
 

 

 

 

  

DETROIT,

 

NOV. 3., 1888.

THE HOUSEHOLD-"Supplen’lent.

 

TIRED.

 

I am so tired to-day;

I long to l .y
My head. for rest. upon the pillow green
’Or some still ehurchya rd grave, and shut me in
From all the cares. the worries and the strife
'Of all this anxious, restless mother life.

And sieep. please God, for aye.

Ah! litzie children with your dancing feet
And g‘ances sweet!

I have so weary of my burdens grown.

I fair. would loose your fingers from my own.

And leave to other hands the dear dEIEghl

~0f guiding baby footsteps up the height.
Au: thus my task complete.

Bu , weary mothers, would I hav. it SO?
Would I? Ah 2 no.
I could no sleep within 11 y grassy bed,
For hearing patte ing footsteps overly. ad.
This In Jther heart, though turned to dust. would
throb
Responsive t3 the baby‘s lonely sob.
However faint and low.
And so I could not rest me r t'terall:
The grasses tall
A: d snowy daisies cculd not bring me peace:
The sexing mother love wouid never cease.
0h Christ! wl 0 gave thislove with motherhood,
0 . mothers tired bes‘ow this. greatc. good.
Patience—whate‘er befall!

—-——QO+———-

THE DUTIES OF A GUEST.

 

I am asked to write a letter for the
HOUSEHOLD, deﬁning the duties of a guest.
Now the obligations of guest and hostess
are so mutually reciprocal that, like the lives
of Charles and Mary Lamb, one cannot be
written without the other, so I shall have to
put in some words for entertainer as well as
entertained. The ﬁrst duty of a guest is to
make herself agreeable, not only to her
hostess, but to the entire family. Her tastes
and habits may differ from those of her en-
tertainer; then each should respect the
peculiarities of the other. She should, as
far as possible, conform to the customs of
the family, although these customs should
be modiﬁed if radically differing from those
to which she has been habituated. For in-
stance, if the hour for the family breakfast
is at six, and the guest has been accus-
tomed to breakfast at eight, to rise at such
an unusual hour is to ruin the whole day,
often, by the disturbance of the usual
routine; the guest should be privileged to
rise at her pleasure, even if this necessi-
tates some little trouble in the preparation
of a second breakfast. This thought should
be carried out in other things. We do not
invite people to our houses to make them
uncomfortable, nor can we entertain with-
out exertion and without infringing on our
usual routine.

The well— bred guest makes as little

care to leave her hostess free to atzend to
necessary duties; it is presumed they wish
to “visit,” and to be together, but ill:
housekeeper has matters she must see after.
and the guest should not follow her about
to converse. Most women are unable to
talk on one Subject and think on another,
nor do justice to their work with some one
talking to them; they become ﬂurried and
are hindered. Toe guest should therefore
occupy herself with book, work, or a walk
during those hours which her friend must
give to her housekeeping, and should not in-
terfere with her after dinner nap. And the
hostess should see that her guest is not
neglected. The horse and carriage may be
placed at her disposal, although the hostess
cannot accompany her; or an agreeable
friend may be invited to Spend an hour of
her leisure with the guest, and the hostess
excuse herself to both; though it is well to
remember that many people are so con-
stituted as not to require companionship
at all times. To have a guest who never
seems bored, and evinces an ability to en'
tertain herself, is a great comfort to the
lady of the house. The friendship which
implies the paying of visits implies also a
knowledge of tastes and inclinations which
prompts the plans for entertainment.

The guest should enter cheerfully and
pleasantly into the amusements, visits,
drives and the like arranged for her
pleasure, though they may not be what she.
most cares for. Tact will lead her not to
ridicule any feature of these entertainments,
nor compare them disadvantageously with
what she may have seen elsewhere. And
just here let me say it is not for the guest
to criticise her friend’s servants, her chil-
dren, her belongings of any kind, even
though the hostess herself may complain of
them. A woman may mention her ser-
vant’s faults or her children’s peculiarities
to afriend, but she does not really like to
have that friend join in her depreciation.
N or should the guest criticise the people she
may meet who are her friend’s friends; it is
very uncourteous, yet often done. Nor is it
polite to suggest changes or improvements
Without being requested; “Why don’t you
have this?” “Why don’t you do that?”
are questions we do not always like to
answer by confessing our inability. What-
ever the guest can say in praise or com-
mendation let her say freely and heartily;
whatever she sees not to her taste or ap-
proval let her keep silent bout; she is no:
to assume the role of Mentor, nor recon-
struct her friend’s household upon her own
ideas.

