POBUSHBD VlfDBR THE DIRECTION OF -THE KITCHEN-GARDEN ASSOCIATION Household Economy A MA^rmm FOR schools dZ'5 .LAKEMAIM, TAYLOR, AND COMPANY. LIBRARY C" CONGRESS. 2)'^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A^- (^ rw Household Economy A MANUAL FOR USE IN SCHOOLS Sf)£ loofeEtij torll to tfjc toags of ijcr fjoxiscfjolU ■ PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE KITCHEN- GARDEN AS^-CTA IVISON, BLAKEMAN, TAYLOR, AND COMPANT NEW YORK AND CHICAGO 1882 <^ V^ Copyright, 1882, By IVISON, BLAKEMAN, TAYLOR, AND COMPANY. PREFACE. In preparing this book on the ordinary routine work of a household, the writers have endeavored to supply a want long felt by almost every class of society, — that of a clear, concise, and systematic text-book on those duties which always have claimed, and probably always will claim, the main thought and time of the vast majority of women. In spite of the fact that each generation opens new careers of usefulness to woman, many of which she has adorned, and which it is honorable in her to pursue, it is nevertheless true, that woman's kingdom is pre-eminently the home. Any thorough course of instruction in household matters is a preparation for the ordinary life-work of a woman, whatever her station. There is scarcely any sphere of activity into which she can enter, where the knowledge of some part at least of household duties will not materially assist her. It is of the highest importance, especially at this IV PREFACE. time, when so many false ideas on the subject pre- vail, that our young girls should realize the fact that there is nothing degrading in household work or in domestic service. A distinguished woman has well expressed this idea in the following paragraph : — *' The wrongly-educated woman thinks her duties a disgrace, and frets under them, or shirks them if she can. She sees man triumphantly pursuing his vocations, and thinks it is the kind of work he does which makes him regnant ; whereas it is not the kind of work at all, but the way in which and the spirit with which he does it." This mistake leads young women to devote time and energy exclusively to what are termed the higher branches of education. In doing this they neglect the lowlier, but not less noble, study of domestic science, and so enter upon life unprepared for the duties that usually await them. Such neglect can not be too greatly deplored. The time spent in acquiring a knowledge of domestic science is never in vain, if it enables women to attend wisely and faithfully to what is necessary to the comfort and happiness of home. It is desirable, therefore, that every woman should acquire a thorough knowledge of domestic economy. The aim of this book is to give such information ; PREFACE. V and it is commended to the earnest attention of all those who desire to fit themselves for that position which it is woman's special privilege to adorn. " She looketh well to the ways of her household," - — words that the wise man coupled with prosperity and honor, still promise the same blessing upon the faithful performance of those duties which, as part of woman's inheritance, we may not put aside. CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE "i Chapter L — THE KITCHEN i Sect. I. Care of the Kitchen and Cellar ... i Sect. H. Marketing 7 Sect. HI. Food 12 Sect. IV. Plain Cooking 25 Questions 3° Chapter II. — THE LAUNDRY 32 Sect. I. Furnishing the Laundry 32 Sect. II. Washing 35 Sect. III. Starching and Ironing 38 Questions 41 Chapter III. — THE DINING-ROOM 42 Sect. I. Arrangement of the Dining-room ... 42 Sect. II. Table Service 46 Sect. III. The Care of China, Glass, and Silver . 50 Questions 53 Chapter IV. — CHAMBER-WORK 54 Sect. I. The Care of the Bedroom 54 Sect. II. Fires and Grates 58 Sect. III. Bathroom and Closets 60 Sect. IV. Halls and Stairs 63 Questions 66 Chapter V. — HOUSE-CLEANING 67 Sect. I. The Weekly Cleaning • . . (>l Sect. II. General House-cleaning 71 Questions 82 vii Vlll CONTENTS. PAGE Chapter VI. — DRESS 83 Sect. I. Uses and Materials of Dress 83 Sect. II. Plain Sewing 90 Questions 93 Chapter VII. — THE LIBRARY . ..... . . . . . 94 Sect. I. The Field of Reading 94 Sect. II. Arrangement and Care of the Library, 96 Questions 100 Chapter VI IL — HEALTH AND ILLNESS loi Sect. I. Hygiene loi Sect. II. Care of the Sick 107 Sect. III. Emergencies 121 Questions 128 Chapter IX. — ECONOxMY, SYSTEM, AMENITIES . . . 131 Sect. I. Economy 131 Sect. II. System 134 Sect. III. Conclusion — Household Amenities . . 136 Questions 140 Household Economy. CHAPTER I. THE KITCHEN. SECTION I. — CARE OF THE KITCHEN AND CELLAR. " Much of the comfort and health of the household depend upon an orderly and well-regulated kitchen. We treat the subject under the following heads : The Daily Care of the Kitchen ; Cooking Utensils ; The Weekly Kitchen Cleaning. Making the Fire* — After opening the kitchen, the first thing to be done in the morning is to attend to the fire ; the paper, kindling and coal having all been made ready the after- noon before to avoid delay. The range or stove should be emptied of all dust and ashes; pieces of coal only partially burned should be carefully picked out to be used again, and the ashes put in the ash-can carried away. In making the fire, first put in loose rolls of paper, then the kindling (pine is best). Lay the kindlings crosswise, and not too close together, that the air may pass freely through. When the kindling is well ignited, the coal should be put on, in small quantities at first ; HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. more being added as this becomes heated. Turn the dampers so as to make a draught. While the range is heating, the kitchen may be hghtly dusted, after which the breakfast should be prepared. Kitchen Washing, — Breakfast over, the utensils and dishes used in cooking should be washed, and either put away at once or left on the range for an hour or so to dry thoroughly. Brush off the range, and rub it with stove-polish if it is greasy. Mats or pieces of carpet should be shaken, and the floor swept. The furniture, and tin ware if hung on the walls of the kitchen, should be dusted. The sink must be washed with soap or soda and a stiff brush after each meal. If any refuse should be in it after washing the dishes or iron pots, it must be removed at once, and not allowed to get into the waste-pipes, which it would soon choke up entirely. This can not be attended to with too much care. The kitchen dish-towels must be washed in hot suds every day, and thoroughly boiled twice a week. No dishes or utensils can be well taken care of unless the dish-towels used are clean. Do not allow soiled dishes to stand, but scrape and wash them as soon as possible, and after each meal set the kitchen in order before proceeding to other work. When the last meal of the day is over, the kitchen should be put in order, the utensils washed, all food put away in closets or refrigerator, the tables wiped off, and the hearth brushed up. Cooking Utensils, — Among the articles in iron ware in constant use in the kitchen are stewpots, saucepans, frying- THE KITCHEN. pans, dripping-pans, porcelain-lined pots, gridirons, griddles, soup, fish, and tea kettles. In tin ware are dishpans, sauce- pans, pails, pint and quart measures, colander, skimmer, muffin rings, and spoons. In wooden ware, rolling-pin, chopping- tray, bread-board, potato-masher, spoons, pails, etc. Knives of various kinds are needed in the kitchen. Copper instead of iron utensils are often used. All these utensils require constant care, and should be always washed after being used, as well as thoroughly scoured once a week. The iron pots should be washed with, soft soap or washing- soda, with a linked metal scourer, or with a dishcloth kept for the pots. If the food adheres to the sides, fill the pots with water, and leave them standing on the range for an hour or so. They must be thoroughly dried before putting them away, to prevent their rusting. As many articles as possible should be hung up on hooks. If after using, any of the iron utensils are greasy, burnt or discolored, a little soda boiled in them will usually cleanse them. The tins should be washed with hot suds as soon as possi- ble after using. To keep them bright they should be scoured once a week, with soap and sand or with sa polio, which answers the same purpose. They must be thoroughly dried with a soft cloth. The copper utensils should be cleaned with vinegar and salt rubbed on with flannel. Polish them with flannel or chamois. Wooden ware should be washed with cold water and sand. HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. The knives used in the kitchen should be cleaned every day with bath- brick. For the care of china, glass and silver see the chapter on the Dining-Room, Sect. III., p. oo. Each dish and utensil should be wiped off just before using it either in cooking or on the table to remove the dust from the fire which will settle on them. The Refrigerator, — Great care must be taken with the refrigerator. It should be thoroughly scrubbed out at least once a week with borax and water, and well aired. The blanket used on the ice should be dried every day, and washed once a week. When milk and butter are kept in the refrigerator, neither fruit, vegetables like onions or garlic, or highly spiced food should be put in it, as they will give the butter and milk a disagreeable taste. Cold meats, vegetables or other food should not be put away on the dishes used on the table when it can be avoided. If a pan is used to catch the water from the refrigerator, care must be taken not to allow it to overflow. If a waste- pipe from the refrigerator is connected with the main soil- pipe, this waste-pipe must be well trapped. Serious illness, even deaths have resulted from the neglect of this. The Weekly Kitchen Clemiinr/, — Although the clean- ing of utensils and fixtures is a daily duty, there should be in addition a more thorough cleaning of the kitchen itself and of its furniture and various closets. The flues of the range should be cleared once a week of THE KITCHEN. 5 the' dust and ashes, and the range blackened with stove- polish. The cleaning of the flues should be done some stated morn- ing of the week before lighting the fire. Each closet, pot- closet, store-room, china-closet or dresser should be cleaned once a week. The floors should be scrubbed and the shelves wiped with damp cloth and papered. The utensils should be scoured as directed under Cooking Utensils. Where there is a great deal of cooking it is better not to leave the cleaning of all the closets and of the kitchen and refrigerator to be done on one or two days of the week. It makes the work much easier to do a certain part of it each day; for instance, the pot-closet and pots on Monday, the store-room or closet on Tuesday, the china-closet or dresser on Wednesday, tins and coppers on Thursday, refrigerator and hall on Friday, and the kitchen itself and the range on Satur- day. The work should be arranged systematically and done in the easiest way that thoroughness will permit. If the kitchen floor is carpeted it should be sprinkled with tea-grounds and thoroughly swept. If it is of painted wood, scrub it with cold water only. If covered with oil-cloth, it should be first swept with a hair broom, then wiped up with a cloth and water. A little milk in the water will make the colors bright. The walls may be kept free from dust by wiping them down occasionally with a soft cloth, wrapped on a long-handled brush. The copper boiler and faucets should be cleaned with oxalic acid. Put a pint of water to ten cents' worth of oxalic HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. acid powder ; when dissolved put it in a bottle tightly corked, and label it " Oxalic Acid — Poison." It should never be used on any cooking utensils, being an active poison. The boiler should be cleaned when nearly cold. Rub it with flannel wet in the oxalic acid and water, and polish with flannel or chamois. Clean copper faucets in the same way. The kitchen tables if of pine should be scrubbed with cold water and sand, in the direction of the grain of the wood. If they are made of hard wood use no sand. Kitchen Odors may be prevented by throwing a few pieces of charcoal into the pots, kettles or pans while cook- ing. A little bread tied in a piece of muslin and put into the pots, etc., is most excellent for the same purpose. T7ie Cellar. — A thorough housekeeper will always see that the cellar has its due share of attention in the daily care and weekly cleaning. For the health of the household, clean- liness and order are as necessary in the cellar as in the bed- room or parlor. Although it is seen by few, it should receive the same care and attention as the other parts of the house. A good cellar should be perfectly dry, light and well ven- tilated, not only in the part where provisions are kept, but also in that allotted to the furnace, coal, wood, etc. A cemented floor is best, being dryer and more easily kept clean than any other. The walls should be whitewashed, and the whitewash renewed once a year (in the spring), to keep the cellar fresh and sweet. The cellar should be cleaned once a week ; coal dropped THE KITCHEN. on the floor must be returned to the bins, wood and kindlings piled neatly in their allotted places; ashes, dust and rubbish must be removed, and the floor thoroughly swept. It is well to brush down the walls occasionally in order to remove any dust or cobwebs that may have collected on them. In the provision cellar the shelves or closet should be well scrubbed. Vegetables and fruit should be looked over, and any decaying ones among them at once removed. Neglect of this is often the cause of sickness in the household. The steps leading to the cellar must be scrubbed. The cellar windows should be washed as often as they require it. All articles belonging in the cellar should be arranged in order. SECTION U.~ MARKETING. TFIien to Learn Markethuj. ~ Every woman should understand how to purchase family stores, and this knowl- edge must be acquired in girlhood. It is no time to begin learning how to market after she has the entire responsibility of a home thrown upon her. Information pertaining to the necessaries of life and to the care of domestic concerns should be gained while in her teens, so that by the time a girl becomes of age she wiU be ready to undertake the respon- sibilities of the household. Nothing is more important than the proper selection of food. Marketing may be done in two ways; first, in an extravagant way, which is frequendy due to ignorance, and second, in a sensible economical way. The cheapest kinds 8 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. of food are sometimes the most wholesome and strengthening, but in order to obtain their best quahties we must know how- to choose them for their freshness, goodness and suitabiHty to our needs. Choosing Dealers. — x^fter you have settled in a place, select dealers, and when you have satisfied yourself that those whom you have tried are honest, keep to them. They will take greater interest in supplying a regular customer at reasonable rates than one who only buys of them occasion- ally, and if you pay in ready money they will be all the more glad to serve you. One word of caution ; s/iim the credit system. Debts are bad pillows to rest on. Buying Beef* — Remember that ox or bullock beef is the best. The animal should be five years old before it is killed. It should be fine grained, the lean a bright red color and streaks of fat running through it. Unless there is a good quantity of the fat, which should be of a rich clear white, the meat will be tough and not good flavored. The heifer or cow beef is paler than ox beef, and finer grained. It is not so desirable, because it is less rich and juicy. When the meat is of a very dark red and the fat skinny then it is too old. To test beef, press the thumb down in it ; if it rises quickly the meat is good ; if not, then it is poor. The best pieces for roasting are the porter-house cuts and the sirloin or middle ribs. The sirloin is cut from the "chump end " and has a good fillet. THE KITCHEN. Porter-house steak is the best for broihng, but sirloin steaks are the most economical ; they are larger and cheaper. For beef tea buy beef cut from the round. For soup meat get the upper part of the leg and a few pounds of the round. The upper part of the leg and three or four pounds of the round will make six or eight quarts of good stock. There should be as little fat as possiljle in soup meat. In corned beef, the rump is the best for boiling. The " plate piece " is very nice for pressing and serving cold. Btiying Veal, — Veal is generally considered less desir- able than beef, but we need a variety of meats, and if the veal is perfectly fresh and sweet there is little risk in using it. The calf should be about two months old ; if it is older than this, the meat is apt to be coarse. Veal should be small and of a pale color, the kidney well covered with fat, the flesh dry and almost white. If it is at all clammy do not buy it. The roasting pieces are the fillet, loin and shoulder. A knuckle of veal makes excellent soup. Pork, — It is unsafe to buy pork of any dealer unless you can trust him. It is not a very healthy meat, with some people always causing indigestion. So much pork is fattened with refuse, instead of being " corn fed," that we can not be too careful in buying, as it is sometimes diseased. If it is flabby, clammy or has kernels in the fat, let it alone. The fat should be HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. hard, the lean almost white, the grain fine and the rind thin and smooth. Lamb is one of our most delicious meats ; it is tender, sweet and nourishing. Lamb should be small, pale red, and fat. The loin is the best for roasting and the leg for boiling. The best lamb chops are taken from the ribs ; when trimmed nicely they are called " French chops." Those taken from the leg have more meat on them. A lamb is divided into two fore-quarters and two hind-quarters, all of which are good for roasting. Mutton is a sheep of about two years old ; it should be dark colored and have plenty of fat. All the joints may be roasted. A saddle of mutton is two legs and two loins ; the leg or the loin is best for roasting. The leg is often boiled ; chops are cut from the loins, cutlets from the leg. The neck is the best for broth. Fowls. — In selecting fowls get the male birds ; if they are young they will have smooth legs and short spurs ; the feet will be pliable, and the eyes full and bright. Hens may be judged by the same signs. Never get a chicken that has begun to turn blue, or that has stiff feet. The vent of all fowls should be firm and not discolored. Fish must be perfectly fresh. The body should be stiff, the eyes bright, the gills clear red. If you want to broil your fish get the fishman to split it. THE KITCHEN. u Vegetables and Fruit, — Among the many articles of food there is nothing more healthy than good, fresh vegetables and fruit, and nothing more injurious to health than those that are stale and unripe. In cities it is difficult to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Unless you can get them within a few hours after they come from the garden, it is better to use only those kinds which do not have to be eaten as soon as they are picked. Those that are the safest to buy are the following : pota- toes, turnips, beets, carrots, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, and parsnips. The Alpha and Early Rose are very good early potatoes. The Red Peach Blow is another good variety, and the Snow- flake is a good winter potato. Smooth, even, medium-sized potatoes are the most economical. June is the month when vegetables are most abundant. Leguminous vegetables are called pt^lse. Pedse, beans and lentiles belong to this class. Pease and beans when dried are less digestible and healthful than when eaten green. Green pease, string, butter and Lima beans are all good. Asparagus and spinach must be tender and crisp to be good. For baking or cooking you want tart apples, as pippins or greenings. There is a great variety of apples, and these are only two of many good kinds. 12 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. SECTION III. — FOOD. The subject of food may be conveniently treated under the following inquiries: What Shall We eat? W^hen Shall We EAT? AND How ShALL W^E EAT? Assuming that it is understood how to judge of the food offered in market, how to care for it after it is brought into the house, and how to cook it suitably, the remaining ques- tion to be considered is, What shall we select as being good for food? It should be borne in mind that every person has his peculiarities of constitution. What may be good for one, will prove injurious to another, so that all that can be done here is to lay down a iew broad, general rules. What follows is not supposed to apply to invalids, whose i^articular cases are studied by the physician, and left to his direction, but only to those in ordinary health. A Mixed Diet the Best, — Our bodies are made up of different tissues. Each needs its proper nourishment, and no one kind of food contains all the elements which go to make it up. What is called a " mixed diet " is therefore recommended by physicians, and commends itself to common sense ; that is, a diet composed of meat and vegetables in proper quantities. Meat enriches the blood and tends to produce firmness of muscle and general strength. Yet too much meat does not TMM mf(^^^EN. 13 strengthen, or tend towards health, but is injurious. If eaten in excessive quantities, or to the exckision of other food, it sometimes produces loss of appetite, a constantly tired feel- ing, derangement of the stomach, headache, thinness, and eruptive skin diseases. Conversely, those who from caprice of appetite, or false notions of delicacy, refuse meat entirely, are often pale, weak, flabby in muscle, with bloodless lips, and a disposition to chilliness. More meat is needed in winter than in summer, since it is very nourishing, and if fat it is productive of heat. Upon an average, about one-fourth of the whole weight of food con- sumed during the twenty-four hours should be animal food. What Meats are Best, — Some meats are more easily digested than others. Mutton comes first in this respect, and then beef; they are therefore the best meats for children. But the digestion of a child is delicate, and the child does not require the same proportion of animal food as a grown person. A not unreasonable prejudice exists against pork. It is the most indigestible of all meats, and unless thoroughly cooked it is liable to produce a fatal disease. Corned, or smoked, it is not injurious ; this process usually sufficing to kill the germs of disease. The over-young veal, which often appears in our markets, is very unheal thful, and should not be eaten. In- deed, the flesh of immature animals is never as wholesome or nourishing as that of those which have reached maturity. The Use of Fats, — Fat should not be avoided, but freely used, except by those who are already too fleshy. It 14 HO USE HOLD E CONOM Y. is in some degree a safeguard against lung complaints. Our lungs are an internal furnace whence vital heat is radiated ; and fats are the best fuel we can supply to keep up the heat of the system. It is an unhealthful as well as a wasteful habit to trim away the fat from our meat after it is set before us. The use of olive-oil in salads and other kinds of dressing is to be recommended. Butter is not only palatable, but wholesome, if eaten in moderate quantities. Too much fat deranges the stomach and impedes digestion. Fish when in good condition is an excellent article of food. It is easy of digestion, and rich in phosphorus, which is required by the brain. The same may be said of shell-fish, with the exception of crabs and lobsters, which are often very indigestible. Ffjgs are very nutritious. An ^gg weighs on an average about two ounces, nearly all of which is readily assimilated by the system. Yet, eaten in excess, they produce bilious dis- orders. Eggs are often more easily digested when boiled hard than when in a soft state. Vegetables and Fruit are most healthful and refreshing ; they are requisite to the needs of our bodies. They supply certain acids necessary to keep the system in order, and purify the blood from eruptive tendencies. Yet fruit eaten in too large quantities tends to biliousness ; and in very hot weather, when cholera lurks at every turn, should not be used without caution. THE kitchen: ■ f 5 Cereals or grains of all sorts contain many elements ne- cessary to the nourishment of various parts of the body. They are light and digestible, very nutritious and fattening,- seldom irritating the stomach, or interfering with its action. They are valuable in the sick-room, and should form a considerable part of the food of every child over two years old. It is hardly necessary to urge people to eat bread, which is so full of wholesome nutriment ; but it should be eaten stale enough to be light and friable. Hot bread is more or less unwholesome, being not easily digestible for many persons. Broivii or Graham Bread should be more generally used, for it contains much starch and gluten that are lost in the process of refining flour to whiteness; and its coarse" grain promotes digestion. Hominy, oatmeal, grits, barley and" rice are excellent dishes, and will nourish and fatten. Buck- wheat, in moderation, is good ; too much of it sometimes makes the skin blotchy and eruptive. Indian meal is whole- some, but very hearty food ; eaten in summer it is heating to the blood, and apt to cause disorders of the bowels. Dainty preparations may be made from tapioca, sago, corn- starch, farina, and arrow-root granum, all of which may be freely eaten except by those inchned to corpulency. Sugar and all saccharine products are very nourishing. But some persons can not use them freely from the fact that sweets with them undergo fermentation in the stomach and turn to acid. When this occurs they ought to be let alone. Molasses or treacle is often, especially for children, a good substitute for laxative medicines. l6 household: ECOI^OMY, Sugar, at right times, and in right quantities, is good; but candies have so many admixtures that they are often harmful and sometimes very injurious. Milh is both food and drink. Life can be sustained upon milk alone for an indefinite period. It contains every thing necessary to the support of the body, and is at the same time so easily digested as to form the natural food of the youngest child ; and it should constitute the chief part of the diet of children. Most dyspeptics find milk the best possible ibod, — a boon which saves them from starvation. Yet some people are so unfortunately constituted that milk gives them distressing headache and nausea, and produces acute bilious- ness. A tablespoon of lime-water, added to a glass of milk, generally counteracts these evil tendencies, and renders it harmless and wholesome. Water forms a large part of the substance of our bodies. A great deal of this is taken into the system in solid food consumed, but the sensation of thirst warns us when more is needed. Iced wafer is the commonest beverage in America, but its effects are often