Class JX—IAZ 
 
 Book -^x'&JL^ 
 
 Gpiglit)J° 
 
 COPKRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
ETHICS 
 
 OF 
 
 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 A HELP TO 
 
 Inexperienced Wives 
 
 AKD 
 
 Discouraged Mothers 
 kco:n^omy is 
 
 TEVTE 
 
 STRENGTH 
 
 MONEV 
 
 E. McPHERSON-PARSONS 
 
 CHICAGO 1903 
 
THE LIBRARY OF 
 CONGRESS, 
 
 Two Copies Received 
 
 SEP 21 1903 
 
 Cepynght Entry 
 i /CLASS Cu XXc No 
 COPY B. 
 
 
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 Copyright, June, 1903 
 
 BY 
 
 E. McPHERSON-PARSONS 
 
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 ©tbet Moments Daugbters 
 
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 XTbougbttully H)eMcate& 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Introduction - - - - 7 
 
 I. General Remarks - - - 13 
 
 II. The Dwelling Place - - - 25 
 
 III. The Kitchen - - - 3] 
 
 IV. The Dining Room - - - 87 
 V. Sleeping Rooms - - - 95 
 
 VI. The Cellar and Attic - - 107 
 
 VII. Cleaning and Dusting - - 115 
 
 VIII, Washing and Ironing - - - 127 
 
 IX. Making and Mending - - 147 
 
 X. Buying Furniture and Clothing 159 
 
 XI. Entertaining and Amusements - 169 
 
 XII. Our Children - _ - - X79 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 In sending this little volume into the by- 
 ways, I cherish the hope that it may help 
 some newly made wife, or some tired mother, 
 to accomplish the task of home-making with 
 more ease and cheerfulness; to take courage 
 by the advice of one who has passed through 
 many of the same trials. This counsel was 
 once given: ''Do not attempt writing for 
 others to read, except you thoroughly un- 
 derstand your subject." The author of these 
 pages takes to herself that advice. 
 
 There are numberless cook books and 
 books on ''Etiquette" and "Social Func- 
 tions," but I have failed to find one dealing 
 with the little things as an entirety of every- 
 day life. It is the small things, not only in 
 the kitchen, but all through the house, that 
 consume the resources at hand, and if not 
 judiciously managed bring us unhappiness. 
 
 It is comparatively easy to regulate the af- 
 7 
 
8 INTRODUCTION 
 
 fairs of a household, if the income is sufficient 
 to meet the needs of a growing family, and 
 a maid or two can be employed year after 
 year. But when the wife must be both 
 mother and maid; must plan for the wants 
 of two, three, or more members; feed, clothe, 
 and educate them, aspires to bring them up 
 in some refinement, and the income is from 
 six to fifteen hundred dollars per year, then 
 come the moments of discouragement and 
 often dissatisfaction. 
 
 It is with the experience of many of these 
 circumstances, and the hope that there is a 
 way to lighten the burdens of my sisters in 
 this struggle, that these pages are written. 
 
 The readers will please bear in mind that 
 this is a work on true economy — to show 
 how to keep within one's means, to get the 
 best results. Not only to economize for our 
 table, but for every room, nook, and corner 
 of the house, inside and out. 
 
 The husband must have a share in this 
 economy, as well as the wife. They should 
 be copartners. The majority of families live 
 on less than fifteen hundred dollars per an- 
 num. If it is their good fortune to live well 
 
INTRODUCTION 9 
 
 and intelligently on that amount or less, it is 
 to their credit and the world's benefit. 
 
 Many of our best men are men not 
 adapted to money-making, so called. But 
 they are capable of bringing in a sufficient 
 sum, which, if handled with care and study, 
 and with the combined help of the wife, may 
 rear a family in respectability, and educate 
 them. In a majority of cases these children 
 and students excel those whose parents or 
 guardians supply them with hundreds and 
 frequently thousands of dollars to put them 
 through their college course. 
 
 In order to get the best results from the 
 economy of money, one must also economize 
 his or her time and strength. The wasted 
 time would be better spent reading some 
 good book or paper. 
 
 It has been the aim of the writer to make 
 the reading of this little book entertaining 
 as well as instructive. If you will study its 
 pages as you do your cook book, you will 
 not need to use the best years of your life 
 experimenting on the every-day duties of 
 the home. 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS 
 
ETHICS 
 
 OF 
 
 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS 
 
 The keeping of a home is an art, a science. 
 It should be classed as a legitimate and im- 
 portant business, and a wife should so con- 
 sider it. A housewife, or homekeeper, should 
 be awarded the same honor and courtesy 
 that a school teacher or a woman of any 
 other vocation receives. 
 
 A woman was once heard to say of an- 
 other, "Oh, she's only a machine; she keeps 
 house — any one can keep house." The 
 writer claims, however, that while any person 
 may work at it, still it takes brains to care 
 for a house as it should be. 
 
 The home with its ''thousand and one" 
 13 
 
14 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 duties to be performed, the rearing of a 
 family with wisdom and economy, the train- 
 ing of these boys and girls, the preparation 
 of the proper kinds of food for making sound 
 bodies and bright minds, so that in their turn 
 they may make intelligent parents and good 
 citizens — this task requires no common ma- 
 chine, but a well-balanced mother. 
 
 If the earning of money is important, the 
 spending of it should be considered of equal 
 importance. Teach the boys and girls how 
 to spend money to get the greatest good out 
 of it. Then, when they are men and women, 
 they will know better its real and true value. 
 Pay for what you get as you get it. It is 
 cheaper and you will be better served. 
 
 The installment plan is not a good way to 
 furnish a home. ''Do not go beyond your 
 means," is advice you have often heard. 
 "Experience teaches that an article is more 
 highly prized if paid for. If you cannot pay 
 for a good article, then wait until you have 
 saved enough money for it. Go to several 
 places, look around, and take the best your 
 money wdll buy. By so doing you will often 
 better yourself, and at the price you can 
 
GENERAL REMARKS 1 5 
 
 afford to pay. Study well before you pur- 
 chase. Do not imagine you must have 
 something for your house, or the children 
 must dress better than is consistent with your 
 circumstances, because some neighbor or 
 friend has so and so. That proves nothing 
 in your case. You and your family are a 
 little world all by yourselves in this respect. 
 Be independent and you will be respected by 
 everybody. 
 
 Buy with care, so that you will not buy 
 over and over, things which should last a 
 long time. Then, after you purchase a good 
 article, take proper care of it. You will, by 
 so doing, prove yourself a true helpmate for 
 your husband, and in a short time your house 
 will be well furnished. 
 
 Look well to your personal appearance. 
 Keep yourself neatly dressed. (Husbands 
 might apply a little of this advice to them- 
 selves, for we have seen untidy looking hus- 
 bands.) Do not wear a long skirt or a 
 ragged waist at your work. Old dresses, if 
 repaired and kept clean, and the skirt and 
 waist held properly together, will make a 
 woman look neat and respectable. Care 
 
l6 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 should be taken in wearing wrappers, for 
 they give one an unkempt appearance. In- 
 deed, a loose-flowing gown is suitable only 
 for sickness or one's own bed-chamber. 
 
 On the other hand, do not overdress for 
 kitchen work. Dress in a manner suitable 
 for the work to be done. I once knew a 
 maid who always put on a white apron, even 
 to getting a clean one, when she wiped off 
 the front porch. The pride-bump was large 
 on her head. 
 
 Be sure to comb the hair before leaving 
 your bedroom. If there are children to dress, 
 mother cannot always stop to do the hair 
 for the day. But brushing it out and rolling 
 it up neatly, before putting on the dress, 
 makes mama more presentable, and puts a 
 cheerful glow around the breakfast table. 
 
 We are presuming that she is maid of all 
 work, otherwise time would not be so pre- 
 cious. It will only be possible to keep a 
 maid when there is real sickness, or perhaps 
 hire a woman by the day once a week, or 
 occasionally, where the income is small, pro- 
 vided that out of this sum one wishes a bank 
 account at the end of the year. I would 
 
GENERAL REMARKS 1 7 
 
 advise saving a little each year, unless sick- 
 ness or some unforeseen circumstance has 
 taken an unusual amount. The young wife 
 is, generally speaking, ambitious and. willing 
 to take her share of work and responsibility; 
 but everything is so new and perplexing that 
 she often errs. She needs encouragement 
 and advice from some older head. 
 
 These pages give a part of the experience 
 of thirty-three years in a family of six mem- 
 bers. In my young married days I would 
 have given much to have had my sainted 
 mother with me, to tell me what to do, when 
 to do it, and how to do it. Blunders were 
 frequently made; but the thought came to 
 me one day, 'What woman has done, woman 
 can do." So I resolved to watch and learn. 
 
 It would be unreasonable to suppose that 
 one set of rules would fit all classes and 
 conditions of housekeepers. We must take 
 one general guide and plan our ways and 
 means to suit the occasion and circum- 
 stances. Or, in other words, use the com- 
 mon sense with which most women are 
 endowed. 
 
 Keep your eyes open and observe how 
 
l8 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Others do. If their plan is an improvement 
 over yours, adopt it. Much may be learned 
 in this way. Have system about your house- 
 hold affairs. Plan to do first that which 
 needs your care most; then the next in 
 order. Eternal vigilance is the price of a 
 well-kept home. Do not think it too much 
 trouble to attend carefully to the little things. 
 They count much in making up the sum 
 total of economy — and the satisfaction of 
 "well done" compensates us. 
 
 No girl should take upon herself the re- 
 sponsibility of marriage; but when a woman 
 promises to take a man for her husband, ''for 
 better, for worse," she should not shrink her 
 part of the business. Uphill work? Yes, 
 many times. But ''every cloud has its silver 
 lining." The little ones will soon be able to 
 lend a hand. They should be allowed "to 
 help," even if they prove a hindrance. 
 
 Papa, too, though tired and perplexed, 
 from the office or day's work, will relieve 
 mother for a while and amuse baby. Then 
 when the little ones are snug in bed, rest 
 wall come to the weary parents. Some one 
 says, "Papa is too tired to take baby." Too 
 
GENERAL REMARKS 1 9 
 
 tired? How about the mother, who has 
 served as many hours as he — sometimes 
 nearly double — and often has aches and pains 
 he can never know? I know of very few 
 such husbands, I am glad to say. Agreed— 
 they are a minority. 
 
 At the same time, one should be cautious 
 lest she impose upon a good-natured husband. 
 How fortunate is that woman who has a 
 domestic husband! Less manly? Not one 
 iota less manly, in helping care for his own. 
 By the term ''domestic" in this sense, is 
 meant one who loves home more than his 
 club. 
 
 Husbands are sometimes driven to acts of 
 dishonesty in business transactions, owing to 
 a lack of the right force at home. Wives 
 are not always to blame for these conditions. 
 But many times, if the domestic affairs were 
 conducted in a more business-like manner, 
 results would be changed very perceptibly. 
 A great incentive to a husband and father 
 is to have an industrious and contented wife 
 and daughters. 
 
 When the income is not much more than 
 enough to make ends meet, the husband 
 
20 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 should pass his wages over to the wife, unless 
 she is incapable or they have agreed other- 
 wise. 
 
 Most wives understand the needs of their 
 families better than the husbands. When it 
 is possible, however, a father an-d mother 
 should be mutually interested in the welfare 
 of their family, and should consult together 
 as to the best plans to use the income. 
 
 Both parents should aim to be cheerful 
 about the house. It is quite as important 
 that the husband come home with some 
 degree of pleasantness, as that ''the wife 
 should m.eet her husband with a smiling 
 face." She probably has had quite as much 
 to annoy and perplex her, as he. Be careful, 
 then, in appearing before the children with 
 "ruffled" tempers. 
 
 This may seem a strange subject for econ- 
 omy; nevertheless it fits under that head. 
 Study to economize on your temper. You 
 will gain in health, in spirits, in love, and, 
 last but not least, in the management of your 
 children. The examples found in this little 
 book to illustrate certain phases of life are 
 not isolated cases. Those who may read 
 
GENERAL REMARKS 21 
 
 these pages are doubtless familiar with par- 
 allel conditions. Live and learn. 
 
 I have purposely left unitemized the sit- 
 ting-room or library, and parlor, for the 
 reason that if the other parts of the house 
 are run on an economical and systematical 
 basis, these rooms will receive tlie same care 
 and attention. If any part of the house miist 
 be neglected, let it be the parlor or front, for 
 the time being. Plain language will be used 
 in dealing with the various subjects, else the 
 object will not be gained. 
 
 There is no way to escape the facts, that 
 if the income is small and there is no honest 
 avenue to its increase, then the strictest 
 economy mnst be practiced, if satisfactory 
 results are to he obtained. And it need not 
 bring unhappiness. If you cannot see your 
 way clear to make the ends meet, go to 
 some older experienced person, who you 
 know has better knowledge than you, and 
 she will be glad to assist you with advice. 
 
 If you are truly anxious to learn, the way 
 will dawn upon you little by Uttle. In climb- 
 ing the Alps, Napoleon and his army did not 
 take a straight rush to the top. 
 
22 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 The author of this Httle book is well aware 
 that women with plenty of money at their 
 disposal, do not need the advice contained 
 therein. But even they might peruse with 
 profit. 
 
 It is to you, the middle class, that the 
 world is looking for the "plain living and 
 high thinking" of its ancestors, which pro- 
 duced the grandest and truest citizenship. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE DWELLING PLACE 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE DWELLING PLACE 
 
 In order to live well and comfortably on 
 an income of, say, from six to fifteen hundred 
 dollars per year, one must not pay for rent 
 over from six to twenty dollars per month. 
 Secure the best house in the best location 
 you can possibly find for the money you can 
 afford to pay. When the income increases, 
 better yourself accordingly. Bear in mind 
 that while you owe your neighbors a certain 
 amount of respect and cordiahty, your home 
 is your little "heaven on earth." It matters 
 not to them how much your income may be. 
 
 After securing the house, if possible have 
 a fence to circuit the whole yard. Never 
 mind the fad of ''no fence." Our experience 
 has been that there are times when the chil- 
 dren are like young colts; they need to be 
 fenced in for their own good. But if a fence 
 in front of the house is impracticable, by 
 all means have a good one around the back 
 yard. Then, when you choose, the children 
 may play there unmolested. Here is where 
 the father may get recreation if he will, 
 
 2S 
 
26 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Make a few flower and vegetable beds. In- 
 stead of wasting time, try the earth tonic; 
 you will get rosy cheeks and a good appetite. 
 The children will soon be interested in these 
 few beds of green. It is surprising what can 
 be grown in a small yard for pleasure and 
 for use on the family table, if one sets about 
 it with a determination to win. 
 
 Many times it wall keep the children out 
 of mischief to help weed these beds and clear 
 the yard of rubbish. Then, too, how much 
 brighter and healthier will be the surround- 
 ings! ''No time," says John? It is wonder- 
 ful how much time there is. "Where there 
 is a will there is a way." 
 
 We will now return to the house, which 
 is to be home for a tim.e. Stay there as 
 long as circumstances will permit. Moving 
 is expensive. Inside that house you owe 
 yourself, your husband, your children, as well 
 as your friends who m.ay enter, a study in 
 object-lessons; in other words, a well-kept, 
 orderly house. 
 
 We must now look to the details or little 
 things that go to make up the interior of 
 the home. With proper training each mem- 
 ber of a family will look upon each article of 
 
THE DWELLING PLACE 2/ 
 
 furniture as grand, because it belongs to us, 
 for we have paid our hard-earned money for 
 it. Hence, we must take good care of this 
 chair, that curtain; for there is another piece 
 of furniture w^e wish to add to our collection 
 as soon as we have saved enough. Tedious 
 to wait for it? You are mistaken. It is a 
 delight to look forward, as our children look 
 forward to Christmas or a birthday. This 
 life would be an empty dream if it were not 
 for the joy and anticipation of the future. 
 
 The windows should be provided with 
 screens, as also should outside doors. It is 
 the landlord's place to provide them. If he 
 does not, then get the adjustable screens; 
 they are inexpensive. Or get the best black 
 mosquito netting, put it the whole length of 
 your bedroom windows and on one kitchen 
 window. By setting the shades down about 
 two inches, the windows may be lowered 
 from the top or raised at the bottom, thereby 
 causing a free circulation of air. Fresh air 
 is, or should be, the important feature in 
 our homes. 
 
 To keep the house cool in hot weather: 
 If you are allowed to select the window 
 shades, green in color is very satisfactory, 
 
28 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 and opaqiTe in quality by all means. The 
 green is restful to the eyes, and when you 
 wish to exclude the daylight you have shades 
 which will do so. Air the house thoroughly 
 morning and evening. As the sun advances, 
 close the windows and draw the shades where 
 it strikes, and follow it through the day. 
 Then, when it is well around and the window 
 panes have cooled off, open the window. If 
 you do this, you will find when night comes 
 on, the house will be much more comfortable. 
 
 Have screens at the cellar windows, also 
 the attic, if you are fortunate enough to 
 possess one. Screens are very necessary, as 
 without them the house will be overrun with 
 flies, which make useless work. A mud- 
 scraper, also a broom at the back door, so 
 that the children may clean their shoes, help 
 to keep the interior of the house clean. 
 
 Look forward to some time owning your 
 home, if it be but a cottage. 
 
 A few cedar posts set solidly into the 
 ground, with wire chicken netting stretched 
 taut, and fastened securely, is not expensive 
 and makes a good fence for cities and small 
 towns. If covered with morning glories, 
 sweet peas and other vines, it makes a beau- 
 tiful surrounding for the backyard. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE KITCHEN 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 THE KITCHEN 
 
 Next to the sleeping-rooms, the kitchen 
 is the most important room in the house. It 
 should be light and well ventilated, as to 
 have it otherwise would compel the unavoid- 
 able odors to penetrate other parts of the 
 house. 
 
 If possible, have a hardwood floor (white 
 maple is the best) with a good floor-finish. 
 It can then be easily wiped off and kept 
 clean, saving the scrubbing which a plain 
 floor needs so often. If this cannot be had, 
 then have your pine floor painted. A mop, 
 if kept clean, will wipe the floor off nearly 
 as well as getting on the knees and using a 
 cloth; it saves your strength and time. In 
 cold weather lay old pieces of carpet on the 
 floor, in front of the stove, sink, and table. 
 It will prevent cold feet, and the floor will 
 not need cleaning as often. Each day these 
 strips can be taken out and shaken free of 
 dust. Occasionally wash them. 
 31 
 
32 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 To make work easy is to do it well each 
 day. Do not deceive yourself by saying, 
 "That will do for this time," but keep things 
 clean as you go. Have a place for every- 
 thing, and keep everything in its place. 
 Exact the same amount of care from each 
 member of the family. You will find this 
 way just as easy as throwing things ''helter- 
 skelter," and each will be happier. 
 
 Have you a gas range? Then the work 
 is much easier. If you have a coal or wood 
 range, and should be so unfortunate as to 
 have a crack in the seam in the oven or 
 elsewhere, take an equal quantity of wood 
 ashes and common salt, wet with cold water 
 to the consistency of soft dough, and fill the 
 opening. If it dries and falls out, replenish. 
 If there is a faint leak around the gas pipe 
 where it joins the stove, fill it with a little 
 scraping of common soap. 
 
 Once a week is often enough to give the 
 kitchen stove a thorough blacking. At other 
 times take a newspaper, crumple it in the 
 hand, and give the stove a vigorous rubbing. 
 A cloth wet in kerosene oil and rubbed on 
 the nickel plate on your stove will help keep 
 
THE KITCHEN 33 
 
 it bright. Kerosene will also keep the bath- 
 tub free from stains. 
 
 The sink should next receive attention. 
 First, can any one inform us why, almost 
 invariably, the sink shelf is placed (when 
 there is but one) on the left side of the sink, 
 making it wrong-handed to one who faces 
 it? The side they are placed makes it nec- 
 essary for us to cross our hands in order to 
 lay the dish on the shelf, or an awkward 
 move to place it in our right hand. This 
 question arises among housekeepers fre- 
 quently. In facing the sink, the shelf should 
 be at our left side. So when you build your 
 new house, look to it, if you would have 
 things convenient. 
 
 A plumber was once heard to say, ''Never 
 use linen for dishcloths, it sheds lint so badly. 
 Once a month get a can of lye, open the top, 
 set it over the perforated holes in the sink, 
 pour a teakettle of boiling water into it. If 
 you do this, your pipes will never clog." 
 It was not told as a secret, so I give it for 
 what it may be worth to you. Cheesecloth 
 makes the best dishcloths and also dish- 
 towels. Two salt bags sewed together make 
 
34 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 an excellent dishcloth. When you make a 
 new one, take the old for kettles and tinware. 
 Flour sacks, hemmed, make good dish- 
 towels. With these you can get along very 
 well with two or three linen glass-towels — 
 in fact, without any linen at all, if you are 
 careful to have the cotton ones clean for 
 each dish-washing. 
 
 A graduated tin cup with a handle, also a 
 graduated quart measure, are very conven- 
 ient articles to add to your list of kitchen 
 utensils. From the hardware store get a 
 fruit-can opener, a wooden spoon, kitchen 
 knives and forks, tablespoons and teaspoons; 
 three of each will suffice to use in your cook- 
 ing. Don't use silver, or even plated silver, 
 for kitchen purposes. I have known women 
 to use their silver knives and spoons to scrape 
 the iron and tinware. That is extravagance, 
 not economy. Then again, do not use your 
 fingernails to scrape with. It wears them 
 off and spoils the shape of the fingers. Use 
 the kitchen knives for that purpose. 
 
 Buy just enough kitchen utensils to serve 
 your purpose, no more. To buy more than 
 
THE KITCHEN 35 
 
 is actually necessary exhausts the ready 
 funds too rapidly. 
 
 In buying a broom, see that the handle is 
 light. Sweeping will be easier than with one 
 with a heavy handle. Hang the broom up 
 or rest it on its handle when not in use; it 
 wears longer than when it rests on the brush 
 part. A carpet sweeper is a labor-saving 
 article; have one, if possible. Hang up 
 kitchen utensils. 
 
 An ice chest is more economical than a 
 refrigerator. The larger the piece of ice, 
 the more economical. Wrapping ice in a 
 flannel cloth, two or three thicknesses, is 
 economy. Keep the ice chest in a cool 
 place, where the wind will not strike it, and 
 perfectly clean. 
 
 A slate hanging in a handy place in the 
 kitchen, to jot down any article needed for 
 the next grocery order, is a convenience. 
 Avoid the borrowing habit. If it seems an 
 unavoidable necessity, then return promptly, 
 "full measure, pressed down and running 
 over," and with thanks. Try keeping an ex- 
 pense book. It is better to keep the grocery 
 list separate from other accounts. 
 
36 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 It is not possible, living on a small income, 
 to say "I will use so much for this or that, 
 and so much for something else," for the 
 reason, some seasons certain things cost more 
 than at other times. Then again, our needs 
 may be greater one time than another. By 
 keeping an expense book, one can glance 
 over the accounts and see where they may 
 be able to curtail. Then again, it is a disci- 
 pline v/e all need. The eldest boy or girl 
 might be interested to help, the practice of 
 which is good, instilling in their minds the 
 same habits of thrift and economy. 
 
 Holders, with loops to hang by, for use 
 about your stove, and others for ironing, 
 save your aprons, towels, and often burned 
 fmgers. Have good, generous dark ging- 
 ham work aprons; or even the back breadths 
 of a cotton dress skirt may be used to serve 
 the purpose. A square bib to pin over the 
 waist, and sleeves to slip on, saves a dress 
 wonderfully. A pocket on your apron, to 
 slip the sleeves into, will be found handy 
 when they are needed. Have a nail to hang 
 your apron on, and never wear your kitchen 
 apron doing work in other parts of the house. 
 
THE KITCHEN 37 
 
 These aprons are not warm and burdensome, 
 yet they cover the dress sufficiently. 
 
 It is more economical to have brown crash 
 towels, three-fourths of a yard long, with 
 loops at both ends, for the kitchen. In farm 
 houses the roller towels might be better. 
 Have a nail expressly for the towel, and hang 
 it by the loop. Have a wash-dish in the 
 kitchen, and a nail to hang it by wdien not 
 in use. 
 