 

trouble as possible, and especially takes

A little woman said to me once, of a

 

mutual friend who had paid her a visit:
“ i had looked forward to Anna’s visit with
great anticipations, but I must ownI was
glad when she went away.” "Why?” I
asked, too surprised to be. polite. “0, she
had just come from Mrs. B ank’s where she
had hid such a ‘perfectly lovely time,’
goneeverywhere and seen eVerything, and
she talked of nothing but Mrs. Blank's
elegant dresses, her carriage and horses,
her servants. her furniture, her dinners,
till she tired me out. And I kn;w she was
all the, time contrasting our home with Mrs.

B sinks, and we live so quietly and plainly,
you know" and she added, with a little
laugh that had not much heart in it, “I
gave up trying to put the ‘best foot for;-
mosi',’ for whatever i did .\Ir-‘. B ink had
done so 11111311 better that it really seemed no
use.” Now i knew all this talk of the
rich lady's perfections illd been without
the intention to wound or alt-nut, and yt
it had done both to a certain degree. This
then, is one of the things “ not to do.”

Waite aguest should, generally, acquit-see
in her hostess‘s plans for the disposal of
her time, she is privileged to excuse bereft
from whatever she feels would be distaste-
ful, nor is it at all impolite for her to re-
main at home while her hostess pays visits,
attends church or entertainments, or accepts
invitations in whicn she may chance not to
be included. TtilS is a point often mi:-
understood. There is not the slightest dis-
courtesy in a lady’s acct-piling an invitation
which her guest declines. Thu-re is another
point, too; to be rrnuznbered. The guest
who is staying with a friend is at perfect
liberty to accept invitations in which that
friend is not included. Smie people think
their guests must visit only their friends,
ignoring previous acquaintances whom
they chaos-e not to know, or especially so
doing if they chance not to be on good
terms with some of their guest’s friends.
We do not invite people to monopolize
them entirely, nor to dictate to them in
their friendships.

The question is asked: How much ought
the guest to assist her hostess with the
housework? That depends entirely upon
circumstances, and must be determined by
them, and also by the degree of intimacy
between the entertained and entertainer.
An intimate friend may offer service which
would be regarded as intrusive'from a com-
parative stranger. 1f the hostess keeps a
girl, of course no assistance is expected,
but the guest should be erreful and con«
siderate, and not require too much waiting
upon; if no help is kept, good sense and

 

her ideas of “the ﬁtness of things” must

  


 

 

2

THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

 

 

dictate where and when to help. To wipe
the dishes, to dust a room, to whisk a
plate of eggs, are little aids which may be
acceptably rendered. The guest should not
be expected to help in the heavy work,
though I have known women who when a
friend was expected to spend several weeks
with them, would manage to have on hand
a pile of sewing or a lot of fruit to put up,
with the intention that the guest should
assist them during her visit, and in that
way manage to get a good deal of assistance
asa “stand-off” against her board. But
there is no hospitality, no courtesy, in in-
viting people to use them for our own con-
venience or proﬁt.

“Short visits make long friends.” I be-
lieve that is true. Never wear out a wel-
come. Always leave your friends wishing
you could stay longer, instead of glad you
are going away. It is said that Dickens,
charmed by Hins Anderson’s agreeable con-
versation at a dinner party, invited him
to visit Gide Hill. The author of The
Ugly Dickling arrived, bag and baggage,
and established himself very comfortably.
H: proved a very exacting and capricious
guest, however, and Dickens was heartily
tired of him, yet he stayed and stayed and
stayed, until, if Iremember correctly, he
had been there several months. And
D_ckens says, “At the ﬁrst hint of departure.
Iordered the carriage,” and he was never
invited to repeat the visit.