bad. Its intense coldness at times almost paralyzes digestion, and prevents food from being assimilated. But Croton water, drawn from lead pipes, in summer particu- larly, is disagreeable without ice. The least injurious way in which iced water can be taken is by sipping it slowly ; in this way each mouthful is partially warmed before being swallowed. Little bits of ice, held in the mouth till melted, THE KITCHEN. serve the purpose both of cooling the mouth and throat, and of satisfying thirst. The water thus swallowed, having been- warmed, is harmless, even to invalids. If there be any doubt as to the purity of drinking water it should be boiled ; this process, by killing the animalcules in it, renders it less likely to be injurious. Mineral waters, from their various medicinal properties, are often very serviceable. Tea is used in almost every household, and in moderation is very beneficial. Tea is not in itself nourishing, but it gives strength, and takes the place of nourishment to a certain degree. It forms an agreeable, warm drink, vvhich is neither heating to the blood, nor oppressive to the stomach. It causes perspiration, and thus healthfully cools the body when it is overheated. When we are fatigued, tea is an efficient restorative. It has a decided effect upon the nerves, and while from its exhilarating tendency it is good for persons of a heavy habit, with a tendency to sleepiness, it is exciting and over-stimulating to nervous people ; and it should be used by them in moderation. Large quantities of strong tea, especially green tea, induce distressing nervous disorders. Women usually drink too much of it. Coffee is quite as valuable as tea. It is heating and stimu- lating to the system ; and helps to sustain it under fatigue, exposure, and want of food. It is an excellent beverage for cold weather, but rather to be avoided in summer. Taken with sugar and milk, it is nourishing ; with many persons its habitual use tends to biliousness. Used without sugar or 1-8 HOUSEHO-LD: ECONOMY. milk, it acts as a tonic, aids digestion, and is invaluable as a remedy for neuralgia and nervous headache. Chocolate is preferred by some to either tea or coffee. It has but little stimulating quality, being almost pure nutri- ment. Where the digestion is unimpaired, chocolate and the various preparations of cocoa will be found most nourishing and fattening. But they have a tendency to upset all but strong stomachs, and should be let alone by those upon whom, they have this effect. Broma and alkethrepta do not have this effect, and are very nutritious. Condiments, sauces, relishes and spices, hardly fall under any rules except those suited for the individual. Their use is to render food more palatable, and so to increase the quan- tity that may be eaten. They can not be considered injurious, upon the whole, except in cases where there is an inherent tendency to dyspepsia. Considering these simple facts about the nature and effects of food, and the immense variety offered in our markets, it would seem an easy matter to make one's diet tend always in the direction of health, and consequendy of comfort and happiness. If any article, or kind of food, be found to dis- agree uniformly, it is the part of wisdom and common sense to discard it at once and permanently. When shall we Eat ? — In America, custom says that we should eat three times a day. There can be, however, no cast-iron rule. There are those whose waking hours are so THE kitchen: 19 many, and -whose labor is so arduous, that they require an extra meal. Infants and small children need frequent feeding, a little at a time, because of their limited powers of digestion. For the same reason dyspeptics, like children, must let " little and often " be their rule. Weak stomachs can not dispose of a quantity of food ; they are paralyzed by the amount of work required. Ordinarily, however, the division of the day into three regular meal-times answers a good purpose. This leaves four or five hours between each meal, which is time enough for digestion to be perfectly accomplished. Eating Irregularly. — The practice of eating at hap- hazard, now at one hour, now at another, disorders and be- wilders the digestive system, which being adapted to run in an orderly manner dislikes to be called upon to do work at all sorts of times, and takes its revenge for such treatment in sullen headaches, or spiteful fits of dyspepsia. So do not neglect to take a wholesome luncheon to school ; nor think when you are out shopping, or hurried in the work-room, that " it is no matter about eating." It is a matter of impor- tance that you should not leave without fuel the engine which supplies force to keep all the body in motion. If you do this, with night comes exhaustion, often sick headache, or, in robust constitutions, ravenous hunger. In the first case, the temptation is to decline all food and to take stimulants. In the second, it is to eat immoderately ; overloading the stomach, which being tired with the rest of the body "is at a disadvan- tage for the special effort required. The effect of the stimu- lants is to excite the nerves painfully ; and this excitement is 20 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. followed by headache, feverishness, and low spirits. Over- eating causes a sense of repletion, nausea, stupidity, and sleepiness ; — and then, dyspepsia. Never eat much when greatly fatigued. You can not then digest food, and undi- gested food is worse than none at all. If you have been long without food, and faintness is added to fatigue, take a little light food, — a slice of bread and a cup of tea, a cracker and a glass of milk, — and but little of it ; and wait until you are rested for a full meal. It is cruel to make children wait till long past the usual time, if their places are wanted at table. They get cross over it because it makes them ill, though they do not know that. The fact that children need to eat oftener than grown people does not make it necessary that they should eat continually. If the httle ones are accustomed to having nothing given them between times, they will feel it no hardship to wait till the regular hours, and will come to the table with good appetite for food that will nourish them, — an appetite that has not been frittered away upon crackers, sweets, and so forth. Good Digestion, — After hunger is satisfied, we should not disturb the digestion of the food. From three to four hours is the average length of time required for digestion. If we take a second supply within an hour after the first, what happens? The stomach being given to doing one thing at a time, can not attend properly to what is partly digested, and also to raw material. For when we take food into our stom- achs, it passes into a wonderful chemical laboratory, whence it starts on a tour through the body ; each part of which THE KITCHEA\ catches up and appropriates what belongs to it. Now if, instead of nourishment, injurious substances are generated in the laboratory, they too travel through the body, carrying disease. Imagine what fermentation is going on within those who are constantly nibbling ! Think how vexed and fretted the systematic, orderly stomach gets over the me?ses that nibblers constantly send into it, keeping it always worried, yet never properly at work. Eat before Worhing, — An empty stomach gives a sense of faintness, and is a poor foundation for hard work. The theory of some over-ambitious people, that before break- fast is the time to do good work, is not true. Rugged con- stitutions may be able to endure the strain of walking or working before eating. But for many, the amount of labor necessary to prepare a full breakfast, and the time which must elapse between rising and the eating of this breakfast, are sufficient to make them feel sick, tired, and inert, all day, though they often do not know v.-hat ails them. It is urged upon those who have charge of the preparation of the first meal, and of the accompanying morning housework, that they do not work fasting, but eat, very soon after rising, a little light food ; — bread and butter, bread and milk, or, better still, warm oatmeal or hominy. Cases of permanent injury to health from neglect of these precautions have fallen within the writer's knowledge. Ijate Suppers, — Eating heartily just before going to bed is injurious. Digestion does not progress well during sleep ; 22 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. since all the organs need to rest a part of the twenty-four hours. During sleep the powers lie dormant. The usual results of indigestion will follow a hearty supper taken just before sleeping. Yet, if sleeping be deferred for many hours after the last meal, and one is hungry, sleep will not be tran- quil or refreshing with this craving unsatisfied. Physicians say, "Do not eat heartily just before sleeping; but do not go to bed hungry." Nothing is better for a late supper than a glass of good milk. It is readily assimilated, rich in nour- ishment, and calls for no hard digestive work. Singularly enough, those who can not ordinarily touch milk, because of its bilious tendency, often find it perfectly harmless when taken at bed-time. How shall we Eat? — We should eat no more food than we have time to eat properly. Slow eating, and thorough mastication, are prime conditions of health. Slow eating, that food may be well mingled with saliva, which is necessary to its digestion ; thorough mastication, to save the stomach hard labor. Meal-thnes, — How to place our regular meals, and what to serve at each, are disputed points. Custom and family convenience must decide whether we shall dine at noon or at six o'clock. It is urged, on one side, that midday dinners allow a longer waking time for the heavy meal of the day to digest ; that the system is then less fatigued than at night, and in better order to take food; and that a hearty meal at night- produces heaviness and stupidity. But on the other THE KITCHEN. 23 hand, while a noon dinner interrupts the busy work of the day, and is ahiiost sure to be hurried through, a late dinner comes after the day's toil is completed, and mind and body are then at leisure to discuss food slowly and comfortably. When dinner is served at six, three or four hours elapse before bed-time — quite long enough for digestion. And this is almost always a period of quiet and relaxation, such as could not be obtained at noon, and so is favorable to the digestive process. But children should always take their heaviest meal at noon, since their bed-time is early, or ought to be, if they are to grow strong. Those who go directly from the table to a course of hard work will need more food than those whose life is sedentary and easy. The brain worker needs different food from the manual laborer. Those exposed to great stress of weather must have food that will help them to withstand its effects. Fruit before Breakfast, — It is nowadays much tlie fashion to eat fruit before breakfast, and an excellent fashion it is for those who can do it. Those who get no injury from the practice, derive great benefit, finding fruit thus eaten an excellent corrective to the bowels. But there are those who render themselves a prey to sick headache if they eat fruit in the morning. Such ought not to force themselves to eat from a mistaken notion that fruit must be healthful, though its effects are bad. Soup at Dinner,. — To begin a dinner, however simple, with soup, is desirable for several reasons. The keen, edge 24 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. of appetite being quieted, the temptation to overload the stomach is lessened ; and soup is a very nourishing and eco- nomical food. Very many different dishes at dinner, by tempting the appetite, are apt to cause us to eat more than we really need. Desserts. — The dessert need not be merely a pleasing of the palate at the expense of health. Eggs, milk, sugar, sago, tapioca, gelatine, fruit-jellies, with various preparations of cereals, are all valuable articles of diet, and form, if prop- erly used, the basis of nice desserts. Some pies, if crisp, light, well baked, and filled with fresh stewed fruit, may be eaten with impunity. But most pastry is indigestible and can not be ranked as nutritious food. It is a good rule to rise from the table feeling that one could eat more. Variety in Food, — A few words may be said about table furnishing and manners. Monotony in food leads one condemned to it to hate the thought of eating. She who attends to the supplying of the table should feel it shame not to bestow thought enough upon the matter to enable her to set forth an agreeable variety according to the season of the year. This need not mean an extravagant or fancy table, for there are many varieties of plain food ; but it does mean thought and study. An Attractive Table, — If you are at the head of a household, never slight those for whom you provide by put- THE KITCHEN, 25 ting ill-cooked, slovenly food upon the table, with the plea that you " hadn't time to do it better." Take time enough to prepare at least one wholesome, appetizing dish, though it be but porridge or soup. Put it nicely before those who are to eat it ; before yourself, if you serve yourself. If you have ample means, see that your every-day table is set out as daintily and charmingly as if there were " company ; " for it is the instinct of a true woman to be, in all her belongings, just what she wishes to seem. If you have to look closely to expenses, still let perfect cleanliness and order reign, and omit no pretty garnishing and setting on that you can com- pass by ingenuity. A little womanly deftness will make some plain table furnishings inviting and nice. Never make an excuse for slovenliness, because you '' have so little." Have that little attractive. SECTION lY. — PLAIN COOKING. No doubt many of the occupations which lie nearest us all may become irksome because of their daily occurrence and want of variety. Yet these duties skillfully performed make our homes bright and comfortable, — badly performed make them uncomfortable and gloomy. Let us all bring to them our best efforts, and consider none of them insignificant or unworthy our time and attention. As we must '' eat to live," we should all learn enough of the art of cooking to prepare us for emergencies, or to instruct others when necessary, even if we are not called upon to do this kind of work from day to day ourselves. The word 26 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. "art" is used advisedly, for in some countries the preparation of food has occupied the attention of the people to such an extent that it seems as if perfection had been attained. In this regard, France takes the lead, and we owe her a debt of gratitude for showing us that the plainest and most inex- pensive materials may be prepared in such a wholesome, well-flavored and even artistic way, as to tempt the most fastidious palate and please the most cultivated eye. The French convert into delicious dishes the odds and ends which in most of our kitchens would be thrown away as useless. Essentials in Cooking. — Let us now consider a few of the essentials in the art of cooking. First of all is clean- liness, nothing can take its place ; cleanliness of the person, of the utensils, and in the preparation of food. This rule applies to all material for food, but more especially to vege- tables, many of which are dug from the ground, and must be carefully washed in clear, cold water to cleanse them from the sand and impurities of various kinds adhering to them. It is frequently necessary to scrape them with a knife, cutting away any imperfections in them. The second essential is system, or '' regular method." It is the power of doing work in such a way that one result follows another in a quiet, orderly manner. Accuracy is most essential in cooking. When a receipt has been proved good, it should be followed exactly. Care- lessness in measuring is often the cause of failure. Last in this connection is economy, the power of using in the most advantageous way not only fresh material, but also THE KITCHEN. 2/ the food left from a meal. Nothing should be wasted. The French use the combs of fowls, which usually with us are thrown away, and make of them and the hvers an excellent dish. Stale bread may be either toasted or saved for a pud- ding, dried crusts put into the oven and then rolled into crumbs to be used in cooking ; cold meats may be minced or made into croquettes or pates, and indeed prepared in a great variety of ways ; fragments of fish nicely seasoned may also be warmed over in many ways. These are only a few of the many details in which economy may be practiced in the kitchen, but it is not possible here to enumerate more. General Directions for Plain Cooking. — Dark meats are better under-done. White meats should be well cooked. Roasts, — Beef should be roasted lo minutes to the lb. Mutton " " I o or II "' " " Lamb " " 12 " " " Veal '' " 14 " " " Pork '• " 15 " " " A ten-pound turkey will take from one and a half to one and three-fourths hours. A four or five pound chicken will take from one and a half to one and three-fourths hours. Boiled Meats, — Put fresh meats into boiling water. Salt meats must be washed and put into cold water. Mutton should be boiled 10 minutes to the lb. Corned beef " " 15 " " " 28 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. A ten-pound turkey should be boiled about two hours. Beef Tongue. Soak over night in cold water, and boil slowly until you can run a fork in easily. Smoked Ham should be boiled fifteen minutes to the pound. Boiled meats intended to be eaten cold should be left in the water in which they were boiled, until cold. Vef/etahles, — Most vegetables are improved by lying in cold water for a while before cooking. Drain them and cook them in boiling water, with a little salt. Old Potatoes. — Peel and lay in cold water for half an hour. Put them in boiling water, salted, and boil rapidly half an hour. Drain off the water, and let them dry three or four minutes before serving. Late varieties of potatoes like Peach- blows, Prince Alberts, etc., are better boiled in cold water. When half done throw away the boiling water; fill up with cold water, salted, and then boil again. New Potatoes. — Wash, scrape and lay them in cold water an hour. Cover them with cold water with a little salt, boil half an hour. Drain, salt and dry them two or three minutes. Cabbage should be boiled in one water half an hour; change the water, and boil another half hour. Turnips should be boiled an hour or more. Boil until very tender. The time required depends upon the age. Beets if full grown should be boiled at least two hours. Boil until you can run a fork through them easily. Wash but never pare or cut them before boiling. Spinach is apt to be gritty and must be washed several times. Let it lie in cold water at least half an hour. Boil fifteen to twenty minutes. THE KITCHEN. 29 Lima Beans, if large, should be boiled one hour ; generally from forty to fifty minutes will be enougli. Siring Beans. — String them, lay them in cold water with a litde salt for fifteen or twenty minutes. Drain them care- fully, and put them into a saucepan of boiling water. Boil quickly until tender ; twenty minutes if fresh. Green Corn and Fresh Pease should be boiled from twenty to thirty minutes. Asparagus requires twenty to forty minutes according to age. Carj'ofs. — Wash and scrape thoroughly, and lay in cold water for half an hour. Pour in boiling water with a little salt, and boil until tender. Large carrots will require nearly an hour and a half to cook. Sowps, — More use should be made of soups, which are very nutritious as well as palatable. Economical soups, often very delicious, may be made without stock ; such as black bean, tomato and pea soup. Directions for making stock may be found in any cookery book. Oatmeal, to be well cooked, should if needed for breakfast be boiled two hours the day before, and again half an hour before serving. Hominy should be boiled two hours. Rice should be boiled half an hour. Coffee, — Use one-half pint of ground coffee to a quart of water. Mix coffee with white of egg, beaten, and the eggshell ; 30 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. stir in a cupful of cold water and add boiling water. Boil quarter of an hour ; before remo\ing from the fire throw a tablespoon of cold water on the coffee and settle it ; strain through strainer into coffee-pot which should be previously well scalded. If you have no ^gg, wet the coffee witli boil- ing water, put it into the kettle, and add the boiling water. An eggshell will clear the coffee. QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER I. Section I. — What is the first thing to do in the kitchen in the morning? How is the fire made in the range? What kitchen appliances are to be washed every day ? Name the chief kitchen utensils. How should the refrigerator be cared for ? Describe the weekly kitchen cleaning. How mav kitchen odors be prevented? Describe a good cellar. How would you keep a cellar in order ? Sect. II. — When should one begin to learn marketing? What is the way to choose market dealers ? What kind of beef is the best ? Describe it. How can you tell good meat from bad? What are tlie best pieces for roasting? for boiling? for beef tea ? for soup ? What is the " plate piece " good for ? Describe good veal. What are the roasting pieces ? What is made from the knuckle ? What is said about buying pork ? Describe good pork ; good lamb ; good mutton. What are the roasting pieces? How do you choose chickens? fish? vege- tables ? Name the best vegetables and winter apples. Sect. III. — What is a mixed diet? Why is it preferable to food of any one kind? What meats are the best? Which should be used with caution ? What is the use of fatty foods ? THE KITCHEN. %\ What is said of fish ? of eggs ? of vegetables ? What are cereals ? Why is brown bread better than white ? Name the chief grains that are used for food. What are the uses of sugar ? of milk ? of iced water ? of tea ? of coffee ? of chocolate ? How many meals in a day are desirable ? What are the effects of eating at irregular intervals ? How long a time is required for digestion ? Why should we not eat again before digestion is finished ? Why is it bad to take food before working ? When are late suppers permissible ? How would you arrange the meal- times ? What are the advantages of soup ? What is said of the dessert? of variety in food? of a neat table? Sect. W . — What people have set the best example in cook- ing? What is said of cleanliness? of system? of accuracy? of economy? What time is required to roast the different meats? to boil them ? Describe the cooking of different vegetables. What good vegetable soups may be made without stock ? 32 HOUSEHOLD ECOJVOMY. CHAPTER II. THE LAUNDRY. SECTION I. — FURNISHING THE LAUNDRY. While it is not always possible to have a separate room devoted to laundry-work, it is necessary to have those things which constitute a laundry and enable the laundress to do her work well. We should do the best we can with what we have ; but if we can provide all the requisites for facilitating good work, we should do so. If we can not have stationary tubs with hot and cold water faucets in them, we must do with the old-fashioned tubs, and use and take care of them as our mothers and grandmothers did before us. They never thought of complaining of the " wash " as so many girls of to-day do. There is hard work to be done in every house, but do it with a light heart and the work will not seem heavy. Laundry Apparatus, — Let us furnish our laundry, and v/e can then talk about the washing and ironing. In the first place, have your tubs near an open window, and while you are washing, lower the upper sash that the steam may escape, and not soften and discolor your ceiling. Three tubs will enable you to do your work easily ; one for washing, the sec- THE LAUNDRY. 33 ond for rinsing, and the third for bluing. In selecting a wash-board the metal face is to be preferred, for the wooden ones soon splinter. A good adjustable wringer is a great help. The ironing-table should be about six feet by two and a half, covered with a thick blanket, doubled, and over that a cotton sheet. Get unbleached heavy sheeting, one and one-half yards wide. It does not do to piece an iron- ing-sheet, as the surface you iron over must be perfectly smooth. A coarse, thick gray or white inexpensive blanket will do. Regular " ironing-blankets " come, and they answer just as well as a better quality. You will need a skirt-board, a bosom-board and a sleeve- board. You can not iron skirts and dresses without a skirt- board. This must be six feet long, one foot and a half at one end, and narrowed down to one foot at the other end. Both ends should be rounded and the edges beveled. Cover one side with two thicknesses of an old blanket ; tack it very smoothly along the sides and ends ; cover the other side with strong muslin, and turn in the rear edge and bring it up over the side, and tack it so as to cover the rough edges of the blanket. Have muslin cases to slip on, and tie them with tape at the broad end of the case, which should be hemmed. A bosom-board should be made with great care, for a shirt-bosom is one of the most difficult things to iron. It can be so made as to answer for embroidery and other figured articles, as follows : Select well-seasoned pine, free from gum, so that it will not warp. The board should be an inch and a half thick; eighteen inches wide and about two feet long; rounded at one end. Cover one side with three thicknesses 34 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. of an old woolen blanket. Stretch it very tight, and tack it along the sides and ends. Use galvanized tacks ; they will not rust. Over the blanket tack two thicknesses of Canton flannel, the fleecy side up, then trim off the edges evenly. The other side of the board should be covered with five thicknesses of Canton flannel ; first put a layer of paste on the board, and alternate a layer of Canton flannel with a layer of paste, making each one perfectly smooth. Let the flannel dry each time before applying the paste again. Lap the last piece of Canton flannel over the sides and turn in the rear edge and tack it nicely all around. The soft side is to iron embroidery or figured articles, and the other hard side for shirt-bosoms, collars and cuffs. A sleeve-board is made the same as a skirt-board, only much smaller; two feet long, five inches at the wide end and three at the other. A flat-iron should always be kept in a dry place and stood on its end ; its weight is seven or eight pounds. A polishing- iron has a beveled edge, is of finer quality, and weighs six pounds. Before you iron you should try your iron on a muslin rubber ; never allow your iron to rest on the sheet, but have an iron stand. The best clothes-lines are galvanized iron ; they do not sag, break or rust. The old-fashioned clothes-pins are the most satisfactory ; those that have springs soon get out of order. Have a box for your pins, and put them in it as you take your clothes down. You should have a pair of covers for all your ironing-boards, and table, that you may change them every week. THE LAUNDRY. 