Year: 1871




During the past summer travelled quite ex-
tensively through many of the towns and villa
ges of New England | saw her awe-inspiring
mountains and her wild, picturesque ocean
views her quiet ponds and axes; her rivers,
rich in Indian legends her hills, stretching
away in the distance, with villages nesting
costly at their ieet or climbing cautiously up
their sides | saw her snft green fields, and
her rocky pastures. Better than all, l wandered
through her dark pine forests, and listened to
their wonderful music. But it is not to write
description of any of these natural beauties that
have seated myself this morning. 1t is to
write few words about the abomnstions in
The form of parLors, with which the country
bounds.


What are the women saving their parlors
for was the question ever forcing itself into
my mind. And now / ask you, women of New
England, what are you saving them for ? To
keep your carpet bright To preserve a vase
or two, which dollar would replace. from
being broken, in the course ofa year? To pro
tect your furniture from scratches and sears.
and your paint from flies !? Are you saving
them until the children are grown up, or for
some stranger who may happen to call? Or do
YOU not feel able to take the extra care of keep
ing them in order, or to incur the extra expense
If heating them !? o wife and mother take
care lest you fade the rose-tint out of your life,
which the price of many carpets can never re
store and take care, too, lest, in saving your
furniture from being Scared, you do not leave
a scar imprinted upon the youthful hearts of
your children, which nothing can ever efface.


Do you not believe that your husbands heart
would grow warmer, and your children's hearts
lighter, if, on some OF these cold winter nights,
"hen it is dark by the time work and school
are over, they should see the front blinds thrown
open, and bright light shining forth to greet
tlem? Do you not think the sight of the cheer
fll coors in the carpet, the pretty furniture
and the little ornaments scattered about, would
hrow q sort of romance around their lives,
which could hardly be found among the pots
and kettles, the brooms and dish-cloths of the
kitchen ! know, by my own experience, the
necessity and the blessing of well ordered
kitchen. know that cooking, washing, iron
ing. and claiming are important things in life
in fact, they are the pivots upon which all the
wheels of the household machinery turn. l
know that many of you are compelled to attend
to all these matters yourselves, and l know
that often they seem irksome, and you get
weary of the monotony of your life, and wish
that you could live more like this one or that
one.


Did it ever occur to you that by a little skill
and determination, you could lift yourself and
your household out Of the narrow groove in
which you have been plodding so long, up to a
higher and more ennobling plane of life, and
that by very simple process, too-so simple,





in the result to try the means? Do you not
believe that, after the housework is done, a
change, for few hours, from the kitchen to
the parlor from the dark calico working prom
to the dainty white one from the bare dress
neck to the neat linen collar fastened with
bright ribbon from the tiresome details of
actual life to the pleasing illusions of fiction,
would do something toward satisfying that
higher lite, which demands nourishment, as
well as that of our mere physical bodies
Do you not believe that your husband cold
and prosaic as you have thought him for many
years, would have chord in his memory
awakened, or spot in his naturally tender
heart touched by these silent symbols of beauty
in your dress, and this widening out and
Frightening up of his home-life Wouldn't
the children open their eyes with surprise to
see mother looking SO pretty, and the parlor
so bright, and would they not experience a
new sensation of pleasure in discovering that
It was all done for father and them, and not for
company?


| know that the change in your manner of
living would subject you to many disagreeable
remarks from the busy tongues of prying neigh
5ors. But never mind. You would be trying
to make your home home in the true sense of
the word, and when they see the magical effect
of your attempt, think some of them, at least,
would follow in your footsteps. So do not de
lay day. Open your windows and blinds





build up your fire ; and banish at once and
forever, from your house, the furniture ware
room which you have been cherishing these
many years as the apple ofyour eye. would
sooner sit with you in some sunny corner of
the pleasant village cemetery than in that
tomblke room, and while feeling the cold
shlvrrs creep up my back, try to get up a
cheerful conversation with you.


IT you think you are loo poor to warm and
light it, stop and consider whether there is not
some. luxury in which you are indulging that
can be better sacrificed than that. Can you
not spend little less on Sunday Clothes less
on the table. less for costly furniture and car
pets, less for ribbons and sashes less for false
curs and chignons, less for Hamburg en-
brodory, less for machine tucking and ruf1ing,
less for dollar jewelry, and more fore comforts
such as light, warmth, newspapers, magazines,
games, plants, and birds


became acquainted. last September. with a
family who lived in large village, situated on
the shore of one of the most beautiful lakes in
the State of Maine. They had fine, large
house. the front of which commanded a view
of the lake, and of mountains, rising peak upon
peak, beyond, as far as the eye could reach.
The family consisted of father, mother, and
two children-a daughter of fourteen and a son
of sixteen. The father was prosperous
merchant, able and anxious to hire strong
servant to help do the work, but the wife,
being one ofthose thrifty housekeepers of whom
we hear so much, could not think of such o
thing. She couldn't have careless girl about,
running her nice things. No, indeed She
would rather do every bit herself if she did get
all tired out. So she did do it herself and she
did get all tired out, day after day. She told
me. in tone of great satisfaction, that her
parlor was the most elegant one in town. So
It was. The frescoed walls, velvet carpet,
damask furniture, and lace curtains were very
costly and elegant. The sitting room, opposite,
was also richly furnished, and so were the two
large square chambers above. But of what
avail was all this outlay of money! Those
four rooms were always carefully closed. No
ray of light ever ventured in to fade thread
of one of those carpets, and the immaculate
oc 4ha v,air oyd tha o1aor n,,wfa naa