I do not believe in “ surprise visits.” I
think it the duty of the intended visitor to
apprise her hostess-to-be of her intention to
come to her. Visits which are convenient
to one party may be very inopportune to
another; and however welcome the visitor
may be, it is more pleasing to the visited
to have made suitable preparation. But
the guest who “ drops in” with a big trunk
anl a general air which demands “ Aren’t
y)u delighted to see me.” will excuse her-
self by saying she “ didn’t want to put you
to any trouble to get ready for me,” yet
often does incommode you far more than
tim :ly notice of her coming could have done.

It is a guest’s sacred duty not to discuss
the private affairs of the family where she
has been entertained, with outside parties.
Esp :cially if she is so unfortunate as to dis-
cover that osseous framework known as the
“family skeleton,” she should be very
careful not to disclose it to the world.
She should make it a point of honor to
keep absolute silence on all domestic dif-
ferences or disagreements; nor make the
faults or peculiarities of her late hostess or
any member of her household the subject
of comment or criticisms to others. It is
a shameful abuse of hospitality and friend-
ship to do so, yet, unfortunately, there are
too many who thoughtlessly or maliciously
do so offend, thus bringing sorrow and
humiliation to those whose salt they have

eaten. Bnarnrx.
——-——¢w————

MATTERS AND THINGS IN ST.
LOUIS.

Rain and smoke and heavy skies is the
record of the third October week in St.
Louis. The boasted autumnal glory of
this vicinity, like the Veiled Prophet with
his bewildering street display of grotesque
conceptions worked up in tinsel, gay paper

  

and red lights, has gone into hiding.

Rheumatism, malaria, uncomfortable street

cars and quinine are jogging along, a dole-

ful procession. G l5 companies and electric

plants have knocked down their miles of

arches, picked up their many colored globes,

and threaten to never relight the city so
gorgeously unless subscribers are more
liberal. The front doors of the Exposition
building are closed; Gilmore and his 65

musicians have taken their trumpets and
gone; the railroads have resumed full faze
rates and we St. Louisans are getting down
to hard work again. It is said regretfully
that neither the Veiled Prophet pageant nor
the Exposition were quite equal to those of
previous years. The former this year rep-
resented the stories of Mother Goose instead
of historic events, therefore contained less
of interest and no intellectual attraction or
instruction. During the evening of the
great procession thousands of people, some
of them not more than four days old, were
on the streets for hours awaiting the glit-
tering, transient spectacle. Everyone
seemed relieved when it was over. Parents
shouldered their fatigued youngsters, many
of them trudging along with one on each
arm, squalling and kicking. People fought
for seats in the street cars, jammed each
other mercilessly, trod unfeelingly upon
other people’s come, and separated with a
deadly hatred for all mankind outside their
own family. And all this for what?

The Exposition in the main was very
like all expositions. The best of every
man’s and woman’s workmanship was
there. The ﬁnished work of long months
was set in place for admiration or advertis-
ing; things useful and things ornamental
were arranged in the most enticing shape.
Exhibitors did their best to deceive or allure;
spectators did what they could to keep up
the farce.
attracted toward the huge pyramid of
granite iron ware, consisting of every con-
ceivable article possible to use about a
house, from the leviathan of a teakettle
from the spout of which was suspended an-
other, pigmy in size, down to the cups and
spoons, all made of this beautiful and ser-
viceable ware, manfactured in this city in
the largest establishment of the kind in the
world. The manufacturers, two brothers,
are among the wealthiest and most benevo-
lent citizens of St. Louis. They are build-
ing at this time at their own expense, for
the German Methodists of this city, a
church to cost $25,000, although they are
members of and attend the English speaking
church. One of them, F. G Neidringhaus:
is the Republican candidate for Congress
from this district and very popular with the
working men.

