o o o > -^•'\~-y> .■="/< '-*^^' ""* '^„ V-* ^. V ' ^<^ MRS. DIAZ'S WRITINGS. THE WILLIAM HENRY BOOKS. THE WILLIAM HENRY LETTERS. WILLIAM HENRY AND HIS FRIENDS. LUCY MARIA. Each in one i6mo volume, beautifully illustrated and bound. Price per volume, $i.oo. The set in a neat box, $3.00. A STORY-BOOK FOR THE CHILDREN. Illustrated. i6mo. $1.00, THE JIMMYJOHNS. POLLY COLOGNE. Each volume illustrated. i6mo. $1.00. DOMESTIC PROBLEMS. work and culture in the household, and the schoolmaster's trunk. Two volumes in one. Illustrated. i6mo. $1.00. HOLIDAY BOOKS. CHRISTMAS MORNING. 180 Illustrations. lamo. Cloth, $1.50 Eds., $1.25. KING GRIMALKUM AND PUSSYANITA ; OR, THE CATS' ARABIAN NIGHTS. Illustrated. Quarto. Cover in colors. $1.25. #** For sale by all Booksellers. Sent, postpaid, on receipt 0/ price, by D. LOTHROP & CO., 32 Franklin Street, Boston. DOMESTIC PROBLEMS WORK AND CULTURE IN THE HOUSEHOLD, AND THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK CONTAINING PAPERS ON HOME LIFE IN TWEENIT ' r 7 ^ BY MRS. A. M. DIAZ /fV ^ aO NOV BOSTON D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY FRANKLIN AND HAWLEY STREETS A Copyright by D. LOTHROP AND COMPANY 1884 OOI^TEJ^TS. WORK AND CULTURE IN THE HOUSEHOLD. CHAPTER I. PAGE Taking a View of the Situation" . . . . . 7 CHAPTER II. One Cause of the Situation. — A Part op " Woman's Mission" considered 19 CHAPTER III. Culture proved to be a Need of the Child-Trainer, 28 CHAPTER IV. The Other Part of "Woman's Mission" ... 36 CHAPTER V. Other Causes considered 44 CHAPTER VI. Reasons for a Change 53 CHAPTER VII. A Way out 59 CHAPTER VIII. Suggestions for Lecture Topics 71 CHAPTER IX. Ways of Immediate Escape 83 CHAPTER X. Means of Escape already in Operation . . . 104 CHAPTER XI. Supplementary 115 6 CONTENTS. THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. CHAPTER I. PAGE The Slaves of the Rolling-Pin 123 CHAPTER II. A Word TO THE " Men-Folks " 131 CHAPTER III. Concerning Common Things 139 CHAPTER IV. The Sewing-Circle. — How it was started . . 147 CHAPTER V. Notes taken at the Sewing-Circle .... 154 CHAPTER VI. Pebbles, or Diamonds ? 160 CHAPTER VII. Kindling-Wood 167 CHAPTER VIII. Mr. McKimber rises to explain 175 CHAPTER IX. "Turn 'em off" 181 CHAPTER X. A Look Ahead 188 CHAPTER XI. Fennel Payne and Adeline 196 CHAPTER XII. New Invention wanted " . 204 CHAPTER XIII. A Talk in the Schoolhouse 212 CHAPTER XIV. An Entertaining Meeting 220 CHAPTER XV. The Writer faces his Own Music .... 228 A DOMESTIC PEOBLEM. WORK AND CULTURE IN THE HOUSEHOLD. CHAPTER I. TAKING A VIEW OF t6e SITUATION. /^UR problem is this : How may woman enjo}' ^-^ the delights of culture, and at the same time fulfil her duties to family and household ? Perhaps it is not assuming too much to say, that, in making known the existence of such a problem, we have already taken the first step toward its solution, just as a ship's crew in distress take the first step toward relief by making a signal which calls atten- tion to thek needs. The next step — after having, as we may sa}', set our flag; at half-mast — is one which, if all we hear be true, should come easil}' to women in council, namely, talking. And talking we must have, even » A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. if, as in the social game called " Th::owing Light," much of it is done at a ventm'e. In that interest- ing little game, after a few hints have been given concerning " the word,'' different members of the company begin at once to talk about it, and think about it, and suggest and hazard descriptive re- marks, according to the idea each has formed of it ; that is, they tr}^, though in the dark, to " throw light." As the interest increases, the excitement becomes intense. Many of the ideas expressed are absurdly wide of the mark, yet even these help to show what the answer is not ; and often, by their coming in contact, a light is struck which helps amazingly. And so, in regard to our problem, we have the hints ; then why not begin at once to think about it, and talk about it, and suggest, and guess, and throw light with all our might? No matter if we even get excited, say absurd things, say utterly preposterous things, make blunders. Blunders are to be expected. Let them fly right and left ; by hitting together right smartly they may strike out sparks which shall help us find our way. We all have heard of the frank country girl who said to her bashful lover, ' ' Do say something, if it isn't quite so bright!" This, doubtless, is what TAKING A VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 9 everj^ thoughtful woman, if she expressed the sin- cere desire of her heart regarding our perplexing question, would saj'- to all other women ; and it is to comply with that wish, partly expressed to me, that I have gathered up from chance observation, chance reading, and hearsay, some ideas bearing on the subject. Suppose we begin by lookiug about us, and making clear to our minds just what this state of things is, which, because it hinders culture, many deem so unsatisfactor3\ After that, we will consider its causes, reasons for changing it, and the way or ways out of it. A few, a very few, of our women are able to live and move and have their being literally regardless of expense. These can buy of skilled assistants and competent supervisors, whole lifetimes of lei- sure ; with these, therefore, our problem has no concern. The larger class, the immense majority, either do their work themselves, or attend person- ally to its being done by others ; ' ' others ' ' signify- ing that ineflScient, untrustworth}', unstable horde who come fresh from their training in peat-bog and meadow, to cook our dinners, take care of our china dishes, and adjust the nice little internal arrangements of our dwellinors. Observing closely the lives of the immense ma- 10 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM jority, I think we shall see, that, in conducting their household affairs, the object they have in view is one and the same. I think we shall see that the}^ all strive, some by then- own labors wholly, the rest by covering over and piecing out the short- comings of "help," to present a smooth, agreeable surface to husbands and company. This smooth, agreeable surface ma}'' be compared to a piece of mosaic work composed of man}^ parts. Of the almost infinite number of those parts, and of the time, skill, and labor required to adjust them, it hath not entered, it cannot enter, into the heart of man to conceive. I wonder how long it would take to name, just merel}^ to name, all the duties which fall upon the woman who, to use a common phrase, and a true one, carries on the family. Suppose we try to count them, one by one. Doing this will help to give us that clear view of the present state of things which it is our present object to obtain ; though the idea reminds me of what the children usea to say when I was a child, " If j^ou count the stars you'll drop down dead," — a saying founded, probably, on the vastness of the undertaking com- pared with human endurance. It certainly cannot be called trivial to enumerate the duties to which TAKING A VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 11 woman consecrates so large a portion of her life, especiall}^ when we remember that into each and all of these duties she has to carry her mind. Where woman's mind must go, woman's mind or man's mind, should not scorn to follow. So let us make the attempt ; and we need not stand upon the order of our counting, but begin aK^^where. Setting tables ; clearing them off ; keeping lamps or gas-fixtures in order ; polishing stoves, knives, silverware, tinware, faucets, knobs, &c. ; washing and wiping dishes ; taking care of food left at meals ; sweeping, including the grand Friday sweep, the limited daily sweep, and the oft-recurring dust- pan sweep ; cleaning paint ; washing looking-glasses, windows, window-curtains ; canning and preserving fruit; making sauces and jellies, and "catchups" and pickles ; making and baking bread, cake, pies, puddings ; cooking meats and vegetables ; keeping in nice order beds, bedding, and bedchambers ; arranging furniture, dusting, and "picking up;" setting forth, at their due times and in due order, the thi'ee meals ; w^ashing the clothes ; ironing, including doing up shirts and other "starched things;" taking care of the bab}-, night and day; washing and dressing children, and regulating their behavior, and making or getting made, their cloth- 12 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. ing, and seeing that the same is in good repair, in good taste, spotless from dirt, and suit(jd both to the weather and the occasion ; doing for herself what her own personal needs require ; arranging flowers ; entertaining company ; nursing the sick ; "letting down" and "letting out" to suit the growing ones ; patching, darning, knitting, crochet- ing, braiding, quilting, — but let us remember the warning of the* old sajdng, and forbear in time. This, however, is only a general enumeration. This is counting the stars by constellations. Ex- amining closely these items : we shall find them made up each of a number of smaller items, and each of these again of items still smaller. What seem homogeneous are heterogeneous ; what seem simple are complex. Make a loaf of bread. That has a simple sound, yet the process is complex. First, hops, potatoes, flour, sugar, water, salt, in right proportions for the yeast. The yeast for rais- ing the yeast must be in just the right condition, aiiu added when the mixture is 'of just ,the right temperature. In " mixing up " bread, the tempera- ture of the atmosphere must be considered, the temperature of the water, the situation of the dough. The dough must rise quickly, must rise just enough and no more, must be baked in an TAKING A VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 13 oven just hot enough and no hotter, and must be ' ' tended ' ' while baking. Try clearing off tables. Remove food from plat- ters, care for the remnants, see that nothing is wasted, scrape well every plate, arrange in piles, carry out, wash in soap and water, rinse in clear water, polish with dry cloth, set away in their places, — three times a day. Taking care of the baby frequently implies carry- ing the child on one arm while working with the other, and this often after nights made sleepless by its "worrj-ing." "I've done many a baking with a child on my hip," said a farmer's wife in my hearing. But try now the humblest of household duties, one that passes for just nothing at all ; try dusting. " Take a cloth, and brush the dust off," — stated in this general way, how easy a process it seems ! The particular interpretation, is that you move, wipe, and replace every article in the room, from the piano down to the tiniest ornament ; that you " take a cloth," and go over ever}^ inch of accessible sur- face, including panelling, mop-boards, window frames and sashes, looking-glass-frames, picture- frames and cords, gas or lamp fixtures ; reaching up, tipt\)eing, climbing, stooping, kneeling, taking care 2 l4 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. that not even in the remotest corner shall appear one inch of undusted surface which any slippered individual, leaning back in his arm-chair, can spy out. These are only a few examples ; but a little obser- vation and an exceedingly little experience will show the curious inquirer that there is scarcely one of the apparently simple household operations which cannot be resolved and re-resolved into minute component parts. Thus dusting, which seems at first to consist of simply a few brushes with a cloth or bunch of feathers, when analj^zed once, is found to imply the careful wiping of every article in the room, and of all the woodwork ; ana- Ij^zed again, it implies following the marks of the cabinet-maker's tools in every bit of carving and grooving ; anal3'zed again, introducing a pointed stick under the cloth in turning corners. In fact, the investigator of household duties must do as does a distinguished scientist in anal3'zing matter, — *' continue the process of dividing as long as the parts can be discerned," and then "prolong the vision backward across the boundary of experi- mental evidence." And, if brave enough to attempt to count them, he must bear in mind that what appear tO' be blank intervals, or blurred, nebulous TAKING A VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 15 spaces, are, in reality, filled in with innumerable little duties which, through the glass of observation, vnsij be discerned quite plainl3\ Let him also bear in mind, that these household duties must be done over and over, and over and over, and as well, each time, as if done to last forever ; and, above all, that they every one require mind. Man}^ a common saying proves this last point. "Put 3'our mind on 3'our work." "Your mind must be where your work is." " She's a good hand to take hold, but she hasn't an}^ calculation." " She doesn't know how to forecast her work." "She doesn't know how to forelay." "Nancy's gittin' past carryin' her mind inter her work. Wal, I remember when I begun to git past carrjin' m}' mind inter my work," said an old woman of ninet}^, speaking of her sixty-years-old daughter. The old couplet, " Man works from rise till set of sun, But woman's work is never done, " — tells the truth. " Woman's work," as now arranged, is so varied, so all-embracing, that it cannot be " done." For every odd moment some dut}^ lies in wait. And it is generally the case, that these multi- form duties press for performance, crowds of them 16 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. at once. " So many things to be done right off, that I don't know which to take hold of first." " 'Tis just as much as I can do to keep my head above water." " Oh, dear ! I can't see through ! " '' My work drives me." " I never know what 'tis not to feel hurried." " The things I can't get done tire me more than the things I do." Such remarks have a meaning. And those who keep ' ' a girl ' ' have almost equal diflSculty in always presenting the smooth, agreeable surface just now spoken of. With the greater abilit}'- to hire help comes usually the desire to live in more expensive houses, and to furnish the same with more costly furniture. Every article added is a care added, and the nicer the article the nicer the care required. More, also, is demanded of these in the way of appearance, style, and social civilities ; and the wear and tear of superintending ' ' a girl ' ' should by no means be forgotten. At anj^ rate, the complaint, " no time to read," is frequent among women, and is not confined to any one class. We see, then, that in the present state of things it is impossible for woman — that is, the family woman, the house-mother — to enjoy the delights of culture. External activities, especially the two insatiable, all-devouring ones which know neither TAKING A VIEW OF THE SITUATION. 17 end nor beginning, — housework and sewing- work, — these demand her time, her energies, in short, demand herself, — the whole of her. Yes, the whole, and more too ; there is not enough of her to go round. There might possibly be enough, and even something left to spend on culture, were she in sound phj^sical condition ; but, alas ! a health}'" woman is scarcely to be found. This point, namely, the prevailing invalidism of woman, will come up for consideration b}^ and by, when we inquire into the causes of the present state of things. It is none too earl}^, however, to make a note of what some pM^sicians sa}^ in regard to it. ' ' Half of all who are born," says one medical writer, " die under twenty years of age ; while four-fifths of all who reach that age, and die before another score, owe their death to causes which were originated in their teens. This is a fact of startling import to fathers and mothers, and shows a fearful responsibility." Another medical writer says, "Beside the loss of so many children (nearl}'' twenty-five per cent) , soci- ety suffers seriousl}' from those who survive, their health being irremediably injured while they are still infants. . . . Ignorance and injudicious nursery management lie at the root of this evil." We must be sure not to forget that this prevailing 2* 18 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. invalidism of women, which is one hinderaiice to their obtaining culture, can be traced directly back to the ignorance of mothers, for this point has an important bearing on the solution of our problem. ONE CAUSE OF THE SITUATION. 19 CHAPTER n. one cause of the situation. a part of "woman's mission" considered. npHE question, How may work and culture be combined? was recently submitted, in my hearing, to a highly intelligent lady. She answered with a sigh, " It can't be done. I've tried it ; but, as things are now, it can't be done." By " as things are now ' ' she meant, with the established ideas regarding dress, food, appearance, style, and the objects for which woman should spend her time and herself. Suppose we investigate the causes of the present state of things, which, as being a hinder- ance to culture, is to us so unsatisfactory. A little reflection will enable us to discover several. Chief among them all, I think, is one which may require close inspection before it is recognized to be such. It seems to me that the great underlying cause — the cause of all the other causes — is the want of in- sight, the uner.lightenment, which prevails concern- 20 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. mg, not what woman's mission is, but the ways and means b}" which she is to accomplish it. Let us consider this. Those who claim the right of defining it never can say often enough that the true mission of woman is to train up her children rightly, and to make home happy ; and no doubt we all agree with them. But have we, or have the}", a full sense of what woman requires to fit her even for the first of these duties ? Suppose a philosopher in disguise on a tour of observation from some distant isle or planet should favor us with a visit. He finds himself, we will sa}-, on a spot not a hundi^ed miles from New York or Boston or Chicago. Among the objects which attract his attention are the little children drawn along in their little chaises. "Are these beautiful creatures of any value?" he asks of a bystander. " Certainly. They are the hope of the country. They will grow up into men and women w^ho w^ill take our places." " I suppose there is no danger of their growing up any other than the right kind of men and women, such as 3^our country needs ? ' ' " On the contrar}", there is every danger. Evil influences surround them from their birth. These ONE CAUSE OF THE SITUATION. 21 beautiful creatures have in them the possibilities of becoming mean, base, corrupt, treacherous, deceit- ful, cruel, false, revengeful ; of becoming, in fact, unworthy and repulsive in many ways. Why, all our criminals, our drunkards, liars, thieves, bur- glars, murderers, were once innocent little children like these!" " And whether these will become like those, or not, depends on chance ? ' ' " Oh, no ! It depends largely on training, espe- cially on earty training. Children are like wax to receive impressions, like marble to retain them." " Are the}^ constituted pretty nearty alike, so that the treatment which is best for one is best for all ? " " By no means. Even those in the same family are often extremely unlike. They have different temperaments, dispositions, propensities. Some require urging, others checking. Some do better with praise, others without : the same of blame. It requires thought and discernment to know what words to speak, how many to speak, and when to speak them. In fact, a child's nature is a piece of delicate, complex machinery, and each one requires a separate study ; for, as its springs of action are concealed, the operator is liable at an}^ time to touch the wrong one." 22 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. '* And mistakes here will affect a child through its whole lifetime? " " They will affect it through all eternity." ' ' But who among you dare make these early impressions which are to be so enduring ? Who are the operators on these delicate and complex pieces of mental machinery? " * ' Oh ! the mothers alwaj^s have the care of the children. This is their mission, — the chief dut}^ of their lives." "But how judicious, how comprehensive, must be the course of education which will fit a person for such an office ! ' ' "Do 3'ou think so? Hem! Well, it is not generally considered that a woman who is going to marry and settle down to family life needs much education." "You mean, doubtless, that she only receives the special instruction which her vocation requires." ' ' Special instruction ? ' ' " Yes. K woman's special vocation is the train- i.^g of children, of course she is educated speciall}'- with a view to that vocation." ' ' Well, I never heard of such a kind of educa- tion. But here is one of our young mothers ; she can tell 3'ou all about it." ONE CAUSE OF THE SITUATION. 23 We will suppose, now, that our philosopher is left with the young mother, who names over what she learned at the " institute." " And the training of children — moral, intellect- ual, and physical — was no doubt made a prominent subject of consideration." "Training of children? Oh, no! That would have been a curious kind of study." " Where, then, were j^ou prepared for the duties of 3'our mission ? ' ' ' ' What mission do you mean ? ' ' '' Your mission of child- training." " I had no preparation." "No preparation? But are you acquainted with the different temperaments a child may have, and the different combinations of them? Are you com- petent to the direction and culture of the intellect- ual and moral nature ? Have you skill to touch the hidden springs of action? Have you, thus unin- structed, the power, the knowledge, the wisdom, requisite for guiding that mighty force, a child's soul?" " Alas ! there is hardly a day that I do not feel my ignorance on all these points." ' ' Are there no sources from which knowledge may be obtained ? There must be books written on these subjects." 24 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. " Possibly ; but I have no time to read them/' "No time? — no time to prepare for yonr chief mission? " "It is our mission only in print. In real life it plays an extremely subordinate part." " What, then, in real life, is your mission? " " Chiefl}^ cooking and sewing." " Your husband, then, does not share the common belief in regard to woman's chief dut3^" " Oh, yes! I have heard him express it many a time ; though I don't think he comprehends what a woman needs in order to do her dut}^ b}'' her chil- dren. But he loves them dearty. If one should die he would be heart-broken." "Is it a common thing here for children to die?" " I am grieved to saj^ that nearly one-fourth die in infancy." " And those who live, — do they grow up in full health and vigor ? ' ' " Oh, indeed they do not! Why, look at our crowded hospitals ! Look at the apothecaries' shops at almost every corner. Look at the advertisements of medicines. Don't you think there's meaning in these, and a meaning in the long rows of five- etory swell-front houses occupied by ph^^sicians. ONE CAUSE OF THE SITUATION. 25 and a meaning in the people themselves? There's scarcely one of them but has some ailment." '' But is this matter of health subject to no laws?" " The phrase, ' laws of health,' is a familiar one, but I don't know what those laws are." " Mothers, then, are not in the habit of teaching them to their children ? ' ' " The}' are not themselves acquainted with them." '' Perhaps this astonishing ignorance has some- thing to do with the fearful mortalit}^ among in- fants. Do not husbands provide their wives with books and other means of information on this sub- ject?" *' Generally speaking, they do nothing of the kind." " And does not the subject of hj^gienic laws, as applied to the rearing of children, come into the courses of study laid out for young women ! ' ' " No, indeed. Oh, how I wish it had! — and those other matters you mentioned. I would give up every thing else I ever learned for the sake of knowing how to bring up my children, and how to keep them in health." '' The presidents and professors of 3-our educa 26 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. tional institutions, — do the}' share the common belief as to woman's mission? " " Oh, yes ! They all say that the chief business of woman is to train up her children." {Philosopher' s solo . ) '' There seems to be blindness and stupidity somewhere among these people. From what they saj^ of the diJfficulty of bringing up their children, it must take an archangel to do it rightly ; still they do not think a woman who is married and settles down to family life needs much education ! More- over, in educating 3^oung women, that which is uni- versally acknowledged to be the chief business of their lives receives not the least attention." If our philosopher continued his inquiries into the manners and customs of our countrj'^, he must have felt greatly encouraged ; for he would have found that it is only in this one direction that we show such blindness and stupidity. He would have found that in every other occupation we demand prepara- tion. The individual who builds our ships, cuts our coats, manufactures our watches, superintends our machinery, takes charge of our cattle, our trees, our flowers, must know how, must have been espe- cially prepared for his calling. It is only character- moulding, onl}' shaping the destinies of immortal ONE CAUSE OF THE SITUATION. 27 beings, for which we demand neither preparation nor a knowledge of the business. It is only of our children that we are resigned to lose nearly one- fourth by death, " owing to ignorance and injudi- cious nursery management." Were this rate of mortality declared to exist among our domestic ani- mals, the community would be aroused at once. 28 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. CHAPTER III. CULTURE PROVED TO BE A NEED OF THE CHILD- TRAINER. npERHAPS some day the commuiiity may come to perceive that woman requires for her voca- tion what the teacher, the preacher, the lawyer, and the physician, require for theirs ; namely, special preparation and general culture. The first, because every vocation demands special preparation ; and the second, because, to satisfy the requirements of j^oung minds, she will need to draw from almost everj^ kind of knowledge. And we must remember here, that the advantages derived from culture are not wholly an intellectual gain. We get from books and other sources of culture not merely what informs the mind, but that which warms the heart, quickens the sjTnpathies, strengthens the understanding ; get clearness and breadth of vision, get refining and ennobling influences, get wisdom in its truest and most comprehensive sense ; and all of these, the last CULTURE A NEED OF THE CHILD-TRAINER. 