The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-14
Household Service Simplifed by
One Experimental HousekeePer
Made Less Work end Brought Dignity and
Repose to the Rooms

@7HERE was once a h~ousekeeper who
had managed TO keep the family
~ comfortable and the house reas-
izISGN onabIy clean with the aid of two
- good girls" This and the care
Of the children kept her busy. very busy.
But the time came when she, as others of
her kind. had to care for the same house
and the same family with the help of one
servant only. They could not eat less, and
she was not willing TO do without the
dainty cleanliness which had distinguished
the home. Her already busy hands could
assume only an nconsiderable part of the
added work. But the way must be found.
In the course Of time she evolved the fol-
lowing principle:
81 can manage only through saving work
in many small ways. 1 must carefully con-
slider every housekeeping process. and be
far more economical Of steps than L have
been even Of money!"
In pursuance Of this plan she began an
Inspection OF the kitchen, and by rational
means and a very small money outlay
saved eighteen or twenty hours a week,
getting exactly the same results produced
by the more wasteful methods. This was
done through the mere rearrangement OF
the fittings Of this room and the purchase
OF labor-saving devices.
While she was doing this she was also
thinking how best to effect a saving or
labor in other parts Of the house. ms
seemed less easy. There was less oppor-
tunity for radical changes Furthermore,
IL took more courage TO carry out the ideas
which were forcing themselves upon her.
sql lno 6ITB2 OF 1uBM lou PIP AyIseI gus
only plan which presented itself to her,
because the sacrifice at first seemed TOO
great.
Someone has said that English homes
ara nrfpefno1v noted hnc9nSo thew hava
TOO much OF everything in them. There
Is too much material In the heavy draper
much padding under the upholstering. 1t
was an analogue fact which forced itself
upon our housekeeper. In her home. as in
much" but too many" We have too
many sets Of curtains at our windows:
too many ornaments on our mantels and
bookshelves; too many useless tables; too
many lamps thereon, which may be pretty,
but cannot be lighted, or being lighted, do
not ~illuminate; too many small and mar
tistic pictures on the walls.
SHE THOUGHT 1T OUT.
Late one afternoon the h~ousekeeper went
into the sitting room and sat down alone
TO think. The plan was maturing. She
looked at every piece of furniture, every
picture, every bit of bric-a-brac. Then
she went into the parlor and repeated the
process. and finally into the reception hall.
These three were the main rooms on the
first floor.
On the next sweeping day she had all
OF the furniture carried out of the sitting
room and. as we'll, every piece of bric-brac.
When the room had been we'll swept, aired
ana busted she began TO carry back the
furniture.
The sitting room. the heart of the house,
was a long room with a fireplace on one
side. Across one end stretched the long
set Of open bookshelves. for this room was
used as both library and sitting room.
Opening into IL were the small. square
parlor in which were received formal call
ers, and the larger reception hall, which
was used as a sitting room in summer, be-
cause of the ample north and east windows
which gave unusual ventilation and just
the quality of light most pleasing in hot
weather.
The housekeeper first had carried back
TO the sitting room the Davenport and the
great sleeDy-hollow chair, the most used
pieces OF furniture. The great round table,
the desk and desk chair were next brought
Ia, and all so placed that they looked well
I'm their relation to each other and to the
wall spaces and doors and windows. There
Is much in placing furniture we'll.
The housekeeper next brought in three
chairs, selecting the most comfortable and
most artistic Of those in reserve. In the
the Davenport and five chairs-enough
seats TO accommodate the family and two
guests-which were strictly necessary TO
the ordinary occupants of the room, neither
more nor less.
Here the housekeeper began to apply the
rule which she felt was henceforth to reg
ulate the arrangement of her home that
every article, large or small, should have
either distinct utility or distinct art value;
and Of the latter. only so many as would
truly add TO the beauty Of a room with
out inartistic crowding. This would elm
mate all ugly or meaningless
and their consequent care.
THE SUPERFLUOUS THINGS.
AS the housekeeper looked at the amount
she had not carried back into the room,
she realized the problem before her. Here
were seven sofa pillows-one made by Aunt,