Year: 1869




ticle on "The Handy Man." in the
Hearth and Home, says =


A handy man is SO practiced in the
regulation Of the little utilities of the
house he inhabits, that by slight touch
here and there-a screw turned here and
a screw loosened there, and a nail driven
in time-he keeps all working smoothly,
and averts those domestic catastrophies
and breakdowns of which Punch makes
so much capital in his pictures.


The handy man knows how to use ev-
cry sort of tool that keeps his house in
order. They are all neatly arranged, in
his own private drawer, sacred from the
meddling of children and the borrowing
of the careless. Is pane of glass shiv-
cred on cold day, the unhandy man
first stuffs it with bundle, or pastes it
over with a newspaper, and then rushes
to glaciers, who of course is not at
home, or who says he will come and
mend it Immediately, and doesn't come
meanwhile the wind blowing in gives
the baby the Group, and the mother Sc
we're cold.


The Handy man, on the contrary, has
his diamond, his measuring rule, his putt
ty, all in readiness at moments notice,
and the replacing of the pane of glass
is an affair of quarter of an hour, be-
fore he goes to his office or store.


There springs leak in the joint of
hot-water pipe. The handy man has his
soldering tools and kettle, and it is stop
ped in moment, while the unhandy
man is running up town after plumber.


The handy man has no small bills to
pay to any kind of mechanic, for he
stops every leak in its commencement,
and replaces every screw the moment it
is loose.


A piece of veneering starts on the side
board door. The handy man has an in
visible brad of precisely the size to drive
in this place-it is done in moment.
The unhandy man sees the crack widen
ing day by day, in imbecile despair. Fl
nally, the moulding falls off, and leaves
long unsightly seam.


There is one loose screw in one of the
hinges of the wardroom door-the door
will not shut, the difficulty increases day
by day, until the whole hinge is loose,
and finally the door hanging by its whole
weight ON the lower hinge, and assisted
by the unskillful hands of green Erin,
tears off altogether, with such wreck
and crush as make it necessary to send
the wardrobe to the cabinet maker, or
bring the cabinet maker to the wardrobe.
What journeys and consultations of the
hapless, unhandy mani


In like manner, there is leak some
where in the roof of the house, and eve
ry time that it rains, through this leak,
in some mysterious manner, the water
drops down through the ceilings of the
room. The unhandy man is exhorted by
his wife that this ought to be attended
to. He promises to attend to it and for
gets it-he never thinks of it till it be-
gins to rain, and the water begins to
drop, and pals and tubs are in requisite
to catch the superfuous moisture. Then,
agonized and penitent, he flies to the
house of the carpenter, who promises to
come, and forgets it likewise; and so on
through successive showers and foodings,
till finally there comes an avalanche of
plastering, which ruins the carpet and
furniture underneath, and makes the
question of mending the roof no longer
doubtful. Repairs of some 5000 have
now to be done, on account of leak
which the handy man would have stop
ped in two hours.


sThe handy man not only can do all
these things which properly belong to
mems department, but in case of sick
ness or other causes that disable the fe-
male part of his household, he can dis
tinguish them in their peculiar depart
ment. He can cook nicely, he can make
bread and bake it so as thereafter so be
enabled to instruct the cookin many