 When working about the kitchen, and 
 especially handling foods, the utmost care 
 should be used to have clean hands. If the 
 handkerchief must be used, wash the hands 
 afterw^ard. This is not only a neat habit, 
 but from a health standpoint it is wise. 
 
 Buy a good reliable soap by the box, for 
 kitchen and laundry uses. Cut each bar in 
 two, stack it, not closely, on the top pantry 
 shelf or some dry place. You will save 
 money by so doing, as the soap will dry out, 
 and will not Vv^aste in the using. 
 
 Did you ever try washing the dirty dishes 
 as they accumulate during the day? Try it. 
 It is so satisfactory wdien you come to wash 
 your meal dishes not to have so many extra 
 
38 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 ones. Then there will be nothing to attract 
 flies. Just here, while we are washing dishes, 
 let me give you a formula for a wash for the 
 hands. It is not original, but I do not re- 
 member where I found it: 
 
 One ounce of citric acid. 
 Two ounces of rosewater. 
 Two ounces of glycerine. 
 
 To be appHed after each dish-washing. 
 Have a pen-knife on your kitchen shelf for 
 cleaning your fingernails, and as often as 
 once a week manicure them well. There is 
 no excuse for untidy fingernails. 
 
 I have found it a wonderful help in the 
 morning, having prepared as far as possible 
 for breakfast the previous evening. 
 
 Be careful not to spill water and foods on 
 yourself or the floor. Begin your meals 
 early, so there need be no hurry. If one 
 must hurry, there is liable to be more or 
 less accidents and confusion, when there 
 should be none if the meal is planned on 
 time. 
 
 Make your ow^n baking pow^der. Get 
 these ingredients at a first-class drug store: 
 
THE KITCHEN 39 
 
 Two and one-half pounds cream tartar. 
 One pound bicarbonate of soda (saleratus). 
 One pound cornstarch. 
 To be sifted together five times. 
 
 Seal this as tightly as possible in glass 
 jars. It requires less of this baking powder 
 than the ordinary kind. This recipe is taken 
 from the ''Chautauqua Cook Book," and has 
 been used in this family for years. 
 
 To render your own lard! "Oh," you 
 may say, 'T can't be bothered making those 
 articles which I can buy ready prepared." 
 Very well; but there are women who are 
 pleased to save in any and all ways, in order 
 to have a part of the income left for extras 
 or luxuries. So here is a clean and healthful 
 lard for them: 
 
 Leaf lard ten pounds, 
 
 Beef suet three pounds, 
 or that proportion. Cut both in small pieces, 
 put into your kettle, add just a little water, 
 say a tablespoonful, to keep it from burning 
 until it begins to boil. Cover, let it cook 
 about fifteen minutes, remove the lid, and 
 let simmer until the fat is well cooked out. 
 Watch that it does not burn. As it cooks, 
 
40 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 dip out the clear fat into a clean jar. Set a 
 colander into a clean pan, and into it pour 
 all the remaining fat, scraps too. After it 
 has drained a while mash with a large spoon. 
 Lay a piece of clean cheesecloth over the 
 jar, turn the clear fat into it, let stand a few 
 moments. Then squeeze the remainder of 
 the fat into a dish by itself; it will answer to 
 add to potatoes, etc., in warming over. 
 
 Sometimes the lard will bear a little more 
 suet, but it must not be hard, or it will be 
 difficult to work into the flour for pie crust, 
 etc. The suet takes the place of butter for 
 ordinary use, and is better than clear lard. 
 In warm weather I put the lard into small 
 pails or jars and pour melted paraffine over 
 it. Cover well and it will keep all right. 
 
 Make your syrup, so that you may know 
 what it is. Take granulated sugar one tea- 
 cup, one-third cup boiling water; a few drops 
 of lemon juice improves it. Let boil about 
 two minutes. It is then ready for use. Or 
 one can make a larger quantity and have it 
 ready when needed. 
 
 To poach eggs successfully (if you have 
 not the rings): Add one teaspoon of salt 
 
THE KITCHEN 4I 
 
 (level) to a pint of boiling water. Drop in 
 each egg separately. Do not let the water 
 boil too hard, and have enough to cover the 
 eggs. They will need no more salt. Drain 
 the water off, remove to your platter, add a 
 dash of pepper and a small piece of butter to 
 each egg. 
 
 To fry bread it should be dry — the dryer 
 the better. Beat an egg to mix well the 
 white and yolk. With a fork dip each piece 
 of bread quickly in and out of clean hot 
 w^ater, then into the egg. Fry as pancakes. 
 Eat with maple or other syrup. Nice for 
 breakfast or lunch. 
 
 If you have an ear or more of sweet corn 
 left from dinner, do not throw it away. 
 First take a sharp-pointed knife, sUt the cen- 
 ter of each row of kernels, then with a knife 
 the corn will slip off the cob readily. Spread 
 on a granite plate and dry. It will take but 
 a few^ hours in a warm oven — after baking 
 is a good time. When perfectly dry, put into 
 a paper bag and hang up. You w^ill find it 
 equal, if not superior, to canned corn, for a 
 meal now and then in the winter when 
 vegetables are scarce. When needed, soak 
 
42 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 over night, or in warm water three or four 
 hours. One teacupful is enough for an or- 
 dinary family. Cook the same as canned 
 corn. 
 
 Do not throw out pieces of bread. The 
 large soft pieces might be used at the next 
 meal. To be sure, whole slices look nicer 
 on the table; but when none but one's own 
 family is present, let them expect to use such 
 pieces. All other pieces left over can be 
 used for puddings or for drying, to be rolled 
 and used in the place of cracker crumbs, and 
 for some foods they are to be preferred, 
 such as fish, croquettes, etc. It is better to 
 roll dry bread as you need it, for if put in 
 cans it is apt to get musty. 
 
 Dry bread makes good pancakes. One 
 cup of broken pieces, soaked in cold water 
 (by the way, when making bread pudding 
 soak the bread in cold water), then drain, 
 working out the lumps. Add a cup of sour 
 or buttermilk, one egg, one teaspoon of sal- 
 eratus (added to the milk), a pinch of salt, 
 and a scant cup of flour. Add more flour if 
 too thin, as of some flour you need more 
 than others. 
 
THE KITCHEN 43 
 
 To fry fish. When it is ready wipe each 
 piece, dip it in beaten ^gg, then in rolled 
 bread or cracker crumbs. Have just enough 
 fat (not butter) to well cover the bottom of 
 the spider, brown on one side, then turn. 
 
 To soak salt fish successfully, especially 
 mackerel, lay the skin side up and change 
 the water several times. Mackerel should 
 soak from ten to twelve hours. Select a thick 
 mackerel. 
 
 Butter gravy for mackerel or any salt fish: 
 Butter the size of a large walnut, slightly 
 brown in a spider, draw from the fire and add 
 one tablespoonful of flour. Work well to- 
 gether, gradually add hot water, stirring the 
 mixture until it is a smooth mass. Return to 
 the fire, add a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper. 
 Let boil up and pour, while hot, over the fish. 
 Serve immediately. 
 
 Make cream gravy the same as the above, 
 except use hot milk instead of water. Cream 
 gravy is nice to pour over canned salmon or 
 any left-over fish. Make a cream gravy and 
 while hot add chopped, cold boiled potatoes. 
 Very nice. 
 
 If you have more fresh eggs than are 
 
44 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 needed for present use, take coarse salt, pack 
 the eggs, little end down, and so they will 
 not touch each other, completely covering 
 them with the salt. They will keep a long 
 time, several months. 
 
 When you raise cucumbers or can buy 
 them cheaply, a good way to preserve them 
 for winter's use is to pack them, first a layer 
 of rock salt, then of cucumbers (not very 
 large), alternately, until your jar or tub is full. 
 They form their own brine, and if the water 
 is not soft it is a safe process. Another way 
 is to make a brine with water and sufficiently 
 heavy with salt to float an egg, pack the cu- 
 cumbers in the tub, pour the brine over them. 
 Adding a piece of alum the size of a hickory 
 nut hardens them. Before putting a weight 
 on top to keep them under the brine, cover 
 the top with horse-radish leaves; or a cloth 
 may be used. Remove once in a while and 
 rinse in clear water, then return. When 
 wanted for use, put a few in warm w^ater, 
 changing it several times in the course of five 
 or six hours. Have vinegar heated to pour 
 over them, let stand a few hours and they are 
 
THE KITCHEN 45 
 
 ready for use. You will find them an excel- 
 lent pickle and cheap. 
 
 Do not allow your butcher to trim your 
 meat; do it yourself, washing the scraps care- 
 fully. The fat put into a dish over the fire 
 and render the grease from it, adding this to 
 your meat drippings, which of course you 
 always save. This is excellent for warming 
 over potatoes or to use in other ways. For 
 some foods it is better than butter, which 
 burns easily. 
 
 The lean scraps save to be added to the 
 carcass of a baked fowl or the bones from a 
 roast. This makes a foundation for stock. 
 It can be used for soup immediately if you 
 wish. Crack the bones, to extract the es- 
 sence, cover well with cold water, let it come 
 to a slow heat, simmer for three to four 
 hours, keeping the water renewed, as it boils 
 away. Season with salt and pepper and a 
 dash of curry powder, if liked. Add any left- 
 over vegetables and a small onion, also celery 
 leaves. This makes a delicious soup, costing 
 almost nothing. 
 
 If you will wash clean any celery leaves or 
 stalks not used and dry them, putting them 
 
46 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 into paper sacks, they are equally as good for 
 soups and saves buying the seeds or powder. 
 They answer the same purpose, and, as you 
 always strain the soup, there is no objection 
 to using them. Or if you do not strain it take 
 a fork and lift the stems out. 
 
 Potatoes cooked with the jackets on are 
 most nutritious. We once visited a lady of 
 large means, who kept several servants, but 
 would not allow the skins of the potatoes to 
 be removed, preferring, as she said, "to get 
 all the good there was in them." The potato 
 was ''kept warmer," she thought. Generally 
 it is better to remove the skins in the kitchen. 
 
 To cook beets: Pull them from your own 
 garden if possible (at least have them fresh) 
 and of uniform size, about three inches 
 through. Leave the long root and about one- 
 half inch of the top on that no nutriment be 
 lost. Wash thoroughly and cover with boil- 
 ing water, add a level teaspoon of salt. Cook 
 tender (about one hour) and the skin will slip 
 ofif easily. More than enough for one meal 
 may be cooked with the same fire. For a 
 part of the beets while warm make a sauce as 
 follows: Put over the fire one-half cup of 
 
THE KITCHEN 47 
 
 boiling water, add one tablespoon of vinegar, 
 a piece of butter the size of a small walnut 
 and season with salt and pepper. Slightly 
 thicken with flour made smooth with cold 
 water. When it boils well pour over the 
 sliced beets. 
 
 The remaining beets slice, and to each layer 
 add a little pepper and salt, and pour over all 
 cold vinegar. Do not pierce the beets with 
 a fork until about done. 
 
 It is wise to can your own fruit if you live 
 w^here it is plentiful. Or should the price be 
 very high, which in some seasons is the case, 
 put up but little, using dried fruits mostly. 
 It is better to put tomatoes in glass cans. To- 
 matoes for soup stock need not be peeled. 
 Simply wipe clean, cut into small pieces, put 
 over the fire and cook sufficiently to strain 
 through a colander or sieve, which removes 
 the skin and seeds. Return to the kettle (a 
 porcelain) and boil well. Into your glass jars 
 pour gradually hot water to warm them 
 thoroughly. Then put the tomato in them 
 and seal immediately. When you wish toma- 
 to soup your stock is easily prepared. In 
 
48 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 using tomato stock for soup add a piece of 
 salaratus the size of a large pea. 
 
 For other uses you need only peel your to- 
 matoes, cutting them in slices and proceed as 
 above. Wrap each can in paper to exclude 
 the light. All fruit keeps better in a dark 
 place. 
 
 When you get tired of tomatoes cooked, 
 scalloped or otherwise, try this: 
 
 Take six medium-sized or one pint of 
 canned tomatoes (if canned add a tiny bit of 
 salaratus), put over the fire in a granite stew 
 pan. Add salt, pepper, a small piece of but- 
 ter and a tablespoonful of light brown sugar, 
 enough sugar to take that sharp tomato taste 
 ofT. Let cook up well, then add a cup of milk 
 or part cream (if cream, then no butter). Boil 
 again. If it should show signs of curdling it 
 will smooth out all right if the milk is fresh. 
 Next, wet up enough flour with cold milk to 
 make the Avhole mass about as thick as good 
 gravy. Boil up and serve. 
 
 Green Tomato Pickles: Take thoroughly 
 green (seeds as green as outside) tomatoes, 
 wape clean, cut a thin layer of skin of¥ each 
 end, then cut remainder into one-half inch 
 
THE KITCHEN 
 
 49 
 
 slices. Make a brine with one cup of salt and 
 water sufficient to cover one peck, let stand 
 over night. In the morning drain thorough- 
 ly. In a porcelain kettle put one quart of 
 cider vinegar and three of water. Add to- 
 matoes, let come to a boil, stirring carefully 
 once. Drain this water ofY, and to three 
 pints of vinegar add two and three-fourth 
 pounds of light brown sugar, two tablespoons 
 each of ginger and cinnamon and one of 
 cloves, tied in a thin cloth. Let get hot, add 
 tomatoes and simmer twenty minutes. When 
 cold put in a jar and cover well. 
 
 Tomato marmalade: Very nice. 
 Seven pounds of ripe tomatoes. 
 Four pounds of brown sugar. 
 One pint of good cider vinegar. 
 One teaspoon of cloves. 
 One tablespoon of cinnamon. 
 
 Two lemons sliced very thin (remove the 
 seeds). Boil tomatoes and sugar together 
 awhile, add vinegar and spices, let boil awhile 
 longer and about ten minutes before remov- 
 ing from the fire, add the lemons. Boil un- 
 til as thick as desired (not quite as thick as 
 jam), care being taken that it does not burn. 
 
50 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 When canning peaches save the skms, put 
 over the fire, cover with cold water, let boil 
 soft. Pour into your jelly bag (cheesecloth 
 is good for that purpose), squeeze gently. 
 Measure the juice and sugar the same as for 
 other jellies. Return the juice to the fire, 
 let boil fifteen minutes, add sugar, which 
 should be previously heated. This will not 
 be as thick jelly as most others, but by trying 
 it, you will be able to tell when to remove 
 from the fire. Where there are children this 
 makes a good substitute and helps piece out 
 the supply. 
 
 Strawberries should be washed carefully be- 
 fore the hulls are removed, to save the juice 
 which otherwise would be lost. These ber- 
 ries require more sugar than most other fruit 
 to insure their keeping. 
 
 To make any berry jelly: Put the berries 
 over the fire (mash a little to start the juice, 
 but do not add water), let cook well, then 
 strain through a jelly bag. (I always wash 
 thoroughly and dry my jelly bag after each 
 using and put it away for future use. Before 
 using it soak it a few minutes in clean water.) 
 To each pint of juice take one pint of granu- 
 
THE KITCHEN 5 1 
 
 lated sugar. Put juice over the fire, put the 
 sugar in the oven to get hot. After the juice 
 begins to boil let boil twenty minutes, then 
 add the hot sugar, let boil five minutes more. 
 Remove from the fire. Have your jelly 
 glasses perfectly clean, dip in cold water, let 
 them drain, and as soon as the fire heat is off 
 the jelly, and before it sets, fill the glasses. 
 When cold pour melted paraf^ne over the 
 top, put on the covers and set away in a cool, 
 dry place. When you use the jelly remove 
 the parafBne, saving it to be used again. 
 
 Where possible to procure blackberries 
 make a generous supply of jam. Use hght 
 brown sugar and proceed as for other jams. 
 Where there are children blackberry jam is 
 much more wholesome than butter to use on 
 bread. 
 
 Gravy: Take a small piece of butter, put 
 it into the spider, let brown, not burn, pour 
 a pint of milk onto it. Take a tablespoon of 
 flour, make smooth with a little cold water or 
 milk and when the milk boils, stir the flour 
 into it; season with salt and pepper. Let cook 
 well and remove from the fire. This is a 
 gravy that most children like on potatoes 
 
52 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 and bread. Many grown children enjoy the 
 old-fashioned ''milk gravy." It saves butter, 
 which is quite important in most famihes of 
 small means. 
 
 Should the meat drippings appear to be 
 spoiling, put into a kettle over the fire, pare 
 a potato, slice thin, add it to your fat, let 
 cook brown, then remove from the fire — the 
 potato will sw^eeten it. Do not add fresh fat 
 to this; but use this first. 
 
 When cooking cabbage, turnip, onions, or 
 any strong odored vegetable, let boil ten min- 
 utes, drain oft water, then add boiling water 
 and salt, return to fire and finish cooking. I 
 always throw this water out of doors, also 
 bean v/ater after parboiling, as it is so strong 
 if poured in the sink the odor is disagreeable. 
 
 Add a little cornstarch to salt before put- 
 ting in the salt wells. The salt will not lump. 
 
 Soak salt pork in skimmed milk or milk 
 DYid water over night (this for frying) and it 
 will be as nice as fresh. Wipe dry before put- 
 ting into the spider. Fried pork or bacon is 
 very nice with a cream gravy poured over. 
 Serve hot. 
 
 Try not to cook more of any kind of food 
 
THE KITCHEN 53 
 
 than will be eaten at one meal. In case there 
 should be some left over do not throw it out. 
 Make it a point of your every-day life to save 
 everything which can possibly be used. It 
 will soon become easier to you than wasting. 
 
 Lemon juice is to be preferred to vinegar 
 for some uses. But wx cannot do entirely 
 without vinegar. Have a jug or keg express- 
 ly for it. Get the pure cider vinegar. Rinse 
 any dish in wdiich you may have had syrup 
 and add to the vinegar. 
 
 A plant called "mother or vinegar plant" 
 forms on top of vinegar, which makes and 
 preserves it. 
 
 Save all bits of milk, and when sour a tea- 
 cup of it, with one-half teaspoon of salaratus 
 dissolved in it, with the addition of one egg, 
 will make nice pancakes or a johnny cake, etc. 
 It will make good cake also. (When making 
 cake or pancakes, add the beaten white of the 
 eggs last and fold it in the batter rather than 
 beat.) It is cheaper than baking powder. A 
 little practice will satisfy you to use sour milk 
 when you have it. When fresh buttermilk 
 can be obtained it is better than sour milk. 
 Buttermilk makes an excellent drink for those 
 
54 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 who like the taste, being laxative and tonic. 
 
 While I am writing I see from my window 
 a little scene which I must tell mxy readers. 
 Men working on a house near by hailed a 
 milk man and bought all the buttermilk he 
 had in his wagon, a number of quarts, and at 
 the same time a family beer wagon was pass- 
 ing. May the W. C. T. U. take courage. 
 
 Potato parings are excellent to clean ca- 
 rafes (water bottles), vinegar cruets, etc. Let 
 stand several hours. Shake well. 
 
 If grease catches fire, dash flour over it in- 
 stead of water. If your clothes take fire do 
 not run out into the wind, but roll on the 
 floor or wrap a piece of carpet or a bed quilt 
 around yourself. For a small burn apply 
 moist salaratus and wrap with a wet cloth. 
 
 When wood is used for fuel sometimes the 
 chimney catches fire. In such a case open 
 the top of the stove and dash several hand- 
 fuls of salt over the fire. This will check the 
 flame and the soot will burn out of the chim- 
 ney, causing no harm but a better draught 
 to your stove. 
 
 If peas are not strictly fresh, before shell- 
 
THE KITCHEN 55 
 
 ing them let stand in cold water a couple of 
 hours. It freshens them decidedly. 
 
 If you wish a warm plate or dish in a hurry 
 pour hot water upon it, let stand a second, 
 wipe, and you have it. 
 
 I am sure you would like this recipe for 
 Tomato Relish: 
 
 One peck of ripe tomatoes. 
 Five medium-sized onions. 
 Two medium-sized red peppers. 
 One cup white sugar. 
 One cup grated horse-radish. 
 Three-fourths cup mustard seed. 
 Two tablespoons black pepper. 
 One quart vinegar. 
 One, one-half cup salt. 
 
 Chop tomatoes and drain off part of the 
 juice, chop onions and red peppers fine. Add 
 all the other ingredients and stir well to- 
 gether. Do not cook and it need not be 
 sealed. Put it in clean cans or a jar and cover 
 well. — Mrs. McPherson. 
 
 Chili sauce: Fine for meats. 
 Thirty ripe tomatoes. 
 Ten onions, medium size. 
 Four red peppers, common size. 
 
56 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Seven tablespoons of brown sugar. 
 
 Five tablespoons of salt. 
 
 Eight cups of good cider vinegar. 
 Put all together and boil two hours. Seal as 
 for catsup. — Mrs. Wales. 
 
 Cucumbers to be eaten fresh should be 
 perfectly fresh. Pare a good thick skin from 
 them and cut both ends ofif to the seeds. Cut 
 in thin slices and add salt, set on ice if pos- 
 sible. When ready to use them pour ofif the 
 brine which has formed and rinse with cold 
 water. Add pepper and vinegar. 
 
 Next to the outside skin of rutabagas and 
 turnips you will find a layer somewhat lighter 
 than the middle. Cut this away before cook- 
 ing. If you mash them add a very little sugar 
 Avith the other seasoning. It is an improve- 
 ment. 
 
 Pumpkin pies, such as Martha Washing- 
 ton used to make: First, select a fine-grained 
 pumpkin, wash the outside well, cut into 
 small pieces, removing the fiber from the 
 center. Leave the rind on; like potatoes, the 
 best is near the outside. Put into a large 
 kettle a half-cup of water, then the pumpkin. 
 Let it cook dry. It will be a dark brown 
 
THE KITCHEN 57 
 
 color. So much the better if it does not burn. 
 Stir often to prevent burning. Next put it 
 through the colander, which removes all rind 
 and coarseness. One-half cup of this 
 strained pumpkin is enough for one pie. The 
 remainder of the pumpkin spread on granite 
 pie plates, set in a warm oven and in a few 
 hours it will be sufificiently dry to put into a 
 paper bag and hang up for winter's use. This 
 sounds like more work than it really is. If 
 you are fond of pumpkin pies it pays. When 
 you want pie in the winter take what would 
 be a half-teacup (for each pie wanted), add a 
 little (at a time), warm milk, let it soak and in 
 an hour or so it will be ready for use. 
 
 The pie: One-half cup of pumpkin, one 
 very large egg or two small ones, one-half 
 cup of brown sugar, one pint of rich new 
 milk, a pinch of salt, one teaspoonful ginger, 
 one-half teaspoonful cinnamon. Beat eggs 
 and sugar together thoroughly, add the other 
 ingredients and the milk last. Of course 
 pumpkin pies have only one crust and must 
 bake quickly, while a custard pie should bake 
 slowly. 
 
 If you will follow these directions you will 
 
58 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 not wonder that George liked Martha's pies. 
 
 If you wish a very nice custard pie follow 
 the directions of almost any cook book, with 
 this added: Beat the eggs to mix weU the 
 yolks and whites, add sugar and beat until 
 you can lift a spoonful and it will not run 
 over. 
 
 Pie crust for one pie: One cup of flour, 
 scant one-half cup of shortening (chilled on 
 ice if possible), one-third cup of cold water. 
 Chop the shortening into the flour, add the 
 water and work v/ith the hand as little as 
 possible. 
 
 To make tart shells: One cup of flour, full 
 one-half cup of shortening (chilled), one ta- 
 blespoonful of water and the white of one 
 small ^^gg. Work the shortening into the 
 flour as for pie crust, beat the egg and add 
 the water to it, then add to the flour, mixing 
 as little as possible. If mixed and rolled too 
 much it makes the crust tough. 
 
 Very dry Hubbard squash is improved by 
 adding a teaspoonful of sugar and one or 
 two tablespoonfuls of cream. (If you use 
 cream you need use no butter.) Beat up with 
 a fork the same as mashed potatoes. Warm the 
 
THE KITCHEN 59 
 
 cream or milk before adding to the squash or 
 potato. 
 
 Sweet corn and succotash is improved by 
 adding a Httle sugar, say a tablespoonful. 
 
