1908. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
2T1 
Helpers in the Home. 
Part II. 
So much of comfort and happiness 
depends upon the helpers in the home 
that it is a duty to see that they are 
well fed, well housed, and have some 
time to call their own and a part in the 
social life that surrounds them. The 
truth is that too many women have 
lost grip of their domestic affairs, and 
fail to value it sufficiently to control 
and guide the domestic machinery. 
There is such an increase of intellectual 
and social activity that few women con¬ 
sider the higher importance of home 
keeping, and live accordingly. A writer 
on this subject truly says, “Every cul¬ 
ture that belittles the home and places 
it second to any other ambition, is the 
sower of anarchy, be it disguised ever 
so cleverly in ail the garb of advanced 
thought.” A case to mind in this con¬ 
nection of a little woman who manages 
her household by the help of an un¬ 
trained maid, most of the time, yet by 
method and punctuality finds time for 
French reading, for musical study and 
symphony concerts. There are regular 
days for everything, and marked on a 
slate in the kitchen are needs to be 
specialiy remembered. Large garments 
are sent to the laundry, and Monday 
morning finds all small articles washed 
in good time. Extra baking is done on 
ironing day, so saving time and fuel; 
regular morning duties done, leave free 
afternoons, and the maid enjoys an out¬ 
ing or sits in her comfortable room. 
To save the thought of what to have 
for dinner a schedule of meals for two 
weeks is made out, diversifying so that 
the same leading dish does not appear 
twice during that time. This saves 
doubt and prevents monotony. A small 
memorandum book hangs near the sink 
and tells of things to be done, some¬ 
times recording things left undone. If 
guests are staying at the house she ask 
them to help her in the morning tasks, 
and so the social intercourse is not in¬ 
terrupted, and in the interchange of 
thought the time passes quickly, and a 
guest does not feel to be a hindrance. 
This home breathes of comfort and re¬ 
pose, though there is little time to spare 
for what are called social duties. 
In one family of my acquaintance the 
mother began early to train her little 
daughters to assist in household helping. 
Each member of the family learned as 
soon as old enough to throw back the 
bedclothes, open the bedroom windows, 
and later put the room in order. By 
turns the little girls were assistant cook 
and housemaid alternate weeks, the 
tasks being to peel the potatoes, help 
with the dishes and learn simple culin¬ 
ary art, while the “housemaid” set the 
table, attended to knives and silver, and 
did a certain amount of dusting. This 
was a great help to the one maid of the 
household, who felt herself as one of 
the family in mutual endeavor to make 
a clean and pleasant home, while the 
girls found in after years that the 
training they received in their morning 
and Saturday tasks was of more value 
than the text-books they studied. For 
to know how to direct others is one 
of the secrets of successful housekeep¬ 
ing, and if ever knowledge is power it 
is when a woman can teach untrained 
help lessons of method and neatness on 
domestic lines. For this reason it is 
necessary to encourage high ideals even 
in the simplest things in those who are 
our home helpers, and give them the 
help and encouragement they are sure 
to need. But all this is little value, I 
am afraid, toward solving the present- 
day problem. One friend, whose girls 
only leave her to get married, makes 
it a rule when engaging a helper to 
show her the cosy bedroom and tell her 
the hours she will have to herself, gen¬ 
erally concluding: “I take it for granted 
you are honest and clean—those are the 
main things with me, and I want you to 
feel at home and come to me in any 
difficulty.” To win a girl’s confidence; 
to make her feel that her friends are 
welcome to her room, and that she can 
if it is suitable give them a cup of tea 
or have them spend an evening with her, 
will help to take away that feeling of 
isolation so oppressive to young people. 
Why should she be compelled to resort 
to the streets in order to do her visit¬ 
ing? The house where she is occupied 
all day should be a home, and she 
should be as care-free as your stenog¬ 
rapher or any other wage earner. 
For the present I see no solution, but 
young waifs of our institutions can be 
trained for this work, taught that it has 
its bright side, and with regular method 
and competent teachers of domestic sci¬ 
ence they may go out with diplomas 
elementary and normal, into our homes, 
to become real helpers. Let the science 
of good housekeeping be made attrac¬ 
tive and have its honorable awards, 
something at which to aim, toward 
higher ideals and greater perfections, 
and the little girls who are ready to be 
guided may learn the beauty of a neat 
and orderly home, and how to meet the 
most commonplace work cheerfully 
without the feeling of martyrdom that 
is too often the spirit of our times in 
this everyday employment. To put 
ourselves in the place of the girl who 
starts the domestic machinery, often 
very complex, to simplify it if possible, 
for her as we would for ourselves, is 
very necessary. To explain its details, 
and to show a wish to help, is the work 
of the present day mistress, and will 
earn the gratitude of every well-inten¬ 
tioned helper. For it is human to re¬ 
spond to kindness and honest dealing, 
which must be the keynote of both sides. 
With a feeling of needed reform let a 
housekeeper take an inventory of the 
kitchen conveniences, of the apartments 
where her helper has to eat and work; 
also where she sleeps, and decide for 
herself whether all has been done that 
can be for comfort and expediency, 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
The Rural Patterns. 
The Empire skirt is now seen in many 
models; No. 5929 gives a simple form. 
The skirt can be cut in either five or six 
gores and is perforated for walking 
length and the natural waistline. The 
fullness at the back is laid in inverted 
plaits and the seams mean graceful, 
slender lines as well as perfect fit. The 
quantity of material required for the me¬ 
dium size is 7^4 yards 21, 7 yards 27 or 
44 inches wide when material has figure 
22 to 32 waist, 
or nap; 7^4 yards 21, 5^4 yards 27 or 4% 
yards 44 inches wide when material has 
neither figure nor nap. The pattern 5929 
is cut in sizes for a 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 
and 32 inch waist measure; price 10 cents. 