35 The old-fashioned tubs should be washed out thoroughly and put in a damp place, or have some water left in them to prevent their shrinking and falling to pieces. SECTION U.— WASHING. Soaking. — It facilitates washing very much to soak the clothes over night. Preparatory to soaking your clothes, partly fill your tubs with cold water. Then sort the clothes, putting those to be washed in separate piles ; the table linen by itself, then the bed linen, the fine clothes, the coarse clothes, bedding and towels. The soiled places should be soaped before the soaking. When morning comes, wring out the clothes in the water in which they have been soaked. While doing this, have the water heating ; then make hot suds. The table linen and fine or starched clothes should be washed first and hung out to dry. You should avoid using the board for the finest things, for they are too tender to be rubbed on the board. Scalding, — After your table linen and fine clothes are all washed, put them in cold water to come to a scald ; do not put them in hot water, for frequently table linen and handkerchiefs have stains on them, and boiling in hot water would set the stains. After they have been scalded, drain them and put them in clear cold water. 36 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Washing, — Then begin your coarse clothes. Put soap on the soiled places and wash them on the board. If there are dark places left, put a little more soap on them and put them m the boiler, and boil them twenty minutes, no longer; for too much boiling makes them tender. When the clothes are boiling, turn out the washing water, rinse the tub well, and partly fill with lukewarm water; in this water you put a little bluing. Then rinse your fine clothes in this water, and let them lie in it until you drain the coarse clothes from the boiler and put them into clean water. Rinse the coarse clothes thoroughly in the cold water, and then in the blue water out of which you have first wrung the fine clothes. Drying, — Leave the coarse clothes in the blue water until you have hung out your fine clothes, then wring them out and put them out to dry. The starched clothes can then be starched and hung out in the sunniest places. When clothes become yellow or a bad color from lying unused, or from the sick-bed, take them from the hot suds and spread them on the grass, or hang them in the sun to bleach for two hours, then rinse them thoroughly in two waters. The last should be blued. It is never well to leave clothes wrung out in coils in baskets waiting to be hung out to dry; it is better to leave them in the water until you have space on the line, if you have not room for all at once. When hanging out clothes, snap them, and pull them even as you put them on the hne ; this makes them iron easier. The best ultramarine blue comes in small balls about the THE LAUNDR\. 37 size of marbles. Tie six of these in a little flannel bag and whirl around in the water until it becomes sky blue. Mildew and Stains, — If there should be mildew on the clothes, mix soft soap with powdered starch, one table- spoon of salt, and the juice of one lemon; lay this on both sides, and let the article lie on the grass forty-eight hours ; if not removed, do it again until it comes off. Acid stains on linen may be removed by using spirits of ammonia. Wash the goods in cold water afterwards, or wet the cloth in water and burn a sulphur match under the stain ; the sulphurous acid gas will remove the stain. Blood stains should have some flour paste spread on them, and be placed in the sun. Flannels and Blatikets. — Flannels should never have soap rubbed on them. Wash them in hot suds and then rinse them in very hot \vater. Blankets do not need washing very often, for they are always between the sheet and spread and ought not soon to get dirty ; but when they are, or after sickness, especially con- tagious diseases, they should be thoroughly cleansed. Never rub soap on blankets or rub the blankets, for this fulls them. Take one at a time, fill the tub with boiling water, stir two tablespoons of powdered borax in it, and sufficient soap to make a lather, then put in the blanket and with the clothes- stick stir it thoroughly to and fro until it is quite soaked ; press it down and leave it there until the water becomes cool enough to put the hands in, then squeeze the water 38 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. through the blanket with the hands. Take it out of this water and put it into another tub of boihng water, stir it about with the stick, and when cool enough to handle again pass it through the wringer; if you have no wringer get some one to help you wring it, for it will be heavy. Then carry the blanket to the clothes-line, pull it straight and even, the edges together, snap it and pin it firmly to the line. Always choose a bright, clear day to wash blankets. A windy day is better yet. Muslina and Lawns should be washed in bran water. Boil two quarts of wheat bran in six quarts of water half an hour, strain through a thick cloth, add warm water and vv^ash the goods. Avoid using soap if possible, and use no starch ; rinse carefully in cold water. Calicoes should be washed in cold water. Soap and cold water will remove any grease in them, and they will retain their color and not shrink. If you put a little sugar of lead in the water in which you first wash a muslin or calico, and let it remain in the water awhile, the colors will remain brilliant. Sugar of lead is poison ; it must be labelled " Poison," and great care must be taken in using it. SECTION m. — STARCHING AND IRONING Starch. — In making starch, use a large fire-proof earthen saucepan, or a glazed kettle. If you do not happen to have one of these and are obliged to use a tin kettle, then be sure it is perfectly clean and scoured bright. THE LAUNDRY. "39 To make one quart of starch, dissolve three tablespoons of starch in a little cold water ; pour on a quart of boiling water, stirring all the while. Before taking it off the fire, stir a spermaceti candle around in the starch and add a pinch of salt. Boil ten minutes, and strain through a starch- bag. A good way to starch cuffs, collars and shirt-bosoms, is to put them all together after they are taken from the line, and wet the bosoms, collars and cuffs with hot water ; wring them very dry and starch while the linen is yet warm ; rub the starch in well, and wring in a dry towel, so that all the superfluous starch which adheres may be removed. Spread each article out smoothly and rub them off with a dry cloth ; roll up tightly ; let them remain about three hours before ironing. Glossjj SfarcJi, — To make shirt-bosoms, collars and cuffs glossy, take two ounces of white gum-arabic, put it in a pitcher and pour on it a pint of water; cover it and let it stand all niglit. In the morning, filter it carefully from dregs into a clean botde, cork it and keep it for use. One table- spoonful of the gum water to one pint of starch, and a piece of white wax melted in the starch, will give a good gloss, when the polishing-iron is used. In summer it is not safe to dampen clothes over night, for there is danger of their mildewing ; but in winter it may be done with impunity. After they are sprinkled they should be folded nicely and rolled very tight; cover them with a damp cloth. Muslin Dresses should be about as stiff as new muslin ; strain the starch into the last rinsing-water. Dark muslins or 40 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. mourning calicoes should be stiffened with rice-water or gum- arabic, as common starch leaves white flakes all over the goods when ironed. To make rice starch, boil one pound of rice in four quarts of water ; let it boil slowly until it is very soft; add boiling water as fast as it boils away, so that you will have the four quarts of starch when it is done ; stir it frequently while it is boiling. When the rice becomes a pulp, pour the whole into a gallon of water and strain through a flannel starch-bag. Troniuf/, — The secret of nice ironing is a clean, hot flat- iron, clean ironing-cloths and well-folded clothes. In ironing a shirt, begin at the binding of the neck, then fold the back through the middle and iron it ; then iron the sleeves and the front of the shirt ; last, iron the bosom on the bosom- board ; wet the bosom once with a damp cloth, and iron hard and quickly with a poHshing-iron. Cuffs and collars are also ironed on the bosom-board as the shirt-bosom is. A shirt-collar should be ironed lightly first on the wrong side, then turn it over and iron hard on the right, until there is a high polish and it is perfectly dry. In ironing a skirt, slip it over the skirt-board ; have the clothes-basket under the board so that the skirt may not touch the floor. Iron the right side. Fringed towels and napkins should be snapped when damp and a fringe-comb used carefully to make the fringe even ; if used roughly it will .soon destroy the fringe. If the iron becomes rough and the starch adheres to it, rub a piece of yellow beeswax in a cloth over the iron and then rub the iron on the muslin rubber. THE LAuNDkV. 4 1 Riisti/ Irons. — If the irons should become rusty, rub them with very fme emery dust and sweet oil ; if you can not make them smooth send lliem to tlie factory and have them ground smooth. A good hiundress will not allow her irons to get into a state requiring this grinding. A good iron-holder is as necessary as any thing else ; do not be satisfied with a bundle of old rags. Old stockings covered with ticking make the best holders. Ingrain carpet covered with ticking is also very good. QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER II. Section I. — What is said about the wasliing-tubs ? Describe the ironing-table ; the skirt-board ; the bosom-board ; the sleeve- board. What are the best clothes-lines ? the best clothes-pins.^ Sect. II. — W^iat is said about soaking tlie clothes.^ How are they to be scalded.^ In what order is the rinsing and wash- ing to be done.^ In what order the drying? How may mildew stains be removed ? Describe the washing of flannels, blankets, muslins, and lawns. Sect. III. — How would you make a quart of starch? In what way are shirt-fronts, collars, and cuffs to be made glossy ? How do you starch a muslin dress ? What is necessary for nice ironing? How may rusty irons be cleansed? 42 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. CHAPTER III. THE DINING-ROOM. SECTION I. — ARRANGEMENT OF THE DINING-ROOM. General Suf/ffestions* — A dining-room should be made as attractive as possible, as much of our happiness depends upon the food we eat and our manner of eating it. A gloomy, ill-ventilated room will make the most elaborate din- ner unsatisfactory ; while a plain meal is rendered almost a feast by being well served in a cheery room. Table conversation should be bright and entertaining. Put aside the worries of life for a little space, and food will be more palatable and more easily digested. The family table should be socially as well as substantially attractive. Three things are important in ordering a dining-room : I St, Abundance of light and air. 2d, Order and system. 3d, Extreme neatness. Liffht and Air, — To secure an abundance of light and air, the dining-room should if possible be located where the sun shines directly into it a part of the day. If this can not be, let in the best light to be had. Do not draw the shades or darken a dining-room except in the extreme heat of summer, and even then let some light in at meal-time. THE DINING-ROOM. 43 Air the room thoroughly each morning, and open the windows for a few moments after each meal to remove the smell of food. Avoid either a chilly or an overheated room. Draughts are particularly undesirable and may be regulated by screens before doors which must be opened. In winter, an open fire aids in ventilation as well as increases the cheerful effect of the room. W'ell-cared-for plants in the windows and flowers when convenient on the table add brightness and beauty to its appearance. Order and System. — The benefits of " a place for every thing, and every thing in its place," are never more clearly seen than in the care of a dining-room, where the variety and details of the work are so great. Every thing in the room on or in the sideboard and closets should have its own place, and be found there, so that no time be lost in getting what is wanted for use. Places for Tfthtr/s. —The general furnishing of a dining- room should include, besides the dining-table and chairs, a sideboard and side-table. On the sideboard may be arranged the larger pieces of silver and ornamental dishes of china and glass. The inside should be used for the ordinary glasses, silver and cudery. For the small silver there should be a lined basket with divisions for the different sizes of spoons and forks, which should be kept distinct, and laid in the basket with the handles all one way. A knife-box should be used for the cudery with the same care as to handles and sizes. The drawers of the sideboard are for the linen. The 44 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. table-cloths and napkins should be carefully sorted when returned from the laundry, and those of the same size and pattern kept m piles and used together. Dinner napkins are usually larger than those used for breakfast, and fancy lunch and tea cloths come with napkins to match which should only be used together. Doilies are of different sizes ; they should be put under the finger-bowls, and on the dishes on whicli cake, ices, nuts, etc., are served. The linen in use shoulcl if possible be kept separate from that which is perfectly clean. The side-table is for the extra plates and dishes needed in serving a meal, the bread-plate and water-pitcher. JVeatuess. — Extreme neatness is nowhere more necessary than in the care of the dining-room and service of food ; for a ciisregard of it will very effectually take away the appetite. The dining-room should be swept daily, the rugs and drapery well shaken, and every thing thoroughly dusted. At least weekly the windows, mirrors, knobs and brasses should be cleaned as directed in the section on the bedroom. After each meal the carpet around the table should be brushed with whisk-broom and dust-pan to gather the crumbs which have fallen. The chairs should always be put back before the table is cleared, the table wiped off before the cover is put on, and the room left in perfect order. Dish-washing should not as a rule be done in the dining- room ; where there is no butler's pantry, the soiled dishes should be taken to the kitchen. THE DINING-ROOM. 45 In no case should an uncleared table be allowed to stand while other work is being done, and only when it is positively necessary should the dishes be left without being immediately washed. When they have to wait they should be gathered and arranged ready for washing. The inside of the sideboard, the drawers and pantry-shelves must be wiped off frequently, and covered with white paper which should be often renewed. Every thing on the shelves should be clean and ready for use. Never put a dish away dirty. ranti'ff atid Closets. — Most modern houses have a small room opening out of the dining-room and communicat- ing with the kitchen, which is called the butler's pantry; and where there is no such convenience, closets in the dining- room or near by take its place. In this pantry should be found every thing needed in the care of a dining-room; china and glass closets, arrangements for washing dishes, cleaning silver and knives, and such brooms, brushes, etc., as are necessary to proper doing of the work. The china and glass closets should be arranged with plates, cups and saucers, dishes, etc., of a kind and size together; those in daily use being placed nearest at hand. Taste as well as convenience should be consulted in the arrangement of the shelves, and every thing should be taken out of the closets frequently, the shelves wiped off and re-papered, and the dishes carefully wiped or washed if at all dusty. One closet should be devoted to brooms of different kinds, dust-pan, feather and cloth dusters and chamois cloths, each 46 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. having its own nail. On a shelf in the same closet may be kept the necessary articles for cleaning silver, knives, etc. A drawer for aprons, and drawers for the extra linen are desirable. For dish-washing should be provided two dish-pans, unless there is a stationary sink ; a tray on which to drain dishes, a mop for the pitchers and cups, dish cloths and towels both coarse and fine in abundance. These should have their own drawer, but must never be folded up damp or dirty. The dumb waiter which usually forms the communication with the kitchen should be inclosed and the door kept shut to prevent the odor of cooking. Its shelves should be cov- ered with oil-cloth, and carefully washed and dried after each meal, as they are apt to become sticky and greasy. SECTION IL— TABLE SERVICE. Setting the Table. — The dining-room being well aired and in good order, the table should be set a short time before the meal is served. The breakfast table should never be set the night before, as more or less dust is sure to accumulate. Table linen should be spodessly white and changed fre- quently to keep it so. A piece of heavy Canton flannel put on smoothly under the table-cloth prevents hot dishes from injuring the table, besides improving the appearance of the linen. The table-cloth must be spread evenly without wrinkles, the center fold being on the right side exactly in the middle of THE DINING-ROOM. 47 the long way of the table. Tray cloths under the tea or coffee service and the meat platter prevent the spotting of the cloth, and are easily removed. Mats when used should be put on exacdy straight and with regularity. Napkins should be laid directly in front of each plate. They must be often changed, and great care taken that to each person is given the one that he used before; napkin-rings are of use for this purpose. Fresh napkins should always be given to guests. Knives and forks, glasses, in fact all small articles, should be carried to or from sideboard or closet on a tray; never in the hand. Great care should be taken in putting each thing on the table exactly even, to give an orderly appearance to the whole. At each place on the right hand, put the knife, with the edge toward the plate ; beyond that the spoon for soup, and in front of both the glass ; at the left, the fork with the tines turned up, a butter plate, and for dinner a piece of bread cut very thick. In front of the gentleman should be put the carving knife and fork ; and large spoons near dishes to be served. The coffee or tea service should be arranged in a semi-circle in front of the lady ; the coffee or tea pot being on the extreme right with the handles turned toward the lady, and the cups and saucers at the extreme left. Be sure that the sugar bowl is filled before putting it on the table. A caster if used is placed in the center. Salts and peppers, unless one for each place is used, should be put at the cor- ners within easy reach. They should always be kept full, and ready for use. Butter balls are made with spadles dipped in 4^ I/O tS£ HOLD ECOXOMY. cold water; they should be made some time before needed, and kept in the refrigerator. They may be in various shapes, and one placed on each butter plate just before the meal, or passed around in the butter dish. All the plates and dishes used for breakfast and dinner should be warmed excepting those used for salads and des- sert. Great care must be used not to crack them by o\er- heating. The extra plates, knives, forks and spoons needed should be arranged on the side-table. The finger bowls with doilies under them are to be half filled with water, to which a little lemon or other extract may be added. The bread- plate and water-pitcher should be filled and ready on the side- table. Glasses should never be more than three quarters full. It is better to take them on the tray when filHng to avoid spilling the water. The ice should be cracked, and may be put in each glass or in the ice-pitcher. Glasses should be filled just before or just after the family are seated, and again as often as necessary during the meal without any questions. I>inner Courses, — A simple dinner consists of three courses : soup, meat and vegetables, dessert and fruit. Soup may be sened from the side-table or placed in front of the lady. The meat platter should be put before the gentleman, and brought in after the covered dishes which may be arranged on the table or kept on the side-table according to taste. The fmit dish should stand in the mid- dle of the table during dinner, and jellies, pickles, confec- tions, etc., with flowers when convenient, may find place there THE DIXING-ROOM. 49 as well. Chairs should be placed just before the meal is announced. Waitinif on the Table, — A meal should be announced to the lady in some such way as this : " Dinner is served," or " Breakfast is on the table." The place of the waitress is generally behind the lady, tray in hand ; she should be ready to see and quick to supply the wants of every one. While the meat is being served, she stands at the left of the gentle- man to receive and pass the plates on her tray. Place things on the table at the right, but hand plates and dishes to the left of each person. Soup, clean plates and finger bowls should always be set down before people at their right hand ; other things should be passed to the left, so that they can help themselves. Vegetables, etc., should be passed to each one in succession, beginning at the right hand of the liost and serving him the last. Co\-ers should be removed with the riglit liand and quickly reversed to prevent the moisture from dripping. Remove soiled plates one in each hand. Never pile them up. Before serving dessert, take every thing from the table except the fruit dish and glasses : collect with a fork and a plate very large pieces of bread ; then, with a crumb knife or brush and tray, brush the table, standing at the left of each person in so doing. Always replenish the glasses at this time. Coffee at dinner is served last, in small cups, with sugar only, and from the side-table. There are few absolute rules for table-setting and serving. We describe one way, while there may be others equally good. 50 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Suggestions to the Waitress, — A person waiting on the table or door should always be scrupulously neat in her per- son and clothing. She should have long white aprons to wear while waiting at table or going to the door, and colored ones to use while doing her work. She sliould move quickly but gently, economizing time and strength by a little fore- thought, and always going the shortest way around the table. She must never speak unless spoken to, and should avoid listening to the conversation of those she is serving. In case of accident or mistake, she must not get excited or try to explain, but quietly repair or remove traces of damage. Attending the Door, — In going to the door, the wait- ress should be careful not to delay unnecessarily. She must answ^er respectfully any inquiries, and remember exactly any messages given to her. In showing a lady or gendeman into the parlor, she should open the door, and then step back to allow the person to precede her. She must use great discre- tion in admittini^r strans:ers to the house. SECTION III. — THE CARE OF CHINA, GLASS AND SILVER. Clearing the Table, — When the family have left the room, set back the chairs to give free access to the table. Gather the silver in a deep tin dish, and pour hot water over it. Carefully collect all the dirty dishes, and arrange them for washing. Put away the salts, peppers, sugar-bowl, etc., first seeing whether they need to be filled. Gather up the THE DINING-ROOM. 51 napkins, putting those to be used again in the drawer appro- priated to them, and taking the soiled ones to the hamper or laundry. Brush the table-cloth, and carefully fold in its creases ; also the Canton flannel, and put both in the drawer where they are kept ; wipe off the table before putting on the table-cover ; air the room, dust it and put every thing in its own place. The nish Washinf/. — Dishes should be arranged for washing and washed in the following order: Glasses, silver, cups and saucers, plates and other dishes. Always wash the cleanest things first. The glasses and silver do not usually require soap if quickly washed in very hot water and dried immediately. It is best to wash only a few at a time to prevent their cooling. For all china, hot suds should be used with hot water for rinsing. Two pans are necessary, and both suds and water must be changed as soon as they be- come cool or dirty. An easy way to make suds is to take a piece of soap upon a fork and stir it briskly in the water. A tray or wooden frame is required on which to drain dishes before wiping. Greasy plates must always be scraped before washing. The bone handles of knives must never be put in the water, but wiped off carefully ; letting them soak loosens them. Great care must be used in washing china and glass, as the latter is easily broken, and china, especially if of fine quality, becomes chipped and cracked, taking away its beauty if not its usefulness. To avoid this do not use too hot water in cold weather, put only a few pieces in the water at 52 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. a time, and if the sink is surrounded by marble, be careful not to knock the dishes against it or. together; and put a towel on the marble slab before standing them on it. Soft dish-cloths and a mop for the inside of pitchers and cups are of service ; but great care must be taken that these are kept sweet by being well washed, and hung up each time they are used. Towels for drying dishes are of two kinds : fine ones of checked linen for the glass, silver and fine china ; and coarser ones of crash for the ordinary dishes. There should be an abundance of both, as clean dry towels are very im- portant in making glass and china shine as they should do. Glasses should be clear and free from lint, which may be easily seen if they are held to the light. After wiping always set a dish or glass down with the towel to avoid finger marks. When the dishes are all washed, they should at once be put in their own places in the closet. The towels, dish-cloths and mop must then be rinsed out and hung up to dry ; and every few days they must be thoroughly washed and boiled^ and properly ironed. The dish-pans should be always well washed and dried ; and scoured with soap and sand, or sapolio weekly. Every thing in the pantry should be put in perfect order before leaving it to do other work. Steel knife-blades should be cleaned once a day with Bath- brick, and polished on a knife-board. The carving-knife should be kept well-sharpened, and the knife box often emptied and wiped out. Cleaning Silver. — If silver is washed after each use in very hot water with sometimes a little ammonia in it, it will THE DINING-ROOM. 53 be bright and shining for a long time without other cleaning. Too much rubbing dulls the finest silver, and wears off that which is only plate. When a more thorough cleaning is necessary, use Spanish wliiting moistened and applied with soft flannel and silver brush ; then polish with dry whiting and chamois cloths. Some people use silver soap, and other patent apphances, but the whiting is safest. The silver basket must be thoroughly brushed before the silver is put back. QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER III. Section I. — Why ought the dining-room to be attractive? Mention some things that are important in the dining-room. What is said of order and system.? Describe the uses of the sideboard and side-table. What is said about the table-linen and the places for keeping it ? How is the dining-room to be put in order? Describe the use and the care of the butler's pantry. How are the closets for china, for glass and for brooms to be arranged ? What is said about the dumb waiter 1 Sect. II. — Describe the setting of the table. Where should the waitress stand ? On which side should dishes be set down ? On which side handed to the sitter at table ? Mention other duties of the waitress. How should tlie door be attended ? Sect. III. — Describe the clearing of the table. In what order should the different kind of dishes be washed ? What things are needed for dish-washing ? How do you make soap- suds ? In cold weather, what precaution is needed in washing china and glass ? How do you avoid leaving iinger-marks on glass ? How are knife blades and handles to be cleaned ? Describe the cleanino; of silver. 