MOTHERLY TALKS
WITH
YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS:
EMBRACING
EIGHTY-SEVEN BRIEF ARTICLES ON TOPICS OF HOME INTEREST,
AND ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED CHOICE RECEIPTS
FOR COOKING, ETC.
BY
MRS. H. W. BEECHER.
[Illustration]
NEW YORK:
J. B. FORD AND COMPANY.
1873.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873,
BY J. B. FORD & CO.,
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
UNIVERSITY PRESS: WELCH, BIGELOW, & CO.,
CAMBRIDGE.
PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE.
THIS book, composed of brief and pithy articles, on almost every
conceivable point of household duty, is a friendly monitor for young
wives, and a mine of good sense and information for growing maidens.
Originally published in the Household Department of “The Christian
Union,” the articles have been so frequently called for and inquired
after by those who had found help in them, that the author yielded to
the desires of others, and has gathered them into this little volume.
Mrs. Beecher’s notion of woman’s sphere is, that, whatever exceptional
women may be able to accomplish, by reason of peculiar circumstances
and talents, and freedom from domestic responsibilities, the place
of labor and achievement for most women, and for all married women
and mothers, is Home. And this book is exactly what its title sets
forth,--a kind and motherly way of helping the inexperienced to make
agreeable, well-regulated, and happy homes. Following the “Talks” are a
choice selection of nearly five hundred Cooking Receipts, all vouched
for by the author’s own experience and skillful testing.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
MOTHERLY TALKS WITH YOUNG HOUSEKEEPERS.
PAGE
I. System in Work 3
II. March 7
III. Spring Labor 11
IV. Sunshine and Fresh Air 14
V. House-cleaning 17
VI. Washing-day 21
VII. Putting Clothes to soak 25
VIII. Patient Continuance in Well-doing 28
IX. Preparing for the Country 32
X. Heedlessness 35
XI. Washing Flannels 38
XII. June Cares 42
XIII. Pure Air and thorough Ventilation 46
XIV. Milk and Butter 49
XV. Making Cheese 53
XVI. A troublesome Question 57
XVII. Woman’s Kingdom 63
XVIII. The Kitchen 66
XIX. How much is a Wife worth? 70
XX. Teach little Boys to be useful 74
XXI. Bleaching, Starching, and removing Stains 78
XXII. To iron Shirts, Vests, and Embroideries 84
XXIII. A Talk about Beds 88
XXIV. Marketing 91
XXV. Trust your Children 96
XXVI. Who invented Bread? 100
XXVII. How about the little Girls? 107
XXVIII. Stealing Servants 112
XXIX. Fall Cleaning 117
XXX. Fashionable Dress 122
XXXI. Lessons by the Wayside 126
XXXII. Pauline Pry 130
XXXIII. Buy your Cage before you catch your Bird 135
XXXIV. Care in selecting a House 138
XXXV. Visiting for one’s own Convenience 141
XXXVI. Will they Board, or keep House? 146
XXXVII. Choice of Colors in Dress 151
XXXVIII. Harmonizing Colors in Dress 156
XXXIX. A Word about Moths 160
XL. Winter Butter 164
XLI. Repairs 169
XLII. Accurate Weights and Measures in Cooking 173
XLIII. Teaching little Girls to sew 176
XLIV. The Care of Poultry 180
XLV. Institutions for the Education of Women 184
XLVI. Great Mistakes 189
XLVII. Study to make Home attractive 193
XLVIII. The Care of Cooking-Stoves and Ranges 198
XLIX. The Old Ways and the New 202
L. A few Hints on Carving 206
LI. Parental Example 209
LII. True Taste more effective than Money 213
LIII. Cooking by Steam 217
LIV. Vegetables 221
LV. Cabbage 225
LVI. Pulse 229
LVII. Pot-herbs and Salads 234
LVIII. Mistakes in cooking Vegetables 237
LIX. Divided Family Government 242
LX. How can we secure good Servants? 247
LXI. The Guest-Chamber 250
LXII. The Care of Infants 255
LXIII. Personal Neatness 261
LXIV. Are House-Plants injurious to the Health? 266
LXV. Bad Butter 271
LXVI. October 277
LXVII. The Slavery of Fashion 282
LXVIII. Pickling and Preserving 287
LXIX. What has become of all the little Girls? 292
LXX. Procrastination 297
LXXI. The surest Remedy 302
LXXII. A few little Things 308
LXXIII. Planning for the Week 312
LXXIV. Shopping 316
LXXV. Dusting 320
LXXVI. A Chapter on Soups 323
LXXVI. More about Soups 328
LXXVIII. Testing Character 333
LXXIX. If we knew! 337
LXXX. In such an Hour as ye think not 342
LXXXI. Grumbling 346
LXXXII. Little Foxes spoiling the beloved Vine 351
LXXXIII. Waste not--want not 356
LXXXIV. Making Cake and Pastry 360
LXXXV. As thy Day so shall thy Strength be 366
LXXXVI. What we know not now we shall know hereafter 370
LXXXVII. Until Death do us part 375