186 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[May, 
cause the need of it is now realized by only a very 
small portion of society. Most people suppose 
that our present modes of primary education are 
good enough. The Kindergarten (a German word 
that means child-garden) is for children between 
three and five years of age, and affords them em¬ 
ployment in the form of plays, beautifully adapted 
to train the little fingers to careful work, and to 
cultivate the observing faculties, while affording at 
the same time the best kind of amusement. 
Froebel devised a series of twenty “gifts” for 
infants under five or seven years of age. The ex¬ 
ercises to be conducted with these gifts he called 
“plays”—so well did he realize that education may 
and should be a happy process. 
I shall be glad to tell something more about the 
Kindergarten in future papers, for I do not see how 
Kindergartens can become common until there is a 
demand for them ; nor how there is likely to be a 
demand until people are informed upon the subject. 
Teach Your Daughters. 
BY MRS. I. W. T. 
I have observed that the daughters of excellent 
housekeepers are often at a loss how to perform the 
most ordinary domestic operations. This ignorance 
on their part, is sometimes a cause of a great deal 
of trouble and Vexation to them. A young lady 
told me of a mortifying occurrence which once 
happened to her. Soon after she was married, they 
went to live with her husband’s mother. Desirous 
of making herself as useful as possible, she offered 
to help her mother-in-law get the dinner. “ Well, 
my dear,” said her new mother, “you may, if you 
please, stand by the stove and turn the fish while I 
set the table.” “ Would you believe it?” said my 
friend, “I turned that fish, and turned it, and 
turned it, until it was nothing but a mass of flesh 
and bones, and looked much more like a stir-pud¬ 
ding than the fine white-fish it had been at first.” 
I know of another lady who actually stuffed a 
quantity of bull-heads, or cat-fish, with their skins 
on, using a forcemeat and cooking them according 
to the directions given in the cook-book for baked 
pickerel. Both ladies were good-naturedly laughed 
at, but they themselves were extremely mortified. 
Many mothers say: “I dislike to have my daugh¬ 
ters in the kitchen. They are no help—but a good 
deal of ahinderance. I would much rather have them 
stay in the parlor and play the piano.” Such moth¬ 
ers make a great mistake. Duty and Love should 
lead them to inquire: “ What is best for my daugh¬ 
ter? How can I best teach her to become a useful 
member of society ? Will she not some time, in all 
probability, have a house of her own ? If so, will it 
not be a great help to her to know how to manage 
it properly, and to be able to bake and roast meat, 
to get up a dinner, and to make wholesome and 
good bread? Who is better adapted than I, her 
own mother, to teach her these things ? ” 
Such questions as these, faithfully answered, will 
be followed by an invitation to the daughter to as¬ 
sist in the duties of the kitchen until she has at¬ 
tained to a thorough knowledge of the way ordinary 
food, at least, is cooked. 
Ironing Made Easy. 
BY MRS. W. 
Good ironing of clothes is a fine art, and is ac- 
quired'by patient practice, and the habit of doing 
all work conscientiously. In families where there 
are young girls, there is often much nice ironing to 
do ; and it should never fall to the mother’s charge, 
but should be done by those who require it, except 
in cases where servants arc kept for that purpose ; 
and it is always well for young ladies to know how 
to iron in the best manner. Nothing so greatly 
facilitates the habit of ironing as to have each one 
who irons possess her own ironing tools, such as 
holders, etc. In otherwise orderly families 1 have 
seen young ladies catch up almost any thing that 
was conveniently near, to hold irons with ; often 
scorching valuable articles not suitable for the pur¬ 
pose. Each ironer should have a bag, fifteen or 
eighteen inches square, to be suitably furnished, 
and used only by herself. It should contain an 
ironing-holder, of a size and thickness to suit her¬ 
self ; a few layers of newspaper in the middle make 
it lighter, and the hand will be less heated than if 
it is wholly made of cloth. Ironing-holders made 
of sawdust are the least heating to the hand. The 
sawdust should be nicely and thiuly quilted into 
the holder; and to be just right, there should be 
two quite thin quilted holders tacked together, and 
then the cover put over both. Wood being a non¬ 
conductor in a great degree, the hand is not so in¬ 
juriously affected by heat as from the old-fashioned 
metal-handle and a common holder. I wish some 
woman would invent a movable wooden handle for 
flat-irons, which would be easily adjusted on taking 
an iron from the fire. Some woman, whose hus¬ 
band is a blacksmith, and would make her models, 
perhaps might succeed. Each ironing-holder 
should have one or two covers of white cloth or 
light calico made to fit nicely, and should he fast¬ 
ened on with buttons or strings; then, when one 
cover becomes soiled it can be changed, and is far 
preferable to having several holders. 
In the ironing-bags, there should always he kept 
a thin, soft-leaved pamphlet, for rubbing the irons 
upon, when first removed from the fire; do not 
use the covers. Keep in the hag also a nice soft 
cloth of a light color, to finish off the iron with, 
also a light tin ring for resting irons upon. A muf¬ 
fin-ring is just the thing. Another smaller bag 
within the other should contain a small white cloth 
for rubbing specks from starched clothes, and a 
soft, fine cloth for covering bosoms and collars if 
desired. It saves also much time and vexation to 
keep a wet towel near, to wipe the hands when 
starching, instead of rushing across a room to 
wash them while doing starched clothes. 
One should have a small ironing-board for col¬ 
lars, cuffs, etc., a little larger than a handkerchief, 
and it should be covered with cloth and flannel. 