54 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. CHAPTER IV. CHAMBER-WORK. SECTION l.-THB CARE OF THE BEDROOM. Chamber-work to be done well and without loss of time requires great thoroughness and system. The following is a list of Articles Needed* — Broom, Whisk brooms, Dustpan, Fur- niture brush, Hair broom, Hair brush. Feather dusters, long and short, Cloth dusters. Canton flannel cleaning cloths, Cloths for washing and drying bowl. Soap dish, Toothbrush stand or mug. Cloths distinctly marked for washing and dry- ing other crockery (these cloths must be exclusively kept for this purpose), Pail for waste water. Pail for washing crockery. Box containing black lead, Brushes for polishing grates and whiting, Chamois, Scuttle for ashes. Fire shovel. Scrubbing brushes, Cloths of paper muslin which have been boiled and thus made soft and lintless. A Rattan for beating dust from furniture is very useful, but this can be done with the flat side of a whisk broom, if rattan is not conveniently to be had. Order of the Work, — In the care of the bedroom, the first thing to be done in the morning is to open the shutters and windows, and put the bed-clothes to air. CHA MBER- WORK. 55 Take off the pillow and bolster, shake them well and put them to air. Place two chairs facing each other with the seats nearly touching. Remove the spread, blankets and sheets, folding them twice as they are taken from the bed. Lay them over the backs of the chairs so that they may not touch the floor, and near enough the window to have the air blow through them; but not so as to show from the street. Turn the mattress over the foot of the bed. Pick up soiled sheets and towels, and put them in the basket or bag kept for this purpose. If the towels or any other articles are damp, dry them carefully before putting them in the basket, otherwise they will mildew. Empty the waste water, and bring a pail with clean, hot suds. Wash the bowl and marble stand, then the mug, soap dish and brush stand. The stationary basin must be thor- oughly washed every morning in this way with hot suds, other- wise the hard water and soap will settle in a sort of black scum on it. If this occurs, it should be washed with soda, or borax, and water. Place clean towels on the rack. If basins or pitchers are used, these must also be washed. Even clean water standing will cause a black scum to settle in pitchers or pails, which must therefore be carefully washed. Fill the pitchers with water. Remove ashes and make the fire, for which directions are given in the chapter on Fires and Grates. Making the Bed, — After the fire is kindled and the hearth washed up, make the bed, which will probably be sufficiently aired by this time. '' Turn the mattress every day 56 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. from end to end and from side to side." If there is a feather bed it must be carefully shaken, otherwise it will be- come hard and lumpy. If the under bed is of loose straw, not tufted, the straw should be stirred every morning that it may be smooth. The under sheet is put on right side up, and is tucked in under the upper mattress, that it may not pull down with the other clodies when the bed is opened for the night. The top of the sheet, which is readily distinguished by a broad hem, is always put at the head of the bed. The upper sheet is put on right side down that the two right sides of the sheets may come together, and the right side of the upper sheet fold over the blankets. The upper sheet must be carefully tucked in at the foot of the bed that it may not pull up. It should come up about a quarter of a yard beyond the blankets over wliich it is folded. If the blankets are too narrow for a double bed, the upper one may be laid from side to side instead of lengthwise. The spread is put on over the blankets and sheets, and must be tucked in very tight that the bed may be perfectly smooth. If the spread is put on in this way, it covers the sheet after it has become tumbled, and it is easily removed at night, if desired. Some prefer to have the sheet folded over tlie spread as well as over the blanket. This is tlie more convenient way, if the spread is not removed at night. All the bed-clothes except the under sheet should be tucked in at the sides of the bed. The bolster must be laid on rather fiat, that the pillows may lie nicely on it. Many use shams on the pillows during the day. CHA MBER- WORK. 5 7 Cleaning the Bedroom, — After the bed is made in the morning all the furniture in the room must be carefully dusted, as well as the ornaments and books. The window-sills must also be dusted. Remove finger marks from paint or mirrors with cloth wrung out in hot water. Then the room must be brushed, either with the whisk broom and dustpan, or with a carpet sweeper, which saves much dust. Empty the scrap basket and the hair bag. The contents of the latter should be burned, and never allowed to get into any of the waste pipes, which hair very soon clogs. Be careful to see that the bedroom is thoroughly aired, as this is most important to good health. In arranging a room for the night, the shades should be drawn down, the shutters closed, and gas lighted, the soiled clothes put in the hamper as in the morning, and all articles used in dressing for dinner returned to their places. The waste water must be removed, and pitchers, if used, again filled with water. If night pillows are used, remove the day pillows and shams ; if the same pillows as during the day, take off the shams and fold them carefully in their creases. Lay them where they will not get tumbled. Some remove the white spread at night and replace it with a colored spread or comforter. If there is no other spread for use at night leave on the white spread to protect the blankets, which are never so nice after they have been washed, while the spread can be very easily done up. Open the bed, folding it down for one or two people as required. Lay night clothes and wrapper on the bed, and place slippers by it. The bed should stand so that no bright light can fall upon the eyes of the sleeper. 58 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. SECTION IL — FIRES AND GRATES. Building the Grate Fire. — The first thing to be done before making a new fire is to remove the ashes from the grate and ash-pan. Shake down the ashes through the bars of the grate with the poker, then take them from the pan with the fire shovel and put them in the scuttle. If there is a blower to the grate put it up while this is being done to avoid dust. Take out the ash-pan and brush up carefully underneath it. Cinders too large to go through the bars may be lifted from the grate. To make a fire, twist up old newspapers in loose rolls and place at the bottom of the grate ; lay kindlings crosswise on the paper that the air may get through. This is the most important thing to observe in making a fire, as without a good draught no fire can burn. Put coal on top of the kindlings ; if hard coal is used, putting it on with the shovel ; then put on the blower until the coal is well caught. When wood or soft coal is used, a blower is not necessary. Light the fire from below, striking the match on the safe or on a piece of sandpaper ; never on the wall, or where it will leave a mark. Matches are manufactured by dipping little pieces of pine wood into a preparation of phosphorus which will ignite when rubbed on a rough surface. Phosphorus is very poisonous, and care must be taken never to put a match in the mouth. After lighting a match, never throw it on the floor, as it might set fire to something, and it also makes a room look untidy. See that the match safes are kept filled and free from burnt matches. CHA MBER- WORK. 5 9 Kerose}t€, — Never use kerosene or any other explosive material to light a fire, as it frequently occasions serious injury to those foolish enough to do so. The newspapers give almost daily accounts of deaths resulting from this use of kerosene in kindling a fire. The Fipst Fire of the Season, — When this, or a fire in a fire-place not used regularly is made, it is well to hold a piece of blazing paper up the chimney that the cold air may be expelled, which otherwise might beat the smoke down into the room. Care must "be taken not to light too much paper at once lest the chimney catch fire. Wood Fires m a grate are made in the same way as a coal fire. When an open hearth with andirons is used, the ashes should not all be taken away, as wood burns better over a bed of ashes. A very good way of building a fire on andirons is to have one large log for the back log, another for a front log ; between the two lay loose rolls of paper, then a row of kindlings resting on both logs and over the paper. One or two other sticks may be laid on top of the kindlings. Many build a wood fire on andirons in just the some way as the coal and wood fires in grates. Be careful to put on the wood with the bark side down. In the weekly cleaning rub the bars of the grate, and the pan, with a brush dipped in black lead ; then polish well with the other end of the brush. This, of course, is only in case the grate is not nickel plated, or after the plate has been so injured by the fire that it can not be made bright. 60 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Nickel or silver plating about the grate must be cleaned once a week. SECTION III. — BATHROOM AND CLOSETS. The Bathroom should be put in order daily if used. The bath-tub must be washed out with hot suds and dried with a soft cloth. Do not use sand or any thing rough, as it will destroy the burnishing on the tin. If this daily washing and polishing is carefully done, the tub will remain for years almost as bright as new. Dust the chairs and woodwork in the bathroom, remove soiled towels and see that clean ones replace them. Wash out the soap dish and other crockery if there be any, and see that there is always soap in the dish. The bathroom should be swept once a week if carpeted ; if an oilcloth is on the floor it should be washed with clear, cold water. Water Closet, — It is absolutely essential that this closet be kept in perfect cleanliness and order. The bowl and pan of the seat must be frequently scrubbed out with a whisk broom kept exclusively for this purpose. The wood-work must be wiped with a damp cloth, then dried. This may be done with turpentine, beeswax and a little carbolic acid. Great care must be taken not to allow any thing, such as cloths, matches or hair, to get into the pipes and clog them. The closet should if possible have a window in it, or at least a well going to the roof of the house. It must be CHAMBER- WORK. 6 1 thoroughly aired. The pipes in this closet must be well trapped and the traps thoroughly soldered into the waste- pipes, not merely put in loosely as is sometimes the case. It is best to have a ventilating-shaft to the roof to carry off foul air and gases. Bedroom Closets, — The floors of bedroom closets if of wood or covered with oilcloth should be washed up each week with a cloth and cold water, not scrubbed with brush and soap. The clothes in these closets should always be hung on the hooks, each suit of clothes or dress by itself. They should be carefully brushed before they are put in the closet. Hang them up by a tape fastened in them for the purpose or by the bands, otherwise they will become wrinkled. Shoes and slippers should be kept either in a shoe-bag, or on a shelf a little raised from the floor, that they may be protected from dust. Closet shelves should be covered with paper which can be changed when soiled. A special place for strings and paper should be set apart. Shawls should be folded and laid on a shelf or in a drawer, and not hung up. Medicines and reme- dies to be used in accidents should be kept on a shelf or in a cupboard by themselves, that they may be readily reached in an emergency. All medicine phials should be clearly labeled. Put those that may contain poisons upon a high shelf. Slop Closet, — In the slop closet the greatest care is necessary to keep every thing sweet and clean. Hot water 62 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. must be poured down the sink every day ; it is well to keep a little scrubbing-brush for use in the closet, and to scrub the sink daily with sapolio and water. Once a week pour down copperas water. Bfoofn Closet. — In this closet are kept all articles used in chamberwork. The broom and hair brush should be hung on nails. The feather duster should always have a cover of paper muslin or other cloth to keep the feathers from break- ing. The dust-pan must never be put away with dust in it. The cloth dusters and cleaning cloths should go through the wash every week. Coal, wood, and kindlings are sometimes kept in this closet. Care must be taken not to allow the supply to be exhausted. It is well to have old newspapers for lighting the fires kept here also. Linen Closet. — Cover the shelves of the hnen closet with white paper. Sheets of the same size and kind should be kept in the same pile. Be careful to have those with the same mark, for instance of the year, together. Pillow cases must be kept in pairs, being usually so marked, and should be so used on the beds. Bolster cases should be kept in a pile by themselves. Muslin sheets must be kept separate from the linen, as must also muslin pillow cases and bolster cases. Blankets not in use should be laid in pairs and covered with a clean sheet to keep them from dust. Spreads should be folded wrong side out. The shams can be laid in a CHA MB ER- WORK. 63 drawer, if there is one in the Hnen closet, otherwise on a shelf. Towels should be arranged in smooth piles, so as not to be tumbled. The clean linen from the wash should be put at the bottom of whichever pile the various articles belong to, that the linen may be used equally. If the finer table linen is kept up stairs, the table-cloths must be laid where they are perfectly smooth. The napkins should be kept in sets and carefully counted. The sorting of the hnen is the most important thing in the care of the linen closet. Coat Closet. — There is nothing particular to be said of the care of this closet, which is in most respects like bed- room closets. The coats and hats should be well brushed before they are hung up, and buttons, if needed, sewed on. SECTION IV. — HALLS AND STAIRS. Floors, — A carpeted hall should be thoroughly swept twice a week. The woodwork, chairs, tables and other furni- ture should be dusted every day. A marble hall should be swept every day. Once a week, or oftener if needed, it should be washed with laundry soap and water with a little soda in it. It can be most easily done with a sponge, and it should be carefully dried with a Canton flannel cloth. When very dirty or rough, it should be rubbed with a piece of pumice stone. 64 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Hard wood floors should also be swept every day with a hair broom. They should be wiped up once a week with cold water and a little Castile soap, mixed with a small amount of linseed or sweet oil. This should be done with flannel, and the floor thoroughly dried with Canton flannel cloth. Care must be taken to wring out the flannel well before wiping the floor: it is not well to use much water on these floors. A wood carpet should be brushed every day with a hair broom. Once a week it should be wiped up with cloth dipped in clear, cold water and wrung out almost dry, then rubbed with dry cloth. For occasional polishing, see du-ections in the chapter on House-cleaning. Oil-cloth should be washed with cold water. No soap should be used. A little sweet milk in the water improves the appearance of the oil-cloth wonderfully. Use cloths for wash- ing and drying oil-cloths, as scrubbing brushes injure them. Pine floors should be scrubbed with cold water and sand. Hugs and Mats. — All rugs and pieces of carpet in the halls must be thoroughly shaken. If cocoa matting is used in the halls it should be shaken once a week in the yard, if possible. The hat-tree must be carefully dusted, the mirror washed, and the drawer kept in order. Stairs, — Hard wood stairs must be wiped with a cloth or brushed with a hair brush every day, holding the dust-pan under each step. The stairs should be washed once a week with cold water, Castile soap and linseed or sweet oil, like CHA MBEK- WORK. 6 5 hard wood floors. Each round of the banisters, the baUis- trade and other wood-work must be dusted carefully every day. Brush carpeted stairs with a whisk broom every day, hold- ing the dust'i^an under each stair. The wood-work at the sides of the carpet must be wiped with a cloth or brushed with a hair brush. Be sure that this is carefully done, as dust is very apt to settle on the stairs. Pine stairs should be swept with a hair brush or broom ; when they need it, they should be scrubbed with cold water and sand. Stair-Hods, — If there are stair-rods they should be cleaned as often as they need it ; plated and brass ones once a week, bronze and wooden ones probably not oftener than twice a year. The plated rods should be cleaned with whiting, and polished with chamois. The brass rods should be cleaned with rotten stone and sweet oil. This may be rubbed off with soft newspaper, they should then be polished with dry rotten-stone and soft cloth. Harris's or Oakey's Wellington Brass Polish will greatly diminish the labor of cleaning brasses. Bronze rods should be cleaned with turpentine on cotton, and wooden rods like hard wood furniture. 66 HO USE HOLD ECONOM J '. OUESTIOiNS ON CHAPTER IV. Section I. — What articles are needed tor chamber-work? What is the order to be followed in doing it? Describe making the bed. Wliat remains to be done after this in the bedroom ? How is it to be arranged for the night ? How should the bed stand with respect to light? Sect. \\. — Describe the way to make a tire in the grate. Would you use kercsene in lighting a lire ? Why not ? What precau- tion should be taken in making the lirst fire of the season ? How should a wood fire be made ? Sect. III. — Describe the care of Ihe bathroom. How should the bath-tub be washed? the closet-pan? the wood-work? What is to be done to keep the bedroom closets in order? Where are medicines to be kept ? What precaution is needed with those that are poisonous ? Describe the care of the slop-closet ; of the broom-closet ; of the linen closet. What is the most impor- tant point in the care of the linen closet? What is said about the coal closet ? Sect. \\. — How often should a carpeted hall be swept? A marble hall ? A hard wood floor ? A wood carpet ? Describe the way to wash wooden floors ; marble floors ; oil-cloths. What must be done with rugs and mats ? What is the way to clean hard wood stairs ? Carpeted stairs ? Pine stairs ? Stair-rods of different kinds ? HOUSE-CLEANING. 6j CHAPTER V. HOUSE-CLEANING. SECTION h-THE WEEKLY CLEANING. Care of the Bed, — In the weekly cleaning, if there is a heavy spring bed under the mattress, the sides of the bedstead a5 far as can be reached should be dusted. The spring bed should be removed at least twice a year, and the slats and inside of the bedstead carefully washed with suds. If there are only straw under-beds, this may be done once a month. On the weekly cleaning day, clean linen should be put on the bed, or as much oftener as that in use becomes soiled or greatly tumbled. It is usual in changing the sheets to use the upper sheet as under one and to put on the clean one as the upper sheet. Bolster and pillow cases should be changed at least once a week. If the shams are tumbled they should be pressed. Dustinff. — After the bed is made, and ashes, wash-water and soiled clothes have been removed, dust all the ornaments, and lay them on the bed unless they are too heavy to move. The clock should never be disturbed. Be careful to notice where each thing belongs, that it may be returned to its own place. Cover the bed with a caUco dusting-sheet. 68 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Dust the book shelves, and if they are open cover them also. Dust all the chairs with a cloth duster, rubbing the wood-work well. Beat the dust from the upholstered parts with a rattan or whisk broom ; if covered with reps or ordi- nary material brush well with a whisk broom ; if of satin, rub carefully with a soft cloth. If the furniture is covered with rich or delicate material it should not be beaten. If the furniture is tufted especial care must be taken to remove all dust from the tufting. After dusting, remove small pieces of furniture to the hall or adjoining room, and cover the lounge with a dustinff-sheet. 'to Siveeping, — Before beginning to sweep, pull up the shades, so as to have a strong light, shake tlie curtains, lightly wiping them with soft cloth to remove dust, and fas- ten them up from the floor while sweeping. Remove rugs and pieces of carpet which should be shaken. Brush the window sills and blinds with the hair brush. In sweeping, many prefer a carpet-sweeper to an ordinary broom, as it raises no dust. If this is used the corners must be carefully brushed with a whisk or with a com- mon broom. If an ordinary broom is used hold it close to the floor and sweep with short strokes. The bedstead and bureau must be moved, so that the carpet where they have stood may be swept. Brush under all the heavy pieces of furniture that can not be moved, with a whisk broom. Windows, Mifi'ors. — After the sweeping is over and the dust has settled and has been wiped up, open the windows. HO USE- CL EA NING. 69 Dust the front and back of pictures with the feather duster. Of course paintings, unless covered with glass, should not be dusted. Replace furniture and rugs. Clean the bureau-glass and other mirrors, if there are any, by washing them with cold water with a little bluing in it, and a sponge or lintless cloth. Polish them with boiled pai>er muslin cloths, chamois or soft paper. If the windows are dirty or streaked they should be washed in much the same way as the mirrors. When they are \ery dirty put a litde hartshorn in the water. Alcohol in the water in cold weather will often prevent its freezing. Of all things avoid dashing water upon the windows ; there is no necessity for this, as they can be washed outside as well as inside by raising or lowering the sash. If there should be any paint on the panes, it can easily be removed by dipping a copper into cold water .and rubbing it over the pane ; then wash the glass. Windows should be rubbed up and down, always in the same direction. Brasses. — The brass fire set, tongs, shovel, poker and stand may be cleaned with powdered rotten-stone mixed with sweet oil, and polished carefully with chamois. Brasses must be rubbed hard to be made bright. There are many good preparations for cleaning brasses which save much time and work. The steel fire set may be cleaned with the brick dust such as is used for knives. Sandpaper is also useful in cleaning steel. A little whiting, mixed with sweet oil, rubbed on steel and then rubbed immediately off", will keep it from rusting. This should be done about once a month. 70 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Soot, Stains. — Where soft coal is constantly used, there is sometimes a fall of soot from the chimney. When this occurs sprinkle Indian meal plentifully over the soot, which can then be swept up without at all injuring the carpet. If this is not done the soot will blacken the carpet. If there are stains on black walnut furniture which is not polished or varnished, they can usually be removed by rubbing with a flannel wet in linseed oil. Marble, Silver Fitthtf/s, etc, — All the marble in the room, bureau and table tops, mantel and hearth, should be washed. Unless very dirty these only require cold water and a soft cloth, with the exception of the hearth, which should be washed or scrubbed with sapolio. For further directions about the care of marble see the chapter on House-cleaning. If the gas globes are dirty or smoked they must be washed. A little soda or borax in the water will assist in removing the smoke. Clean silver plated faucets, hinges, knobs, bell handles, registers, etc., with whiting, wet with a little watQr. Rub it on with soft cloth and off with another ; polish with chamois skin. If the plating is black or stained, wet the whiting with alcohol instead of water, and proceed as before. Brushes and Combs, — Hair-brushes should be fre- quently washed in cold water and borax, unless one has the regular brush powder to be had of any druggist. The brushes must not be left to soak. Shake the water thoroughly from the bristles. Clean the combs with a thread run between the teeth, and then wash and dry thoroughly. HO USE-CLEA NING. J I If a towel is used for a bureau-cover it should always be fresh and clean. The Attic. — There is little to say about the general care of the attic. The floor is usually of board and should be scrubbed occasionally with cold water and sand. When scrubbing is not needed it may be swept with a hair broom. All articles in the attic should be neatly arranged and kept as free from dust as possible. For more thorough cleaning, see the section on General House-cleaning. SECTION II. — GENERAL HOUSE-CLEANING, The spring is the best time for house-cleaning ; for after furnace, grates and stoves have been in constant use for six or more months there is always more or less dust in the carpets and furniture, and the walls and paint are defaced with the smoke, ashes and gas which, owing to their light and penetrating nature, no one can altogether prevent escaping. House-cleaning should not be the terror of a woman's life, the synonym for discomfort and disorder ; nor would it be if system and order were used. Do one thing at a time, and do it thoroughly, should be the house-cleaner's motto. The first thing to be done preparatory to house-cleaning is to have all the chimneys thoroughly swept and the furnace and range flues cleaned. The furnace pipes should be taken down, cleansed, and wrapped in newspaper until they are to be used again. HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. The Ovdev to be Obserred. — Follow this order in cleaning house, and much confusion and disorder will be avoided : First the Cellar, next the Attic, then the Bedrooms, Dining- room, Parlor, Library, Halls, Stairways, Front Door, Vestibule, Verandas, Areas, Skylights. Before you begin to do any cleaning at all, supply your- self with the necessary things to clean with, and then com- mence work. The list of these articles is given in the chapter on Chamber-work, Sect. I. TJie Cellar, — For several reasons which you will see are quite proper we would first clean the cellar. If you have registers in your house close them all tightly, because coal-dust and ashes fly and suck up through the furnace flues and would light upon the furniture. First clean the coal-bins and get in your supply of coal. If there is an ash-vault it should be emptied and all the ashes removed. All rubbish that may have collected should be cleaned away. Chop up waste boxes and pieces of board for kindling wood and put it in place. The walls should be brushed down and whitewashed. Whitewash is easily made in the following way : — Put two quarts of unslaked lime in an old tub, pour a tea-kettle full of boiling water on it and clap a cover imme- diately over the tub. When cold, to one quart of this add enough water to make it the consistency of milk, add bluing and a handful of salt, and beat it well. Whitewashing a cellar keeps it healdiy. HOUSE-CLEANING. 