The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-22
Ut Confessions
IL go .y1llz76
KS OH17alsekeeper
BY Barbara BQyo
HEaRT
n0 I
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Angelic View of Housekeeping.

The Angelic View of Housekeeping.
There 10 picture in the Louvre"
said my neighbor. who has travelled.
that / used to think most beautiful.
have sat for hours before 1t, medi-
tating upon its inspiring symbolism.
But / must confess that now | think
1t is a hollow mockery
What is II? 2" / asked. Ny neigh
Dor before her marriage conducted
parties abroad. She is a well edu-
Gated, clever woman. She married o
man of exceedingly modest means,
and the two are living in a little two
story house of the suburb. She knows
nothing of housekeeping, and she is
often bit disconnected with her pres
ent life and its work. She feels some
thing Is out of joint, but she does eot
know how 10 slip ii back into the
socket. SO that life will move harmon
iously.
The picture shows the interior OF
q large Kitchen" continued my neigh
Dor. with angels doing the work. one
angel Is washing dishes, another cook
ing, another sweeping, and so on. /
used to glory in the symbolism of that,
and 1 have described it enthusiast
cally to all my friends. But I'd lay
a dollar now that those angels hadn' I
been on the Job more than a day. III
they had, their expressions would be
vastly different. and their wings not
near so perky" she concluded cyni-
cally.
But l think there is a beautiful
symbolism in the picture. It's the
spirit In which work il done that
really Is the whole of work"
Cooking Is cooking" said my
neighbor gioomily. spirit or no spirit.
And / don't think the most angelic
spirit in the world can make dish
washing anything but an unpieasing
procession OF soiled dishes and nasty
water. / detest the feel Of dish
water
II think those angels, said I, medl-
tatively. looked upon this work as
part Of the worlds work. and work is
work. whatever kind it is. But /
think they did 1t well, so as to have
the satisfaction that goes with work
we'll done / think they knew how to
do IL. so that they did il most effi-
eiently and with CELEBRITY. And / think
they changed their robes and smooth
ed down their wings In the afternoon
and played on their harps a bit or
strolled about the golden streets and
viewed the scenery or had nice dis
eussions with Peter. or John. or Oar
win. or Columbus, or some Of the
rest of them. / don't believe you
have an introduction up there to get
acquainted, and so you can meet some
pretty nice people.
: "Houseke eping. 1t seems to me" I
went on. dropping the angels from
the discussion, ought To he a part
of the daily life. but only part. mind
You; not all. There ought to he
some time for pleasure; some time
for mental growth. II woman is
going to keep her mind down To pots
and pans and stewfng and baking.
then | don't believe housekeeping is
a good thing. If a woman can ex-
press herself usefully and happily in
1t, If she can do IL in the spirit that
realizes II is worth doing. but that 1t
should not be all then I think IL is
all right TO do it, il circumstances
put her into the environment where
housekeeping seems TO be the work
10 her hand. But if woman is go
Ing ia be eternatiy discontinued In the
doing OF IL. and never rises above
II when she is capable of doing SO.
then ] do not think il is well for her.
But do not see why one cannot in
vest herself with the spirit OF the
angels, give housekeeping It's proper