There was a ﬁne display of fruits, grain,
minerals and samples of timber from
Arkansas, suggesting something of rivalry
to the better known products of California.
This exhibit lacked but one of Arkansas’s
established features, a case of incurable
chills and fever.

from Illinois, magniﬁcent productions of
every variety from Missouri, all represented
by voluble talkers interested in getting up a
“boom ” for the “great southwest.” There

 

 

is no other way nowadays to move the

As a housekeeper I was strongly .

There was cotton from Kansas, corn»

masses but by a “boom.” We don’t care

a cent whether a thing is so or not if it is
only boomed loud enough.

But even the boomers must at last have a-
rest, so the roaring went down, down, on
Saturday night to a hum and buzz, the ma'
chinery ceased its whirring, the lights went
out, boomer and boomed went home to bed.
S'r. Loms. lilo. DAFFODILDY.

.—.———.§.—-—-———

TI-IE VINEGAR BARREL.

When the old homestead came into my

pessession, among the contents of the house

was a vinegar barrel well stocked with that ,
peculiar growth known as “mother.” 1

was told that a supply of cider most be

made every year to replenish the barrel or I

would not have good vinegar, but the cider:

mill was miles away, the supply of suitable

apples very small, and no cider was wanted

for 0thtl‘ purposes, because in early life I

had eaten my ﬁll of cider apple sauce and

the like, when the boiled cider. was used as

a matter of economy, so that I should never

more “banker” for that as r. relish. The

vinegar barrel stood in a roomy closet up-
stairs, safe from frost, just where my grand-

father had put it more than forty years be»

fore, so for the convenience of every day

use, I keep a two gallon jug in the pantry,

and whenever it has been necessary to ﬁll
that from the barrel, I have done so and
then poured a pailful of warm water, in
which a half-pint of common cooking
molasses had been thoroughly mixed, into
the barrel, and I have always had an ample
supply of the best of vinegar, so sharp that I
never use it for lettuce, ripe tomatoes and
the like without reducing it. In the jug is
a goodly portion of that liverlike mother,

and I will confess to the addition, occasion-
ally, of what Beatrix evidently means by
“slops” but not to the detriment of the
contents. When company did not drink as
much tea as I had expected, a cupful or
even a pint of the strong infusion has gone
into the jug, and any accumulation of
sweetened water, as from rinsing a sugar
bowl or the dishes in which maple syrup
was served, was poured in and it has never
failed in these four years of coming out as
good as any cider vinegar; but it’s all on
account of the “mother,” and just how
that could be started I do not know. I re-
member once seeing a barrel of hard cider
placed on the sunny side of the house, a
sheet of foolscip paper, a pint of white
beans and some other ingredients were
added for the mother-making process, and
a glass bottle placed in the bung hole, but
when the proper time for the making had
elapsed, only the dry paper and the beans
were left to tell the story of how a festive
worm had pierced the lower side of the bar-
rel, so that all its liquid contents had
leaked out. The process must be some-
what mysterious, for I know a man who
made himself famous throughout two
counties by shaking and sunning a bottle of
what proved to be marble dust and water,
daily for months; he having been told that
and ends of zephyr and sew to the bottom
of the bag and on the lower edge of the ﬂap.
Hem two squares of cheese cloth and place
inside for dusters.

 

The new fashioned way of covering.

 

 


   

 

THE

HOUSEHOLD.

     

8

ﬂ

 

the compound would make valuable
“ mother,” and from the failure he is
known as “ Vinegar Jones ” to this day.

I was also told at the outset that if the
barrel was taken to the cellar the vinegar
would “ die.” and although others have dis-
puted that theory I have “let well enough
alone,” by leavirg it where I found it; and
a. quart, or thereabeut‘l, of molasses, costing
a shilling, has given my family its annual
supply of vinegar without any of the bother
or expense of cider-making. But the pret-
tiest vinegar that I ever saw was a supply of
currant wine that, for some unknown rea-
son, went astray and turned out an acid of
the keenest_kind and free from any in-
toxicatinglquality.

