1383 
Improving the Housewife’s Profession. 
It is a belief, with many good people, 
that all women, except abnormal ones, 
are really interested in housework. In 
reality, this belief is quite as absurd as 
to think that every man ought to like 
tile-making or running a sawmill. Many 
women do not really like housework, even 
when they love their homes and families, 
and consequently such work always 
seems like drudgery. 
There is a wise old saying that, if we 
can't get what we like, we should like 
what we can get. It is not likely that 
primitive man always enjoyed chasing 
dinosaurs to get a dinner, or making fire 
by rubbing sticks; therefore he gradual¬ 
ly improved on the elemental necessi¬ 
ties of life, so that they involved less 
trouble, danger, or irksome labor. 
Here is where the unwilling house¬ 
keeper may well copy from primitive man. 
Any girl who marries a man of moder¬ 
ate or merely comfortable means knows 
that the details of housework will fall 
to her share. If she dislikes housework, 
and is determined not to like it, she will 
either do it grudgingly and complaining- 
ly, or she will be slatternly and indolent. 
Sometimes, where her real taste is for 
delicate needlework or ladylike accom¬ 
plishments, she will expect her skill in 
these lines to make up for poor meals, 
disorderly pantries and dirty rooms. 
IIovv can a young woman who neglects 
her house be taught to take a real in¬ 
terest in it, to “make drudgery divine,” 
when her early training has not educated 
her to realize her responsibilities? This 
problem is commoner than we realize, 
and every mother of girls is interested in 
it. The following sensible statement 
comes from Massachusetts: 
I think the question you asked in re¬ 
gard to young 'housekeepers a rather diffi¬ 
cult one to answer. It depends so much 
upon the person. I know kitchen work 
or housework does not appeal to young 
women, especially if they had no love, 
pride or training for that work in their 
early years. I think it needs consider¬ 
able strength of character to turn away 
from work we like or love to do duties 
we hate, duties which come as often as 
kitchen duties, especially hard for young 
people. A person has to make herself do 
a thing sometimes, even though she does 
not like it, and it doesn’t help matters 
any to be hating it all the time you are 
doing it. A great many young house¬ 
keepers do not get up as early as they 
night. I know a young housekeeper 
who was up and had her kitchen work 
done and ready to open the store at eight 
o’clock, the time her neighbors were just 
getting up. I know another housekeeper 
who claims she hates housework but loves 
to work on pretty things where she can 
use silks, and she sells quite a lot of this 
fancy work. Yet she says she never has 
been late putting meals on table in 10 
years. She has dinners to put up and 
dinners to get, also hot suppers. But she 
gets up early and has her work well out 
of the way before her neighbor women 
are up, as she says, “They sleep until 
nine o’clock, then slop around until 
noon.” I do not believe in neglecting 
home people or home work; they and 
their comfort should come first. Neither 
do I believe in being a slave to them or 
the housework. There are necessary du¬ 
ties which can sometimes be left undone. 
A man said only a few days ago when 
speaking of this subject: “I will give $50 
to find out how to interest my daughter 
to do the best she can.” 
If a woman could systematize her 
work, knowing what she has to do, plan 
out a system, stick to it, using common 
sense, I think she would find it quite a 
help, and know about how much time 
she could give to other work or pleasure. 
I cannot see how she is to receive help 
or benefit unless she is interested to help 
herself. anna d. lovering. 
Counting Steps. 
Don’t scoff at the idea of counting 
your steps as new-fangled nonsense. Did 
you know that in the average house the 
housewife walks a thousand miles in 
one year in the immediate preparation 
and serving of three meals each day? 
Think of it! And this does not include 
the baking or the many steps involved in 
the other housework. 
Just try counting the steps you take 
while picking up and washing the break¬ 
fast dishes. The more the aggregate ap¬ 
palls you the better. Reduce the num¬ 
ber of trips from table to sink. If you 
haven’t a wheel-tray and cannot pos¬ 
sess one, use a large hand tray—even a 
stout, roomy market basket lined with 
clean paper. Don’t run back and forth 
with water by the dipperful from sink 
to tank and from tank to dishpan. It is 
amazing how few women keep a small 
tin or enamel pail for this purpose. 