 Rhubarb should be stripped of its outer 
 skin, cut into inch or so lengths, washed and 
 put into a granite or porcelain stew-pan with- 
 out the addition of water. Stew tender and 
 just before removing from the fire add the 
 sugar. Rhubarb ought to be eaten very 
 freely in the spring of the year. 
 
 Care should be taken not to use tin in 
 which to stew acid fruits. 
 
 When a tin can of fruit or vegetable or 
 meat is opened empty the contents immedi- 
 ately. If through mistake it has been al- 
 lowed to stand after being opened do not 
 under any consideration use it. Better go 
 hungry, for people have been poisoned by 
 eating such food. 
 
 To make delicious hash, it should be made 
 of corn beef. Boil a nice piece of beef and 
 after it is cold cut away all gristle, leaving a 
 small quantity of fat. If very" salty put into 
 cold water to boil, if slightly corned (which 
 is the nicer) cover with boiling water. Take 
 
6o ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 one-third meat, two-thirds whole cold boiled 
 potatoes. Chop meat nearly as fine as for 
 mince meat, add potatoes (do not chop meat 
 and potatoes together, but chop meat first, then 
 add potatoes) and a very small onion (the 
 onion may be omitted). You may chop this 
 the night before. Now use a good-sized spider, 
 put in some of the fat off the top of the water 
 in which the beef was boiled, enough to cover 
 well the bottom of the spider. Put your hash 
 in, make a hole in the center, fill with warm 
 water, sprinkle with salt and pepper, put on 
 the cover and let simmer, but not burn. Do 
 not stir until about ready to remove from 
 the fire. The hash should be moist, but not 
 wet. A little practice wiU enable you to make 
 nice hash. 
 
 If you have a cup of boiled rice left over 
 convert it into pancakes. First take a po- 
 tato masher and work the rice as smooth as 
 possible. Add one cup of sweet milk, one 
 egg, a pinch of salt and a scant cup of flour, 
 into which two level teaspoons of baking 
 powder has been stirred. Beat aU together 
 and bake on griddle. 
 
 This little volume is not designed to be a 
 
THE KITCHEN 6l 
 
 cook book. But these few recipes are given 
 which you will not be apt to find in the ordin- 
 ary cook book. They have come into my 
 practice by experience and observation. They 
 will be worth much to any one who cares to 
 adopt them. My advice to you would be, in 
 following most cook books, care must be 
 exercised and good judgment used, for many 
 recipes are expensive and the material too 
 rich for the stomach. 
 
 It is well to remember that in high alti- 
 tudes, less sugar and butter is required for 
 cake, etc., than in low. Also in some locali- 
 ties it takes longer to cook vegetables and 
 meats than others. So your cook book may 
 not always be to blame if you do not have 
 success the first trial. 
 
 I wish to call your attention to a vegeta- 
 rian diet. Cook books for the same may be 
 obtained at almost any first-class book store 
 or the dealer could obtain one for you. For 
 five years my family has followed, almost 
 entirely, a vegetarian diet, greatly to the ad- 
 vantage, from a health standpoint, of each 
 member. I am sure you will like to know 
 of what our diet consists. Cattle and sheep 
 
62 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 are strictly vegetarians; for that reason I pre- 
 fer my vegetables first hand. Our chief diet 
 is vegetables and an abundance of fruit in its 
 season. We use butter, eggs and sugar spar- 
 ingly. We use figs to some extent and dates 
 we buy by the large quantity — they come 
 cheaper — say by the twelve-pound box. The 
 dark date is preferred to the golden; it has 
 a richer flavor, though a little more expen- 
 sive. We also use nuts. Mark this — we use 
 these fruits as a course at meal time, and not 
 too large a quantity. Say of dates, from six 
 to twelve to a person. Dates are nice to put 
 into puddings, etc., instead of raisins. ,We 
 also use raisins on the table to some extent, 
 care being taken to remove the seeds, and 
 masticate them well. The same with grapes. 
 We use apples plentifully, buying them 
 generally by the barrel. We use them in all 
 ways, raw, baked, stewed, and for puddings 
 and occasionally a pie. When baking apples 
 add sugar to the cavity, after removing the 
 core. You add water, of course. As they 
 bake try basting them, exactly as you do meat. 
 When stewing apples a few bits of orange or 
 lemon rinds improve the taste. Some like nut- 
 
THE KITCHEN 63 
 
 meg. Save your strength by sitting while peel- 
 ing apples or potatoes or preparing other vege- 
 tables for a meal. 
 
 We use very little pastry. I have often 
 been asked as to the expense. There is but 
 little difference in comparison to a meat diet; 
 but it is far more healthful and makes less 
 work for the cook. 
 
 Cultivate a taste for vegetables (especially 
 green) and fruits. It is not a great task to 
 acquire a taste for olives, celery, etc. I call 
 to mind when I disliked even the odor of 
 celery. The first I learned to appreciate was 
 a red kind. It grew short, but very sweet 
 and tender and was grown in our own gar- 
 den from seed purchased of the seed mer- 
 chant, Peter Henderson, New York. 
 
 Excellent Hop Yeast: One pint of corn, 
 scorched slowly. Do not burn. Take two 
 handfuls of hops, together with the corn, add 
 four quarts of water and let boil one hour. 
 Boil ten good-sized potatoes, mash well. 
 Strain the hop water while hot onto the pota- 
 toes. Add to this one teacup of sugar and 
 one-half cup of salt. Put over the fire and 
 scald. If a scum rises remove it. Set it to 
 
64 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 one side to cool and when lukewarm add to 
 it one cup of soft yeast or one cake of any 
 good yeast. 
 
 Let it stand in a moderately warm place 
 three or four hours or until light. Then put 
 it into clean bottles or glass jars and keep it 
 in a cool place, but not where it will freeze. 
 Yeast cakes may be made of this by adding 
 cornmeal enough to stiffen it and a spoonful 
 of flour, so that it may be rolled and cut into 
 small cakes. Put them into a warm place 
 to dry. They will keep a very long time if 
 kept in a cool, dry place. — Mrs. Butterfield. 
 
 A dry or stale loaf of bread or biscuits may 
 be freshened and made very good by dip- 
 ping (quickly) into cold water, and put im- 
 mediately in a not too hot oven. Let stand 
 thirty minutes or so. 
 
 The way I make bread is this: In the aft- 
 ernoon boil three or four medium-sized po- 
 tatoes. In a granite pan mash them well, 
 add five heaping tablespoons of flour. Over 
 this pour boiling water enough to scald the 
 flour and make the mass about like cake bat- 
 ter. Stir well together and beat light, the 
 lumps will work out, then let stand until cool, 
 
THE KITCHEN 65 
 
 Stirring occasionally. Put to soak three- 
 fourths cake of any good dried yeast, or 
 nearly one-half cup of soft yeast. When thor- 
 oughly soft and the batter just warm put to- 
 gether and beat well. Then set in not too 
 warm a place, but out of a draught of air. 
 Before bed time this batter will be Hght. Add 
 a pinch of salt, but no more water. This 
 makes three loaves. (If you wish a larger 
 batch add more ingredients in the afternoon.) 
 Gradually add sufficient flour to m.ake a stiff 
 mass. Take it on the molding-board and 
 knead and knead, adding flour as long as it 
 sticks to the board. I put a handful of flour 
 on top and punch it with the fist. Now re- 
 turn it to the pan, cover well and set to rise 
 overnight. Early in the morning make it 
 into loaves. Let rise again and put into not 
 too hot an oven. Let bake slowly one hour. 
 This bread is delicious and will keep moist if 
 kept in the tin receptacle. You see while you 
 are sleeping your bread is rising and it will 
 be out of your way by 9 or 10 o'clock the 
 next morning. 
 
 Very old potatoes or new (not ripe) pota- 
 toes do not make very good yeast or bread. 
 
66 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 So do not be discouraged if in the spring the 
 bread is not perfect. 
 
 Do not use bread the same day it is baked 
 if it can be avoided. Any hot breads such as 
 biscuits, rolls, etc., are not as good for the 
 stomach as when a day old. Of course, they 
 ''taste good," but if often indulged in, the 
 stomach in time is sure to rebel. 
 
 In som.e cook books may be found a recipe 
 for unleaven graham gems. But I doubt if 
 you will find one for unleaven graham bread. 
 Here is one for you, and if you will make and 
 eat it according to directions, it will be found 
 an excellent article of diet. If one is troubled 
 with constipation or indigestion, they will soon 
 derive benefit from its use. 
 
 Unleaven graham bread : Into one and one- 
 half pints of cold water (no salt) gradually 
 stir graham flour (free from coarse bran) until 
 thick enough to lift a spoonful and it will 
 not run, but separate itself. This makes one 
 loaf. More may be baked with the same fire, 
 but nothing else should be put into the oven 
 with the bread. Better results are obtained if 
 each loaf is made separately. Grease the pans 
 (do not use butter), dip the dough into it, 
 
THE KITCHEN 67 
 
 Spreading it into the corners and evenly against 
 the sides. Before mixing the bread, Hght the 
 oven giving it from twenty to thirty minutes 
 to heat. If you use a gas stove this bread is 
 easily baked. It is the heat that raises this 
 bread, so the oven must be hotter than for 
 white bread. Just before putting the loaves 
 into the oven, put a tablespoon of cold water 
 over each loaf. It takes one and one-half hours 
 to bake. Do not open the oven door until the 
 end of the first half hour. Then turn it around, 
 also at the end of the second half hour, but 
 do not open the oven door between the half 
 hours. After the bread has been in the oven 
 fifteen minutes lower the heat by turning off 
 the back burner. Leave the other burner full. 
 One slice or even one-half slice is all one needs 
 at one meal. It must be well masticated. At 
 first you may think you do not like it; but I 
 have not known a person but would continue 
 taking a piece until they would call for it if 
 none was on the table. In real hot weather 
 (dog days) it does not keep as well, if much 
 is made at one time. 
 
 Cookies for Children: Into one side of a 
 pan of flour break one egg, add one cup of 
 
68 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 shortening (the lard and suet are fine 
 for these), one cup of sugar, each of white 
 and brown, one cup of sour milk or butter- 
 milk (if buttermilk not quite so much short- 
 ening), one level teaspoon of soda (salara- 
 tus) dissolved in the milk, and a little nutmeg. 
 With the hand w^ork this well together, grad- 
 ually adding flour to make a dough not too 
 stiff. Roll not too thin and bake in a quick 
 oven. These cookies are nicer not to beat 
 as ordinarily. 
 
 Ginger Cookies: 
 One cup of N. O. molasses. 
 One cup of sugar. 
 Three-fourths cup of shortening. 
 
 One-half cup of boiling water, add two tea- 
 spoonfuls of salaratus to the water, one tea- 
 spoonful of ginger. 
 
 One Qgg. (The egg may be omitted.) 
 Add flour enough to roll out comfortably 
 without sticking to the board. Do not roll 
 very thin and the oven must not be very hot, 
 as molasses cookies burn easily. 
 
 Fried Cakes: Into a pan with flour break 
 one egg, add one cup of sugar, four table- 
 spoons of melted shortening, one cup of sour 
 
THE KITCHEN 69 
 
 or buttermilk and a little nutmeg. With 
 the hand mix thoroughly, adding enough 
 flour to roll out nicely. Fry in deep hot fat. 
 — Mrs. Davis. 
 
 After frying fried cakes allow the grease to 
 stand awhile that the crumbs mxay settle, then 
 pour off the clear fat into a dish by itself. 
 This may be used several times before it will 
 be too brown to use again. Of course each 
 time fresh fat would be added to it. Then 
 throw out the settlings and with a paper wipe 
 out the kettle, throwing the paper into the 
 garbage or burn it. There would be less 
 grease to go into the dish-water if every 
 greasy dish was treated in this way. 
 
 Wind a strip of clean muslin around the 
 end of a small stick for greasing bread tins, 
 pancake griddle, etc. Grease the griddle 
 sparingly and avoid smoke. 
 
 Make a cover of unbleached cotton cloth 
 for your rolling-pin and the molding-board 
 unless you have a place for them out of the 
 way of flies and dust. After using the board 
 and pin, scrape them clean and wipe dry be- 
 fore putting in their cases. In making bread 
 or any dough food, do not waste scraps of 
 
70 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 flour and dough. Learn to use all that is 
 wet and save all the dry flour not needed. I 
 once knew a housekeeper who wasted much 
 in this way. 
 
 As you use the fruit from the glass jars 
 and jelly glasses wash then carefully, let drain 
 and dry thoroughly. If the rubbers are good, 
 wash and dry them, also the tops or covers. 
 Put the rubbers inside the can, put the tops 
 on and set away in the place provided for 
 them; they are then ready for use when need- 
 ed. Do these little things as they need do- 
 ing, each day, each hour, and you will soon 
 be able to crowd your work instead of your 
 work crowding you. 
 
 It will pay you to have a pair of scales for 
 weighing purposes. Not only are they a 
 convenience for canning and preserving 
 fruits, but often it will be to your advantage 
 to weigh your groceries. If you pay by the 
 week or month, or whenever, run over the ac- 
 count yourself, or get John or one of the 
 older children to do it for you. Often the 
 clerk has made a mistake; we all are liable to 
 do so. We frequently find a mistake in the 
 grocer's favor or your own. Have your house- 
 
THE KITCHEN 7I 
 
 hold accounts balance at the end of the 
 month, as does a banker or any business 
 house. 
 
 A hammer is a very useful article to have 
 in the drawer, hard by. Do not allow the 
 children to carry it off, causing you to hunt 
 for it when in a hurry. Nails and tacks also 
 keep in a box in a handy place. Save all 
 twine, roll into a ball for use around the 
 kitchen. 
 
 Do not leave water standing in the teaket- 
 tle from one meal to another. If you can 
 afford it get a copper teakettle on the start. 
 It will last many years. 
 
 Put just enough water into your teakettle 
 for present needs. It is not necessary that 
 water boil when used for washing dishes, etc. 
 I have seen maids boil a teakettle full of 
 water, when a small amount w^armed would 
 be sufficient to begin the work. Add more 
 to heat while using the first consignment. If 
 gas is used it makes quite a difference in the 
 consumption at the end of the month. 
 
 We prefer a double coffee-steeper — that is, 
 a bottom to contain water, the pot should be 
 double, and sets on this bottom of hot 
 
72 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 water and the steam circles around the cof- 
 fee-pot, steeping instead of boiHng the cof- 
 fee. You need then, never use eggs or any- 
 thing to settle the coffee, and it will be as 
 clear as amber. Get a good grade of coffee 
 and use less than in the ordinary way 
 of brewing. With care, washing and drying 
 the pot, it will last many years. The milk or 
 cream for coffee should be heated and put 
 into the cups and the hot coffee poured upon 
 it. It makes a richer cup of coffee. 
 
 In brewing tea, we prefer the earthen or 
 granite teapot. Silver looks nicer, but the 
 tea will taste no better. Put into your tea- 
 kettle fresh, cold water, the same as when 
 making coffee. Bo it quickly and use imme- 
 'diately. Put a level teaspoon ful of tea into 
 the pot (having previously scalded it) or 
 more or less, as you like the strength. Now 
 pour a generous cupful of the boiling water 
 upon it, cover with a tea-cosy made for that 
 purpose, or an old tablecloth will answer, 
 tuck it close. Let this stand about five min- 
 utes, remove the tea leaves, and it is ready 
 to bring to the table. Tea should not boil 
 nor stand long after the hot water is poured 
 
THE KITCHEN 73 
 
 Upon it. There is no economy in saving tea 
 or coffee for second use. Throw it out and 
 make less next time. 
 
 When there is a large family it is economy 
 to buy flour by the barrel, keeping it in a 
 cool, dry place. 
 
 A strong platform made a little larger than 
 the barrel and about two inches high, with 
 four stout castors, is a great convenience for 
 rolling a barrel of flour from the door to its 
 place. 
 
 Buy oatmeal or rolled oats by the quan- 
 tity. Also starch is cheaper by the quantity. 
 One must use a great deal of care and good 
 judgment, hovv'ever, in buying by the quan- 
 tity, not to get so much it vvill spoil before it 
 can be used. If a woman sets about the task 
 it will be but a short time till she can buy 
 very close to her needs. 
 
 Save all the berry and fruit boxes and bas- 
 kets for kindling fires. Save all medicine bot- 
 tles, wash and dry them. When getting a 
 prescription filled at the drug store take one 
 of these bottles along. It will save you five 
 or ten cents. 
 
 In the morning after the dining table is 
 
74 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 cleared, and while the water is heating for the 
 dishes, go to the sleeping-rooms, open the 
 windows, shake up the pillows, turn the bed- 
 ding back over the foot of the bed, with a 
 chair placed under, to keep them off the 
 floor. Gather up and put into place any 
 article left about the room. By this time the 
 water is heated. 
 
 I like to wash the tins and ironware first, 
 wiping them with the dishcloth and setting 
 them to dry, after which they may be put in 
 their place. Scour them, if they need it, each 
 day. Try wetting the cloth in kerosene in- 
 stead of water, when scouring faucets, brass, 
 copper, tinware, granite or in fact any kitchen 
 utensil. (Washing the inside after the scour- 
 ing of any article used for cooking.) It will 
 require about half the strength to accomp- 
 Hsh the same result. 
 
 Do not leave dishes of any kind from one 
 meal to another. It is untidy to do so, and 
 again they are harder to wash. Next, with 
 clean water wash the glassware, next the sil- 
 verware, then the china. White lead makes 
 an excellent cement for china, etc. When all 
 the dishes are done get clean water and wash 
 
THE KITCHEN 75 
 
 table, shelf and sink. And last, but not least, 
 with more clean water, rinse your dish towels 
 and dishcloth (the latter scald once in 
 awhile), hanging them out to dry. You will 
 then never have a sour dishcloth. Save scrub- 
 bing your kitchen table by laying paper on 
 it. Replenish often. Putting a paper folded 
 several thicknesses over the sink drain will 
 prevent odors, should there be any, from es- 
 caping into the room. Never leave scraps 
 of food about anywhere. Take them to the 
 outside garbage pail or the refuse heap. Or, 
 if they must be kept inside for a short time 
 keep them well covered. Have what is known 
 as open plumbing. There wall then be no 
 "catch-all," i. e., less dirt and less odors. 
 
 As a grocer approached the rear door of 
 a customer's house he remarked: "Mrs. B., 
 this is the queerest back door I ever saw." 
 The lady looked up rather astonished and 
 asked quickly: "Why, Mr. T., what ails it?" 
 "Well," said he, "I never see flies around this 
 door!" Mrs. B., very much relieved at this 
 reply, answered: "The flies would starve to 
 death here." There is no good reason why 
 every back door could not be kept free from 
 
76 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 litter and garbage and thereby free from flies. 
 
 Well, while I have been gossiping, you 
 have rubbed your stove with a paper, swept 
 the floor, hung the broom on its nail and are 
 ready to leave the kitchen for a time. Let's 
 sit down just a minute to rest. I have some- 
 thing more I wish to tell you. We may just 
 as well sit as to stand. 
 
 I wanted to say where there is no collector 
 for the garbage, and you have a garden or 
 grounds large enough, it might be buried just 
 under the surface of the soil. It will make the 
 ground fertile. If that cannot be done, dig a 
 hole, put the refuse into it and cover with 
 earth or ashes. Coal ashes if mixed with clay 
 soil will pulverize and make it pHable. 
 
 Save all your rags for the rag collector. 
 Before throwing old garments in the rag bar- 
 rel cut off all good buttons, putting them 
 into a box for that purpose. Some may think 
 it not worth while to save rags; but let me 
 tell you they will bring you a good many pen- 
 nies, which can be used for the missionary 
 box or for postage stamps or for Johnny's or 
 Susie's Sunday School money. 
 
 Again, I believe you will be interested in 
 
THE KITCHEN ^7 
 
 a conversation I once heard in regard to com- 
 plexions. Please excuse me for deviating 
 from my subject — the kitchen. But this is 
 so closely allied to it that it will fit here. I 
 think you will all agree with me that most 
 women are inclined to be vain on the subject 
 of looks. Else why do most of them powder 
 their faces? 
 
 Travel where you may, w^e see not only the 
 middle-aged women, but often old women, 
 frequently girls, with powdered faces. But I 
 must return to the dialague: ''Mrs. B., what 
 do you do or how do you manage that all 
 your family have such rosy cheeks and clear 
 complexions?" asked a young woman, Miss 
 D. ''As long ago as I can remember," Mrs. 
 B. replied, "my father gave us children sul- 
 phur and molasses every spring, and I have, 
 with the exception of a year or two. not failed 
 to give it to my children and taken it myself." 
 
 "Why, Mrs. B., do you really believe that 
 does any good?" asked Miss D. 
 
 "Certainly I do, for it is a blood cleanser, 
 and, although an old-fashioned remedy, it is 
 an excellent spring medicine." 
 
78 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 "When and how is it to be taken?" asked 
 Miss D. 
 
 "Wait until the weather is quite mild, about 
 May in the northern states. Buy the pow- 
 dered sulphur, take two-thirds sulphur, one- 
 third cream of tartar and molasses (not sy- 
 rup) enough to make it the consistency of 
 thick cream. Dose: One teaspoonful every 
 morning before eating, for three mornings, 
 skip three, then take three again, and so on 
 until you have taken it nine mornings," said 
 Mrs. B. "But sulphur has not all to do with 
 a clear complexion. Eat proper food and 
 regularly, keeping early hours. Improper eat- 
 ing and food, together with late hours, are 
 an abomination to a rosy complexion and 
 good health." 
 
 Another question from Miss D.: "Do you 
 think candy helps to make a poor complex- 
 ion?" 
 
 "Much candy? Yes, I really do." 
 
 "But you need not take my word for it," 
 said Mrs. B. "Look about you and if among 
 your acquaintances you know of one or more 
 who eat rich food, make 'fudge' frequently, 
 eat whenever they take a notion, or 'piece 
 
THE KITCHEN 79 
 
 between meals,' then if you have an oppor- 
 tunity, scrutinize their skin. Is it possible for 
 such a person to have a clear complexion 
 after such a breach of hygiene? The blood 
 reflects in the face the state of the stomach. 
 It is not necessary that one have a white skin 
 to have a good complexion." 
 
 *'Do you never powder?" a little smile pass- 
 ing over Miss D.'s face. 
 
 "Never in my life," quickly answered Mrs. 
 B., "have I put powder on my face. I should 
 as soon think of filling the pores of my whole 
 body with powder as put it on my face." 
 
 "Well, do you use soap on your face?" 
 again asked Miss D. 
 
 "Yes; I wash my face in soft water, using 
 a pure soap at least once a day; oftener if I 
 think there is need of it." 
 
 "I should like to know if there is nothing 
 you would recommend in the place of sul- 
 phur?" quickly asked Miss D. 
 
 Mrs. B. replied: "I must say this in favor 
 of sulphur. It is a very simple and inexpen- 
 sive medicine, and need be taken only in the 
 spring, except the blood is much out of order; 
 in that case September would be the month. 
 
8o ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 But lemon juice is a good tonic. One tea- 
 spoonful of the juice in a little cool water 
 taken in the morning before breakfast is ex- 
 cellent. Pomelo or grape fruit is also a good 
 tonic, and, while the latter is expensive, it 
 takes but a small piece to equal a dose of 
 lemon juice. Bear in mind, though, you should 
 use no sugar with either the grape fruit or 
 the lemon if you wish the tonic effect. It is 
 economy to use these tonics for the health's 
 sake." 
 
 Miss D. looked up and earnestly said: 
 "I believe I'll try the sulphur." 
 
 ''I know you will find it very beneficial," 
 said Mrs. B., ''and while you are trying it 
 extend the trial in other directions one year 
 and satisfy yourself as to the effect." 
 
 "Oh, I'm afraid I cannot give up all those 
 good things," rejoined Miss D. 
 
 "Rest assured, my dear girl, there are 
 enough 'good things' left to satisfy the most 
 exacting appetite," was Mrs. B.'s final reply. 
 
 In the spring of the year dandelion greens 
 are most \vholesome and may bediad for the 
 trouble of picking them. Go into God's acres 
 or send the children as soon as the dandelion 
 
THE KITCHEN Si 
 
 appears above the ground. Enough for a 
 meal may be gathered in a short time. Look 
 them over carefully and wash well. Parboil- 
 ing removes the most bitter taste. Then add 
 salt and more boiling water. Prepare a dozen 
 messes during the springtime. A physician 
 says: "If every family would eat freely of 
 dandelion greens there would be scarcely any 
 liver trouble." 
 
