A gentleman and his wife who had boarded for years philosophized a good deal in regard to the ethics of the table, and one day they made a set of rules which should govern their household in case they were ever so fortunate as to have one. The first rule was that no one should ever be allowed to speak disparagingly of any food that wjis placed on the table. They reasoned in this way : If the mistress of the house gives the attention to its concerns that she really ought to give, nothing will appear at the table which is hurtful or is not well cooked. When she has provided what seems to her proper, she, of course, re- specting the known tastes of members of the family, it is unwise and unnecessary to criticise and find fault. It is not my purpose to show that this rule was ever completely carried out ; that no exceptions were ever made to it, but the effect of such a course can readily be seen. The good influence it would have upon children can not be doubted ; capricious appetites would not be cultivated, and we should not often see small boys and girls who are exceedingly dis- agreeable embryo epicures. Theoretically, of course, no gentleman could indulge in a practice which would give pain, particularly in the presence of guests, and yet, prac- tically, it is not so ; men who love their wives devotedly have been known to say that the bread is baked too much, the short cake is too rich, and even that the steak is not tender. No woman can look upon these as impersonal re- marks. Perhaps some one who has studied human nature very thoroughly can explain why it is that next to being thought handsome a woman loves to be called a good cook ; there are women whom one can pay no finer compliment than to ask them for one of their favorite recipes. Poor TALKS UPON VARIOUS SUBJECTS, I3O cooks are the exception, and not the rule ; very few men prefer other tables to their own, the ^^home taste," the individuality of their wives' bread and pies is more in har- mony with their tastes than any other bread and pies in the world ; they will say so sometimes. If it were ever possible to enforce the rule which was to be first in the model home, it is now when almost every woman is getting ideas on ad- vanced cooking, and is trying to make her table do some- thing more than simply feed the hungry. If it were the practice of each one to bring something good to say and to think about to the table, a reform would commence which would make itself felt by all connected with the family. Good behavior and cheerfulness ought to accompany each meal as naturally and unvaryingly as bread and butter. The happy laughter, which distributes nervous force and calls the blood from the brain, allowing the stomach to get its share, should be heard more frequently at our ta- bles, No one should feel at liberty to say one word which is not at least kind and thoughtful any more than he would withhold a sufficient quantity of food. These facts need more careful attention than they have usually received. MARRIED BUT NOT MATED. Almost every one has had occasion some time to wonder how certain married people of their acquaintance ever con- cluded to go through life together, they appear to have so little in common in middle age. It is pathetic, and yet at the same time there is something ludicrous about it. It is truly a curious spectacle to see a husband and wife who have positively nothing to say to each other, who communi- cate, to be sure, in regard to the commonplaces of every- day life, but who are dumb so far as any real interchange of thought is concerned ; who sit through an evening's en- tertainment or ride a hundred miles side by side with noth- ing to indicate beyond the fact of their proximity that here 140 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

A gentleman and his wife who had boarded for years philosophized a good deal in regard to the ethics of the table, and one day they made a set of rules which should govern their household in case they were ever so fortunate as to have one. The first rule was that no one should ever be allowed to speak disparagingly of any food that was placed on the table. They reasoned in this way : If the mistress of the house gives the attention to its concerns that she really ought to give, nothing will appear at the table which is hurtful or is not well cooked. When she has provided what seems to her proper, she, of course, respecting the known tastes of members of the family, it is unwise and unnecessary to criticise and find fault. It is not my purpose to show that this rule was ever completely carried out ; that no exceptions were ever made to it, but the effect of such a course can readily be seen. The good influence it would have upon children can not be doubted ; capricious appetites would not be cultivated, and we should not often see small boys and girls who are exceedingly disagreeable embryo epicures. Theoretically, of course, no gentleman could indulge in a practice which would give pain, particularly in the presence of guests, and yet, practically, it is not so ; men who love their wives devotedly have been known to say that the bread is baked too much, the short cake is too rich, and even that the steak is not tender. No woman can look upon these as impersonal remarks. Perhaps some one who has studied human nature very thoroughly can explain why it is that next to being thought handsome a woman loves to be called a good cook ; there are women whom one can pay no finer compliment than to ask them for one of their favorite recipes. Poor cooks are the exception, and not the rule ; very few men prefer other tables to their own, the ^^home taste," the individuality of their wives' bread and pies is more in harmony with their tastes than any other bread and pies in the world ; they will say so sometimes. If it were ever possible to enforce the rule which was to be first in the model home, it is now when almost every woman is getting ideas on advanced cooking, and is trying to make her table do something more than simply feed the hungry. If it were the practice of each one to bring something good to say and to think about to the table, a reform would commence which would make itself felt by all connected with the family. Good behavior and cheerfulness ought to accompany each meal as naturally and unvaryingly as bread and butter. The happy laughter, which distributes nervous force and calls the blood from the brain, allowing the stomach to get its share, should be heard more frequently at our tables, No one should feel at liberty to say one word which is not at least kind and thoughtful any more than he would withhold a sufficient quantity of food. These facts need more careful attention than they have usually received. MARRIED BUT NOT MATED. Almost every one has had occasion some time to wonder how certain married people of their acquaintance ever concluded to go through life together, they appear to have so little in common in middle age. It is pathetic, and yet at the same time there is something ludicrous about it. It is truly a curious spectacle to see a husband and wife who have positively nothing to say to each other, who communicate, to be sure, in regard to the commonplaces of everyday life, but who are dumb so far as any real interchange of thought is concerned ; who sit through an evening's entertainment or ride a hundred miles side by side with nothing to indicate beyond the fact of their proximity that here

Household hints