The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-05-25
Copyright by J. b. Bowlcs.)

gNiiss Mary E. wilkins, now Mrs.
Charles Freeman. is so much better
tinown as a talented writer OF fctlon
than as a housewife that many readers
Knows about the art of making home
uamelike. Among her many populdr
books may he mentioned "Pcnbroke'.,
"a Humble Romance Giles Corey.
~Jcyome." The Jamcsons" and Tho
EertioR OF Labor
The conditions of the problem are
vsry simple, the solution, of course, not
so simple; solutions never are. other
wise no problem. Still, the solution,
<,r 4 solution. may seem evident
enough, and all the trouble consist IN
the extreme inconvenience, not to say
survossibility, of putting it TO a prac-
9fcaI application. 1t is perfectly easy
I'll say that two and two make Iout'
fully 70 understand that w and TWO
make four. but there may be conditions
gfuder which it is we'll nigh Impossible
IN make the four. Perhaps the factors
vviN not combine at all or not without
IN explosion.
Often with the servant problem 1t
,ruay be quite evident what he dltflcul-
" is, at least generally speaking A
t~houghtful and discriminating woman
esno has tried housekeeping herself, or
made an intelligent study of its re-
.nnfrements. soon reached the conclu-
sion that the simplest and most print
tive household tasks require brains ana
so small allowance Of them. In real
Tty she discovers that brains are more
necessary in the kitchen than physical
strength.
a stupid servant cannot even sweep
u room skillfully. She will inevitably
.x.atter the dust and lint that comes as
suvsteriously as the wind in the new
testament and as defantly. where II
2istath. all over the furniture and
psils. instead of into the vague Out-of-
,r4coc limbo of dust, whence 1t prob
ably returns, but that cannot be
helped; it makes the task OF servltude
z,erennia!. 1t is essential at all events
that it be banished thither, but no I'M
skilled. b~rainless servant can erect
that.
You can teach her to the best OF
vour ability. You can say: NOW,
Abigail. YOU must take this and cover
that. YOU must dust first; you must
sweep so and So" 1t will all be fruit
less unless Abigail has a receptive and
,snteligent order of mind, snd usually
she will not have ii. II sne does pos
.a;s that order Of mind she will be at
= Typewriter machine or a sewing ma
chine, or in a schoolroom or a mil
liners or photographers parlor, IN
stead of your kitchen. She may be
nrjnked and pert behind a counter. III
my case, wherever else they may be,
she brains are not in your kitchen, I'M
4ess YOU have fortunately struck the
execution to prove the rule. II Abigail
had Dossessed brains she would at
once have proceeded to attempt some
thing which she could not do half as
well as she might have done your
!nousework and, if she had only sc
viewed it, without half the glory.
I "
A good domestic is sue a rara avs
fhat she ought to have a prestige like
zny other rare thing, but she has II
mot. and n cannot blame her, but So
.ciety, for her wrong estimate or the
.desirability of domestic service. NO
body, that is, nobody in this country
and especially the American born, Il
Re a rule going into your kitchen &c
work If she has mental ability. The
mental ability p%resupposes ambition
end the ambition in this country
ryneans to an Abigail a position II
(which the doors of a certain class shall
1000 - lnr nn 0nnOyInf OT hQl
calling.
Everybody with wit has an cmula'
Give eye and a ready foot for the mex
astep above him in social caste. AS {
ruIe all others have either been crushed
gby circumstances into ~pass1yeness o.
they are really too dull to comprehend
that they are not all which they Nigh
reasonably desire and have not thu
most desirable position. They are tot
stupid to be ambitious and stay wher'
xkeir conditions of life happen TO tos'
them. like leaves too inert to be stirred
by any gust of wind, with neither mo
ton Of their own nor capability of re
ceiying motion from others.
These are they to whom you pay $12
Sl4 or more a month for walking tn
ssimless, hopeless treadmill of you
Kitchen, to do labor without compre
snending either its object or itself, lik
ssbs crudest, rudest machine conceiv
able. We have advanced immeasur
ably in our inventions, our printing
soresses. our typewriters. all our labor
saving and perfecting machines, bu
che servant still dates back to the day
of the handloom and the spindle.
OF course | do not speak Of traine
ycnglish and French servant or Amer
tscan servants with a like training o
of those employed in situations wher
xxeaith can command a goodly allow
,auce of ability in this as in other di
rxccfions. Wealth can do almost any
&Sxing.
L speak of the usual servant a
casual wages in the families c
m,ode-ate means who have the sever