 When preparing meals or baking instead 
 of getting a fresh spoon or dish wash those 
 you have in use, thus saving the accumulation 
 of dirty dishes. 
 
 In stoning raisins pour near-boiling water 
 over them, let stand a minute or two, pour 
 water off, add cold water and with a sharp 
 knife the seeds will slip out free from the 
 pulp. It is a short process, compared to the 
 old way. 
 
 If you have left-over mashed potatoes use 
 them for croquettes for breakfast or lunch. 
 For instance, take a small piece of boiled 
 codfish shredded, add one egg, beaten — the 
 yolk alone may be used or the white — a pinch 
 of salt, a dash of pepper; mix all together. 
 If too soft add a little flour. Make into rolls 
 
82 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 or balls and roll in bread crumbs. Take some 
 of the meat drippings or lard into a deep skil- 
 let, and when very hot, drop the balls into 
 it. Try one first, to test the heat of the fat. 
 For if it is not hot enough they will fall to 
 pieces. The potato without the codfish is 
 very good. These may also be made fiat 
 and fried in a spider with a very little fat to 
 wet the surface. 
 
 When parboiling beans add a piece of soda 
 (salaratus) the size of a bean. It will im- 
 prove them. 
 
 It is an excellent plan to wash all fruit be- 
 fore serving it on the table or even handling 
 it. Bananas, oranges, etc. They are neces- 
 sarily handled by many hands before they 
 reach you. 
 
 Salad Dressing: Preferable to the regular 
 mayonnaise. It certainly is very palatable 
 and cheaper and much less work to make. 
 One teaspoon each of salt and ground mus- 
 tard; three tablespoons of sweet cream, a 
 piece of butter the size of a small walnut, 
 three tablespoons of sugar, the yolk of one 
 large egg, one-third cup of vinegar. Beat 
 egg thoroughly, add mustard, smooth the 
 
THE KITCHEN 83 
 
 lumps out and beat well; add sugar, salt and 
 cream, beat well. Stir all together and put 
 over the fire (in a double boiler is best), heat 
 vinegar and add last. Stir well until it thick- 
 ens. If too stiff add a little more cream or 
 milk previously heated. 
 
 Johnny Cake: One cup of sweet milk, one 
 cup of meal, one-half cup of flour, one egg. 
 Butter the size of a large walnut, scant half- 
 cup of sugar and two tablespoons baking 
 powder. Very nice. — Mrs. Elliot. 
 
 To keep lettuce, water cress, etc., fresh roll 
 in a cloth wet in cold water. Put into the 
 ice chest or a cool place. 
 
 Tea Cake: Three-fourths cup white sugar, 
 one-half cup sweet milk, one and one-half 
 cups flour, one tablespoon of soft butter, one 
 heaping teaspoon baking powder. Beat egg 
 w^ell, add sugar, beat well again; add butter 
 and beat again; add milk, then flour, with 
 baking powder added to it. This may be 
 made into a loaf or layer cake. Very nice and 
 cheap. — Chautauqua Cook Book. 
 
 Sponge Cake: One and one-half cups oi 
 granulated sugar, three eggs, the whites and 
 yolks beaten separately; one-half cup water, 
 small one-half teaspoon soda (salaratus) dis- 
 
84 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 solved in water, one and one-half cups flour, 
 one teaspoon cream tartar (small); or bak- 
 ing powder may be used in the place of cream 
 tartar and soda. Stir in whites last. Beat yolk 
 of eggs a little, add sugar and beat over and 
 over until very light; put baking powder to 
 flour and mix well; add water, then flour to 
 egg and sugar; beat white of eggs to stiff 
 froth and add last, carefully ; flavor with lemon. 
 Very nice. — Chautauqua Cook Book. 
 
 Soak new lima beans in warm water fifteen 
 minutes, the skin will slip off readily. Old 
 ones require soaking one-half hour or longer, 
 then with a sharp knife the skin peals off 
 easily. The bean is nicer if this tough skin 
 is removed. 
 
 A field marshal's duty is not complete until 
 he has made sure that there are no obstruc- 
 tions in the way when he marshals his army 
 for action. So it should be with every house- 
 keeper. Before retiring she should see that 
 the scatterings of the day or evening are 
 gathered up, so that she and her small army 
 may begin the day with level heads and no 
 confusion. Don't make the excuse that you 
 are too tired unless you are actually sick. If 
 you do you'll always be tired. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE DINING ROOM 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 THE DINING ROOM 
 
 The dining room should be as attractive as 
 one can afford to make it. Where there are 
 children a crumb cloth under the table is a 
 great saving. A good heavy brown linen or 
 denim is excellent for the purpose and wears 
 well. It is easily washed and need be only 
 large enough to catch the crumbs and the 
 dirt from the shoes. 
 
 Unless you can really afford better, while 
 the children are small, and especially for ev- 
 ery day use, brown table linen is much more 
 economical than the white. It soon bleaches 
 and washes easily, and when ironed smoothly 
 looks well on the table. Or even red table- 
 cloths may be used to advantage. 
 
 When a white tablecloth is used, put tray 
 cloths under the children's plates. These can 
 be changed often and are not much to wash. 
 Red napkins will do for the children, espe- 
 cially when fruit is served. There should be 
 no lack of napkins for children. If funds are 
 87 
 
88 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 low take the best of old tablecloths, or even 
 cotton cloth cut in squares, could be used for 
 napkins. The main idea is to accustom chil- 
 dren to habits of neatness and refinement. 
 
 Buy the best dishes you can afford. One 
 can set a pretty looking table on small 
 money. Good pressed glassware and the best 
 plated silverware is very reasonable in price 
 and with care will last many years. Of extra 
 side dishes I believe the finger bowl the most 
 sensible. 
 
 It is not our object to dictate the exact 
 number, nor the quality of everything to be 
 used. But I would advise care and thought 
 in furnishing your dining room as elsewhere. 
 
 If there are no children (I hope there are) 
 or after they are cared for, and sent on their 
 way to school, the table must be cleared. The 
 bread should be put into a tin bread box* im- 
 mediately upon rising from the table, because 
 bread dries so quickly. Pieces of butter 
 should be saved for the next meal, but if 
 mussed, yet clean, it should be put with the 
 
 *An old boiler with a cover, kept perfectly clean and 
 sweet by washing and scalding, is an excellent recep- 
 tacle for bread and cake. 
 
THE DINING ROOM 89 
 
 meat drippings. Put the butter on a clean 
 dish, cover and set in the ice chest or a cool 
 place. 
 
 As early as children can serve themselves 
 use the small plates (called bread and butter 
 plates) at each place. The butter may be 
 served on these plates, thereby doing away 
 with the common butter plate or dish. The 
 piece of bread lay on this plate. 
 
 Everything on the different plates belong- 
 ing to one's family if carefully saved can be 
 warmed over or converted into appetizing 
 morsels for the next meal. Put all scraps of 
 waste together, scraping clean each dish and 
 plate, piling each kind by themselves. Have 
 a good-sized tray and carry them to the kitch- 
 en table. 
 
 If economy of steps and time is really nec- 
 essary, the crumbs may be brushed from the 
 cloth and the table reset for the next meal. 
 Or if not, the tablecloth, with the pad, should 
 be folded and put into the sideboard or pan- 
 try. If care is taken to fold the tablecloth in 
 the creases each time, it will look better much 
 longer than when folded haphazard. The 
 table pad or silence cloth, should be the heavy 
 
90 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 double-faced cloth made for that purpose or 
 one can use some other thick material. The 
 pad is quite essential, preserving the polish 
 of the table and preventing noise from the 
 handling of dishes. 
 
 Use the sweeper for ordinary sweeping. 
 The dusting of the room might wait until 
 later if it is not convenient to do it imme- 
 diately. 
 
 Don't carry a ''lazy man's load," but when 
 you go from one place to another in the house 
 look about you; perhaps you can save an 
 extra trip by carrying more than one article, 
 and maybe bring back something which will 
 be required in a short time. 
 
 Clear the table as soon as possible after 
 each meal, for food invites flies. 
 
 The meal hours should be understood by 
 each member of the household, and they 
 should present themselves at that hour regu- 
 larly, unless delay J of which they had no con- 
 trol, has prevented their doing so. Habitual 
 tardiness at meals is, first, an injustice to one's 
 self, for the viands cannot be as appetizing 
 as if eaten when first cooked. Secondly, it 
 is an unkindness to the wife and mother, who 
 
THE DINING ROOM QI 
 
 has labored to prepare the food that should 
 nourish her family. To exact promptness to 
 meals from children is instilling in their 
 young minds one of the fundamental princi- 
 ples of Hfe. But if the excuse for tardiness 
 is unavoidable delay, the wife and mother 
 should accept it graciously, without frowns 
 and complaints, else the calm serenity of the 
 meal will be marred needlessly. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 SLEEPING ROOMS 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 SLEEPING ROOMS 
 
 These rooms, so important to health, 
 should be well ventilated. Open the windows 
 at the top as well as at the bottom, that the 
 impure air may go out, the fresh air come in. 
 
 If you have not hardwood floors, matting 
 makes a better covering than carpets and is 
 easily kept clean. Take a half pail of water, 
 put a handful of salt in it and with a clean 
 cloth or mop wipe the dust off occasionally. 
 Do not have the cloth dripping wet, for you 
 need only to wipe ofif the surface. Salt helps 
 to preserve the fiber and sweetens it also. A 
 rug or strip of carpet in front of the bed and 
 dresser saves the wear of the matting. 
 
 The metal bedstead is the most economical. 
 If possible to do otherwise do not buy the 
 cheapest, for the enamel is not as good, hence 
 in a short time will look shabbily and require 
 a fresh coat. A strong set of woven-wire 
 springs comes next. A good cotton mattress 
 will wear for years and is clean and comfort- 
 95 
 
96 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 able. A hair mattress is expensive, not only 
 at the time of purchase, but it requires more 
 care than a cotton one. 
 
 Go to a rehable furniture dealer, select a 
 good, clean cotton, not necessarily the high- 
 est priced, and a good firm piece of ticking. 
 Let him make a mattress for you, giving him 
 the size of your bedstead. It should be at 
 least four inches thick, the cotton packed 
 firmly and tied closely. If it is made prop- 
 erly it will not sag in spots by the weight of 
 the body. I have been using one now twelve 
 years, and it is nearly as smooth and clean as 
 when new. 
 
 Put an old quilt or other clean cloth on the 
 springs, before putting on the mattress; this 
 will prevent wearing holes in it, which the 
 springs might do otherwise. These old quilts, 
 etc., should be washed twice a year. 
 
 Get geese feathers, not down, for pillows — 
 size about twenty-six inches by eighteen 
 inches, makes a good one for most people. 
 They should weigh about two to two and one- 
 half pounds. Have one smaller pair for chil- 
 dren and one very small for baby. 
 
 When a fresh pillow slip is put on, thrust 
 
SLEEPING ROOMS 97 
 
 the hand into the corners and pull the corner 
 of the slip over the corner of the pillow. Then 
 straighten the slip and the pillow will look 
 neater when on the bed. If you are particular 
 to keep slips on your pillows at all times, the 
 tick will not need washing oftener than once 
 in ten or fifteen years. The most satisfactory 
 way to wash them is to empty the feathers. If 
 washed with the feathers in, the tick is apt to 
 dry streaked and the feathers get musty. 
 
 Next the mattress lay the bed pad, which 
 can be made by taking two pieces of un- 
 bleached cotton cloth, about three-fourths 
 the size of the mattress, putting a good thick 
 layer of cotton-wool between (a cheap grade 
 of cotton will answer). Tie as for comfort- 
 ables, turn the edges in and sew on the ma- 
 chine. 
 
 Next put on a sheet with the right side 
 up, tucking it down snugly all around. Next, 
 the upper sheet with the wrong side up. This 
 brings the right sides of the two sheets to- 
 gether. Then comes a quilt or blanket if in 
 summer or a comfortable if in winter. Then 
 last, your white spread. Let the spread fall 
 over the bed all around. Now turn the top 
 
98 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 sheet over the quih (turnmg the sheet over 
 helps decidedly to keep the edge of the quilt 
 clean), but under the spread at the head, and 
 then put on your pillows, setting them up a 
 little. Stand off and look, and if you have 
 not a nice, clean, comfortable bed, then I 
 am mistaken. 
 
 Let me tell you that the pad helps to keep 
 the mattress clean and can be washed very 
 easily. It is really indispensable. For small 
 children's beds have several, that they may 
 be washed often. 
 
 A good habit to form is to open your bed 
 to air before you leave your room in the 
 morning. When you use mattresses there is 
 no need of pulling the bed to pieces every 
 morning. If you use a feather-bed (I hope 
 you do not) more care must be taken in air- 
 ing and making than with mattresses. If you 
 have a feather-bed to spare make your pil- 
 lows at home. Get the best feather ticking, 
 take bees-wax and wax the inside thoroughly. 
 It will prevent the feathers protruding and 
 keeps out moths. Pillows ought to be hung 
 in the sun frequently to air and lighten the 
 feathers. Once a month is none too often. 
 
SLEEPING ROOMS 99 
 
 To empty pillows, rip about six inches at 
 one end of pillow, have ready another tick or 
 pillow-case and sew one edge over the open- 
 ing of the other. Now work the feathers ont 
 into the empty case. It will take some pa- 
 tience, but when done the feathers are all se- 
 cured and none wasted. Sew the opening 
 together and wash the tick, not turning it on 
 the wrong side. Iron and when perfectly dry 
 return the feathers in the same way. 
 
 If you have old lace curtains too ragged for 
 use as long ones, take the best part of them, 
 darn the holes, wash carefully and press, and 
 they will wear a long time as sash curtains. 
 Like an old carpet after it is cleaned and re- 
 paired and put in place, they look well. By 
 the way, hang your sash curtains on the win- 
 dow-sash, instead of the casing, so when the 
 window is raised the wind will not whip and 
 rot it. If you will loop your long curtains 
 back out of the sun and wind they will wear 
 at least a third longer. 
 
 Do not wear kitchen aprons to make beds. 
 Save washing by being careful in this respect. 
 Light calico aprons without bibs are the best 
 for work outside the kitchen, and save one*s 
 
 LofC. . 
 
lOO ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 dress. Use cotton dresses or short skirts and 
 waists as much as possible. They wash eas- 
 ily and keep one looking tidy. No matter if 
 a woman has everything to do about the 
 house, there is no need of having a dirty 
 house nor being untidy yourself. Clothing 
 will get soiled of course, but with habitual 
 care it will be just as easy to keep yourself 
 and your house clean as otherwise. We once 
 knew a woman who would scrub and clean 
 the house, fix the children and herself almost 
 spotless one day, and the next muss and strew 
 things around, making confusion, where the 
 day before was order. Don't copy after such 
 a woman — don't, I beg of you. 
 
 Where there is no bathroom the wash 
 bowls, etc., in each bedroom should be emp- 
 tied early in the morning, washing and wip- 
 ing thoroughly, and filling the pitchers with 
 clean water. These are very important items. 
 
 If baby has wet the bed padding, rinsing 
 might save an extra washing. Hang out in 
 the sun to dry and air. I remember quite 
 well of calling upon a neighbor, who prided 
 herself upon being a good housekeeper; but 
 
SLEEPING ROOMS lOI 
 
 the odor from her child's bedroom was not 
 pleasant. 
 
 Have pocket bags nailed to your closet 
 doors, for holding shoes or soiled collars, etc. 
 Have a basket or some kind of a receptacle 
 for soiled clothing. Keep it in the laundry or 
 in some suitable place out of sight. Each 
 person should have his or her individual 
 towel, comb and brush, also toothbrush. No 
 mother should neglect these small items. 
 There should be a nail brush in the bathroom 
 or accessible to every member of the family. 
 At times hands, nails and finger ends need a 
 brush to get the grime ofif. Workingmen, 
 no difference what their trade, might have 
 well-kept hands by using this inexpensive lit- 
 tle brush. You can get these brushes, both 
 large and small, with wooden backs, with 
 handles or without. 
 
 If, as a boy, your husband was not taught 
 to wait upon himself, now would be a good 
 time to begin. If a zvife is neat and orderly 
 a husband will soon ''fall into line." There 
 are cases in which the husband is the more 
 orderly of the two. Look out, wives! Hus- 
 bands should have a closet to themselves, if 
 
I02 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 possible. If that much room camiot be spared 
 then give him one side, asking him to help 
 you that much, by hanging his garments in 
 the closet instead of on the chairs, bed or 
 the floor. A drawer in the dresser or chif- 
 fonier should be allotted to his own use. He 
 will not then need to call wife or daughter, 
 to find this or that for him. You may deem 
 this impossible. No, it is not, nor is it too 
 much to expect of him unless business calls 
 are sudden and urgent. We know of hus- 
 bands and sons who, when taking their baths, 
 get their own materials together (they knozv 
 the place for tozvels, etc., and always find 
 them in their place), get their own clothing, 
 dress themselves, hang up and put away their 
 several kinds of clothing and before starting 
 out or giving the wife the parting kiss, re- 
 mark: ''Am I all right?" Husbands, try that 
 experiment six months and witness if the 
 parting kiss will not be the sweeter for it. 
 The satisfaction of having left nothing for the 
 tired wife or mother to pick up after them 
 must cause lighter steps. 
 
 How about the wife? Well, the wife and 
 mother knows full well if she does not set 
 
SLEEPING ROOMS IO3 
 
 the example, there is no use expecting the 
 other members of the family to wait upon 
 themselves. 
 
 To clean hair brushes take a quart of warm 
 water, add a teaspoonful of salaratus, wash 
 and rub between the bristles with the hand or 
 cloth. Work up and down in the water, then 
 rinse thoroughly. Hang up in the sun to dry. 
 Remove the hair from the comb after each 
 hair dressing and frequently clean the comb 
 thoroughly. If you are saving the combings 
 do not roll the hair over the finger. Put it 
 loosely into a box or bag to keep free from 
 dust. Set brushes with the backs up, there- 
 by preventing the dust from settling in the 
 bristles. 
 
 Do not make a catch-all of your closets 
 and bureau drawers. Keep them in half-way 
 decent if not perfect order. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE CELLAR AND ATTIC 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE CELLAR AND ATTIC 
 
 Where there is a cellar under the house, 
 great care should be taken to have it well 
 drained and kept as dry as possible. Keep 
 the dust and cobwebs swept out. Do not 
 leave decaying vegetables to accumulate. If 
 you keep them in the cellar, do not cut the 
 tops and roots off as you use them, leaving 
 the refuse to decay; but rather bring out 
 of the cellar the amount you need and do 
 the cutting upstairs. Keep the cellar well 
 ventilated, for if there be odors they will 
 penetrate the whole house, making it a dan- 
 gerous place in which to live. In very hot 
 weather the cellar windows should be closed 
 during the day, and opened at night. 
 
 If there is a furnace, it will be quite as 
 easy to take care of it properly each day as 
 to let the ashes and other litter pile up before 
 your eyes. It is better and easier to care 
 for a few ashes each day than to have a 
 wholesale cleaning once a week or season. 
 107 
 
I08 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Then the dust to fly about the house will be 
 less, also making less work for the woman 
 who must clean up. 
 
 'The tendency of pipes and furnace flues 
 to fill with soot at this season of the year is 
 so marked, that any suggestion of a conven- 
 ient remedy for that condition is worthy of 
 serious consideration. A correspondent to 
 the St. Paul Pioneer Press says that zinc 
 burned in the furnace is very effective. Just 
 throw upon the fire a handful of zinc filings, 
 or a piece of sheet zinc as large as your hand, 
 and it clears away the soot as if by magic. 
 Once a week will suffice. Shut the door 
 quickly after throwing in the zinc. Our in- 
 formant says his family has used this method 
 for forty years, and never had occasion to 
 employ a chimney sweep. 
 
 ''As the Pioneer Press suggests, this rem- 
 edy is not expensive. A worn-out zinc 
 washboard will furnish enough of the metal 
 for six or eight occasions. And if you have 
 to buy sheet zinc, twenty-five cents' worth 
 may suffice for a single fire all winter. Even 
 when soft coal is used in hard coal stoves and 
 furnaces, the zinc will keep them open, so 
 
THE CELLAR AND ATTIC lOQ 
 
 that those who have been unable to secure 
 anthracite will not be seriously inconven- 
 ienced by the change. 
 
 "If this recipe from St. Paul is all that it 
 is claimed for it, the inconveniences of using 
 soft coal are reduced to a minimum, and its 
 cheapness more than compensates for being 
 deprived of hard coal. If it will keep the 
 chimneys clean, the cost of chimney sweeps, 
 as well as the dangers from fire by burning 
 out, are both avoided." — Des Moines Reg- 
 ister and Leader.* 
 
 In sweeping a cellar floor, have a pail of 
 water, wet the broom in this, shaking off 
 the water. Your floor will be cleaner and 
 the dust will not fly. 
 
 An attic is a boon to any housekeeper. It 
 should have a smooth matched floor, and be 
 kept clean. There the children may play on 
 wet days. It is a grand place to dry wash- 
 ing in stormy and freezing weather. It is 
 a capital place to dry lace curtains. Buy a 
 pair of curtain stretchers; they will soon pay 
 for themselves. To wash lace curtains, or 
 
 *The zinc remedy was tested by us this winter 
 (1902-03) and found all that is claimed for it. 
 
no ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 any in fact, first shake them free of dust. 
 Let them stand a few minutes in tepid water. 
 Work up and down a few times, then 
 squeeze, not wring out. Now take luke- 
 warm water and plenty of soap and wash 
 them gently on the board, if you must. 
 Wash in two waters. Rinse in clear water. 
 Squeeze the water out instead of putting 
 through the wringer. Next, in a clean water 
 put a little bluing, and for starching put 
 about a quart of clear boiled starch into the 
 blue-w^ater for each pair of curtains. In pin- 
 ning them on the stretchers put them on 
 straight and pull gently, so not to tear them. 
 They look more like new ones done in this 
 way. If, after drying, there are holes in 
 them, darn or draw together with coarse 
 thread, press the darns with a warm iron, and 
 you will be pleased with the result. Iron 
 muslin curtains on the wrong side. 
 
 After the curtains are off, pack the frames 
 together, cover and tie with paper, and set 
 away in some corner. They will be clean 
 when wanted again. I call your attention 
 to this, for if they are left to accumulate dust, 
 in time they will be too filthy to use. I 
 
THE CELLAR AND ATTIC III 
 
 once saw a pair of stretchers that were the 
 color of an unpainted barn, and owned by a 
 w^oman who called herself neat. The chil- 
 dren should not be allowed to play with the 
 household wares. 
 
 While an attic is a grand place for storage 
 purposes, it should not be filled up with old 
 furniture and clothing which may never 
 again be used by your family. Give away 
 or burn furniture you can never repair. If 
 it can be restored to usefulness, then by all 
 means have it done, and save the expense of 
 new. The same with clothing. Make over 
 for yourself and the children anything which 
 can be used; otherwise give it to some one 
 who can use it, or consign it to the rag 
 barrel. Do not leave them for the moths to 
 eat. If garments must be stored, first brush 
 them well, hang out in the sun a few hours, 
 then wrap securely in some moth preventive. 
 
 You should look well to the ventilation of 
 the attic. Don't forget the screens for the 
 windows. Keep the windows open most of 
 the time, except in stormy or very cold 
 weather. 
 
 When coal is to 'be put in the bin, throw a 
 
112 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 pail or two of water over it while in the 
 wagon to settle the dust; it will save so much 
 dirt in your cellar. 
 
 If you will throw a shovelful or two of 
 coal on your furnace fire (in the morning) 
 before shaking it, you will see how much 
 quicker it will come up than where the shak- 
 ing is done first. 
 