73 Clean the cellar windows next. Whatever is to remain in the cellar should be cleaned and put away in an orderly man- ner. The last thing to attend to is the floor, which if stone, cement or brick should be scrubbed. The Attic, — Now that you have got rid of all the soot, ashes and coal-dust, go to the attic and treat it as you have treated the cellar, cleaning every thing within it and clearing out ever}'' useless article. Neither the cellar nor the attic should be receptacles of rubbish. If there are any carpets or woolens of any kind stored away in trunks or boxes take them down into the yard, beat and brush them and hang them on the line to air. After they have aired for a few hours, fold them smoothly and sprinkle camphor gum between the folds ; wrap the articles in newspaper and lay them away in the trunks or chests they were in. Every thing in the attic should be dusted, the walls brushed down and fif not hard finished) whitewashed or kalsomined, the windows cleaned and the floor scrubbed with cold water and sand. Board floors should never be scrubbed with hot water and soap, for this would make them dark and greasy looking. Gicites. — After the attic is cleaned it is well to make one job of cleaning all the grates, for it is dirty work and when once begun had better be gone through with. To polish steel grates use fine emer>- paper and sweet oil, and then rub them off with a soft cloth and polish with newspaper. 74 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. If a grate has not been used and has become rusty, rub unslaked Hme on it and the rust will come off; then use the emery paper. If there are summer blowers remove the grates, put in the blowers, and wrap the grates in newspaper and put them away. Bedrooms, — It is now time to begin to clean the bed- rooms. Commence with the upper rooms and clean down. All the draperies — such as curtains, lambrequins, portieres, etc., should be taken down and shaken in the open air, or brushed, and then put upon a long table, the ironing-table or extension dining table, and rubbed off with soft lintless cloths ; this removes any smut that may have adhered. Fold them evenly and put them away in linen and with camphor. Then take down the linen window shades, and if they do not require to be calendered rub them off with clean cloths on a table. Press them with an iron and roll them up. Pictures, — Take down all the pictures, handling the frames with soft cloths. No frame should be held in the hand. Dust them, wipe the glass with a damp cloth and set them away where they will be safe. Furnifnre, — After the draperies are cared for, then go to the furniture. If upholstered, beat it with the rattan ; if tufted, brdsh out all the creases, especially around the but- tons. Wipe all with a cloth and place the furniture in another room ; or, if tliis is impossible, put it in the center of the room and cover it over with a dust sheet. HOUSE-CLEANING. 75 Carpets, — The furniture and pictures removed, the car- pets may be taken up carefully to be shaken. Use care in raising them : do not pull them up, but extract the tacks with a tack-lifter, and fold them so that you do not scatter the dust. If there is a lining it should be put into a sheet ,and carried into the yard and brushed off. If there is no lining, sprinkle wet sand on the floor and sweep it up gently ; this will gather the dust. The sand should be frequently washed and will answer for all the floors used in this way. Beds. — The beds should then be cleaned as directed in the section on the Care of the Bedroom. Closets, — In cleaning closets, remove all the articles from the shelves, drawers and pegs. Dust tlie boxes and shake whatever is folded in the open air. The drawers should then be taken out and scrubbed ; also the frames in which they are set, the paint, the shelves, and lastly the floor. Leave the doors and drawers open until they are thoroughly dry ; then put back whatever you have taken out, observing the order in which they were placed. Blinds, — Your closets being clean and in order, clean the blinds by first brushing them, then wash them with cold water without soap and dry them well. Baint, — The painted wood-work throughout a house may be cleaned nicely in two ways, but we would recommend the following as the least injurious to the paint and the most satisfactorv when done : — 7b HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Use a soft flannel and warm water, wringing the flannel out so that no water will drip from it. Have a bowl with finely pulverized pumice stone in it ; dip the flannel in this powder and rub the paint up and down with it and then wipe it off with soft light Canton flannel This takes off" spots and dirt and does not wear ofl" or soften the paint as soap does, for all soap contains some soda which acts upon the paint. If any soap is used, and many good housekeepers prefer it, then use white Castile. This will not turn white paint yellow as brown soap does. Hard Wood, — Many houses are now finished in hard wood, such as black walnut, white ash, oak, etc. To clean black walnut use hnseed oil on cotton, rub it off thoroughly with a little oil on the cotton and then rub again with dry cotton. Light woods require nothing but clean cold water and a soft cloth and polishing with old soft flannel. Tainted If alls, — Painted walls should never be scrubbed. They may be cleaned with the pulverized pumice stone as painted wood-work, or if stained, with bran-water, — half a peck of bran to a pail of cold water. Let it stand over night and it is ready for use in the morning. If there are dark places on the walls behind the pictures, let the bran- water sour, then wet light muslin with this water and place it over the dark places, letting it cling to the wall until it dries and drops off. If the mark is not removed, wet it again. If the walls are frescoed or papered then put a soft Canton HOUSE-CLEANING. Jj flannel bag on a broom and wipe them down, beginning at the cornice and coming straight down to the base board with an even pressure. All walls should be cleaned straight up and down, never across. Should there be soiled marks on the paper, they can be removed by rubbing carefully with dry bread. The bedrooms done, it is better to clean the halls and stairways down to the parlor floor. Close all the doors and begin with the upper hall. If the halls and stairs are car- peted, take the carpets up as directed, and clean the walls and wood-work. Parlors, — Parlors usually contain articles of value, and each should have its own peculiar gentle care. Marble mantels or other pieces of marble may be cleaned with flannel and the pulverized pumice stone. Sapolio is a little harsh and sometimes scratches the fine polish. Saphio is finer and better; use very little of any thing of this sort unless the marble is very dirty. The hearth will have to be scrubbed with sapolio. Marble-top tables need nothing but cold water and a soft cloth. If the marble is stained use Javelle water. Marl^le orna- ments and statuary wash with . cold water and soft flannel cloths. If the pictures are hung with wire it should be burnished when the pictures are taken down. If cord is used, brush it and examine it to see if the moths have eaten it; if so the cord is no longer safe. yS HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Ornaments. — All ornaments should be treated very ten- derly, — you can not use too much care. Delicate glass or china should be washed in a paper basin or wooden tub with a heavy, soft cloth thrown over it, so that the ornament may not strike any thing hard. Use the finest, softest cloths ; old handkerchiefs are very good for this purpose. Bronzes if much soiled may be cleaned with turpentine. Be sure to rub off all you put on. If they are only dusty wipe them with soft cloths. Every thing in a parlor should be cleaned and removed before the cleaning of the room itself is done. Chandeliers, — In cleaning chandeliers remove the globes and wash them. Brush the chandelier thoroughly with a fine hair dust-brush ; the burners should be brushed with an old tooth-brush. If the chandelier is bronze, rub it off with turpentine ; if gilt, brush and wipe it with a soft cloth. Replace the globes. Library, — You may proceed with the library as you have done with the parlor. After you have removed ornaments, furniture and carpets, then go to the book-cases, begin at the top shelves and clean down one shelf at a time, wipe the books off and replace them. If the shelves need rubbing then do one case at a time, placing the books from each shelf in a pile so that they may be returned to their own places in order. If the shelves are painted and need scrubbing, do not return the books until the shelves are perfectly dry, other- wise the books would mold. HO USE- CL EA NING. 79 Fire-Brasses, — If there are fire-brasses, clean them as you would the stair-rods. Wooden Carpets, — No\v-a-days we often see wooden carpets on libraries, and these need cleaning too. They look well if rubbed off with bees-wax and turpentine. Melt a piece of bees-wax the size of an ^g^^ in a coffee-cup of turpentine ; let it cool and it will be of the consistency of lard. Apply this with a flat brush for the purpose, rubbing it well, and finally polish with a soft cloth. Door-sills are cleaned in the same way. Carpets, — x\ word about carpets. Ingrain and three-ply carpets should be taken up every year, unless the rooms have been litde used. Brussels should be shaken every two years and Wiltons and Axminsters every three years. These latter carpets are so heavy that the dust can not sift through them readily, and good sweeping is all they need for preservation. After the carpets have been shaken and laid, they should be cleaned. Put three tablespoons of ox-gall in a pail of cold water and stir it well. " Household Ammonia " is used in the same way. Wring out cloths in the water either with the gall or hartshorn in it, and rub the carpet well with the grain, or length of the breadth ; dry as you go with clean cloths. The water must be changed three or four times to a carpet. Matting, — Many like matting on their floors during sum- mer, and this like every thing else must be cleaned. Put a 80 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. handful of salt in a pail of cold water and wash the matting, dry it off carefully and it will be clean and white ; the salt will prevent it from turning yellow. It is also well to use either a litde bran or Indian meal in washing mattings. Put it either in the water or in a saucer into which dip the brush after wetting. Entrances* — The inside of your house being clean, the Front Door, Vestibule, Verandas, and Sky-lights should receive their share of attention. Should the front door be grained, wash it as you would paint. If it is solid wood, clean it as you would the wood of furniture ; a good recipe for this is one gill of olive oil to two gills spirits of turpentine. This takes off scratches and leaves a nice polish. But care should always be used to rub it in with soft cotton, free from specks ; then rub off with fresh cotton so that you can feel none left when touched. In cleaning the window over the door where the number is, be careful not to touch the gold foil of the number, as it will rub right off. The vestibule should be scrubbed with sapolio and warm water. Take care not to strike the sides with your scrub- brush. The verandas will need scrubbing and the balustrades brushing. Skylights, — These in order to transmit light, should be free from dust. A feather duster on a long pole will reach them; tie a cloth on the duster and wipe them thoroughly. HO USE- CL EA NING. 8 1 If you can lift the skylight from the roof, then you can wash it as you would a window. Do not neglect the areas ; they too should be washed out. Spots and Stains, — While a house may be perfectly clean, unsightly spots and stains will deface its appearance. Ink may have been upset on the carpet and there left its ugly mark. The better way to do is to soak it up directly with sweet milk, and it will not leave a stain ; but when this has not been done, then put salts of lemon in some water and soak up all you can get out of it. This will change the color of the carpet, but any color is better than an ink stain. If you have spilled acid on some woolen goods, as carpets or upholstered furniture, wet the discolored part with spirits of ammonia. If you have got paint on woolens, sponge them with ether. Breathe as little of it as you can and do it by an open window. Candle-grease may be removed by scraping off as much as you can very gently with a pen-knife, then place thick brown paper on the wrong side and iron it with a hot flat-iron. Grease spots can be erased by using the following mix- ture : — Mix one ounce of pulverized borax and half an ounce of gum camphor with one quart of boiling water; keep it in a bottle and shake it well before using ; apply with a flannel. Stains may be removed from a kitchen-table or board floor by rubbing on a knife brick and then scrubbing well with cold water; use no soap. S2 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Iron rust can be removed from steel by covering it with sweet oil. Leave it on a day and then rub with finely pulver- ized unslaked lime. QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER V. Section I. — Describe the care of the bed on the weekly cleaning day. In what order are the articles in the room to be dusted ? Give details about the sweeping and dusting. How are the windows and the mirrors best cleaned .'' The brasses ? The steel tire-set ? How may soot en the carpet be gotten rid of .'^ How stains on black walnut furniture? In what way are marble and silver fittings to be cleaned ? What is said about cleaning combs and brushes ? Describe the care of the attic. Sect. II. — Why is spring the best time for general house- cleaning ? What is to be done in preparation for it ? Name the order to be followed in cleaning the different parts of the house. Describe the cleaning of the cellar. Can you tell how to make whitewash ? Describe the cleaning of the attic ; of the grates ; the bedrooms; the pictures; the furniture; the carpets; the beds : the closets ; the blinds ; the painted wood-work. How are hard woods and light woods to be cleaned ? How walls, whether painted, frescoed or papered ? How the halls, the stairways and the parlor ? What remark is made about the cleaning of parlor ornaments ? Describe the cleaning of bronzes and of chandeliers. Hov^- is the library to be cleaned 'i What is said of the cleaning of wooden carpets ? of other carpets ? of matting? of the front door? of the vestibule? the veranda? the skylights ? How can ink spots be removed from carpets ? What is said about stains from acids ? about removing paint spots and candle-ofrease ? What will take rust off from steel ? DRESS. 83 CHAPTER VI. DRESS. SECTION \.-USES AND MATERIALS OF DRESS. The first object of dress is to cover and protect the person of the wearer. Its second object is to adorn and beautify that person. These two objects are so closely associated that it is diffi- cult to attain one without strict attendon to the other. If our bodies are not properly clothed they will be sickly ; if our bodies are sickly, our minds will suffer. How then shall we dress healthfully? We should l)e cleanly in dress. Underclothing should be frequently changed, even though it may not look much soiled ; because it absorbs the perspiration. The practice of sleeping in clothes worn during the day is unhealthful. During sleep foul matters are thrown off from the body, saturating the night clothing, the odor of which in the morning is sufficient to prove the uncleanliness of these excretions. Setting neatness aside, the habit of carrying around during the day these exhalations is pernicious. We should grade clothing carefully, changing from one thickness to another, according to the heat and cold, to avoid the effects of sudden changes in the temperature. It is best $4 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. to wear clothing of about the same thickness through a sea- son ; but do not change arbitrarily from thick to thin, or the reverse, at any set time of the year. Flannels. — In this climate flannels ought always to be worn next the skin. Their gentle friction aids circulation, and they are a good safeguard against ills resulting from sudden changes of the weather. Flannel over the chest, and (espe- cially in infants) over the abdomen, is indispensable. The feet ought to be well protected against cold and damp, else the circulation of the blood is checked. Wraps find Ilubbers. — India rubber overshoes have to be worn in heavy storms, but should not be kept on a moment longer than necessary, as, not being porous, they retain the natural moisture of the feet, thus making them tender, and very susceptible to cold, as well as inducing corns and bunions. Outer wraps ought to be laid aside in heated buildings. It is troublesome, but will save from weakness, colds and throat complaints. Easy Dress, — One reason why boys are so often better in health than girls, is that their mode of dress permits them to use all their limbs freely, thus exercising the muscles and stimulating healthy circulation. Girls are often fairly skew- ered into their clothes, so that free motion of legs, arms, or body, is impossible ; little exercise can be taken, and that is DRESS. 85 a weariness ; so the muscles grow flabby, the blood becomes thin and circulates languidly, and the girl is sallow and nerv- ous, and resorts to stimulants and tonics, when all that ails her is improperly made clothing. Do not swathe yourselves in quantities of skirts, so that you can not walk and run ; do not wear waists and sleeves skin tight ; above all, do not tighten up your corsets. All these things will give you cold feet, headache and dyspepsia; and lacing in your waist will also, slowly but surely, displace the internal organs, and induce distressing complaints, — diseases of the heart, liver, stomach, lungs, etc. All heavy weights suspended from the hips are most injurious. Just here, women most need strength ; just here they are most prone to weakness. Dress as Adornment, — The second object of dress is to adorn and beautify. Beauty and grace are largely dependent upon health and comfort. Girls are not pretty or graceful, and emphatically not well dressed, when made uncomfortable in any way by clothing. The nearer we can adapt necessary clothing to the needs of the crowning work of God, the nearer we approach His ideas, which are absolute beauty. Some of the ways in which the " human form divine " is distorted, are these ; Disproportionate waist and bust ; cramped hands and feet ; excrescences on any part of the body. It is a good general rule not to exaggerate the contours of any portion of the figure. 86 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Stt/le of Dress, — Dress may be described under three heads, viz. : Underclothing, Outer Clothing and Miscel- lanies. For each of these the watchword is, Suitabihty, or adaptation to the needs of the wearer. Undertvear, — Every one should have underwear which is at least plentiful, clean and whole, be the dress never so plain. Underclothing should be adapted to the occupation of the wearer. When worn to work in, let it be plain, stout and easily ironed ; and of more dainty make for a time of leisure. It should not be over-trimmed. Stockings must fit well, or they will produce corns. For winter v^-ear, some prefer wool, some heavy cotton. Either material is good, but let the stockings be warm and long, covering the knee well. It seems better, upon the whole, to keep them in place by means of an elastic garter, not so tight as to impede circu- lation, than by so-called " supporters," which drag upon the hips, besides being continually out of order. A row of buttons, sewed round the waist of the corset, with corresponding button-holes in the skirt bands, will serve to equalize the weight of the under-skirts, and keep them from dragging. The dress skirts may be hung to braces, passing over the shoulder, and always crossing in the back, so they will not constantly drop down over the arm, and impede motion. This is recommended, in preference to sus- pending the whole weight from the shoulders, as that tires the chest, and prevents free motion of the upper part of the body. Provided corsets are allowed to fit with perfect ease, they are useful to support the weight of the skirts. Wear as DRESS. Sy little extra underclothing as possible, in winter, but let that be both light and warm. Wool is the best material. Outer Clothing. — This^ again, should first of all be suitable. Things which are beautiful in the parlor, may be inappropriate on the street. If a girl has work to do, let her wear clothing suited, to her work. Waterproof wraps are desirable for stormy weather. One which does not pinion the arms is preferable. Skirts should be well raised to avoid wet ankles. The tendency is always to over-trim ; fussy trimming breaks the handsome lines of dress, and hides the beauty of the material. Design simply, and trim plainly, if you would have artistically made dresses. 3Tisc€lhnii€s, — Under this indefinite name count shoes, gloves, hats and bonnets, jewelry and all the " trifles light as air " which go to furnish forth a woman's toilet. Shoes, being of a proper size, should have a broad sole, to keep the feet from '' spilling over " at the sides. Extension soles are caj^ital for walking. Heels that are too high injure the spine and make it difficult to walk gracefully. A small heel is good to raise the foot from the damp, and to correct a lazy habit some women have, of walking on their heels ; but it should be broad and firm. Gloves ought not to be a prominent feature of any toilet. They should be well fitting, not tight, and harmonize in color. Study to be quiet in dress. This should be the rule of every one. i^S HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Truly modest women will avoid all undue exposure of the person. Use as few pins as possible about dress, substituting a button, stud or string wherever that is possible. It is hardly necessary to say, that unless clothes are whole, neatly kept, neatly put on, with tidy hair and accompaniments, all beautiful dressing is worthless. Material and Cost, — What shall we buy? Never buy a poor material because it is cheap. It will not pay tor the making. For underclothing which is to be worn at work, unbleached cotton goods are heartily recommended. The absence of dressing in them makes them wear longer, and the quality is far better than a corresponding grade of white goods. Canton flannel makes excellent winter drawers. That which has a short, close nap, and very fine, firm back, should be chosen. Some people prefer gray or red flannel to white, as it shows soil less. It should be remembered, however, that it does soil just as much as white, and needs changing just as often. All-wool flannel is nicest and softest, but it shrinks badly. A mixture, part cotton, washes best, provided the cotton and wool are carded together before weaving. If merino flannels are worn, those woven throughout, with no sewed seams, are best. For working (house) dresses, gingham is preferable to calico, as it wears far better, and is cheaper in the end though higher in price. Subdued patterns are the best. Blues and greens do not wash well. DRESS. 89 In buying dress-goods width is always to be considered. For the every-day wear of a busy hfe, all-wool cashmere, indeed any of the simple, inexpensive woolen goods, with which the stores are filled, are excellent. American silk wears well ; French silk has a higher luster. It is not wise for those who would dress well and yet eco- nomically to muhiply dresses. One nice one is better than three indifferent ones. At the same time it is a bad plan to wear the same dress in the street and in the house, as it grows shabby almost immediately. One handsome outer garment for winter that can be worn with any dress is better economy than a jacket to each suit ; these are troublesome and expensive, though very pretty. In choosing colors, materials and goods, it is a good rule to buy nothing pronounced. Of the thousand and one little things that finish woman's dress, it suffices to say in general that very much money should not be expended on them, and that they should be chosen with an eye to use and durability rather than to the extreme of the fashion they represent. Women should make conscience of the cost of their dress, limidng it to a due proportion of their means, large or small, and then not exceeding this proportion. To sum up : if dress be healthful, comfortable, suitable, well selected, and within the wearer's means, it will be beautiful. 90 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. SECTION II. — PLMH SEWING. In these days when sewing-machines are so much used, women neglect the knowledge of sewing by hand. This branch of work, however, is very important. There are vari- ous styles of sewing that wash better and are more durable if done by hand ; and there are many ladies who never use machine work on their undergarments and household linen. A woman, therefore, who perfects herself in hand work can almost invariably secure steady employment. Things Needed, — To work easily and well, one should always have a work-basket kept constantly ready with the best implements for work. It should contain a thimble, scissors, emery-bag, buttons, various spools of both white and black thread, and a needle-book filled with several sizes of needles, together with bobbin and darning needles. iV small pin-cushion and a piece of wax for strengthening thread are also very important. The most requisite kinds of sewing are hemming, stitching, running, felling, overhanding, overcasting, darning, and the making of button-holes. Button-holes, — To make these neatly, the sides should first be carefully overcast, and where strength is required, five small button-hole stitches should be made at each end. Always begin a button-hole on the bottom edge, and at the DRESS. 