i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
"WOMAN’S WORK.” 
I HAVE been lost in wonder for a long 
time as to how much this greatly 
abused term may cover. I dimly remember 
having heard something like this: “Man’s 
work is from sun to sun, but woman’s work 
is never done,” and I cannot help wondering 
whether that couplet was not meant to be 
a fling at those poor housekeepers who are 
always behind with their work. The most 
definite idea that my mind has yet grasped 
with regard to woman’s work is that it 
consists of all the work that the men and 
the boys cannot or will not do. This idea 
is largely derived from personal experience, 
as follows: I get up in the morning and skim 
and strain the milk, and get the breakfast 
started; then I snatch time to run out and 
feed the chicks if I can; if not, I do It the 
first thing after breakfast. I wash dishes 
and churn, and work the butter, pick peas 
for an hour in the hot sun, and shell them 
for dinner; at 11 o’clock I rush out to feed 
the chicks again and to take the sitting 
hens off the nests for a dust and a run, and 
after I get the vegetables on to cook, I make 
another sally in order to get them back 
again on the right nests. After dinner, I 
wash the dishes, prepare the salad or a 
plain cake for supper, snatch 15 minutes’ 
rest if I can possibly spare the time, feed 
the chicks again, transplant celery plants, 
or take my light hoe and scratch over some 
of the late garden stuff which the men have 
neglected. If the cattle get out, I go after 
them, or else go to call the men; if these 
are behind with their work, I milk the cows. 
I gather the eggs and feed the chicks once 
more, and after dark, as likely as not, I go 
to the poultry-house to doctor a sick bird, 
to see to a would-be sitter, or to pepper an 
ailing brood of chicks with insect powder. 
This is in June. Do you think the work 
gets lighter as the berries and truck come 
on, and the hay and the grain ? Where do 
you suppose my dressmaking, which I can¬ 
not afford to hire, is all this time ? Where 
is my mending? Where is my time to change 
my dress for a “neat afternoon cambric ? ” 
And if I had the time, what would be the 
state of that aforesaid cambric in two 
afternoons ? Do you think my health, al¬ 
ways uncertain, is improving ? Yet this is 
about the daily round for every woman on 
the farm who is anxious to “ get ahead.” I 
do not envy Mr. Terry’s wife: I am only 
thankful that there is one woman on a 
farm who has an easy time; but I fear she 
is an exception, and that we “may never 
look upon her like again.” I wish we 
might have her picture in The Rural. 
But perhaps Mr. Terry will think we are 
prying too deeply into his family affairs. 
PENELOPE (PENNY) WISE. 
“ NEEDLE, THREAD AND THIMBLE, 
TOO.” 
OLIVE E. DANA. 
N OT every woman, even among those 
skilled in housewifely arts, is skilled in 
the use of these three implements, and of 
their not less important adjunct,the scissors. 
There are many details which are but a 
matter of course to the experienced seam¬ 
stress, of which those unused to such work 
are entirely ignorant. It is hardly possible 
to overestimate the benefit to this and suc¬ 
ceeding generations, of the late renaissance 
of domestic culture. The cooking club, 
the cooking school, the helpful printed in¬ 
structions of the women who superintend 
these schools, the many periodicals devoted 
in part, at least, to home interests, and, 
more than all else, may be, the changed 
opinions and sentiment which all these 
factors have helped to create and maintain, 
have wrought revolutions, and, better, evo¬ 
lutions, in kitchens unnumbered. But that 
other department of household care and 
labor, where the needle and the shears are 
the tools, has had hardly its due measure of 
attention. Secondary, indeed, to the cuisine, 
in its relative importance to health and 
comfort, it is yet essential that the house¬ 
wife should not be incapable here. 
The ideal woman as pictured in the Pro¬ 
verbs, had these accomplishments also : 
Pi.sccUaumtS Advertising. 
Advertisers treat all correspondents 
well if they mention The Rural New- 
Yorker. 
When Baby was sick, we gave her Castorla, 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castorla, 
When she became Miss, she clung to Castorla, 
When she had Children, she gave them Castorla. 
“She seeketh wool and flax and worketh 
willingly with her hands.” “She layeth 
her hands to the spindle and her hands hold 
the distaff.” “ She is not afraid of the snow 
for her household, for all her household 
are clothed with scarlet,” or, according to 
the marginal reading, in “double gar¬ 
ments.” “She maketh herself coverings 
of tapestry; her clothing is silk and pur¬ 
ple.” “ She maketh fine linen, and selleth 
it, and delivereth girdles unto the mer¬ 
chants.” 
