Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-17
System and Management.

Whether she does all Of her own work
or has an assistant. the efficient house
wife finds that system and management
are the two watchwords which bring her
greatest rewards. One systematic house
wife has kitchen calendar which she
makes herself each year early in De-
cember and which she claims is invalu-
able. She prepares 1856 sheets OF fairly
heavy paper. SO that 1t does not tear cas-
lily. One-haf inch from the top of the
paper. on each side. hole Is punched;
through this c-rd is run, so that the
Immediately under the date every Mon
day has washing written; Tuesday,
ironing: Wednesday, silver and brasses
cleaned; Thursday, cleaning bedrooms
and bathrooms; Friday. cleaning living,
rooms and dining room, and Saturday,
cleaning kitchen, pantries. ice box. etc.
This plainly indicates the main outline
Of the weeks work. The rest of the
page is blank, SO that a good big space
is left for incidental happenings.
If there is to be dinner Wednesday,
for instance, it is put down, with the
number of guests invited. Then the menu
is planned and written in, and sufficient
space is left at the bottom for memoranda
of purchases that are needful. This par
ticular housewife asserts that her home
made kitchen calendar suits her better
than any she can buy, because 1t is alb
solutely Individual. Often good recipes
are jotted down, and at the end OF the
year. when 1t is time to hang up the new
calendar. these are copied of and put in
the recipe division Of the card catalogue
box.
One Of the cardinal principles Of the
efficient housewife Is to concentrate her
thought on the work Of the hour and
not waste mental energy on the innumer-
There is the story of the woman who
lamented: Here's Monday and all the
washing's got to be donel Tuesday, the
ironing!- Wednesday,. the baking. Good
ness! half the. weeks gone and not
One truly efficient little woman was
asked how she could give SO many de-
fghtful little entertainments, and do 1t,
apparently, with no trouble and such
manifest enjoyment on her own part.
She smiled wisely aid said: II always
plan ahead. but l never worry ahead"
If she is to give dinner Thursday, for
instance, the menu is prepared and the
main ordering done Tuesday. She is for
tunate In having butcher she can trust,
SO that her meats are ordered then for
delivery Thursday. Wednesday she pre-
pares the soup stock. Then she looks
over her linen, dishes and silver, and has
everything IN readiness TO set the table
the next afternoon. Early Thursday
morning she is out, completing ner or
dering. and by noon everything is ready
for the actual cooking. Directly after
luncheon the table is arranged and then
she rests for an hour or two. She has
even been known to go to a club meeting
or a bridge party, much to the amaze
ment of friends who know her plans for
the evening.
Her dinners are always successful. for
the guests are sure to find an enthusi-
astic welcome. which makes them feel
that they are really wanted, and that
there has been no trouble or fuss in
preparing for them.
A Recipe for Ham.
A recipe used in a southern family
for many years is as follows: Select
a ham weighing from seven to nine
pounds, and, soak in cold water from
twelve to twenty-four hours. The butcher
will probably be the best Judge as to the
length of time. because some hams are
made much saitier In theseuring than
others. He will: know by experience In
buying from different curers., When ready
to cook scrape.- the outside, s:scrub with
a clean brush and rinse. There must
be nothing. left upon the meat, the odor