29 more than all, a mother needs for her high calling. That it is a high calling, we have high authority to show. Dr. Channing says, " No office can compare in importance with that of training a child." Yet the office is assumed without preparation. Herbert Spencer asks, in view of this omission, " What is to be expected when one of the most intricate of problems is undertaken by those who have given scarcely a thought as to the principles on which its solution depends ? Is the unfolding of a human being so simple a process that any one may superintend and regulate it with no preparation whatever ? . . . Is it not madness to make no pro- vision for such a task ? ' ' Horace Mann speaks out plainly, and straight to the point. ' ' If she is to prepare a refection of cakes, she fails not to examine some cookery-book or some manuscript receipt, lest she should convert her rich ingredients into unpalatable compounds ; but with- out ever having read one book upon the subject of education, without ever having sought one conver- sation with an intelligent person upon it, she under- takes so to mingle the earthly and celestial elements of instruction for that child's soul that he shall be fitted to discharge all duties below, and to enjoy all blessings above." And again, " Influences imper- 3* 30 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. ceptible in childhood, work out more and more broadljT^ into beaut}^ or deformity in after life. No unskilful hand should ever play upon a harp where the tones are left forever in the strings.'* In a newspaper I find this amusingly significant sentence : " Truthfully, indeed, do the Papists boast that the Episcopal Church is training-ground for Rome. The female mind is frequently enticed by display of vestments and music ; and, if the Ritualists can pervert the mothers, they know that the next generation is theirs." This is signifi- cant, because it signifies that, however weak and easy of enticement the ' ' female mind ' ' may be, it has a might}' power to influence the j'^oung. But we can show not only opinions and prophe- cies, but the results of actual scientific experiments. A recent number of " The Popular Science Monthly ' ' contains an account of experiments made in Jamaica upon the mental capacity for learning of the different races there existing. The experi- menter found, he says, " unequal speed," but saw ' ' nothing which can be unmistakably referred to difi'erence of race. The rate of improvement is due almost entirely to the relative elevation of the home circle in which the children live. Those who are restricted to the narrowest gauge of intellectual CULTURE A NEED OF THE CHILD-TRAINER. 31 exercise live in such a material and coarse medium that their mental faculties remain slumbering ; while those who hear at home of many things, and are brought up to intellectual employments, show a cor responding proficienc}' in learning." This, and the editor's comments, bear directly on our side, that is to say, the culture side. The editor says it is inevitable "that the medium in which the child is habitually immersed, and by which it is continually and unconsciously impressed, should have much greater value in the formation of mental character than the mere lesson experiences of school. Home education is, after all, the great fact ; and it is domestic influences b}- which the characters of children are formed. Where men are exhausted by business, and women are exhausted by society (or other means) , we may be pretty sure that but little can be done to shape and conduct the home with a reference to the higher mental needs of the children who live in it." Now, who, more than any one, " shapes and con- ducts the home"? Who creates these "domestic infiuences," this "medium in which the child is habitually immersed " ? Woman. In the name of common sense, then, throw open to woman every avenue of knowledge. Surround her with all that 32 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. will elevate and refine. Give her the highest, broadest, truest culture. Give her chances to draw inspiration from the beautiful in nature and in art. And, above all, insure her some respite from labor, and some tranquillitj^ Unless these conditions are observed, " but little can be done to shape and con- duct the home with reference to the higher mental needs of the children who live in it." I once heard ' ' Grace Greenwood ' ' tell a little stor}^ which ought to come in here, for our own object is to make out as strong a case as we possibly can. We want to prove that mothers must have culture because they are mothers. We want to show it to be absolutely necessary for woman, in the accomplishment of her acknowledged mission. When this fact is recognized, then culture will take rank with essentials, and receive attention as such. " Grace Greenwood" said that a friend of hers, a teacher "out West," had in her school four or five children from one family. The parents were poor, ignorant, and of the kind commonl}^ called low, coarse sort of people. The children, with one exception, were stupid, rough-mannered, and de- praved. The one exception, a little girl, showed such refinement, appreciation, and quickness of apprehension, that the teacher at last asked the CULTURE A NEED OF THE CHILD-TRAINER. 33 mother if she could account for the striking differ- ence between this child and its brothers and sisters. The mother could not. The children had been brought up together there in that lonely place, had been treated alike, and had never been separated. She knew the little girl was ver}^ different from her brothers and sisters, but knew not the reason why. The teacher then asked, "Was there any thing in your mode of life for the months preceding her I birth, that there was not in the corresponding time before the births of the others ? ' ' The mother at first answered decidedly that there was nothing ; but after thinking a fcAv moments said, "Well, there was one, a ver}^ small thing, but that couldn't have had any thing to do with the matter. One day a peddler came along ; and among his books was a prett}^, red-covered poetr}^ book, and I wanted it bad. But my husband said he couldn't afford it, and the peddler went off. I couldn't get that book out of my mind : and in the night I took some of my own money, and travelled on foot to the next town, found the peddler, bought the book, and got back before morning, and was never missed from the house. That book was the greatest comfort to me that ever was. I read it over and over, up to the day my child was born." 34 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. Also would come in well here that oft-told stor}'' of a pauper named " Margaret," who was once '' set adrift in a village of the county . . . and left to grow up as best she could, and from whom have descended two hundred criminals. The whole number of this girl's descendants, through six generations, is nine hundred ; and besides the ' two hundred ' a large number have been idiots, imbe- ciles, drunliards, lunatics, and paupers." Friends, to say nothing of higher motives, would > it net be good polic}^ to educate wisely every" girl in the country? Are not mothers, as child-trainers, in absolute need of true culture ? In cases where fam- ilies depend on the labor of their girls, perhaps the State would make a saving even by compensating these families for the loss of such labor. Perhaps it would be cheaper, even in a pecuniary sense, for the State to do this, than to support reformatory establishments, prisons, almshouses, and insane- as3iums, with their necessar}" retinues of officials. Institutions in which these girls were educated might be made self-supporting, and the course of instruction might include different kinds of handi- craft. It was poor economy for the State to let that pauper " grow up as best she could." It would CULTURE A NEED OF THE CHILD-TRAINER. 35 probably have been money in the State's pocket had It surrounded "Margaret" in her earl}-^ childhood with the choicest productions of art, engaged com- petent teachers to instruct her in the solid branches, in the accomplishments, in hygiene, in the principles and practice of integrity, and then have given her particular instruction in all matters connected with the training of children. And had she developed a remarkable taste for painting, for modelling, or for music, the State could better have afforded even sending her to Italy, than to have taken care of those " two hundred criminals," besides " a large .lumber" of " idiots, imbeciles, drunkards, lunatics, and paupers." 36 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. CHAPTER IV. THE OTHER PAUT OF " WOMAN 's MISSION." RUF- FLES VERSUS READING. THE CULTIVATION OP THE FINGERS. "1" ET US leave for a while this matter of child- -^~^ training, and consider the other part of wo- man's mission, — namely, "making home happy." It would seem that even for this the wife should be at least the equal of her husband in culture, in order that the two may be in sympathy. When a loving couple many, they unite their interests, and it is in this union of interests that they find happiness. We often hear from a wife or a husband remarks like these : " I only half enjoyed it, because he (or she) wasn't there ; " "It will be no pleasure to me unless he (or she) is there too;" " The compau}'' were charming, but still I felt lonesome there with- out him (or her)." The phrase "half enjo}' " gives the idea ; for a s_^anpathetic couple are to such a degree one that a pleasure which comes to either THE OTHER PART OF ''WOMAN'S MISSION:' 37 singly can only be half enjoyed, and even this half- joy is lessened by the consciousness of what the other is losing. In a rather sarcastic article, taken from an English magazine, occur a few sentences which illustrate this point very well. The writer is describing a honeymoon : — "The real difficulty is to be entertaining. The one thirst of the young bride is for amusement, and she has no idea of amusing herself. It is diverting to see the spouse of this ideal creature wend his way to the lending library, after a week of idealism, and the relief with which he carries home a novel. How often, in expectation, has he framed to himself imaginary talks, — talk brighter and wittier than that of the friends he forsakes ! But conversation is difficult in the case of a refined creature who is as isrnorant as a Hottentot. He beorins with the new Miltonic poem, and finds she has never looked into ' Paradise Lost.' He plunges into the Reform Bill ; but she knows nothing of politics, and has never read a leading article in her life. Then she tries him, in her turn, and floods him with the dead chat of the town and an ocean of family tattle. He finds himself shut up for weeks with a creatui'e who takes an interest in nothing but Uncle Cross- patch's temper and the scandal about Lady X. 4 58 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. Little by little the absolute pettiness, the dense dulness, of woman's life, breaks on the disenchanted devotee. His deity is without occupation » without thought, without resources. He has a faint faith in her finer sensibility, in her poetic nature : he fetches his Tennj^son from his carpet-bag, and wastes ' In Memoriam ' on a critic who pronounces it pretty ! ' ' In cases of this kind, the half-jo}" is strikingly apparent. We see that a husband possessing cul- ture is likel}' to be lonesome among his poets and his poetr}'', his works of reform, and his lofty ideas, unless — she is there too. K it be said that learned women are prone to think lightly of home comforts and home duties, to despise phj^sical labor, to look down on the ignorant, let us hasten to reply that learning is not culture, and that we want not learned mothers, but enlightened mothers , wisely educated mothers . And let us stead- fastly and perseveringly assert that enlightenment and a wise education are essential to the accomplish- ment of the mother's mission. When the house- father feels the truth of this, then shall we see him bringing home every publication he can lay his hands on which treats intelligently of mental, moral, or ph3'sical training. Then shall we hear him saying to the house-mother, " Cease, I pray j^ou, this ever- THE OTHER FART OF ''WOMAN'S MISSION:' 39 lasting toil. Read, stud}^, rest. With your solemn responsibilities, it is madness thus to spend 3'ourself, thus to waste yourself. ' ' In his home shall the true essentials assume that position which is theirc by right, and certain occupations connected with that clamorous square inch of surface in the upper part of the mouth shall receive only their due share of atten- tion. For in one way or another, either by lessening the work or by hiring workers, the mother shall have her leisure. And what will women, what will the house-moth- ers, do when the}'" feel this truth ? Certainly not as they now do. Now it is their custom to fill in every chink and crevice of leisure time with sewing. " Look," sai.l a 3'oung mother to me : "I made all these myself, when holding the bab}^ or b}^ sitting up nights." They were children's clothes, beauti- fully made, and literally covered with ruffies and embroidery. Oh the thousands of stitches ! The ruffles ran up and down, and over and across, and three times round. Being white, the garments were of course changed daily. In the intervals of baby- tending, the mother snatched a few minutes here and a few minutes there to starch, iron, flute, or crimp a ruffle, or to finish off a dress of her own. This " finishins: off" was carried on for weeks. When 40 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. her haby was asleep, or was good, or had its little ruffles all fluted, and its little sister's little ruffles were all fluted, then would she seize the opportunitj^ to stitch, to plait, to flounce, to pucker, and to braid. Wherever a hand's breadth of the original material was left visible, some bow, or band, or queer device, was fashioned and sewed on. This zealous indi- vidual, b}' improving ever}' moment, b^' sitting up nights, by working with the baby across her lap, accomplished her task. The dress was finished, and worn with unutterable complacency-. It is this last part which is the worst part. Thej- have no mis- givings, these mothers. The}- expect 3"our warm approval. " I can't get a minute's time to read,'* said this industrious person ; and, on another occa- sion, " I'll own up, I don't know any thing about taking care of children." Swift, speaking of women, said that the}' " employ more thought, memory, and application to become fools than would serve to make them wise and useful ; ' ' and perhaps he spoke trul}'. For suppose this young mother had been as eager to gain ideas as she was to accomplish a bias band, a French fold, or a flounce. Suppose that, in the intervals of baby-tending, instead of fluting her little girls' ruffles and embroidering their garments, she had ti'ied to snatch some information wh ch THE OTHER PART OF "WOMAN'S MISSIONS 41 would help her in the bringing up of those little girls. The truth is, mothers take their leisure time for what seems to them to be first in importance. It is eas}^ to see what the}^ consider essentials, and what, from them, children are learning to consider essentials. The " knowingness " of some of our children on subjects connected with dress is simply appalling. A girl of eight or ten summers will take you in at a glance, from topmost plume to boot-tap, b}' items and collectivel}', anal^'tically and s^'ntheticall}^ She discourses, in technical terms, of the fall of your draper}^, the propriety of j'oar trimmings, and the effect of this, that, or the other. She has a proper appreciation of what is French in your attire, and a proper scorn of what is not. She recognizes " real lace " in a twinkle of her e^'e, and " all wool " with a touch of her finger-tips. Plainly clad school-children are often made to suffer keenly by the cutting remarks of other school-children sumptuously arrayed. A little girl aged six, return- ing from a childs's party, exclaimed, " O mamma! What do you think ? Bessie had her dress trimmed with lace, and it wasn't real ! " The law, "No child shall walk the street in a plain dress," is just as practically a law as if it had been enacted b}'' the legal authorities. Mothers 4* 42 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. obey its high behests, and dare not rebel against it. Look at our little girls going to school, each with her tucks and ruffles. Who "gets time" to do all that sewing ? where do they get it, and at what sacrifices ? A goodl}' number of stitches and mo- ments go to the making and putting on of even one ruffle on one skirt. Think of all the stitches and moments necessary for the making and putting of all the ruffles on all the skirts of the several little girls often belonging to one famil}' ! What a prospect before her has a mother of little girls ! And there is no escape, not even in common sense. A woman considered sensible in the very highest degree will dress her little girl like other little girls, or perish in the attempt. How many do thus perish, or are helped to perish, we shall never know. A frail, delicate w^oman said to me one day, " Oh, I do hope the fashions will change before Sissy grows up, for I don't see how it will be possible for me to make her clothes." You observe her submissive, law-abiding spirit. The possibility of evading the law never even suggests itself. There is many a feeble mother of grown and growing " Sissj^s " to whom the spring or fall dressmaking appears like an avalanche coming to overwhelm her, or a Jugger- naut coming to roll over her. She asks not, " How THE OTHER PART OF ''WOMAN'S MISSION." 43 shall I escape? " but, " How shall I endure? " Let her console herself. These semi-annual experiences are all " mission." All sewing is " mission ; " all cooking is "mission." It matters not what sne cooks, nor what she sews. "Domestic," and worthy all praise, does the community consider that woman who keeps her hands emplo^'ed, and is bodily present with her children inside the house. But her bodilj^ presence, even with mother love and longing to do her best, is not enough. There should be added two things, — knowledge and wis- dom. These, however, she does not have, because to obtain them are needed what she does not get, — leisure, tranquillit}^, and the various resources and appliances of culture ; also because their importance is not felt even by herself; also because the com- munity does not jxt see that she has need of them. And this brings us round to the point we started from, — namely, that the present unsatisfactory state of things is owing largely to the want of 'nsight, or unenlightenment, which prevails con- cerning what woman needs and must have in order rightly to fulfil her mission. 44 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. CHAPTER V. OTHER CAUSES CONSIDERED. MASCULINE IDEA OF woman's WORK. A NOTHER supporting cause, as we maj' call it, of the existing state of things is the igno- rance of mankind concerning the cost of cariying on the famil}^, — not the cost to themselves in mone}^, but the cost to woman in endurance. Of its power to exhaust her vital forces thej^ have not the remo- test idea. Each of its little ten-minute duties seems so trifling that to call it work appears absurd. The} do not reflect that often a dozen of these ten-minute duties must be crowded into an hour which holds but just six ten-minutes ; that her da}^ is crowded with these crowded hours ; that consequently she can never be free from hurr}^ and that constant hurry is a constant strain upon her in ever}^ way. The}^ them- selves, they think, could do up the work in half the time, and not feel it a bit. 'Scarcely a man of them but thinks the dishes might be just rinsed oflf imder THE OTHER PART OF ''WOMAN'S MISSION :' 45 the faucet, and stood up to dry. Scarcel)- a man of them who, if this were tried, would not cast more than inquiring glances at his trencher ; for it is alwa^'s what is not done that a man sees. If one chair-round escapes dusting, it is that chair-round which he particularl}' notices. In his mind then are two ideas : one is of the whole long da}^, the other of that infinitesimal undone duty. The remark visible on his countenance is this: "The whole day, and no time to dust a chair-round ! ' ' ** The painful warrior famoused for fight, After a thousand victories, once foiled. Is from the book of honor razed quite, And all the rest forgot for which she toiled." Many a toiling housewife, warring against untidi- ness, has felt the truth of these lines, though she may not have known that the great poet embodied it in w^ords. One mistake of man's is, that he does not look upon the tidy state of a room as a result, but as one into which, if left to itself, it would naturally fall and remain. We know, alas ! too well, that every room not only has within itself possibilities of un- tidiness, but that its constant tendenc}^ is in that direction, which tendency can only be checked by 46 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. as constant a vigilance. Again, husbands do not always seem to understand plain English. There are certain expressions in common use among women, which, if husbands did understand plain English, would make them sadder and wiser men. *' I'm completely used up;" "I never know what 'tis to feel rested ; " " I'm too tired to sleep ; " " I'm as tired in the morning as when I go to bed ; ' ' " Every nerve in me throbs so that I can't go to sleep ; " " The life has all gone out of me ; " *' I am crazed with cares ; " " The care is worse than the work ; " " Nothing keeps that woman about the house but her ambition; " " It is the excitement of work that keeps her up." Now, how is it that a woman works on after she is completely used up ? What is the substance, the capacit}' of this "ambition" on which alone she lives? A friend of mine, in answer to a suggestion that she should stop and take a few daj^s' rest, said, "I don't dare to stop. If I let down, if I give way for ever so little while, I never could go on again." Think of living always in this state of tension ! The dictionary definition of " tension" is " a pecu- liar, abnormal, constrained condition of the parts, arising from the action of antagonistic forces, in which they endeavor to return to their natural OTHER CAUSES CONSIDERED. 47 state." Exactly. There are thousands of women in just this condition, sustained there by the daily pressure and excitement of hurry, and by a stern, unyielding " must." In the treadmill of their house- hold labor, breakfast, dinner, and supper revolve in ceaseless course, and they must step forward to meet them. And, when more of her vitality is ex- pended daily than is daily renewed by food and rest, woman does, actually and without any figure of speech, use herself up. Yes, she burns herself for fuel, and goes down a wreck, — not always to death ; often it is to a condition made wretched b}' suffer- ing, sometimes to insanit}''. I would not have believed this last had I not found it in print. In an English magazine occurs the following passage: "Some whose e^-es follow these lines will recollect disagreeable seasons w^hen their attention was distracted by conflicting cares and claims ; when no one thing, however urgent, could be* finished, owing to the intrusion of one or more inevitable distractions. A continued course of such inroads on the mind's serenity could be sup- ported but by few intellects. Most pitiable is the mind's state after some hours of such distracting occupation, in which every business interferes with every other, and none is satisfactorily accomplished. 48 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. Where there is a tendency to insanity it is sure to be developed b}^ such an undesirable state of things." This is fit!}' supplemented by a statement made in an American magazine : ' ' We are told that the woman's wards in the New England insane asylums are filled with middle-aged wives — mothers — driven there by overwork and anxi^et}-." Not long since, I heard Mr. Whittier tell the story of a woman who attempted suicide by throw- ing herself into the water. ' ' Discouragement ' ' was the reason she assigned for committing so dreadful a deed, — discouragement at the never-ending rou- tine of household labor, and from feeling herself utterl}' unable to go on with it. This, w^ith care, want of riecreation, and long confinement in-doors, had probably caused temporary insanity. The " never-endingness " of woman's work is something to be considered. A wide-awake writer, speaking of husbands and wives, saj's, "The out- door air, the stir, the change of ideas, the passing word for this man or that, unconsciousl}' refresh, and lift him from the cankering care of work. . . . His work msiy be heavier, but it wears him on one side only. He has his hours sacred to business to give to his brief, his sermon, his shop. There is no drain on the rest of his faculties. She has not a power of OTHER CAUSES CONSIDERED, 49 mind, a skill of bod}', which her daily life does not draw upon. She asks nothing better of fate than that whatever strength she has of bod}- and mind shall be drained for her husband and children. Now, this spirit of mart3'rdom is a very good thing when it is necessary. For our part, we see no occasion for it here." This is the point exactly. The " mar- tyrdom," too often, is for objects not of the highest importance. The lack of appreciation of woman's work, as shown by man-kind in the newspapers, would be amusing, were it not saddening. Articles, dictating with solemn pomposity " what every mar- ried woman should be able to do," often appear in print, and these embodiments of (masculine) wis- dom editors are eager to cop)\ ' ' Every married woman should be able to cut and make her own, her husband's, and her children's clothes." The hus- band reads, — aloud of course, this time, — and nods approval. "To be sure, that would make a sav- ing." The wife hears, and sighs, and perhaps blames herself that on account of her incapacity money is wasted. What the newspaper says must be true. Perhaps b}^ sitting up later, by getting up earlier, b}^ hurrying more, and by never setting her foot outside the door, she might follow this sugges- tion. " Ever}^ married woman" whose boys take 50 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. to reading should snip such newspaper articles into shreds, burn them up, and bury the ashes. Another cause of the present state of things is the lowness of the standard which has been set up for woman to attain. We have glanced at some of the things which are expected of the woman who carries on the family. What is not expected is a point of no less significance. Neither husbands nor compan}^ claim the right to expect, in that smooth, agreeable surface mentioned at the beginning, the results of mental culture. They may be gi-atified at finding them ; but so long as the woman is amia- ble, thrifty, efl3cient, and provides three good meals every day, they feel bound not to complain. Here are the ten " Attributes of a Wife," as gi'ouped by one of the world's famous writers : note what he allots to education : " Four to good temper, two to good sense, one to wit, one to beaut}' ; the remain- ing two to be divided among other qualities, as for- tune, connection, education or accomplishments, family, and so on. Divide these two parts as 3'ou please, these minor proportions must all be expressed by fractions. Not one among them is entitled to the dignit}' of an integer." The prevalent belief that woman is in some degree subordinate to man, is rather taken for OTHER CAUSES CONSIDERED. 