91 left hand corner. To make it even take a stitch between every other thread of the material you are working on. Darninff. — In darning, long stitches should be worked one way across the hole to be darned, then one should begin sideways, and take up every other one of these long stitches, so that the hole may be filled with a kind of basket work of thread. Great care is needed not to draw the hole in any smaller, as it would then not lie entirely flat and even. Patching. — In patching, the patch should be basted on the wrong side of the article to be mended, the edges turned in and hemmed down. On the right side of the garment, the hole should be cut out in square form, and edges turned in and hemmed neatly on to patch. It is often better to darn the hole on to the patch instead of following the above directions. When they come from the wash, clothes should always be mended, and buttons sewed on them, if needed, before they are put away. Shoe buttons should be sewed on with coarse linen thread waxed. Yellow wax is best for this purpose. A metallic fastening for buttons may be bought, and it will save a good deal of time and trouble. Hemming, — The most necessary thing in hemming is to have the hem turned over exactly even. This may be secured by measuring every few inches with a strip of paper, and where the hem is wide it should invariably be basted before 92 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. sewing. The felling of a seam is the hemming one edge of it over upon the garment after the seam has been carefully stitched. To make running or gathering exactly even, one should take up two threads on the needle and skip four. When gathering a long piece of work, divide it in halves or quarters, and take a new piece of thread for each division. This is a great help should the gathering thread break. When gathering is divided in this way, it is much easier to put on the band evenly. To prevent spool cotton from knotting or kinking, thread the needle with the end that first comes from the spool, and not where it is broken off. Even Seams. — Sewing can not be well done unless the seams are evenly cut. In cotton goods it is best to tear and not cut apart the breadths of a piece of work when they run even with the thread, such as in sheets, pillow covers, etc. When linen is used, a thread should be drawn along the length of a seam so that it may be cut by that. Other- wise the sewing will not look even and straight after it is washed. Indeed, the proper cutting out of work is essential to its looking well. In all cases where the garment is not in sim- ple straight breadths, a paper pattern should be used. This should be most carefully pinned upon the material, and the seams should be neatly basted, before any sewing is done. Never cut out a piece of work upon the lap. Lay it upon an uncovered table, or upon a smooth board resting upon the lap. DRESS. 93 QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER VI. Section I. — What are the two main objects of dress ? Why is it not healthy to sleep in the clothes worn during the day ? Explain the best way of adapting our dress to the season. Why should flannels be worn ? What care do the feet require .'* Why should tight lacing be avoided ? What is the effect of sus- pending a too heavy weight of dress from the hips ? Mention some of the disfigurements caused by dress. By what word may a correct style of dress be characterized ? What kind of under- wear is proper ? Why should stockings fit well 1 How are they best kept in place ? How may skirts be supported 1 What quality is most desirable in outer-clothing .^ What kinds of wraps are preferable .^ What is said about fussy trimming ? Describe shoes that are suitable for walking. Mention some of the bad effects of high-heeled shoes. What kind of gloves are suitable ? What materials are good for underwear } For house dresses 'i Is one dress or many the best economy ? What is a good rule in choosing colors 1 What is said of economy in dress ? Sect. II. — What is said of hand and machine sewing.? Describe the contents of the work-basket. Name the chief kinds of sewing. How are button-holes made } Describe darn- ing ; patching ; hemming. How is gathering to be made even .? What is said of even seams 1 What care should be taken in cutting out work ? 94 HOUSEHOLD ECOA'OiMY. CHAPTER VII. THE LIBRARY. SECTION I. — THE FIELD OF READING. A VAST world of literature lies all around us into which every woman, no matter what her occupation, sliould in some measure seek to enter. The highest intellectual life is restricted to comparatively few, and yet it is '^ in some degree within the reach of every one who earnestly desires it." A taste for reading and the best literature should be ear- nestly and perseveringly culUvated. It opens an unfailing source of comfort, and often brings strength and refreshment to many a woman wearied with petty vexations and daily household cares. Books as Companions, — Much has been said and written about the companionship of books. " A good book may be among the best of friends. Books introduce us into the best society, they bring us into the presence of the great- est minds that ever lived." No home is complete without books, and no woman can be indifferent to them without missing something that will greatly add to the power, useful- ness and happiness of her life. A library in its fullest sense may be beyond the reach of many, but every home should THE LIBRARY. 95 contain if possible a few good books which could be added to from time to time as circumstances allow. By a little economy in other matters, a good book may often be ob- tained which will more than repay for the sacrifice it may have cost. The plan of making systematic additions to the library is to be recommended. A catalogue of the books may be kept with advantage. Preparing such a catalogue gives increased knowledge of the books and authors,- and as the collection grows larger it vv^ill be found a useful means of reference and record. JVliat is a Libt'cii'j/ ? — Strictly speaking, a library may be defined as a " collection of selected books." But besides this, in many homes where library and study are combined in one, it is also a place for quiet thought, for literary labor and intellectual enjoyment ; and it is of the care of such a place in its details that this chapter would especially treat. The Choice of Books, — A few words, however, as to the selection and use of books. The formation of a large library is not often a woman's work in the home ; but every one in collecting books, how- ever few, should seek to procure works of good moral tone, various character and . of permanent value. Sensational lit- erature, and books of doubtful morality, should be carefully avoided. Desultory reading, or passing carelessly from one subject to another, should be guarded against ; but it is well for every woman, who has the opportunity, to make herself 96 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. familiar with the various branches of good Hterature. The field is a wide one, and in it every woman should choose according to her opportunities and requirements. Biography, history, travels, poetry, well selected fiction, essays, theology, literary criticism, and scientific works may all be helpful to women, and find their fit place in the home library. SECTION U. — ARRANGEMENT AND CARE OF THE LIBRARY. We must now consider the arrangement and care of books and of the furniture usually found in libraries ; beginning with the bookcases. Bookcases consist of a series of shelves for holding books, and are both movable and stationary, often being built in the room. Some are made with glass doors ; in front of others we find hangings, arranged to push aside, which serve to protect the books and also help to furnish the apartment. The best plan is to have open shelves, because then the books are easier to get at, and more likely to be used. Books should be carefully arranged on the shelves, accord- ing to authors, and if the collection is of some size, accord- ing to the subject also ; books of the same character or the works of an author being put together. They should also be arranged symmetrically according to size, beginning at the same end on each shelf, with the larger books. There should be a special place for each book, to which it should always be returned after using. THE LIBRARY. 97 Shelves, Hnugiuf/s, — The shelves of a bookcase should be kept free from dust. In the general cleaning, they should be emptied, wiped off with a damp cloth, and each book dusted and put back in its place. In the daily dusting, the shelves should be carefully dusted off in front, on the top of the books and behind, if possible. If there are glass doors to a bookcase they should be kept clear by frequent wiping and polishing. Hangings should be lightly shaken and occasionally brushed with a whisk broom. If of satin or other delicate silk mate- rial they should be carefully wiped with a silk or soft old linen duster to keep the dust from collecting in the folds. On sweeping days, they should be removed if possible, and well brushed and shaken. This of course does not apply to curtains, but only to the smaller hangings now so much used. Treatment of Books, — In using books great care should be taken of them. It is sometimes well to put a temporary cover on a book while it is being read, to protect the binding. The practice of covering books with pencilings should be strictly avoided. To mark a favorite passage, or make mar- ginal notes in one's own book is allowable, and often useful, but careless pencihngs are a great disfigurement. Handsome illustrated books too large to be put in book- cases are usually placed on stands or tables. They should always be handled with great care, and laid on some flat surface when opened, to prevent the binding from breaking. 98 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. The Librarf/ Table usually occupies the center of the room. It should be so placed, if possible, that the light should fall from the left hand in writing. It is generally made of wood, covered with cloth, and contains drawers for writing materials, etc. On it are usually placed the news- papers, magazines, and latest books ; also books which are being read. The cloth top of the table should always be kept free from dust by frequent brushing, the books, papers, magazines, etc., arranged in order upon it, and as the new numbers come in the old should be removed to prevent crowding the table. Writitif/ 3Iaterials. — Any one having charge of the library should take care to keep a full supply of writing mate- rials in readiness. Note-paper of various kinds, good pens, a pen-wiper, blotting-paper, sealing-wax, sharpened pencils, India rubber, pen-knife, paper-cutter, postage stamps and postal cards should always be found there ready for use. Care should also be taken to keep the inkstand well filled, and it should occasionally be emptied and washed out to keep the ink from getting thick. The waste paper basket is quite necessary to the neatness of a library. It is for collecting all the torn and useless pieces of paper, and should be emptied every day, care being taken that nothing of value is thus thrown away. Old Magazines. — It is a good plan to keep all old magazines and illustrated papers to send to charitable institu- tions where they often prove a great blessing. Old news- THE LIBRARY. 99 papers should be kept for lighting fires and other household purposes. General Care of the Library, — This is much like the care of the other rooms in the house. It should have the weekly cleaning together with the daily dusting and arrange- ment of things in their proper places. A word of warning must be given against disturbing the books and papers of a student working in the midst of apparent confusion. A room in good order is very desirable, but in a study there is at times a certain amount of literary confusion which is neces- sary and not unattractive. Much annoyance has often been caused, and much literary labor undone, by an indiscriminate zeal for " putting things to rights." Private Papers and letters sometimes accidentally fall under the eye of a person taking charge of a library. These should never be read to gratify curiosity, but should be held as sacred as if sealed. The Familfj Hoom. — The library is often the family gathering room, and as such should be made as pleasant and cozy as possible. And it is woman's thoughtfulness and care in little things that can greatly help to make it so. For instance, the room may be brightened by placing a few plants in the window or a vase of fresh flowers on the table. The pages of the last magazine might be cut ready for those who may wish to read it, and when evening comes the lamp might be lighted, the fire made to burn brightly lOO HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. and the easy chairs and slippers placed ready for those returning home from business, who may thus be cheered and refreshed by finding so much comfort and brightness awaiting them. Such are a few of the never to be despised little things, that add so much to the graces of home, and woman's charm and influence in it. QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER VII. Section I. — What is said of the intellectual life? of the companionship of books ? of forming a home library ? What advantage is there in making a catalogue of the books ? Define the library. What other uses has it besides that of containing books ? Mention some points that should be borne in mind in choosing books. What are the principal kinds of literature ? Sect. II. — What different kinds of bookcases are commonly used ? Are those with doors to be preferred, or those with open shelves ? What is the advantage of open shelves ? What arrangement of the books should be made ? How are the book shelves and hangings to be cleaned ? What is said about cover- ing books in use 1 about writing in books ? about the way to handle illustrated works ? Describe the library table. Describe the writing apparatus of the library. What use of old magazines and illustrated journals is recommended ? What is said about the general care of the Hbrary ? What caution is given about " putting to rights " carelessly ? about reading private papers ? How would you make the library attractive as a family meeting room ? HEALTH AND ILLNESS. 10 1 CHAPTER VIII. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. SECTION I. — HYGIENE. Hygiene is the art or science of preserving health. It is doubtful whether any of us realize what an important thing health is. Without it, how can a woman accomplish any thing in hfe? It is a gift and one very easily destroyed. It is the aim of this chapter to give a few practical hints for the preserva- tion of health. TJie Home, — In selecting our home, look for a place where plenty of sunshine can get in at the windows, and where no back wall will come close to the rear, thus prevent- ing a free circulation of air. In furnishing, do not purchase things that we feel will be injured by the sunlight, so that we shall hesitate to pull up the shades. Fresh Air, — After, or even before sunshine, there is nothing so important as plenty of fresh air. A physician when asked "What makes the best disinfectant?" answered " Fresh air." This, together with cleanliness, will prevent the spread of disease, will render a child strong and healthy, 102 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. and will fit women to do the work they are called to per- form. Sleep with the window more oj less open firom the top, according to weather. See that once or twice during the day, the windows are thrown wide open to allow a complete change of air, and if the room is full of people, try and have the window open from the top. Every person, in taking a breath, takes in pure oxygen and gives out impure matter. After a while, the pure air is changed to that which is extreme- ly impure. Breathing this impure air for several hours each day will render a person sickly and unable to meet the needs of life. In the modern way of living in flats and small apartments, there is great danger that the free ventilation of the rooms will not be properly attended to. Do not be afraid even in cold weather to let in sufficient air. Be careful not to sleep under the bed-clothes, but allow the head to be freely uncovered. Cleanliness, — Perfect cleanliness in every department of the house is essential for the preservation of health. Do not be afraid of the free use of water. Never allow any decay- ing matter, as vegetables, fruit, etc., to remain in your living rooms, as they will render the air impure. The plumbing and drainage of the house or room are most important to look into. Allow no disagreeable odor to escape your notice. If there is any such odor, search for the cause of it, and if not found, have a plumber examine into the reason why. The waste-pipes connected with stationary basins in bedrooms are most harmful, as there is so apt to be some obnoxious gas HEALTH AND ILLNESS. IO3 coming from them. If you are obliged to sleep in a room with such a basin, throw a damp towel over it before going to sleep, to prevent any impure air from escaping, and when not in use, keep a Httle water in the basin. Disinfectants, — A free use of some disinfectant in the closets, and wherever else pipes are introduced, is very useful. Most of the so-called disinfectants do little more than to cover up the offensive smell, without destroying its cause. The cheapest real disinfectant is the ordinary chloride of lime ; it must not, however, be scattered about carelessly, as it is very strong. For ordinary household purposes, the best disinfectant is Labarraque's solution of chlorinated soda. It can be had at any druggist's. It comes in bottles holding about a quart. Do not uncork the botde, but make a hole through the cork with a small gimlet and insert a goose-quill. Through this the fluid can be scattered about conveniently, and a small quantity will disinfect a stationary basin or a closet-pan. Overlieatimf, — In our modern rooms and houses where furnace heat is used, there is great danger of overheating the atmosphere. One should always have a thermometer which can be easily carried from place to place. See that it does not mark over seventy degrees in the winter. Try to keep the whole house of an equal temperature, and not to go from hot to cold rooms. Personal Health, — Cleanhness is of the first importance. If one is ordinarily well, allow no day to pass without wash- 104 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. ing or bathing from head to foot. A person will not take cold from so doing, for one can quickly restore the circula- tion, if chilled, by rubbing with a coarse towel. In dressing see that every thing is perfectly loose, espe- cially about the waist. Too much can not be said about the great evils proceeding from compressing any part of the body. It prevents a free circulation of the blood, displaces the vital organs, and brings on many weaknesses. Allow no heavy weight to come on the hips. If a girl could once realize the harm which comes from the wearing of high heels, she would never wish to wear them again. jyiet, — What we eat and how we eat it, are two great topics to be considered when the question of health is talked of. The eating of nutritious, well cooked food, at regular times, always conduces to health, but the taking of poorly prepared and hastily eaten food is apt to bring on indiges- tion. Let the habit be formed when young, not to eat sweets or any such thing between meals. Try and be prompt and regular at meal-time, and if possible eat then warm, digestible food, rather than lighter fancy things, which while they may be agreeable to the taste are lacking in nutritive qualities. In the morning, if through over-sleeping one is late to breakfast, do not hurry off to school or work taking simply a cup of tea or coffee, but always eat with it some solid food. Tea and coffee may satisfy for a while, but it is living simply on nervous excitement, and one will feel the effects later in the day. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. IO5 Exercise and being out in the open air as much as pos- sible are great inducements to health. Walk rather than ride, if not too great a distance, and in walking use special care that every thing is very loose, and the arms unencumbered. Stand as little as possible and do not sit long in one posi- tion, as the limbs get tired. The brain as well as the body becomes fatigued at the close of a day of activity, and we must see that it receives a due amount of rest. Seven or eight hours of sleep are necessary, if one would wake up refreshed and fitted for the work of the next day. Shun sitting up late at night. Ccire of the Ef/es. — The eyes are such useful organs that a chapter on hygiene ought not to be written without at least mentioning the great care that should be taken of them. Do not misuse the eyes. Sit with the light back of them and on the left hand, so that it may fall on the book or work, and not shine directly into the eyes. Be careful never to strain them by reading in a dimly lighted room, or in a car or carriage, or by using them too long at a time. If they do give trouble, wash them frequently in warm water, to which a little salt may be added. During sleep, and on waking, no bright light should be allowed to fall upon the eyes, whether from a gas jet, a night lamp, a mirror, or the morning daylight. The Ear. — Great care must be taken not to injure the ear when cleaning it. Never use a sharp pointed thing to put into it, and when any thing is inserted, be careful to keep only on the outside edge of the ear. The inner tissue, called I06 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. the drum, can be easily wounded, the smallest touch to it some- times occasioning a gathering or even permanent deafness. The Throat. — This is a sensitive organ, and care must be taken not to expose it needlessly, or to keep it part of the time wrapped in fur and part of the time with no extra covering. The use of lemon juice is helpful in clearing the throat when hoarse. Gargling with salt and water or with a solution of chlorate of potash is good for sore throat. The Teeth should be kept white, and free from the yellow coating that sometimes disfigures them. Brush them thor- oughly with cold water and some simple powder, as orris root, twice a day. Rinse the mouth after eating, if possible. Drawing a silk thread between the teeth preserves them, by cleaning them from any food that may settle in them and which would cause decay. Do not neglect to have the dentist examine the teeth once or twice a year, as he can often by filling a cavity prevent great pain and perhaps the loss of a tooth. The Hair to look glossy and well cared for, must be well brushed. If hurried in dressing in the morning, spend at least five minutes in brushing the hair every night before retir- ing. A little borax in water will clean the head. Wash the hair occasionally in warm water made frothy with Castile soap, but be sure that the head is well dried before you go into the air. Salt dissolved in water added to a little alcohol strengthens the hair. The hair may also be greatly strength- HEALTH AND ILLNESS. IO7 ened by being washed every little while with the yolk of an egg, but see that the hair is afterwards thoroughly washed out. Be careful not to use on the hair, or about the person, any wash, lotion, salve or liniment, without knowing what it is made from. Often great harm is caused to the skin by the use of such things, which have perhaps been advertised as " a sure preventive " against hair falling out, against pim- ples, freckles, etc. Too often these preparations are made of poisonous matter. Avoid the use of all " quack medicines." In closing this section, it is necessary once more to urge the necessity for plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and perfect cleanliness, both in the home and about the person. It is only when these primary rules of hygiene are fully carried out that we can hope to keep the health which is given us. SECTION IT. — CARE OF THE SICK. There is no duty more pre-eminently that of a woman than the care of the sick. Her gentle ministrations are welcomed by the sufferer, and no true woman will ever shrink from per- forming those kindly offices. Nothing reflects more discredit upon her than ignorance upon those subjects which belong to her sphere of duty. Learning will do much, but without the right spirit the nursing will be mechanical. The tact and qualities needed in the sick-room are not wholly the result of experience. Some have a natural gift for nursing, and are a blessing to those who are fortunate enough to come under their care, but I08 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. every woman with or without these gifts should know how to care for the sick, for women are the natural care-takers. It would be impossible in the limits of a single chapter to give what it would take volumes to describe, so we will be content to give a few important points which may serve as a guide when we are called upon to assume the duties of a nurse. A Good Nurse should have keen perceptions and quiet refined ways, and not be above doing any thing that is neces- sary for a patient's comfort. She should be bright and cheery, remembering that a cheerful face " doeth good like a medicine." She should never whisper in the room or just outside the door where the patient can catch a word now and then, and thus think that there is something serious which is being kept from him. Unnecessary noises, though slight, disturb a sick person much more than louder noises that are necessary. Creaking doors or shoes, rattling windows, rustling dresses, are very disturbing. All appearance of haste should be avoided : the rule is — do things quickly and quietly. The great need is perception, the power of seeing what can be done and what can not. Avoid leaning against or sitting on a patient's bed, and never shake it by a knock or otherwise. The Sich IRoom. — In home nursing, where few appli- ances are generally at hand, it is important to make the best of what there are. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. fOQ All rooms can not be equal lo large airy hospital wards, and it is not often possible to have just such a sick-room as you might wish. But choose if you can, a room with a fire- place and in which the window will open at the top. Unless in warm weather, the fire-place is the best of ven- tilators, as the air from the room draws rapidly up the chimney. If the patient have a contagious disease, avoid standing between the bed and the fire, as the risk of inhaling the poisonous gases is greater there than in other parts of the room. Pure Air, — Miss Nightingale's first rule for nursing is '* to keep the air that the patient breathes as pure as the external air without chilling him." Doctors tell us that every day we breathe in between one and two thousand gallons of air, and this air must not only enter the lungs, but a portion of it must actually penetrate into the blood. The air we inhale is charged with oxygen, the air we exhale is poisoned with carbonic acid gas. Thus the fresh air is made impure by the act of breathing. " Each person spoils a gallon of air every minute." People who live night and day in close crowded apart- ments grow pale and languid. They do not breathe enough oxygen to keep their blood bright and pure, and the poison- ous carbonic acid is slowly doing its work. If it be so necessary for healthy people to breathe pure air, it is even more necessary for sick people. If you air the room from an inner door the air can not be as pure as from outside. " Windows are made to open, doors to shut," says a good no HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. authority on nursing. Always open the window above ; the hot used-up air ascends and can make its escape through the open space. The door and window should never be open at the same time, for this creates a draught and might give the patient cold. So arrange the position of the bed that you can stand between it and the window when you wait on the patient. The JPatient^s Bed should be in the lightest place in the room, but be careful that no glaring light strikes the pa- tient's eyes. It is well to stand it between the wall and fire- place and never to have its side to the wall. Keep the bed- stead and mattresses perfectly clean. Pillows should be used to support the back. Do not heap them one on top of the other like a pile of bricks, but adjust them so as to give the requisite slant for the patient to recline against them. A good bed-rest is formed by a chair placed upside down, with its back against the patient's back, of course with pillows or a blanket or comforter between. Keep the bed-clothes smooth both under and over the patient. Wrinkles and neglected bread-crumbs under the back will produce bed-sores. When the patient is too ill to sit up while you are changing the sheets, roll up the soiled sheet lightly to the middle lengthwise, not across the bed ; arrange the clean sheet on the bare space with half the width rolled up ; lift the patient on the clean sheet, slip off the soiled one on the other side and unroll the clean one. When people are very sick it is well to give a little nourishment before the fatiguing process of changing the bed-clothes. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. Ill Cleanliness. — There is nothing of more importance in the care of the sick than cleanHness. " Dirt is the best friend to disease ; it often brings on illness, and hmders cure." The germs of infectious diseases often find a lodgment on the crust of dirt and are thence absorbed into the body. Exercise helps the skin to perform its duties, and frequent washing is a necessity ; but cold bath- ing should not be used in case of illness except under a doctor's orders. The skin must be rubbed after bathing until it is warm. Hot water with a little alcohol in it and Castile soap should be used for bathing. Rubbing with a crash towel invigorates and gets up a good circulation of the blood. Sleep should be held almost sacred. When a patient sleeps never under any circumstances let him be awakened unless you have the doctor's permission. A weak person when once awakened can seldom fall asleep soon again. Sleep is " Nature's sweet restorer." In a sick person the brain is weakened by disease, and like other parts of the body needs strengthening. It gets this by sleep. If a patient sleeps for a time, the brain becomes stronger, and can the more readily rest the next time. Diet. — The food of an invahd is frequently more impor- tant than his medicine. The appetite at such times is very capricious, and much depends upon the care and ingenuity of the nurse. Nothing robs a sick person of his desire for 112 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. food as hearing what he is to have discussed. Let the food be a surprise, and served in a neat attractive way. Do not keep food by the bedside, for the sight of it often nauseates a dehcate stomach. A sick person's plate should never be overloaded, and the food should be cooked with the greatest care. Remember that a patient's diet should be prepared so that it will not tax his weak digestion. When serving fluids keep the cup and saucer perfectly dry so that no drops of liquid will fall on the sheets, pillow or gown. If a patient can not lift his head slip the hand under the pillow and raise it for him. A feeding-cup with a spout will prevent the liquid running out at the sides of the mouth. Always place a napkin under the chin before feeding a patient. It is better to give food more frequently and less at a time than a quantity at once which the stomach may reject. All food should be fresh and of the best quality. The nurse must study what the patient can digest, and what will nourish him best. The diet of a healthy person is no guide for that of an invalid. Synijitonis, — A nurse should watch the symptoms of her patient very carefully, so that she can give a history of her case when the doctor comes. During his visit she should note every thing he says, and understand and remember his orders. If there are a number of things to be done, and medicines to be given frequently or at stated times, it is always best to write the directions down, so that they may be followed out to the letter. Obey the doctor's orders impli- citly. If an unfavorable change should occur inform him at HEALTH AND ILLNESS. once of the change, for a patient's life may be lost for lack of prompt medical attendance. Disinfection. — A person nursing a case of communicable disease, as scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid fever, small-pox, measles, chicken-pox, erysipelas, typhus fever, puerperal fever, or pyaemia, should be careful to wear nothing but cotton dresses that will wash. After contagious diseases remove the carpet and all draperies from the room ; put large pans of chloride of lime upon the floor, and pour strong vinegar upon it ; hurry from the room and close the doors ; chlorine gas will be disengaged. All the bedding must be made over. Destroy all articles that can not be disinfected, as books, toys, etc. For washing the bed and body clothing first soak the articles twelve hours in the following solution : Sulphate of zinc, two and a half ounces ; carbolic acid, one ounce ; hot water, one gallon. Floors and walls if not papered should be scrubbed with carbolic soap. Paper on the walls should be removed if directed by the physician. No animals or birds should be allowed in the sick-room when the disease is contagious, as the disease may be carried by them to other persons. It is dangerous to eat or drink any thing that has remained in the room of a person who has a fever or contagious dis- ease ; the germs in the air may have fallen on the food, and any one who eats it may catch the disease. 114 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. RECIPES. A few directions are appended for preparing the articles oftenest needed by the sick one. Oatmeal ov Indian Meal Gruel, — Mix one or two tablespoons of the meal smoothly in cold water, then stir it in one pint of boiling water, salted with a saltspoon of salt ; boil slowly from one to two hours ; sweeten afterward, if desired, to suit the taste. Barlejf Gruel. — Wash the barley, then put half a tea- cup in a quart of cold water, let it boil two or three hours. Strain, sweeten to the taste, and flavor with a little grated nutmeg. (Gruels require very thorough cooking.) Thickened Milk. — Dissolve two tablespoons of flour in a teacup of cold water. Boil one quart of milk in a can within another vessel of water ; add the flour and water while the milk is boiling, stir all the while, and boil about ten minutes. Remove it from the fire, flavor with a tea- spoon of the essence of lemon or vanilla. Sweeten to the taste. Panada. — Put two or three soda crackers in a quart bowl ; pour boiling water on each cracker slowly, until it is swelled out, sprinkle a little sugar over the crackers, and add a HEALTH AND ILLNESS. . II5 cup of boiling water with a tablespoon of wine in it, if the patient requires it. Grate a little nutmeg on the top. Wine Whey* — Boil half a pint of fresh milk in a porce- lain saucepan. The moment the milk rises, pour in a small wine-glass of sherry. Let it boil up again, and set the sauce- pan over on one side of the fire till the curd forms a lump. Do not stir it ; the whey will separate from the curd. Arrowroot. — Two teaspoons of arrowroot will thicken half a pint of milk or water. Dissolve the arrowroot in half a teacup of cold water, and add it by degrees to the half pint of boiling milk or water, stirring over the fire all the while. Boil about five minutes ; flavor with essence of va- nilla, or wine, and sweeten to the taste ; grate a litde nutmeg over the top. Corn-starch or Farina may be made the same way. Boiled Bread and Milk, — Cut the crusts off a slice of bread (stale baker's bread is best), boil one pint of milk and pour over the bread, cover the dish for ten minutes with a cover or a plate, and the bread will be soaked evenly ; add sugar if desired. Toast Water is to be used when water is injurious, it satisfies thirst. Toast two slices of bread very brown, do not burn the bread, pour one quart of boiling water over the toast in a pitcher. Let it stand until cool before using. Il6 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Cocoa Nibs or Shells, — One quart of boiling water ; two ounces of cocoa nibs or shells ; one quart of fresh milk ; wet the shells or nibs with a teacup of cold water ; add the quart of boiling water ; when boiling add two tablespoons of white sugar; boil an hour and a half; strain; add the milk which has been heated, and take from the fire. This is excellent for nursing mothers and invalids. Beef Tea, — Chop fine one pound of beef freed from fat. Cover it with cold- water, and let it stand one hour, put it in a large-mouthed bottle, and place the bottle in a pot of cold water, let it boil slowly for two hours, until the juice is all- extracted from the meat ; season with a little salt. JBeef-juice and Wine (for very weak patients). — Take the tenderloin of a beefsteak, and warm it before the fire on a wire gridiron, cut it to pieces, and express the juice with a lemon squeezer ; put the juice in a wineglass of good wine. Give a teaspoonful at a time. Chicken Broth. — A chicken weighing two pounds will make a quart of broth. Cut the chicken to pieces and break all the bones ; pour on a quart of cold water, let it simmer from half to three quarters of an hour, or until the meat is separated from the bones ; strain it and put in a tablespoon of barley which has been cooked in a little warm water, add a pinch of salt. Some like • half a cup of wine added : in this case return it to the fire and let it simmer five minutes longer, taking care that it does not burn. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. WJ Lamh and Mutton Broth can be made in the same way. Chicken Jelly, — Take one chicken, and after having washed it thoroughly in cold water, cut the chicken to pieces and pound it until all the bones are smashed, then place the chicken in a saucepan with enough water to cover it, about a quart. Heat it slowly in a covered vessel, and let it simmer slowly until the meat is in white shreds and the liquor is reduced to one-half. Strain and press, first through a col- ander and then through a coarse cloth, salt it to the taste, and return it to the fire ; let it come to a boil and simmer five "minutes, skim when cool ; pour into a jelly mold and it is ready for use. Keep it on the ice. Wine Jellff, — Half a box of Cox's gelatine, pour on this quantity half a pint of cold water, let it stand one hour ; then add one pint of boiling water, and half a pint of wine, and one teacup of powdered sugar. Strain through musHn, and pour it into molds that have been wet with hot water. Lemon Jellif is made in the same way, only use the juice and rind of two lemons instead of the wine. Grate the lemon, and allow the rind to soak in a cup of hot water for half an hour. iJice Jelly, — Half a cup of whole rice washed and soaked two hours in warm water. Add three pints of cold water and cook the rice to a smooth paste, and the water is reduced to two pints. Strain it through barred crinoline, Il8 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. and season it with a little salt, and sweeten to the taste with granulated sugar. This is excellent for children with bowel complaint. Barleij Water (for sick children). — Two tablespoons of pearl barley cleansed, two cups of boiling water, one pinch of salt and two teaspoons of white sugar; soak the barley half an hour in a teacup of warm water, stir it without drain- ing into the boiling water. Let it simmer for an hour, stirring often. Strain it before adding the sugar. Stewed Oysters (for one person). — Open and drain the liquor from six oysters ; mix a tablespoon of hot water with the juice, add a little salt and pepper ; boil five minutes ; skim off the froth, put in the oysters, let them boil five minutes, not 7?ioj'e ; add a teaspoon of butter; the moment it is melted, remove from the fire and add a half cup of milk which has been boiled when the oysters were stewing. Clam Broth (for one person). — Drain off a cup of juice from the clams, add half a teacup of hot water, season with a little salt and pepper ; let it boil five minutes, skim, throw in the clams, let them stew fifteen minutes, take them out and add a soda cracker which has been rolled into a powder. Bread Poultice, — This may be prepared with either hot water or hot milk. Mix the bread with the boiling hot water or milk and stir it till it becomes smooth, then spread it on HEALTH AND ILLNESS. II9 linen or muslin ; grease it slightly on the surface and lay it on the parts affected as warm as the patient can endure it. Test the degree of heat by first laying it on the back of your own hand ; if it can be borne there without incon- venience, the patient can not complain. For maturing abscesses and boils the bread-and-milk and flaxseed poultices are the most suitable ; after opening, how- ever, the slippery elm poultice is preferable. Either this or flaxseed may be used for carbuncles and deep ulcers. Flaxseed Poultice, — Moisten one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with water, heat it nearly to boiling ; then mix a tea- spoon of glycerine, to which eight drops of carbolic acid have been added, through the flaxseed ; put it in a ve?y thin muslin bag, — gauze is best, — and apply hot. Slippery Elm, ground, is made in the same way. Lye Poultice (for inflammation of the bowels). — On one quart of wood ashes pour two quarts of boiling water ; let it boil ten minutes, stir it well, then take it from the fire and let it settle ; drain off the water, thicken it with Indian meal. Make bags of flannel, put the poultice in one and apply hot ; have the other hot and ready when the one on is cool. Catui2) Poultice (for internal spasms and inflammation and contraction of the bladder) . — Make a strong tea of the catnip and thicken with Indian meal ; put it in a flannel bag 1^0 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. and apply hot, change for another when cool until relief is given. Yeast Poultice. — Like the slippery elm and flaxseed, this is used on ulcers which slough a great deal, and where cores and other effete masses have to be removed by degrees. Heat a cup of yeast and thicken it with Indian meal ; apply as the flaxseed poultice is done. In all cases where poultices are apphed, the parts should be covered that their full effect may be had ; oiled silk makes the best covering. They should be changed frequently, par- ticularly in summer, as they will get sour, which should never be permitted. Oil the part or the poultice before applying. Mustard Poultice, — Mix mustard and corn meal, equal parts, spread on a cloth and cover with a piece of fine cloth which comes next to the skin. Mustard Plaster, — One tablespoon of ground mustard (Keen's or Coleman's is the best), moisten with water and spread on a muslin cloth ; cover the mustard with a thin gauze and apply. If the mustard is mixed with the white of an Qgg or a little salt, it will not blister the skin and can remain on much longer. 3Iustard Draughts, — Soften two slices of bread with hot vinegar, mix with them one tablespoon of mustard and half a teaspoon of salt ; spread on a cloth, cover with gauze and bind them on the soles of the feet or calves of the legs. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. 121 Ginger Plaster. — Mix a tablespoon of ginger with a little water or white of an Qgg. It answers for heating, but will not draw the blood away as mustard will. Alum Whey and Curd, — Drop a lump of alum the size of a hickory nut into a teacup of hot milk. The curd will separate from the whey ; this is good to dra^v out inflam- madon from the eyes caused by cold. Put the curd moistened by the whey quite soft into a book-muslin bag and lay it over the eyes. Sassafras Tea (for bloodshot and inflamed eyes). — Quarter of an ounce of the pith of sassafras to a pint of boiling water ; let it draw until the water becomes slimy, then strain through thin muslin and bathe the eyes frequently with the tea. SECTION III. — EMERGENCIES. In the life of every woman there often comes either to herself or to those with whom she associates some accident or emergency, — perhaps only a slight one. It is necessary for her to know definitely what she ought, or ought not to do. Usually the simplest and most useful things are overlooked, while remedies are tried which often prove ver}' hurtful. This chapter is to present in easy form, a few sug- gestions as to what should be done, before the arrival of the physician. It has been wisely said that " for want of timely care, millions have died of medicable wounds." When an 122 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. accident occurs, first see that the patient gets plenty of air. Do not let a crowd assemble around him ; loosen all clothes, place him fiat on the back, with his head, neck and shoulders slightly raised. If the person has fainted, give a sip of water, or a teaspoonful of brandy to tablespoonful of water every few minutes. If brandy is not at hand use fifteen drops of ammonia in a tablespoonful of water every few min- utes. Gentle frictions to the extremities, and hot flannel applications to the stomach and limbs are useful. In an ordinary faint see that the patient's head is placed lower than the body. We quote the following : *' Should the person be sitting in a chair at the moment, do not remove her, but stand behind the chair, reach the hands over in front so as to grasp the sides of the back of the chair, take a step backwards to give room, then slowly depress the back, sup- porting the head until the floor is reached. An assistant should hold down the dress. Usually the back of the head of the patient scarcely reaches the floor before consciousness returns." Drotvnhig, — When a person has been recovered from the water, his face should be turned downwards for a moment ; the forefinger of a bystander, slightly curved, is to be thrust backwards to depress the patient's tongue, thus allow- ing obnoxious mucus to escape. If possible, remove the cloth- ing and place him in a warm bed. Frictions should be made to the extremities, and hot water botdes or flannels applied to the body. For a time it seems as if fife had been suspended, breathing has apparently stopped, and it is neces- HEALTH AND ILLNESS. 1 23 sary to promote it artificially. We copy the following way of thus forcing breathing, called " Silvester's ready method." This consists " in pulling the tongue forward, which better favors the passage of air along the base of the tongue into the windpipe, and then drawing the arms away from the sides of the body and upwards, so as to meet over the head, by means of which the ribs are raised by the muscles running from them to the arms near the shoulder. A vacuum is thus created in the lungs, the air rushes in, and the blood is purified by the passage of the impure gases in the blood vessels to the air, and by the giving up by the air of a portion of its oxygen to the blood. " The arms are now brought down to the sides, and the elbows made to almost meet over the pit of the stomach. This produces contraction of the walls of the chest and expulsion of the impure air from the lungs. These two movements constitute an act of respiration, and should be repeated and persisted in, without interruption, at the rate of about sixteen to the minute." As soon as the patient shows signs of returning conscious- ness a few drops of brandy in water may be given, and beef- tea or other nourishment should be prepared. Burns and Scalds. — When a person is found on fire, throw him on the ground, to prevent flames from rising to mouth or nostrils, and instantly envelope in a carpet, rug, blanket, shawl, or any woolen article. Keep the hot air from mouth by beginning to stifle the flames from the head down- ward. If the burn is slight, one of the easiest and best T24 /HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. remedies to use is soft linen, wrung out in cold water, and applied to the injured part. When pain subsides a dressing should be apphed. The white of an ^%g, put on by a brush or old linen is helpful, or a lather of soap from the shaving cup. Linseed oil, pure lard, and lime water are also useful. Do not apply cotton batting, as it adheres to the burn, and in the end occasions more pain. If the burn is at all serious, send instantly for a physician. Keep all air from the burn. Wounds or Cuts, — Wounds even when slight are some- times attended with serious loss of blood. Our first thought must therefore be to stanch the blood ; and to do this we must aim to form a clot of blood. If the wound is small, pressing a finger on it for some time is the simplest remedy. It is necessary to elevate the limb, and apply (if at hand) broken ice above the wound. If the wound is large a tight pressure above it must be made. This is done by tying a handker- chief or a piece of muslin around the limb above the wound ; to render it tighter, insert a stick and turn it several times. Do not remove the pressure to see if the blood has ceased flowing for some time. In all cases of hemorrhage, let the bystanders show no excitement, and keep the patient as quiet as possible. After blood has ceased flowing, and a sufficient time has elapsed to form the clot, a quiet stream of water may be allowed to flow on the wound to remove foreign substances, and the parts should be carefully brought together, and re- tained in place by thin strips of plaster. Salt thrown in the wound often hastens the formation of a clot. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. 125 For a hemorrhage from the mouth, special care must be taken to keep the patient and yourself perfectly free from excitement. If blood comes in great quantities and is dark in color it is not so dangerous, as it proceeds from the stom- ach, but if blood IS bright colored and comes in less quantity there is danger, as the hemorrhage is from the lungs; give teaspoonful of salt or strong lime, and apply ice cold cloths to the chest. Keep the patient in the reclining position, and send instantly for physician. Bleeding from the nose can generally be stopped by rolling a piece of paper very hard and placing it under the tongue, or by laying the patient flat on the back, and applying ice to the forehead and the back of the neck. For bruises use cold water appHcations. For bumps use warm water. A few drops of tincture of arnica in the water is excellent; Pond's Ex- tract is also very good. For sprains immerse the limb in as hot water as it can bear, keep it very quiet and wet occasionally with arnica. Foreign Bodies, — One can frequently remove specks from the eye by winking with the upper lid held over the under Hd, by rolling over the upper lid upon a pencil and wiping the speck out, or by holding the upper lid and blowing the nose. An eye stone is useful to put in the eye ; it occasions no pain nor inconvenience. If lime gets into the eye, wash the eye immediately with milk until the lime is entirely removed. Cover the eye with a bandage or shield to protect from the light. If molten lead or other burning substance gets into the eye, use milk and send immediately for physician. 1-26 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. If foreign substances should get into a child's nose, he should be made to take a full breath, then holding other "nostril and mouth closed should allow air to escape ; in doing this, it frequently will dislodge the substance, espe- cially if assisted by a sharp blow upon the back. If this will not dislodge it, compress by the fingers just above the substance to prevent its going farther, and then it can probably be hooked out with the bent end of a wire. If not, let a physician see the child as soon as possible. When any thing gets into the ear great care must be taken not to remove it with a probe for fear of permanent injury. Convulsions, — If a child is taken with convulsions, put it instantly into a hot bath (98° to 110° Fah.) to relax the muscles. Be very careful that the water is not too hot. Apply cold water compresses to the head. In fits there is little to do but to loosen all clothing and to give the patient plenty of fresh air. When a person is bitten by a dog the first thing to do is to get rid of the poison before it passes into the system. This must be done by burning it out, or by a friend sucking it out, and immediately rejecting the blood taken into mouth. Poisoning, — If poison has been swallowed try to pro- mote vomiting. A tumbler of warm water containing a table- spoon of ground mustard should be given at once. Common salt will do instead of the mustard if that is not at hand. Tickle tlie back of the throat with the finger or with a feather if vomiting is not caused, and repeat the use of hot water. HEALTH AND ILLNESS. 