A well-fitting foundation skirt is a ne¬ 
cessity with any of the Empire models. 
No. 5918 is designed to be worn either 
beneath the Empire skirts or* those that 
terminate at the natural waistline. There 
are no frills and no flounces, but to give 
needed weight it is often well to inter¬ 
line the hem or facing with some light 
weight wool material, as albatross or 
thin flannel. When joined to the girdle 
22 to 30 waist t 
the skirt becomes adapted to Empire 
skirts, when finished with the belt it is 
suited to all others. The skirt is cut in 
seven gores and can be finished with a 
girdle, which is cut in sections, or with 
a straight belt. The quantity of mate¬ 
rial required for the medium size is 
yards 21, 6J4 yards 27 or 4^4 yards 36 
inches wide. The pattern 5918 is cut in 
sizes for a 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30 inch 
waist; price 10 cents. 
Fortelling| the Future 
of a Painting Job 
The outcome of your 
paint investment, involv¬ 
ing gallons of paint and 
many dollars’ worth of 
labor, can be foretold, so 
far as the durability of 
materials is concerned, 
by examining a very small 
specimen of the White 
Lead which you propose 
to use. 
Paint is made of a pigment and a liquid. The pigment, in 
order to have the best paint, must be Pure White Lead, the liquid 
Pure Linseed Oil, and these ingredients should be bought separately 
and mixed fresh as needed. 
To test the paint, take a small bit of the White Lead, before it is mixed 
with the oil or coloring matter, and blow a flame upon it with a blowpipe. 
If little globules of metallic lead form, the White Lead is pure, and you may 
allow the painters to go ahead. If the mass is stubborn and refuses to turn 
to lead, the outlook is bad. The White Lead has been adulterated and you 
will rue the day you allow the imi¬ 
tation paint to be used on your house. 
We will send a Blowpipe free 
The connection between this test and the 
durability (and consequent economy) of paint 
is told instructively in one of our booklets. 
This book, together with a blowpipe to test _ 
White Lead, will be sent free to any house¬ 
owner who intends to paint this season. Ask for Test Equipment 
NATIONAL LEAD COMPANY 
in whichever of the following cities is nearest you; 
New York, Boston. Bnffalo, St. Louis, 
Cleveland. Cincinnati, Chicago, 
Philadelphia Mohn T. Lewis A Bros. Co.]; 
Pittsburgh [National Lead A Oil Co.] 
FULL WEIGHT KEGS 
The Dutch Boy Painter on a 
keg guarantees not only pur¬ 
ity bat full weight of White 
Lead. Our packages are not 
weighed with the contents; 
each keg contains the amount 
of White Lead designated on 
the outside. 
THE ELE6ANT ^ 
FINISH AND 
sZT m time saving 
«•*- FEATURES. 
Any Price .** 
Both the Lift' Plate and the Lift 
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fire feeding is also admirable for broil¬ 
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or slide into the room. This permits 
an extra large ash pan to catch all the 
ashes, and, aside from saving frequent 
emptying, does not let th*em heap up 
to "burn out the grate. Note how all nickel parts 
lift right off for blacking the 
SterunoRawie 
and also how door is removable from fire box to slide grate out at wifl. This grate is always 
free from the fire brick for they rest on an entirely independent brick frame of their own 
and not on the grate frame as in most stoves. 
Look at the transparent oven door, how tVie progress of baking or roasting may be noted 
through heavy mica without loosing a particle of heat from the oven; but by pressing your foot 
on a nickel lever the entire oven door swings open at Will. 
The unsurpassed cooking qualities of the STERLING come from numerous patented 
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over twenty such features is free for the asking, and our dealer is ready to 
convince you that the STERLING is really the very best Lange money 
can buy. 
for Free Booklet. SILL STOVE WORKS, Rochester, N. Y. 
c 
TELEPHONES specially 
adapted to farm lines. Sold 
direct from factory. 
*- Book of instructions 
how to organize 
farmers and build 
line free. Write for 
Bulletin No. 319. The North 
Electric Co., Cleveland, O. 
Kansas City, Ho. Dallas, Tex. | 
IDEAL WASHER 
Try this machine THIRTY DAYS, If it does 
not run lighter, wash cleaner and quicker 
than any other washer return at our 
expense. Has Cedar Tub that will 
last a life-time. Sample machine sold 
' at Special Price to Introduce quick¬ 
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Bluffton Cream Separator Co. 
_B0X M, BLUFFTON, OHIO. 
YOU CAN BUILD 
THIS HANDSOME 
LITTLE HOUSE, all 
complete, painted 
and finished ready 
for occupancy, lor 
about $725.00, pro¬ 
vided you use our complete set of architect’s blue 
B Tints and carpenter’s working plans, which ordlnar- 
y would cost you S100.00, but which we will furnish 
you tree provided, too. that you take advantage ol 
our low prices and special oners on the mill work— 
doors, sash, blinds, mouldings, paint, etc.; otherwise 
the house you would build wouldn’t compare with this 
In style or quality and would cost you about $1,100.00. 
We can save you this money on almost any kind 
of building, furnishing architect’s plans tree, helping 
your carpenter to do a much handsomer and better 
job at a much lower cost to you. Before you build 
take one of our late Big Catalogues (if you haven’t one 
borrow your neighbor’s) ami turn to our Mill Work 
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SEARS, ROEBUCK & CO,. CHICAGO, ILL 
