Some one has asked us this question, 
and we prefer to follow our usual wise 
way, and submit it to our readers for 
answer, knowing that some one will 
solve the 'problem satisfactorily : How 
can farmers’ sons nearing a marriageable 
age, be made to feel that their position 
is equal to that of men of other occupa¬ 
tions, and to appreciate the advantages 
of farm life? 
* 
Last spring we gave a short account 
of the proposed crusade of the World’s 
Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. 
The signatures to the petition have all 
been secured, and the first presentation 
took place at Washington, February 15. 
This petition asking that the protection 
of Government may no more be vouch¬ 
safed to the sale of intoxicating liquors 
and opium, or to the legalizing of the 
social vice, contains 4,000,000 names in 
50 different languages, and is as large as 
a barrel. It is certainly remarkable as 
a monument to women’s sincerity and 
devotion to a cause, if in no other way 
to be commended. But can any one 
doubt that the opposition of 4,000,000 
people, which this virtually represents, 
will not have some effect on the evils 
which are such a disgrace tocivilization? 
This expression of public opinion is only 
the advance wave of a tide that will over¬ 
whelm and utterly destroy that against 
W'hich it has been idly beating and re¬ 
treating for years. 
HOUSEKEEPER AND HELP. 
COME IDEAS 1‘OU ‘‘KEEPING” A GIRL. 
A S long as “girls” and mistresses and 
the need for them, exist, there will 
doubtless be this much-mooted girl ques¬ 
tion, with the pros and cons of which 
we are almost as familiar as with our 
a b c’s. We must wait for Mr. Bel¬ 
lamy’s millennium before we can hope 
for its perfect settlement, but there may 
be some alleviations, even in this imper¬ 
fect century. 1 overheard, not so long 
ago. a remark of a bright little woman 
on this subject, that let in floods of light 
on the question, and seemed to me, some¬ 
how, the key to all the failures and dis¬ 
couragements incident to keeping a 
“ hired girl.” It certainly unlocked the 
door to the bright little woman’s dis¬ 
heartening experiences in that line, 
though she did not know it. She and a 
friend were talking about the advisabil¬ 
ity of the friend's getting a girl instead 
of having intermittent outside assistance 
in her housework. The case of a mutual 
acquaintance came up, where a really 
remarkable girl was secured, who-be¬ 
came. in time, rather a friend and helper 
in the family than in any sense an in¬ 
ferior being limited to pots and kettles. 
“ Oh, you don't want a girl like that !” 
the bright little woman said, decisively. 
“ What you want is a girl you can make 
a slave of.” 
1 overheard the words, and immediately 
saw mental visions of the long series of 
“ slave” ordeals through which 1 knew 
the bright little woman had passed—the 
urfortunate “slave” trades she had 
made, over and over again. Does not 
the key unlock much of the difficulty ? 
If there were more friend-girls and many 
less slaves, would not the domestic at¬ 
mosphere of our kitchens be clearer ? 
They Are Not all Muscles. 
If we kept in mind that our domestics 
had sensibilities and hearts as well as 
muscles and tendons, there would be 
some comfort iu “ keeping a girl”—and 
it would be keeping her, too. You see, 
there is so much more “ Go, and he goeth” 
in our creed than there is of a friendly 
“Come, and lie, coineth.” We are afraid, 
I suppose, of demeaning ourselves in 
some mysterious fashion, or of losing 
our authority,” if we admit the girl in 
our kitchen into any part of our Home 
life and companionship. She is only a matter—which is surely the most im- fied to suit the fancy. However, flowers 
girl,” and her business is to do our bid- portant — these 
courtesies 
ding and do it well—if not, there are 
plenty more “ fish in the sea,” and she 
may as well go. Two cases are distinctly 
in my mind. Both were as nearly 
successful as anything could well be. To 
be sure, a sarcastic friend called these 
two girls “ parlor girls” and, on one 
occasion, was filled with holy horror be¬ 
cause one of the mistresses removed the 
plates and vegetable dishes herself to 
friendlinesses “ pay ” a hundredfold, in 
pure domestic comfort and ease. 
