The VV ell-Ordered Household 



FROAl THE STANDPOINT OF A PRACTICAL WOMAN 

 CONDUCTED BY MJRTHA VAN RENSSELAER 



Editor Cornell rinversity Beading Course for "SYomen. 



COOKIXG, sewing and houseTvork ?-en- 

 erally have been simplified "^ith clie 

 introduction of utensils and labor- 

 sa\lng devices found in the kitchen, 

 and it remains to keep the entire machinery 

 simplified in order not to add more unnecessary 

 work than has been saved in ©ther ways. 



^luch thought is required in household duties 

 in order to gain time. Some persons can do a 

 great deal more in a day because of the habit of 

 thoughtful attention to duties making the ''head 

 save the heels," to use a very trite expression, 

 but one full of philosophy. 



I know one who puts herself to sleep when 

 sleep is not otherwise easily induced by imagin- 

 ing herself possessed of a good sum of money 

 and deciding how she "will spend it. It might be a 

 good mental gymnastic to imagine oneself pos- 

 sessed of a good margin of time each day and 

 deciding how to use it outside of regular and 

 necessary duties. Unlike the question of the 

 little fortune to spend, it is altogether possible 

 for everyone to acquire the margin of time. 

 Busy as we become in our daily duties the time 

 is there and if we help ourselves to a 'little share 

 of it, there will still be time left for the press- 

 ing affairs of life. 



"We are doubtless, many of us, more careful 

 to save and put away a litle money from time 

 to time, than we are to appropriate for real 

 living purposes a margin of time. ]^Iay we not 

 put time out at interest for an emergency, by 

 using it to acquire physical or mental strength, 

 knowledge or power? It is true there are those 

 who never seem to be able to save a minute 

 in the busy routine of housework, but even for 

 these we wojild recommend the giving of a tenth 

 of the active hours of the day. It would be 

 interesting to know how diverse would be the 

 ways of using this fraction of time, so different 

 are temperaments and desires. The point is 

 not merely to use it as suits our fancy neces- 

 sarily, but in a way to yield large returns. 

 The one who is saving a margin of the yearly 

 income endeavors to invest the amount where 

 it will yield a good interest. The same must 

 be done with the time saved. There is an oft- 

 quoted maxim which should rouse us to the 

 sense of the value of time: 



"Lost somewhere between sunrise and sunset 

 two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond 

 minutes. Xo reward is offered, for they are 

 lost forever." 



Most ot us are aware that each day we simply 

 lose time by injudicious planning, or by trifling. 



It is a common ex]-»ression — -'I do not see 

 where all the time has gone." This may not be 

 because the time is not wisely spent, but because 

 it is filled with details which seem to count f.>r 

 naught. This is peculiarly true in housework 

 and is exasperating to many women. However, 

 without the performance of details, that same 

 housework would be quite a failure. 



But .let us grasp an hour, or even a few mo- 

 ments, a day, and devote it to that which will 

 yield a rich return. Our first witness says : 



"T ajn so tired with work, work, Avork that if 

 I may have an hour of time to spend as I ^ish, 

 I vnAl rest." 



This is good philosophy and there is little 

 doubt of the rich return. One of the first 

 things many persons need to do is to get reste^I 

 and the mountain of work and worry before 

 them will melt away into something quite sur- 

 mountable. There are those who would not be 

 caught napping in the daytime and who would 

 not think of sitting in an easy chair in 

 the forenoon to regain strength. It is clear 

 gain to do so. and without such respites from 

 labor comes a loss of nervous tone so necessary 

 to have on all occasions and there is the ne-^^-- 

 sity of pushing oneself on to the perf^n-manr-e 

 of duty. There is a loss which may be quite 

 gradual, but wmeh is sure and which tells not 

 only on the health, but on one's usefulness. This 

 mode of spending the hour should be a popular 

 one as a means of efficient strength and comfort. 



Our next witness savs: 



"Give me time for reading and meditation 

 upon spiritual matters." 



This is good not only for those whose ac- 

 ceptance of religious truths is not marked, but 

 for those who are too busy to be very active 

 along the lines of their faitti. There are many 

 who are like the father whose sou was asked 

 what his father was. and he replied: 



"He's a Metho.list, but he isn't d'uug much at 

 it nowadays." 



