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Household Duties and Responsibilities

Train the children little by little to bear certain light responsibilities in the home. Even in a home in which all the household tasks are done by trained servants let the girl and boy have some small duty to perform, if it be nothing more than to keep the match-safes filled. They will thus acquire an interest in the home which can be aroused in no other way.

Indeed, every child, boy and girl, should be trained to do easily and well the common household tasks upon which depend so much of the happiness and well-being of the home. Such knowledge and skill often prove of use in unexpected emergencies and make for general efficiency. The ancient symbol of the housewife's office is her bunch of keys, hung at her waist or placed in the key-basket, so we have used this latter phrase as our chapter heading.

HOME TASKS

Here are a few brief directions for the usual home tasks in which both boys and girls may to some extent be trained.

Table Setting (Usual dishes and cutlery)

Different homes vary in unimportant particulars in the placing of the dishes. The following is a common arrangement for the dinner table:

At each place lay the fork vertically at the left-hand side, the knife vertically at the right, and the soup-spoon to the right of the knife. This places each utensil so that it is ready for the hand which uses it most. Put the teaspoons to the right of the soup-spoon, and the napkin to the left of the fork. Place the glass just above the knife, the butterdish above the fork, and the individual salt-cellar, if used, between the two.

Father and mother sit at the ends of the table. Put carving-knife and fork at father's place; also the soup ladle, as father serves the soup and carves. Mother pours the coffee and tea and serves the vegetables. Therefore the soup and dinner dishes must be placed before the carver, and the needed vegetable dishes and cups and saucers at the mother's place. Here, too, must be placed the sugar bowl and cream pitcher.

In the United States it is customary to serve most vegetables upon individual saucers. In England they are usually served upon the plate.

If salad is to be served, oil and vinegar cruets may be put on.

The dessert is usually served by the mother, and the necessary dishes must, therefore, be placed at her end of the table.

If possible, always have flowers or a growing plant in the center of the table, but do not have it so high that it obscures the view of those persons sitting on opposite sides of the table.

Upon special occasions, particularly if the guests are many, it is convenient to indicate the place of each person by a "place card" bearing his name and decorated in some appropriate fashion. Suggestions for such place cards will be found on other pages of this volume.

Table-Serving (Tray)

Train both boys and girls to wait on the table quietly and quickly. Then they can save mother many weary steps. Remove soup-tureen first; then the individual dishes. After the meat-course, remove first the platter and vegetable dishes; then the plates, saucers, etc., from each individual place; then, if there is no salad course, the bread and butter dishes, cruets, etc., from center of table. Next the table must be crumbed. Do this by quietly removing crumbs from each place with crumb-knife and tray or by brushing with folded napkin. If salad is served, crumbing takes place after that course.

Hold all dishes to left of guest, so that he may easily help himself with his right hand.

Dish-Washing (Hot water in quantity, dish pan, wire tray, drainer, washing-soda, soap, dish-mop, washcloth, towels in plenty, both coarse and fine)

If two people are to work together, let one collect the dishes and dispose of the left-over food, while the other washes the kettles and saucepans. Get these heavy cooking utensils out of the way the first thing; then the drudgery part is over before the workers are tired out.

Dishes in which potatoes, cereals, or eggs have been cooked should be put to soak, not in hot, but in cold or tepid water; they are then readily cleaned. Fill with water as soon as emptied.

Keep a little washing-soda on hand, dissolved in water in a canning-jar, for cleansing greasy dishes. Have hot water in abundance, and, putting a little soda in with it, scrub the kettles briskly with the wire-brush that comes for the purpose, or with mop, dish-cloth or chain dish-cloth. Wipe dry with a heavy towel.

Meanwhile the other worker is collecting, scraping and classifying the other dishes. Before beginning to wash, have all the dishes assorted according to kind and size and placed convenient to hand. When putting away remnants of food it is well to have for the purpose a series of pitchers ranging from three inches to about nine in height. This gives sizes suited to any quantity which may be left over of soups, milk, liquid vegetables, etc. They take less room than bowls, and the graduated series ornaments the shelf.

A wire strainer should be kept in the sink to prevent the larger particles of waste, indissoluble parings, coffee grains, etc., from going down the drain. This saves plumber's bills.

When ready for the washing, begin with the glasses and wash quickly in hot water, either clear or soapy, as preferred. Have at hand a second dish-pan in which is placed a wire rack. Put the glasses in the rack, rinse with hot water, and dry rapidly while still wet and hot. It may be necessary to keep them in the water a moment or two to get them really heated through. In washing glass pitchers put a silver spoon in them before placing in the hot water. This prevents breakage. Treat canning-jars in the same way.

Next wash the silver, having the water soapy and piping hot, in order to get a good polish. Keep spoons, knives and forks in separate groups and all pointing in the same direction.