ANNIE HAMILTON DONNELL. 
FOR THE FAMILY ARTIST. 
and vase should always be in harmony 
with each other. This is especially tho 
case here, as the blue vase, purple iris, 
and purplish wistaria, combine to make 
a beautiful, yet modest and unpreten¬ 
tious, piece of work. The fireboard 
when finished, coupled with a pretty 
lambrequin, brings about quite a desir- 
G RATES are quite fashionable, and lambrequin, brings about quite a desir- 
most modern houses are furnished able trausformation of the old fireplace, 
with one or two in addition to the usual to the great satisfaction of all. J. M. s. 
provision for stoves. But in some houses, - 
the sideboard, rather than subject the especially in old farmhouses built 25 or 
heated, tired girl to the mortification of 30 years ago, the fireplace was made for 
coming in in a soiled dress which her use, with little regard for beauty. Now, 
rush of extra work gave her no time to these have become an eyesore to the 
change. But it is not for a minute to be 
supposed that the tired girl did not ap¬ 
preciate the act of kindness and repay it first step toward a remedy is to shut the 
many times over. Wasn’t it worth while ? opening with aboard; but this is often 
And it is a significant fact that that mis- little better than that which it hides. If 
tress was always “fortunate” in having 
a good girl and keeping her, while the 
sarcastic friend was quite famous for the 
trials she endured with her domestics. 
We have heard of the suburban gentle 
man who was never lonely on his daily 
trips to the city because there was al¬ 
ways an old girl going out with him in 
the morning and a new one coming back 
covered with paper, the paper is likely 
to crack along the seams. 
A friend seems to have solved the 
problem, however, in a fairly satisfac¬ 
tory way. The mantel and fireplace 
were extremely plain, and the fireboard 
was of bare yellow pine boards, with 
which she was never pleased. At last, 
an idea struck her ; she would turn the 
(0 
- V " V_ 
_JP 
AN ARTISTIC FIREBOARD. Fig. 47. 
at night! And the case is only an ex¬ 
aggerated truth, after all. And we 
women get together and compare our 
dubious notes and shake our dubious 
heads hopelessly. We do have such dis¬ 
couraging times making slaves of our 
girls 1 
Eating with the Family. 
There is one trouble that comes up 
often in country kitchens, or in cases 
where the girl is really refined and com- 
cspecially in old farmhouses built 25 or ARCHITECTURE FOR WOMEN. 
30 years ago, the fireplace was made for _ , TTnTmrin „ .. 
J f ’ , j, , , «t A WRITER in the Cincinnati Tribune, 
use, with little regard tor beauty. Now, L\ , . , . , „ ,, . 
, ’ , , 6 , XX discusses the bright side of this 
these have beeome an eyesore to the „ . , , . 
, . , profession for woman s benefit, and give3 
people who have grown up without even „ , . 
, f , ,, - T ,, an account of two young women who 
having onee used them. Usually the . " , . ,. r , 
_ , 7 , , . , , , ,, are succeeding in the business. While 
first step toward a remedy is to shut the 
.... some women are qualified to beeome 
opening with a board ; but this is often , . 
,, ... architects, it is true that very many arc 
little better than that which it hides. If , n ,, _ , . , . J 
, , not; and the field, though new to women, 
covered with paper, the paper is likely . 
, , , is not very wide: 
to crack along the seams. . t , ,. , .. 
... „ , , ,, “ Who could plan a commodious dwell- 
A friend seems to have solved the . , . .... 
