The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-30
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TALKS
Housekeeping and Character.


Since what We live for it to build
| character. 10 maize ourselves our
real selves that is. finer and better ana
! happier So that in going out of III q
Ne are "A great Improvement upon
what We were when We came into it.
I wonder sometimes just how house
keeping helps. For it really isn't suf-
ijceut to do housekeeping Just TO keep
things clean. and to provide Whole
some food, and To make home bright
ana CHEEKY and happy. II one does
all this, goodness knows II seems
enough And these things really are
worth doing, every hit as worth while
doing as clicking typewriter adding
figures. or measuring Oft ribbon. but
they are not the end. Ii they do
not help us build character We are
only marking time.
so, as I bake aud sweep ana wash
windows, / ponder just what sort Of
person / want to be and what part
in the making OF this person house
keeping win play. For ! know / can
let housekeeping make me one sort
of person or / can use it to make
me quite another sort
For one thing, if | let ALI the little
annoyances fret and iTritate me, !
can become very prowly and disagree
do this, ! can make them help me to
acquire "A large stock of patience.
Patience + not a thing to set up as
"A home ornament IA s49&te of. stll
that is said about It, don't think
il is particularly beautiful to look
upon 1t is useful Patience comes
in very handy now and then. But
one wants 10 use il Judiciously. IL
YOU have large stock of patience.
a . t.
before others Just to show off, you
will be imposed upon. Your patience
win simply be made an easy path for
other peoples selnshness 10 travel
in. SO though it Is worth while to
acquire patience for your own use,
ii Is best to keep its possession rather
dark, and TO use 1t only in cases of
emergency. The mistress Of a home,
especially where there are obdurate
maids and small children, certainly
needs patience. if she hopes for
serenity and happiness for herself.
Therefore, 1t In wise to build the
little pinpricks of housek keeping both
erations into character in the form
OF patience.
Cheerfuness IL decidedly trait
worth building into character. How
can housekeeping help me build II
To start with, cheerrulness is largely
q physical matter. Good heal1l and
fresh air and proper food help along
cheerfulness. So my housekeeping
can forward these. A bright, pretty
home makes for cheerfulness, aud
flowers and sunlight and really artis-
tie furnishings viii all help build
into character But there
rs more needed than these purely ma
terial bricks and mortar. Cheerful
ness comes from serene faith In
the ultimate good, such a faith that
" orry and fear cannot get hold of 4
you. 50 l viii not let the big trials
and perplexites of home making
overcome me, but rather make them
yield me this faith I'm higher good.
Cheerfulness also comes from
of duty well done.
knowledge that the corners of the
home are swept clean literally and
and so ! will do my work
in this way that viii give satisfaction.
comes, too. from not
being SO absorbed In the cares of the
home that there IL no time to look
at the blue sky and to think of all
that Is beyond it. SO ] will let house
keeping build cheerfnlness into. char
acter in physical ways by n bright /
pretty home. in mental ways by
right outlook. Instead of going down |
under the work OF housekee ping and |
getting gloomy and respondent. VIII |
LET It give me serene and happy /
Housekeeping can help build self /
Does any work In the worldi