The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-10

1.-TWO stories that are current and oft
 quoted in my own household may be of interest and profit to a larger circle.
 One tells of a housekeeper who was thrown into a state of great perturba- ton by the announcement that party of visitors whom she was expecting just in time for dinner would reach the house earlier than she had looked for them. friend whofhappened to call was SO moved by the worry manifest that she insisted upon staying to help prepare for the un- timely arrivals.
 What can dor she asked. Cant I put the guest room to rights?" and at the negative gesture that greeted this offer, "Or perhaps you would like to have me lay out the table linen or do something about preparing the vegetables for dinner or anything else of the sort.'' One suggestion after another was met by the announcement that this particular task had already been performed, until finally the cause of all the anxiety was brought down to the concrete fact that there was mustard to mix for the roast beef that was to be served at dinner.
 The other tale is so much like this that it is not worth while to go into details. In he second case the excited and fussy housekeeper had butter balls to make. This one small duty was the only bit of work that remained unaccom- plished.
 Perhaps these stories sound like jokes. but they have a great deal of most seri- ous truth about them. Cast your minds back over your experiences and see if you have not had occasions of being fused" as your boys or girls would term it. over work to be done which in the end resolved itself into nothing much more portentous than mustard to mix or butter balls to make.
 Sometimes [ think I am in danger of becoming little insane on the question of a sense of proportion in our daily life. The lack of 1t means so much discomfort and positive unhappiness in the household that the woman who desires to make the best of her profession as a home maker should cultivate this gift to the full.
 To begin with, ask yourself if the result of certain actions is worth the trouble 1t costs.
 An illustration of dearth of a sense uf proportion working misery came my
 
 like 1t. but this was especially fragrant. The woman who supplied it was an ab- surdly particular housekeeper. I be- lieve firmly in taking great pains with the home, but this woman had carried matters to point where neatness ceased to be virtue and became a nuisance Everything else in the home was sacri- feed to the one bugbear of cleanliness. For example. the curtains were all taken down every week. carried into the yard, hung on the line, and beaten. The wash curtains went to the laundry every fortnight. The walls were wiped down weekly; each picture in the house had to be taken down and cleaned once a week.
 All this might have been very well If the house had been supplied with corps of competent servants, but these were beyond the means of the master oi the establishment, so that the work de- volved upon the mistress of the home and her daughters. They were at it all the time The house was cleaned carly in the morning. and doors. blinds, and win dows closed for the rest of the day to exclude dust. except in the quarters