Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-06-09
RYKATE uPsoN CLARK.

plexities of life!" sighed the Mother of
Girls to the Mother of Boys. IF you
had three young lady daughters, as
have, you would find that the Simple
life,' is an idle dream Girls have to
have so many 'thingsr Girls are so
critical! Girls have to do so much en-
tertaining! Girls must not be talked
about They cannot go about alone. l
long to simplify their lives and my own.
but society demands so much from girls
and their mothers!"
This is unfortunately true. Nobody
can realize how true until he has lived
right in the inner circle and seen just
what the requirements of the position
are.
How can the simplifying be done?
There are three chief things which
an average housemother has to attend
to. She must see that the actual daily
work of the family is done. She must
see that expenses are kept within GER
tain limit; and she must make her mind
into an animated memorandum book on
which she carries not only these two
prime departments, but also the health,
the intellectual welfare and the moral
condition of her family, to say nothing
of their clothing and their social ell
gagements and standing.
The oversight and ordering of the
table are the first duty. The family
must be fed before much can be done
to elevate or purify it. In households
where professional cook is kept, there
is small hope of simplifying the cuisine.
The professional cook generally insists
upon cooking more courses of more
elaborate things than are wanted, in or
der to show his skill. One high-priced
chef left good place because the family
liked plain living every day. He thor
oughly despised them, and told outsiders
that they were low"
But in the ordinary home in which two
servants or one or no servant may be
kept. little hard daily thought upon
menu which shall be nourishing and
toothsome. and yet require little work.
would pay in every way.
On this point our excellent friends of
the ''uncooked food" cult can help us
greatly. Nuts used to be considered, in
Now the "uncooked foodists" have
demonstrated that one or two dozen
nuts, judiciously dipped in salt and
thoroughly masticated, may take the
place of a slice of roast beef, and allow
us to snap our fingers at the beef trust;
that a salad and an apple are more
wholesome and really more savory than
pie eandcake; and that raisins and prunes.
with grains of wheat or rye, well masti-
Gated, make fine breakfast. They al
low coarse breads. and some of them, as
a great concession, will let you soft-boil
your egg. instead of swallowing it raw.
You may drink milk or koumiss. But
| they have fully demonstrated that not
only may life be supported on their easy
diet, but many diseases may be cured by
it. and that the normal development of
| the body. from too much adipose tissue
or too great leanness, may be promoted
by it.
| Without going to the length of full
fledged follower of this harmless ism,
the wise housemother may borrow many
simplifying" ideas from it. Elaborate
cooking consumes an enormous amount
of time and strength uselessly. and even
hurtfully. Girls often imagine that the
elegance" of a household is enhanced
by it. Young men, much as they enjoy
good things to eat, are not half the
sticklers for style" that their sisters
of the same age are. Simple cookery
plain, neat serving, few dishes, ample
in quantity. good in quality-these are
all that most men will require. Many
women, especially young and socially
ambitious women, insist on much more
than this, and hence arises one impor
tant element in the complexity of mod
life.