51 granted than expressly taught, as witness a certain kind of legend often told to 3'oung girls: "Once upon a time a 3'oung man, visiting a strange house, saw a damsel putting dough into pans, and saw that the dough which stuck to the platter was left stick- ing there ; whereupon the young man said, ' This is not the wife for me.' " In another house he sees a damsel who leaves not the dough which sticks to the platter ; and he says, " This is the wife for me." Another young man offers to successive maidens a skein of tangled silk to wind. The first sa^-s, " I can't;" the second tries, and gives up; the third makes a quick job of it with her scissors ; the fourth spends hours in patiently untangling, and is chosen. Now, what shows the state of public sen- timent is the fact that in none of these legends is it intimated that the young man was fortunate in secur- ing a thrifty or a patient wife. It was the thrifty or patient young woman who was fortunate in being selected hj a young man, — by any 3'oung man ; for the character of the youth is never stated. There is an inference, also, in the second one given, that the "hours" of a 3'oung woman can be em- ploj^ed to no better purpose than that of untangling a skein of silk. All this is throwino; lisht on our problem, for so long as so much is expf.icted of 52 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. woman physically, and so little in the way of mental acquirements ; so long as it is taken for granted that she is a subordinate being, that to contribute to the phj'sical comfort and pleasure of man, and gain his approval, are the highest purposes of her existence, • — it will not be considered essential that she should acquire culture. These aims are by no means un- hnportant ones, or unworthy ones ; but are they in all cases the highest a woman should possess ? REASONS FOR A CHANGE. 53 CHAPTER VI. REASONS FOR A CHANGE. THE EARLY TRAINING OP WOMEN. COMMON FALLACIES. THE EDUCATION OF MOTHERS. "T TAVHSTG glanced at the present state of -^ — things, and at some of its causes, let us show reasons why it should be changed. A sufficient reason is, because it dwarfs the intel- lect, ruins the health, and shortens the lives, of so man}" women. Another reason is, that whereas the husband may keep himself informed on matters of general interest in literature, art, science, and progress, while the wife must give her mind to domestic activities, there is danger of the two grow- ing apart, which growing apart is destructive of that perfect sympathy so essential to the happiness of married life. A certain librarian remarked. " If a man wants a book for himself, I pick out a solid work ; if for his wife, a somewhat light and trifling one." Third, because human beings have so much 5* 54 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. in common, are so closely connected, that the good of all requires the good of each, and each of all. And here is where the shortsightedness of the aristoc racy of wealth and the aristocracy of sex are strik- ingly apparent. They fail to see that the very infe- riorit}^ of what are called the inferior classes re-acts on the superior classes. We all know how it is in the human body. An injury to one small bone in the foot may cause distress which shall be felt ' ' all over," and shall disturb the operations of the lordly brain itself. So in the body social. The wealthy and refined, into whose luxurious dwellings enters no unsightly, no uncleanly object, may say to them- selves, " Never mind those poor wretches down at the other end, huddled together in their filthy tene- ments. They are ignorant, the}^ don't know how to get along ; but their condition doesn't concern us, so long as our houses are light, clean, and airy." Those poor wretches, however, because they are ignorant, because they don't know how " to get along," because they live huddled together in filth}' tenements, breathing foul air, starving on bad food, become a read}' prey to infectious diseases. The infectious diseases spread. Men of wealth, from the refined and cleanl}- quarters, encounter in their REASONS FOR A CHANGE. 55 business walks representatives from the degraded and disgusting quarter, and take from them the seeds of those diseases ; or, on some fatal day, a miasma from the corruption of the degraded quarter is wafted in at the windows of the luxurious dwell- ings, and the idols of those dwellings are strick'^n down. So in the body politic. The wise and well- to-do enact laws, obedience to which is for the general good. The ignorant and poverty-stricken, because of their unenlightened condition, cannot see that obedience is for the good of all, and break those laws. Hence crimes, the effects of which the wise and well-to-do are made to feel, and for the punishment of which they are made to pay. It is the same with man and woman. Man says, "Let woman manage her domestic concerns, attend to her children, and gain the approbation of her hus- band. These are her chief duties, and for these little culture is needed." But woman becomes the mother of sons who become men ; and the character, condition, and destiny of those sons who become men are, as we have seen, determined largely b}' the condition, pre-natal and post-natal, of the mothers. So that the ignorance in which woman is kept by man re-acts on man. A fourth reason for a change is, that we live in a 06 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. republic. In a republic every man has a voice in public affairs. Ever}'- man is first a child ; and children, commonly speaking, are what the mother's influence helps to make them. Therefore, if j^ou would have the country wisely, honestly, and decently governed, give the children the right kind of mothers. If the community knew its own interests, it would not merely permit women all possible means of culture, but would force all possible means of culture upon them. It would say, " We can't afford that you exhaust 3^ourselves by labor, that 3'ou fritter yourselves awa}' in vani- ties ; for by your deficiencies we all suffer, b}' jour losses we all lose." But mark how stupid the communit}' is. It desires that all its members shall possess wisdom and integ- rity ; it declares that, in regard to character, a great deal depends on early training ; it declares that this early training is the duty of mothers ; and yet it does not take the next step, and say. Therefore mothers should be qualified for their duty, and have every facility for performing it satisfactoril}^ It asserts with great solemnit}^, "Just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined," then gives all its twigs into the hands of mothers, saj'ing, "Here, bend REASONS FOR A CHANGE. 57 these : it makes a terrible difference how they are bent, but then it is not important that 3'ou have given any attention to the process." Or, to vary the statement, the comrcunity virtually addresses woman in this way : " A fearful responsibilit}^ rests upon you. It is the responsibility of training these young, immortal souls. This is your mission, your high and holy calling. You will, however, get little time to attend to it ; and, as for any special preparation or knowledge of the subject, none is required. There's a great deal of delicate and complex machinery to superintend, and a mistake will tell fearfully in the result ; but, never mind, we'll trust luck." " Do we not," as Horace Mann once asked, "do we not need some single Avord where we can condense into one monosyllable the meaning of ten thousand fools?" Some deu}^ the power of early training. " Look ! " they sa}^, " there is a family of children brought up just alike, and see how differentl}^ they all turn out." But a family of children should not be brought up just alike. Different temperaments require different treatment. And this is exactly the point where knowledge is necessary, and a wisdom almost superhuman. That 68 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. character is the result of " inherited traits," as well as of education, does not affect the case, since chil- dren ' ' inherit ' ' from mothers and the sons of mothers. A WAY OUT. 59 CHAPTER VII. A WAT OUT. "T^UT suppose we leave this part of our subject, -^-^ and endeavor now to find a way out of this present state of things. Let us keep the situation clearly before us. As things are, woman cannot obtain culture because of being overburdened with work and care, and also because of her enfeebled condition phj'sically. To what is this present state of things owing ? Largely to the unworthy views of both men and women concerning the essentials of life, and concerning the requirements of woman's vocation. And these unworthy views of men and women, to what are they owing? In a ver}- great measure to early impressions. Who, chief!}', are responsible for these? Mothers. They are also, as has been shown, responsible for the larger part of the prevailing invalidism of woman. Let us be sure to bear in mind that these evils, these hinderances to culture, can be traced directlv back to the influence 60 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. and the ignorance of mothers ; for here is where the whole thing hinges. Here is a basis to build upon. Child-training is at the beginning. Child-training is woman's work. Everybod}^ sa3^s so. The wise say so. The foolish say so. The " oak and vine " man says so. The " private wa^^, dangerous pass- ing " man says so. Yer}^ good. If this is woman's work, educate her for her work. If "educate" isn't the right word, instruct her, inform her, teach her, prepare her ; name the process as 3'ou choose, so that it enables her to comprehend the nature of her business, and qualifies her to perform its duties. She requires not only general culture, but special preparation, a technical preparation if 3'ou will. Let this come in as the supplementary part of what is called her education. Many will pronounce this absurd ; but wh}^ is it absurd? Sa}' we have in our young woman's class at the " Institute," thirty or forty or fift}" 3'oung women. Now, we know that almost every one of these, either as a mother or in some other capacit}', will have the care of children. The "Institute" assumes to give these young women such knowledge as shall be useful to them in after life. If " Institutes" are not for this pur- pose, what are they for? One might naturally sup- pose, then, that the kind of knowledge which its A WAY OUT. 61 pupils need for their special vocation would rank first in importance. And what kind will they need? Step into the house round the corner, or down the street, and ask that young mother, looking with unutterable tenderness upon the little group around her, what knowledge she would most value. She will say, ' ' I long more than words can express to know how to keep these children well. I want to make them good children, to so train them that they will be comforts to themselves and useful to others. But I am ignorant on every point. I don't know how to keep them well, and I don't know how to control them, how to guide them." " It is said," you repl}', " that every child brings love with it. Is not love all-powerful and all- sufficient ? ' ' "Love does come with every child; but, alas! knowledge does not come with the love. My love is so strong, and yet so blind, that it even does harm. I would almost give up a little of my love if knowl- edge could be got in exchange." Here, perhaps, jou inquire, somewhat sarcas- ticall}', if no instruction on these subjects was given at the " Institute." She opens wide her astonished eyes. "Oh, no ! No, indeed, — surely not." " What, then, were you taught there? " 6 62 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. ••'Well, many things, — Roman histoiy for one. We learned all about the Punic Wars, their causes, results, and the names of the famous gen- erals on both sides." Now, if a Bostonian were going to Europe, it would do him no harm to be told the names of all the streets in Chicago, the names of the inhabitants of each street, with the stories of their lives, their quan-els, reconciliations, and how each one rose or fell to his position. Acquiring these facts would be good mental exercise, and from a part of them he would learn something of human nature. But what that man wants to know more than any thing is, on what da}^ the steamer sails for Europe : is she seaworthy? what are her accommodations? is she well provisioned, well manned, well commanded? are her life-preservers stuffed with cork or shav- ings? So, if a man is going to build a boat, you might show him a collection of fossils, and discourse to him of the gneiss sj'^stem, the mica-schist system, or talk of the atomic theor}^ and protoplasms. Such knowledge would help to enlarge his views, extend his range of vision, and strengthen his memorj^, but would not help the man to build his boat. He wants to know how to lay her keel straight, how to hit the right proportions, how to make her mind A WAY OUT. 63 her helm, how to make her go ; and he has been taught that the great pach3^derms are divided into paleotheria and anoplotheria. The same of our j^oung mother : she wants to know how to bring up her child, and she has been taught " how many Punic wars there were, their causes, results, and the names of the famous generals on both sides." It may be asked here, in what way, or by what studies, shall the young woman's class at the ''In- stitute " be taught the necessary knowledge ? It would be presumption in one like me to attempt a complete answer to that question. But the profes- sors, presidents, and stockholders of our "Insti- tutes " are learned and wise. If these will let their light shine in this direction as they have let it shine in other directions, a way will be revealed. But, while learning and wisdom are getting ready to do this, mere common sense may offer a few sugges- tions. Suppose the j'oung woman's class were addressed somewhat in this way : "It is probable that all of you, in one capacity or another, will have the care of 3'oung children, and that for the major- it}^ it will be the chief duty of your lives. There is, then, nothing in the whole vast range of learning so important to you as knowledge on this subject." This for a general statement to begin with. As for 64 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. the particular subjects and their order, common sense would ask, first, What does a young mother want to know first ? First, she wants to know how to keep her child alive, how to make it strong to endure or defy disease. She needs to be taught, for instance, why a child should breathe pure air, and why it should not get its pure air in the form of draughts. She needs to know if it makes smy differ- ence what a child eats, or how often, and that a monotonous diet is injurious. She needs to know something of the nutritive qualities of different kinds of food, and why some are eas}^ of digestion and others not, and in what w^a}^ each kind builds up the sj^stem. She needs to understand the chem- istry of cookery, in order to judge what kinds of food are calculated to make the best blood, bones, and muscles. She needs to have some general ideas in regard to waj^s of bringing back the s^'stem from an abnormal to a healthy state ; as, for instance, equalizing the circulations. Learned professors, women ph3'sicians, will know how to deliver courses of lectures on all such subjects, and to tell what books have been written on them, and where these books may be found. And, as for the absurdity of teaching these things beforehand, compare that with the absurdity of rearing a race to hand over to phy- A WAY OUT. 65 sicians and undertakers, and choose between. And even apart from their practical bearing, why are not such items of knowledge as well worth learning, as simply items of knowledge, as the hundreds of others which, at present, no 3'oung woman's course can be without? There is no doubt that if mothers were given a knowledge of these matters beforehand, instead of being left to acquire it experimentally, the present frightful rate of infant mortality (nearly twenty-five per cent) would be reduced. Plenty of light has been thrown on this subject, but the com- munity does not receive it. Here is some which was contributed to one of the Board of Health reports by a phj'sician. " The mother," he says, " requires something more than her loving instincts, her ready sj-mpathies. With all her good- will and conscientiousness, mis- takes are made. The records of infant mortality offer a melancholy illustration of the necessity of the mother's previous preparation for the care of her children. The first-born die in infancy In much larger proportion than their successors in the faLmilj. The mother learns at the cost of her first child, and is better prepared for the care of the second, and still better for the third and fourth, whose chances of development into full life and strength are much 66 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. greater than those of the oldest brothers and sisters." Think of the mother learning " at the cost of her first child," and of the absurd 3'oung woman learn- ing beforehand ; and choose between . Also please compare the "previous preparation" here recom- mended with the mere bureau-drawer preparation, which is the only one at present deemed necessary. Another writer, an Englishman, speaking of the high rate of infant mortalit}", saj^s, " It arises from ignorance of the proper means to be emplo3'ed in rearing children," which certainl}' is plain language. Such facts and opinions as these would make an ex- cellent basis for a course of lectures at the " Insti- tute," to be given by competent women phj'sicians. The advertisements of " Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup " would be remarkably suggestive in this connection. A mother of three little children said to me, "I give the bab}^ her dose right after break- fast ; and she goes to sleep, and sleeps all the fore- noon. That's the way I get my work done." We all know wh}^ the bab}^ sleeps after taking its dose. We do not know how manj'^ mothers adopt this means of getting their work done ; but the fact that the proprietor of this narcotic gained his immense wealth b}' the sale of it enables us to form some idea. A WAY OUT. 67 The importance of educating nursery-girls for their calling, and the phj'sical evils which may arise from leaving young chikben entirely to the care of nui'serj'-girls, would be exceedingly suggestive as lecture subjects. Mr. Kingslej" asks, "Is it too much to ask of mothers, sisters, aunts, nurses, and governesses, that they should studj^ thrift of human health and human life by studying somewhat the laws of life and health ? There are books — I may sa}^ a whole literature of books — written b}" scien- tific doctors on these matters, which are, to my mind, far more important to the schoolroom than half the trashy accomplishments, so called, which are expected to be known by our governesses." But, supposing a mother succeeds in keeping her child alive and well, what knowledge does she de- sire next ? She desires to know next how to guide it, influence it, mould its character. She does all these, whether she tries to or not, whether she knows it or not, whether she wishes to or not. Says Hor- ace Mann, " It ought to be understood and felt, that in regard to children all precept and example, all kindness and harshness, all rebuke and commen- dation, all forms, indeed, of direct or indirect edu- cation, afiect mental growth, just as dew, and sun, and shower, or untimely frost, affect vegetable 68 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. growth. Their influences are integrated and made one with the soul. They enter into spiritual com- bination with it, never afterward to be wholly decompounded. Thej^ are like the daily food eaten by wild game, so pungent in its nature that it flavors ever}^ fibre of their flesh, and colors every bone in their bodies. Indeed, so pervading and enduring is the effect of education upon the youthful soul, that it may well be compared to a certain species of writing ink, whose color at first is scarcely perceptible, but which penetrates deeper and grows blacker b}' age, until, if jou. consume the scroll over a coal-fire, the character will still be legi- ble in the cinders." In regard to inherited bad traits, the question arises, if even these may not be changed for the better by skilful treatment given at a suflSciently early period. Children inheriting diseased bodies are sometimes so reared as to become healthy men and women. To do this requires watchfulness and wise management. How do we know that by watch- fulness and wise management children born with inherited bad traits may not be trained to become good men and women? But the majority of mothers do not watch for such traits. It seldom occurs to them that the}' should thus watch. Wh^^ not bring A WAY OUT. 69 the subject to the consideration of young women *' beforehand," when, being assembled in compa- nies, they are easy of access ? It is too late when they are scattered abroad, and burdened each with her pressing family duties. "Forewarned is fore- armed." Some are of the opinion that the badness which comes by inheritance cannot be changed. This is equivalent to believing that there is no help for the evil in the world. Unworthy and vicious parents are continuall}' transmitting objectionable traits to their children, who in turn will transmit them to theirs, and so on to the end of time. Shall we fold our hands, and resign ourselves to the prospect, while our educators go on ignoring the whole mat- ter, and leaving those who might affect a change ignorant that it is in their power to do so ? "But," says one, "the children of those people who thought so much about education, and who started with model theories, behave no better than other people's children." This may be true, and still prove nothing. ' ' Those people ' ' might not have thought wisely about education. Their model theories might not have been adapted to the various temperaments often found in one family. Their children might have been exceptionally faulty by 70 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. nature ; unsuspected inherited traits may have de- veloped themselves, and interfered with the work- ings of the model theories. The failure of " those people " shows all the more the need of preparation given " beforehand," and given by those who make the subject a special stud}^, just as the professor of histor}', or mathematics, or natural philosoph}^ makes his department a special study. When we consider how much is at stake, it really seems as if learned and wise professors could not employ their learning and wisdom to better purpose than in devising ways of enlightening the " young woman's class " upon an}'' and every point which has a bearing on the intellectual and moral training of children. SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURE TOPICS. 71 CHAPTER VIII. SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURE TOPICS. "ITT is not to be supposed that enlightenment on subjects pertaining to the intellectual and moral training of children can be given to a 3'oung woman in text-book fashion, cut and dried, put up in pack- ages, and labelled ready for use. But it will be some- thing gained lo set her thinking on these subjects, to make her IVcl then* importance, and to inform her in what books i:ud b}' what writers the}' have been considered. All this, and more to the same pur- pose, could be done by lectures and discussions, for which lectures and discussions even humble common sense need be at no loss to suggest topics. There are, for instance, the different methods of govern- ing, of reproAdng, of punishing, and of securing obedience ; the evils of corporal punishment, of governing b}^ ridicule, of showing temper while pun- ishing. Then there are questions like these : How 72 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. far should love of approbation be encouraged? What prominence shall be given to externals, as personal appearance, the minutiae of behavior, politeness of speech ? How may perfect politeness be combined with perfect sincerit}^ ? Waj^s of incul- cating integrity. How to teach self-reliance, with- out fostering self-conceit. How to encourage pmdence and economy, and at the same time dis- courage parsimony. How to combine firmness with kindness. Implicit obedience a good basis to work on. How to enter into a child's life, and make it a happy one. How not to become a slave to a child's whims. The different amounts of indulgence and of assistance which different temperaments will bear. How shall liberality be inculcated, and ex- travagance denounced? On deceitfulness as taught by parents. On lying as taught by parents. On the impossibility of making one theory work in a whole family of children, or always on a single child. Shall obedience be implicit, and how early in the child's life shall it be exacted? On maiTiages. On the true issues of life. When shall ambition and the spirit of emulation be encouraged, and when repressed ? The possibility^ of too much fault- finding making a child callous. If mere common sense discovers so many subjects, what number may SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURE TOPICS. 