Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-13
psFEuTONS TALKS
CONDUCTED BY
MaaWR.FEI
Household Economics

Household Economies
The fashionable term is domestic
science, Or may be home economics,
but the base of the fabric is really
in saving what is in the house
spending wisely and using. up odds
and ends-to financial advantage. n
In bygone days when everything
had to be made at home except sug-
ar, salt and iron, this saving bust
ness was intensely important. Every
scrap of bacon, every bone had to be
collected for the making of soup.
All the bran and shorts were val
liable, as well as the -four; all the
cheap cotton was needed to make
padding for mattresses, quilts and
comforts. All the scraps of cloth
were kept to make into quilts. All
the old garments were patched as
long as possible, Everything of the
sort was turned into useful things
In the final, end of things, old rags
were dyed and woven into carpets
and rags. es... ~
All this meant continuous and en-
crossing toll for the housemother.
and her force of helpers. = People
were careful Is lay in q tstorei Of
dried fruits, pepper, onions, every
thing that might be kept, like tur-
nips and potatoes:
Vinegar was made at home. Plenty
of pickles were considered useful
for family diet. 1t was the habit of
farmers to keep bees and store up
honey and the honeycomb. Apples
were kept occasionally from season
to season. Must have plenty to
spare" was the motto. Hospitality
was profuse. Visitors could stop in
unannounced at meal time, and set
down to plain, wholesome food,
along with abundance of milk and
butter
You could go home with a neigh
Dor on meeting days and find a well
come and plenty to eat. ~ ~
School children went home with
their mates and slept we'll. ate
hearty and were as happy as so
many birds in spring chatting in
their sleeping beds before the tired
little ones went off to HAPPY
house."
Neighbors thus got acquainted !, in
o sociable and friendly way. School
boys fell in love with school girls
in their youth and grew up to whole
some married folks. A wedding was
like q, real family gathering.
A funeral caused sincere mourn
ing into all the houses. A church
meeting house was eagerly attended.
Then the babies went along and
were made much Of by old and
young. If the preacher was a dull
person, he nevertheless, was a Chris
tian gentleman, who knew the home
life of his charge. He could fling a
pair of saddlebags over his sturdy
old horse, travel his circuit, stop
he felt welcome, have fam
lily prayers with the parents and
and gave his blessing and
his songs in pay for these generous
s.. ,... p.
The school teacher was welcome,
too. If there were little frictions.
he could explain very tenderly what
the young ones maybe, had misun-
derstood.
Under just. such conditions, with
these sane counsels, and a plenty of
brotherIy kindness, and when a mans
word was his bond, the pioneer life
OF the American people contributed
to the success of our great federal
government. There were some row.
dies, a good deal of drinking some
times IAN occasional tragedy; but the
great majority had sound minds in
sound bodies. ..
Now L am in favor of such home
economies for the United States at
the present time. l do not see any
better plan proposed to conduct
home affairs to safe conclusion.
We have plenty of churches and
are overloaded with preachers. Many
Of them get position and pay for
clerical work that nobody would pay
them for everyday business work. |
Yet the people are not attracted to
the churches, and they take the fam
lily and "go somewhere" on Sunday
to see things they enjoy more. We
do not save in the household as a
rule. We spend more and soon tire
Of what we paid good money for.
We depend on "the butcher and
baker and candIestickmaker,'' and
we carry our days supplies around
in paper sacks.
If home economics are anything
like the very o4d-fash:oned home |
economics we need a revivaIfof the>l
Did things much more. than new
, -.t, I
t.