Evening star., 1925-05-28
Benefits of Simplified Home Tasks
BY LYDIA LIE BARON WALKER.

Simplified Housekeeping and simplic-
1ty In homemaking are apparently
Two very different matters. There
never was a time, for instance. when
there We're more devices, utensils and
machines for making houSework
easier. And there never was a time
when the art of home-making was
more taxing. Thousands of things
enter into the complexity of accom-
pushing the work as il should be done
ana at the same time doing all the
thlngs that are expected today or a
home-maker. Outside duties are the
portion of so many women, both from
choice and from desire to be of serv-
Ice to the community. Housework
must be planned around the hours
when the man of the house leaves in
the morning and come back at night,
or possibly at noon, too. Then II
there are children, their school hours
divide the day into definite periods.
Mothers hesitate to be absent from
the home when the youngsters get
back from school. 1t is a lonesome
place for them with mother away, and
there are so many things she prefers
to see to for them and with them.
And then there are the outside inter
ests referred to. meetings, each with
special times and usually with some
duties attached to them.
Many Interests.
And so we see that there is a GER
tain balance, much needed and essen
tial, between simplicity in housework
and Complexity in home-making.
iousework must be simplitied in order
that home-rnakers have time and
energy for manifold duties that are
now their lot. Meanwhile life itself
has become a thousand times more in
tereSting than it used to be. And so
woman should not bemoan the fact of
extra concerns, but contriVe to man
age in such a way that she is mistress
OF the situation. She can scarcely be
moro engrossed with the double inter
ests than We're her grea,- -grandmotherS
with the sole one of performing the
household duties that took all their
time. 1t is no new saying that wv ON
ans work is never done," though the
first part of the adage, Man works
from sun to SUM-" is long since thing
Of the past. For him, too, new rela-
tions toward work exist which are in
many ways far superior. They per-
NIT of the much enjoyed Saturday
half-holiday and occasionally of a
whole Saturday of leisure. This means
more time in which to enjoy the home.
1t also means that the wife takes pride
In having that time to devote to her
husband.
Care-Free.
Since he is to be home, the wife
takes pride in having her time at his
disposal so that together they may
go off on little excursions. She and
the children look forward to daddy's
afternoon off with all that it means of
possibilities of happiness. 1t also
means that the household must be
run so that this time can be spent in
the jcyousness of relaxation without
faun|' .g thoughts of care lest the
homo duties be neglected. Such
thoughts rob pleasure of its gladness.
and the mental attitude is trans
united to the others. They feel ap-
prehensive about something too unde-
fined to be actually expressed, but by
no means too intangible to be felt. So
it is up to the home-maker to run the
house holding in mind any holidays
ar half-holidays that may come to the
husband.
Advantage of Incentive.
Fortunately, pleasure acts like
spur to stimulate us to accomplish
ment. With such an incentive tasks
actually seem to grow easier. Work