73 not learning and wisdom discover when tiieir atten- tion shall be turned in this direction ? The " nursery-girl " topic might come up again, and be considered in its moral and intellectual aspects. Some mothers see their small children only once or twice a da}^, while the nurse is with them constantly. This fact might be made strik- ingly significant by placing it side b}- side with Horace Mann's words : " In regard to children, all precept and example, all kindness and harshness, all rebuke and commendation, all forms, indeed, of direct or indirect education, affect mental gi'owth, just as dew and sun and shower, or untimely frost, affect vegetable growth. Their influences are inte- grated and made one with the soul. They enter into spiritual combination with it, i ever afterward to be wholly decompounded," — also with a previ- ously quoted assertion, founded on actual experi- ments, that "it is the medium in which a child is habituall}^ immersed" which helps most in form- ing the child's character. The kind of reading which falls into the hands of the ^'oung would be found to be a lecture topic of appalling interest. Striking illustrations for such lectures could be taken from the advertisements and statistics of stor3'-paper and dime-novel publishers. The illus- 74 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. trated papers which can be bought and are bought b}^ youth are crammed to overflowing with details of vice and barbarity. They have columns headed " A Melange of Murder," " Filli- cide, or a Son killing a Father," "Lust and Blood," "Fiendish Assassination," "Particulars of the Hanging of John C. Kell}'," "Carving a Darky," "An Interesting Divorce Case in Boston," "A Band of Juvenile Jack Sheppards." And the pic- tures match the reading, — a jealous lover shooting a half-naked girl ; a father murdering his family ; an inquisitive youth peering into a ladies' dressing- room. If the contents of these papers are bad for us to hear of, what must they be to the youth who read them? Dime novels are advertised in these same papers as being issued once a month, and supplied by all the news companies, " Sensational stories from the pens of gifted American novelists ! ' * " The Sharpers' League," " Lyte, or the Suspected One," "The Pirate's Isle," " Darrell, the Outlaw," " The Night Hawks, containing Midnight Robbery, Plots dark and deep," " The Female Poisoner," " Etne of the Angel Face and Demon Heart," " The Cannibal Kidnappers, a Sequel to the Boy Mutineers," " Life for Life, or the Spanish Gipsy Girl," " Tom Wildrake's School-days." Some of SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURE TOPICS. 75 these papers are entitled " Bojs' and Girls' " week lies. The old saj'ing is, " Build doves' nests, and doves will come." What kind of "nests'* are being built b}^ the young readers of these publications, of which it may almost literally be said, " no boy can do without one " ? The boy at school has one between the leaves of his geographj^ ; the boy riding, or sailing, or resting from his work or his pla}^, draws one from his pocket ; the grocer's boy comes forward to serve you, tucking one under his jacket. In the way of statistics, it might be stated that nineteen tons of obscene publications and plates for the same w'ere seized at one time in New- York City. Should representatives of "our best families " ask, "How does this affect us and ours ? " it could be answered that catalogues of academies and boarding-schools are obtained, and that these publications are then forwarded to pupils by mail. Topics of this kind would naturally suggest those of an opposite kind, as modes of awakening in children an appreciation of the beaut}', the sublim- ity, the wonderfulness, of the various objects in the world of nature ; also of cultivating in their minds a taste for the beautiful and the refined in art, liter- ature, manners, conversation. These considera- 76 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. tions could be effeectivety introduced into a lecture or lectures " On the Building of Doves' Nests." Is it not ' ' essential ' ' that mothers should have the time, the facilities, and the knowledge necessary for accomplishing what is here suggested, and that they be made sensible of its importance ? But there is man}^ a busy mother now who can scarcelj^ ' ' take time ' ' to look out when her children call her to see a rainbow, much less to walk out with them among natural objects. The object of these lectures should not be to teach any particular theories on which to act in the management of children, but to so instruct, so to enlighten young women, that when the time for action comes they will act intelligenth'. With the majority of women the management of children is a mere " getting along." In this "getting along'* they often have recourse to deception ; thus teaching deceitfulness. The}^ are often unfair, punishing on one occasion what they smile at or wink at on another ; thus teaching injustice. The}' lose self- control, and punish when in anger ; thus setting ex- amples of violence and bad temper. It is proba- ble that a young woman who had been educated with a view to her vocation would be more likely to act wisely in these emergencies and in her general SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURE TOPICS. 77 course of management, than one who had not. There would be more chance of her taking pains to con- sider. She would not work so blindl}', so aim- lessly, so "from hand to mouth," as do some of our mothers. Such enlightenment is an enlightenment for which any good mother will be thankful. She wants it to work with. She feels the need of it every hour in the day. Why, then, is it not given to 3^oung women as a part of their education, and as the most important part? They are instructed in almost ever}^ thing else. They can give jow the areas, population, boundaries, capitals, and peculiarities of far- aw a}^ and insignificant provinces ; the exact measurements of mountain ranges, lakes, and rivers ; statistics, in figures, of the farthest isle beyond the farthest sea. They are lectured on the antediluvians, on the Millc}^ Way, on the Siamese, Japanese, North Pole, on all the ologies ; on the literature, modes of thought, and modes of life, of extinct races. They can converse in foreign tongues ; the}' are familiar with dead languages, and with the suj^erstitions, observances, and quarrels of certain races, barba- rous or otherwise, who existed thousands of years ago. In fact, they are taught, after some fashion, almost ever}' thing except what their life-work wil] 78 A D 031 EST re PROBLEM. Bpeciall}^ require. Little will it avail a mother in her seasons of perplexity or of bereavement to re- member ' ' what wars engaged Rome after the Punic wars, and how many years elapsed before she was mistress of the Mediterranean." This and the fol- lowing questions are taken from the " Examina- tion Papers " of a popular ' ' Institute ' ' for young ladies. " Give names and dates of the principal engage- ments of the Persian wars, with the names of the great men of Greece during that period." " Show cause, object, and result of the ]?elopon- nesian war." "Give names and attributes of the seven kings of Rome." " After the kings were driven out, what does the internal history'- mainl}^ consist of ? " " What were the social, and what were the civil wars ? " Common sense might ask why every child born in the nineteenth century must go to work so solemnl}'" to learn the minute particulars of those old wars ! Still common sense would not declare such knowl- edge to be altogether worthless ; it would only sug- gest that woman wants the kind which will help her in her special department, more than she wants this SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURE TOPICS. 79 kind. Said a lad}^ in my hearing, — an only child reared in the ver}^ centre of wealth and culture, — *' I was most carefully educated ; but, when I came to be the mother of children, I found mj'self ut+'^rly helpless." It is gratifying to know that in regard to these matters common sense has very respectable learn- ing and wisdom on its side. A celebrated writer and thinker says, "If by some strange chance not a vestige of us descended to the remote future, save a, pile of our school-books, or some college examin- ation papers, we ma}^ imagine how jDuzzled an anti- quary of the period would be on finding in them no indication that the learners were ever likely to be parents. ' This must have been the curriculum for their celibates,' we may fanc}^ him concluding: 'I perceive here an elaborate preparation for many things ; especiall}' for reading the books of extinct nations (from which, indeed, it seems clear that these people had very little worth reading in their own tongue) , but I find no reference whatever to the bringing up of children. They could not have been so absurd as to omit all training for this gravest of responsibilities. Evidently, then, this was the school-course of one of their monastic orders.' Seriously, is it not an astonishing fact, that though 7* 80 A DOMESTIC PROBLEM. on the treatment of offspring depend their lives or their deaths, and their moral welfare or ruin, not one word on such treatment is ever given to those who will hereafter be parents ? Is it not monstrous, that the fate of a new generation should be left to the chances of unreasoning custom, impulse, fanc}', joined with the suggestions of ignorant nurses and the prejudiced counsel of grandmothers? To tens of thousands that are killed, add hundreds of thousands that survive with feeble constitutions, and millions that grow up with constitutions not so strong as they should be, and you will have some idea of the curse inflicted on their offspring hj parents ignorant of the laws of life. With cruel carelessness the}' have neglected to learn any thing about these vital processes which the}^ are unceasinglj' affecting by their commands and prohibitions ; in utter ignorance of the simplest phj'siological laws, they have been, 3'ear by year, undermining the constitutions of their children, and have so inflicted disease and premature death not only on them but on their descendants. Consider the young mother and her nursery legislation. But a few 3^ears ago she was at school, where her mem- ory was crammed with words, names, and dates ; where not one idea was given her respecting the SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURE TOPICS. 81 iiiethods of dealing with the opening mind of child- hood. The intervening 3'ears have been passed in praject, I have observed closely what goes on daily under the name of housework; and I find it to be a never-ending succession of steps. Why, such an everlasting treadmill would wear out a strong man ! Not only a tread-mill, but a hand-mill, and a head-mill : for hands must keep time with the feet ; rmd, as to the head, 1 have often heard Mrs. Fennel tell Martha A WORD TO TEE ''MEN-FOLKS.'' 133 Bhe must keep her mind on her work. And, truly, the calculating and contriving demanded by each day's operations require some mind. Now, I had the idea, before I was awakened by Mrs. Melendy's remark, that woman's work was not of much account, — just a simple matter of *' puttering" about the house. The tempting food which Mrs. Fennel serves up daily stood for a very small part of the labor which it actually represents. And, but for that remark, I might have gone on eating the delicacies spread before me with no more sense of their cost than if they grew on trees, and were shaken down at meal- times. Since my eyes have been opened, however, those delicacies taste too strong of the toil to be relishable ; for I see that the rows of pies on the buttery shelves, the mounds of cake, the stacks of doughnuts, do not come there bj^ any magical " sleight o' hand," but are w^rought out of the very life of poor Mrs. Fen- nel, — literall}', of her ver}^ life. This is not iu overstatement, since it is plain to be seen that ea(;h day's labor makes demands which her strength is unable to meet. I have observed the languid v^slj in which she drags herself about the house, now and then dropping upon a chair ; have noted, at times, — at '• hurried " times, — the worn, weary, " all- gone " ex- 134 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. pression of her face ; and have heard her take, oh ! very often, those "long breaths," which are sure signs of a wearing-out. Yes, the poor woman is killing herself with over- FTork. And when she rests, at last, beneath the turf, people will speak of the mj^sterious Providence which removed a wife and mother in the midst of her usefulness. It is about time, one would think, to put a stop to this woman-killing. A harsh phrase ? It is not more harsh than the truth ; for, if lightening labor will prolong life, insisting upon unnecessarj'- labor is not far removed from that crime. And this unnecessary labor is insisted upon in one way or another. For instance, I have Mrs. Fennel's own word for it, that pies are ' ' the heft of the cooking ; " have heard her speak of rolling out pastry until she was "ready to drop," of beating cake until her arms " hadn't one mite of strength left in them." Yet, to any suggestion that these and other superfluities be omitted, the answer has invariably been, that " the men-folks wouldn't be satisfied without them." Mr. Fennel is a very good man ; and the boys — young men of eighteen and twenty — are very good boys. If the direct question were asked Mr. Fen- A WORD TO TEE ''MEN-FOLKS.' 135 nel, which he most values, his wife's life, or the nice things she prepares for the table, he would answer with horror, if he answered at all, tlie former. In realit3% however, he answers the latter. It is the same with the boys. The men-folks can't eat cold bread ; therefore bisuits are rolled out, cut out, and baked, both morning and night ; the men-folks make dependence on their cake ; the men-folks must have their " piece o' pie to top otl' with ;" the men- folks like to have a pot of doughnuts to go to. ft Now, all these things ma}^ gratif}' the palate ; but the point is, are they worth the price that is paid for thtm? I confess that it fairly makes me shudder, sometimes, to see those strong men sit down at table, and, with appetites sharpened b\' out-of-door 136 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. exercise, sweep off so unthinkingly and unthank- ingly the results of Mrs. Fennel's long and weary toil. Do they not taste something in those delica- cies? detect a flavoring that was never set down in any grocer's bill ? They probably do not. Long habit has so accustomed them to the flavor of this essence of life, this compound extract of backache, headache, exhaustion, prostration, palpitation, that they do not notice its presence. It would be well for them to do so, however ; for it is a terribly expensive article. Oh, no ! they don't taste any thing but what may be bought at the grocer's, or raised on the farm. If they did, if the cost of all these dainties were once made clear to our kind-hearted men-folks, the}' would not only be satisfie( 1 without them, but would beg Mrs. Fennel to stop cooking them ; for neither Mr. Fennel nor the boj^s are wanting in affection for her. Whenever, by overwork, she becomes alarmingly ill, they are ready to harness the horse, and go seven miles for the doctor at any time of day or night. Mr. Fennel never spends his money so freely as in medicine for his wife ; and the boys seldom come home from the pastures with- out bringing her mullein, or some kind of herb, to dry. " So thoughtful of them!" the dear woman A WORD TO THE ''MEN-FOLKS.'' 137 remarks with moistened eyes, and cheeks faintly flushed. If they could onty be so thoughtful as to consider that rest is better for her than herbs ! All women are not as feeble as Mrs. Fennel? This is true ; j^et she represents a large class, and one which is rapidly increasing. Mothers of families calling themselves well and strong are hard to find. They too commonly either break down and die, or break down and live. Go into almost any town, any country village even, where pure air and other condi- tions of health abound, and mark in the sharpened, worn, pinched faces of its elderly women, the effects of overwork and unwholesome food. Work is necessary. I believe in it ; believe in eating too, and in eating what "tastes good," as the phrase is. But to a person of healthy appetite plain food "tastes good," and "topping off" is quite unnecessary. The ;Words ' ' topping off " ex- press the exact truth : implying, that, when the stomach is already full, something is put on the top. (B^'' the wa}', it is doing this, unless the something be very simple, which spoils the appetite for the next meal.) No : far be it from me to scorn the pleasures of the palate. I would b}' no means consider it wicked to eat, semi-occasionally, a bit of cake ; 138 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. and there may be times in the year when even pie would be in order. But I protest against making these things the essentials ; against its being taken for granted, that in whatever press for time, — in sick- ness and in health, in strength and in weakness, in sorrow and in joy, — the table must be spread with this prescribed, though needless, variety of food. And, as it is the men-folks who are to "be satisfied," I appeal to them to "be satisfied" with that which requires less of woman's labor and of woman's life. CONCERNING COMMON THINGS. 139 m. CONCERNING COMMON THINGS. A 1 THOEVER would be tranquil, let him noi, ia- ' ' vestigate. Ever since I began inquiring into household affairs, my mind has been disturbed by a doubt — not quite a doubt ; call it an uneasiness — as to the mental superiority of the dominant sex. No, it cannot amount to positive doubting. That would be to fly in the face of facts. History proves that the greatest philosophers, the greatest artists, the greatest writers, the greatest thinkers, have been men. If woman has the ability to be as great in these directions, wh}' has she not been as great? There has certainly been time enough, — six thousand years at the lowest calcula- tion. > Well, then, since facts cannot be disputed, there can be no reasonable doubt upon this subject ; but — No, I won't say hut: I won't admit the possibility of a hut. I will only say that it is very puzzling 140 TEE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. and very annoying to have one's daily observa- tions tend to undermine — not undermine, conflict with — one's belief. And it may happen, that, if a man watch too closely what goes on in doors, the idea will be suggested to him, that while he prides himself, very likety, on working well at one trade, a woman may work well at half a dozen, and not pride herself at all. Mr. Fennel is a carpenter. Mr. Melend}^ is a shoemaker. Each is master of one trade, and only one, and works at that all day. Mr. Fennel doesn't stop to mend his shoes. Mr. Melendy doesn't leave off pegging to make a new front-door. Mrs. Fennel is mistress of many trades. Mrs. Fennel is cook, tailoress, dressmaker, milliner, dyer, housemaid, doctor, and boy's capmaker ; also, at times, schoolmaster, lawj^er, and minister. For she hears the childi^en's lessons ; she adjusts their quarrels with the judgment of a judge • and she gives them sermons on morals which contain the gist of the whole matter. Of all these occupations, cooking, I obsei-ve, ranks the highest. That is sure of attention : the others take their chance. That is cut out of the whole cloth : the others get the odds and ends. I have observed also, in this connection, that the day in CONCERNING COMMON THINGS. 141 doors resolves itself into three grand crises, called the three meals. It is surprising, it is really won- derful, the way these are brought about with every thing else going on beside. Indeed, this pry- ing into domestic affairs has made me surprised twice. First, at the amount of ph3'sical labor a woman has to perform ; second, that she can carry so many things on her mind at one time, or rather that her mind can act in so many directions at one time, and so quickly. This in-doors work seems commonplace enough ; to the fastidious, repugnant even. The same may be said of a mud-puddle. But dip up a dipperful of the mud, examine it closely, and 3^ou will find it teeming with life. So, examine an hourful of household work, and you will find it all alive with plans, contrivances, fore- thoughts, afterthoughts, happ}' thoughts, and count- less ti'ifling experiences, minute, it may be, but full ol' animation. The puddle is often set in commo- tion by a passing breeze, or b}^ a stone dropping in. Well, household work, too, has its breezes of hurry and flurry, besides its regular trade- winds, vvhich blow morning, noon, and night. And, if company unexpected isn't like the stone dropping :n, then what is it like? This is written, as the scientific people say, from 142 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. observations taken on the spot. One day I spent an hour in watching Mrs. Fennel at her work, and an hour in watching Mr. Fennel at his. Being in a humorous as well as a scientific frame of mind, I l)la3'ed they were my specimens, and that the mattcjr under consideration reall}' did belong to some branch of science, unknown, of course, to a country school- master. 1 copy from my note-book : — *' Time, forenoon ; place, kitchen. ''Fly, m}'' pencil, fly, like Mrs. Fennel's feet! Dinner is getting. It seems now as if every mo- ment were a crisis. What's that she is di'opping into hot water? Oh! turnip, sliced and peeled. Meat, pudding, potatoes, squash, beans, &c., re- quire, I see, diflferent lengths of time in the cooking. But they must be on the table at twelve o'clock, done just right ; some of them mashed, and all of them hot. Think of the calculation necessary to bring this about ! Meanwhile, in the intervals of lifting the pot-lid, Gussy's new suit is being '' cut out of old." And here, again, calculation — that is, mind — is required in cutting the cloth to advantage. *' Now Mrs. Fennel drops down to take a long breath. '• How much sugar must be put into this gooseberrj' pie? ' Martha asks. ' Rising one cupful ' Now a little girl comes of an errand : ' Mother wants CONCERNING COMMON THINGS. 143 you to write down how to make corn-starch gruel. Bobbj^s sick.' Mrs. Fennel writes directions. Now she is ironing. Why not wait till after dinner ? Oh, to be sure ! ' We must iron while we have a fire.* Now Gussy rushes in pell-mell to ask if when h(} carries Emma's gooseberries for her because she ashed him to, and then stubs his toe, and spills 'em, he ought to pick 'em up ? Now comes Emma, to say that Gussy tried to stub his toe, because she picked more gooseberries than he did when he went. Mrs. Fennel adjusts the quarrel ; preaches a sermon on envy, truth, and brotherly love ; informs Gussy what Malaga is famous for ; tries on his jacket (telling a story to make him stand still) ; catches up a rent in Emma's dress ; trades with a tin-peddler {mind 144: THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. again) ; and through all this keeps her eye on the cook-stove ; drops things into hot water ; forks things out of hot water ; contrives places for saucepans, spiders ; runs round with a long-handled spoon, now with a knife, stirring, mashing, seasoning, tasting, till at last the moment arrives, and the men-folks arrive, and the grand crisis of the day is at its cli- max. But oh the flurr}^ and excitement of the last fifteen minutes ! the watching the clock, the look- ing in at the oven, the disappointment when things that should have risen have fallen ! As if this did not happen in life alwa^'s ! " The second hour gave less striking results. I found Mr. Fennel planing and grooving boards. His movements were distinguished by an entire calmness. There was no hurry, no excitement, to keep his mind on the snap ever}^ moment ; no grand climax for which boards, laths, shingles, nails, and clapboards must be got ready, let come what would. ''Too monotonous," the notes read, "to be of axij special interest." Had he dropped his plane for a trowel, the trowel for a paint-brush, paint-brush for a white- wash-brush, whitewash-brush for a hod of bricks, or been called upon to slack lime, mix paint, or to give directions for building a hen-house, the proceedings in the work-shop would no doubt have been as en- CONCERNING COMMON THINGS. 145 tertaining as those in the kitchen. But, as far as hinderances were concerned, Mr. Fennel might have shoved that plane till doomsday, and with a temper smooth and even as his own boards. Since that time I have observed carefully other men and other women at their work ; and thus far my observations show that the average mother of a family requires and uses, in the performance of her daily duties, higher qualities of mind than does the average father of a family in the performance of his. Indeed, the more closel}^ I observe, the more amazed am I at the skill, tact, energy, insight, foresight, judgment, ability, genius, I may almost sa}^, so often displayed by the former. Well, and what then? Whj', then the question arises, *' Is woman, in the present condition of things, making the best use of all these high quali- ties ? " This question is not suggested by the fact of her giving herself up so entirely to her family. Oh, no ! most emphatically no. Children must have their mother. She belongs to them. The best a woman has, the best an arch-angel has, is none too good for the children. No : the question is suggested, partly by the "observations" I have been making, and parti}' by the recollection of Mrs. Melendys remark, that the ' ' three meals tako 146 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. about all da}'." I am glad the sewing-circle meets here this week ; for, by attending to the conver- sation, I ma}' learn upon what subjects the minds of at least some fifteen or twenty women chiefly dwell. Another question, and a startling one too, is this • " If woman ever has a chance properly to develoj) these remarkable qualities of mind, what is going to become of the mental superiorit}^ of the dominant sex 9" No more, no more ! My brain is confused, my soul disquieted within me. Whoever would be tran- quil, let him not investigate. THE SEWING-CIRCLE. 147 THE SEWING-CIRCLE. — HOW IT WAS STARTED. r I iHE sewing-circle is in session in the adjoining room. It counts thirty- two members in all, — a goodty number for a population of only twenty- five or thirty families. The gathering to-day is not large ; a thunder-storm, and a circus at Elm- bridge, conspiring to keep many away. Mrs. Fennel has been telling me about this sew- ing-circle, and what it is trying, or rather is deter- mined, to do. The people of Tweenit village never had a meeting-house, but have held religious ser- vices in the schoolhouse. Now the women want to change all this. The}* want to build a chapel ; and for that purpose thej' mean to raise eight hundred dollars. ' ' Eight hundred dollars ! " I exclaimed when Mrs. Fennel named the sum. " Wh}', there's hardly as much money in the place ! '* " That's just what the men told us," she answered ; " but we have faith." us TEE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. " I should think so," said I, " and works too." The men, it seems, threw cold water at the very beginning. •• " Where's all that money coming from ? " " Lum- ber high ! " " Labor high ! " " Saddle the place with debt!" "All nonsense! The old school- 1 ouse is good enough ! " And the idea might have been quenched entirely, but for the burning zeal of two unmarried women, — " Nanny Joe" and " Nanny Moses," the daughters respectively of Mr. Joseph Payne and Mr. Moses Payne. They believed in a chapel. Thej^ preached this belief ; and man}' women were converted. The first convert was Miss Janet (Mr. William Me- lendy's wife, called "Miss Janet," to distinguish her from four other Mrs. Melendys). A meeting was called at her house. Before its close, the wild- est enthusiasm prevailed. The men's objections first were shown up to be scarecrows, then pelted down with ridicule. A sewing-circle was formed, which met once a week to sew "slop-work," and knit toes of stockings, — heels, too, I think. Oh, yes ! " heeled and toed : " that's the very eiq^ression. In other respects, the stockings were woven. The circle meant business. Some members met early in the morning, and worked all day. Ellinor Pa3me, THE SEWING-CIRCLE. 