Ladies Column. SOME CAUSE OF DOMESTIC DISCOVERTS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7767, 11 June 1887, Page 6

Ladies Column. SOME CAUSE OF DOMESTIC DISCOVERTS.

Tr'fle< Jierlit as hit i. nit ny o I P jf-il v- mind ■•nnfi •■ I n ir n.; proofs of Hily W,i\ bur tr, 'h.- I-.-.ir-keep'i' ami , o .'• i ,•• ..!' lire »l-o tlif Miinei- ill yr «■ 1 mid tile cauie of mum d ■»n* n In ihe Imrry of lirnssiny m >h '»•• I for instancp, the piece ■£ ruchin; a> v . ' J the neck of her dress gets twisted, and she has no time to fix it, for th« biscuitmust be baked, andthechildreu'slnnchas prepared in the early morning hours that Blip away so quickly. Very soon the rucbin^ begins to feel uncomfortable. It sccatohes her neck, and irritates not only her skin, but also her temper. Nest the pin gets loosened, and by, that time our housekeeper is in such an unenviable frame of mind that tho mjment someone unwittingly drops an unpropitious remark she is instantly up in arms, and feels a sort of " ghoulish glee " in making someone else as uncomfortable as she is herself. By the time nine o'clock comes she is tired out, her head aolies, and she thinks life ia hardly worth living. Now, if she had spent two or three minutes in arranging her niching so that it would be comfortable, what a different spirit would have presided over the breakfast table, and how much more cheerfully the bread-winners and the school ohilsren would have started on their daily tasks ? When a street dress has given its fall quota of time to the promenade, and tbeu done its duty as a " dreas up " for the afternoon, it ought not to descend any further on tho racial ladder. A

great mistake is made in wearing such a dress around the kitchen, especially for nervous, quick women. A. con-

venient door handle always catches tha I draperies, away they go, and so does the peace of the family. A comfortable house dress that will bid defiance to \ door knobs and the other enemies that ' lie in wait for draperies is the proper , thing to "wear in the kitchen. Have you evor noticed how much more smoothly everything went the morning you brushed and combed your tiair, and arranged ;it neatly ? If you just knot it back without combing it, and stick tho hairpins in any way, a constant sense of personal discomfort hovers around yon. The hairpins keep falling out, and just when your hands are so engaged that hair dressing ia a physical impossibility, you feel your hair sliding down the back of your neck, and the next minute it is around your shoulders, If you can still pursue the even tenor of your way, after that mishap, you a.-c fit for canonisation. Unbuttoned boots, and slippers that are broken at the heel, or are too large, often wreck the household happiness for that day. The uppers keep flopping around the ankles, the shoo is in constant danger of dropping off, and before she is aware o£ it the wearer is crosa and fretful at everyone except herself and the real culprits, tho boots and her untidiness. A. woman must feel that she is looking «'bll boforo ahe can be good-tempered, •' To be well dressed often bospeaks the man," and certainly with smooth hair, a comfortable dress, and a slipper or shoe that is tidy around the ankles, a peaceful stato in the feminino mind is a foregone conclusion. And if to these we add a tranquil, hsppy face, no matter how morose and gloomy any other member of the family may feel, a cheerful " good-morning " ia sure to be returned, and verj often it i ; ] liuuior vanishes "like mists before the SHU." On reviewing the work of the d<y we sometimes find several duties left undone, although every minute was conscientiously employed. A wave of discouragement sweeps over our soul, and there ia a longing for the time when we can fold our hands, aud he at rest. Now this is a vory unhealthy morbid frame of mind. Labor wiUi Avhal, zeal ivg may, ; Something bI.UI remains undone ; : Something uncompleted still 1 Wafts the elosim' of the da | In planning the work for the day i we forget that there are only some i sixteen working hours at our disposal, < and our plans cover sufliciont labor 1 for twice thnt time Juat do the l essential things, and then, if there i are any of the hours left, employ ] them in completing tho unfinished ( work of yesterday. Do not attempt ( too much. One tiling done thoroughly 1 produces a greater fcoling o£ content c when c Hi if ween Me dark and ilic daylight, t When I he niyht is beginning to lower, { the campaign just fought comes up s for review, than would several duties t half-complefed. Just think of this c when you are marshalling your forces J early in the day. Neithur is there s any cause to fool despondent — we have 1 done our very best, and what more can I I anyone do ? To-morrow there may bo a

| fewer interruptions, and the work may Igo along mnoh more Bwift'.y' and Bmoqthly. What need, then, of wasting onr energies worrying over trifles ? The atmosphere ,of misery I some women can create around themI selves just because one room), instead ' of two, has been swept and garnished, ib almost phenomenal. Hurry and worry, whioh usually go together, ruin more lives and destroy more happinesß than any amount of regular, systematic labor. When we have learned to avoid wasting time on the one hand, and crowding it on the other, we shall begin to appreciate its true value.