Count the steps to cellar and back; 
THK K.UR..A.L NEW-YORKER 
then count the times you go to the cellar 
in one day. Considered by the rod and 
mile the cellar trips will cease to look 
insignificant. Then learn to carry one or 
two roomy baskets along and bring up 
the day’s supplies at one time. Try to 
arrange a place above stairs where food 
can be kept cool from meal to meal. Did 
you know that a cloth wet in cold water 
and wrapped round the dish containing 
milk, butter and like perishable food will 
by evaporation keep cool for several 
hours by the pantry window? 
Count the steps you take in making a 
bed. A hospital nurse taught me to 
make one side of a bed complete and 
then go round and make the other side. 
This seemed a little awkward to me at 
first but after a few trials it became per¬ 
fectly easy, and I am able to save about 
three minutes in time and GO steps :n 
the making of a bod. If you have three 
beds to make each day that means a 
saving of more than an hour each week, 
or 2days in a year—the length of a 
delightful pleasure jaunt! 
Count the steps you take in starting 
the dinner cooking. Then study to re- 
Embroidery Designs 
No. 374 gives designs for hand-embroid¬ 
ered 1 linen napkin rings. The outer edges of 
scallops and flowers are to bo buttonholed so 
that they can be out around, unless the 
worker desires to finish the Powers In out¬ 
line only, in which case no cutting at all 
should bo d'one. The leaves in eaeh design 
are to be worked in green and the scallops 
in the same color ns the flowers but some 
shades lighter. Cut the strips apart and 
fold over at end edge of scallops and sew 
together before starting the embroidery, 
thus making a double thickness of material. 
When embroidery is finished, attach a pearl 
button between the two scallops, and near 
the flower make a buttonhole, so that when 
buttoned the ring is formed'. For the tulip 
design one ring is to be worked in shades 
of yellow with brown seeds, ttie other in 
shades of rose witli seeds of dark yellow. 
The daisy design should be worked one in 
white with buttonhole stitch and shades of 
yellow French knots for seed center, the 
other in shades of yellow with French knots 
in brown for seed center. For the rose de¬ 
sign use shades of red for one and rose for 
the other, with yellow French knots for the 
seed centers. The tulip and rose designs 
should be worked with the satin stitch, the 
outer edges of the petals to be in the darker 
shade of the colors used, the lighter shade 
being used' for the body of the flowers. The 
napkin rings come in sets of six, being 
stamped on coarse weave, round thread Irish 
linen and cost, with 12 skeins of mercer¬ 
ised floss of designated shades, per set, (id 
cents. 
duce the steps. Don’t keep the kettles 
in the cellarway and the pot-covers on a 
pantry shelf at the opposite end of a 
long kitchen. Fix a place near the 
kitchen range for kettles, frying-pans, 
cooking spoons and forks, salt and pop¬ 
per shakers, holders and whatever you 
use constantly about the stove. Fix a 
shelf or small table near at hand for ihe 
preparation of vegetables and the receiv¬ 
ing of cooked food. 
Get rid of those unnecessary steps. 
ALICE HARGARET ASHTON, 
Pickled Beets. 
Will you give a recipe for pickled 
beets? m. t. M. 
We infer the inquirer wishes to keep 
the beets for future use, as the ordin¬ 
ary method of serving boiled beets with 
vinegar is familiar to all. Boil the beets, 
peel, remove roots and tops, and if large 
cut in halves or quarters. Pack in fruit 
jars, and pour over them boiling vine¬ 
gar, to which a little sugar has been 
Whenever you make a batch of soap be sure 
that the lye you use is the strongest and purest 
you can get—and that means 
BABBITT’S Lye 
In the New Can with the Sifting Pry-Off-Top 
Look for Babbitt’s in the bandy can with the two tops, 
at your grocer’s. Absolutely the best can on the 
market. Use little or much as you desire. 
B. T. Babbitt has been known for 79 years as a maker of 
high quality soap. His reputation is your guarantee. 
Babbitt’s Pure Lye is highest in strength but not in price. 
10c at all first class grocers and druggists 
It makes home made soap that is perfect in quality, appear¬ 
ance and cleansing results. It is also used with entire satis¬ 
faction for all other purposes to which any lye is adapted. 
are making big money selling 
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Handy Demonstration 
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632 So. Main St., Akron, O. 
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F. K. BABSON. Edison Phonograph Distributors 
4340 Edison Block, Chicago. Illinois 
.. 
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ij^LLASTj^ 
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added. Seal tight immediately. Spices 
may be added if liked. Small young 
beets are nicer to put away than the 
mature ones. 
When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal. ’ See guarantee editorial page. : : : 
