Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-08-06

pertinent
eide" says the New York Tribune.
The writer, a woman living in small
Town in Illinois, says that she does
wish the subject could bs. treated riore
tboughtfully than with mere walls
and vituperation." Perhaps some
scornful persons may consider her
letter q wall, but it will be hard for
any unprejudiced woman, or mau
either, IN deny that she states some
eood hard truths. What she wants 20
know is, how woman Of the so-called
middle class-the classes most at
cused of race su.cide--a woman with
various home and social duties TO per
form, can take care of babies and do
the cooking in addition TO everything
else. And that is what it generally
amounts to, she says in these days,
when the flap Of the stork's wings
over a house makes the servants rest
i've and none but the most faithful
will remain after the second or third
visit Of that bird. The maiden auhts
who used to help distracted mothers
out in domestic crises are bachelor
girls now, she points out, and the
grandmothers are running orphan asy-
lums, as rule. So, the running Of
house being the problem it is, who
can blame a woman for silently max
ing up her mind that her family shall
be a small one? 81 can't help wonder
ing" writes the Illinois woman, 'if
President Roosevelt or the editor of
Golfers ever tried in the absence of
help to soothe a colicky baby with
one hand and prepare the family din
ner with the other. I have, and it is
no joke"
One Woman's Experiment.
But need the running of a house be
the problem it is? That is what a
certain New York woman asked her
self one day last year when the cook
declined to remain longer with PEG
pie. so thOughtIess as to have three
children, and she fo~esaw herself re-
lapsing into a mere household drudge.
Thousands of women" she said to
herself are blindly struggling to bear
up under conditions like these. I
think III sit down and commune with
myself as to whether they are inveit-
able or not"
Then She asked herself: What,
when / am dong the work, do I spend
most Of my time upon? Why, food, OF
course In the words of the poet:
Six hours a day a woman spends
IN food
Six mortal hours a day.
Planning what we are to have for
desert and the making the pies or the
puddings, interviewing the butcher,
preparing the roast or the steak,
watching it while it cooks, deciding
what kind of ragout to make for lunch
eon-Im lucky if l get off with six
hours. Even when I've servants |
must spend time planning the menus.
And what do we get out of these elab- |
crate meals? My husbands got indt-
gestiou and bile I've got palpitation
and a bad complexion and the chill
dren young as they are, are beginning
to complain of headaches and TO get
bad marks at school in consequence.
Is that a result to reward me for sIz-
cling several hours a day over fiend
of stove, or for paying a cook to
sizzle when l can get One?' She de-
cided that it was not, and, after some
thought and reading, she hit on So
luton Of the problem. 1t was: Raw
foods to a great extent and only sim
pie cooked dishes.
Reformed Breakfast.
When l set the first reformed
breakfast on the table," she confessed |
afterward, there was nearly a riot.
My family rose up and demanded TO !
know if we were savages, to subside |
on uucooked foods, and why not |
esChew forks and be done with it? |
But I was firm; | said: No chops this |
and at last they consented to |
sit down and eat l think that break
fast menu is worth noting, gecause |
that morning, for the first time, my |
husband got through with his work |
without feeling IS if his temples had |
a rubber around them. He was SO /
pleased that he had % tell me when he !
came home to dinner. What was the |
breakfast? 1t was oranges, a raw egg
for each person, beaten into a glass of |
milk; raw cereal with milk, uncooked !
wheat bread, dried raisins, nuts and |.
Luncheon that day con-
sisted of raw egg and milk, green sal
ad with French dressing and uncooked /
bread. For dinner we had oranges, /
raw carrots. uucOoked bread, dates, .
nuts and raisins.
OF course I varied the menu from /
day to day. and we didn't always take ]
our vegetables raw. But there is spe- /
cial virtue in raw carrots for people /
whose kidneys aren't right. And I am (
convinced that the average cook boils /
all the goodness out Of vegetables in !
most cases. Cabbage, a delicious and /
wholesome dish when plunged into .
boiling water, cooked for twenty min |
utes, then drained and served becomes |
an unappeti8inz mass when boiled |
into shreds, as most cooks think they
have to do it.
Variety of Foods.
1t is astonishing what a variety of |
ancooked foods you find when you set
your mind to it, and how it simplifes |
a woman's work and leaves her time
for her children and her friends. When |
nature has taken the trouble to pre- /
pare for us neat little packages of !
nutriment incIOsed in nutshells, and
when the hens are so coed as to lay for
rs eges all ready for eating and which |