The Making of a Homemaker

tips from the experts

General
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"The relations of woman to home and society have for generations been clearly defined. Her duty to herself and her relations to the community, the state, and the government, are later developments, peculiar to our era, and still in progress"
-Mary Gay Humphreys, The Woman's Book (1894)
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"The first, most essential, and most practical part of female education is a thorough and personal knowledge of household duties."
-Mrs. L.G. Abell, Woman in her various relations (1853)
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"Whatever may have been the cares of the day, greet your husband with a smile when he returns. Make your personal appearance just as beautiful as possible. Your dress may be made of calico, but neat. Let him enter rooms so attractive and sunny that all the recollections of his home, when away from the same, shall attract him back"
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
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Dining
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Graham Gems
One egg, one tablespoon molasses, two cups buttermilk, one teaspoon soda, a little salt, Graham enough to make a stiff batter. Bake in hot gem pans.
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
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Carolina Cake
One pound of sugar, quarter of a pound of butter, one pound of flour, half a pint of cream, one teaspoon of soda. Cream the sugar and buttter, work the flour smoothly in, next the cream, and lastely the soda, stir lightly and rapidly together, and bake quickly, in small patty-pans. Eat while fresh.
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
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Custard Pudding
Six eggs, one quart milk, six teaspoons sugar, heaped, salt and nutmeg to taste. Bake thirty minutes.
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
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"There are few things on which health and happiness depend more than on the manner in which food is cooked"
-Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Woman's Home
(1869)
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Etiquette
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"A lady and gentleman should avoid evidences of undue familiarity in the presence of strangers. Couples who may evince a silly affection by overfondling of each other in public make themselves appear extremely ridiculous to all who may see them."
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
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"Who does not delight in fine manners? Their charm cannot be predicted or over-stated"
-Mrs. E. Stevens Tilton, Home Dissertations (1873)
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"Ladies can not make direct moves, but they use infinite tact in giving men occasions to make them"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)
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"For a love letter, good paper is indespensable. When it can be procured, that of a costly, gold-edged, perfumed, or ornamented in the French style, may be properly used . . . As all persons are more or less governed by first impressions and externals, the whole affair should be as neat and elegant as possible"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)
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Health
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"Rise early. Eat simple food. Take plenty of exercise. Never fear a little fatigue."
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
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"A raw onion is an excellent remedy for the sting of a wasp."
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
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For Freckles: Scrape a teaspoon of horseradish into a cup of sour milk; let stand six hours before using. Apply to the freckles twice a day.
-The Woman's Book (1894)
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"When a cold affects the head and eyes, and also impedes breathing through the nose, great relief is gained by a wet napkin spread over the upper part of the face, covering the nose, except an opening for breathing"
-Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Woman's Home (1869)
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Children
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"One of the first things that the child should understand is that it should implicitly obey. The parent should therefore be very careful to give only such commands as should be observed, and then the order should be firmly but kindly enforced."
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
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"Let not children be dressed in tight clothes; it is necessary their limbs and muscles should have full play, if you wish for either health or beauty"
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
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"Try to keep children in a happy state of mind. Every one knows, by experience, that it is easier to do right and submit to rule when cheerful and happy, than when irritated"
-Catharine Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, American Woman's Home (1869)
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House and Home
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"Ink spots: If soaked in warm milk before the ink has a chance to dry, the spot may usually be removed. If it has dried in, rub table-salt upon it, and drop lemon-juice upon the salt."
-Mrs. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1833)
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"A piece of stale bread will often remove finger-marks from wall-paper. Rub with the inside of the crust."
-The Woman's Book (1894)
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To Clean Carpets: "If it needs cleaning all over, spread it on a clean floor, and rub on with a new broom, pared and grated raw potatoes. Dry perfectly"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)
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Décor and Fashion
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"With your own work you can embellish at a cheap price, and yet very handsomely, if you have taste. Let the adorning of your private rooms be largely the work of your own hands."
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
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"There is nothing more cheerless than a parlor in which no sign of habitation greets the visitor"
-Lida Rose McCabe, The Woman's Book (1894)
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"Best taste will dictate an observance of fashion, avoiding extremes"
-Thomas E. Hill, Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms (1881)
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"Style of Bonnet: A person of a delicate pale complexion should wear a hat with a pink lining. A person of dark complexion should have white lining with rose trim"
-Ladies' parlor book and domestic keepsake (1853)