The San Francisco call., 1910-06-19
CORRESPONDENT to whom we
owe much writes:

M99d y9 yoq be = wiling I5s 5 to qseqzs as Bsa h
sized and cabinet sized kitchen IN the
modern CITY and in The suburban house, or
would yOu prefer 70 invite q symposium
upon the subject 81 y0u deem IL Of
SUFFICIENT interest to housenlOthers in gen
Some contemplated changes in my house
seem 10 demand the reduction o. dimen-
sion Of the present kitchen. and / am
speeull laIlng as y what , ne erect OF .,S q
administration o. that branch or domestic
work
the plan az carried into effect IN the
dwelling of today? L. p Y (Chicago).
It is hard for the most advanced
thinkers to strip any subject Of the
shrouded draperies that association has
hung about It. And we have heard and
read so much OF the old-fashioned
kitchen Of cur foremothers that we
think OF it as part Of the poetry Of that
departed day. / have IN mind. as If
had seen il but yesterday. what ] de-
clared, in a sort OF romantic ecstacy,
was the ideal kitchen Of my dreams"
It was the largest room in an old
homestead nestled in the lee Of one Of
the Berkshire CAGassD hills. There were
four windows looking out upon the
mountains and valley Of that most pic
turesque OF New England landsca pes.
The walls we're painted pale, soft
yellow: the floor was OF a darker. har-
monious xhade Of the same color; the
wall at one end was lined with shelves
filed with bright pewter and copper
utensils; On the opposite wall were
other shelves upbearing a wealth of
shining tinware An oid-fashioned
dresser spread wide wings midway be-
tween the door and the cooking stove.
which had been built into the great
fireplace within quarter century. This
last was the only modern innovation
upon the plenishing Of the room since
the house was built, 200 years ago. The
sunshine lay across the floor. like a
visible benediction; vines draped the
windows; the song Of the kettle upon
the hob was the only sound that broke
the peaceful calm OF the precincts.
DIFFERENT CONDITIONS NOW
I wish 1 could add that the aspect of
the mistress of the ideal kitchen ac-
corded with the room. She was thin
and wiry; her skin was as saIlow and
seemingly as tough as parchment; her
hands were misshapen by toll and red
10 the fingertips. She wore a clean
purple calico gown. CHave you ever no.
ticed how poR1lar this most trying Of
colors is with wcmen who do their
own work"D Her hair was drawn
straight back from hollSw temples and
revealed every one Of the crows feet
that ran upward from the corners of
eyes that were duh. sunken and
TIRED beyond my powers Of descrip-
ton.
At my cry Of delight she smiled sourly:
"I guess you wouldn't think so If you
had to work in it and keep It clean. Ny
husband IS all the time telling how his
mother enjoyed her kitchen and the
good times the children had in here on
winter nights.
Il tell him she had her daughters at
home To help her, and the work was
divided among them Nowadays girls
aren't content TO stay at home and do
housework- AS soon as they leave
school they are of TO the city TO get
places IN stores or factories. or to learn
stenography, or they get situations as
teachers in the public schools. After my
nOther-in-laws daughters married, she
had help from other fafms. II was
easy TO get q girl who was a member Of
large family and wasne needed at
nome.
Shed come right into the family and
work like one Of them. eating and sit
ting with them, and taking as much in
tereSt in the work as If she had really
been one OF them. Sometimes she did
become that-by marrying one OF the
sons, and nobody said he had lowered
himself - malDug her his wife
An, hose were good old times. That
was what I was brought up to. NY
father owned the next farm to this, and
we lived In the same way until took