One of those large kitchens that from
necessity is also a dining room, that I wot
of, is in proportions twelve by ﬁfteen feet,
but as all the belongings of the kitchen are
conveniently massed at one end, the house-
wife had a strip nearly two inches in
diameter ripped from an oak plank, the
corners rounded and smoothed, then stained
like walnut and fastened near the ceiling
by nailing a small block to the wall on
either side. Then an outlay of ﬁfteen cents
for eighteen “silver ” rings from a harness
shop, and a snﬂijent amount of spriggy
curtain ca'ico to make a double portiere
makes an adjustable partition that shuts
off the heat and the view of the culinary
department from the carpeted ﬁfteen feet
used as a dining room, or the curtain is
easily pushed back to make the whole warm
for winter. EL SEE.

WASHINGTON.
.—...._—

MAKING OVER A BLACK SILK.

 

One of our readers asks directions about
making over a black grosgrain silk which
is out of style. It is rather diﬂicult to give
advice which will be of any practical value
without knowing what shape the goods is
in. The present fashi-ns require all draper-
ies to be so long and full that it is almost
an impossibility to remodel a dress made
when short draperies and ﬂounces or ruffles
were popular, into a stylish costume. Un-
less there is enough of. the silk to make the
straight full back drapery—which requirt-s
at least four widths the length of the skirt,
I really think i would not try to remodel
it, but would use it as the foundation for a
lace dress, which can be worn at evening
entertainments, day weddings, etc., all
winter and for church and street wear all
next summer. Under the lace the silk can
be pieced as necessity may require, and
none be the wiser. llzce ﬁouncings, 40
inches deep, of sufﬁciently excellent quality
can be bought here from $2. 50 to $4 per
yard, and the piece lace, same width, at
$1.75 upward. Not over four yards would
be needed for the skirt, which should be
made plain with an interlining of crinoline
as well as cambric, with only a full pleating
of silk at the foot. The lace may be draped
at the side under a handsome bow of rib-
bon or a jet ornament, and the space on the
skirt thus disclosed ﬁlled in with pleatings.
The old basque may be ripped up, covered
with lace and put together again, or the
worn parts replaced by pieces from the old
skirt and trimmed with narrower lace.
This will leave the ﬁve yards of new silk on

 

hand, and it can be utilized very nicely in
a plain skirt on which to arrange draperies
of Henrietta cloth or drap d’alma, making
a stylish costume.

N o, the lace dress is not *‘ too youthful;”
bless me, I see women old enough to have
grown up grandchildren wearing them. I
wear one myself, and am I not grandmama
by brevet? So that objection is made in-
valid.

lf the back drapery can be “rescued,” I
thir k a good way to arrange the front and
sides would be in box pleats straight down
the skirt, a style which would be becoming
to the lady in question. The crinoline in-
terlining should be used on the foundation
skirt, in front and on the sides. Another
mode would he to insert a panel of ﬁgured
velvet on one side. Sometimes a cascade
drapery across the front can be managed
out of pieces, the folds of the cascade con-
cealing the seams; this m' y fall over a silk
kilt pleating or velvet or moire laid plain
on the foundation skirt. I saw not long
ago a very pretty dress which had a pleated
panel on one side; the front next to this was
laid in two deep downward turning folds,
and drawn, loosely, diagonally across well
up on the other side; this model would
allow the silk to be pieced under the folds,
if care were taken to keep the rep running
alike on the pieces. The edge of the folds
next the panel was trimmed with a cord
passementerie. BEATRIX.

HINTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

A beautiful table scarf can be made of
pink satin with a four-inch band of plush at
each end. Embroidered in gold thread,
laid on the outline of the pattern and held
in place by threads of silk, the work is very
beautiful. A few of the pretty plush or
gold tassels or drops make a handsome
ﬁnish.

Bamboo matting, 18 inches wide, makesa
pretty paper-rack. About one and an
eighth yards will be needed, 18 inches being
turned up for the pocket. A spray of d )w-
ers is painted upon the pocket, which is
held in place with ribbon bows.

