Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-03-01

just as any sane business man does.
L remember one home that in my early
childhood reminded me of a picture 1
once saw of pandemonium 1 happened
there at house-cleaning time. Every
thing was in the front or side yard,
even the big rose bushes had things
hanging on them, and the floors were a
sea of suds. Walls were brushed, win
dows washed, floors secured with a
vim that was exhausting to body and
mind.
1 remember that dinner was eaten on
the back porch and what might have
been a joyous picnic was merely ces-
sation of labor to appease hunger. The
man of the house was one of the best
on earth, or he would have been as
cross as a bear He had to hang his
hat on the fence, there wasn't a place
in the house for ii, and the chairs had
no knobs. Mrs. Busy, we will call her,
marshaled her forces at sunrise, break
fast was eaten early at all
times, and by nightfall every
brushed, windows polished, fireplaces
fixed so that nothing short of snow
would tempt her to let a fire be made.
That night things were pretty uncom-
Portable, for the next day the furniture
was polished and that sort OF thing
done. There were servants enough en-
ployed to make quite an expense ac-
count and 1 used to think Mrs. Busy
was the cleanest housekeeper L knew,
but 1 didn't want to live there.
In after years 1 learned to see the
other side of the shield, L found her
children getting away from home when
they should have been helping her, and
not showing as much sympathy for her
ailments as l thought they might have
shown. Now the daughters are in
homes Of their own and the wheels of
their household machinery move noise
lessly. There is such a systematic
housekeeping going on that nobody is
disturbed. There are so many appL-
ances for Tightening labor that nobody
has any right to make home "a place to
stay away FROM" as one little boy put
it. ..I
L know that there are many homes
that are not paid for, many young cou-
pies still struggling with the problem
of high prices and no advance in salary,
but if one keeps ones mind on the fact
that the improvements in homes means
more time for other things and less
money paid out eventually, a sacrifice
would be made to get the improvements
Several times j have written up the
good that denatured alcohol has done
body, / am not prepared to say who,
keeps the price up 1t seems to me
that while trusts are being investigated
this one might get a little attention
All the good grain that is going into
moonshine whisky might help the maker
and the buyer if put into denatured al
cohol to sell for 80 cents a gallon 1t
would be cheaper and safer than kero-
sene oil at 10 cents gallon That
sounds extravagant, but I've timed both
and the alcohol comes out ahead on
heat and cleanliness.
There are washing machines, fireless
cookers, vacuum cleaners, dustless
brooms and all sorts of things that eight
out of ten housewives will not even try.
heard a woman sheer at a certain
magazines account of dinner prepar-
ed entirely in a fireless cooker.
'Such things are very well on paper,
but when it comes to facts that mag
azine is away off," was her comment. I
knew perfectly that every word was
true, for Jacksonville has had some ex-
cellent demonstrations this winter, but l
have learned not to try to convince some
people-life is too short and ones vitality
too valuable.
1 thoroughly agree with Good House
keeping that an institute to try the
new things would be valuable, the man
ufacturers would save money and many
a housewife, the sort that buys every
thing that comes to the door, would be
saved her money and her confidence in
human nature.
There have been some wonderful i'm
provements In household appliances in
the last three years. The freless cookers
are now put in some or the new apart
ment houses just as the gas stove and
81 - Al
house. How many people now make their
bread in the old-fashioned way? Good
bread mixers are in demand more and
more, self-basting roasters are more also
in demand, and the paper bags will soon
be in every home.
] do wish that more ladies would be
seekers after the sort of information
that will tighten their drudgery and give
them time 10 be sweeter tempered. more
time to be chums with their children
and good comrades with their husbands.
How many women who read this will
go to the next demonstration held in
their town? There is bound to be some-
thing else at that hour but the time has
come, in this crowded life, when one
must weigh the things that demand ones
time and select the best L heard a
young matTon say she wanted to attend
"A demonstration of the paper bags but
her society met the same afternoon and
she had to miss it. I asked her how
many times the society met in a year
and she said u. I then asked her when
she would have another chance to test
the bags. Of course she could not tell
me, and / said 1 thought she might have
missed the society once.
Far be it from me to discourage any
woman who attends her church society,
but she that LOOKS we'll to the ways of
her household is also to be encourage
ed.
Nor would 7 encourage any one to be
an "easy mark for agents. When a
new thing comes along see if it is easily
cleaned, how much wear and tear it will
stand and if it is something that you can
adapt 10 your work. AS summer is COM
ing on I would choose an oil stove in
preference to most anything, after that
a fireless cooker and paper bags. You
can put your oil stove on the piazza and
do your ironing, if you haven't a gaso-
line iron, put up your fruit and actually