Time and needs and customs have 
changed since the days of the Proverb- 
maker and since oun grandmother’s day. 
There is no longer the spindle or the dis¬ 
taff ; nor is there heard any more—save in 
some remote retreat—the whir of the spin¬ 
ning wheel or the noise of the loom. The 
roar of the factories takes their place, and 
the same whirling wheels seem sometimes 
fast taking all the work of the needle. So 
much comes ready-made 1 Mrs. Whitney 
complained, a score of years ago, in 
“ Patience Strong’s Outings ” that there 
was no longer any comfortable, cozy “ sit¬ 
ting down work;” the sewing of long 
seams, and the hand-hemming had given 
place to the swift, clattering, unsocial 
machine work. That! twenty years ago I 
What of to-day ? But housekeepers 
have enough left, with the changing de¬ 
mands and fashions of the years, to keep 
head and hands busy. The problem “ How 
to do it ?” is as perplexing as ever to them. 
Moreover, the ready-made fails often to 
suit taste and purse. Economy is not sub¬ 
served by it in very many particulars. 
But practical and particular details de¬ 
mand attention, and we begin the 
household furnishings. It is premised 
that the housekeeper began with plentiful 
provision, and that it is only necessary to 
make good the losses by daily wear and 
tear. Bedding comes first. The outside 
coverings (i. e , those intended for warmth) 
may well consist of substantial blankets 
and,stout, home-made comfortables. Strong 
calico, torn in strips, arranged with con¬ 
trasting colors, and sewed by machine, 
makes the outside, while the lining may be 
widths of one kind. The comfortable, or 
“ puff” should be moderately wadded, and 
quite finely tucked. During the latter 
operation, it is most conveniently managed 
in quilting frames, though one very large 
or several small tables placed together, will 
answer the purpose. These puffs take the 
place of all these elaborately-pieced and 
quilted quilts of our mothers’ and grand¬ 
mothers’ plenishings. It is true the quilts 
will last a lifetime, they are light to handle, 
and may be washed, but few women have 
time or inclination for them now. 
Let us not, however, reject with the 
quilts, the sheets of old-fashioned single¬ 
width cloth, with their long, middle, over- 
and-over seams, which have been so largely 
supplanted by the wide sheeting. The old 
method of “ turning ” half-worn sheets, 
ripping the seam when the middle grew 
thin and sewing the outer edges together, 
secures almost a double term of service, 
which is an item on the side of economy. 
Sheets and pillow-cases should be of good, 
firm cloth. It is a waste of money and 
time to make up cheap, sleazy cotton. 
Very many thrifty housewives prefer to 
buy the unbleached cotton, and “ whiten ” 
it themselves on the melting snows of Feb¬ 
ruary and March, or on the grass of warmer 
months. Many of us may object to the 
brown tinge which for some time clings to 
them, but the new sheets, if one dislikes 
blankets, are very comfortable for winter 
use. And, once so bleached, the cotton is 
said to have a lasting whiteness which 
“ bleached cloth ” does not possess. It also 
makes, so treated, serviceable and comfort¬ 
able night-dresses for winter wear. Small 
rips and rents should be attended to at 
once. The broken thread, with its two- 
inch gap, may, in a day or two, result in a 
rip running the sheet’s length. For table- 
linen the wearing qualities ought to be con¬ 
sidered, whatever be the fineness or coarse¬ 
ness of the texture which the purse ad¬ 
mits. Fashion and taste are given wide 
range here just now, and clean, well-kept 
linen is always comely. Napkins should 
be hemmed by hand. They will not then 
fray or grow dingy at the edges. They 
should be carefully used, kept for table-uso 
(unless some are especially provided for the 
pantry) well-washed and ironed, and fre¬ 
quently counted to avoid loss or mislaying. 
Towels should be in abundance and of 
varying quality, so that the finer ones need 
not be used where coarser will suffice, as in 
the kitchen. For kitchen use, those made 
of a yard of strong crash, well-hemmed, 
and with a loop at each end, may be recom¬ 
mended instead of the long roller-towels. 