 Imitation ground glass — fine for cellar 
 windows: Into not quite a pint of boiling 
 w'ater stir one-fourth pound of gum arable, 
 and after it is dissolved add three-fourths 
 pound of Epsom salts. Let thoroughly dis- 
 solve and apply to the glass with a brush. 
 Let dry and apply a second coat. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 CLEANING AND DUSTING 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 CLEANING AND DUSTING 
 
 In washing varnished or painted wood- 
 work, take clean soft water (the chill taken 
 off) and a little soapy, then with a clean 
 cloth which will not shed lint wash a small 
 portion, wiping it immediately with a dry 
 cloth. By so doing your woodwork will 
 look clean and bright, not dull and streaked, 
 as we often see. Do not wash windows 
 while the sun is shining on them. Take 
 lukew^arm water, about a gallon, add a tea- 
 spoon of kerosene oil, wash the glass quickly, 
 rub with a dry cloth, and polish with a third, 
 and you will see an improvement in the 
 looks of the glass. Or wash in the ordinary 
 way, then with a clean cloth, dipped in alcohol, 
 rub over the glass, then polish. In washing the 
 outside of windows, be cautious about letting 
 the dirty water drip down on the siding. 
 Take notice as you walk along the streets, 
 you frequently see black streaks under the 
 115 
 
Il6 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 windows, caused by the dirty water when 
 cleaning them. 
 
 For the walls and ceilings of the rooms, I 
 would suggest getting a long-handled brush, 
 made for that purpose. Whenever you give 
 your rooms a thorough sweeping, use it to 
 brush down the dust. It is surprising the 
 amount of dust adhering to the walls. The 
 paper or tinting will look fresher if the dust 
 is kept ofT. In sweeping carpets, wet your 
 broom in clean water, shake hard to remove 
 the loose water before applying to the car- 
 pets or rugs. Dip the broom in clean w^ater 
 frequently in the course of sweeping a room. 
 If you are careful, it will leave no moisture 
 and will collect dust that otherwise will fly 
 about the room. Remove, or cover with 
 paper, all upholstered furniture or bric-a- 
 brac. 
 
 The carpet sweeper should be emptied 
 after each sweeping, and the hair and threads 
 picked from the brush. Sweepings should 
 be burned or put into the garbage, not 
 thrown out to litter the steps and yard. 
 
 Take time and pains to dig the dirt and 
 dust out of the corners of the room or win- 
 
CLEANING AND DUSTING II7 
 
 dow-sash, or on the stairs. A stick with a 
 round pointed end is handy for that purpose. 
 
 Cheesecloth is best for dusting. For 
 highly polished surfaces have the cloth dry; 
 but for the remaining articles dampen it 
 slightly, roll as for ironing, let it remain a 
 minute or two, then shake out and continue. 
 Your work will be more satisfactory. You 
 will undoubtedly need several clean cloths 
 in the course of the dusting process. Before 
 your dust-cloths dry, rinse them thoroughly 
 and hang up; they may be used again before 
 consigning them to the washtub. Use an 
 old piece of silk for polishing mirrors or win- 
 dows, after washing with alcohol. 
 
 A cuspidor is an article not warranted in 
 any home, except in cases of sickness or in- 
 validism. You may ask, 'What has that to 
 do with economy?" Just this: It causes a 
 waste of nerve power and a useless expendi- 
 ture of strength in its care. Whenever I 
 encounter one, however important it may 
 appear to be to have them in cars and other 
 public places, it puts me in remembrance of 
 a little incident which took place in my home. 
 My young daughter, and a friend visiting 
 
Il8 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 her, had planned for a boating trip. The 
 girls were awake early and nearly ready when 
 the w^ord came, ''No chance to go today." 
 The young friend, a mere child, looked up 
 with an earnest expression on her face, and 
 said, "E , do you know any swear word?" 
 
 "CUSPIDORS IN STREET CARS" 
 
 ''The New York alderman who believes 
 that cuspidors should be put in street cars 
 might better urge that they should be ban- 
 ished from the many public places in which 
 they have secured a lodgment. Spitting 
 may be, as he says, a necessity, but it is also 
 a habit which the cuspidor encourages, and 
 it is both a filthy and a dangerous habit. 
 
 "If some years ago the Chicago street car 
 companies had equipped their cars with cus- 
 pidors instead of posting notices against 
 spitting, there would have been deterioration 
 instead of improvement. Men who chew 
 tobacco would have accepted the invitation 
 with ardor, and a nuisance would have been 
 accepted as an established custom. 
 
 "As it is, public opinion has approved the 
 notices, which are backed by the health de- 
 
CLEANING AND DUSTING IIQ 
 
 partment, and the movement against the 
 nuisance has made very perceptible progress. 
 Although spitting continues, the conditions 
 are vastly better than they were fifteen years 
 ago. The knowledge that there is general 
 disgust at and condemnation of the offensive 
 practice has shamed many people into giving 
 it up, to the ever-increasing gain of cleanli- 
 ness and decency. 
 
 'The cases in which there is really an im- 
 perative necessity for spitting are too few to 
 warrant any action which would provoke the 
 growth of the custom under new conditions." 
 — Taken from the editorial column of the 
 Record-Herald, February 9, 1902. 
 
 Therefore, be it resolved, that the cuspidor 
 be banished from our homes, and that the 
 absence of such is true economy. 
 
 Do not shake your rugs by the end, for 
 it tears and wears the fringe and corners. 
 Better take hold by the side, shake it, not 
 beat it on the side of any surface, then lay 
 it flat on some clean spot, and with a clean, 
 damp broom sweep well but lightly both 
 sides. They will wear much longer if treated 
 this way. If large rugs are laid, nap down. 
 
I20 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 on clean grass and beaten thus, I think you 
 will find it an improvement over hanging 
 them on the line to beat. 
 
 To sweep hardwood floors, take cotton 
 flannel, folded double, cut the shape of a 
 broom and amply large, sew together with 
 the rough side for the outside. Then about 
 one and one-half inches from the folded edg^e, 
 stitch across, making a tuck as it were. Put 
 a draw-string at the top, draw the bag over 
 the broom, and fasten it well to the handle. 
 This method gathers up the dust so it does 
 not fly about the room. Wash the bag the 
 same as dust-cloths. 
 
 Once a month use this dressing on the 
 hardwood floors. For it I am indebted to 
 ''Marion Harland." One gallon raw linseed 
 oil, one quart turpentine, one tablespoon salt. 
 Mix well and apply with a red flannel cloth. 
 Red flannel does not absorb the oil like white 
 flannel. This preparation is also good for 
 oiled woodwork. There is no need of wash- 
 ing with water if this is applied. Simply 
 Avipe ofif the dust. This is not good for paint. 
 When cleaning floors or woodwork or apply- 
 ing oil, rub with the grain of the wood. 
 
CLEANING AND DUSTING 121 
 
 Paraffine oil, which you can buy at any 
 large paint store, is excellent to clean var- 
 nished woodwork. No water need be used 
 if you use this oil. One pint will be sufficient 
 to clean all woodwork of an ordinary sized 
 house or flat. 
 
 To clean willow or rattan ware, add one 
 tablespoon of saleratus to one-half pail of 
 water. Clean in the usual way and rinse 
 well, dry, and varnish with a white varnish. 
 
 ^To Get Rid of Carpet Bugs.— E. W. 
 Waldson, of the Owego Woolen Mills, a 
 practical chemist, informs the Record that he 
 has discovered a compound that causes the 
 death or departure of carpet bugs in short 
 order after its application. It is: One ounce 
 of alum, one ounce of chloride of zinc, three 
 ounces of salt. Mix this with two quarts of 
 water and let stand over night. In the 
 morning pour it carefully into another vessel 
 without sediment. Dilufe this with two 
 quarts of water and apply by sprinkling the 
 edges of the carpet for a distance of a foot 
 from the wall. This is all that will be nec- 
 essary, as they will leave boxes, beds or any 
 other resort they may have chosen, on the 
 
122 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 shortest notice possible, and the carpets will 
 not be injured in texture or color." — Owego 
 (N. Y.) Record. 
 
 My way of cleaning house: The actual 
 cleaning is left until there is no need of coal 
 fires. But before that time, on bright days 
 when windows may be opened, take the 
 nooks and closets one at a time. Remove 
 everything, brush the walls, and clean the 
 shelves and drawers and floor. Put clean 
 papers on shelves and in the draAvers. Sort 
 out clothing that may not be needed, and 
 hang out on the line in the sun and wind any 
 garments that are to be stored away for the 
 summer. Then put back in place all articles 
 that will be required for constant use. Every 
 week add one quilt that must be washed to 
 the regular washing. 
 
 Some bright morning, when convenient, 
 take down and wash one pair or so of cur- 
 tains. Hang heavy drapery, that is not to 
 be washed, out to sun and air and be shaken 
 by the wind free of dust. When brought 
 into the house, fold smoothly and wrap in 
 paper and lay away until the house is cleaned. 
 
 When the time comes for the other rooms 
 
CLEANING AND DUSTING 1 23 
 
 to be cleaned, before you begin them have 
 the cellar cleaned. If there is a furnace, have 
 it cleaned; and if any repairs are needed, 
 have it done in the spring. Next straighten 
 the attic, cleaning windows and the floor. 
 After these are done, begin at the front of 
 the house, or the bedrooms if these are on 
 the second floor. Take one room at a time, 
 not upsetting the whole house at once. The 
 furniture should be well dusted before remov- 
 ing from the room, the walls swept down if 
 no papering or other renovating is to be 
 done. The bedding should be put out in 
 the sun and each room settled again before 
 upsetting another one. 
 
 In this way your family will scarcely realize 
 that you are ''cleaning house." 
 
 The heavy draperies should be wrapped 
 securely in paper (after they are well aired 
 and brushed) and laid away for the summer. 
 If the whole or a part of the family remain 
 at home through the hot weather, it will 
 look more home-like to leave the white cur- 
 tains at the windows. Twice a year dust the 
 window shades. Not by taking them out of 
 their brackets, but get up to them with a 
 
124 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Step-ladder. Roll the shade up, and with a 
 dean cloth, dampened as for dusting furni- 
 ture, wipe it on both sides, drawing down and 
 dusting as you pull. You will be surprised 
 at the dust which will be wiped off and the 
 shade will look brighter for the task. 
 
 If you think of painting your house, save 
 one coat of paint by washing it with clean 
 water and a generous cloth. Your one coat 
 of paint will wear better and look as well as 
 two coats. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 WASHING AND IRONING 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 WASHING AND IRONING 
 
 If there is a laundry in the house, the dread 
 of 'Vash day" may not be so great. Let me 
 suggest that you have a wood floor instead 
 of cement for your laundry. Cement is very 
 cold to stand on. By filling between the 
 stringers with broken stone and brick or 
 cement, there will be left no runway for rats 
 and mice. 
 
 To return to the washing. If the work 
 must be done in the kitchen, and care is 
 taken not to leave the boiler to steam away 
 when not needed (a habit many have), the 
 atmosphere will be much more comfortable 
 to work in. It will be economy to get a 
 copper boiler, as tin rusts, but it should be 
 washed and dried and hung up when the 
 washing is done. If you use gas, the fire 
 need be kept under the boiler only when in 
 actual use. Be careful of the gas at all times. 
 Turning it out directly you are through with 
 it, not leaving it ''just a minute," makes the 
 127 
 
128 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 difference of quite a fraction of a dollar at 
 the end of the month. Do not leave lights 
 burning in any part of the house at any time 
 if not in use. 
 
 When it is possible, wash on Monday. 
 But while it is well to practice system in our 
 household affairs, we should not be like the 
 ^'Medes and Persians," our laws unalterable. 
 It may be best to leave the washing for 
 Tuesday; but if left later, it is Hable to inter- 
 fere with the work the latter part of the week. 
 I have changed my regular clearing-up day 
 to Monday, for the reason that after the 
 family have been at home over Sunday, the 
 house needs considerable straightening. 
 Tuesday is our washday, and the house is in 
 better condition through the week. The 
 washing is done comparatively easy if you 
 have soft water. If you must use hard water, 
 an abundance of good soap is better than 
 washing fluids. Or use borax (pulverized) 
 in the proportion of one-half pound to ten 
 gallons of water. Borax is harmless. 
 
 In case you do not keep a maid for general 
 housework, if possible hire a woman by the 
 day. If she is at all spry, she will do a good- 
 
WASHING AND IRONING I2Q 
 
 sized wash and all your cleaning in a day. 
 In the summer, when clothes dry quickly, by 
 lending her a little aid she will have time to 
 iron part of them, provided if, as they dry, 
 you will dampen them down. They will be 
 ready for her as soon as she is ready for 
 them. In the morning have the boiler over 
 early, so that the water will be hot for her 
 to begin as soon as she arrives. ''An hour 
 in the morning is worth two in the after- 
 noon" is a very true adage, especially on 
 washday. Sort over the clothes, if you can 
 spare the time. The table linen first. Should 
 there be berry stains, pour boiling water 
 upon them; the stain will disappear. Re- 
 move other stains, such as tea, peach, etc., 
 by wetting with a weak solution of chloride 
 of lime, rinsing well before putting in the 
 tub. Fresh mildew may be removed by 
 soaking in new buttermilk, with a little salt 
 added. These things should be done before 
 the cloth is wet, and while the stains are new. 
 Sweet milk will remove ink stains if soaked 
 while fresh. Repeat several times with a 
 fresh supply of milk. 
 
 If stains are obdurate, try javelle-water, 
 
130 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 which you may get of almost any druggist. 
 
 Iron rust may be removed by wetting in 
 lemon juice and a layer of salt, and exposing 
 in the hot sun. Or buy lemon salts at the 
 drug store and proceed in the same way. 
 
 Machine oil may be removed (before the 
 cloth is wet) by rubbing well into the spot a 
 little butter. Wash out with warm water 
 and soap. 
 
 After table linen, then the cleanest of the 
 white clothes should be washed. As soon as 
 there are enough clothes washed for the first 
 boiling (not before) see that there is a good 
 hre under the boiler. Have it about half full 
 of clean water, cut into it any small pieces of 
 soap which have accumulated through the 
 week, either in the kitchen or bathroom. 
 Generally this will be enough without cutting 
 into fresh soap. 
 
 As you wash each piece, examine to make 
 sure the soiled spots are removed, turn wrong 
 side out and soap well before putting it in to 
 boil. Clothes will be whiter if put into cold 
 water and let come gradually to the boiling, 
 and not allowed to any more than boil up 
 well. And do not crowd the clothes into the 
 
WASHIxNTG AND IRONING I31 
 
 boiler. These will be ready to remove as 
 soon as you have sufficient for the second 
 boil. 
 
 Before putting in the second allotment dip 
 out part of the hot water and add cold water 
 and more soap if needed. Do not boil white 
 and unbleached or brown clothes together. 
 
 In sudsing the clothes, have plenty of clean 
 water, wringing as dry as possible out of 
 each water. Unless this care is taken, the 
 clothes will soon have a gray or dirty look. 
 I have seen washings on the line, wrung so 
 loosely that the water dripped from them. 
 After wringing clothes, gently shake out the 
 wrinkles. There will be less to iron out. 
 
 If you are obliged to use hard water for 
 bluing, then blue the water but little, putting 
 in one piece at a time, wringing it out imme- 
 diately. Put a pint or less of boiled starch 
 into the blue-water. Do not have the starch 
 hot, or it will lump as it strikes the cold 
 water. Thin the starch a little and put it in 
 the water gradually. It will not make the 
 clothes stifif, but gives them a body, as we 
 call it, so they iron easier and look nicer 
 
132 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 when done. It is a good process for tabid 
 linen. 
 
 Caution: Rinse handkerchiefs before put- 
 ting the starch into the water, for these must 
 not have the least suspicion of starch. 
 
 Half an hour or more before you are ready 
 for the colored clothes put them into clean 
 cold water, and let them stand until you are 
 ready to wash them. Wring out of this, and 
 wash them in tepid water, using a good mild 
 soap. Wash carefully and use as little soap 
 as possible. Rinse well, starch not too stiff, 
 and hang out immediately in a shady place. 
 Do not put the dark-colored clothes in with 
 the light ones. Starch summer neckties in 
 very thin watery starch; they must not be 
 stiff. A handful of salt in the rinse water 
 will set blue or black and white goods. If 
 you are careful in washing colored clothes 
 they retain their color until worn out. Then, 
 too, remember when wet the sun fades deli- 
 cate colors; also that freezing fades them. 
 
 Wash black stockings — in fact, all hosiery 
 — in clean tepid water, using a mild soap and 
 rinsing in clean water. Water in which white 
 clothes have been washed or rinsed will leave 
 
WASHING AND IRONING 
 
 133 
 
 lint on them. Pull into shape stockings and 
 socks, especially the length of the foot, and 
 in wool more particularly. 
 
 Do not wash clothes in water after it has 
 becom.e dirty. Water is usually cheap, and 
 it will pay you to be liberal, for your clothes 
 will be much whiter. 
 
 To make starch, take two tablespoons of 
 starch, make smooth with cold water, add a 
 quart of boiling water, add a pinch of salt, 
 and allow it to just boil up. If it boils long, 
 it causes stickiness, and we all know what 
 havoc is wrought when we have sticky starch. 
 If a skin forms on the top of the starch before 
 ready to use, remove it, as that also will cause 
 it to stick. 
 
 Flour starch will answer very well for 
 colored clothes. Take a tablespoonful of 
 flour, wet up with cold water (smooth out all 
 lumps), pour over it a quart of boiling water. 
 Let boil well, but do not add salt. Strain 
 through a thin cloth. 
 
 Before putting clothes into the wringer, 
 see that the buttons are turned inside the 
 garment; it vAll prevent the rollers from 
 tearing them off. Again— economy. Use 
 
134 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 kerosene oil to clean the rubber rollers of the 
 clothes wringer. Loose the thumb-screw on 
 top, and rinse it well before putting away. 
 
 If there are blood stains on handkerchiefs 
 or any garments, put to soak in lukezvarm 
 water, let stand a few moments, wring out, 
 soap them, and put again into lukewarm 
 water. Let stand in this until ready to wash 
 them. Then wash in the usual way, soap 
 well, fold, and roll, putting them into cold 
 or tepid water (never hot), and scald. You 
 will not mind the extra work when you see 
 how well it pays. 
 
 If you have a grass plat, lay white clothes 
 on it to bleach. So also will freezing bleach 
 them. Do not leave clothes on the line after 
 they are dry. I have seen clothes whip in 
 the wind until the corners were ragged. 
 Don't hang undershirts by the shoulders. It 
 makes the shoulders stretch, and that causes 
 the sleeves to be too long. I like the way 
 of putting them on the line from bottom to 
 shoulder, throwing one sleeve over the line. 
 Hang women's drawers by the bottoms; they 
 present a better appearance when on the line. 
 
 Keep the clothes basket clean. If pos- 
 
WASHING AND IRONING 1 35 
 
 sible, dampen the clothes the night before 
 you wish to iron. They iron easier if ironed 
 the following day after being washed. If 
 left long in the basket, you have those extra 
 hard-pressed wrinkles to iron out. In 
 sprinkling, use warm water and do not get 
 them wet, but just damp. If too wet, it 
 takes hotter irons and more time and 
 strength to accomplish the same results. 
 
 In folding them down, smooth them as 
 much as possible, then you will have fewer 
 wrinkles to iron out. Try it. 
 
 Do not sprinkle shirt waists and negligee 
 shirts as ordinary articles. About two hours 
 before ironing them, take a level tablespoon 
 of starch, add a pint of cold water (the 
 amount of starch and water would be accord- 
 ing to the number of pieces to be starched. 
 There should be no starch adhering after the 
 piece is wrung dry), and dissolve all the 
 starch. The negUgee shirts should have the 
 cufifs and the front piece dipped in the cold 
 starch, wring dry, lay the shirt on the table, 
 and fold the bottom over the wet front, then 
 each sleeve with the cufif laid smooth, fold 
 over again, and roll as tightly as possible. 
 
136 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Treat shirt waists in the same way, with the 
 addition of sprinkling the back and the upper 
 part of sleeves. 
 
 Any article requiring extra stiffness should, 
 in addition to having been starched in boiled 
 starch, be dipped in cold starch a couple of 
 hours before ironing. Should any starch 
 adhere to the cuff, etc., take a damp cloth and 
 rub ofT before putting the hot iron on. Iron 
 the wrong side first and then the right. Any 
 starched article should be ironed perfectly 
 dry, else it will dry wrinkled. When through 
 with the cold starch, let settle, pour off water, 
 let the starch dry, and put it back with the 
 starch. 
 
 If possible, bring your clothes-line in after 
 each washing and hang it in its place. You 
 well remember how black it gets if left out 
 long, and it will leave a streak on your clean 
 clothes, even if you try to wipe it oft. A bag 
 is best for your clothes-pins. Often we have 
 seen marks on otherwise clean clothes caused 
 by dirty pins. 
 
 Flannels and woolen hosiery should be 
 washed in tepid soft water; never hot, never 
 cold. They should not be wet until you can 
 
WASHING AND IRONING I37 
 
 wash and finish them. Dissolve a Httle pure 
 soap into the water. Squeeze rather than 
 wring them. Rinse in tepid water, a trifle 
 soapy, and just a suspicion of bhie. Dry in a 
 mild atmosphere, never freeze them, and 
 press with care, using not a very hot iron, 
 putting a cloth between flannel and iron. 
 Heat and cold, as well as water, will shrink 
 all wool goods. 
 
 To keep a white knitted shawl fresh and 
 clean for months or years: As soon as you 
 are through with it, instead of throwing it on 
 chair or bed, wrap it in a clean white cloth, 
 kept expressly for it, and put it into closet 
 or drawer. If it must be cleaned, rub flour 
 into it, "let remain twenty-four hours, again 
 rub well, then shake free from the flour dust. 
 Repeat if not clean. 
 
 Doilies and center-pieces, especially col- 
 ored embroidery, should be washed carefully 
 in soft water with a mild soap, rinse in an- 
 other water, and thirdly in water slightly 
 blued. Do not starch them. Then, instead 
 of hanging up to dry, roll in a dry cloth (an 
 old sheet perhaps), and in an hour or so iron 
 on a soft surface and on the wrong side. 
 
138 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Separate lace pieces should not be 
 starched, but after washing carefully, pin 
 down on a flat, smooth surface each point or 
 scallop, care being taken to straighten and 
 pin the article in proper shape. If the lace 
 is a long strip, fasten a clean cloth around a 
 large bottle and wind the lace round and 
 round the bottle, pulling it even. Do not 
 iron laces treated in this way. If there are 
 tiny holes, darn and press these gently. This 
 is a very satisfactory way of renovating old 
 or soiled laces. 
 
 When through with the wash, empty all 
 water from the tubs, rinse well, and with a 
 cloth remove all dirt which adheres to the 
 sides. I have seen tubs with a streak all 
 around showing where the dirty suds had 
 been left from week to week. In summer it 
 is best to leave a little clean water in the 
 bottom of tubs to prevent their leaking. 
 Now we are ready to clean up and put things 
 in their place. 
 
 The wringer should be rinsed off, as also 
 should the washboard. I have seen these left 
 with dirty suds on, that has dried so thick 
 that it could be scraped off. 
 
WASHING AND IRONING 1 39 
 
 Don't try to lift a tub or boiler with water 
 in it. But rather dip out most of it and 
 avoid the strain on the back. You will have 
 a stronger back when at middle age if you 
 are careful. After using the mop or clean- 
 ing cloths, they should be rinsed well and 
 hung up to dry. 
 
 If you have a garden or plants and vines, 
 instead of throwing out the suds water, pour 
 it around the roots of vegetables or flowers. 
 It is best not to wet the leaves with it. Soap- 
 suds is a valuable fertilizer. 
 
 IRONING 
 
 The ironing-board should be covered with 
 a smooth, thick material, preferably an old 
 flannel sheet folded double. Tack it smooth- 
 ly onto the board, then over this a clean 
 cotton cloth tacked firmly. The outside 
 cloth can be renewed often, keeping the sur- 
 face clean. A piece of beeswax or parafBne 
 covered with a cloth is fine to rub the irons 
 on, taking care to clean it well on a paper or 
 cloth which you always have within reach. 
 
 Sprinkle a little salt on a smooth board 
 and rub your irons on it. This will help 
 take the roughness off. 
 
