The Washington times., 1905-12-03

FRIEND at my elbow suggests
~ Simplifying Work as a more
~ apt title Big Brother puts
in How not TO make work so
hard
Not one of the captions covers my
ground. / DO not mean 20 talk of
methods OF arranging work by wise
provision and judicious planning Nor
have I'm mind the countless ways some
women have of laying hold of every
task by the heavy end, and making work
as they go-the women who sweep the
dust toward, instead of away from them,
and drain dishes washed in lukewarm
water. streaking them so palpably thar
they must be rubbed hard with ones
napkin before any seIf-respecting
stomach can tolerate the idea of eating
from them.
Nor do l quite relish the word slight
ingH' II implies willful neglect of a
recognized obligation
Woes of Fussy Woman.
Let few homely Illustrations define
what a single phrase cannot:
am so unhappy as TO know a woman
who has her whole house. including
attic and cellar swept every week and
busted thoroughly daily. Every picture
IS taken down on Saturday morning
that the backs and cords may be wiped
of with a damp cloth wet with a disin-
fectant. She changes servants from
twelve TO twenty-four times a year She
will tell you with an air Of calm, sad
conviction, that there is not one tolera-
bly, efficient maid in America She
.-despaired long ago OF ever keeping her
house decent without doing most OF the
work with her own hands, even when
she has two grown daughters TO help
her" The daughters have been her
slaves since they could WELD broom
aud duster They are pale and thin
their eyes have a hunted look and are
followed by fixed dark crescents beneath
them. One OF them was married t~o
years ago, and sank into confirmed in
Validism after the birth of pitiful
scrap OF a baby that walled feebly for
an hour and died.
/ net the single sister not long ago
on a ferryboat, and she confided 10 me
that she is TO submit 10 crucial opera
tion in few days.
The doctors say II is too much house
work" she said. bitterly. 81 cannot
recoIlect when ] was not tired, tired
TIRED! My mother keeps the clean
est house IN town. She says dirt is dis
ease Maybe so, | know that life is
not worth living when one has TO pay
such n price for cleanliness. Nv rr,o.h=r
has bones of steel and nerves Of whale
and cannot comprehend how II happens
that she should be afflicted with deli
cate children
Fruit Cans nve:=ork Her.
Another notable nousekeeper. whc
OF canned and preserved fruits ever,
season, makes It a point OF conscienc,
TO devote one forenoon Of each week I,
examination OF her potted treasures
Each Jar Is wrapped in thick paper
and the wrapper tied on with string
-Four mortal hours Of an immortal crea
lures time are devoted weekly 10 tn
business of inspecting rne fruit. an,
washing each jar before II is rewrapped
tied up and returned 10 the shelf. He
boast that. in all the ten years durin
which she has pursued this plan sh
has not found one fermented can. ag
gravates. not justihes. her offens
against common sense and economical
laws. for II proves the needlessness O
the -ultra-vigilance.
The mistress OF a superb country hous
affects 10 lament the absolute necessit
of spending two hours of every fore
noon ali summer long in arranging /
pots and vases the flowers brought !
daily by .he gardener
But what can one dc? Servants car
not be trusted 10 DO such work. and III
assorted flowers drive me wilG''
fourth has had a bellows made 90
dislodg ging tho dust from the corners Z
stairs and rooms, and since no mai
wiz use IT faithfully, the poor slave :