The smaller, less greasy dishes follow the silver, and then the heavy china. Here, again, let dishes that have held eggs or starchy foods soak awhile in cold or tepid water. Rinse greasy dishes well.

Conclude by scrubbing tables and sink with cloth, brush, soap and sapolio as needed. Put the scrapings in the garbage pail and pour hot water and soda down the pipe to remove the last vestige of grease. Hang up the shining dish-pans, after washing out the towels and dish-cloth in soap and water, if they require it.

A can of Babbitt's Potash of Lye may take the place of the washing-soda.

Bed-Making (Two sheets, blanket, comforter, cover)

Put the lower sheet on with the right side up. Tuck it in neatly at the corners much as one would fold in the corners when wrapping up a box in paper. Place the upper sheet upon this with the right side down. This brings the two right sides together. Let the broad hem in each case be at the head of the bed. That of the upper sheet should just reach the head of the mattress.

Place the blanket with its upper end about six inches from the head of the bed. Then comes the comforter, placed in the same way. Fold the sheet down from the top just where the blanket ends. Tuck all in neatly at the sides and the foot. Now put the spread smoothly over all. It may be tucked in or may hang down as desired. Place the pillows with the closed ends of the cases together.

If an extra coverlet is to be placed at the foot of the bed, fold it in thirds so that the sleeper may reach down and draw it up over himself without rising to the floor.

To put on a bolster-case easily, turn it wrong side out and then roll it up over the bolster.

Train children to air beds every morning by shaking up bed-clothing and extending it over footboard and chair.

Washing (Toy tub or tin basin, toy washboard, basin for boiler, soap, bit of blueing tied in bag, strong cord for line)

Put dolls' clothes or a few dustcloths or handkerchiefs in tub of warm water after soaping well. Let soak awhile, then rub out on the little washboard or between the hands, put into the boiler with cold water and just bring to a boil. Rinse in warm water or wash vigorously in warm water if necessary; then rinse in warm and then in cold water; put the blueing in a basin of cold water till the water is slightly tinged; remove the blueing bag and rinse the clothes in the water. (The blueing is to counteract the tendency of white goods to grow yellow with time.)

Hang up to dry in the air and sunshine.

Tell the children that the clothes must always be sorted, white body clothes being in one class, bed-linen in another, table linen in another; woolens must be washed by themselves with care to keep the water of moderate temperature and the rinsing water of the same degree of heat as the washing water. Flannels must be dried as rapidly as possible. Colored garments must be washed by themselves.

Ironing (Two irons, holders, ironing blanket and sheet, iron-stand, cake of beeswax or candle)

Before ironing the clothes must be sprinkled lightly with cold water, smoothed out and rolled up tightly for half an hour. Meanwhile pin the blanket to the ironing board and cover smoothly with the sheet. The iron must not be so hot as to scorch the clothes. Try it on a piece of paper. If it seems dirty or rough, rub it on the beeswax to make it clean and smooth. (In place of wax a candle will serve the purpose if wrapped around with a piece of clean cotton cloth.) If the garment seems too wet, put a piece of white cloth over it and iron till somewhat dry. Then the iron may be placed directly upon the garment.

Starch is prepared by wetting and dissolving it in cold water and then pouring upon this boiling water and boiling until clear and smooth. The young child will not need to starch anything, however.

Sweeping (Broom, whisk-broom, hair-broom, sheet, sweeping-cap)

Let the little worker don sweeping-cap and apron, and then proceed to dust carefully small articles and books, place them on the bed and cover with an old sheet. Put furniture which is movable in the hall after dusting. Open the window. Then sweep the rugs on both sides and place outside. Pin up the curtains. Then dampen a newspaper and tear into small pieces; throw these on the floor to absorb the dust. Wet tea-leaves may be used for the same purpose.

Sweep, holding the broom rather closely to the floor and taking short strokes, raising as little dust as possible. Then leave the room for awhile, for the dust to settle.

Dusting (Dusters of cheesecloth, clean pieces of old silk, chamois-skin)

On returning to the room after sweeping, wipe off the baseboard, then the furniture, always working from the top down. To reach high corners where cobwebs may lurk, pin on the brush of the broom a cap of cheesecloth and sweep along the edges of the ceiling. For corners under heavy furniture, a small whisk brush or soft hair brush may be needed.

Rub off mirrors with a damp cloth, drying and polishing with chamois-skin or crumpled newspaper. Highly polished furniture may be dusted with soft silk or chamois-skin.

Even small members of the family may be given a share in this work. Little boys and girls can be shown how to dust chairs and furniture within reach of the little arms and hands. It may take more time at first on the mother's part than if she did the work herself; but in the end she is more than repaid. The little child need not be required to do much, but let that little be done thoroughly, if only the legs and rounds of one chair.