140 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 In ironing any goods cut on the bias, be 
 careful not to stretch and get the garment 
 out of shape. Hang up each piece as you 
 iron it, so that it may dry in shape and air 
 well. Every-day sheets fold, hem to hem, 
 right side out, fold again, iron hem well up on 
 the sheet, iron the edges smoothly, fold 
 again, and hang up to air. Do you not be- 
 lieve that is time and strength enough to 
 spend on them? If they are for your spare 
 bed, then iron the whole surface. Why not 
 economize on time, strength and fuel in iron- 
 ing unstarched every-day garments? Wash- 
 cloths and dusters need not be ironed, simply 
 folded smoothly. If your maid is a good, 
 conscientious girl, it might pay to allow her 
 to economize with the ironing. Table linen 
 and starched garments should not be slight- 
 ed. Scallops and points on embroidery and 
 lace should first be gently pulled out, then 
 iron on the wrong side, which brings out the 
 figure prominently. When possible, iron on 
 the wrong side ginghams, chambray, and any 
 delicate colors. 
 
 The fringe of tablecloths, napkins, etc., 
 may while slightly damp (not wet) be combed 
 
WASHING AND IRONING I4I 
 
 out with a coarse comb. Get a coarse comb 
 without any fine teeth and keep it for that 
 purpose. 
 
 After all is done and thoroughly aired, 
 take down, fold neatly all garments belong- 
 ing in drawers, piling each person's by them- 
 selves, leaving at one side any that may need 
 buttons or repairing. These should be put 
 into a box or basket, and kept there until 
 time can be spared to mend them, of course 
 some time during the week. Do not put 
 garments on yourself, or your children, with 
 rents in them. It is neither tidy nor eco- 
 nomical. ''Can't take time?" I cannot agree 
 with you. What has been done can be done. 
 If you practice this habit of mending, your 
 husband, your children, and yourself will 
 have the name of being well dressed, and the 
 credit will belong to both parents — the father 
 for providing, and the mother for making 
 that provision go just as far as it is possible. 
 
 Put the sheets, pillow-slips, towels, nap- 
 kins, and tablecloths each by themselves — • 
 the fresh ones under the pile on the shelf or 
 drawer. The reason for this is so these will 
 not be used the following week, thereby giv- 
 
142 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 ing them a rest as we give our shoes. Your 
 dozen sheets, etc., will last longer by this 
 method. Next put each member's under- 
 wear, etc., in their separate drawers provided 
 for them. Hang in the closets skirts, dresses, 
 etc. Is it not a great satisfaction when this 
 is all done? Yes, and how pleased each one 
 is to find his clean, sweet clothes, instead 
 of running all about the house, hunting for 
 this or that, and perhaps at last crying or 
 scolding because it cannot be found. 
 
 Of course the ironing-board, the irons and 
 holders should be put away in their places, 
 not left standing around to make more con- 
 fusion. 
 
 There would be less dissatisfaction if a 
 quiet state of affairs could be found in every 
 home. I am not saying that disorder and 
 extravagance is a prominent feature of di- 
 vorces; but it is one cause which is apt to 
 lead to it. 
 
 "Poor cooking and untidy housekeeping 
 was the underlying cause of the severing of 
 the marital bonds of 400 couples in Chicago 
 last year, according to Ernest P. Bicknell, 
 general superintendent of the Chicago Board 
 
WASHING AND IRONING I43 
 
 of Charities. The statement was made by 
 Mr. Bicknell before a gathering of students 
 at the University of Chicago. The 400 cases 
 to which he referred were those that actually 
 came under his notice in the pursuance of 
 his official duties. Lax methods of house- 
 keeping on the part of the women formed 
 the cause in each instance, he said, for the 
 desertion by husbands. The wife would then 
 apply for divorce on the ground of desertion, 
 though primarily she was responsible for the 
 trouble. Each of the 400 cases came to Mr. 
 Bicknell's notice through the deserted wives 
 applying to the Bureau of Charities for as- 
 sistance." — Chicago Daily News, December, 
 1902. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 MAKING AND MENDING 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 MAKING AND MENDING 
 
 In cutting out a garment, follow closely 
 the directions on your pattern, except that 
 you may find you do not need to leave as 
 much for seams, and in this way save cloth. 
 Be careful that the straight way of the goods 
 corresponds with the straight edge of your 
 pattern. Take thought when there is a right 
 or wrong side, or an up and down to the 
 figure, that you do not cut two pieces for the 
 same side or two sleeves for the same arm. 
 Be sure to cut the lining and outside goods 
 the same way of the cloth, and exactly alike, 
 to insure a smooth fit. Be accurate in joining 
 the seams, that they are even. When you 
 sew on hooks and eyes, or make button holes 
 and sew on buttons, see that they are exactly 
 opposite each other. 
 
 When sewing on buttons, sew through and 
 
 through the button until the hole is full of 
 
 thread, then wrap the thread around the 
 
 button three times, put the thread through to 
 
 147 
 
148 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 the wrong side and fasten well. Use linen 
 thread on men's garments when possible. 
 
 Do not pucker or gather a seam in sewing 
 it, and take care to fasten your thread before 
 you cut it, so that your work will not ravel. 
 The fit or hang of the garment depends al- 
 together on these points. Do not bite the 
 thread; it injures the enamel of your teeth. 
 
 Ruffles should be cut on the bias of the 
 goods, matching the figure or stripe and 
 pressing the seam on the wrong side. In 
 this way it does not require as much mate- 
 rial, and the ruffles look much neater. Fac- 
 ings of all widths should be cut on the bias. 
 
 If an extra finish is required for fine goods, 
 a straight ruffle may be used. But finish the 
 edge of the garment either with a hem or 
 facing, as though no trimming were to be 
 used. Now take the ruffle, which you have 
 hemmed neatly, hold the cloth in the right 
 hand, and with the left (dampen the fingers 
 a Httle) roll the edge toward you, enough to 
 hide the raw edge. Take the needle and 
 sew over and over, but take longer stitches 
 than for sewing two selvage edges together. 
 Draw up and make the ruffle the fullness 
 
MAKING AND MENDING I49 
 
 required. (A third more is a good rule to 
 go by.) Next put the right side of the ruffle 
 to the right side of the goods and sew over 
 and over, not too deep. After the whole is 
 sewed on, turn on the right side and crease 
 down with the thumb and finger. 
 
 When the sewing machine runs hard, take 
 kerosene and oil it thoroughly, remove the 
 needle and run it as for sewing. Then with 
 a cloth wipe carefully, removing all the oil 
 and dust. Next oil with the machine oil in 
 the ordinary way, wiping again every part. 
 Before sewing your goods, sew a few stitches 
 on a strip of cloth to remove all oil that may 
 have attached to the needle bar. 
 
 When sheets begin to wear thin in the 
 center, sew the two selvage edges together, 
 tear down the middle, and hem the edges. 
 Sheets treated in this manner will last much 
 longer. Sometimes the center is worn very 
 thin; in that case tear ofT the thin parts 
 before hemming. These will be large enough 
 for a single or three-quarter bed. Or they 
 will make soft diapers for baby. 
 
 If towels or table linen show wear, darn 
 even tiny holes, with cotton floss or coarse 
 
150 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 thread. The cotton floss is preferable to 
 linen for darning pin-poses. In all cases and 
 all times, darn and mend, darn and mend. 
 It saves making new. It is astonishing how 
 much longer sheets, pillow-slips, towels, and 
 all wearing apparel will last if a "stitch in 
 time" is taken. When darning, weave the 
 thread in and out as far as the thin spot ex- 
 tends, keeping the stocking or garment smooth 
 over the darning egg. 
 
 In mending with a patch, especially on 
 boy's trousers, the piece should be large 
 enough to cover all the thin part. You un- 
 derstand that the patch must be put on the 
 wrong side of the garment. Do not turn 
 the edge of the patch in; cross-stitch it, tak- 
 ing care not to catch the stitches through to 
 the right side. Then turn onto the right 
 side, and if not much worn, darn down onto 
 the patch and press on the wrong side. But 
 should it be w^orn through badly, cut out all 
 the thin part, making a square hole (clip the 
 corners a little), turn the edges in neatly, and 
 hem all along, taking pains to have the cor- 
 ners square. (The square hole makes a 
 
MAKING AND MENDING I5I 
 
 much neater piece of work than the round.) 
 Then press on the wrong side. 
 
 Bear in mind this — that darns and patches 
 should ahvays be pressed. Try it, and I am 
 sure you will agree with me. You will see 
 that ofttimes the mending is scarcely notice- 
 able. I often question why some women 
 object to mending. Surely it is no disgrace. 
 Another fact which we have observed, the 
 strangeness of it, too — that people of small 
 means are often more prone to be careless 
 over small things than those with plenty of 
 money. 
 
 In pressing seams on new goods, or old 
 for that matter, press on the zvrong side. If 
 that cannot be done, lay a cloth on the goods 
 before putting the iron on, and look to it 
 that the iron is not too' hot. 
 
 Never throw anything in the rag barrel 
 that can be mended or made over for some 
 one. There are so many worthy, needy ones 
 all around us, surely you can find some per- 
 son to use what you cannot. Old thin night- 
 gowns and men's night-shirts should be 
 mended, and for hot weather are much more 
 comfortable than new ones. 
 
152 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 When children wear the knees of stockings 
 badly, put a piece of cloth, the color of 
 the stocking, underneath, and darn down 
 on that. If you buy good stockings 
 for yourself, the legs can be made over 
 for one of the children, and they wear and 
 look as well as new. You can buy patterns 
 for making over stockings. Some tired 
 mother may say, 'Those who have less to 
 do than I might do such things." I sympa- 
 thize with these weary mothers. There is 
 rarely ever a mother to be found so tired or 
 discouraged that upon seeing the bright and 
 happy faces of the little ones as they come in 
 from play, will not take heart and with re- 
 newed energy do her best. That is all to 
 be expected of any human being — to do our 
 best. ''She hath done what she could." 
 
 Old carpets that have passed their useful- 
 ness as such, both Brussels and ingrain, make 
 nice rugs. Do not, however, put the two 
 kinds together. These jugs may be used in 
 the bathroom, hall, or any place where a rug 
 is needed. Many people of large means use 
 their old carpets in this way. I am aware 
 that all women are not gifted with the same 
 
MAKING AND MENDING 1 53 
 
 talents, to the same degree, to any greater 
 extent than are men, one to another. But 
 all have common sense and pride, and with 
 the cook books to help in the kitchen, the 
 woman's magazines and papers, and with an 
 "I will," there are very few women in any 
 station in life who cannot have a neat, happy 
 home. Make it a study to do the best you 
 can for yourself and your family with the 
 means your husband can bring you. 
 
 We think it talent not well spent for a 
 w^oman and her family to be richly or over 
 dressed, and at the same time the home lack 
 comforts. As Samantha Allen says, *'Be 
 mejum." Let every member do his or her 
 part, economize, speak kindly, act gently, and 
 the family affairs will run as smoothly as a 
 piece of well-oiled machinery. 
 
 Watch the bottoms of your dresses, that 
 they are not muddy and ragged. Brush 
 them after being out in the dust; your coats 
 and hats also. Keep the finger-ends of your 
 kid gloves mended. When you take off your 
 gloves, blow in them, then smooth the fingers 
 out and lay them carefully in your box or 
 drawer. Take off good material from un- 
 
154 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 used hats, to be used again for yourself or 
 some less fortunate friend. Clean your rub- 
 bers soon after coming in, in order to have 
 them ready for another journey. Wet um- 
 brellas should be set on the handle to drain. 
 If stood on the other end, the iron ribs soon 
 rust and the silk or cloth will rot and tear 
 out. 
 
 In the latter part of winter, before time for 
 house-cleaning, is a good time to make over 
 old garments and make new ones. The sew- 
 ing will then be out of the way and your 
 nerves will be in better shape for the extra 
 Vv'ork. 
 
 Velvet may be made to look like new by 
 holding the wrong side against the escaping 
 steam from the spout of a teakettle, and 
 drawing it along. 
 
 Black lace, dip in strong cofTee, let get 
 nearly dry, and lay the right side next the 
 soft ironing-board, then lay a cloth over and 
 press. Before perfectly dry, gently straighten 
 and pull out the points and scallops. 
 
 Any black goods to be made over may be 
 sponged (a piece of black lining is good for 
 sponging) on the right side with strong cof- 
 
MAKING AND MENDING 155 
 
 fee. Press on the wrong side and straight 
 way of the goods. 
 
 ChalHe dress goods is excellent and washes 
 beautifully. Wash in soft water just 
 warm; do not rub soap directly on the cloth. 
 Use a mild soap, and rinse well. Hang in 
 the shade, and before quite dry press on the 
 wrong side and with the length of the goods. 
 
 When washing ribbon, let get dry before 
 ironing. Then it will be soft. But if ironed 
 while wet, it will be stiff. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 BUYING FURNITURE AND CLOTHING 
 
CHAPTER X 
 BUYING FURNITURE AND CLOTHING 
 
 In buying furniture get the best you can 
 afford, but not an expensive piece to the 
 deprivation of another you need equally as 
 much. Let your whole interior correspond 
 as nearly as possible. Avoid gaudy, bright 
 colors. 
 
 Neutral tints are best; that is, those which 
 blend with each other. When all is arranged, 
 though not one article may be expensive, 
 there will be an air of refinement about your 
 home. 
 
 If you own a piano, close it at night, but 
 leave it open through the day to prevent the 
 keys from turning yellow. 
 
 Buy but little upholstered furniture. Should 
 you wish a piece or two, get a material and 
 filling moth-proof, and that will not fade. If 
 you wish leather, get the genuine. Imitation 
 leather is not economy. For some purposes, 
 a couch for instance, French cretonne (sub- 
 dued colors) looks fine and wears extren^ely 
 159 
 
l6o ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 well. Utilize everything you have in the 
 house. That is, make over or send to the 
 repair shop. To illustrate: A set of cane- 
 seated black-walnut dining chairs became 
 bottomless. What shall be done with them? 
 Send them to the attic? No; figure the cost 
 of real leather bottoms or having them re- 
 caned. 
 
 Result: The leather was chosen, and they 
 have been in use fifteen years and still show 
 no signs of wear. If you cannot afiford the 
 leather, have new bottoms of some kind 
 rather than buy new chairs. Be on your 
 guard that there are no extravagant expendi- 
 tures in other ways. You may have been 
 injudicious in the purchase of some article, 
 or even been deceived. Then profit by past 
 experience. I think all of us are troubled 
 with the same failure, only in a greater or less 
 degree — we do not profit by our mistakes as 
 we should. But make an effort, and in a 
 short time you will be able to buy just the 
 things needed and at the time you need them. 
 
 There is nothing gained in following the 
 ''sales" as we know them. I do not mean to 
 say there is never an opportunity to get a 
 
BUYING FURNITURE AND CLOTHING l6l 
 
 genuine bargain. Many times there is, pro- 
 vided you go to a reliable house at the proper 
 time; goods may be purchased at low prices 
 that will be just what you need. Do not, 
 however, buy an article just because it is 
 cheap. 
 
 Study the needs of each individual member 
 of your family, and each room in the house, 
 and buy accordingly. Select a good article 
 or a good piece of cloth. All-wool goods 
 are cheaper in the long run than part cotton. 
 It will cost a trifle more at the time of pur- 
 chase, but the color will not fade, and the 
 cloth has a ''body" which will hold the 
 garment in shape. 
 
 In buying sheeting, get the double width 
 if possible. However, the single width, by 
 overhanding the edges together, will answer 
 very well. Unbleached cotton makes excel- 
 lent wearing sheets and will soon bleach with 
 washing. Make them amply large. Two 
 and three-fourths yards in length is none too 
 much. The hem should be about one and 
 one-half inches wide, and both ends the same 
 width. In this way either end of the sheet 
 may be used for the head of the bed. The 
 
l62 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 sheets wear better — economy again. Try 
 the plan of buying a pair of sheets and a pair 
 of pillow-slips each spring and fall, or once a 
 year. You will keep your stock replenished 
 and not feel the expense nor miss the time 
 it takes to make them. 
 
 The cotton for pillow-slips should be wide 
 enough so they may be made lengthwise of 
 the goods. They wear much better and iron 
 nicer. 
 
 Linen huckaback (not too fine) and Turk- 
 ish toweling make the best for the bath. 
 For the table get pure linen always when the 
 mxoney can be spared. Double damask pays 
 well for its w^earing qualities. A bargain is 
 often found in short lengths. Napkins may 
 also be found at a bargain, although the pat- 
 tern may not match the tablecloth. Never 
 mind that; they will look well and answer 
 the same purpose. 
 
 In buying stockings, do not expect to get 
 a gfood reliable fast black for less than from 
 twenty-five to seventy-five cents a pair. Be 
 sure the foot is plenty long, for a short stock- 
 ing is fully as injurious as a short shoe. I 
 have known short stockings to cause bunions 
 
BUYING FURNITURE AND CLOTHING 163 
 
 or enlargement of the big-toe joint. To get 
 the exact length of the foot, measure around 
 the closed hand over the knuckles — a sure 
 guide for the purchase of socks or stockings 
 for any member of the family. 
 
 Small children and boys who are on their 
 nees a great deal ought to have the double- 
 kneed stockings. They will cost probably 
 seventy-five cents, but it will pay you in their 
 lasting qualities. I have seen knee-caps, 
 made of leather, to buckle on when the chil- 
 dren are playing on the floor. 
 
 Honeycomb spreads are better for every- 
 day use than Marseilles, for the reason they 
 are less expensive and wash much easier. 
 
 Comfortables made at home are much 
 better and endure the wear and tear longer 
 than boughten ones, for the reason you can 
 buy better material (some dark color is best) 
 and the cotton can be distributed more even- 
 ly and you can tie them closely. The last 
 item is very important, for that will keep the 
 cotton in place. A few neighbors might own 
 together a pair of quilting frames and help 
 each other tie their comfortables. 
 
 If thought is taken to use a spread, which 
 
164 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 gives a bed a neater look and can be washed 
 as often as need be, quilts and comfortables 
 should not require washing oftener than once 
 in four or five years. 
 
 Every spring and fall take all your bed- 
 ding, blankets, quilts, and comfortables out 
 into the open air. Then take a small whisk- 
 broom and give the mattresses a good sweep- 
 ing along the edges and where they are 
 knotted together. If possible, take them 
 outdoors, or put them before an open window 
 so that the sun will shine on them for several 
 hours. This process will keep them clean 
 and sweet for years. 
 
 In buying shoes, pay a good fair price, 
 which insures a leather that looks well until 
 worn out. For boys a good plan I have 
 found is to get a leather that will wear an- 
 other half-sole. Unless a child grows very 
 rapidly, it, as well as its parents, ought to 
 have two pairs of shoes. Economy is our 
 plea. When the every-day pair is gone, take 
 the best for common, and get another pair 
 for best. Have the shoe longer than the 
 foot, but be sure it fits snugly around the 
 ankle. When buttons lose off, put more on, 
 
BUYING FURNITURE AND CLOTHING 165 
 
 as a slipshod shoe is very untidy and injures 
 the foot. 
 
 VaseUne is excellent for shoes or any 
 leather. When shoes dry hard and stiff after 
 being wet, rub vaseline well into the leather. 
 It will make them soft. I had the unfortu- 
 nate experience of having a five-dollar pair 
 of shoes ruined (at least the beauty) and by 
 the very merchant of whom they were pur- 
 chased, by putting on what was supposed to 
 be one of the best articles on the market. I 
 read of the vaseline being good for leather, 
 and since then I never use anything else. 
 Rub a little in well and wipe off with a paper 
 or cloth. The leather looks dull at first, but 
 in a few hours it takes on brightness, and for 
 ladies' and children's shoes I would use no 
 other polish. 
 
 My advice is, never run a dry goods credit 
 bill. It is surprising how quickly the sum 
 mounts up, and to be in debt causes an un- 
 comfortable feeling. 
 
 Quite frequently it happens that a woman 
 has some repairs about the home to attend 
 to, other than the actual household affairs. 
 Unless it is a very small piece of work to be 
 
1 66 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 done, I advise you to see several workmen. 
 Or if you have a certain man whom you em- 
 ploy, in either case let him make an estimate 
 of the cost of the work to be done. This is 
 more business-like and you will more often 
 save money than by the other method of 
 never knowing the cost until the work is 
 completed. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 ENTERTAINING AND AMUSEMENTS 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 ENTERTAINING AND AMUSEMENTS 
 
 When the income is moderate and the 
 family is composed of many members, "en- 
 tertaining" as the books on '^social functions" 
 dictate should be entirely out of the question. 
 Be cautious from whom you receive favors, 
 lest you feel obliged to return that which 
 you can illy afford. Good manners and 
 politeness in men and women never go out 
 of fashion. But there are fashions or fads 
 in entertaining which change so often that it 
 is hardly worth while for us even to know, 
 much less to follow. 
 
 In a quiet way we should have our friends, 
 well chosen; to meet them in our home and 
 at our table. We should give them a warm 
 welcome and a cordial shake of the hand, 
 pressing them to accept the best we can 
 afford to give, not vying with them or any 
 other friend to outdo them. Beyond this it 
 is unwise and foolish to go. 
 
 If economy is practiced in the whole house- 
 i6o 
 
I/O ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 hold regimen, there will be a Httle to spare 
 for church and amusements. Not only 
 should we pay for these at times, but there 
 are many free lectures and entertainments of 
 which we should avail ourselves. Take the 
 children with you when they are old enough 
 to understand, and perhaps once in a great 
 while, go to see a ''Booth" or a ''Barrett." Go 
 seldom, but to see the best when you go. 
 
 We should go not simply to be amused, 
 but to be educated as well. Life is a school, 
 and we should look well to the choice of our 
 teachers, as well for ourselves as our children. 
 We are being trained as well as they, not only 
 for the present, but for the great Eternal 
 Future. A solemn and responsible duty! 
 
 I believe no woman who can read should 
 be so engrossed in care of any kind, or 
 pleasure, that her own culture is neglected. 
 She should read at least ten minutes some 
 time during the day or evening, and as much 
 more as possible. When my children were 
 small and seemed to absord all my waking 
 time, I found delight in reading a paper or 
 book during the intervals of work when baby 
 needed attention and I must sit a while to 
 
ENTERTAINING AND AMUSEMENTS I7I 
 
 nurse or rock him. Some may say they 
 never rock baby. Well, if you have the God- 
 given pleasure of nursing your infant, you 
 will find time then to read, and, according to 
 scientific research, your child will receive a 
 benefit as well as yourself. 
 
 Have you not noticed that the habit will 
 grow upon young and old alike, if not guard- 
 ed against, ''that the more we go, the more 
 we want to go?" It is my belief, caused 
 from observation, much as it is to be de- 
 plored, that the American people are losing 
 their rest day. As an American citizen I 
 believe the people of this nation will lose, in 
 the long run, by turning the holy day into a 
 hoHday. Each generation seems to be get- 
 ting more restless, and longing to know what 
 to do next, where to go next. To my mind, 
 all those who have homes should enjoy the 
 restful peace which the day would give if 
 rightfully used. 
 
 When the income is small, the mother of 
 a growing family can hardly afford to belong 
 to a "club." The time and money should 
 not be spared. There may be cases, no 
 doubt, in which she could consistently be- 
 
172 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 long, and it would be both instructive and a 
 recreation to her. But church societies are, 
 for the most part, all for which a mother can 
 spare time and strength. She should not 
 neglect her family or overtax herself, or go 
 beyond her means, even for her church club. 
 Her obligations do not require it. 
 
 I am in favor of clubs for all those who 
 have the time and money to spare. They 
 are doing a noble work. But at the same 
 time you and I know of cases in which the 
 mother is so infatuated with her club work 
 that her family is neglected. Many, if not 
 the greater portion, of the benefactors of the 
 known clubs are women who have passed 
 beyond the age of actual home cares. 
 
 A large number are wives or daughters of 
 wealthy husbands or fathers. To those I say 
 God-speed. But to the mothers of little 
 children — there lies your first duty. Your 
 contract is with them. I am not here refer- 
 ring to the progressive euchre parties, or 
 "clubs" as they are wont to style themselves. 
 
 No, for these "clubs" lay themselves liable 
 to the law, and I am sure those to whom 
 these pages are addressed would not be guilty 
 
ENTERTAINING AND AMUSEMENTS I73 
 
 of furnishing their homes with these ill- 
 gotten prizes. 
 
 ''Chicago, February 15. 
 