The latter are often used for days. One 
can have one of the smaller ones as often as 
desired, once or twice a day at least. Dish- 
towels should be at least three-quarters of 
a yard long. They also should be hemmed, 
of course. For loops for hand-towels, in¬ 
stead of tape, which will break, take a long 
strip of linen, IX inch wide, or of stout 
cotton—the selvedge is best—fold twice, and 
stitch twice through its entire length on 
the machine. Well sewed on, these loops 
will outlast the towel itself. The best dish¬ 
cloths are knitted of coarse white cotton, 
on wooden needles. Holders ought to be 
abundant and of different sorts for various 
uses. Old table-cloths make good bread 
and cake cloths. Cheese-cloth, cut in pieces 
of various sizes, and with a hem run along 
the edges, answers for many purposes and 
is especially useful in summer. But the 
wardrobes of the family, with the constant 
need of replenishing them, cause most 
anxiety and most care and work. 
The most expert needlewoman or experi¬ 
enced housewife could not give rules for 
all the minutiae of cutting, making and 
mending, much less the writer of this un¬ 
pretentious homily. A few hints are, how¬ 
ever, appended : And first, good material, 
that is of excellent wearing qualities, as 
regards both texture and color, should al¬ 
ways be bought. If a garment is intended 
for use, it is not economy to make it of 
unsubstantial goods. And, with an eye 
for beauty as well as one for durability, a 
maxim of the merchant and the housewife 
alike may be here repeated: “ The best of 
a lower grade or cheaper article is better 
than the cheapest of a high grade or better 
article. And another might be crystallized 
into a household proverb, to the effect that 
the ultra-fashionable fabric of one season 
is likely to be entirely outr6 or “ common ” 
the next. Serviceable and inconspicuous 
colors and styles are recommended where 
economy is to be secured or where good 
taste presides. It is well in one’s ward¬ 
robe, be the woman youDg or old, to have 
some prevailing color, or class of colors, 
with which most garments bought can be 
chosen to harmonize. This will allow 
greater variety than may at first be ap¬ 
parent. For instance, if black be chosen, 
one black hat or jacket will serve with a 
black, blue, gray or even green dress, and 
almost any fashionably-tinted gloves can 
be worn, so that they match the dress. If 
brown is liked, a large compass of shades, 
all beautiful and suitable, are at your 
service. If navy-blue, with a sacque and 
hat of that color may be worn dark or light 
blue, with all the intermediate, fashion¬ 
able shades, gray, and even the popular 
tans, if one chooses. The saving in wraps, 
in bonnets and bonnet-trimming, and in 
ribbons and other accessories, as the sea¬ 
sons change, is considerable. 
It is better to have one dress of excellent 
quality and make, than half-a-dozen in¬ 
ferior ones. The same is true of other 
garments, and so far as “ best ” clothes are 
considered, is equally applicable to chil¬ 
dren’s clothing. Very much depends on 
the care of clothing. So many excellent 
bits of advice on this subject have already 
appeared that little more need be said. A 
street-dress should not be worn while doing 
any sort of housework. One or more 
afternoon dresses, intermediate between 
the morning gown and that designed for 
street, are almost a necessity, and cer¬ 
tainly a comfort. To “get the good of 
clothing” it should be well used, not 
abused. The brush, the needle and the 
sponge are in frequent requisition, both for 
children and grown people. Occasional re¬ 
modelings are also inevitable. Skill comes 
with practice, and the durability and ap¬ 
pearance of any garment depend much on 
the manner of making. Gussets save the 
tearing down of “ placquet-holes,” stays 
avert the tearing away of bindings where 
buttons are sewed, and buttons themselves 
the wear of constant pinning. The prompt 
and careful mending of all garments pre¬ 
serves usefulness and comeliness, and 
many a disaster which seems at first 
thought irreparable, yields to the cunning 
contrivance of the skilled mender. It is 
the “knowing how” that secures admi¬ 
rable results, and some kinds of knowl¬ 
edge are gained only through experience. 
Canning Pie-Plant.— There will not be 
apples enough in Western New York this 
fall to supply house-keepers with their 
usual allowance of pies, and one must de¬ 
vise some means of supplying the defi¬ 
ciency,for an American farm house without 
pie is a remarkable thing. Pie-plant_may 
be canned very easily, and most people like 
pie-plant pies. Wash and cut the pie-plant 
as for immediate use and fill 12 cans with the 
591 
pieces. Cover with cold water, and let them 
stand open in a cool place over-night. In 
the morning crowd the contents of three of 
the jars into the other nine. See that the 
water comes up to the top, put on the rub¬ 
bers and cover and screw down tightly. I 
have used pie-plant prepared in this way 
which had been kept two years, and it was 
as good as though just taken from the 
garden. L. 