149 who is emplo3'ecl in a tailor's shop at Piper's Mills, gave fifteen dollars of her own earnings. The enthu- siasm increased. Did any waver in the faith, influ- enced hy doubting men, Nanny Joe and Nanny Moses were ready to encourage and sustain. Nanny Joe and Nanny Moses were eloquent to persuade, ingenious to devise, skilful to contrive, and untiring in their labors. The}' fired the ambition of every woman in the place. They took that chapel (the chapel that was to be), and resolved it into its constituent parts, — its doors, windows, timbers, boards, nails even, and induced different individuals to be responsible for, say, a bundle of shingles, a window, a door, a stick of timber. Young and old caught the fever. Little girls A'ied with each other in earning panes of glass. Blooming maidens took upon their shoulders clapboards, laths, and kegs of nails. Matrons bore bravely their respective burdens of beams, rafters, and flooring ; and one cheerful old grandame, a steadfast knitter, smiled under the weight of the desk. Tlie little girls earned their money b}'^ running of errands, and picking huckleberries, and making patchwork cradle-quilts to sell. The older ones also picked huckleberries. When the season was at its height, the circle met in the pastures, and 150 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRVNK. picked its pecks and its bushels. The berries were sent to Piper's Mills to be sold. If there were no other wa}' of sending them, Nanny Joe and Nanny Moses would take Mr. David's old red horse and go themselves. Mr. David Melendy committed himself at ihe very beginning, by a promise, which, though made in jest, was claimed in terrible earnest, as the old man found to his cost. " I'll agree to find horse and cart to cart all the work they'll get," said Mr. David sarcastically, when he first heard of the sewing-circle. His nar- row vision took in Tweenit village only, where each family generally does its own needlework. But there were eyes of a wider range, — far-seeing e3'es, which saw the "store" at Piper's Mills, whereat were left weekty, b}^ an agent from the city, huge bundles of slop-work and stocking-work for the sewers and knitters of that neighborhood. The sewing-circle obtained one of these bundles, and did its work so well that the agent not only promised it more bundles, but heaped bundles upon it ; so that Nanny Joe had frequent oppor- tunities of going to Mr. David, and saying, with a mischievous twinkle of her laughing black eyes, " More work to cart, Mr. Melendy ! " " Wal, wal, Nancy," that victim of his own jest THE SEWING-CIRCLE. ir>i would reply, "I'll stan' by my word. But you must help me ketch him." This is not so very difficult a task ; for that fat old horse of his would as soou be caught as not to be. Whether lie goes or stands still is all one to him, and nearl}- so to his driver. For calmness, for meekness, for sublime indifference, Mr. David's animal would take the medal. As may be imagined, he is a ver}' even horse to drive ; never allows him- self to be disturbed by outside influences, but jogs heavily on, with a flop and a plunge, unmoved by word or blow. " Speak of the ancient Nicholas," says the proverb, "and 3'ou will see his horns." And, in confirmation of it, behold this identical animal 152 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. now approaching the house, shaking all ever at every flop, as if he were a horse of jell}'. Nanny Joe and Nanny Moses have just driven from Piper's Mills with some bundles of work. Nannj* Moses holds up a letter. Her fair, round face reminds me of Mrs. Fennel's favorite expression, " Smiling as a basket of cliips." Thirtj'-seven or thirty-eight they say is her age. The}" also say that she holds her own prettj^ well, which is saying a good deal ; for "her own" must weigh a hundred and fifty, at the least. Anybod}' might know those two would be intimate, the}' are so unlike. Nanny Joe is tall, slender ; has coal-black hair, coal-black eyes, a sallow complexion, and a chin unnecessarily long. She is pleasing and sprightly ; her friend, pleasing and quiet. Now joyful shouts uprise. There is money in the letter. Da^id Melendy, junior, has sent twenty dollars. These women leave no stone unturned. A few months ago, one of them, while on a visit to the city, called upon all Tweenit-born individuals there residing, and by appealing to their pride, their generosity, or their piety, as suited each case, obtained various sums to help the cause along. Tweenitites dwelling afar, amid Sitka's snows or California's golden sands, were appealed to through THE SEWING-CIRCLi:. 153 the United-States mail ; and the letter just received is in answer to one of those appeals. It comes from Sitka ; and Nannj- Joe sa^-s the monej' is the profits arising from a rise in white bears. I was present the other daj- at the reading of a letter addressed to one Mr. Ezra Fennel, which must stir the depths of Mr. Ezra Fennel's heart, if not of his pocket-book. Men's mone}-, after all? Well, so is the gold in a gold-mine the gold-mine's gold. There is a great deal in knowing how to work a mine, and a great deal in knowing how to work a pocket-book. Now that the Sitka excitement is over, and the circle is subsiding into its natural state, I will take a few notes of the conversation. Thej^ ma}' throw some light on the subject of m}' present inquiries. Woman, I perceive, displays mind enough, both at home and abroad ; and now I want to find out upon what land of subjects her mind ordinarily dwells. 154 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. V. NOTES TAKEN AT THE SEWING-CIRCLE. "'VTOT as a listener, but as an investigator, inves- tigatiug the ver}* important subject of domes- tic affairs. 'Why not call it a scientific subject? Why not found a small science of my own here in this out-of-the-wa}^ place? The wise ones, the ones that own the big sciences, won't know an}' thing about it ; and, if the}^ do, they won't try to get mine away from me, having so many heavenly bodies, motive-powers, the forces of Nature, and, in fact, all created things, to attend to. My science has the forces of Nature in it too (human nature), and a motive-power. Tlieir motive powers act on machinery ; mine acts on human beings. It is the power by which woman " carries on the family ; " and I have seen for myself that there is a " power of it" used in some families ; also that it can be turned on^ as the factory people say, in other directions ; in that of chapel-building, for NOTES TAKEN AT THE SEWING-CIRCLE. 155 instance. Give it n name ; call it mind-power ; for it is a combination of some of the highest men- tal qualities. Not fall}' developed, though ; oh, no ! scared}' begun to be developed yet. It being settled, then, that woman does possess this motive-power which belongs to my science, and which I haA'e named mind-pow-er, the question next arises, Is she doing all she can with it? Is none of it running to waste? What ideas, apart from house- hold affairs, take up her mind mostly? It was to obtain light on this last question, that I resolved to pa}^ attention to the talk at the sewing-circle. I wished to take the level, the mental level, of its members. Their conversation, by revealing what subjects chiefl}' occupy woman's thoughts, I believed, would give me some idea of how much she is accom- plishing vrith this mind-power of hers. True, Tweenit is only one village ; but it is, proba- bl}', much like other villages, and its sewing-circle like other sewing-circles. NOTES OF CONVERSATION. Aunt Jinny under the Hill. — Aunt Jinny Pi- per. Destitute old woman. Much given to rheu- matism. Mainl}' dependent on charit}'. Might make ^ings go further. No calculation. Slack. Cloth 15G THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. given her not cut to advantage. Mouldy bread in her cupboard. Wore an apron forenoons good enough to wear afternoons. Used white pocket handkerchiefs : why not a square piece of old calico? Grandchild visits her too often. They say she makes her rheu- matism. Aunt Jinny down at the Crick. — Another Aunt Jinny Piper. Unmarried. Well off. Chests full of sheets and pillow-cases. Stingy. Got enough of every thing. Might clothe Aunt Jinny under the hill just as well as not. Ought to give land to build chapel on. Great for beating down prices. Paid man that spaded up her garden in pumpkins. Pump- kins overran two cents : told man he must bring back the sldns and insides for her pig, to make it all square. NOTES TAKEN AT THE SEWING-CIRCLE. 157 Planning. — '' Forecasting" your work. L\dng awake nights to plan how next day's baking shall be worked in between the ironing or house-cleaning. Babies make it so 3'ou can't carry out your plans. Best not to take much notice of 3'oung children, 30 thej^'ll bear " turning off." Mis Susan. — Mis Susan, wife of Mr. Henry Melendy. Lives in Pickerel Brook neighborhood. Has traded shawls with a peddler, and got a green one. Don't see what Mis Susan wants of a green shawl. Shouldn't think 'twould be becomins: to her. Her shawl was a beautiful shawl. Hadn't had it a great while. Guess she'll be sorry. Don't believe this one's all wool. Spring o' the Year. — Always want something sour in the spring o' the year. Man that brings ahmg "Archangel Bitters" to sell. Some say your gall runs into 3'our liver ; more likety yo\xr liver runs into your gall. How does anybody know ? Dread spring o' the 3'ear. Brings so much work ! Nothing to make pies of. Feel lost without pies. Vinegar mince-pies better'n no mince-pies. Soak your cracker in 3'our vinegar. Chop 3'our rai- sins. Makes beautiful pies, if you take pains. What my husband likes, and what my husband likes. Children ditto. My Ella B. won't touch molasses 158 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. gingerbread. My Tomm}-'!! eat his weight in it. My Abner could sit up all night to eat sausage- meat. Sight o' work to make sausage-meat. Sight o' work to cook calf's head. Wants " good sweet pork" with it. Calves' brains make beautiful sauce. (Various recipes omitted.) Henry T. — Henr}^ T. Rogers. Young man. Began business in the city, and failed. Henr}^ T. alwaj^s held his head up high. Would have to come down. High-strung all that family were. They say he has bad habits. They say extravagance did it. They say (remainder in whispers) . Fred and Marion. — A pair of lovers. They say thev've broken off. They say she's written him a letter. They say he goes with another girl. Dreadful thing to Marion. Probably wear her into a consumption. They say she cries all night. 'Com'se she'll send back his presents. Gold ring, worth how much ? Some of his presents worn out, Wonder how his father's property'll be divided. Fennel Payne and Adeline. — Fennel Payne, a young married man, distantly related to the Fen- nels and the Paynes. Has wife (Adeline) and small child. Adeline stuck up. Always was stuck up. Has strange notions. Both of 'em have strange notions. Spent five dollars for a picture. No great NOTES TAKEN AT THE SEW JNG-CIRCLE. 159 things of a picture. Adeline sits down to read in the daytime. They go to take walks together. Go up on the hill and sit down sometimes. Fimny actions for married folks. How ARE TOU GOING TO HAVE TOUR DrESS MADE? — (Notes omitted. Reason, unfamiliarity with terms used.) The above is a small part of what was taken down in my note-book. Summary of observations made up to date in Tweenit Village : — First, that woman works hard physical!}', works very hard, and with not much respite. Second, that in '' carrying on the family" (this is a very common phrase here), — in "carrying on the family," and in various wa3's, she displaj's men- tal qualities of a high order. Third, that in working so hard, or in as far as she works so hard, merely to gratify' the palate, she is si^ending herself phj'sicall}^ for an unworthy end. Fourth, that her mind-power is running to waste in the same direction ; also in other directions, as is shown by the not very high tone of her conversa- tion. 160 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. VT. PEBBLES, OE DIAMONDS? T *' DREAMED a dream that was not aL a dream," -^ — dreamed of seeing a vast company of women, a multitude whom no man could number, all ear- nestly engaged in picking up — pebbles. Gems of priceless value \d,j scattered everywhere around ; but these were passed by unnoticed. "Foolish crea- tures ! Why don't thej^ leave the pebbles, and take the diamonds ? " I cried. There was a reason for my dreaming such a dream. I went to Piper's Mills the other day, to carry a bundle of " circle- work" for Nanny Joe. I took Mr. David's horse, and, while there, called on an acquaintance of mine, — Mrs. Royal. A couple of her neiglibors had dropped in to tea that after- noon ; and I was cordially invited to stay. " If 3'ou don't mind being the only gentleman," said Mrs. Roj^al. I replied most gallantly that it would give me the greatest pleasure to be placed in PEBBLES, OR DIAMONDS f 161 SO enviable a minority ; all the while saying to my- self most " scientificall}'," Three neio specimens. Observe mental habits. Compare loith those of sew- ing-circle members. More light on domestic science. (My science has a name now.) I knew something of Mrs. Roj^al and her friends ; and that they differed in many respects from the majority of women. When, therefore, the tea-table talk began, I prepared to listen with interest, be- lieving that my new specimens, though of the same class as my Tweenit friends, — that is, neither poorer nor richer, — would prove to be a different species. The talk ran first on Tea-Roses. — So fragrant! so beautiful! Beau- tiful? Why, the beauty of even one half-opened bud was too much to take in. Article in the news- papers speaking of a beauty which makes " sense ache." Damask-roses going out of fashion. Wild I'oses in June reddening the wayside banks. Fra- grance of the sweet-brier, of the trailing arbutus. Flowers of spring, and their haunts. Pleasure of giving and of receiving flowers. Anecdotes of the Flowter-Missions in the CrriES. — Beautiful " mission," that of sending flo^ 162 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. ers to the sick-beds of the poor. What is being done in various places for the poor, the ignorant, the degi'aded, and the friendless. It is beginning to be understood that we are all of one family. "Will the time ever come when this family feeling shall unite the nations ? The War-Spirit. — How shall it be done away? Influence of battle-pictures and battle-stories on the young. Some of the principal studies in schools and colleges are histories of battles. Pictures of military commanders in almost every house. How does all this affect the coming of the time when swords shall be beaten into ploughshares ? Importance of bringing Good Influences to BEAR ON Children. — Obedience from children. How to secure it, and at the same time encourage in them a proper degree of self-reliance. Best ways of developing the good that is in children. Educat- ing the heart as well as the head. Importance of physical health. When children, as they grow up, " go wrong," who is responsible? Allen Wentworth. — A young man who " went wrong." Dissipated. Inherited love of drink. Is it for us who inherited no such tendency to con- demn him? Mental and moral qualities handed down. Shall the "born good" despise the "born PEBBLES, OR DIAMONDS* 163 bad " ? Allen Wentworth like character in a novel recently read by one of the company. Other novels and other characters spoken of. Books and Authors Generally. — Funny scenes recounted and laughed at. Heroes and heroines discussed. Beautiful passages quoted. Descriptions of Natural Scenery — Woods in spring. In fall. Shadows on the grass. Waving of corn and grain. Sunsets. Sunrises. We remained together for thi'ee or four hours, during which time I took notes, mentally, of the ideas expressed by different members of the company. I have put these notes upon paper in such a way as to show pretty nearly the course of the conversation, and how naturally one thing led to another. During my ride home I had ample opportunity, thanks to the peculiar temperament of Mr. David's horse, of comparing this conversation with that to which I had listened at the sewing-circle. And what a difference ! Why, that first one was so trivial, so aimless, with its never-ending gossip, I actually felt mj^self growing smaller while hearing it. And I could but compare the two waj's in which the two sets of talkers handled the same subjects. For instance, " spring o' the year" was mentioned 164 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNIN. by the first merely as a time of house-cleaning, and a dearth of pie-material. The second talked of spring flowers and spring birds, of leaves bursting, and swamps awaking. Children were discussed by the first set, chieflj^, I think, with regard to what they liked to eat, or to whether, individually, they were or were not ' ' hard on their clothes ; " at any rate, there was no interchange of ideas concerning the right way of bringing them up. The second spoke of children as immortal beings, the training of whom called for a mother's best endeavors. Even in talking about their neighbors there was a difier- ence. Many members of the sewing-circle seemed rather to enjoy the downfall of Henry T., — some even to exult over it. Allen Wentworth, on the contrar}^, was tenderly spoken of by Mrs. Royal and her friends ; and the causes of his wrong-doing were thoughtfully considered. Then, again, there was a difference in the kinds of enjoyment with which the two sets of people en- joyed their conversations ; that of the last being infinitely higher. " Hovv'' charming ! " " Now, isn't that grand ! " " What a beautiful idea ! " they ex- claimed, now and then, as some heart-stirring pas- sage was repeated. The face of each listener or speaker would light up with pleasure ; and the eyes PEBBLES, OR DIAMONDS* 165 would tell that her very soul was enjo3'ing itself. I could but remember, theu, Adeline, Fennel Payne's wife, who was blamed by some of the circle for " sit- ting down to read in the daytime ; " as if dajiiime were only made for rolling out pastry, sewing dresses, and the like. And when that tea-table talk ran on flowers and birds, woods, waters, glorious sunsets, and all the wonderful " out-doors," I again remembered Fennel Payne and Adeline, and how they had been ridiculed for " taking walks," and *' sitting down upon the hill." The ridicule, I thought, and still think, should be turned the other way. llhey are the ones to be ridi- culed, who shut themselves in behind lath and plaster, and there scrub, sew, and cook, cook, sew, and scrub, scarcely noticing the wondrous show which each season, in turn, prepares for them. Flowers may bloom, trees may wave, brooks may ripple, the whole earth blossom into beauty ; but they take no heed. It really does seem like slighting the gifts which God has bestowed. There is much to admire and to reverence in these women of Tweenit. They are, generally speaking, just as bright and just as good as my friends at Piper's Mills. The point is, that they do not, or the majority of them do not, like those friends of 166 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. mine, get the best out of life. Their energies are spent chiefly on phj^sical, not mental needs. Their talk is trivial. Nature is almost a dead loss to them. While others are enjo3'ing, through books, communion with the noblest minds, they are taken up with the petty concerns of their neighbors. While others seek for knowledge worth the knowing, they are satisfied to learn that some "Mis Susan" or other has " swapped shawls." And what is true of Tweenit is pretty lilvcly to be true of other places. Then there is another class, not 3'et considered, the butterfly class, who give their attention chiefly to plumage. Ah, there must be a vast companj' of women, a multitude whom no man can number, wlio pick up pebbles, and leave the diamonds ! How is it with the " men-folks," in this respect? KINDLING - WOOD. 167 vn. KENDLING-WOOD. " T" ISTENERS never hear any good of them- -^^ selves." It is really unfair, however, to rank myself in so unworthy a class. No mean listener I, but an earnest inquirer, seeking light on any and every branch of domestic science. Votaries of the great sciences, it is said, while pursuing their studies with a view to some particular facts or truths, often stumble upon others which are quite as important. And in like manner a few days since, while continuing my observations on the men- tal status of the women of Tweenit \illage, did I stumble upon some facts in regard to the opposite sex, which are really worth attending to, and which, at the time, reminded me of the proverb about listeners ; for I had the mortification — it was one day when Mrs. Melendy and a few of the neighbors dropped into help Mrs. Fennel quilt — of hearing man discussed in his capacity of light-wood provider. 168 TBE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. "Men-folks" as kindling- splitters ! Are hus- bands, sons, and brothers read}" for the question? Have they clear consciences on this point? How many can fearlessly invoke the spirit of free inquiry ? "And now you're married, you must be good, And keep your wife in kindling-wood" runs the old rhyme. A wise injunction, but one not universally obeyed ; that is, if the husbands of Tweenit are representative men in this respect. The heart-rending experiences which were related that day! — the anxieties, perplexities, calamities, agonies ! all of which might have been averted by " light wood," as some of them call it. One sufferer took a " sight o' pains" with her cake, *' separated" the eggs, "braided" the sugar and butter; but — it fell. Green pine was its ruin. Miss Janet's dumplings " riz right up, light as a feather, the first of it, but came out soggy ; and all for lack of a little flash under the pot." Another " had out-of-town company come unexpected one day ; and, because there was no light wood on hand to start up a fire in the front-room, they had to sit right down in the kitchen, and see every thing that was going on." Mrs. Melendy's (Mar^- Melendy's) Dicky was taken ill in the night ; and there was an KINDLING-WOOD. 169 agonizing delay in steeping the " seeny," on account of Mr. Melendj^'s having forgotten to " split the kindling over night." And so on, and so on. Men were alwaj's apt to forget the kindling, Mrs. Melendy said, but always expected their dinner, whatever ; and expected light victuals from green pine-wood ! Light wood made heavy wood go better. Men didn't understand how tried a woman was with worrying over her fire, and with not having things convenient. Here the talk diverged, and ran upon things con- venient that each would like to have. One wanted a slide-door cut through into the butter}-, to save running all the way round with the dishes ; another, an oil-carpet, to save washing floor ; another, netting in every window and outside door, to save " fighting flies ; " another, stationary tubs, with pipes to let the water in and out, such heavy work, lifting tubs ! another would have a washer and wringer ; another, water let into her sink ; and still another wanted her sink-room floor raised up level with the kitchen, it made her back ache so to keep stepping up and down all the time ! And, from things convenient, they went to things pleasant, that "'twould be so nice to have!" Among these were mentioned canarj'-birds, a me- 170 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. k)deon, a magazine, Madame Demorest's Monthly, a set of handsome furniture, lots of pictures, a window built out for keeping plants through the winter, a batljing-ioom, a set of furs, a whole barrel of lem- ons and oranges, a lavender-colored poplin dress ; and one of the company would like to take a little journey. I observed that these conveniences and pleasures were spoken of in a jesting, almost sarcastic tone, as if the likelihood of obtaining them were about equal to that of obtaining the crown-jewels of Eng- land. In regard to the first, the conveniences, " My husband can't afford it," was a phrase used so often, as to set me to thinking, and that quite seri- ousty. These domestic phrases all have a bearing on my present studies. '' Can't afford it! " Now, it is a question well worth considering, what are the things to be afforded. In the first place, what is our most precious pos- session, the best worth ha^4ng, the best worth sav- ing? Wh}^, life, to be sure! "All that a man hath will he give for his life." '* Any thing to save life " is a remark frequently heard. The next point that I wish to make is, that a wo- man who overworks sacrifices her life. I have heard women speak of being so tu-ed the}' could not sleep. KINDLING-WOOD. Ill but lay all night with "nerves a-trembling," and rose in the morning unrefreshed. Now, no huroan being can live long in such a condition as that. Well, then, if overwork kills, whatever saves work saves life. Life is the most precious posses- sion : therefore, money spent in saving work is money well spent ; and the answer to our question is, that conveniences are the things to be afforded. But men, that is, many men, do not consider the subject in this light. Apparently, those women were right in saying that a man ' ' don't understand " how "tried" a woman is with not having things convenient. Apparentl}', men "don't understand" that such words as " backache," " headache," " ner- vous," " trembling," mean wearing out. I recollect several cases' in which a husband let himself be importuned for some " convenience," week after week, and granted it at last with the bearing of a person doing an inestimable favor ; as if he were an outside party, having no interest in the affair at all. X believe, that if Mr. Fennel should provide Mrs. Fennel with "stationary tubs, with pipes to let the water in and out," — tubs, mind, in which to wash his own clothes, — he would consider himself entitled to her everlasting grati- tude. At any rate, I see that whenever a wash- 172 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. erwoman is hired, the money to pay her comes hard, as hard as lifting the tubs does to Mrs. Fen- nel and Martha. I have a friend, who, after his wife really had been injured by bringing water from a well, did at last, by reason of her importunit}', put a pump in the sink. And, ever since that great job was accomplished, whenever she asks for any thing which can possibly be done without, " that pump " serves as an excuse for refusing. Yes, and probably " that pump" will be made to tlu-ow cold water on dress, carpet, magazine, or melodeon for man}^ a year to come. Now, m}^ friend was interested in "that pump" just as much as his wife, only she never had allowed KINDLING-WOOD. 173 him to find it out. If, when the pailful he brought in the morning — and which he " didn't understand" why it should not last all day — was used up, if then she had let the dinner stop cooking, why, that would have made him " understand." But, instead of doing this, she went to the well herself, knowing that he would " expect his dinner, whatever," to quote Mrs. Melendy. And observation has shown me that the majority of men, both in Tweenit and out of Tweenit, expect a great deal of women "whatever." They expect a woman will always be good-natured ; will keep the whole house in order ; will let nothing be wasted ; will bear to be found fault with ; will never find fault ; will have the children look neat ; will cook three meals a day ; will always have light bread ; will wash and iron, make and mend, entertain com- pany, and, if possible, get along without hired help. Yet they do not, as a general thing, exert them- selves overmuch to provide her with conveniences, still less with pleasures. Really, this is something like " expecting light victuals from green pine- wood " ! And, now I think of it, I wonder if there be not in the lives of some women too much ' ' green- pine;" if some husbands don't "forget the kin- 174 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK riling " all the way tkrough. Mrs. Melendy said that "light wood" would make the heavy wood go better. I wonder if a little ' ' light wood " now and then, in the shape of a pleasure-trip, or of books, music, conveniences, sets of furs, and pretty things in the house, or even of an appreciative or com- mendatory word, would not make woman's heavy burden of work go better. MR. MCKIMBER RISES TO EXPLAIN. 