A duster bag of the most approved fashion
is made of a strip of cretonne thirty inches
long. and eight inches wide, lined with
pale blue silesia. Fold over seven inches
of one end for the pocket; nine inches from
the other end gather it across the width,
and turn the end over as a ﬂap to conceal
the opening of the pocket; sew the gathers
to a heavy cretonne-covered cord joined in
a circle, to hang the bag up by, or fasten a
small brass ring there under a bow of rib-
bon. Make fancy tassels or balls of odds
bread, biscuit, etc., on the table is to set the
plate on the napkin and throw the corners
up on the food. A napkin, twenty inches
square, with wheat ears embroidered in
each corner in gold colored silk, to be thus
used, is a very useful and appropriate Christ-
mas gift. Make it of butchers’ linen, with
the edges fringed and a narrow row of
double hemstitching all round the edge. Or
a couple of rows of narrow drawn work
may be used and the wheat ears omitted, if
one does not know how to embroider.

A pair of towels, with the initial of the
last name traced in Kensington stitch with

 

 

 

 

red or blue marking cotton, is a useful gift.
The Briggs transfer patterns include some
very pretty designs in letters, and are very
convenient and cheap—two for ﬁve cents.

A common wicker work basket can be
m tde very beautiful, at the expense of con-
siderable labor and some money. Select
one which is square or oblong, having two
of the sides higher than the other two.
Gild the edges and the handle, and line the
inside with copper-colored satin. Cover the
outside of the two raised sides with satin
panels embroidered or painted, and border
them witha narrow band of plus‘i, wind
the handles with a folded band of plush,
and add full square bows of narrow ribbon.
Some of the fancy willow baskets are quite
pretty enough without being thus ornament
ed, further than by a fancy satin lining,
some ribbon bows and a little gilding. The
square waste piper baskets are lined with
red satteen and have embroidered tabs
or draperies hung on the outside: these
are of plush or embroidered fanci»
fully, and edged with a fancy cord or gilt
galloon; the satteen lining is Shirred to form
a narrow heading at the top of the basket,
which forms a pretty ﬁnish, and bows or
cord and tassels are at each of the four
corners. One of these baskets had these
draperies cut in leaf points, two short and
two long; the long ones were of mosaic
work—the new name for crazy patchwork,
while the short ones had a small spray of
ﬂowers embroidered on each. Small plush
grelots or balls are attached to the poirIrits.

—_—...____
A VENTURESOME BROTHER.

I have just read EZ See‘s letter, “A Pro-
test,” and will say that before I wrote my
ﬁrst letter to the HOUSEHOLD, I readtherein
an invitations to the masculine gender, to
the effect that their thoughts and opinions
would be accepted, otherwise I should not
have ventured. I soon heard little whis-
pers abroad that I was interfering with a
ladies’ department, and that they wanted
none of my “gab.” All but one of my
communications have escaped the waste
basket, and I thought if I was “ all right ”
at headquarters why let them talk. I have
been acquainted with many “My Lords and
My Ladies” in Old England, and found
there were bad tempers and dispositions
amongst the high, as well as the low. I
have heard the voice of gentle woman and
listened to her soft sigh, but after all I am
aware of the fact that I am not the model
husband that every woman wants. So I
will not brag on what I do, and what I do
not do. List spring I noticed one poor
fellow got a drubbing in the HOUSEHOLD,
and I have been patiently waiting for my
turn to come, for in writing the truth one
must sometimes be a little personal; 9. little
truth is worth a basketful of trash. I also
read other papers beside the FARMER,
amongst them my wife’s journals, but must
say that I have been quite interested in the
FARMER'S HOUSEHOLD, perhaps too
much so. I shall be watching and waiting
the decision of our lady friends, whether all
men are the lords of creation, or no better
than the dumb brute. thher is there not
good and bad on both sides? S) be kind to
your brother ANTI-OVER,

PLAINWELL.

  


4

THE HOUSEHOLD.