 ''Editor The Tribune. — I never enjoyed 
 anything more than I did the article in this 
 morning's paper entitled 'Autobiography of 
 an Unknown.' Splendid 'food for thought' 
 for the young couples who think of nothing 
 but spending all their earnings, who spend 
 the month's earnings long before the month 
 is up, and oftentimes borrow to meet the 
 current bills, simply to keep up with 'society.' 
 And what does it amount to in the end? 
 Heart-breaks and broken health, not to men- 
 tion trouble. 
 
 "Club life is the ruination of a great many, 
 added to trying to keep up with more for- 
 tunate neighbors, envy and laziness being a 
 great factor among the women. A great 
 many have said to me, 'You only live once,' 
 and 'Don't save it for his second wife,' never 
 looking ahead for 'rainy days.' 
 
 "I only hope this article will reach the eyes 
 of many young couples who are living for the 
 present only. A Young Mother." 
 
174 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Oh, for a reform in the decollete dress — 
 or the undress! ''Is dress material so scarce, 
 then, or must all the money go to the modiste 
 for her skill, and madam run shy of covering 
 at critical points in consequence?" — Chicago 
 Inter Ocean. 
 
 Oh, for shame, woman! 
 
 Do men admire such costumes? Nay. 
 I'll venture to predict, could a vote be taken 
 (at their home) not on their own wives, 
 daughters, or sisters. If I were a prominent 
 club woman, the decollete dress reform 
 should be one feature of extended work until 
 it was so complete that to appear in such a 
 costume would mean ostracism to the wearer. 
 
 Among games of my childhood, and one 
 that should take its place in these modern 
 times, is grace hoops. It is a game not only 
 exhilarating to the mind, but is a muscle 
 developer. If you wish physical exercise for 
 yourself or your young people or the chil- 
 dren, try grace hoops. To straighten round 
 shoulders, or strengthen a weak back, this 
 game is most beneficial. A player soon ac- 
 quires grace and agility in every movement. 
 
 The game requires two hoops and four 
 
ENTERTAINING AND AMUSEMENTS 1 75 
 
 Sticks (made gradually smaller at one end), 
 although an expert player may be able to 
 handle two hoops. I remember well how we 
 used to vie with one another to see who 
 would own the prettiest hoops. They are 
 made smooth, then wound with ribbon or any 
 soft material. 
 
 The game: Before beginning, decide upon 
 some number to be attained. Two or more 
 persons may play (if they are well in prac- 
 tice), each owning one hoop and two sticks. 
 With beginners only two should play. Stand 
 a reasonable distance apart, take the hoop 
 upon the end of the crossed sticks (the small 
 end); each tosses her hoop and at the same 
 time looks up to catch the flying hoop. To 
 catch the hoop scores two points; but if it 
 falls to the ground, takes off three. The 
 player who catches the hoop the larger num- 
 ber of times wins the game. If one can toss 
 the hoop so accurately that it flies over the 
 head of her opponent without having touched 
 the sticks or her head, wins the game, no 
 matter what the score of either may be. 
 
 Grace hoops is not so simple a game as 
 one might imagine. One advantage, too, is 
 
176 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 that it requires no especial costume. Only 
 allow the arms and waist full freedom. If 
 you feel languid and stupid or the children 
 are tired and fretful, call for grace hoops. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 OUR CHILDREN 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 OUR CHILDREN 
 
 The subject of children is inexhaustible. 
 But as they are a commodity which help to 
 make up the economic necessities of our 
 households, this little volume would be in- 
 complete were the Httle creatures overlooked. 
 It is not my purpose to define the height, 
 depth, and expansion of an endless subject. 
 I shall try but to point out a few duties as I 
 see them in relation to our children in the 
 economic line of time, strength, and money. 
 This I can truthfully say of my own experi- 
 ence — the care and rearing of children is a 
 task and pleasure not Hghtly to be assumed. 
 
 When they come to us, tiny, weak, and 
 entirely dependent upon us for food, raiment, 
 and training (the most helpless of God's 
 creatures), wx have a responsibility which 
 needs the grace of God in our hearts to carry 
 on properly. 
 
 Parents should make a study of their chil- 
 dren, mothers more especially, as regards the 
 179 
 
l8o ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 food they eat. For does it not depend 
 largely upon that taken into the stomach 
 what degree of health they enjoy — and in 
 turn what kind of bodies they acquire when 
 men and women? 
 
 Tea, coffee, and beer are not suitable Hq- 
 uids upon which to build tissue. Pure milk, 
 as a liquid food, will make a strong, healthy 
 boy or girl. Give them plenty of ripe fruit, 
 but little pastry (none at all were better) and 
 less candy, is my advice. 
 
 After children are old enough to eat a 
 hearty meal, it is better not to allow piecing 
 betw^een meals. They will soon learn to wait, 
 and the digestive organs are the better for 
 the rest. Good judgment must be used, how- 
 ever; it might be best to allow them a little. 
 But you and I have known children to eat at 
 all times, and eat anything and everything 
 for which they took a notion. It is not doing 
 them a kindness to permit it. If they must 
 eat, a piece of bread and jam or butter or an 
 apple, either baked or raw, according to age, 
 is better than pie or cake. 
 
 At the table they should sit quietly until 
 they can be waited upon. Begin with the 
 
OUR CHILDREN l8l 
 
 first one and early, then the next in order, 
 and they will not reach across the table to 
 help themselves, nor be rude and noisy. Why 
 should they be allowed to act unruly? 
 They should learn table-manners very young. 
 If the parents cannot subdue them ''more's 
 the pity." Teach them to use the fork in- 
 stead of the knife to convey food to their 
 mouths, and to be careful about spilling their 
 food onto the napkin. It will take a little 
 time and patience, but they will learn in a 
 short time. 
 
 Children should be neatly but plainly 
 dressed. Too many tucks and ruffles take 
 time to make, and strength to wash and iron. 
 The child is no better for being overdressed, 
 and if she is, vanity is often the result. Some 
 of our richest people are the most plainly 
 dressed. It is my opinion that children 
 should be allowed to play on the street but 
 very little. It is a dangerous school. They 
 should have a few well-chosen playmates; but 
 care should be taken not to allow these to 
 play together too long at one time. 
 
 If you have a shed or barn, allow them to 
 play there at any innocent games — trapeze. 
 
1 82 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Stilts, a swing, etc. Give them a work-bench, 
 with saw, hammer, nails, and a jack-knife. It 
 is more economical to buy these few indi- 
 vidual tools than to get a child's set. Gen- 
 erally these sets are inferior material, and 
 more articles than an ordinary boy will use. 
 Let him build boxes, boats, kites, anything 
 his fancy dictates. It will surprise you some 
 day when you visit his work-shop to see how 
 straight he can saw a board in two, how true 
 he can drive a nail. In a few years he will 
 be quite useful in and around the house. The 
 exercise develops the boy's muscles and in- 
 genuity and fills his time pleasantly. 
 
 When he becomes a good-sized lad, teach 
 him, if he begins a box, or whatever he de- 
 signs to build, to finish it to the best of his 
 ability before commencing another article. 
 The reason is obvious. Teach him to gather 
 up his tools, putting them in their box, where 
 they will keep dry, and be ready for another 
 day's pleasure. Teach him also to sweep 
 together the chips and shavings. This can 
 be brought into the house, put into the wood 
 or coal box for kindling the fire. 
 
 Let the girls learn to use the hammer and 
 
OUR CHILDREN I83 
 
 nails. I have found it very convenient in 
 these long years of experience to be able to 
 handle the saw and hammer and not pound 
 the fingers. Yes, I do not wonder you laugh, 
 for most women hammer their fingers more 
 than the nail. For that reason, I say, let the 
 girls learn to handle the hammer. 
 
 While your children are little mites, don't 
 wait "till they are older," as we have heard 
 mothers say; but begin early to teach them 
 to pick up and put away their own play- 
 things. Assign to them a place to call their 
 own, a room in which to play, if it can be 
 spared. To those who have never tried the 
 experiment, you can scarcely realize how 
 young these dear little girls and boys will 
 learn to pick up their things and wait upon 
 themselves. Have patience, mothers. The 
 satisfaction of having a tidy room when it is 
 time to get dinner, with no confusion about, 
 is worth to the tired mother all the trouble 
 she has taken to teach her little ones order. 
 
 Bear this in mind — the mother must prac- 
 tice that which she would teach, if she wishes 
 to instill in her offspring the early traits of 
 neatness. Be honest and true, and do not 
 
184 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 deceive your children. They are great imi- 
 tators, and when you least expect they have 
 followed your example. Should you tell 
 them a falsehood, they know it just as well 
 as you. Do not tell them you will whip if 
 they do so and so unless you have thought 
 the matter over, and are sure a whipping is 
 the only punishment that will fit the case. 
 If you say you will whip them, then keep 
 your word. I am quite of the opinion that 
 whipping should be resorted to rarely. Send- 
 ing to bed for hours when they "do want to 
 go somewhere so bad," or withholding some 
 gift or pleasure, does not inflict bodily pain, 
 but the child will not soon forget it. Unless 
 your child is an uncommon one he or she will 
 grow up to be honest, if not deceived by 
 older people. 
 
 Decide upon some place where the chil- 
 dren may hang their hats, caps, and coats, 
 and insist that they always hang them in 
 their place. Do not, "just this time," allow 
 them to throw their wraps on the floor or 
 chairs. I wish to emphasize the above sen- 
 tence, for the orderly habit is as easily formed 
 as the disorderly, and it saves so much con- 
 
OUR CHILDREN 185 
 
 fusion and work. Teaching these girls and 
 boys to wait upon themselves and take care 
 of their clothing is not nearly as trying on 
 the mother as stooping to pick up after them. 
 Then again, it will make self-reliant men and 
 women of these same boys and girls. As 
 early as possible, give each child a separate 
 room, allowing them to decorate it to suit 
 their ov;n inclinations. I advocate separate 
 beds for each individual member of an house- 
 hold, provided the means will warrant. It is 
 more healthful and satisfactory in many ways. 
 Young children should not sleep with old 
 people. 
 
 There should be a closet or wardrobe off 
 each sleeping room. If these are not to be 
 had, then a row of hooks might be used, cov- 
 ering with a curtain, to keep the clothing free 
 from dust. A set of drawers in each bed- 
 room, or even a trunk or a box covered 
 neatly, and with hinges on the lid, will answer 
 very well to hold underwear, skirts, collars, 
 cufifs, neckties, etc. 
 
 A nice and useful birthday or Chfistmas 
 gift for a man or boy is a combination collar 
 and cufif box. They will appreciate such a 
 
l86 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 present. Insist upon each member hanging 
 up and putting away every garment he takes 
 off or uses. When taking off clothing, hang 
 it up immediately instead of laying it down, 
 then at another time picking it up, handling 
 it twice, when once would suffice, is using up 
 extra time and strength. Even does one 
 keep a maid, each member of the household 
 should be taught to wait upon himself. 
 
 Let your children sleep in the morning as 
 long as you know it is right to allow, then 
 when they are called insist upon their rising 
 and dressing immediately, and be ready for 
 breakfast at the last call for it. The lagging 
 in the morning of different members is a 
 source of great annoyance, both to mother 
 and maid, if there be one. The morning hours 
 are the best in which to do any work. Again 
 I say, habit will do so much for these boys and 
 girls, that when they grow to be young men 
 and women there will seldom be the need 
 of chiding them on the point of early rising. 
 Generally the family should retire early, espe- 
 cially the children. Oh, for the curfew bell! 
 
 The early night hours are the best for 
 
OUR CHILDREN 1 87 
 
 building up waste tissue and putting paint in 
 the cheeks. 
 
 Every child should be given its own towel, 
 toothbrush, comb and brush and a certain 
 place to keep them, and they should not be 
 molested or removed from their place. Chil- 
 dren will learn very young to clean their 
 teeth. Give the toothbrush to the child be- 
 fore it can really clean the teeth. By the 
 time it can clean them properly it has learned 
 its use and how to handle it. We are too 
 apt to neglect young children's teeth. It is 
 economy to watch and put them into the 
 dentist's care early if necessary. Children 
 will learn to take pride in their teeth as well 
 as their hair and clothing. 
 
 A good tooth powder: Two ounces of 
 powdered chalk, one ounce of orris root. Mix 
 well. 
 
 Salt is a good dentrifice. It hardens the 
 gums and prevents the forming of tartar, the 
 bane of good teeth. 
 
 Frequently the second tooth will present 
 itself before the first tooth is out or even 
 loose. When I was a child an upper second 
 tooth suddenly protruded itself and in alarm 
 
155 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 I showed my father the offender. In less time 
 than it takes to tell it he had the first tooth 
 out. He then instructed me how to press 
 down on the tooth and in a few weeks it 
 was in its place and as straight as the others. 
 You may be sure that if the first teeth must 
 be pulled to make room for the second ones 
 the last teeth will be good teeth and if prop- 
 erly cared for will last one's life-time. 
 
 My experience is that the best time to 
 bathe small children during the cold months 
 is in the afternoon and not directly after a 
 meal. Dress them and let them have a frolic 
 in the house. Do not allow them to go out 
 in the cold air after a bath. Some mothers 
 bathe their children and put them directly to 
 bed. I have found that they take cold more 
 readily when this is done, for the reason that 
 the blood does not circulate freely after a 
 bath, unless they exercise well before lying 
 quietly in bed. Children old enough to bathe 
 themselves are exercising during the bathing 
 process, hence are not liable to feel the 
 change. 
 
 Adults, in fact, if not strong and robust, 
 might heed this advice with profit. 
 
OUR CHILDREN 1 89 
 
 Should a fly or an insect of any kind get 
 into the ear, pour a teaspoonful of warm sweet 
 milk into it and the fly will come out. 
 
 If the little ones are ill do not show signs 
 of worry and anxiety in their presence. It 
 but aggravates the situation. A mother may 
 ward off nervousness on her own part by ex- 
 ercising zvill pozvcr. In your own case as also 
 the children's laugh oft* the notion that every 
 little ache or pain means something serious. 
 Many times imagination makes "mountains 
 out of mole-hills." At the same time, unob- 
 served, watch the symptoms complained of 
 and talk as little of sickness before them as 
 possible. Oftentimes some simple remedy is 
 all that is needed. 
 
 If a mustard poultice is needed in a hurry 
 wet the mustard with the white of an ^gg. 
 It will not bhster. The small, ready-pre- 
 pared mustard leaves are very convenient to 
 keep in the house. They can be found at any 
 drug store. 
 
 The ear is a very sensitive organ and must 
 be treated carefully. I will give a little expe- 
 rience of my ovm in the hope that it may be 
 the means of relieving others who may be 
 
IQO ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 like afflicted. It may save the expense of a 
 doctor. I am well aware that people of lim- 
 ited means cannot call a physician for every 
 ache or pain. One morning I awoke, and, to 
 my surprise, could not hear distinctly. I 
 rubbed the ear, thinking to give relief in that 
 way. But it did not. The day passed and 
 still I could not hear. I said nothing to the 
 family, but was myself beginning to feel 
 alarmed. Several days passed with no relief. 
 I put my little finger into the ear and shook 
 it as we sometimes do when there is a tick- 
 ling sensation. The end of the finger was 
 quite moist. Still I could not hear, and be- 
 gan to think I should be obliged to see a 
 doctor. The ringing in my ear was annoying. 
 I tried probing by inserting the round end of 
 a long slender hairpin, very gently of course. 
 After working carefully for about an hour I 
 extracted a piece of earwax as large as a small 
 bean. Of course reUef came instantly. What 
 caused the accumulation is left for ear spe- 
 cialists to tell. 
 
 If troubled with chilblains take the skin 
 off leaf-lard and bind around the toes and 
 
OUR CHILDREN IQI 
 
 heels. Wear it day and night for a while, 
 then only during the day. 
 
 Boys should have a shoe-blacking outfit 
 and be expected to keep their shoes in order. 
 Get the boys as well as the father slippers for 
 the house, for they will not only be less noisy, 
 but their price is more than saved in the wear 
 of carpets and rugs. 
 
 If you can arrange to do so give children 
 certain work to do, and insist upon its being 
 done at the right time unless there is a very 
 good reason to excuse them. Boys can bring 
 in wood, split kindUng, weed in the garden, 
 go on errands and even wipe dishes. 
 
 ''If I had to choose the form in which 1 
 would live again," Bismarck said, ''I am not 
 so sure that I should not Hke to be an ant. 
 You see," he said, ''that Httle insect lives 
 under conditions of perfect political organi- 
 zation. Every ant is obliged to work — to lead 
 a useful life; every one is industrious. There 
 is perfect subordination, discipline and order. 
 They are happy, for they w^ork." — "Personal 
 Reminiscences of Prince Bismarck." 
 
 The girls should be taught to do all kinds 
 of housework, and by degrees make them- 
 
192 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 selves generally useful. Why should they 
 not? Not alone, that the father and mother 
 need their help, but they should learn to be 
 industrious, so as to fill well their place when 
 they go out into the world. I beUeve it is 
 not doing justice to the zvoman to let the girl 
 play and ''have a good time," as some moth- 
 ers say, until she is grown, to the neglect of 
 household training. Too late, then, too late. 
 
 BLAMES HER MOTHER 
 
 "In a small town where household knowl- 
 edge counts for something, a young minis- 
 ter's wife, who had recently begun her duties 
 there as her husband's assistant, is entirely 
 ignorant of everything connected with do- 
 mestic affairs. If the maid is ill or ofT for the 
 afternoon she must take her meals out, for 
 she does not know how even to make a cup 
 of tea. She had never dusted a room up to 
 the time she was married. Tt is all due to an 
 over-energetic mother,' she says. 'My mother 
 has always done everything at home, and she 
 was so thoroughly capable that I have never 
 been asked to do anything, and now I feel 
 that I have lost something I can never re- 
 
OUR CHILDREN I93 
 
 gain. I almost feel as if I could blame my 
 mother for leaving me in such ignorance.' " 
 — From the Chicago Daily News, October, 
 1901. 
 
 I know a little six-year-old girl, who for two 
 years has helped her mamma in many ways. 
 She could dust, clean any article within her 
 reach and was so dainty and careful. The 
 mother had a table upon which she spread 
 choice souvenir cups and saucers of delicate 
 china, but the little lady would wipe each 
 piece and handle them as carefully as a 
 woman. And the pride she takes in the task 
 is pleasant to see. If children are allowed 
 they can do many things to help, and they 
 are proud of it. 
 
 The better way is to keep children busy, 
 either at work or play. Teach them to make 
 a business of whatever they are doing. 
 
 Mothers might have a miniature kinder- 
 garten at home. For instance, when the lit- 
 tle tots cut paper don't let them cut just for 
 the mere sake of cutting. Show them how to 
 cut straight strips, then squares and round 
 pieces; or, in other words, have an object in 
 
194 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 view. The same when you give them tooth 
 picks show them how to build something. 
 
 If you can procure clay let them make not 
 only the mud pies of every adult's childhood, 
 but show them how to model a cow, a dog, or 
 a doll, etc. In short, let them aim to make 
 something. Keep them busy — keep the boys 
 and girls busy — keep the youth and maiden 
 busy, and it will come so natural that the 
 man or woman will be unhappy if not busy. 
 If the boys are busy (they might play ball and 
 still be busy) they will have no time or in- 
 clination to tease the baby or the little sister. 
 I have seen brothers do this, and they thought 
 it smart to domineer over the inmates at 
 home. Do not tolerate this state of affairs if 
 you wish them to grow up true gentle men. 
 
 My boys used to make balls with twine by 
 winding it very tight and taking leather from 
 an old shoe for a cover; it made a tiptop ball. 
 It occupies their time and saves their pennies. 
 If a child tires of a toy or book put it out of 
 sight for a few weeks or months, it will then 
 be to them as good as new. 
 
 Having Sunday playthings or books — 
 something extra for that day — for the child 
 
OUR CHILDREN I95 
 
 to look forward to, has been known to work 
 wonders for a gloomy Sabbath. 
 
 There is a charm in a good, generous 
 blackboard. The children will while away 
 hours with crayon and board, drawing pic- 
 tures, writing and figuring. It is a source of 
 much instruction and amusement, both for 
 the little and big boys and girls. Indeed, I 
 have seen the older people enjoying a leisure 
 half-hour with crayon at the board. The 
 blackboard is always new. In our own home 
 was one, five by two feet — one solid board. 
 We bought crayon by the box, which will last 
 a long time, if you insist upon the children 
 using the small pieces before getting a new 
 one. They soon learn economy in this way 
 and they will be just as happy. 
 
 For the school children to use at home, cut 
 clean, smooth wrapping paper (such as comes 
 around parcels) into sheets, for them to fig- 
 ure and scribble on. It saves buying tablets 
 for that purpose. Buy good lead pencils by 
 the dozen, dealing to each child as they need, 
 not before. Because there are more in the 
 house is no reason they may be w^asted. 
 
 In buying presents for the older children 
 
196 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 useful things are best — books, for instance, 
 provided they are good moral works. Funny 
 tales and true will make a variety and change 
 for them. In many cases children have too 
 many toys. They ought to take care of those 
 they have, and when they are actually tired 
 of them give them to some child less fortu- 
 nate. I recall a visit I made to an attic in 
 company with the ow'ner, and there was 
 scarcely room to step without treading upon 
 broken toys of almost every description. And 
 still her children clamored for more. The 
 more they had the more they wanted. Never 
 satisfied. 
 
 Again I have seen children contented and 
 happy with but few boughten toys and amuse- 
 ments. Have plenty of picture books and 
 reading for yourself and the little folks. 
 ''Babyland" and ''Little Men and Women," 
 w^ere monthly visitors in our home as early 
 as the boys and girl could hold a paper to look 
 at pictures. Then a little later on "St. Nich- 
 olas" and "Harper's Young People." Then 
 came the "Youth's Companion," v/hich 
 greeted both old and young for nearly twenty 
 years. Our stock of reading matter was in- 
 
OUR CHILDREN I97 
 
 creased as the children grew older and we 
 could afford. As long as your children re- 
 main at home, choose their reading for them 
 — choose with care, for ''As the twig is bent 
 so the tree inclines." Remember, your chil- 
 dren are now building character. See to it 
 while you may, that the material is the best 
 you can furnish. It will be a comfort to you 
 as they go from you into the world, that you 
 have done for them the best you knew. 
 
 As you gather around the evening light al- 
 low one of the children to read aloud. In an 
 incredibly short time you will notice an im- 
 provement in the tone of voice, pronuncia- 
 tion, etc. 
 
 I well remember in my father's home just 
 at the opening of the Civil War. Every even- 
 ing our father expected one of us to read the 
 daily paper, while he rested and the other 
 members of the family were busy in various 
 w^ays. In this way we became better readers, 
 and, although we did not understand some 
 things we read, yet we feel we knew more of 
 the doings of those times than we could had 
 we been allowed to fill up our time at our 
 own ''sweet will." Habits formed at this age 
 
198 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 are usually lasting. So it behooves a parent 
 to sow the seed carefully. Boys and girls 
 wisely trained from babyhood will have no 
 ''wild oats to sow." 
 
 In their own home is the place for children 
 of tender age when night comes on. Take 
 double care of your boys and girls at the age 
 of from twelve to sixteen years. A case came 
 under my own observation. A lad about fifteen 
 came to his mother (the father was from home 
 at the time), saying: 'T want to go out with 
 the boys to-night." ''Where do you wish to 
 go, my son?" the mother asked. '*Oh, they 
 go to the depot and around town," was his 
 leply. ''Whose boys are they?" again in- 
 quired the anxious mother. "Mr. B. and Mr. 
 D.'s boys." "Why do they go to the depot? 
 Do any of them expect friends?" was the 
 mother's next question. "Oh, no, they just 
 go to have a good time," was the son's an- 
 swer. "My son, I cannot allow you to go for 
 any such purpose," was the mother's reply. 
 A little out of patience the boy said: "I don't 
 see why I can't go out after dark; the other 
 boys do." The mother had this to say: "You 
 may 'go out after dark' if you have an object 
 
OUR CHILDREN I99 
 
 or purpose other than just to 'have a good 
 time with the boys.' " It may seem a Uttle 
 hard at the time; but, my dear mothers and 
 fathers, be firm when you know you are in 
 the right and it is lor your child's future good. 
 Many a boy at that age has been ruined by 
 ''going out" with the boys to have a good 
 time. That boy is now a prosperous business 
 man in one of our large cities, and a domestic 
 man. 
 