175 vni. ME. MCKIMBEK RISES TO EXPLAIN". "\7~ES, there is too much " green pine " in the lives of some women ; but then, on the other hand, there is equally too much ' ' light wood " in the lives of others. Mrs. Fennel remarked, in the course of the kindling conversation, that sometimes her wood- pile would be all "logs and sog," and next thing 'twould be all " light stuff," and that what jow. want is to have both together. You want good solid wood to keep the fire agoing ; and you want dry pine to make a flash. I gathered from the talk, however, that this ideal wood-pile is seldom found in Tweenit. " If they could all be shaken up together," said Mrs. Melendy, meaning wood-piles, " they would all come out about riglit." And I suppose it is somewhat so with tne lives of women. Some are mostly " gi'een pine ; " and some are mostly " light stuff:" if they all could be shaken up together, they all would come out about right. 176 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. No concern of mine? Why do I interest myself so much in woman's life and woman's work ? Attend to my own affairs? "Why, that is just what I am doing. I have discovered from m}^ late course of reading that woman is my " affair." Am I not, as one of the dominant sex, placed in authority over her ? Are not her interests in m}^ keeping ? Have I not, with others like me, to make the laws which govern her ? and to see that she obeys them ? and to punish her, if she does not ? and to regulate the taxes on her propert}- ? and to say what studies she may pursue, and what profession, if an}^, she may adopt? And, more than all this, I have, to some degree, the care of her conscience. For instance, if she be doubtful as to the wrongfulness of her rising to speak in prayer-meeting, or in the pulpit, or on the plat- form, it is m}^ province to decide for her. And, as she is intellectuall}'' unable to inteipret what the Scriptures have to say on this point, it is my clearer head, as one of the clearer heads of the dominant sex, which must bring out the meaning, and place it where she can see it. And if, after being thus mor- ally and intellectual^ enlightened, the Spirit move her so strongly, that she must rise and speak, then I, with others in authority, must compel h€,r to silence. Woman? She doesn't know what is best MR. MCKIMBER RISES TO EXPLAIN. Ill for herself. She doesn't know, in all cases, right from wrong. Fortunately, she has in man an un- erring guide. My own affairs indeed ! It is the affair of all in authority, I should think, to acquaint themselves with the condition of their subjects, in order to legislate wisely, and above all justly. Some of those old Eastern rulers, I believe, used to go among their people in disguise, for this very purpose. Well, so am I a ruler in disguise, acquainting mj^self with the condition of those over whom I am set in authority ; and my disguise is the robe of indifference. And besides all this, besides being spiritual ad- viser, instructor, and ruler, I maj^ (though the idea is amusing, and its fulfilment by no means prob- able), — I maj', it is not impossible, be a husband also. And my wife may ask me a question. She will, if she is good ; for, if there be one single plain text of Scripture, it is that which bids a woman, if she wants to know any thing, ask her husband at liome. And I, for one, mean to take some notice of women, so as to find out beforehand what manner of questions a wife will be likely to ask, lest, not having my answers ready, I be brought to shame. By the way, does not educating women at all rather 178 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. " go agin that text o' JScripter," to use Mr. David's expression ? Now comes still another consideration, and a very serious one. It is certainly my business to see that woman is fitted for the training of chil- dren because, in this republican country, women's sons will all help to rule the land. Princes of roj^al households, it is well known, are cared for from their births with the utmost solicitude. Here every family is a roj^al hous*ehold, and every boy is a prince. Every girl is not a princess ; but she may become the mother of a prince. Now, who has the charge of all these royal chil- MR. MCKIMBER RISES TO EXPLAIN. 179 dren at the time when their characters are forming ? Who gives the fii'st direction to the minds of those who will in time control the affairs of our country ? Woman. And it is my business as an American citizen to learn what are her qualifications for an office of such responsibility. It was this last consideration which induced me to listen so attentively to my friends at Piper's Mills, and to m}'' friends at the sewing-circle, when the talk ran upon children ; for it bore directly on a theory of mine. I suppose every scientist has a theory- connected with his science. M}^ theory connected with mj^ science is this : that a mother's chief duty is the taking care of her children. I believe that she should prepare herself solemnly for this duty, and that she should ha^'e ev^}^ possible facility for its performance. How came I b^' this theory ? I came by it through the newspapers. I never took up one that did not have news to tell of dishonest clerks, corrupt officials, of drunkenness, theft, and murder. And I would say to myself, "Oh, how much badness there is in this dear country ! And how do so many people become so bad ? " And one day I went, with my theory upon me, into Mrs. Fennel's kitchen, where I found the 180 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. women-folk in a state of great consternation. The cakes were all fried for tea ; but the salt had been forgotten. "Sprinkle some over them," said I; * "twill strike through, won't it?" ''Oh, no!" said Mrs. Fennel. " The salt must be mixed into the dough at the beginning of it." " There," thought I, " that's the very ' figure of speech ' I want ! Yes, it comes just right. Let salt stand for goodness, and dough for the children. The goodness must be mixed in at the beginning of it : it is too late when the world has baked the dough up into men and women. It will be of no use then sprinkling it on outside : it won't strike through. All this illustrates my theory exactly. Yes, yes, mix it in at the beginning : that's it ! And mothers must do it." This point being settled, there arise three ques- tions ; namely. Is she qualified for this duty ? Has she facilities for performing it ? Does she feel that it is her chief duty ? "TURN 'EM off:' 181 IX. "TUEN 'EM OFF." "TT was because I had my theory under consider- -^ ation, — the theory of child-training being the chief duty of a mother, — that I was so much im- pressed b3" our neighbor's remark concerning the *' three meals." ''Now, how is this?" said I to myself. " If ' the three meals take about all day,* and making and mending, the evening, where is the children's time coming from ? " And, indeed, where is it coming from? I see that they get scraps of attention, when, for instance, as in Mrs. Fennel's case, a bit of a sermon is thrown at them now and then in the interv^als of cooking, but not often a good square meal. I see that all things else are attended to before the children ; not meaning before they are clothed and fed, but before time is taken to talk or read with them. I see that mothers and children are, in a measure, stran- gers to each other ; that they have too little oppor- 182 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. tunity of becoming intimate. I see, that, with the mothers of Tweenit, life is one prolonged hurry. Feet and hands are hurr^dng to " get things done." The mind is ever on the stretch, planning how to " g(;t things done," or fearing things will not " get done ; " and things do not *' got done." One day's work laps over on to the next, one week's on to the next, one month's, one year's ; and so there is no pause, no let-down. Rest, quiet, leisure, are here un- known teiTus with the mother of a family ; yet these are just what a mother of a family needs, and must have, for accomplishing what I think is her chief business ; for this business of hers requires thought, study, earnest preparation. It requires the mother. Yes, it requires herself personally. But how shall the children of Tweenit get their mothers, or the mothers their children? No doubt both would enjoy each other's nearer acquaintance. I remember hearing Mrs. Melendy talk one day to her little two or three yea^s old Rosa. '* You 'ittle peshious ! " she said. " Mother hasn't had you in her arms to-day. Mother will let every thing go, and hold you a little while, what- ever ! " The child was delighted. Both were delighted. They hugged each other. They played peekaboo ' ''TURN 'EM OFF.' 183 They took kisses from each other's lips ; and, oh, what a good time they had ! It lasted nearly five minutes. Little Rosa would fain have been held longer ; but mother had too much to do. The singular part of it was, and the sorrowful part, that Mrs. Melendj' appeared to consider her five minutes* good time as a stolen pleasure. It was enjoyed with the feeling that she ought to be doing some- thing else. I had the curiosity to wait and see what that something else was, and found it to be lemon-pies. How is my theory going to work in Tweenit, if mothers have to steal time to fondle their chil- dren? 184 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. I came across a story the other day, which con* tained an excellent moral, well conveyed. I carried the book in to Mrs. Melendy, and said to her, "This story is exactly the thing for your little boys. You might read it aloud some evening, and talk it over with them." " O Mr. McKimber!" said she, "if you only knew how much I've got to do ! Why, I can't sleep nights thinking of it ! " So there it is again. And how is my theory to work in Tweenit, if boys must go away fron home for their amusements, because mothers cannol even steal time to give them ? And how is it to work in other places, and among other classes? I have a cousin living in Elmbridge. She keeps help. I made a little visit there recently, one object of which was to learn whether she does or does not give to her children the leisure thus obtained. She does not. She gives it to extras in the way of cooking, extras in the way of house-adornments, extras in the way of dress. By way of test, I took my book with me, and pre- sented it with remarks like those addressed to Mrs. Melendj^ on a similar occasion. Her answer was almost identical with that of Mrs. Melendy: " Oh, you don't linow how much I have to do ! " ''TURN 'EM OFFy 185 And I did not know. I could form no idea of the labor of flouncing that " suit." It had already, she assured me, ts.ken one week's sitting-down time. My theory would not work at Cousin Sallie's. Well, now, thought I, just for the curiosity of the thing, let me try what are called the highest circles. There is one family in the highest circles, the Manchesters, with whom I am on visiting terms. They live in the city. They keep a cook, cham- bermaid, parlor-girl, nursery-maid, and usually a seamstress. As far as work is concerned, Mrs. Manchester's life is one prolonged state of leisure. Does she give this leisure to her children ? She does not : she gives it to society. I thought I would try the " book" in her case, and did so, scarcely able to conceal a smile, as I thought how little she ima- gined that an experiment was being made upon her for the benefit of domestic science. I said a few words, as on the two former occasions, perhaps en- larging rather more on the desirableness of mothers giving their children more of themselves. But now came in society. '' My dear Mr. McKimber, society demands so much ! Why, I scarcely have an hour to call my own ! " And I saw that it was so, — saw that what with 186 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. shopping, dressing, dinner-parties, evening-parties, callers, and calling, the "chief duty" stood a small chance. Among all classes, then, — among the wealthy, the comfortably off, and the uncomfortably off, — children are wronged. Thc}^ are petted, pam- pered, furbelowed, amused, but still wronged : they are defrauded of their mothers. This is a broad statement ; and, of course, there are excep- tions. I know myself some thoughtful, careful, prayerful mothers, who understand their mission, and tr}'' to fulfil it. But, as a rule, the mission is not recognized. As a rule, childi'en are shoved aside. And this is done in many cases deliberately. Said one of the sewing-circle members, "It won't do to notice your children too much : if 3^ou do, you can't turn 'em off." Yes, " Turn 'em ofi"," is the cry. And turned off they are, — some for "society," some for " flounces," some for " lemon-pies." How, then, and where, then, is m}^ theory to work? for mothers, exceptions excepted, do not even feel that bo3'-and-girl-training is their first duty. And, allowing thej' could be convinced of this, then comes the question of time. How shall they find time to attend to it? which is rather an odd question, as it ''TURN 'EM off:' 187 might be supposed that one's first duty would have the first claim. Ah, well ! it is almost a hopeless case. The next generation will not be a good gen- eration, because it will not be started rightly ; and it will not be started rightty, because mothers are not attending to their business ; and mothers are not attending to their business, because the}^ " have no time," and because they are not aware that it is their business. Why do not philanthropists organize a society for the enlightenment of mothers? That is what the country needs. And when such a society shall have been organized, and have accomplished its purpose, another must be started, the object of which shall be to furnish mothers with time : not by putting more hours into the day, or more days into the week, but by an easy process which I have in my mind, and which I am willing to divulge. Its name begins with S. I will note down here that the name begins with S. There is a class of mothers not mentioned in these remarks, who make themselves slaves to their chil- dren bi7 trying to gratify all their whims and wishes. This class need enlightenment as much as any other, for the kind of attention which children shall receive is a consideration of the utmost importance. "188 THE SCUOOLM ASTER'S TRUNK. X. A LOOK AHEAD. TTTHEN the Society for the Enlightenment of ' ' Mothers shall have accomplished its work, and, as a consequence, it has become a recognized idea in the communitj^ that woman's special duty is to rightly train her children, then it will be in order to organize that other society, the object of which shall be to provide mothers with time for attending to that special dutj^ And perhaps some of my remote descendants may be called upon to draft resolutions for said society, and may be glad to find, among the mustj^ papers of their great, great, great, many- times-great grandfather, a hint for a beginning, something like this, for instance : — " Whereas, Mothers of families are burdened with many cares, and whereas their crying want is want of time : there- fore, ^^ Resolved, That, in our view, the necessities of the age de- mand the organization of a society, the object of which shaU be the diflfusion of time among mothers. A LOOK AHEAD. 189 " Resolved, secondly, That this society boldly takes its stand on the platform of Simplification. ^^ Resolved, thirdly, That, to effectually disseminate its views, this society requires, and shall have, an organ. ^^ Resolved, fourthly. That said organ shall be called 'The Columbian Simplifier and Time-Provider ; * and that writers shall be pecuniarily encouraged to illustrate in its columns our grand idea of Simplification in its bearing on household duties and on dress." There, I leave my great, great, great, many-times- great grandchildren these hints, with my blessing, and would leave, also, an article for "The Simpli- fier," only for the diflSculty of putting myself in a frame of mind corresponding with so remotely future a state of things, — a state of things, that is, when the controlling purposes of woman's life shall have changed so entirely. I have a mind to try to do this, and write my article, and have it read at the sewing-circle ; but then it would be premature. These mothers do not yet recognize their mission ; neither do they jQi j)lace mental culture among the must haves. When they do, they will work for far other than their present aims ; not but that many of these are com- mendable, but that they stand in the way of better things. Take ironing, for instance. This forenoon I 190 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. heard IMrs. Fennel say to Martha, '' Don't slight the towels. I take just as much pains with a coarse brown towel as I do with any thing." Mrs. Fennel prides herself on having the clothes ' ' look well on the horse,"* the tinware bright, stove polished, tables scoured, towel-fringes combed out nicely, and a pantry stored with nice things to tempt the appetite. Now, the question is not, are these ends worth attaining, but are the}^ the principal ones worth attaining ? I am aware that any insinuation of this kind read at the sewing-circle would bring a storm about my head at once. "What! slight the ironing?" "What! not scour the tin?" "What! not keep the stove bright ? " Well, they would certainly have right on their side ; and I should have, more cer- tainly, right on my side. My side being, that, through aU the toil and striving, something higher shall be kept in view, and that this something higher shall not be forever shoved aside for those other things lower. I suppose the Society for the Enlightenment of Mothers will put the case somewhat in this way,— " As woman has mind, it may be inferred that to * Clothes-horse, a local term for clothes-frame. A LOOK AHEAD. 191 cultivate her mind should be one special object of woman's life. That is one statement. Then, to add another, nothing in the world can be more precious than a little child. It is no light respon- sibility, that of giving the first direction to an im- mortal Boul. Woman, in assuming a duty sc sacred, should feel that its claims rank above all others ; that it demands of her her very best. " A mother, then, should aim at two special duties ; namely, to cultivate her mind, and to rightly train her children. Though these two are stated separately, the last really includes the first, since, to rightly train her children, a mother needs to have every mental faculty under cultivation. This im- plies study, reflection, deliberation ; and these imply time. ' We have no time,' say these mothers, — ' no time for books, no time to think, no time to spend with our children.' Which is not true, because they have all the time there is, but feel bound to use it for other pm-poses." Now, here is where the Society for the Diffu> sion of Time among Mothers shall take up the work, and show how, by the application of its grand principle of Simplification to cooking and to di'ess, the inferior d aties can be made to deliver up their " lion's share " of time. Statistical writers in " The 192 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. Columbian Simplifier " shall state the exact numbeT of rolling-pin strokes required b}^ an average family in a 3"ear, and the amount of time said strokes will consume, for the purpose of calculating how many hours and minutes are thus stolen from the two special objects. The same statistical writer, for a similar purpose, shall give, in figures, the stitches and minutes required to flounce an average family for a year. Comic writers will hold up to ridicule, in "The Simplifier," elaborate passages from the cook-book, thus handing them down to posterity, by whom they will be considered as relics of a bar< barons age. Among these passages will no doubt be this one concerning MINCE-PIES. '* Ten pounds of meat, three pounds of suet, one of currants, three of sugar, five of apple, four of raisins, one of citron, a pint of sirup of preserved fruit, a quart of wine, salt, cinnamon, clove, nut- meg, the juice and pulp of a lemon, the rind chopped fine." Among the illustrations of "The Simplifier" may be, perhaps, one of a woman at a sewing- machine, half-buried in as yet unruflled ruflaing ; musical instruments at the right of her, an easel .4 LOOK AHEAD. 193 with its belongings at the left of her, book-shelves well filled in front of her. If the artist be imagi- native, he ma}" depict, hovering over their several emblems, dim, shadowy forms to represent, respec- tivel}", the genius of music, of painting, of litera- ture, each vainly, and sorrowfull}' because vainly, beckoning the ruffler awa}-. Or, instead of a woman ruffling, it may be a woman, chopper in hand, con- ^^MM^m^- cocting the above-quoted horror of the cook-book, surrounded, of course, by the various ingredients, each properl}' labelled. If the artist be sensational, as well as imaginative, he may introduce here, instead of tlio dim and shadowy figures just now mentioned, the grim and shadowy figure of DeatJi 194 THE SCHOOLMASTEE'S TRUNK. as saying with an exultant laugh, " Go on, madam, go on. You are working in my interests ! " Then will come the essajdst. Imagine him thus, — " Some may ask, Mr. Editor, is it not desirable to live neatty, and to cook palatable food ? Yes. But is it for this alone that woman has intellect, talent, genius, aspirations ? Suppose, now, that one of these women live forty worldng-j^ears. At the end of that time she can look back, and sa}^, ' I have polished m}' stove twelve thousand times ; have scoured my knives thirtj^'-six thousand times ; have never left one wrinkle in one coarse towel ; have swept the house from garret to cellar two thousand and eighty times ; and I have made unnumbered thousands of cakes, pies, and hot biscuits.' Now, without sajing 2iny thing against neatness, or against eating, can that woman, in accomplishing these ends onl}^, be said to have fulfilled the essential purposes of life ? " The case is something like this. A person is sent on an important mission, and, being asked if he has performed his mission, replies, ' Wh}^, no ! I had no time. It took all the time to look out for provisions, brush the dust off my clothes, and polish my boots. These duties have been faithfully attended to, I am proud to say.* A LOOK AHEAD. 195 " Or suppose a sea-captain should devote his energies mainly to keeping the ship in order and his storeroom supplied, but never steer for any port. '"Cleanliness and good living "is my motto,* he would say, pointing exultingl}^ to his well-scrubbed decks and to his well-filled storeroom. ' Yes ; but it is necessarj^ to get somewhere,' might properly be answered. "Let woman, then, while insisting on neatness, remember her mission. Let her, sailing on life's seas, keep the ship in order and wholesomely pro- visioned, but at the same time steer for some port." The essajdst will, of course, bring in those who forget their mission while picking flowers, chasing butterflies, and blowing bubbles, and will in various waj'^s show that by simplif3'ing cooking, and simplify- ing dress, time may be diflused among mothers. '196 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. XI. FENNEL PAYNE AND ADELINE. npWEENIT is usually in a state of ferment from one cause or another. Last week it was a quar- rel between two neighbors ; the week before it was Aunt Jinny's (Aunt Jinny under the hill) under- taking to have company ; this week, it is silver- plated knives. Fennel Payne has bought for Ade- line silver-plated knives. "It does beat all!" exclaims Mrs. Laura, who is now discussing the matter with Mrs. Fennel in an adjoining room. My prophetic ej^e sees a day in the far-off future, when, even in countrj^ villages, women's thoughts will be occupied by subjects of more importance. Meanwhile, Nature abhorring a vacuum, gossip flows in, as one may say, like a sea, filling every little creek and inlet between the solid high lands of housework and needlework. It is amazing, the relish with which a choice bit of this standard entertainment is enjoyed. Mrs. FENNEL PAYNE AND ADELINE. 