  

 

 

A WORD ABOUT

A couple of years ago the quidnunca
were all saying Simething about “She,”
said "S re” being the title of a novel
newly out at that time, written by H. Rider
Haggard, an Englishman. I always meant
to read the book, because I could see by the
papers and the talk that “She” was the
book that hid made its author famous, sup-
posing all the time that he had used the
“Sire” as many uncultivated people do
when speaking of the feminine head of the
household to which they belong, iin igining
that he had so or inipulated and combined
his characters and their quaintnesses as to
make a true to life, readable and entertain-
‘mg story out of their haps and mishaps.
Judge then of my surprise when on reading
the book a couple of weeks ago I found it to
be a metaphysical allegory, which 1 have
not yet fully solved nor succeeded in satis-
factorily applying some portion of its simile
to what Rider Haggard must have conceive:
to be fact. As a story it is a preposterous.
unmitigated lie. And Faith, after a cursory
survey of it goes into her private gymna-
sium, quietly remarking that she will be
obliged to develop a great deal of muscle
before she can carry such evidence and sub-
stance in her gripsack.

But taken as the symbolizrtion of IIig-
gart ’s conception of the “ She ” element in
the science of psychology, it is something of
a study.

Token thus, and carefully considered and
compared with positive social‘events. cor:-
ditions and outlooks, I somehow draw a
sigh of relief when I think in. conclusion:
“Well, thank goodness! it is only the
opinion of one man, and of one too, who
evidently has sounded the heights and
depths of the ‘She’ element in social and
soul life fractionalty, an .i not in the grand
rounding out of the full unit.”

It is said that Higgard’s “ Witches’
Head” is the like expression allegorically
of his ideal, or idea rather of the masculine
or “ He.” element in psychology. I expect
to have it soon to read. In the meantime
if any of the HOUSEIIOLDERS have read
either or both of these books, I wish they
would give us their impressions in regard to
them. In these days of “ Women‘s Rights”
itis expedient that “She” be weighed in
all sorts of balances. E. L. NYE.

Fms'r.

“SHE.”

M..—

SCRAPS.

 

E1. SEE, in her “Protest,” deprecates
the attitude of certain of the HOIT EHOLD
correspondents toward the other sex, and
says “even Beatrix” seems to join in the
detractiou. That was only a chance
phrase, to which you allude, El. See,
prompted by my knowledge of the antipathy
of the average farmer to what he calls
“putter-lug” in the garden. A good many
men are like that Biblical personage who
at ﬁrst refused to go, but ﬁnally changed
his mind and went. 1 would much prefer
to. deal with that class of men than with
those like the other, who said “ I go,” and
went not. I think some men growl a little

at times to enhance the value of their ser-
vices; “ What comes cheap is lightly held.”
1 have known men who said No at ﬁrst

    

merely for the pleasure, it seemed to me, of
being coaxed into compliance; after they
had asserted themselves as “ masters of the
situation” they would do more than you
asked. There is a great deal in knowing
how to manage a husband. It has been my
good fortune all through life to have been
treated with the utmist courtesy, kindness
and consideration in either business or
social relations with men, and I have no
occasion to write slightingly or disresprcto
fully of them. And men have always be u,
and still are, welcome in the Hotssuom),
whenever they feel dispose}. to contribute
to it.

 

i an not one of those who believe that
men are tyrants and oppressors and
women their downtrodden slaves. And
women who can argue and believe this,
must have been, Ithink, very unfortunate
in their acqutintance with men. There
ought to be no antagonism between the
sexes; there is not, I truly believe. one-
tenth as much as these vehement agitators

woman denourcz men and call her sisters
slaves, and urge them to “rouse up and
throw off their chains " and all that sort of
3 ad, I set her down as a crank, whose
peculiar doctrines have prevented her from
oecoming acquainted with any good men.
For the spirit either man or woman takes
into the world, is the spirit with which tie
world receives them. If we go out with
kindness and charity in our hearts, we
usually ﬁnd kindred qualities in those we
meet; if we take the attitude that all men
are liars and slave drivers we are certain to
diszover all their angles. Whenever this
talk of the slavery and oppression of one
sex by the other is sifted down to the real
root of the matter, we ﬁnd the grievance to
be that the right of suffrage is not extended
to women. The fact remains incontro-
vertible that the interests of the sexes are
identical and inseparable; thus it has been
since the creation and thus it must be.
There is no land the sun shines on where
women are so uniformly well treated, where
laws are so discriminating in their behalf,
where their property and personal rights
are so strongly guaranteed them, and where
they have such perfect liberty of speech and
act as in our own America. I never read a
book of foreign travel that I am not thank-
ful I was born an American woman and in
the nineteenth century. These are the best
days and this the best country women have
ever known. There would be some sense
in calling the women of certain foreign
countries oppressed and down-trodden, for
their condition is pitiful in the extreme;
even in England a man’s wife is Still his
chattel, and he may beat her “to a reason-

able degrea” with license of the law.

