ily powers, as well as in giving
precision to the practical mental faculties. All household economies
were arranged with equal niceness in those thoughtful minds. A trained
housekeeper knew just how many sticks of hickory of a certain size
were required to heat her oven, and how many of each different kind of
wood. She knew by a sort of intuition just what kind of food would
yield the most palatable nutriment with the least outlay of
accessories in cooking. She knew to a minute the time when each
article must go into and be withdrawn from her oven; and, if she could
only lie in her chamber and direct, she could guide an intelligent
child through the processes with mathematical certainty. It is
impossible, however, that anything but early training and long
experience can produce these results, and it is earnestly to be wished
that the grandmothers of New England had only written down their
experiences for our children; they would have been a mine of maxims
and traditions, better than any other traditions of the elders which
we know of."

"One thing I know," said Marianne, "and that is, I wish I had been
brought up so, and knew all that I should, and had all the strength
and adroitness that those women had. I should not dread to begin
housekeeping, as I now do. I should feel myself independent. I should
feel that I knew how to direct my servants, and what it was reasonable
and proper to expect of them; and then, as you say, I shouldn't be
dependent on all their whims and caprices of temper. I dread those
household storms, of all things."

Silently pondering these anxieties of the young expectant housekeeper,
I resumed my pen, and concluded my paper as follows:--

* * * * *

In this country, our democratic institutions have removed the
superincumbent pressure which in the Old World confines the servants
to a regular orbit. They come here feeling that this is somehow a land
of liberty, and with very dim and confused notions of what liberty is.
They are for the most part the raw, untrained Irish peasantry, and the
wonder is, that, with all the unreasoning heats and prejudices of the
Celtic blood, all the necessary ignorance and rawness, there should be
the measure of comfort and success there is in our domestic
arrangements. But, so long as things are so, there will be constant
changes and interruptions in every domestic establishment, and
constantly recurring interregnums when the mistres