197 Laura comes over on some errand (she is a stoutly- built woman with a determined cast of counte- nance), and sits down by Mrs. Fennel. The talk- begins : it grows interesting. They lean toward each other : there is animation in their faces, a light in their eyes, feeling in every tone. The announce- ment of a national calamity could hardly be received with greater emotion than is this wonderful news of to-day. "Silver-plated knives? What do you mean ? " It was Fennel Payne and Adeline who were criticised by the sewing- ckcle for their way of spending time and money. Indeed, Tweenit in general disapproves of this couple : it calls them " stuck up." I know this cannot be true of Adeline, because she is an intimate friend of my friend Mrs. Royal of Piper's Mills, and therefore must have common-sense, and therefore cannot be " stuck up." And, as for her husband, I like the looks of him much, and mean to accept his kind invitation to ' ' come over." These two words seem to suflSce for all ordinary complimenting in Tweenit, especially at the breaking-up of a gathering, when it fairly rains "come overs." But hark! List! What is Mrs. Laura saying? " Every day ! " " They don't keep them for company, but use them every day ! " 198 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. This is the last straw which breaks the .back of forbearance. Purchasing the articles at all was bad enough ; but using them " every day" is atrocious. These two, Fennel Payne and Adeline, are rare specimens, which must be examined. The interests of my science demand it. I shall go " over." TWO WEEKS LATER. Well, I have been over several times ; and I en- tirely approve of Fennel Payne and Adeline. They are a couple in advance of their times, — a couple worthy to live in the days of "The Columbian Simpli- fier and Time-Provider." They believe in books, in beauty, in social intercourse, and in out-doors. I found my friend Mrs. Royal staying there the last time I called. She is quite enthusiastic about Mr. Fennel Payne, and, finding that I sjTupathize in her enthusiasm, has kindly lent me these extracts, copied from letters which a young friend of hers received from Adeline's sister, one Miss Vining. They eulogize Fennel Payne, and, at the same time, solve the great knife mystery. EXTRACTS. . , . "Pretty scenery, river, meadow, woods bej'ond. They live up stairs, have one cooking- room, one sitting-room, two sleeping-rooms, with FENNEL PAYNE AND ADELINE. 199 garret privileges, and the right to wash in the sink- room, down below, the second pleasant day after Sunday. Adeline does her own work, and takes care of little Adeline and Buddy, as they call baby. He is — but, as the girl in the book says, there never will be a word invented adequate to describe your sister's baby. No, there never will. And such a husband as Adeline has got ! Oh, I tell you there are not many Fennel Paynes in this world ! Oh, .they two do take such comfort ! Why, the very atmosphere of the house is full of comfort, and you have to breathe it in. " Fennel comes home from work at evening, and settles himself down with an air of intense satisfaction, as if this were for him the only spot in all the world. Sometimes he undresses Buddy, Adeline, meanwhile, stepping about, doing up the work, going sideways so as to keep her eyes on them, and telling over all the cunning things baby and little Adeline have committed during the day. At last baby's father, after fumbling at the night- gown strings, and t3dng them in a single bow- knot, covers him over like a cocoon. Then lullaby, hushab}' , softly and gently. Fennel's low tones are wonderfully sweet ; and now and then Adeline joins In ' with sweet accord.' I tell you 'tis such a 200 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. perfect taking comfort, it almost brings the tears to my eyes. That baby's slumbers ought to be sweet, thus watched and tended. But it is so funn3 to see a man tr}' to glide ! In Fennel's tiptoe performances he seems to be putting himself uni- versally out of joint. . . . " Fennel is unwilling to have Adeline do any veiy hard work. They live well, but simply ; that i?, they have the best of bread, meats, fruit, &c., but no elaborate concoctions which take time to prepare, and cost money to bu}'. Fennel says he thinks the right way is to save on non-essentials, and spend on essentials. Among essentials he counts books and pictures, especially books that have any bearing on FENNEL PAYNE AND ADELINE. 201 education. He says, that, as Adeline has little Adeline and Buddy to bring up, she ought to have the means of preparing herself to do it, and beau- tiful things to look at, and leisure to enjoy them, so as to keep herself in a pleasant frame of mind. There is nothing he will not do to make Adeline's work easy for her. I don't mean ever to marry till I find a man just lilce Fennel Payne. But he has no brother. Alas and alackaday ! Why, he even bought silver-plated knives to save Adeline's arms and Adeline's moments. His Aunt Laura was over yesterday ; and she gave him quite a lecture on extravagance, also threw out something about the mother of a family sitting down to read in the daytime. Fennel declared that he could buy a set of knives every month with what his aunt spent in cooking the unnecessaries of life ; and Adeline did a sum in tarts and doughnuts to show where her reading-time came from. Fennel said, that, if any- body ought to sit down to read in the daytime, it is the mother of a family ; for she, more than anybody, needs whatever help books can give . Aunt Laura said _she approved of la34ng by for a xscmy day ; and Ade- line said that was just what she was doing, — la3'ing up ideas against the.da}^ when her health might not be so good, or her family so small. ' The question 202 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. is, Aunt Laura,' said she, ' who wastes time and money, — you, or I?' Uncle David and Aunt Laura have alwa3's worked like slaves, and do now ; but every dollar saved is put into the bank or into land. There's hardly a pretty thing in their house. They work and save, work and save, denjdng them- selves almost every enjoyment, except that of eating. They will live well. Uncle David owned to Fennel once, that he wants to have the name, when he dies, of leaving property. What a funny idea it is, when you come to think of it, — the idea of living this life, that can't be lived but once, entirely for the sake of accumulating something, which, when we have done living, can be of no use to us ! I agree with Fennel and Adeline, that we ought to get out of life what is best worth ha\ing. I suppose we can carry that with us ; don't you ? And I shall not marry until I meet with a man — well, something like Fennel, or, at any rate, who believes as I do in these matters. Though, to be sure, I might take one that differed a little, supposing one offered, and convert him ; but it would be advisable to do this last before marriage, perhaps before the engagement. . . . "Aunt Laura has just come over again, and she and Adeline are discussing the chapel question. They are on opposite sides, of course. 'Tis as FENNEL PAYNE AND ADELINE. 203 good as a play, being in Tweenit now ; and I long to stay longer. Such exciting times ! The women, it seems, have earned money to build a chapel (there never was any meeting-house here) ; and now the men, who have all along discouraged them from doing it, they step forward, and want to form a regular parish that shall build the chapel, and run it generally ; but they are not going to allow the women to come to the parish-meetings, and speak, — the meetings that are to dispose of their own money. They say it would be wicked. Isn't this funny ? " . . . 204 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. xn. NE^V INVENTION WANTED. "T HEARD Nanny Joe remark, the other day, -^ that begging money was akin to pulling teeth ; and, for her part, she wished there was a way of putting people's avaricious propensities under some influence akin to laughing-gas, that their money might be drawn without pain. I said to her in reply, that fairs answer the purpose very well, as I could testify from experience ; having taken them often, and found in every instance the effect to be such, that I scarcely knew of any operation being performed, until I woke up, and found my money extracted. Nanny replied, that such ma- chinery was too cumbersome, and that she meant some little, handy pocket-contrivance to be applied individually. Probably Mr. David was the indi- vidual in her mind at the time. The old man is pretty well to do for a farmer ; yet his dollars come hard. Every one has roots to it ; and the roots are clinched. NEW INVENTION WANTED. 205 Nanny Joe and Nanny Moses have been trying to beg money enough to buy a second-hand sewing- machine for Mrs. Hannah Knowles. Mr. Knowles, a year or two ago, was killed by falling from a roof; and his widow has been struggling ever since 1o support the family, — 3-es, struggling, and among all these Christians ! It would seem no more than fair that a home bereft in such a wa}^ should be provided with even more comforts than the happier homes around ; that a heart thus grief-stricken should be relieved of every possible burden, — no more than fair, and no more than Christian-like. Christianity, it is said, is better than other religions, because it teaches that we are all brothers and sisters. Now, among a family of children, the rule is, when one has any thing good, "Give dear brother or sister some." How often have I heard this at Mrs. Melendy's ! And another thing. Yesterday, while I was calling there, little Rosa Melendy fell, and bruised her head. The other children were around her in a moment, — one with a doll, one with a cook}', one with a kiss, one with a flower ; all tr3'ing to comfort the child. Maybe we are all brothers and sisters, as our religion teaches ; but I know that we are not will- ing, all of us, when we have any thing good, tc 206 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK, ' give dear brother or sister some," or always eager to heap kindnesses on any member of the family whose heart has been bruised by sorrow. Nann}' Joe says there are very few people — that is, very few people in Tweenit (they are doubtless plent}^ elsewhere) — who are willing, really willing, to give away half a dollar right out and out. She asked five indi^aduals to contribute that sum toward the sewing-machine, and they refused ; they were unmarried men, too, earning daily wages, which were spent freely in tobacco, confectionery, horse-hire, and other gratifications. Nanny says that half a dollar to be spent on one's self is a modest, insignificant little aflfair ; but, if to be given away, it gi'ows so big it can hardly be got out of the pocket. I wonder how it would be if we all gave, not from pity, or from dut}^, but, as one may say, imper- sonall}^ For instance, I deny mj'self a pleasure that would cost two dollars, and bestow one cost- ing the same sum upon Mrs. Knowles, saying to myself, "What matters it, since a pleasure is en- joj^ed, whether the individual Henry McKimber enjoys it, or the individual Hannah Knowles?" This, of course, is merely' a hj-pothetical case. Mr. David has arrived at no such state of imper- NEW INVENTION WANTED. 207 sonality ; neither has Mrs. Laura. I happened to be at their house when Nanny Joe called. Mr. David thought that Hannah Knowles might put out her children, and then go to the almshouse. He said he save fifty cents three weeks before to help bu}^ a new stove for Aunt Jinn}' under the hill ; also that he felt poorer than common just then, on account of having between one hundred and two hundred dollars not drawing interest, waiting for him to find a safe wa}' of investing it ; also that his wife's breaking her arm had been a great damage to him. Nanny Joe ofiered to accept potatoes, and dispose of them at Piper's Mills. He said potatoes were a cash article, but finally agreed to her taking half a bushel. The tea-table was standing ; and I observed that there was no lack of good things to eat. Mr. David, no doubt, takes it for granted that he must have his comforts, whatever others ma}' lack. Per- haps he thinks this is true Bible doctrine. Mr. David is a very doctrinal man. Nanny Joe asked Mrs. Laura for some old pantaloons to make over for Mrs. Knowles's son. Mrs. Laura replied that her husband and the boys were very hard on their pantaloons. There are two sons at home, Elbridge and Prince, tall, slim boys of thirtj'-five or fort}'. Elbridge has a small face, 208 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. and a (jomical, one-sided twinkle of the eye, wliic-li he takes from his father. Mrs. Laura brought out various garments, in various stages of deca}-, each of which was exam- ined in turn. One pair would stand it a spell for second -))est ; another would do for rainy weather ; another, for rough work ; and so on. A pair of gray satinets, weak-kneed, and in other respects decrepit, Elbridge remarked, with his one-sided twinkle, were "jest about a herrin'." But his mother declared them to be the very things to wear In the woods. Then he picked up a pair of brown ones, saying they were too short ever to be worn again without "splicing," and that Hannah NEW INVENTION WANTED. 209 Knowles had better take them. His mother said she would see, first, if there were any pieces like them in the bag, '' to lengthen the legs down." The bundle-bag was brought forward, roll after roll taken out, and its label read: "Prince's mixed suit o' clothes," " Father's last tail-coat," "Father's summer alpaca waistcoat," " Elbridge's sack cut Qut by Sally Payne's pattern," " Prince's satinet pantaloons," " Elbridge's frock-coat he had cut out by the tailor," " Elbridge's brown small-legs panta- loons " — "That's the animal!" cried Elbridge. "But it doesn't look like 'em." " They'll fade alike, though, some time or other," his mother remarked. ' " These won't fade alike, though," he cried, taking up a pair spotted over with paint. " I've been saving that pair o' pantaloons to braid," answered his mother; "but still" (exam- ining them closely) " they're rather stiff; and on the whole, if Hannah Knowles can make any use of that pair of pantaloons, she may have 'em." " So, Mrs. Laura," thought I, " you give away what is of no use to you. True Bible benevolence that ! " Mrs. Laura is a stanch Bible woman. Nanny Joe declined the get erous gift, and rose 210 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. to go, fearing, as she afterward told me, that the chapel question might be introduced ; which question she had then no leisure for discussing. I came out at the same time, having something to communicate on that very subject. Just as we got outside the gate, a bundle came down plump on the ground in front of us, which same, by unrolling, showed itself to be " Elbridge's brown small-legs pantaloons.'* We turned, and, guided by a loud liem^ looked up to the roof, and saw there the comical phiz of the owner protruding from a scuttle. He gave a nod, a finger- shake of warning, and vanished. We pick'ed up the prize, but had a narrow escape with it, as Mrs. Laura opened the door suddenl}- to ask Nanny Joe if she had seen a certain piece in the paper about woman's sphere. The dispute as to whether women shall or shall not be allowed to become speaking and voting mem- bers of the parish shakes Tweenit to its centre. The sewing-circle members think they should have a voice in the disposal of their own money ; but the men, man)'' of them, cannot see their way clear to letting them have a voice in the disposal of their own money, or a voice in their own chapel when it shall be built. The quarrel waxes warm. Not only the neighborhood, but families, are divided. Elbridge N£W INVENTION WANTED. 211 Melendj^ thinks differently from his father. Martha Fennel and her lover are on opposite sides ; and, in their case, the warmth of the argun ent has pro- duced a coolness of feeling. We shall see what we shall see. 212 THE SCHOOLM ASTER'S TRUNK, xrrr. A TAI;K IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE. A FTER the women, by working at home and *^-^ begging abroad, had obtained the requisite sum, the men came forward, and proposed meeting together to form a society, or parish, which should build the chapel, and regulate all things pertaining thereto. The women said, ''Yes, a very proper thing to do: we'll come." — "Oh, no!" the men said : " we can manage it ourselves. You don't un- derstand house-building ; besides, a woman would be out of place in a parish meeting." Nanny Joe affirmed that she and several mem- bers of the sewing-circle had consulted builders, and obtained their proposals. Mr. David answered, very well ; that, when the parish should be regularly formed, she could send in a prepared statement, and the parish would act upon it. The matter created quite a stir in the neighborhood ; and it soon became evident that Mr. David and others strongly objected to " women speaking in meeting." Some, however. A TALK IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE. 213 held views opposite to those of Mr. David, and were not backward in expressing those views. At last the direct question was raised, whether, in any future meetings to be held in the chapel, a woman should, or should not, be allowed to speak. This question has been freely discussed, not upon set occasions, but as people met in their usual way of dropping in ; what he said, and what she said, being told from house to house. Two parties have been formed ; and the excitement is very great. Everybody says there was never any thing like it in Tweenit before. There probably was never so much Bible-reading. Each side searches out texts whereby to sustain its position. At first, the women were united ; but, latterly, some of them, influenced by husbands, brothers, or lovers, have come out against themselves. Mrs. Laura says she has said, '' Amen ! " or " Glory ! " occasionally in a revi- val-meeting at Piper's Mills, but that was before she looked into the subject ; and she sees now, that, as the command forbids women to speak, one word is as wrong as twenty words. Mr. David and others say that the text is plain and direct, and therefore they cannot conscientiously worship in the building, if women speak in the meetings. The opposite party contend that the prohibition was a local aflair, 214 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. applying only to the women of those days, and of that Eastern country. Mr. David replies, that, if you are going to explain away the Bible, you may as well not have any Bible. Fennel Payne and some others propose that the men meet in the schoolhouse, and there tails the matter over, and, if possible, come to some decision. Mr. David says he is ready to do this, if Fennel Payne's party will take the Bible literally, and not add, nor take away, nor explain away. Four days later. Last evening the men came together in the schoolhouse. Those who live near brought lamps, candles, and lanterns, which, being set in a row on the desk, did their best to bring out the low ceiling and dingy walls. Mr. David opened the discussion by saying that he saw no reason for any discussion at all, if we believed the Bible : for there was the text in plain words: "/if is not permitted that a woman sJioukl speak in the church" Fennel Payne asked whether the word " church" meant a building, or the collection of people who partake of the sacrament, and are called "the church." Mr. David said it probably meant either, or both. "Then," said Fennel, " if a collection of people who do not belong to the church assemble A TALK IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE. 215 in a building which is not a church, a woman may speak to them ? " 'Mi. David began to say that the prohibition was probably intended to cover — but Fennel remit ded him that nothing was to be added, or subtracted, or explained away. Then a man named Hale rose, and asked if it were right for women to teach in sabbath schools. " Certainlj^ it is ! " answered Mr. Zenas Melendy, " ver}^ right and very proper." — " And if,'* continued Mr. Hale, " inquirers anxious for the welfare of their souls should come to your wife, seeking light on religious subjects, it would be right for her to give them information? " — " Certainly ! '* answered Mr. Zenas. " She would be very blame- worthy in not doing it." — "On the contrary," replied Mr. Hale, opening his Testament, " she is strictly forbidden to do it. Here Paul says, ' / suffer not a woman to teach.* This excludes women from teaching the truths of the gospel, from teach- ing in the sabbath school, in high schools, normal schools, any schools." "But Paul didn't mean," began Mr. Zenas — " Excuse me," interrupted Mr. Hale. "The con- ditions are, not to add, nor subtract, nor explain away. And here in Ephesians is another text." 216 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. Mr. Hale then read, '' Wives.^ submit yourselves to your husbands in every thing " and asked if that command were to be obeyed without adding, sub- tracting, or explaining away. *' Why, yes," answered Mr. Zenas, with a hesi- tancy which caused a general smile ; it being pretty well understood in Tweenit that Mrs. Zenas does not fulfil that command to the very letter. ''This injunction, then," remarked Mr. Hale, *' takes from wiv^es all personal responsibility. Sub- mit yourselves to your husbands in every thing. If a husband wishes his wife to do a wrong act, it is her duty to obey him." Mr. David said, that, of course, a woman should not do any thing against her own conscience. Mr. Hale replied, that the text left her no right of pri- vate judgment, inasmuch as Paul declared over and over again in his epistles, that the wife must submit to the husband, and that " the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church." " And here," Mr. Hale continued, "is a passage which commands us to ' Owe no man any thing.' Those who cannot worship in a building in which women speak cannot worship with any person who is in debt. And here again" (turning the leaves) " are other texts : ' Let no man seek his own, but every A TALK IN THE SCEOOLHOUSE. 217 man another's wealth.* ^ Bear ye one another's burdens.* These are equally emphatic : if one binds, all bind." It was at this point that Cyrus Fennel (brother of Martha) made a hit at Mr. David. He arose, and, looking toward the old man, said he should like to inquire whether Christ's commands were as binding as those of Paul? Mr. David said that certainly they were, and more so. Cyrus then read these words of Christ : '' Give to every man that asketh of thee." This brought to every face an amused, half- pleased expression ; Mr. David's stinginess being almost a by- word here. He replied, that every man has a duty to his family. Fennel Payne reminded him again that nothing was to be explained away, and then read other commands of Christ, each of a similar import to the one mentioned by Cyrus. He then repeated all the different texts which had been brought forward, beginning with that against women speaking in the church. " And now I want to ask," he continued, " why the first of these injunctions should be taken literally, and the others not?" As Fennel Payne sat down, a tall, gray-haired man arose, — the same who came through the place, not long ago, selling " Bitters " of his own making 218 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. He is a pleasant-faced, good-humored man, and travels, with his jugs, in an antique carryall, on the outside of which is written with chalk, ' ' Archangel Bitters." His name is Hensiford. This man arose, and, after asking permission to speak, said in a bland, mild tone, speaking slowly, '' My friends, it comes to my mind to ask a question, which is this : Why are men met together to decide this mat- ter? My friends, if the Almighty Creator meant that woman should be judged by the law, he gave to her an understanding mind to understand the law : otherwise, God is unjust. And, my friends, if women are to be saved, or lost, according to the deeds done in the body, it must be that the}^ have consciences whereby the}'' may tell right from wrong : otherwise, God is unjust. My friends, woman either is a responsible being, or she is not a respon- sible being: she can't be sometimes one, and sometimes the other. It does not appear to me, my friends, that we are called upon to decide this matter. The brother on my right hand allowed, just now, that woman should be guided by her con- science. Paul asks, ' Why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience ? ' Women might ask the same question by putting in the word ' any ' in place of ' another.' And now, my friends," continued A TALK IN THE HCHOOLHOUSE 219 the old man, looking round with a persuasive smile, ''what a plain and simple way it would be to let women understand Scripter with their own imder- standings, and regulate their behavior by the voice of their own consciences I " 220 ^^^ SCHOOLMASTER' R TRUNK. XIV. AN ENTERTAINING MEETING. rr^HE great chapel question has been decided at -^ last by a coup d'etat. Cyrus Fennel had prom- ised to give a lot of land ; and the deed was made out some time ago, but not signed. At last, grow- ing impatient with what he called the narrowness of Mr. David and a few others, Cyrus declared that he never would sign the deed, unless it was agreed that any person and every person who might feel moved to speak in their meetings should have liberty to do so. Some one suggested to Mr. David that he come up with Cyrus by giving a lot of land himself. This thunder-clap of a suggestion cleared Mr. David's mental vision sufficiently to enable him to perceive that the minority should not stand out longer against the majority, and that possibly, by entering their protest, they had done all that was required of them. Previous to this, however, a plan was proposed, AN ENTERTAINING MEETING. 221 which elicited a curious little bit of information in regard to the law. The plan was, that the sew- ing-circle should build and own the chapel. Some one queried whether or not this could be done legally ; and, to make sure, Mrs. Hale and Adeline Payne went to Elmbridge one day, and consulted a lawyer. The sewing-circle met here that afternoon ; and, on returning from Elmbridge, the two delegates has- tened over to announce the result of their mission. The lawyer had assured them, they said, that no company of manied women could own a building, or any other property. " Not even a hen-house," said Adeline. ''The lawyer told us, that, if we two should want to set up storekeeping together, we couldn't own our stock of goods." This announcement was followed by a dead calm, and the dead calm by a hurricane of exclamations : " Well, I declare ! " " Now, if that isn't a good one ! " '* What, not when we earned the money to build it?" ''Pretty state of things!" "I don't see why not!" "-The ones that made that law better make it over ! " * There was an old lady present, — a frequent vis- itor in Tweenit, — one Mrs. Heath, commonly called * Eecent legislative proceedings show that soiie law makers are of the same opinion. 