 My advice is, choose as far as is possible 
 your boy's companions. This calls to my 
 mind an incident which took place in an 
 excellent family that I knew very well, 
 and shows how unwarranted and easily par- 
 ents may be deceived. The son, a youth 
 about sixteen years of age, seemed to enjoy the 
 company of a bad boy. The father, out of 
 the charity which possessed his soul, thought 
 his own boy would have an influence for good 
 over the bad boy and allowed his son consid- 
 erable liberty. In not so very long a time the 
 good boy was missing one morning. To the 
 consternation of the indulgent father, the 
 fact became known that the son and the bad 
 boy, with others, had been into mischief of a 
 
200 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 grave nature. Whisky was the foreign ele- 
 ment which entered into their *'good time." 
 
 Upon investigation it v/as found that the 
 good boy had not only been away that night, 
 but had slipped out quietly after the family 
 were in bed, a number of times before. The 
 father's conclusion was, as many parents have 
 found to their sorrow, strange as it may seem, 
 that frequently evil is stronger than good. 
 Drastic measures were used just in time, and 
 the good boy was saved. He is now a grown 
 man, honorable and true. The bad boy? Bad 
 still. 
 
 Teach the boys to sew on their own but- 
 tons. "Oh, I can never be bothered," I hear 
 you say. In answer, I say, try it, please. 
 That very boy may some time be placed in an 
 awkward position, when he will thank his 
 mother for teaching him how to handle a 
 needle. Then, again, that little knowledge 
 may save you, when you ''do not see how you 
 can spare the time" to even sew on a button. 
 I could point to a family of several boys and 
 the father who never think of asking the wife 
 or mother to sew on their buttons (and from 
 no mercenary motive), although the mother 
 
OUR CHILDREN 20I 
 
 frequently does it, yet she is not obliged to do 
 so. Some of those boys are married and have 
 carried that useful art into their own homes. 
 Does it make them effeminate? Not in the 
 least. But rather makes them more thought- 
 ful for their wives, mothers and sisters. 
 
 On the other hand, a contrast to this is not 
 rare. An only son, brought up by his mother 
 to be as any one might suppose a model man. 
 True, while he was gentlemanly to a degree 
 and polite to a fault, when in society, at home 
 he simply would not wait upon himself. No, 
 not only would he not gather his own scat- 
 terings — papers, etc. — but he seemed to de- 
 light in strewing things about for others to 
 pick up. It appears to me that the early train- 
 ing had much to do with the later life. So, 
 be on your guard, mothers, that while you 
 teach these dear ones to help each other, be 
 obliging and gentle one with another, you 
 also teach them not to impose upon you or the 
 other inmates at home. Wives and husbands 
 should not impose upon one another. 
 
 Take notice with me, if you will, among 
 your neighbors and friends, that a domestic 
 man is as free from bad habits and vices as a 
 
202 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 domestic woman. Mothers, you can make 
 domestic men of most of your sons. But, at 
 the same time, you must not fail to make 
 domestic women of your daughters. Girls 
 should be expected to take upon themselves 
 a portion of the daily household duties with- 
 out begrudging the time spent. 
 
 Is it not her home until she gets one of 
 her own, and should she not be interested in 
 everything belonging to it? I will admit that 
 the mother is largely to blame if the daugh- 
 ters are not more interested in home than 
 they are in the golf links or the tennis court, 
 etc. There is Hable to be a weakness on 
 the mother's part, who has been obliged, per- 
 haps, to toil and economize, to cherish the 
 notion that she must make it ''easy for her 
 daughter." In so many instances they are in- 
 dulged in dress, in freedom of actions, in 
 keeping late hours and in going and coming 
 as they please. 
 
 The mother denies herself and sacrifices in 
 every way that the daughters may ''have a 
 good time." The result is often proven that 
 the "good time" in youth is a detriment to 
 the woman. The time comes when s"he in 
 
OUR CHILDREN 203 
 
 turn becomes a wife and mother in name; 
 many times not in the true sense of the word. 
 Frequently making an unhappy and miser- 
 able home for somebody's son. 
 
 Of the two, I believe that the rearing and 
 training of daughters is of more importance, 
 if possible, than the sons. Neither should be 
 neglected. But I know, and you have ob- 
 served, that many wives have and can al- 
 most alter the early training of a husband. 
 There are cases, of course, in which it cannot 
 be done. With this thought in mind, I wish 
 to impress upon mothers and fathers (more 
 especially mothers) the great necessity of 
 educating our daughters for wifehood and 
 motherhood. 
 
 If possible (I know it is hard to do so in 
 these times of mad rush for pleasure and ease) 
 impress upon their minds that housework is 
 the best gymnasium they could enter. There 
 are different kinds of work about the house 
 that embraces the whole grand ''Delsarte" 
 movements. And while it is not pleasant to 
 have too much of it, I yet agree with the late 
 O. S. Fowler, phrenologist and physiologist, 
 that ''the different kinds of housework de- 
 
204 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 velop every muscle in the body." We can- 
 not but believe that if mistresses would take 
 a certain amount of work upon themselves 
 each day, even changing work with the maid, 
 they would have better health, be happier 
 and find less to complain of in the hired help. 
 
 In a family of several daughters it is their 
 custom to change work, one doing one part 
 one week, another another part and so on. 
 Thereby, not only turning off the work which 
 must be done, but getting the different exer- 
 cise each one needs and at the same time 
 learning to do all kinds of housework. If 
 we do not make hard work of it or overdo 
 housework is pleasant. 
 
 It is my opinion that the servant-girl prob- 
 lem will be solved, not until the women of 
 well-to-do families are wilHng to return to a 
 less extravagant way of living and devote 
 less time to recreation and society. It is not 
 an uncommon occurrence to see women and 
 girls more fatigued after a season of recrea- 
 tion than they would be at home helping 
 with the ordinary household affairs. Recrea- 
 tion is all right in moderation. From obser- 
 vation, I take it that there is not an average 
 
OUR CHILDREN 2O5 
 
 of more than one man in fifty (in society) but 
 would much rather be hidden in Yellowstone 
 Park* than don an evening suit to attend a 
 dinner! 
 
 For girls I should like to see the lost art 
 of sewing revived. Why do I call it the lost 
 art? Simply for the reason that we have so 
 few good sewers among our women and girls. 
 Sewing machines? Yes; you can lay the blame 
 to that useful friend, the sewing machine, if 
 you like. But it is my opinion that the trou- 
 ble lies first in the fact that mothers ''have so 
 much to do" or think they have, that they be- 
 stow little or no time in teaching their girls 
 how to sew. 
 
 Little girls sew on doll's clothes; that is 
 all right as far as it goes — but do they learn 
 to sew in this way? I am afraid not. Their 
 sewing is mostly basting. Would it not be 
 wise to revive the old-fashioned bed quilt? 
 What! Cut cloth, to sew together again? 
 Yes, just that. If you teach your little girl 
 to sew pieces together for a quilt, sewing 
 
 *At this writing President Roosevelt is sojourning in 
 Yellowstone Park. 
 
2o6 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 over and over, they will learn to sew better 
 than any other way I know. Then, too, a 
 thin quilt, with a white spread, makes all the 
 covering one needs during our w^arm weather 
 in the north. A quilt is easier to wash than 
 a comfortable or blankets. 
 
 But the greatest merit of the quilt is, the 
 little girl will learn to sew more evenly and 
 true by practicing on these blocks. And the 
 encouragement is to see something grow 
 under her fingers and eyes. It is also a good 
 exercise for a nervous child if you can once 
 get her interested. 
 
 Girls would do w^ell to learn to buy goods, 
 their own dresses, for instance. Tell them 
 that figured goods is not as economical as 
 plain. But if they wish figured material there 
 should be no "up or down" to it, for it then 
 cuts to better advantage. Two-faced goods 
 or both sides alike also cuts to better advant- 
 age. Both boys and girls should learn the 
 value of money, not by giving them a certain 
 amount of pin-money to be used as they like. 
 No, for their judgment is immature. Nor 
 do I believe a child should be paid in money 
 for every errand or chore done. There are 
 
OUR CHILDREN 207 
 
 instances, of course, when this is admissible. 
 
 But rather allow them the responsibility of 
 buying for themselves some book, some wear- 
 ing apparel. Take them with you on a shop- 
 ping tour, let them see and handle the goods, 
 handing the money out to pay for the pur- 
 chase. Let them count the change returned, 
 both for their own instruction and the mer- 
 chant's sake. Children will soon learn to buy 
 goods and handle money with safety. 
 
 I remember well the first time T instructed 
 my son, then a lad of ten years of age, with 
 money to buy a number of articles. We 
 "paid as you go," so I handed him a ten dol- 
 lar bill, cautioning him to count the price of 
 the several goods and bring me the change. 
 When he returned I watched with some curio- 
 sity, but he came in with an air of self-confi- 
 dence and the correct change. I never after 
 that doubted his ability to manage in a small 
 way, and as he advanced in years was re- 
 warded by seeing him a thorough business 
 man. 
 
 A motto for the girls or young ladies is: 
 Look well to your associates, both male and 
 female, and be modest in manners and con- 
 
208 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 versation; not prudish, but real genuine, old- 
 fashioned modesty, in the presence of each 
 other and especially before men. 
 
 For girls and women to cross the legs is 
 not modest nor ladylike. On the other hand, 
 it is an injurious habit. 
 
 Try to instill into the minds of both boys 
 and girls the importance of knowing their 
 own bodies and to care for them as "im- 
 mortal bodies," which to abuse in any way 
 means punishment in aches and pains and re- 
 grets. Throw down the barrier — false mod- 
 esty. Raise the standard — Health versus 
 Economy! 
 
 A great responsibility? Yes. But you and 
 I have taken it upon ourselves; shall we faint 
 and shirk our duty? No! No! Then let us 
 lean hard upon the stafif held out to us, and 
 in our heart breath this prayer: ''Help us, 
 Divine Spirit, or we fail in this life task." 
 
 If I could live my life over, having the ex- 
 perience and somewhat more knowledge than 
 when young and was the mother of a baker's 
 dozen (more or less) of boys, they should all 
 be circumcised when infants. It is then a 
 very simple operation; and even at any later 
 
OUR CHILDREN 2O9 
 
 time it is attended with but little inconven- 
 ience, and brings cleanliness and many other 
 advantages. 
 
 May not its absence be the indirect cause 
 of a large per cent of the crimes committed? 
 If you are the mother of one or more boys 
 consult your physician on the subject. It 
 would be economy in a broad sense. 
 
 Children and young people should have 
 their pleasures, but at the same time guide 
 them and counsel with them, for they are in- 
 experienced. A father once said to the writer: 
 "My daughter is fifteen years old and wants to 
 go to parties. I tell her she may go, but / 
 shall go with her. Boys are rough and bold. 
 I know what they are; they are not to be 
 trusted." 
 
 While I agreed with him that it would be 
 a most fatherly and consistent act to do, yet 
 I was sorry that he felt so untrustingly of 
 boys in general. 
 
 My reply was this: 'There are innocent, 
 trustful, manly boys — so I have found in my 
 girlhood and young womanhood days and 
 later in life. But I want to ask you one ques- 
 tion: 'Are all girls to be trusted?' Show me 
 
2IO ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 a young man and I can tell you what man- 
 ner of young women are his associates." 
 
 It is my candid opinion that boys and girls, 
 or even young people, need very few parties 
 to insure them a pleasurable existence. A 
 few chosen friends, with whom to exchange 
 social calls and visits, good books and pa- 
 pers, with a few amusements, will pass their 
 extra time pleasantly and profitably. In these 
 days we are surfeited with pleasures and lack 
 time for quiet, serious thought. 
 
 I once heard a young woman say: ''I went 
 to Miss G.'s party, and while there met and 
 danced with a young man I would not dare to 
 invite to my father's home." It reminded me 
 of advice once given by a father to his son 
 when leaving home: "My son, remember 
 this: If you find yourself in questionable so- 
 ciety you are not obliged to remain in it." 
 So I say the same to young women or even 
 older people. As soon as possible leave the 
 presence of those you cannot bring face to 
 face with your dearest friend. 
 
 Pleasures cost money, and we often see 
 those who spend their father's or husband's 
 means with an air of 'There is plenty more 
 
OUR CHILDREN 211 
 
 where that came from." That isn't right, do 
 you think so, reader? 
 
 Do not expect more of your children than 
 you practice yourself. If you find in deahng 
 with a child that you are in the wrong ac- 
 knowledge to him that such is the case, with 
 an explanation that seems advisable. Then 
 tell him you expect the same of him should 
 he be at fault. 
 
 Do not allow children to cut and mar 
 woodwork, be the house ever so old. It is 
 not right, for two reasons. First, one has no 
 right to destroy property. Second, the de- 
 structive habit is easily formed in a child. 
 So, beware of beginnings. 
 
 There are people who have a habit of read- 
 ing in a reclining position. Do you realize 
 the danger of injury to the eye-sight ? I once 
 knew a German teacher in one of our eastern 
 universities who became almost blind by that 
 habit. She told her physician that for years 
 she had studied and read in that position. 
 Try sitting with the left side to the strongest 
 light. In a short time you will notice how 
 much longer you can read without tiring the 
 eyes. Give it a trial. 
 
212 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 If the eyes ache from any cause fill a tum- 
 bler brimful of hot water (a few applications 
 and you will be able to bear the water quite 
 hot); hold over a basin; close the eye and lay 
 it into the water, first one then the other, 
 holding them in the water as long as you can 
 have patience to do so. Five minutes is none 
 too long. This will rest the eyes and strength- 
 en them. Salt added to the water is bene- 
 ficial. Each night rub* camphor behind the 
 ears and on the temples, as this will help to 
 strengthen them. 
 
 Common salt has many uses aside from sea- 
 soning food. Added to water it makes an 
 excellent gargle for sore throat. Heated 
 very hot and put in flannel bags and applied 
 to the seat of pain answers very well in lieu of 
 a rubloer water bottle. For mosquito bites 
 salted water is very soothing. 
 
 For a bee sting or a snake bite wrap* imme- 
 diately in mud. Mud is an old remedy used 
 by our North American Indians. 
 
 Should your child be subject to the croup 
 avoid an east wind. Croup is to be dreaded, 
 hence the necessity of great care. A croupy 
 cough must not be neglected. It usually lasts 
 
OUR CHILDREN 213 
 
 three days and is worse at night. A good 
 remedy to always keep in the house is goose 
 oil. Not the grease that oozes out of the 
 carcass, but the leaf-fat which lies on either 
 side-back of the goose. Render the fat from 
 this and strain into a clean dry bottle. Keep 
 well corked. It will keep sweet for years. 
 
 When the child coughs croupy give it 
 goose oil and molasses (not syrup), equal 
 parts, warmed a trifle, enough to make a scant 
 tablespoonful. If a very small child a 
 teaspoonful will be enough. Rub the chest 
 with the oil and over that a few drops of cam- 
 phor (do not mix the two together), cover- 
 ing with a flannel cloth well heated. Rub the 
 oil well up on the throat. If this remedy is 
 resorted to on the first appearance of the 
 cough it will seldom need stronger medicine. 
 However, do not neglect the croup; but send 
 for your doctor, if the child grows worse. 
 When baby has the ''snuffles" goose oil 
 rubbed over the nose will give reHef. Goose 
 oil is very penetrating, hence the speedy ac- 
 tion. 
 
 Another quick remedy for the croup: Lay 
 a small lump of alum on the hot stove. When 
 
214 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 it stops bubbling remove and with a knife 
 pulverize it. Take a level half-teaspoonful of 
 the powder and a teaspoonful of molasses. 
 Mix well, give half of this and in one-half 
 hour give the remainder. 
 
 Spirits of camphor may be made at home 
 and is cheaper than to buy it prepared. Have 
 a bottle which will hold a pint or more and 
 keep it for that purpose. At any reliable 
 drug store get one pint of pure alcohol and 
 ten cents worth of camphor gum. Put these 
 together. The alcohol will absorb onl} a 
 certain amount of the gum and it will not 
 hurt if some remains in the bottom of the 
 bottle. More alcohol may be added after a 
 portion has been used. Do not allow the bot- 
 tle to become empty, for camphor is a house- 
 hold remedy, to be used in sickness, such as 
 faintness, headache, sprains, etc. 
 
 If your child is a very uneasy one — trou- 
 bled with a sort of nervousness — more prop- 
 erly speaking, a habit of unrest — try having 
 him sit still (or the rest cure). Yes, actually 
 sit still. I knew a boy of about seven years who 
 seemed never to be still unless asleep. The 
 mother had often wondered what she should 
 
OUR CHILDREN 21 5 
 
 do. She finally tried the sitting-still remedy. 
 One-half minute the first time. One minute 
 the second time. Gradually increasing the 
 time to five minutes. It seemed long at first, 
 but it was a beneficial experiment. 
 
 Accustom your children to sleeping in the 
 dark. It is more healthful for everybody and 
 more economical. A child should not be al- 
 lowed to destroy books and papers. How 
 often we see this done, in otherwise well- 
 regulated households. 
 
 In the case of excessive bleeding at the 
 nose, grate dried beef (the drier the better) 
 and stuff the nostrils full. This remedy can 
 be vouched for by the writer as having been 
 used in the case of her own two-year-old child. 
 He had been out in the hot sun bareheaded. 
 We tried many remedies several grown peo- 
 ple had mentioned, and the child lay limp and 
 exhausted on her lap. At last Dr. Gunn's book 
 was consulted, and as soon as the dried beef 
 was used the bleeding was stayed. We used the 
 stump after the good beef had been cut off. 
 
 There are two words, with their defini- 
 tions, which ought to be hung in every home. 
 Punctuality and Procrastination. The keep- 
 
2l6 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 ing of the first and the avoidance of the lat- 
 ter would decrease the necessity for economy. 
 
 Children should not only never be late to 
 school, but they should never be late to 
 church nor Sunday school, or to any appoint- 
 ment. Parents ought to set the example, and 
 unless something really unavoidable occurs 
 they should be expected to keep promptly 
 any engagement, no matter how trivial. Were 
 I a minister or presiding at any meeting I 
 should begin on time, if I had but one for an 
 audience. If punctuality were enforced while 
 rearing our children there would be but lit- 
 tle trouble on that score when they are 
 adults. 
 
 Procrastination is another hindrance to the 
 success of both men and women. If every 
 girl and boy were taught to do everything 
 when it should be done, there would be less 
 worry and confusion in the home and in the 
 ofHce. For the children's own good keep 
 them with you as long as possible. It is safer 
 for them and more economical in the end. If 
 you do the very best you know while they are 
 with you and they go wrong after leaving 
 home you need not blame yourself. 
 
OUR CHILDREN 217 
 
 If one parent undertakes to correct a child 
 the other should not interfere. Mothers are 
 very apt to do so (occasionally the father will 
 do the same thing), thinking the other too 
 severe. In rare cases that may be so. But 
 unless she is sure the child is being injured 
 she would better leave the room. If the father 
 has any talent for disciplining, the object 
 will soon be accomplished. I have known 
 fathers who thought themselves too severe 
 and consequently left the whole care of dis- 
 ciplining to the mother. That is a little hard 
 on the mother, but if she be a good discipli- 
 narian it is better for the children than to 
 have a scene every time the father tries to 
 correct them. My observation has been that 
 when the father uses his authority judiciously 
 the children, as they grow to manhood and 
 womanhood are the better for it. 
 
 Then, again, when the children come from 
 school with complaints, mothers should be 
 very cautious how they take the part of the 
 child indiscriminately. Unless the child has 
 been really abused it were better to take as 
 little notice of the afifair as possible. In rare 
 cases the teacher is at fault. 
 
2l8 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Let the boys as well as the girls learn mu- 
 sic. Many boys love music, and, although 
 it may be a Httle expensive at first, it is really 
 economy to indulge them in this recreation 
 and pastime. It fills the time usefully, and 
 when there are young people it helps to pass 
 the hours pleasantly. 
 
 You will find it an excellent plan to en- 
 courage the children by a ''well done" when 
 they have tried to excel or improve them- 
 selves in school or at home. And equally, 
 with the smart girl or boy, give the dull one 
 a lift by some word of approval and try, try 
 again. We all feel life pleasanter, when some 
 one, especially our own, signifies by words 
 that they are pleased with our efforts. Forget 
 not these little courtesies, though you may be 
 burdened with care. They count! 
 
 Every home ought to be supplied with a 
 Dictionary and if possible a good Encyclo- 
 pedia. They are wonderful incentives to 
 every-day study. Every child has a right to 
 a common school education. In a large num- 
 ber of cases people of moderate means could 
 give their children the advantage of a high- 
 school course if strict economy were prac- 
 ticed. 
 
OUR CHILDREN 2I9 
 
 Impress upon their minds the need of sav- 
 ing the dollars to further that end. They will 
 some day thank you for the part you took in 
 placing them in a position to compete with 
 their equals, which otherwise would be an 
 unequal match. 
 
 We often hear the expression: ''Our high 
 schools are free; there is no excuse for not 
 having an education." We will admit that 
 the high schools are free; but the extra books 
 and the better clothes required for high 
 school is a serious problem for the considera- 
 tion of parents of small means. 
 
 We hear it rumored that some of our edu- 
 cators are considering the advisability of 
 shortening the college course. A step in the 
 right direction, we think. And while they are 
 thus engaged would it not be a wise idea to 
 move down the line and shorten the high 
 school course one year, by adding that year 
 to the grammar course? 
 
 It would be of material advantage to thou- 
 sands of boys and girls, whose parents are not 
 able to send them further, after they are 
 through with the grammar school. 
 
 In the event of there being nine grades in 
 
220 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 the grammar school, the majority of parents 
 would make an extra effort to keep their chil- 
 dren in school that one more year. As it 
 now is, a large number must go to work as 
 soon as they are through with the eighth 
 grade. Others go into the high school, get 
 through with the ninth grade, perhaps the 
 tenth. But the larger per cent never gradu- 
 ate from the twelfth grade, and a very small 
 per cent enter college. It is my opinion that 
 if the ninth grade was added to the grammar 
 school and a post-graduate course taken in 
 spelling, reading, writing and the rudiments 
 of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multipli- 
 cation and division), with the addition of any 
 other studies the educators deemed best, a 
 long stride will have been taken toward solv- 
 ing the riddle: ''Why are so many of our 
 high school and college students, even grad- 
 uates, deficient in 'the three Rs' " ? 
 
 I call to mind when free text books were 
 introduced into the public schools at which 
 my younger children attended. It was with 
 a feeling akin to dread that I allowed them 
 to be used, for the thought occurred to me 
 
OUR CHILDREN ^21 
 
 how easily disease could be transferred from 
 one child to another. 
 
 Better by far that each child own his text 
 books and that the stationery needed be sup- 
 plied free. By making this change material 
 help will be given to those not able to supply 
 the whole outfit. 
 
 Since the slate has been tabooed from the 
 schools the item of stationery is very large, 
 especially if there are several children to be 
 provided for. Almost any parent into whose 
 home this book may go, will bear me out in 
 the assertion, that the call for money for the 
 several kinds of ''tablets" and pencils for the 
 different kinds of work required in our pub- 
 lic schools, amounts to a larger sum at the 
 close of the year than the text books. There- 
 fore, be it resolved, that stationery, etc., be 
 supplied free to the pupils of our public schools 
 and that the parents be allowed or expected 
 to furnish the text books. 
 
 "Who Is the Greatest Woman? 
 
 "In answer to the question, 'Who is the 
 greatest woman in all history?' put to two 
 hundred Macon County (Missouri) teachers, 
 
222 ETHICS OF HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY 
 
 Miss Nannie Vickroy of Macon, made a 
 unique answer, which received the prize for 
 originality. 
 
 ''She passed over Queen Victoria, Frances 
 Willard, Helen Gould, and other women 
 whose names were the most popular, and de- 
 clared: The wife of the Missouri farmer, of 
 moderate means, who does her own cooking, 
 washing, and ironing, brings up a large fam- 
 ily, and finds time for her own intellectual and 
 moral improvement, is ''the greatest woman 
 in all history." ' " — Extract from the Daily 
 News of October, 1901, Chicago, 111. 
 
SEP 21 1903 
 
V- v"*- 
 
 V'VX 
 
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