HORTICULTURAL REMINISCENCES. 229 



the duties of housekeepers. The views of the writer are ex- 

 pressed in a three column article, and I cannot do better than to 

 quote some of her words, from which it will be seen that there is 

 quite a strong opposing sentiment already in force, tending to 

 destroy' this good work which our leading female educational insti- 

 tutions have inaugurated with so much success and to such popu- 

 lar satisfaction. 



The writer addresses herself to a young lady who is about to be 

 married to a man in comfortable circumstances, and she says : — 



" Have nothing but what your servants can prepare, and expect 

 them to prepare it. Put up no jellies or preserves that you would 

 have to make yourself. What your servants can't make, and you 

 can't afford to buy, do without. So I will give you a few facts about 

 three young ladies of mj' acquaintance, who married without 

 knowing a single thing about practical housekeeping. One of 

 them was musical, and one was artistic, and one was literary ; and 

 their mothers had — wisely mind you — spared them all drudgery. 

 Great, however, was the chorus of dismay when they married. 



All of them married well, just as you are going to marry — 

 into circumstances where the}^ would not have a butler or a lady's 

 maid, but where they would have two good servants. At the end 

 of three years, I happened to meet all three of them at luncheon. 

 ' Well, my dears, and how have 3'ou succeeded in housekeeping?' 

 ' Beautifully ! ' they all exclaimed. ' But how did you learn ? ' ' We 

 haven't learned,' thcj' exclaimed together. ' We don't know any- 

 thing more today, than we did the day we were married. But we 

 haven't had a bit of trouble.' 



'Mother told me,' explained the young musician, ' that even if 

 I did have good servants I could never manage them in the world 

 unless they saw that I knew how to do things and could correct 

 them. But, dear me ! it didn't make a bit of difference. If Bridget 

 brought in griddle-cakes that were too thick, I could see perfectly 

 well that they were too thick, and I told her to take them out and 

 thin them ; and it did not in the least matter that I didn't know 

 whether she thinned them with milk or water.' 



' Know !' exclaimed the young artist. ' Why, I not only didn't 

 know, but I made a point of not knowing. If Bridget came to me 

 and said, " If ^'ez plaze ma'am, can 3-ou tell me how to cook the 

 cauliflower? " I just drew myself up very loftily, and said, with an 

 air, " If cook a cauliflower? Certainly not. I don't know how to 