222 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. "Aunt Mary," a white-haired, sallow-faced, but, on the whole, a pleasant-looking old lady. When the storm had subsided, Aunt Mary remarked in her quiet way, that she could tell them a fact or two about law. Her fact or two was as follows. She married, at the age of twenty-six, a seafaring man five years older than herself. Her husband made only one voj^age after they were married. He owned a house and a small piece of ground : another piece was bought, partly with her money, both to- gether making quite a snug little farm. She kept boarders some of the time, and made a practice of taking in work (tailoring had been her trade) in or- der to help along, so that what mone}^ was raised from the place might be spent on the place. They had no children. After twenty-eight j^ears of married life she became a widow. The law gave her one-half the personal property, and the improvement of one- thii'd of the real estate : the rest went to her husband's brother. " A share of the place was set off to me," said Aunt Mary, '' and rights of way ' allowed me' across my own premises. I had ?ome privileges in the house too, besides the rooms that were set off to me ; the privilege, for instance, of going thi'ough my own front entry, and into my own sinkroom. Every thing in the house wa& AN ENTERTAINING MEETING 223 appraised. Samuel took half of the furniture, dishes, beds, and bedding ; took some things made of inlaid work and of shell-work, — things I set a good deal o' store b}', because my husband brought them home to me before we were married. Li-zy kind o' hated to take 'em ; but she said, says she, ' You know everybody likes to have what's their own.' " "Couldn't he have made a will?" asked some one. " Oh, yes ! he could, and he did mean to make one. I was only speaking of the law. He meant to give it all to me." While Aunt Mary was telling her story, old Mr. Hale came in, father to the Mr. Hale who spoke in the meeting. The old man said he couldn't help feeling an interest to know how the lawyers laid down the law. After hearing the decision, and hearing Aunt Mary's story, he said, " Wal, ladies, 3'ou woman- kind must make up your minds to let patience have her parfcct work. The laws favor 3^e more than they did. Women have come up considerable since Paul's day. I don't believe there's a minister in the land would stand up and preach a discourse in favor of that text, ' Women, submit yourselves unto your hus- 224 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK, bands in every thing.' He'd be laughed down. And suppose a writer should write an essay to proA'^e that wives ought to keep that command, and send it to that biggest New- York double newspaper. What would the editor do with that essay? Pjt it into his head column? *' You jest wait. There's a great to-do new about a woman's gittin' up to speak in a revival-meetin'. Wal, in my father's day, there was a great to-do about their not wearin' their veils into the meetin'- house. Ministers took sides, and arter a while it got into the Boston newspapers. The greatest minis- ters in the State preached for and agin it. There was a famous minister came to our town. I've heard my father tell the story many a time. Father said he was among the last of his teens then, and said he used to sit in a square pew in the gallery, back to the pulpit ; and the girl he wanted to go with sat down below, jest far enough off, and not too near, for him to keep lookin' at her, and she at him, now and then ; and that kind o' took up his mind in sermon- time. He had never durst to try to be her beau in earnest. He'd walked alongside once or twice, but never'd had the face to offer his arm ; and he'd made dependence on his Sundays, and been steady to meetin* for reasons aforesaid. Wal, when the veil AN ENTERTAINING MEETING 225 question begun to make a stir, all the girls, and she among 'em, became persuaded in their minds they ought to wear their veils into the meetin' -house, and keep 'em down ; and this caused a dreadful de- privation to him, and to others likewise. " And, arter things had gone on so a spell, there came a famous preacher to town, one of the uncom- mon rare ones ; and he preached a sermon with thirteen heads, all goin' to show that women could keep their veils down, or not keep 'em down, jest as they pleased. That was in the forenoon. Father said, that, in the arternoon, ever}- single girl in that meetin'-house sat all meetin'-time with her veil up He said 'twas jest like light breakin' in arter a cloudy shadow." " Aijd what about the girl?" asked Martha Fennel. " Did he have the girl? " " No. The girl had a j'oung man that she didn't look at, that sat over across in the other galler}^" '' But it can't be true," remarked Adeline Pa3'ne, '' that ministers really did pretend to dictate v\hether women should wear veils, or not? " " Jest what Mr. Picket's wife said, over at Elm Bridge, when I told them this same story. I said 'twas actooally true. And Mr. Picket, said he, * I tell you how we'll prove it. You said 'twa ■ in 226 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. the old Boston newspapers. M}' cousin goes repre- sentative to General Court. They keep files of the old Boston papers in the Boston Librar}-/ sa3'S he ; ' and I'll write m}^ cousin word to look 'em over. We reckoned back, and found father must have beer among the last of his teens about the j^ear 1800 So Mr. Picket wrote word to his cousin ; and his cousin looked the files over, and found a paper thr* had a piece in it on this ver}^ subject ; and thv name of the paper, if I don't mistake my memor;y was ' The Columbia Sentinel.' " I was quite interested in this little story of Mr Hale's. Indeed, since m}^ attention has been called to domestic science, I have felt a steadily-increas- ing interest in whatever relates to the condition of women, past, present, and future. Pre\dous to that, I used to think, or rather took it for granted in an indifierent way without thinking, that, in matters of religion, women were on an equality with men. I had the impression that this equality was claimed for one of the results of Christianity as being enjoined by the text, ending, "Neither male nor female, but all one in Christ Jesus." A few sarcastic remarks of Nanny Joe (which remarks I had in mind while writing one of the early numbers of these papers) , together with some of my own observations, havt AN ENTERTAINING MEETING. 227 caused mo to read with close attention the discus- sions -which are so continually going on in the papers in regard to what woman should or should not be allowed to do. And, with all my reading and all my thinking, I can arrive at no other conclusion than that of my friend who sells '' Archangel Bitters ; " namely, that woman, having been endowed by her Creator with mind and with conscience, should be left to understand Scripture with her own under- standing, and to judge for herself what is right, and what is wrong, man not being accouiitablo therefor. 228 THE SCHOOLMASTER'!^ TRUNK. XV. THE WRITER FACES HIS OWN MUSKJ. A LADY-FRIEND, after looking over my pa- -^-^ pers, asked why I harped so much on the rather low and trivial subject of eating. "Because," said I, '' daily observation has diiven me to it." And this is just the truth. I see that everybody takes it for granted they must have good living, "what- ever," to use Mrs. Melend^'-'s word, rather than pleasures of a higher grade, even the pleasure of helping the needy. Take a close-fisted man like Mr. David, who, though well enough ofi", practises the strictest stingi- ness. With him the spending of each dime ia carefully considered. A half-dollar given away is, as one may say, hung up in his memory, set in a frame, for hand}^ reference. When such a man afibrds his family cakes, pies, preserves, and the like, for their daily food, we may consider such things to be firmly established as " must haves." THE WRITER FACES HIS OWN MUSIC. 229 Indeed, all classes, poor as well as rich, seem to agree that the earning and compounding of these and similar articles rank among the chief objects of life. The ver}^ phrase "good living" shows this, since it implies that to live well is to' eat well. A man said to me the other day, ' ' When I can't eat and drink what I want to, then I want to die." Now, if we were created only a little lower than the angels, there certainly should be a wider space between us and the inferior animals than such a state of gormandism denotes. Not that the pleasures of eating are to be wholly despised. There is, after all, a relationship between us and the brutes ; and we need not be ashamed to own our kindred, or to share in their enjoyments. Besides, these grains, fruits, vegetables, &c., which we are called to meet three times a day, are all our relations, on the mother's side (Mother Nature's) , and should by no means be regarded with contempt, especially as it is their destiny to be worked up into human beings, actually made bone of our bone, and flesh of om* flesh. I believe in festival days with all my heart, which is the very best way of believing. I think we should sometimes call our friends together, and gratify the whole of them (not meaning all of 230 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. them, but the whole nature of each one), — give them bright thoughts for the intellect, friendliness for the heart, and good things for the palate, keeping, as regards the last, within the bounds of common-sense and healthfulness. The palate craves enjo3Tnent ; and that craving, being a natural one, must be recognized as such. But what I insist upon is this ; namely, that gratify- ing the palate shall not rank among the chief occupations or the chief enjoyments of life, for it has usuiped those positions long enough. And not only is it an usurper, crowding out better and more ennobling aims, but it makes slaves of women, and seriously affects their peace of mind. I have a bright-e3'ed young cousin, whose one idea, during the first half of the day at least, is to pre- pare a dinner which shall please the fastidious taste of her husband. For this end she works, plans, ponders, exj)eriments, contrives, invents, and consults cook-books and cooks ; and, this end attained, she is happy. But I have seen her at mealtime, when he has criticised unfavorabl}^ a dish on which she had spent much labor and more anxiety, — have seen her flush up, leave the table on some pretended errand, and (this is actual truth) brush tears from those bright eyes of hers. Another case. An elderly woman of THE WRITER FACES HIS OWN MUSIC. 231 this village died recently, the chief end and aim of whose whole married life had been, so people say who know, to cook in such a manner as exactly to please her husband. She succeeded. That husband made tlie remark, in this very house, and within this very week, that he hadn't tasted a decent piece of custard-pie since his wife died. Among the wealthier classes it is just the same. I believe that Mrs. Man- chester goes to her dinner-table every day with fear and trembling. Perhaps her case is worse than that of my cousin, as, with Mrs. Manchester, success or failure depends on the uncertain capabilities of Irish help. The blame, however, if blame there be, rests on Mrs. Manchester ; and I have seen that the sar- castic manner in which Mr. Manchester blames, sometimes cuts into the quick. These may be excep- tional cases : I trust they are. But that this state of things does prevail more or less generally, cannot be denied. K, then, the low and trivial matter of eating be sufficiently high and important to take so very prominent a position among our enjo^Tnents, and to seriously affect the peace and happiness of woman's life, why not harp on it? It should be harped on, likewise, because it affects the condition of almost ever3'body. Simplify cookery, thus reducing the cost of living, and how many long- 232 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. ing individuals, now forbidden, would thereby be enabled to afford themselves the pleasures of culture, of travel, of social intercourse, of tasteful dwellings ! And it might be added, at the risk of raising a smile, how many pairs of waiting lovers, now forbidden, would thereby be enabled to marry, and go to — par- adise, which is to say housekeeping ! Social intercourse, in a special manner, would be affected by the change. People "can't have com- pany, 'tis such hard work ! " And no wonder ! A young woman of this village set before her company, the other afternoon, three kinds of cake, two of pie, three of preserves, besides Washington-pie, cookies, and hot and cold bread. Every woman who sat at that tea-table, when her turn of inviting the com- pany comes round, will feel obliged to make a similar display. When this barbarous practice of stuffing one's guests shall have been abolished, a social gathering will not necessarily imply hard labor and dyspepsia. Perhaps, when that time arrives, we shall be sufficiently civilized to demand pleasures of a higher sort. True, the entertain- ments will then, in one sense, be more costly, as culture is harder to come by than cake. The profusion of viands now heaped upon the table betrays povertj' of the worst sort. Having nothing THE WRITER FACES HIS OWN MUSIC. 233 better to offer, we offer victuals ; and this we do with something of that complacent, satisfied air with which some more northern tribes present their tif^bits of whale and walrus. When we have changed all this, it will then be given us to know the real pleasure of eating. At present our appetites are so vitiated by over-eating, that the keen edge of this pleasure is dulled. Whoever would enjoy it, sharpened at both edges, let him labor hard enough to feel actual hunger, and then take — whj-, take any simple thing, a baked po- tato, a slice of meat, a piece of bread. The dishes that make the work, and cost the money, are usually eaten after hunger is satisfied, and do harm, rather than good. We often hear people remark, "Oh! we don't want to be thinldng of what does harm, and what does good. The best way is to eat what's on the table." I know a mother who gives her only child, a little girl three years old, hot biscuits, mince-pie, rich cake, and the like, believing, she says, that *' a child's stomach should get used to every thing." For her part, she believes in living the natural way, not in picking and choosing. Why not, on the same principk, let the child get used to all kinds of reading, and all kinds of companions ? 234 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. It is curious, the way people assume, that, because the present systeru of cooking and serving meals is customary, it is, therefore, natural ; as if the courses of a dinner, each with its central dish, and that with its revolving lesser dishes, were, equally with the solar system, an established order of nature. Meal-pro- viders have sought out many inventions, and call these the "natural way." They give us, at one sitting, fish, pork, flour, butter, salt, milk, eggs, raisins, spices, corn, potatoes, squash, coffee, sugar, saleratus, pickles, onions, lard, pepper, cooked fruits, toma- toes, essences, all variously combined, and say, *' Here, eat, eat in the natural way." Why natural? The men and women it helps to produce are, to some extent, its natural consequences ; but are they natural men and women? Hear them. " Oh, my head ! " " Oh, my back ! " " Oh, my side ! " " Oh, my liver ! " "Oh, my stomach ! " " Oh, my nerves ! " On every side resounds the mournful chorus. Seldom do we hear break in even one jubilant voice, chanting in response, "I am in perfect health. I feel no ache, no pain." Is this, then, the natural way? But the S3'stem speaks for itself, or, rather, the innumerable host of invalids speak for it. So does the grand army of doctors. So do proprietors of patent med- icines, rolling in wealth. Wh}^, people take ill THE WRITER FACES HIS OWN MUSIC. 235 health for granted. "No use telling your aches: everj'body has 'em," is a remark often heard. Occasionally an individual rebels, and insists on eating really simple and natural food. Such indi- vidual is straightway called odd. He is jeered at, ridiculed, accused of thinking about his stomach, and about what merely goes to sustain the bod}^, as if such thinking were not worth while. Now, these bodies are nearer and dearer to us than any other earthly possession. And, what is more, they will cling to us. We are joined to them for better or worse ; and from this union there is no divorce, till death do us part. Why, then, scoff at them? Why not, on the contrary, seriously con- sider how we may build them up as pure, as strong, and as perfect as may be? Not worth while to think about one's stomach? Why? The stomach is not an obscure party, doing business in a small way, and on its own account. It is leading partner in an important and influential firm, — " Stomach, Brains, & Co." There is nothing vulgar about brains ; oh, no ! They have always been respectable. Well, in this great firm, each member is liable for all, and all for each. K one runs in debt, the others have to pay. It is well known that the condition of the brain and other organs is affected by the quality of 236 THE SCHOOLMASTER'S TRUNK. the blood, and the quality of the blood, by the quality of the food. The change of food into blood is a chemical process ; and why is not human chem- istry as well worth studjdng as any other kind ? for instance, that by which the manufacturer selects the best chemicals for his various dj^estuffs, and the gar- dener those best adapted to his various soils. The time may come when this chemistry of eating shall rank with other scientific studies. People shall then be allowed to ' ' pick and choose " the diet best cal- culated to make healthy nerves, blood, bones, &c. ; and they shall not suffer ridicule for so doing. New Publications. Yensie Walton's Womanhood. By Mrs. S. R. Graliain Clark. Bostou: D. Lothrop & Co. Price §1..jO. ISTiue out of ten Sunday-school scholars have read Yensie Walton, one of the best and most interesting books that ever went into a Sunday-school library. The present volume' introduces Yensie in a new home and under new conditions. She enters the family of a friend as an instructor of the younger members, and the narrative of her experiences will especially interest those who have to do with the moral and mental training of children. The author shows that all children are not made after the same pattern, and that one line of treatment is not of universal application. In one of her pupils, a boy of brilliant mental endowments, whose mind has become embittered because of a physical deformity, Yensie finds mucli to interest as well as to discourage her. She perseveres, howevei-, and by studying liis character carefully and working up.)n him from the ri.ulit side, she gradually works a change in his disposition and brings his better qualities into active exercise. This is scarcely accom- plished when a call from Valley Farm reaches lier. Ever prompt to do duty's bidding, Yensie quits this happy home for the sterner requirements of her luicle's family, where she lauored with unflagging interest and determination until that izucli-loved relative says his last good-by. It is then that the hitherto silenced wooer refuses to be longer quiet and our heroine goes out from the old red farm-house to her wedded liome, where as a wife and motlier she makes duty paramount to pleasure, and every circumstance of life is met with that same fortitude characteristic of the Yensie Walton you so much admire. Besides the characters with which the reader is already familiar through the former work, others are introduced which are equally well drawn, and which serve to round out the story to completeness. The Mother's Record of the Mental, Moral and Physica:. Life of Her Child, Boston : D. Lothrop & Co. Quarto- $L00. This work is valuable as it is unique. It is prepared by a Massachusetts woman, and though originally intended for her own benefit, has been published for the help of mothers everywhere. It is intended for a yearly chronicle of the child's growth and development, mental and physical, and will be an important aid to mothers who devote themselves to conscientious training of their little ones. NEW PUBLICATIONS. Next Things. By Pansy. A Story for Little Folks. Fully illustrated. Boston: D. Lothrop & Co. Price $1.00. This is a bright little story with two heroes, and the lesson it tries to teach young readers is to do the work that lies nearest to them first; in other words, *'What to do next. No one can do the second thing; he can do the first." Bound up in the same cover is a capital story called "Dorrie's Day," in which are related the adventures of a little girl who went to sleep in the cars and got carried out of her Vvay. The history of what she did, and how she got home, will interest the children. Mrs. Harry Harper's Awakening. A Missionary story by Pansy. Boston: D. Lothrop & Co. Price $1.00. This is one of Pansy's " lesson books," in which, under the guise of a story, she drives home a truth so thoroughly that the dullest and most unimpressible reader cannot help seeing and feeling it. Mrs. Harry Hai-per was a young wife in a strange city, without acquaintances, and with nothing to do during the long hours of the day while her husband was ab- sent at his business. One day in walking aimlessly along the street she follows a crowd of ladies into what she sup- poses is a bazar, but what slie soon discovers to be a mis- sionary meeting. Her attention is excited by what she sees and hears ; her sympathies and religious feelings are awakened, and she enters into praclicai Christian work with all her heart and soul. The book is one of serious purpose and falling into the hands of people like Mrs. Harper will be a means of undoubted good. PizARRo; or, The Discovery and Conquest of Peru. Il- lustrated. Edited by Fred H. Allen. Boston: D. Lothrop & Co. Price $1.00. This is the third volume in Mr. Allen's valuable little series, and is a concise and interesting history of a country which at this very moment is undergoing a conquest as bloody and exhaustive as that wliich occurred 850 years ago, when the Spanish ancestors of the present race of Peruvians carried fire and slaughter into the homes of the native inhabitants. The story is told with spirit, and with enough detail to enable the reader to get a clear and connected idea of the different campaigns of Pizarro in South America from the time of his landing on its shoi-es in 1509 until his assassination by his own countrymen in his bouse in Lima in 1541. NEW PUBLICATIONS. Doctor Dick : A sequel to *' Six Little Beheh. By Kiite Taunatt Woods. Boston : D. Lothrop & Co. Price, $1.50. Ever since the publication of that chai-ining Moiy, Six Little Rebels, tlieie has been a constant deniaiul fr,oin all quarters for a continnation of the adventuies of the hriiiht young Southerners and their Northern fiiends. The Imnd- ^olne, vveil-iliustrated volume before us is the result. ""1 lie story begins with Dick and Eeginald at Harvard, with Miss Lucinda as their housekeeper, and a number of old friends as fellow-boarders. Dolly and Cora are noi, forgotten, and hold conspicuous places in the narrative, which is enlivened by bright dialogue and genuine fun. Wh.it liiey all do in their respective places — the boys at college, Cora at Vassar, Dolly with her father, Mrs. Miller at Washington, and the others at their posts of duty or necessity, is entertainingly described. The story of the fall of Kichniond and the assas- sination of Lincoln are vividly told. One of the most interesting chapters of the book is that which describes the visit, after the fall of the Confederacy, of Keginaid's father, General Greshara, to Cambridge, and the i-ejoicings which followed. The whole book is full of life and incident, and will be thoroughly enjoyed by young readers. Young Folks' Histoky of Russia. By IS'athan Haskell Dole, editor and ti'anslator of "Rambaud's Popular History of Russia." Fully illustrated. 12mo, cloth, $1.5U; half Russia, $2.0(1. Mr. Dole has for several yeais made a care- ful and special study of Russian history, and the volume before us bears testimony to the critical thoroughness of the knowledge thus gained. Russia has no certain history before the ninth century, although there is no lack of legend and tradition. Some attention is given to these, but the real record of events begins just after the time Vladimir became Prince of Kief, about the beginning of the tenth century. The contents are divided into two books, the first being sub-divided into ''Heroic Russia," "Russia of the Princes," "The Enslavement of Russia," and "The Russia of Moscow." The second book deals with Russia after its establishment as an empire, and its sub-divisions have for their special subjects, "Ivan the Tyrant," "The Time of the Troubles," "The House of the Romanoffs," and "Modern Russia." It would have been in place had ]Mi-. Dole given the reader a chapter on modern Russian poliiics, a thing which could easily have been done, and which is absolutely necessary to eiuii)le the ret-der lo understant! current events and prospective movements in the empire. The volume is profusely illustrated, and contains two double- page colored maps. NEW PUBLICATIONS. Out AND About. By Kate T;uinatt AYoods. Illustrated. Boston : D. Lotlirop & Co. Price $1.50- Every boy and girl in tlie country used to deli^lit in the Bodley books, and here is a volume which is in all respects their worthy successor. It is based upon something, like tlie same plan, in that it takes a whole family, instead of a single member of it, about the country sight-seeing. We might rather say two whole families, for that is just what the author does. The Hudsonsand the Marstons are neiglibors in tlie vicinity of Boston, and the children are great friends. They all go to Cape Cod and Nantucket to spend the summer, and from there the Hudsons are called away to San Fiancisco by Col, Hudson, who is an army officer, and is stationed there. The book describes their stay on the Cape, and their long overland journey to the Pacific coast. Its interest is not wholly confined to the members of the party, for the author takes special pains to give correct and vivid pictures of the various places visited. The illustrations are some of the best ever put into a children's book, and are many from drawings and photographs made on the spot. Chronicles of the Stimpcett Family. By Abby Morton Diaz. Boston : D. Lothrop & Co. Price $1.25. Some one once said, " Give a Frenchman an onion and a beef-bone, and he will make a dozen different kinds of delicious soup." Give Mrs. Diaz two or three simple inci- dents, and she will manufacture half a dozen stories so sprightly and jolly, and so full of every day human nature withal, that to the young they are a source of perennial ! ^ delight, while the old people can get as much enjoyment out \l) of them as from a volume of Scott or Dickens. This new book, which has never seen the light in any newspaper or magazine, will be ready in ample time foi- the holidnys, and the father who wants to make his little onespei tVctly happy at that time will take good care to secure a copy. The Stimpcetts have a "Family Story Teller," and the wonder- ful, queer, strange and funny stories which this individual has treasu)-ed up in liis memory, and retails to the children on various ()cca>i<)ns, will be laughed over, and talked over, and thought orei", until the avithor is ready with anothei volume. ^-^ B D - l* S. ■« h:- "^^ ,-y *- •,^^T* A >. 4 FLA. 0*,-'-. ■*-0^ .j,*^ 'i;."', -^-^ .0^ '^i