,, , . „ . , . , mg house better than a woman? Who 
problem, however, m a fairly satisfac- , ,, , . „ ,, 
A . , „ , should know the conveniences of the 
tory way. The mantel and fireplace , , . , 
, , . , pautry, stairways, closets, etc., more 
were extremely plain, and the fireboard ,, , , i 
„ , ,, . , . , thoroughly than the one whose knowl- 
was of bare yellow pmc boards, with . . . , ., . ... , 
, . , , , . , , , edge has to keep the establishment m 
which she was never pleased. At last, . , . 
running order ? Who, more efficiently 
an idea struck her; she would turn the ,, , .. . . , . ,, 
than a housewife, should plan the essen- 
V tials of good housewifery ? That in the 
\h> present time a man does more com- 
Jwl petently comprehend these things, is due 
| L-n to training more than inheritance or in- 
) \ $M tuition. Miss Hands and Miss Gannon, 
ra i fj§la vj—-v who have an office in New York, are try- 
--L—-ing to bring themselves more quickly 
| into prominence by solving the tenement 
ii’l | house problem. Mr. Richard Watson 
___ = ^= sr ' 0^0), ft Gilder, of the Century, has taken both 
ssssss'.''" -0^0y' I young women with him on investigating 
* M tours through the slum districts. Miss 
Hands and Miss Gannon have talked to 
tenement-house keepers and secured 
Wm mm Ifey? their views on necessary improvements. 
1 fjW They have also taken counsel with the 
W/Wnt’ I ^ ' College Settlement women, who. after 
W/rm I ? long battling, are familiar with the 
w flllf'l \ grossest defects of the present tenement- 
f 'M I house system. Through each garnered 
wlljjliilfy experience this feminine firm of archi- 
v W'P/ ' teets hope to erect a tenement 25x100 
W/0m\ feet, where families can be healthfully 
f'/jm//. f housed. Their newly completed plans 
iff 1 give light, air and separation for every 
I family, arc fireproof and inexpensive. 
‘ Could any man do better than that ?’ 
_ _ _ MlmiSi ‘‘ lf these two y 01111 !? girls—for they 
their design accepted, it will mean an 
^ ' order for $5,000,000 investment of money 
EBOARD. Fig. 47. in tenements, which, of course, will 
secure their future. It will also prove 
family artist, and nearly every family that women have succeeded in still an- 
has one, to some account. The board other art and industry, 
was covered tightly with double-width, “This will not be the first approved 
unbleached muslin, and then the cloth work of these clever girls. The Florence 
beaten full of starch paste to fill all the Sanitarium is their planning. Two dwell- 
pores. When this was dry. it was painted ing houses in Mt. Vernon, two more in 
all over with common white lead, and Staten Island, one at Jamaica, L. I.. and 
family artist, and nearly every family 
has one, to some account. The board 
was covered tightly with double-width, 
unbleached muslin, and then the cloth 
beaten full of starch paste to fill all the 
pores. When this was dry. it was painted 
made ready to turn over to the artist 
who, by the way, is generally enough of 
an artisan to do the entire work. 
the Rockaway Hunt Club have been fin¬ 
ished, while three churches and a Cali¬ 
fornia millionaire’s home await their 
On this board, the artist painted a de- plans for construction. This record seems 
panionable. Shall she eat and drink sign representing bent-iron work over- 
with us? I have found no difficulty, be¬ 
cause at the outset I tried to explain 
kindly that it was not so much a matter 
of equality as one of family privacy. 
Every family enjoys the freedom and 
comfort of being quite alone and unre¬ 
run with wistarias, the metal work done 
in bronze or brown—sec Fig. 47. In the 
center, is a bracket supporting a lovely 
blue porcelain vase, in which growls a 
clump of iris. Of course, the flowers 
should be painted in their usual colors, 
strained during meals, especially as the design may be changed or modi- 
good man of the house often has few . . - . • ~ 
sufficiently bright to encourage other 
women in studying architecture as a pro¬ 
fession. 
“ The cost of a course of study in archi¬ 
tecture is small. Two season’s at $50 
each, complete the work, with six months 
in elementary drawing. Then it is wiser 
to go into an architect s office for a year 
of work to gain actual experience that 
the hospital gives for a student.” 
other chances to meet his home circle 
alone. The explanation appeals to the 
good sense of the girl, and is satisfactory 
usually. But I make it a rule to in¬ 
vite her in on certain special occasions— 
the birthday feasts, perhaps, that she 
has done so much to prepare, or some 
other little family celebration. In that 
way, she feels that she is not considered 
under any social ban at all. Aside from 
the Christian, humanitarian view of the 
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