"Attend," says a wise French writer,
" as much to neatness as you do to econ-
omy. Accustom girls never to suffer any-
thing about them to be unclean or in
disorder ; lead them to notice the slightest
deiangement in a house ; say to them that
nothing contributes more to economy and
neatness than keeping things in their proper
place. This may seem trifling, 3^et it leads
to very im.portant consequences ; for then
when anything is wanted there will be no
difficulty in finding it, and when it is done
with it wdll be returned to the place from
which it was taken. This exact order
forms the most essential part of neatness.
For instance, a dish will not be soiled or
broken if it is put in its proper place as
soon as it has been used. The carefulness
which makes us place things in order makes
us keep them clean. Joined to all these ad-
vantages is that of giving to domestics a habit
of neatness and activity by obliging them to
place things in order and keep them clean."
THE MODEL COOK BOOK
-69
Dust is a constant enemy of domestic
comfort, and is a great destroyer of furni-
ture. Inhaled into the lungs it becomes one
of the sources of disease. Miss Niehtin-
gale remarks, with great truth : " Dusting
in these days means nothing but flapping
the dust from one part of a room to an-
other, with doors and windows closed."
A damp but not wet duster wall alone re-
move dust without scattering it.
Causes of Unwholesomeness.
The healthiness or unhealthiness of a
house depends greatly upon its degree of
cleanliness. Dirty houses are always more
or less unwholesome. In country places
care should be taken that no puddles of
dirty water remain close to the house, as
they not only render the air damp, but
cause much dirt to be brought in on the
feet. Slops of dirt}^ water, tea-leaves,
coffee-grounds, etc., should never be thrown
out near the house, all decaying vegetable
and animal matter being injurious. Cab-
bage leaves, potato and apple-parings, and
other waste vegetable matters, should never
be thrown into the dust-bin. It is far the
safest plan to burn them, which can always
be done if they are first dried by throwing
them at the back of the fire or in the ash-pit.
The inside of a house becomes unclean not
only from the dust carried in by the air and
the dirt brought in by the feet, but from the
odor given out by our skin and with the
breath. This odor is absorbed by all porous
substances, as the walls, floors, and ceilings,
and gives Irise to that close, unwholesome
smell which is present in all unclean houses,
especially such as are overcrowded. No
house with such a smell can possibly be a
healthy place to live in. This animal efflu-
vium is taken up by some substances much
more readily than others. Walls that are
covered with paper smell much more offen-
sively than those that are painted. And in
rooms where one paper has been pasted over
another the whole thickness of paper may
absorb it. Painted or lime-washed walls
are much to be preferred to paper walls for
crowded dwellings and for sleeping-rooms.
Woolen garments, carpets, and curtains
absorb such odors freely, and give tliem out
for a long time. Rough wooden floors also
take them up, and consequently require fre-
quent washing. For this reason smoothed,
waxed, or painted floors are preferable to
rough wooden ones.
Page 84
Presented as published in 1901. 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
"Attend," says a wise French writer, "as much to neatness as you do to economy. Accustom girls never to suffer anything about them to be unclean or in disorder; lead them to notice the slightest derangement in a house; say to them that nothing contributes more to economy and neatness than keeping things in their proper place. This may seem trifling, yet it leads to very important consequences; for then when anything is wanted there will be no difficulty in finding it, and when it is done with it will be returned to the place from which it was taken. This exact order forms the most essential part of neatness. For instance, a dish will not be soiled or broken if it is put in its proper place as soon as it has been used. The carefulness which makes us place things in order makes us keep them clean. Joined to all these advantages is that of giving to domestics a habit of neatness and activity by obliging them to place things in order and keep them clean."
-69
Dust is a constant enemy of domestic comfort, and is a great destroyer of furniture. Inhaled into the lungs it becomes one of the sources of disease. Miss Nightingale remarks, with great truth: "Dusting in these days means nothing but flapping the dust from one part of a room to another, with doors and windows closed." A damp but not wet duster will alone remove dust without scattering it.
Causes of Unwholesomeness.
The healthiness or unhealthiness of a house depends greatly upon its degree of cleanliness. Dirty houses are always more or less unwholesome. In country places care should be taken that no puddles of dirty water remain close to the house, as they not only render the air damp, but cause much dirt to be brought in on the feet. Slops of dirt}^ water, tea-leaves, coffee-grounds, etc., should never be thrown out near the house, all decaying vegetable and animal matter being injurious. Cabbage leaves, potato and apple-parings, and other waste vegetable matters, should never be thrown into the dust-bin. It is far the safest plan to burn them, which can always be done if they are first dried by throwing them at the back of the fire or in the ash-pit.
The inside of a house becomes unclean not only from the dust carried in by the air and the dirt brought in by the feet, but from the odor given out by our skin and with the breath. This odor is absorbed by all porous substances, as the walls, floors, and ceilings, and gives Irise to that close, unwholesome smell which is present in all unclean houses, especially such as are overcrowded. No house with such a smell can possibly be a healthy place to live in. This animal effluvium is taken up by some substances much more readily than others. Walls that are covered with paper smell much more offensively than those that are painted. And in rooms where one paper has been pasted over another the whole thickness of paper may absorb it. Painted or lime-washed walls are much to be preferred to paper walls for crowded dwellings and for sleeping-rooms.
Woolen garments, carpets, and curtains absorb such odors freely, and give tliem out for a long time. Rough wooden floors also
take them up, and consequently require frequent washing. For this reason smoothed, waxed, or painted floors are preferable to rough wooden ones.