12/ If acid has been swallowed, such as oxaHc acid (often used in cleaning brasses), first give a tablespoon of magnesia, common whiting, or carbonate of soda. For an alkaline poison, such as sugar of lead, give vinegar and water at once, in addition to the emetics. For arsenic poisoning, give the emetic, and send or take the patient to the druggist, for dialysed iron, giving a tablespoon every five minutes. For opium poisoning, give strong coffee and keep the patient walking between two assistants. Other prompt emetics are tartar emetic, two to five grains : powdered ipecac, twenty to sixty grains : sulphate of zinc, twenty to forty grains : and sulphate of copper, ten to thirty grains. Croup, — Send at once for the doctor. Until he comes give sirup of ipecac, half a teaspoon to a child of less than a year, a teaspoon to an older child, a teaspoon and a half to a child of two years. Repeat the dose in twenty minutes if no vomiting occurs. Rub the child's throat and chest with camphorated oil, and tie a flannel wet with camphorated oil round the throat. It is very important to keep the child in a warm even tem- perature of 70° Fah. away from draughts. Moisten the air of the room by evaporating water over a gas-burner or spirit lamp. Sunstroke, — When a person is attacked with sunstroke, he must be carried into a cool place, and the temperature of the body reduced. This can best be done by undressing him, dashing cold water over him, and applying ice. Sunstroke 128 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. may be often prevented by abstaining from the excessive use of cold water, wearing loose light fitting garments, and paying particular attention not to expose the head to the rays of the sun. If symptoms appear, drop e\'ery occupa- tion and retire to the shade. With Chilblains one must keep away from the fire, and bathe the feet at least once a day in cold water or rub them with snow. Hot water applications are most useful in relieving severe pain of any kind, by relaxing the muscles. Wring out flannel in hot water and apply it, if hot water bags are not conven- ient. In all accidents and emergencies we must remember that it is absolutely necessary to keep ourselves from showing anxiety or excitement. Then too we must not wait for others to act, but must ourselves proceed, as if the life of the patient depended upon ourselves alone, in a quiet and de- cided way. QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER VIIJ. Section I. — What is hygiene? What should be the first care in selecting a house ? What care should be taken in fur- nishing.'* What is of the highest importance in a house ? Name the best disinfectants. How should we sleep ? What care should be taken of the windows? Why is pure air so necessary? Is there any danger in the modern way of living? What is as important as fresh air ? How must water be used ? What should be done with decaying matter? What should be done to prevent the escape of obnoxious gas from the waste-pipes in a HEALTH AND ILLNESS. 1 29 bedroom? Is it well to use a disinfectant? Where should it be used ? What danger arises from the use of a furnace ? How should rooms be kept? What is of the first great impor- tance in personal health ? How shall we dress ? What is said about the harm of high heels ? What shall we eat ? How shall we eat? Why should we not start into the day's work taking simply tea and coffee ? Why should we take plenty of exercise, and be out in the open air? What should be done in walking? Why is sleep necessary ? What care should be taken of the eye? what of the ear? the throat? the teeth? the hair? Why should care be taken in the use of liniments, washes, etc.? Name once more the primary rules of hygiene. Sect. II. — What is said about the duties of the nurse? About training, and about natural gifts, for the work ? Describe the qualifications of a good nurse. What kinds of noise are the most trying to the patient ? What is the best ventilator of the room ? Mention a precaution to be taken by the nurse. What was Miss Nightmgale's first rule for the sick-room? What caution against draughts must be taken ? How would you place the sick-bed ? How arrange the pillows ? What makes a good bed-rest ? Why should the bed-clothes be kept free from wrin- kles ? How may the bed-clothes be changed without removing the invalid ? What is said about bathing the patient ? about his sleep? his diet? Is it better to give a little food often, or more less frequently ? How must the nurse watch the patient's symp- toms ? What are the most common of the communicable dis- eases ? Give some account of the way to disinfect a room. What caution is necessary in respect to pet animals or birds ? in respect to food that has been near a source of contagion ? Sect. III. — Why is it necessary to know how to act in case of an emergency ? When an accident occurs, what must first be done ? If the person has lost consciousness, what must be I:30 - HOUSEHOLD ECONOMYr ' given him? When an ordinary faint occurs what can be done? What preliminary steps are to be taken for a person in a drown- ing condition ? Describe Silvester's Ready Method. How can burns and scalds be treated ? What must be the first thought when a person is v;ounded ? How can blood be stanched ? After blood has ceased flowing what must be done? Describe treatment for a hemorrhage from the mouth. What is the dif- ference between blood flowing from the stomach and from the lungs ? How can you stop bleeding from the nose ? What can be applied for a bruise ? what for a sprain ? How remove foreign substances from the eye? from the nose? from the ear? When a child is taken with convulsions, what can be done ? If a person is bitten by a mad dog, what should instantly be done ? What are some of the chief antidotes for poisons ? Describe treatment for sunstroke, and precautions to be taken against it. For chilblains what must be done ? How can severe pain be re- lieved? When any accident occurs how should the bystander act? ECONOMY, SYSTEM, AMENITIES. 131 CHAPTER IX. ECONOMY, SYSTEM, AMENITIES. SECTION I. — ECONOMY. This may be defined as frugality in the use of things, and it may be applied to the use of time and labor, as well as to that of money. Three Bides for Econotnt/, — ist. Be as careful of small amounts as of large ones. 2d. Think twice before making any purchase. 3d. Never buy a thing because it is cheap. The first of these rules is well illustrated in the old maxim, "Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves," and in the saying, "A penny saved is a penny gained." The saving of ten cents a day seems but a small thing, but it amounts to three dollars at the end of a month, and to thirty-six dollars during a year. It is easy to see how this principle applies to the use of money, but one is apt to overlook it in other things. Study, however, to carry it out in every detail of Hving. In the kitchen let nothing be thrown away. Saving Food. — A careful housekeeper can soon leant to 132 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. make use of the smallest bit of food to advantage. Let a pot be daily standing on the fire into which all the bones of meat can be placed to simmer into a good soup. This can be varied from day to day by adding any small pieces of meat or vegetables, or even crusts of bread. Crusts too can always be made into a good pudding. A variety can thus be added to the meals of a family at the expense of only a little trouble. Odds and Ends, — Be careful to put aside pieces of paper and twine, and bottles ; a few cents will be saved each time you need a prescription at a druggist's if you can take a phial or bottle to be filled. Let all pieces of wrapping-paper be neatly folded and kept together. Cut off the back of notes and letters that are not written on, and keep them for future use ; tie up evenly small bits of string, and have a box or bag for keeping them in. So also have bags for preserving all pieces of material that have been used in the clothing of a family, one bag for woolens, one for white materials, and one for colored ones. There is great economy in having such pieces always at hand for mending or making over a garment. Judicious Buying, — The second rule, to think twice before purchasing, will save many an ouday. Before going to market determine carefully what is required for the day, and do not purchase at hap-hazard. Buy in large quantities, if possible, what is not injured by keeping. The price is gener- ally cheaper, and there is always a waste in frequent measur- ing and weighing. Above all, do not buy what you can not E CO NO MY, S YS TEA/, A MEN/ TIES. I 3 3 pay for at the time of purchasing. There is no greater dan- ger to the pocket nor to the peace of a family than the running up a bill at the butcher's or grocer's. In making any purchase for yourself, or for the house, ask the question, "Can I do without it?" In answering this, one often finds that the article is quite unnecessary, and by a little managing dress or furniture can be made to look quite as well without it. This question should be especially asked when one is tempted to buy a thing because it is cheap. When an arti- cle is sold below the ordinary price it is generally because it is not of good quality. The weight, coloring and texture of all made goods are easily imitated, and a good appearance can be offered at a small price. Take great care then that you get a genuine article. The additional amount paid for it will be more than gained by the length of time it will last. Economy of Time. — As said in the beginning of this chapter, economy may be exercised in the use of time and labor, as well as in that of money. Take especial care of all small amounts of time. Form the habit of taking up a book, or doing some light sewing, when waiting between the regular employments of a day. Ten minutes saved each day will amount to more than an hour at the end of a week. Be careful of the many chance ten minutes. In all kinds of work, economy of both time and labor can be practiced. Many minutes and many steps are saved by having all the implements of any employment carefully arranged before you begin it. 134 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. SECTION II. — SYSTEM. This virtue goes very far towards producing comfort and happiness in a household. To work according to system is to have every thing arranged with a regular method and order. Set Hours, — In a family the hours of each day should be planned for with great regularity, as in a school. The meals especially should be served punctually. To effect this, at least one good clock should hang in a conspicuous place in the house, where all may be guided by it. As far as pos- sible let the labor and serving in a family be carried on at the same hour in each successive day. Instead of chancing to go out one day in the morning and perhaps the next day in the afternoon and letting the work come in at any irregu- lar time, arrange a certain portion for going out, and let the remaining time indoors be filled with its own methodical employment. Set Days, — In the same manner let particular work be assigned to each day of the week so that there may be a stated time for the washing, cleaning, mending, etc. In this way all the members of a household will know how to depend upon each other's time and engagements, and there will be little chance for the overwork and hurry and fret that are often found in families. ECONOMY, SYSTEM, AMENITIES. 1 35 Places for Things, — Equally important is the necessity of method in the arranging and care of the house. The old motto, " A place for every thing and every thing in its place," should be carried out in each room and in every pantry, closet, shelf and drawer. In the kitchen there should be a place for each pan and pot and kettle, so that even in the dark one might put their hand on what is needed. In closets, garments should always be hung on their own appro- priate nail, not first on one and then on another. In bureau and table drawers there should be a particular place for hand- kerchiefs, gloves, collars, and each variety of clothing; and when laying them aside each should be put on the pile arranged for it. In this way much time is saved which would otherwise be spent in looking for mislaid articles. Accounts, — There is especial need of system in the care of money and in the managing of expenses. However small a sum is to be expended, an accurate account should be kept of each expenditure and of the object for which it is spent. No woman should be content without her account-book. Should she have the care of a family, she should keep a sepa- rate list of personal and of household expenses, and these lists should be carefully added up and examined at least once a week. Especial care should be taken of bills that have been paid. They should be neady folded of a similar width and length and the amount and date of each bill written upon the back, and all should be carefully kept tied up together. Trouble and loss are often occasioned by the careless losing or misplacing of one, as dealers sometimes present a bill the second time. 136 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY, SECTION III. — CONCLUSION. HOUSEHOLD AMENITIES. More is needed beside the neatness, cleanliness and health- fulness of a home. It should be made the brightest and happiest place in the world to the occupants, a place where sure sympathy may be found from all, where there is so much attractiveness that no one is tempted to leave it to find pleasure. Decoration, — Let the ornaments of the home be studied. It is not necessary to have wealth to furnish it with taste, but it does require time and ingenuity. The smallest picture on the wall has attractions ; even bright colored cards in home- made straw frames will go far towards taking from the bareness of the room. Curtains if fresh and clean give a home-like air. Brackets, made of pine and stained, covered with a few books or papers, will answer to fill the corners of the room. Furnishinfj, — Chintz is inexpensive but very pretty, and can be used in many ways. Old sofas or chairs are made to look new with a fresh chintz cover, and a trunk that has to stand in a bedroom can be rendered quite a pretty article of furniture by means of a cover. An ordinary soap-box or butter-tub can be stuffed on the top, have casters put in the bottom and covered with some pretty material and thus it will be transformed into a pleasant seat or foot-stool. In buying furniture, select the most comfortable chairs or sofas that your means will allow even if not in the fashion. ECONOMY, SYSTEM, AMENITIES. 1 37 Table-covers made from bright colored flannels or cloths give a tone to the whole room. Study to have the carpet of a quiet tone, and choose it of some color that will warm the room. A variety of little homely things on the mantel or table, if kept well dusted and neatly arranged, give the room an air of being used. Books, papers, magazines, or even a work- basket adds to this appearance. Avoid always the look of being " too good to be used." See that the lamp or gas is so arranged that chairs can easily be drawn under it. Plants and flowers give a pleasant air to the room ; one or two birds in pretty cages add to this. If possible, in winter have an open fire-place, or if a stove has to be used, let it be one with an open front. The red glow from the coals or wood always throws out a welcome. These are little things, it is true ; but it is combined little things that form the great things of life. Home Courtesies, — When you have done what you can to make home attractive in the way of ornament and furniture, there are still other things to be attended to if the home is to be truly bright and happy. Household courtesies are most important. Courtesy in company is understood by nearly every one. It is known that one must be polite and thoughtful if one wishes to please, but in the home is this same politeness and thought- fulness enough considered? One must remember to express thanks for favors received, to say " please," to ask to be ex- cused if a rude thing is done unintentionally, as much at 138 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. home as when one is visiting. Remember to speak quietly. A gentle, low but distinct tone may -be heard more easily than a loud, rough one. Try especially to speak gently to children. They will quickly copy a loud voice. Do not accustom the voice to use angry tones. Let home table man- ners be as polished as possible. Forget self, and be thought- ful of the feelings of others. If the law of unselfish kindness could once be thoroughly understood and practiced, if all, particularly the young, could realize the rich reward for every kind act and would try to perform these acts, much would be gained towards rendering a family happy. Be especially considerate of the aged members of the home, also of the invalid. It is necessary here to enforce the importance of courtesy, not only in the home, but also the courtesy which should always be shown in the street, public conveyances or hails. It is impossible to give rules of deportment ; but this general rule can be laid down, that true courtesy always springs from thoughtfulness of the feelings of others, whenever or wherever they may be met. Perfect Trnthfulness in the smallest details must be acquired. Do not deceive children in any way, if you desire that they should grow up truthful. Do not exaggerate ; ex- aggeration is a fault common to many, and it should be over- come. " Oh, I didn't think," is an expression which while often heard should not be allowed. Heedlessness will lead to many evils. Procrastination is the habit of putting off what should be done at once. No ECOjVOAfY, SYSTEM, AMENITIES. 1 39 one is more tempted to put off till another time some little duty than a housekeeper who has many cares. Remember always that to-morrow has its own duties and unexpected ones may arise. The proverb, '' A stitch in time saves nine," is always true. A little tear, a small darn is easy now to mend, but by putting off the mending the garment may be past any repairing. Punctuality is a trait which will keep a household moving harmoniously. A thing which is done in a whole-hearted manner is always better work than when the same is done with only half an interest. Enthusiasm will render much easier a duty to be performed; therefore strive to have an earnest interest in every duty of life. Cheer fulness, — Try not to grumble or find fault with those things not pleasing to self which occur in daily life. Look on the bright side of every disagreeable thing which happens. Be cheerful ! If an accident occurs, hke the breaking of a favorite ornament, the spoiling of a dress, or the losing of some valued possession, do not make a fuss about it, but bear the trial as bravely as possible. Every one who desires to make a happy home must try and cultivate a large supply of patience and courage, as well as much perse- verance. Little troubles are constandy arising where pa- tience and courage are needed. Failures will occur, when one is trying to do well ; do not be discouraged, but try again. Success usually comes after many failures. And lastly, do not worry over housekeeping ; do not be distressed if some things go wrong in spite of your best care. I40 HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. Cheerfulness is a crowning duty. A cheerful heart must not be sacrificed to careful housekeeping. For the life is more than the food ; and the body than the raiment. QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER IX. Section I. — How may household economy be defined.'* What are three good rules for economy ? How may food be economized 1 Mention some odds and ends that are worth sav- ing. What are the rules for judicious buying? Explain how economy of time may be practiced. Sect. II.- — What advantage is tliere in having set hours for different occupations ? in having set days 1 What is said of keeping everything in its own place? What should be done in the matter of keeping accounts and bills ? Sect. III. — What is said about decorating the home? Give some account of inexpensive ways of furnishing. For what qual- ity would you select chairs and sofas ? How would you give a room the air of being used ? What advantage has the open grate fire ? Mention some of the home courtesies that must not be forgotten. What is said of truthfulness? of punctuality? What is a crownin": virtue in the home? INDEX. A. Accounts, to be kept, 135. Amenities of home, 136-140. Antidotes for poisoning, 126. Apples, baking and cooking, 11. Asparagus, how to boil, 29. Attic, how to clean it, 73. B. Bathing, 104. Bathroom, care of, 60. Beans, how long to boil, 29. Bed, how to make it, 55. care of it, 67. Bedding, care of, 62. Bedroom closets, 61. Bedrooms, care of, 54, 57. how to clean them, 74. Bed-rest for an invalid, no. Beef, 13. how to choose it, 8. to roast or boil it, 27. Beets, how long to boil, 28. Blankets, how to wash, 37. how they should be kept, 62. Bleeding, how to stop, 124, 125. Blinds, how to clean, 67. Bookcases, the best, 96. Books as companions, 94, care of, 96, 97. Bosom-board, 33. Brass rods, cleaning of, 65. Brasses, how to clean, 69, 79. Bread, 15. Bronze rods, how to clean, 65. Broom-closet, 45, 62. Brown bread, 15. Buckwheat, 15. Burns, treatment of, 123. Butler's pantry, 45. Buttonholes, how to make, 90. c. Cabbage, how long to boil, 28. Cashmere, 89. Candle-grease, how to remove, 81. Canton flannel for underclothing, 88. Carpet-sweepers, 68. Carpets, how to clean, 64, 65, 70, 75, 79. Carrots, how long to boil, 29. Cellars, 6, 7, 72. Cereals, 15, 24. Chamber-work, 54. Chandeliers, how to clean, 78. Charcoal for kitchen odors, 6. Cheap purchases, 133. Cheerfulness in the house, 139. Chickens, how long to roast, 27. Chilblains, how to treat, 128. Children's meals, 20. China and glass, 43, 45, 50-53. China closets, 45. Chocolate, 17. Cleaning of kitchen, 4, 5. of utensils, 5, 69. of cellar, 6, 72. of bedroom, 57. of grates, 59. cf the house, 67. of the library, 97. Cleanliness, 102. in the sick-room, iii. 141 142 INDEX. Closets, bedroom, 6i. broom, 45, 62. coal, 63. linen, 62. cleaning of, 75. Clothes lines and pins, 34. Coal closet, 63. Coffee, 17. how to make it, 29. Condiments, 17. Cooking, plain, 25. essentials in, 26. Cooking utensils, the chief, 2. Copper utensils, how to cleanse and wash them, 3, 5. Corn, how long to boil, 29. Corsets, 86. Courtesies of the household, 137. Croton water, 16. Croup, treatment 6f, 127. Cuts, how to treat, 124. Cutting out work, how to do it, 92. D. Darning, 91. Decorations, house, 136. Desserts, 24. Diet, mixed, 12. Diet in sickness, in. recipes for, 114. Digestion, how promoted, 20, 23. Dinner courses, 48. Dish-towels, how to wash, 2. Dish-washing, 44, 46, 51-53. Disinfectants, 6, loi, 103, 113. Doilies, 44. Door, attending the, 50. Dress, 83-89. should be easy, 84, 85, 104. Drowning, treatment of, 122. Drying clothes, 36. Dumb waiter, 46. Dusting, 67, 63. Dyspeptics, how they should eat, 19. E. Ear, care of the, 105. foreign substances in, 126. Eating, irregular, 19, 104. before working, 21. Economy in cooking, 27, 132. rules for, 131. of time and labor, 133. Eggs, 14. Emergencies, 121-130. Emetics, 126, 127. Entrances, cleaning of, 80. ELvercise, 105. Eyes, care of, 105, no. foreign bodies in, 125. F. Fainting, treatment of, 122 Fatty foods, 13 Felling, 92. Fires, how to make in the range, i. in a grate, 58. wood, 59. Fish, 14. how to buy, 10. Flannels, 88. how to use therii, 84. how to wash them, 37. Flatirons, 34, 41. Floors, how to clean coverea, 5, 61, 63. marble, 63. wooden, 5, 61, 64. of bedroom closets, 61. Food, 12-30. variety of, 24. Fowls, how to buy, 10. how to roast, 27. French cooking, e.xcellencc of, 26, 27. Fruit and vegetables, 7, 14, 23. how to choose them, II. Furnishing, economical, 136. Furniture, choosing, 74. G. Gas-globes, how to clean, 70. Gathering, 92. Gingham dresses, 88. Glass, how to clean, 70. Gloves, 87. INDEX. 143 Graham bread, 15. Grate fires, how to build, 58. Grates, how to clean, 59, 73. Grease spots, how to remove, 81. H. Hair, care of the, 106. Ham, how long to boil, 28. Heating, equable, 103. Hemming, gr. Hemorrhage, treatment of, 124, 125. High heels injurious, 87. Home courtesies, 137. Hominy, how long to boil, 29. Hot water applications, 128. House-cleaning, 71. Household work honorable, iv. Hygiene defined, loi. I. Iced water, 16. India rubber overshoes, 84. Indian meal, 15. Iron rust, how to remove, 82. Iron utensils, how to cleanse, 3. Ironing, 40. blanket and table, 33. K. Kerosene, how not to use it, 59. Kinking, to prevent, 92. Kitchen cleaning, 4,5. L. Lamb, how to buy, 10. how long to roast, 27. Laundry apparatus, 32.. Lawns, how to wash, 38. Leguminous vegetables, 11. Library, the, 78, 94. the family room, 99. Light in the eyes, 105, no. Linen, 67. Linen closet, 62. Lotions, caution respecting, 107. M. Making fires, i, 58. Marketing, 7, 11. Marble, how to clean, 77. Mats, 64, 79. Meals, time for, 18, 22. courses at, 48. Meat diet, 12. Meats, how to choose, 8-10. time for cooking, 27. Medicines, how to be kept, 61. Mildew, how to remove, 37. Milk, 16, 114. Mixed diet, 12. Molasses, 15. Monotony in diet, 24. Muslins, to wash and starch, 38, 39. Mutton, 13. how to choose and cook it, 10, 27. N. " NiBBLERS," 21. Nose, foreign bodies in, 126. Nose-bleed, how to slop it, 125. Nurse, qualifications of a, 108. o. Oatmeal, how to boil, 29. Objects of dress, 83. Odds and ends to be saved, 132. Oilcloths, 5, 64. Order and system, 43, 44. Ornaments, choice of, 136, 137. care in cleaning them, 77, 78. Outer clothing, 87. Over-heating, 103. Overshoes, 84. Oxalic acid, care in using, 6. Paint, how to clean it, 75, 76. Paint spots, to remove, 81. Pantries, 45. Patching, 91. Pease, how long to boil, 29. Pictures, care of, 74. 144 INDEX. Pies, 24. Places for things, 135. Plain sewing, 90-93. Plated rods, cleaning of, 65, Poisons, antidotes for, 126. how to keep them safely, 6, 61, Pork, 13. how to choose and cook it, 9, 27. Potatoes, how to boil, 28. Pots, iron, how to wash them, 3. Provision cellar, the, 7. R. Recipes for the sick-room, 114. Refrigerator, use and cleaning of, 4. Regular hours, 134. Rice, how to boil, 29. Rice starch, how to make, 40. Rubbers, 84. Rugs, 64. Rust, how to remove, 81. Scalding clothes, 35. Scalds, treatment of, 123. Set hours and days, 134. Setting the table, 46-48. Sewing, different kinds of, 90. Shams, 62, 67. Shoe-bags, 61. Shoes, 87. Sideboard, arrangement of, 43, 45. Sick-bed, care of the, no. Sickness, food given in, 112. Silks, 89. Silver, how to clean, 52, 70. Silvester's method, 123. Sink, how to clean it, 2. Skirt-board, 33. Skylights, cleaning of, 80. Sleep, 105, III. Sleeve-board, 34. Soaking clothes, 35. Soot, how to remove from carpet, 70. Sore throat, treatment of, 106. Soups, 23, 29. Spinach, how long to boil, 38. Spots, how to remove, 70, 81. Spreads, how to fold them, 62. Stains, how to remove them, 37, 70, 81. Stairs and stair-rods, 64, 65. Starch, how to make, 38, 40. Steel, how to clean it, 69. Sugar, 15, 16. Sunstroke, how to treat it, 127. Sweeping, 68. Symptoms of the sick to be noted, 112. System, the importance of, 134. Table, an attractive, 24, 42. Table-setting, 46-48. Table-waiting, 49. Tea, 17. Teeth, care of the, 106. Throat, care of the, 106. Time, economy of, 133. Tins, how to wash them, 3. Tongue, how long to boil it, 28. Turkey, time required for cooking, 27, 28. Turnips, time for boiling, 28. Treacle, 15. Truthfulness, 138. Tubs for washing, 32, 35. Underclothing, 86. 88. Veal, 13. how to choose and roast it, 9, 27. Vegetable diet, 12. Vegetables, n, 14. how to boil them, 28. Ventilation, 42, 54, 60, 101, 102, 109. w. Waiting at the table, 49. Walls, how to clean, 5. Washing of kitchen utensils, 2, 3. of clothes, 35, 38. of silver and glass, 52, 70. INDEX. 145 Washing of dishes, 44, 51-53. of marble, 63, 70. of paint and woodwork, 75, 76. of windows and mirrors, 68. Waste paper basket, 98. Waste-pipes, 4, Water, 16. Water-closet, care of, 60. Weekly cleanmg, 4-6, 59, 67. Whitewash, how to make, 72. Whitewashing the cellar, 6, 72. the attic, 73. Windows, how to arrange for ventilation, no. Wood carpets, 64, Wood fire, how to make, 59. Wooden rods, cleaning of, 65. ware, how to wash it, 3. Woodwork, how to clean, 76. Work-basket, contents of, 90, Worry to be avoided, 140. Wounds, how to treat, 124. Wraps, care in using, 84. Wringer, adjustable, 33. Writing materials, 98.