Raspberry or strawberry sauce, to be 
eaten with corn-starch or arrowroot pud¬ 
ding, is an agreeable addition. Take half 
a cup of butter and one cup of sugar, mix 
them together till the butter is soft and 
smooth, almost like cream; then, to give 
lightness to the sauce, add one well-beaten 
egg. In this stir a cupful of berry juice, 
or the fruit may be mashed and added. 
In writing to advertisers please always 
mention The Rural. 
Each Season 
Has its own peculiar malady; but with the 
blood maintained in a state of uniform vigor 
and purity, by the use of Ayer’s Sarsaparilla, 
the system readily adapts itself to changed 
conditions. Composed of the best alteratives 
and tonics, and being highly concentrated, 
Ayer’s Sarsaparilla is the most effective and 
economical of all blood medicines. 
“ For some years, at the return of spring, 
I had serious trouble with my kidneys. I 
was unable to sleep nights, and suffered 
greatly with pains in the small of my back. 
I was also afflicted with headache, loss of 
appetite, and indigestion. These symptoms 
were much worse last spring, especially the 
trouble with my back. A friend persuaded 
me to use Ayer’s Sarsaparilla. I began 
taking it, and my troubles all disappeared.” 
—Mrs. Genevra Belanger, 24 Bridge St* 
Springfield, Mass. 
Ayer’s Sarsaparilla 
PREPARED BV 
DR. J. C. AYER & CO., Lowell, Mass. 
Sold by Druggists. $l,six$5. Worth $5 a bottle. 
From the “Pacific Journal.” 
“A great invention lias been made by Dr. 
Tutt of New York. He has produced 
Tutt’s Hair Dye 
which imitates nature to perfection; it acts 
instantaneously and is perfectly harmless. * 
Price, SI. Office, 39 & 41 Park Place, N. Y. 
GOLD MEDAL, PARIS, 1878, 
w. bakekT& CO.’S 
Breakfast Cocoa 
Is absolutely pure *«4 
ii is soluble. 
No Chemicals 
are used in its preparation. It hu mart 
than three timet the strength of Coco* 
mixed with Starch, Arrowroot or Sugar, 
and is therefore far more economical, 
coating less than one cent a cup. It ia 
delicious, nourishing, strengthening, BA¬ 
SIL V Digested, and admirably adapted 
for invalids as well as persons in health. 
Sold by Grocers everywhere. 
W. BAKEB & C0.a Dorchester, Mass. 
WOMAN’S WORDS 
ABOUT THE 
CHRISTIAN UNION. 
Here are five sample sentences from hun¬ 
dreds of recent letters written by women in 
renewing their subscriptions to The Chris¬ 
tian Union: 
** It is our flreside companion. I could not^do.with- 
ouc it.”— Mrs. Portia -, Buffalo. 
"Its articles are pervaded by a catholic spirit and 
sound common-sense that are as rare as they are 
refreshing.’’— Frances G., Portland. Me. 
“ I would rather have two meals per diem and The 
Christian Union, than three meals a day with¬ 
out it.”— Sarah B. C-, San Francisco. 
" As long as I can see or hear, I hope to enjoy the 
wea.th of intellectual and spiritual food, and the 
literary, pleasure, it brings me weekly.”— Lucy 
A. P-, Albany. 
“We enjoy the paper exceedingly, and afterwards 
send ft on to California, where it is read by sev¬ 
eral other families when we are through with 
it.”— Delia W. L-, New Haven, Conn. 
TO INTRODUCE 
The Christian Union to readers of The 
Rural New-Yorker, we offer to send it 
to any new subscriber from now until New 
Year’s Day, 1891, together with the illus¬ 
trated Outing and College Numbers, on re¬ 
ceipt of One Dollar. The Christian 
Union is a progressive, independent, enter¬ 
taining Family Paper, which presents “the 
bright side of life.” . Editors: Dr. Lyman 
Abbott and Hamilton W. Mabie. Sub¬ 
scription Price, $3.00 a year. 
Address THE CHRISTIAN UNION, 
SO La Fayette Place, New York. 
