THE DAUGHTER WHO STAYS AT HOME.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 665, 16 November 1909, Page 3

THE DAUGHTER WHO STAYS AT HOME.

Among •: the smaller skirmishes that rage on the outskirts of the woman's battle for freedom to-day t is that.which is being fought in the;-'.scullery . and. -'the- .housemaid's closet. Women s colleges and girls' high schools have been, ranged lor some.■: tiiue in ' the fighting ranks of .the -.main.army, andthey are in a fair, way til winning the particular position they v mean to occupy. Comparatively, few difficulties, ' in fact, are thrown nowadays in the path of daughters'who wish to study cookery in .the. chemical 'laboratory or. the''-principles of house-cleaning in the lecture-room. It .is when the daughter has finished her course of scientific housewifery, and returns home to put it into practice, that she .-discovers , how much: of the battle .still remains to , be fought' and won. ";.'. '• ■■' ■--'•/•' ■■ :- . ' ' . ,'■'.'.-;

'As things now'are, we. generally see her engaged,in.a pitched battle with old-fashioned customs arid old-fashioned honsfrplahning; and the victory,-if gained,! is rarely one that brings with it ;no regret. Kegret.goc-s hand in hand with most of the hard-fought conquests that bestrew .'the; path: of'; the" daughter who" stays athome..;. ■■.-'■;' ■■ '■'■'. ; ;■;'/•■ v '■ ■■':: ; ' '■■'.

Tbo particular daughter I have m mind put the situation briefly and unmistakably when she described her motheT'fe house as being "all creepers ontside and old sinks inside " So far she had left the creepers to their task if obliterating light and air, and somo tolerably piefty window architecture, but was waging war against the sinks "Do you think," she added with apparent irrelevance, "tint there was ever a fame when ray grand mother called my mother newfangled f " Knowiirc Penelope's mother, I said I thought it possible. Knowing Penelope, I suggested that tact was an excellent substitute for humour in the home "I know," she sighed, "but it is only in book* th.it tho daughter of Ihe house is a monument of tact and 'jjocs about her household dutic-, rattling keys and Ringing snatches of gay song I don't know how you sing snatches of anj thing, but if it m the least resembles ivhat Sarah sings when she is peeling potatoes I am glad only one of us does it \o\\ don't know how diffi cult it is to be a dmghtei of tho house with success -when one-half of tho house knew jou as a baby, and the other half wishes it had never known tou and your lnlorfering ways at all , "

-.■■-. Ton should/.haye; : seeti- their faces," She chuckled, "when 1 drewup a; time-tsble of meals.for a week ahead, ixi'.save wasting, cook's ,time and mipe every, morning. Cook nearly Kavesnotice." Sho says it hasmewr been done that way, you. know i the rest. It's" so ..qnecr,.'isn't. it, that they think, there is .something; wrong>and : unfeminiie Jabout you if'yon '■ get .'the. ■ housekeeping . done i in.. ,teh\ minutes instead of'spreading it over the whole morning and getting in everybody's way? Be':sides, if' I am,going to. make'a , timo-table. of :tneals/.for _■ a week;l 'choose■ a moment when' X* am; feeling hungry and. inspired, ■ arid"then there. ,is some chance "of thinking of something new.' But if I. go. into > the lutohen directly after, a. large breakfast the- thought-.of more ■WBj«:intolerable;; arid .'I. .merely' say ; Tes' to air the, dull things that cook''suggests." ■She; described her attempt , to induce the housemaid to; profit'by som« new invention by'' whioh:metal, or plate polishiwns combined with a cleaning cloth. • "She SHme'd : quite pleased abont-it at'first,"'said the crestfallen Pcne--lope, "when I. 'pointed need : no longer fill her cupboard ; with/' plate ■.brushes.and bite •, of: sodden: rag and,. tins of' sticky , ' brass, paete. and.:that,.hprrid saucer.'of-plate'.'powder' , that..eprinkles pink- dust..over, everything when ;upitho drawing-room candlesticks with my, new patent, cloth, and t becau3e I. couldn't-prove on the 'spur of-theVpaoment;that, the brass^'would be none the-'.worse for it'-fifty years hence the'soid>she would leave '■ it to. me,- -of .course', but the old,w'.jy..seemed safer.':- After, that I founds cook -putting...it;'on/'the''.kitchen.-fire with, the tongs, while Sarah; hoped impressively .that''she haan't ■ given, \herse)f- blood-poisoning 'by':Wfne / jftpv^?rt^^R?^J^r :^^| »."''W 'aU-TAO'pld,'BaT^rs l '^d'^.ins.attd/ f thiug3VbATe: ire-sμT9r^clea^ing-:"onß.'''w&o(e' : '6cf!npies : mpro'. : bnffl' : and;,the rbrass occupies'-,anqt-!ier,;and.: the; stair rods '.another, to -say .of all .the : useless -,copper):pots, and pans'jon ithe/.kit■chen ohimney-piece,.that;co6k..nevef-iises but •won't , let, !, me. put '_ awayr-oh, .we larev jogging'aldn'g'quite.comfoi'tably now,.in:-the ,dfear,'o|d way'of a.hiundred;'years ngoi'' f .' .'-,-: J ..The sequel, to all, this' occurred, the day that i ; .called , upon ■ Penelope's .mother. tifound! her-:.a very proud >and .uplifted,- mother, v .foll; ofrihe .wonderful .doings of "a' wonderfnl ■ daugli;ter,:.arid. most .surprised at- my, suggestion'that; •.tliei'fold!"ways;': were -safer/ : . 'Among 'dOieiyevi, 'donee's. Of-Penelope's cloverriees I was asked to' .admire • the' : introduction;: of -,i a, new cleaning 'cloth,; by which,,etc... .Just.as. she.'was', using; alli.the arguments -in'.its. favour'.with-'..whicji; Penelope-'and- been; unable, , to .'convince '.'.her, riot, arweek•' before,, I; looked up to discover ,Penelop(l*s■ mockingivisnge-in the; doorway , . ' ■ :.;. '■' ' ! ■ then-'you! say that' tact >. is more, .useful : lharii humour in; the ■ home!" : she' threw -at ; ; m»' Sharp. "Menchester: Gu'ardiaa."-,':-:'' '-A- -'r : -"-<'[ '•.::..-■'■ ;■;■'.: '■/.■\.\'C'' ;.'(::■