house where three meals are prepared every day,
and when she arrives at womanhood have no
knowledge of how to prepare a breakfast, dinner,
or supper. Yet I presume each of us is person-
ally acquainted with fifty young women who do not
know how to broil a beefsteak, or bake a potato ;
and haven't the faintest idea of the first principles
of bread-making. It is a burning shame to our
sex that so many of us are content to grow up thus
ignorant, and no wonder women have not obtained
the ballot. But while men sneer at us, and with
justice too, for such shiftlessness and inefiicien*cy,
they are, in respect to using their eyes and brains,
not one whit better than women. I know scores
of great, hulking fellows who have warmed them-
selves by coal fires all their lives, and yet can't
kindle a coal fire in a grate or stove ; or can't,
wdienit is kindled, keep it burning two consecutive
days. It is the rule, and not the exception, to
forget and neglect life's every-day duties. The
world sufiers more from heedlessness than from
criminality; and we wrong ourselves and others
as much by w^ant of thought as by want of heart.
We are continually worrying and annoying our-
selves and all who are intimately associated with
us by neglecting, or forgetting to do, 'our every-
day duties. Our eyes and brains were given us
for a beneficent purpose ; but most of us fail to
discover their use, or to use them to much practi-
LITTLE THINGS. 205
cal advantage. A great portion of life is wasted,
and much vital force consumed, in correcting the
evil results of ignorance, negligence, and forget-
fulness ; or in doing labor that could be avoided
by a moderate use of common-sense. Why should
any housewife sufier her fires to go out every few
days in midwinter through carelessness, and thus
endanger the health of some member of the family,
as well as waste the time of some one in rebuilding:
them? Or, why should she induce dyspepsia, dis-
comfort, and general disgust in the household, by
making bad liread, bad butter, or bad food of any
kind, when she could have the best of everything
by a little care and attention? Or why should
men and w^omen w^ho have homes, permit things
in and about them to get out of order and remain
so for weeks and months, to the almost hourly
annoyance and discomfort of every one in the
family ? Go among the homes all over our land,
and in a majority of them you Avill find the occu-
pants suffering discomfort and inconvenience from
a dozen triflino: thino-s that they do not seem to
observe, or are too stupid and inefiicient to
remedy. For instance, a door sags on account of
a loose screw in one. of its hinges, and causes extra
labor every time it is opened or closed ; or, its
hinges squeak for need of a few drops of oil, and
disturb every one in the house a dozen times a
day ; or a ^.vindow-shutter bangs and flaps for want .
206 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING.
Page 87
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
house where three meals are prepared every day, and when she arrives at womanhood have no knowledge of how to prepare a breakfast, dinner, or supper. Yet I presume each of us is personally acquainted with fifty young women who do not know how to broil a beefsteak, or bake a potato ; and haven't the faintest idea of the first principles of bread-making. It is a burning shame to our sex that so many of us are content to grow up thus ignorant, and no wonder women have not obtained the ballot. But while men sneer at us, and with justice too, for such shiftlessness and inefficiency, they are, in respect to using their eyes and brains, not one whit better than women. I know scores of great, hulking fellows who have warmed themselves by coal fires all their lives, and yet can't kindle a coal fire in a grate or stove ; or can't, when it is kindled, keep it burning two consecutive days. It is the rule, and not the exception, to forget and neglect life's every-day duties. The world sufiers more from heedlessness than from criminality; and we wrong ourselves and others as much by want of thought as by want of heart. We are continually worrying and annoying ourselves and all who are intimately associated with us by neglecting, or forgetting to do, 'our everyday duties. Our eyes and brains were given us for a beneficent purpose ; but most of us fail to discover their use, or to use them to much practical advantage. A great portion of life is wasted, and much vital force consumed, in correcting the evil results of ignorance, negligence, and forgetfulness ; or in doing labor that could be avoided by a moderate use of common-sense. Why should any housewife sufier her fires to go out every few days in midwinter through carelessness, and thus endanger the health of some member of the family, as well as waste the time of some one in rebuilding: them? Or, why should she induce dyspepsia, discomfort, and general disgust in the household, by making bad liread, bad butter, or bad food of any kind, when she could have the best of everything by a little care and attention? Or why should men and women w^ho have homes, permit things in and about them to get out of order and remain so for weeks and months, to the almost hourly annoyance and discomfort of every one in the family ? Go among the homes all over our land, and in a majority of them you Avill find the occupants suffering discomfort and inconvenience from a dozen triflino: things that they do not seem to observe, or are too stupid and inefficient to remedy. For instance, a door sags on account of a loose screw in one. of its hinges, and causes extra labor every time it is opened or closed ; or, its hinges squeak for need of a few drops of oil, and disturb every one in the house a dozen times a day ; or a window-shutter bangs and flaps for want .