Ways of Living.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 403, 28 January 1904, Page 7

Ways of Living.

THE YOUNG.HOUSEKEEPER 83JRHE majority of. housekeepers will JKI'Ig acknowledge that one of their fjKks * chief,., and at time most , \d fficultj 'duties' .ia to prevent waste ii all branches of the houssholcj. There <ara\ ; many; ; c\women—and: by ;no means only those who are young and inexperienced ~ at the head "of domestic affairs who have btot> the very vaguest notion of what the manifold responsibilities of their position are. When this is the'case—be it through ignorance, want of observation, or lazy I indifference— the demon Waste creeps I surely in, and grimly seizes the unlucky house. The mistress in such establishments has not the least idea in whit quantities to order goods, nor how long they should last,, and by. this positively encourages reckless extravagance.

Dj grasp the fact that choosing wisely and well—getting good value for every penny yo a spend, and afterwards seeing that it is properly used and taken care of —does not indicate a mean, stingy nature,

but rather displays a high domestic talent and virtus. Let me lay before you jußt a few ways in which hard-earned money is often allowed to fritter and leak away. Take coal, for instance. How few families, to whom it is possible even, ever think of purchasing any extra quantity when it is at its cheapest during the summer months! And how injudiciously the various kinds are selected for different purposes! For sitting-rooms, where delicate papera and paint, &c, have to be considered, the best is in the end the most economical, being freer from d«st and wbite ash. Bat for the closed kitchenrange 'cobbles' or hard coal is best, and coke brought from the gas company must on no account be neglected. Do not let the coal-dust and ashes accumulate. The large pieces of cinders, when sifted out, are better than anything for lighting fires; and the c?al-dust, if damped a little and used for banking-up fires, will seep them in for hours, should they have to be left to take care of themselves. Make yourself quite familiar with the dampers in your c:oking range, eo that you can see and understand when to shut off—not, when a small fire is needed, la&ve them all drawn out, causing the top of the stove to be red-hot and the fire roaring up the chimney. I might as well add that coals keep much better in a well ventilated cellar, ox even out-of doors If th y getwet, they will only burn all the slower and make the less dust. - What groaning there is every quarter over the gas-bill! No wonder wnen, if" you are lucky enough to have a gas-stove or boiling-ring, the jets are allowed to be ull on when they ought to be turned out, or at least lowered. Or, perhaps, no one is sitting in the dining-room, yet very likely I three or four burners are flaring away; or in some bedroom or unfrequented passage [ and landing. How tempting it is to cut all the knots in the string that ties up the parcels and throw it away I Yet if untied, neatly 'rolled up, and placed in some drawer, box, or bag, it will save you many a penny ball in the year. Treat the pieces cf brownpaper with equal considerateness, and treasure up all boxes for things to be sent by post. Bread is terribly wasted—often allowed to get mouldy or •as hard as a brick,' and then condemned. It should bo either transformed into nicely-flavoured puddings, or dried, crushed, and bottled as crumbs for frying, Sua. Do you buy soap and candles in small quantities? Most wasteful, unless unavoidable; for if not cut up and left in a cool cupboard to dry and harden, both are used twice as quickly, Brushes, again, of all kinds should when wet be left with the bristles downwards; otherwise the water being allowed to remain among them causes the bristles to rot out, and they are then useless. They will wear out fast enough without being assisted in this manner. If you have a fair number of joints cooked, you should have enough clarified dripping to depend on for pastry, frying and plain cakes, with but an occasional or special purchase of butter or lard. Provide separate stone crocks or jars for the different kinds,—beef, mutton, and bacon fat—whilst that which has already been used fox frying must be kept by itself. Pieces of fat left from joints, whether cooked or raw, should be carefully saved and clarified—never thrown away or used to make a badly-laid fire draw up. I should much like to mention other items that need looking after, but space .forbids; many will doubtless suggest themselves. Let me beg of you to use your eyes and common-sense; to daily inspect your larder and breadpan; to fully acquaint yourself with what comes Into and leaves your house; and to buy just sufficient, and no more, of perishable materials.

MAIDS. There is no doubt that maids who want to 'better themselves,' or earn higher wages, can easily do so if they set about it in the right way. The lack of really good domestics is proverbial, and yet the wages paid to capable girls is very fair at present. Housemaids usually receive from £ls to £23, parlourmaids £l7 to £92, cooks £lB to £4O; while an experienced cook who can take a post as housekeeper may get anything up to £IOO, A mast interesting point in this wage question for girls who are at the bottom of the ladder, and eager to climb higher, is that in houses where two, three, or more maids are kept the average of wages is much higher than amongst one-servant families, Wnere only one girl is kept she usually has to work much harder than her sister who is one of three Thiß appeals at first Bight to be v6iy unfair, One would think that the girl who works hardest should ba paid moat; but this, of course, does nod hold good in any trade or profession. The highest pay goes to the most Ekilful worker, whatever the work is; and if a maidservant wants to get on she must raise her market value. The reason why a large number of women never get into better circumstances, or gain higher wages, is that they never try to make themselves north more money. They will go on worsiag for years in the same muddling sort of way, without an attemps at improvement until it is practically impossible for them to better themselves. See the difference when a yonnsr girl is determined to get on and keeps her eyfs open. Suppose she begins as 'general'in a Bmall family. Her opportunities may bo small, but she can learn a great deal if she likes. Cleaning saucepans and blacking stoveß in the right way takes no longer than muddling them over, and it is a step towards the management of a large kitchen with a £45 wage She will soon get an idea of her own capabilities. If her tastes lie in the kitchen, let her learn all she can from the mistress about cookery, and practise whenever she is allowed. If she wants to tun out a thorough housemaid, she must

take a pride is keepiag (he bedrooxni nict, I and in her pblishujg andduating. mast try- to wait at table quietly ; and fo^cklyi; The mistress or daughters;of the house will be glad to give hitita on thia matter. She will la j the table with care,'and see that "the' glaia and silver are bright; and it will aot come amiss if she. gala a few hints on brushing 'and" folding' men's clothes. ~, '; ■ • A would-benurse can pick np a great deal, of information on the management' of children whioh will be most valuable if she wants to eanrhigb.wagesf ■ It is the best plan to cultivate sotae.special kind of work, and this.can almost always , be done without exactly neglecting theother household duties. * - ;', f ' : *For a girl who is really anxious to sue-. ceed in cookery or housework, a position as kitchenmaid or under-housemaid in ft good house will pay better in the end than a place where two servants are kept. To work under a first-class cook or parlourmaid will raise her mosey value to a much higher point than-is possible if she I stops learning. ). ** I