True, there are men in this as in every land
who are petty tyrants by nature, but law and
public opinion are both on the woman’s
side. And as for denial of suffrage being a
badge of oppression, let us wait until women
at large ask for it, or will pledge themselves
to exercise it, before it is ranked as an in-
justice.

 

I oxcn heard a lady say the argument
that women should exert their power in

 

political and moral reform through their

inﬂuence over husbands and sons, had no
weight in her family at least, for her hus-
band would voLe as he thought best, and
her sons wouli probably vote exactly op-
posite her wishes out of pure contrariness;
and then she added she did not think
women had any inﬂuence over men. I hope
to be pardoned for feeling that this was a
tacit confession of the weakness of her 'own
character, if her Opinions were held in such
light esteem. Now I would not give a
wooden nutmeg for a husband who would
vote as I wished merely because of that
bidding, and without the sanction of his
own judgment and convictions. I should
try to exert my inﬂiance on the line of
“Rinciples, not 1’ arty,” and if my reason -
ings could not convince him, I should cer-
tainly desire him to vote on his own con-
victions. A'lrl I am very decided in my be-
lief thit all women of any character them-
selves have an influence, varying in kind
and intensi‘y, upon not only their husbands
and sons, but upon all with whm they are

. assofated. There is no limit to such in-
would have us think. Whenever I hear a .

ﬂuence. A wom tn’s views of duty and the
relations of life may be so earnest and true
that they revivify the principles of others;
or they may be so false and distorted that
she beckons toward the seductively easy
but downward path. And there is a great
difference in the way of exerting tint in-
ﬂuence and expressing those views. To say
in minner or words “ That is my opinion
and you’ ve got to think that way too; you’re
a fool o: a knave if you do not,” is to pro-
voke instant and deserved opposition.
ltenember the fable. The wind, with all
its bluster and uproar, only made the
traveler wrap his cloak more closely about
him; the genial sun, with benign-ant ray,
soon persuaded him to discard it. For my-
self, personally, I would rather be the
worn til-01' like her—of whom (i sorge Wil-
liam Curtis recently wrote: “In the
memory of: all of us there are persons who
seem to have revealed to us the best that we
know and are; they are so lofty that we are
raised, so noble that we are ennobled, so
pure that we are puriﬁed. They are gener-
a"y women wheat: lives are noiseless, who
live at home, wives and mothers without
the ambition which spurs men to strive for
renown, but their days are full of such rich«
ness of beautiful life, that its ﬁtting image
is that finest ﬂower of tropical luxuriance.

the magniﬁcent Victoria Rigia,”—I would
rather, I say, be one of those “noiseless
women.” radiating such an inﬂuence, than
wear the laurels of the most brilliant woman
who ever “held down a stump” in any
cause whatever. BEA'I‘RIX.

—————Q¢.——.

Useful Recipes.

BAKED Bnows BREAD—Three cups corn-
meal: three cups rye meal; half cup sour
milk; half cup molasses; three and a half
cups warm water; one teaspoonful soda.
Bake, covered closely, in a moderate oven.

 

HULLED CoxtN.—-Tuke a wooden pail that is
not painted inside and pour into it two quarts
of wood ashes, then pour four quarts or more
of boiling water on it and let it settle; this is
the white lye. Put three quarts of yellow
corn in a large iron pot and spread a cloth
over the top; strain the white lye into it. Set
it on the stove and let it cook until the bulls
will rub oif easy and the germ is partly eaten
out, then take it off and wash in clear water
several times. Return to the ﬁre and boil

 

until tender, which takes ﬁve or six hours.
adding water as it boils away.

 

 

