44 The Bulletin. 



Fifty years ago, the whiteness of a woman's floor was the guage bj^ which her 

 housekeeping was judged. But that is no longer so. For tliose who have not the 

 hardwood Uoors and camiot afl'ord oil-cloth, there is the pot of paint. What 

 renovating powers a pot of paint possesses! Think of the labor it saves. 



One otiier thing that every kitchen should possess is a sink. This does not 

 necessarily mean that you have the water-works in the house. Even if you have to 

 carry the water in, it is not necessary that you carry it out. A sink can be put 

 in at 'a very low cost. A home-made one serves the purpose very well. Bore a 

 hole in the bottom of a wooden sink; line the sink with a piece of galvanized tin; 

 tack a piece of perforated tin under the hole and fasten a large funnel under this; 

 to the funnel fasten a piece of garden hose, which is put through a hole bored 

 in the kitchen wall. Tlie waste water may now run out-of-doors into a barrel on 

 wheels. If a sieve is fastened to the corner of tlie sink and the water poured 

 through it, the parings, etc., will be caught in it and the trouble of gathering 

 them out of the sink will be saved. Do not have the space under the sink 

 enclosed, as it is apt to become damp and forms an excellent hiding-place for 

 cock-roaches, etc. 



There are many people in the counti-y who at a very small expense could have 

 water in their houses. On some farms there ali-e flowing springs where a 

 hydraulic ram and a few yards of piping would carry the water into the house. 

 We are apt to envy our city sisters, when often what they pay yearly for these 

 conveniences would put the same into our country homes. If you have not access 

 to a spring, and think you cannot afford a windmill, you can by means of a 

 force-pump, piunp the water into a large vat or reservoir placed in the garret and 

 thus supply the bath-room and kitchen. This resen^oir may be filled every day, 

 or it may be large enough to hold water to last a week. If a bath-tub is needed 

 anywhere, it is on the farm. 



There is nothing better than a refreshing bath, a clean waist, and a pretty neck- 

 ribbon to put a woman in the proper spirit to meet her family at the tea-table. 



Let me make a plea for the dining-table. First, do not let it be laid, especially 

 in the summer, in the kitchen, with its steam and heat and swarms of flies. I 

 have seen such uninviting tables, where the cloth was not the whitest, and the 

 dishes had apparently been throwm on the table in the quickest manner, and I 

 did not wonder that the husband and sons swallowed their meal as quickly as 

 possible and sought the more pleasant atmosphere of the porch or barn. Do not 

 consider that time spent in making your dining-table neat and inviting is time 

 wasted. A spotless cloth, shining dishes carefully arranged, a few flowers or a 

 plant, will not be without their reward. 



Mothers, do you realize that it is only at the dining-table that joii have your 

 whole family together ? Make the most of your opportunity. Use this time to 

 create and maintain that spirit of good fellowship and love which bind the 

 family together and make a happy home. Here is the place for the nonsensical 

 anecdote, the funny story, the pleasant jesting. The light froth of pleasantry 

 that brings the smile to the face and cheers the heart is one of the best things to 

 smooth and brighten the family life. 



It may cost you an effort to wear a smile when the heart aches, to be cheerful 

 when you are overtired and things in general have gone wrong, but it is worth 

 the eflort. 



The home is the center of the imiverse — woman is the center of the home. Civil- 

 ization is therefore dependent upon her health and her stimulating influence. All 

 household improvements designed to conserve her strength will add to her power 

 and efficiency. 