To the upper corners of the board a strong 
string should be nailed to hang it up by, and a 
calico cloth should be attached to the top like the 
cover of a pamphlet, large enough to fall over both 
sides when hanging, to keep it from dust, and 
should be confined closely around the board by 
strings. With two such boards two can iron at 
the same table without interfering with each other, 
or could be carried to any part of the house, and 
saves all the time usually lost by folding and put¬ 
ting away ironing things of large size, as blankets 
and covers, which are often put away in a hurried 
and disorderly way, to the vexation of the next one 
who goes to the ironing-drawer or basket. These 
items seem small and insignificant, but attention 
to them would save much time and trouble, and 
render an otherwise tedious process pleasant and 
improving to the ironers of the family, by cultivat¬ 
ing habits of order and regularity, and a just regard 
for the comfort of others. 
Unprincipled Neatness. 
“Cleanliness is akin to godliness,” a good man 
says; but let us never forget that godliness 
is the first thing to be sought, and after that clean¬ 
liness to any extent. If any body supposes that I 
mean that you are to “get converted” in the or¬ 
dinary sense of that phrase, and then go on scrub¬ 
bing and scouring with all your might without any 
application of Christianity to these wash-board and 
dish-pan affairs, that person has not made my ac¬ 
quaintance. The “fruit of the spirit is love, joy, 
peace, etc.,” and beyond all price; neatness is 
only a secondary matter. 
We are putting cleanliness above godliness if we 
brush and scour until our nerves are so wearied 
that good temper becomes almost a physical im¬ 
possibility; or if we keep our friends in constant 
dread of making a speck of dirt upon our promises ; 
or if we allow ourselves to be greatly put out by 
any disasters that happen to our carpets or table¬ 
cloths. It is hard to bear these things, if we have 
not abundant means and plenty of assistance; and 
I don’t know of anything but a true philosophy, 
believed in by the heart as well as by the intellect, 
that will help us through. Do we really desire to 
lead true lives, and to do our duty by our families ? 
Then we must settle in our minds what are the 
essentials to this end, and resolutely make other- 
matters subordinate. 
It is neatness without principle that insists upon 
clean aprons and polished faces for the children 
more than upon gentle words and patient sympa¬ 
thy with their plans and pleasures, which concerns 
itself more about flies and dust than about the 
family health and happiness. Brig-lit windows and 
spotless paint and well-scoured floors are excellent 
things in their way; but if you can only secure 
them by a loss of all time and relish for reading 
and out-of-door recreation, have the nobleness to 
bear with some dirt and rags, rather than sacrifice 
the life for meat or the body for raiment. For the 
sake of all about you, as well as for your own sake, 
save your nerves from over-strain and your intellec¬ 
tual life from starvation. But never sacrifice clean¬ 
liness to display. Those children are fortunate 
who are kept supplied with whole and clean cloth¬ 
ing ; but none of these things can begin to compare 
in value with a wise mother’s love and care in re¬ 
spect to the formation of character and the devel¬ 
opment of a sound mind in a sound body. A hus¬ 
band has something to say “thank you ” for, whose 
buttons are never missing and whose dinner is al¬ 
ways in good time and good order; but he deserves 
to miss the best gifts of this life who values these 
things above a wife’s companionship and inspira¬ 
tion in all things most lovely and of good report. 
F. E. R. 
Lunches. 
Many persons find that the lunches they catch at 
railroad stations, or which they carry with them 
in their bags or baskets, give them headaches and 
serve as very poor substitutes for warm dinners at 
home. It is probably because they are made up so 
largely of cake or pastry. The food is too concen¬ 
trated, has not enough waste matter and fluid about 
it, and so produces constipation, which is a sure 
cause of a dull head and general bodily discomfort. 
The vegetables and soups we eat with our dinners 
at home, are valuable for their waste matter as well 
as for their nutriment. With our lunches we miss 
these, but fruit is still better for those whose stom¬ 
achs are healthy enough to eat it uncooked, and 
fruit we can almost always have with us. 
For a substantial lunch to take from home, 
especially for one who is taking active exercise, 
cold chicken - is good, or cold meat cut in slices. 
These, laid between buttered slices of bread, make 
very nice sandwiches. Thin biscuit is usually 
more acceptable than bread, and if cut open, 
spread with currant jelly, and put together again, 
is very nice. The less of cake, and the plainer 
that little, the better for the traveler’s comfort. 
Fresh soda crackers and fresh apples make an ex¬ 
cellent light lunch; but the fine flour crackers are 
so concentrated, that it is best for all who can do 
so to eat the accompanying apples without peeling 
them. A simple lunch of this kind, which you can 
buy as you hasten through the streets to the depot, 
is far better than the little sweet cakes and pastry 
abominations sold' at stands near the depot. I 
doubt if women, who know how such things are 
made, are often caught buying them. Figs or 
raisins go well with crackers or gems ; but fresh, 
juicy fruit is preferable when you can get it. 
Sweet Pudd —By T. S. Wright.—One 
cup of raisins chopped fine; one cup of suet, also- 
chopped; one cup of sour milk, three eggs beaten, 
one teaspoonful of soda and a little salt, and flour 
enough for a stiff batter; steam two hours and 
serve with sauce. 
B&iee Pudding.— By T. S. Wright-.—Two- 
thirds of a cup of rice, one cup of raisins, one 
quart of rich milk. Steam for two hours; then add 
one cup of sugar, two eggs, one quart of milk, a 
small piece of butter, and a little salt; mix with 
care so as not to break the rice, and bake until done. 
Serve warm or cold in slices, with sauce. 
