Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-08-03
A Pretty Summer Kitchen.
BIZ Maru Annnble fanton.


We have all studied how TO make a
kitchen attractive enough to please the
iastidious taste Of The ma d-of-all- work.
There are clubs formed to study the ques-
ticn and treatises written to throw light
on the problem, and magazines have de-
partments that are filed with letters ask
ing: "What can do to make my home
pleasant enough for my seryant?"
But no one seems to be worrying very
much about the kitchen ''mother'' works
in, and, In some busy households, about
lives 10. There are no exciting discussions
as to how that kitchen can be msde beau
tiful for her, no convocation of women
puzzling their brains lest there be some
stone unturned that would make her
kitchen hours more interesting and more
artistic.
No, II "mother's" kitchen is pretty 1t is
usually because che has shaved few au-
ditional hours and made 1t so herself; but
as rule 1t isn't pretty, and IL she has
few hours, she spends them making the
parlor prettier, or embroidering pillow
shams (Which one is appalled, to hear are
coming In fashion AGAIN. or doing some
thing for somebody who ought to be do
ing for her.
And yet, II woman Is her own home
maker, Il she must do all or nearly all, of
the family workas so many clever,
Intelligent American women must do,
with all this ouble about servants,
which is never settled in clubs-then
surely she is entitled to pretty kitchen.
Not merely kitchen with good air and
sunshine; these two things are too neces-
sary to mention--tut the kitchen should
have an air of brightness, attractiveness
and Of real comfort.
First of all 1t should be made so that it
will keep clean easily, and second SO that
every possible step can be saved. And
then there should be pretty color and
flowers or fern or basket OF iuxuriant
vines. The sink and table should be so
high that there should be no unnecessary
STOPPING, and there should be high stool
so that mother can sit at her table or
ironing board
And all the tables and shelves and win
dow lodges should be covered with white
or blue and-white table oil. cloth, SO that
there's no scrubbing and securing. And
the floor should be a deep blue-and-
white linoleum, which Is not expensive
and can be wiped up in ten minutes.
And the windows should have short cur
tains of blue-and-white japanese print,
which Is also cheap and washable. Paint
the walls ivory white, or put on a blue
and-white paper and then varnish.
With kitchen in these clean, cheerful
tones and with red geranium In the
window and yard fernn. which will
grow anywhere, and needs no care but
cup OF water day, and then coy rocker
near the window and book and work
basket with the everlasting mending,
kitchen work can get to be something be-
sides utter heart drudgery.
This all sounds, | know, like work and
expense to hogin with, ard Il doeq mean a
littls Of both. But pretty inoleum does
not cost a bit more In three years than the
renewal Of ugly cheap oil cloth each year.
And Japane1e prints VIII wear years
where cheaper lawn is gone in a season.
And the savings OF time ~ hen it comes to
the weekly or DALE ell an ng OF this |
kit, hen il inc lculabip.
Old -fashioo'd hous wives dsliked put |
ting much exp-n = INTO kitchen things |
VIII CHI required lot OF ecrubbi-g a, d !
securing that soon took out III coler and |
rui d the texture. But tie very up to- |
daie 1ousrwif has learned that s1o do
Ihhrrtfe