ umn of figures. the proprietor doesn't
/ rush in with a few suggestions, or take
| a hand just long enough TO knock the
4 other fellows system silly. On the
] contrary he knows it would simply
/ put the clerk out. But that is the
I helpful device we use towards our
! servants. We never let them plan any
thing out, or do it in their own way.
or have a chance to use any mind and
judgment if they happen to have any.
There is no reason a servant shouldn't
be treated as nationally as any other
employe. 1t is but right the mistress
should require that certain work should
be done by a certain time. but. after
that why not leave them free to do
it in their own way? Every one who
has ever tried it knows that the most
aggravating and nerve rasping thing
in the world is to have some one stand
over you while you work, with a con-
tinual flow of suggestions. Put a
pinch more spice in" Don't use quite
so much sugar, Roll the crust lit
tie thinner" 1t is enough to drive
one crazy, and there is no wonder
too many cooks spoil so much good
broth. If the mistress would attend
to her business a little more in the
house, and let the cook run hers a lit
tie more in the kitchen, we shouldn't
have to get up so many mornings and
cook breakfast because a servant lady
had taken herself and her outraged
feelings to some other woman with
other ways"
One of the saddest effects of our not
attending to our own business is the
perennial family row. We speak of it
as lack of sympathy, of unfilial con-
duct, we give this and that high flown
reason, but the plain truth of the mat
ter is that at the bottom of nearly
every one of the family quarrels that
are so pathetic and so cruel in their
arrangements, is some woman who
wouldn't mind her own business. A
man marries, and the woman he brings
into his family has been reared differ
emily, and has different ideas about
cooking, or politics, or religion, from
the women of his own family. 1t
might be thought that the world was
big eiough and wide enough for them
all to find occupation and amusement
without attempting to interfere with
each other. But not so. First thing
anybody knows, his mother or sisters
begin to try to regulate his wife's ia
bic or wardrobe, or manage her chill
dren for her Or perhaps she starts
out on a missionary campaign to try
to educate her husbands people up to
her blue china standard Anyway
trouble begins right there, and peace
packs its grip and departs on the
lightning express for parts unknown.
Every living woman has seen this
thing happen over and over again, but
no woman has learned anything from
it,
Just think of giving up a brothers
love, of being separated from
him by barrier more cruel
than death, of having a sons
door opened to you only on
suffrance, and to know that you are
the most unwelcome guest that ever
crosses the Threshold Isn't it a pretty
high price to pay for the doubtful priv
llege of trying to run another woman's
business? And isn't it strange that
women won't be warned, and remem-
Der that hands off" is the motto on
every woman's door, and that one de-
fies it at her peril.
or course, we shall have no more
gossip when we learn to attend to our
own business. We shall be occupied
In paying our own bills, instead of
wondering how other people can pay
theirs. If Mr.. Clubman is out of
nights, we shant spend the time in
plying his poor wife, and specializing
II ner cooking or temper drove him to
drink. We shall merely presume the
clubman knew his own business and.
at any rate, it isn't any Of our affair.
we shall be able to come and go as
we please, without taking the neigh
borhood into our confidence, or offer
ing explanation or apology, for SO long
as we infringe on nobody elses rights.
no one Will trouble themselves about
our movements And what a peace
ful, easy restful time we shall have.
If only we can learn to mind our own
business and let other peoples alone.
Dorothy Dix,