34 The Bulletin. 



unnecessary things. Oftentimes the unnecessaries are to be found in the super- 

 fluous and frequently unbeautiful decoration and ornamentation in the home, 

 which could be dispensed with to advantage. One good woman complained to 

 me a short while ago of the excessive burden of her daily work, and when I 

 looked about her home I could readily understand what her burden was, for 

 hers was a house literally loaded with useless and many unbeautiful objects. 

 There were draperies, heavy carpets and quantities of cheap, useless bric-a-brac 

 everywhere. A good, conscientious housewife, such as I knew this woman to 

 be, would find the burden of housekeeping simply unbearable. Then, let us 

 rid our homes of all unessentials in the household equipment, both for the 

 sake of health and beauty. Fancy what dust and germ collectors the articles 

 in the house I have just referred to may become. 



Oftentimes, by plan and forethought, much labor can be saved in the prepara- 

 tion of meals. If the housewife will plan at least a day's meals in advance 

 she can often find ways while preparing one meal to make fine progress in 

 preparation of the next meal. 



Then this simplifying process may go further, and include the household 

 sewing. The devotion and mother-love often displays itself in unwise ex- 

 penditure of time and money in children's clothing. Not long ago I met a tired 

 little mother with two small, sturdy boys, who were much the worse in dis- 

 position and comfort for the stiffly starched, beruffled blouses they wore. I 

 made a mental estimate of the total outlay involved in those blouses, and 

 found that there had been spent for the ornamentation at least sixty cents 

 in money and fully three hours of time in the two garments. The money ex- 

 pended, with a trifle more added, would have bought a year's subscription to 

 a good magazine and the time spent in recreation would have resulted in two 

 happier boys, and a mother with a year's good reading matter and at least 

 three hours of healthful recreation to her credit. This incident merely serves 

 to illustrate the point that I wish to make, that if we try we may find many 

 an opportunity to simplify the sewing, thereby saving time for other more 

 useful things. If we would only bear in mind that Nature has made all chil- 

 dren beautiful, and that the fuss and furbelows of dress only detracts from 

 their natural charm ! 



The housewife, then, who is to get the greatest value at the least expenditure 

 of energy will eliminate the unessentials in every phase of the household life. 



In a well-planned home the kitchen, where the housewife spends the greater 

 part of every day, should have first consideration ; and here let me say that a 

 model kitchen should be a small room. The man who builds a "large, roomy" 

 kitchen for his wife is adding many unnecessary steps in the course of a day's 

 work. The kitchen should be well lighted and well ventilated, with an air 

 shaft over the stove to carry off surplus heat and odors. The arrangement 

 of the furniture is worth consideration, for by placing the table, shelves and 

 cupboards so compactly and with reference to the number of steps to and from 

 the stove — which, by the way, should be a range whenever practicable — much 

 unnecessary labor may be saved. 



There are a few inexpensive devices, too, for the kitchen that will save steps. 

 A table with rollers — one that can be moved about easily — will be found a great 

 convenience. A plain stool, such as is used in offices, adjusted to a computable 

 height with reference to the table, that may be pushed under the table when 

 not in use, will prove a wonderful relief to a tired back. So many duties can 

 be performed while sitting in this manner, such as washing dishes, preparing 

 vegetables, etc. I know one woman who did the greater part of the weekly 

 ironing sitting upon a stool of this kind. Along with the good kitchen range 

 that I have referred to I would add an oil stove of a good make, which may 

 be purchased at a cost of from fifty cents up, according to the size, also a 

 tireless cooker. The tireless cooker may be made at home from a box or dis- 

 carded trunk, which is filled with chopped hay or shredded newspapers, with 

 which tightly covered vessels containing food which has been brought to a boil- 

 ing point and boiled for some minutes is placed. The box is then covered tightly 

 with a pad or blankets and allowed to remain untouched for several hours. 

 The Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, has issued a bulletin 

 (Farmers' Bulletin No. 29), which contains directions for making a tireless 



