Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-03-31
Clean Out.

Clean Out.
House-cleaniuR has again arrived along
with the robin, the delectahle home COM
pound of sulphur and molasses and other
harbingers Of spring, and every house
must shortly, If ii has not already, be-
come q place OF utter confusion. Signs
of internal distress are always to be noted
outside in carpets and rugs beaten on
the lawn, In a clutter of furniture on the
piazzas, 10 lace curtains drying on
ton are not lacking when the little tack
stands on its head in fiendish glee, and
kicking against the pricks is both fire.
quent and profane.
And when it comes to turning careful
ly over, shaking out and busting of the
contents of house, what mass Of stuff
the average dwelling contains Things
too good to throw away, too poor to give
away and OF no present use. What is to
be done with them There are old
clothes enough to justify the oft ex
pressed opinion OF the head of the house
that his women folks don't need to buy
another dress for 20 years; and they
dou't, IL they are only willing to appear
as though life wss one continual round OF
masquerade balls. There are missionary
barrels yawning to receive some OF this
plumber, " hieh pity for the heather does
not forbid infiicting upon them, and the
rest OF il might be exchanged with the
rag man for tin basin. or an iron spoon
that will occupy infinitely less space and
occasionally come into play.
There are pictures leaning against the
walls OF the attic and more hanging on
the walls OF the living rooms which
ought to be destroyed in the interest OF
art and paper hanging. There are Grip
pied chairs and tables that could be
worked up into good kindling; stacks OF
magazines and newspapers preserved no
body knows why and for nobody knows
what; trunks of old letters full of dead
sentiments and live microbes, and huge
amount OF other miscellany good for
nothing except to collect dirt. But no;
each piece is looked over, sighed over,
busted and put back-it may come in
handy sometime.
In chambers, parlor, sitting room, din
ing room and kitchen the same profusion
exists although the articles generally are
whole unless they happen to be ancient
china or spindle-legged furniture whose
antiquity is great enough TO lend value to
anything but cold storage products.
contract nervous prostra-
ton busting bric-a-brac that doesn't serve
q single useful purpose but only clutters
up tables and mantels until there isn't an
inch OF available space left. They spend
heir lives, or at least the biggest part Of
them, in the care Of these modern Lares
and Penates-a form Of idolatry almost as
deplorable as that of the heather who
bows down to wood and stone.
After a time, through constant accumu-
lation, house becomes so full OF such /
truck 1t is hardly possible to turn around
without knocking some article OF virtue
down TO its irreparable iniury-a catas-
trophe for which the family should be
grateful. Again embroidery
may be the form the ornamental mania I
takes and runs so violent a course that
even the dish cloth has border of yiolets
or Mexican drawn work.
II is all very pretty but crowded and
smothery and it would undoubtedly be a
relief IL a genuine old house cleaning /
should remove all these non-essentials to
he back yard and touch match to them. .
It isn't really necessary to change resi- .
dences or burn the house down to get rid .
81 old lumber and bric-a-brae or to seek .
some lodge in wilderness summers in I
order to lead the simple comfortable life.