not
say, is far more nourishing than that which is made from inferior
materials or adulterated even with non-injurious substances for wheaten
flour. Then all the other difficulties come to the fore: cook spoils the
bakings, the oven is not suitable, and so on. To all these we answer: A
good housekeeper, one who looks beyond the sum total of her weekly
bills, who thinks no trouble too great to provide such food as will
maintain the health of her family, will have home-baked bread.

There are other points in domestic management which do not receive the
attention they deserve. Of these we may cite the use of labour-saving
machines and of gas for cooking.

How often do we hear it said: "I always have such and such a thing done
in that way, because it was my mother's way!"

This may be very nice and very natural, but it is nevertheless a
sentimental reason. What should we think of a person who insisted on
riding pillion, because her mother rode pillion? Yet, this really is
pretty much the same thing as we see every day, when ladies are so
wedded to old ways that they persist in employing the rough-and-ready
implements of domestic use, the pattern whereof has been handed down
from the Ark, instead of modern and scientific inventions which save
both time and trouble. In no other department of the national life have
the people been so slow to adopt simple machinery as in that of the
household.

It is alleged, in the first place, that labour-saving machines are
expensive; in the next place, that servants do not understand them, and
that they are always getting out of order.

As to the first objection, we would say that as these machines--we speak
only, of course, of really good machines--are made, not only with the
object of saving labour, but material, the original cost of them is in a
short time repaid. As regards the second objection, it seems
incomprehensible that servants should not use with care and
thoughtfulness machines, which not only save time and trouble, but
greatly help in making their work perfect.

There is no doubt that by the more general adoption of machinery
household work would be much lightened, and that if there were a demand
for it, enterprise would be much stimulated, and many more useful helps
would be produced. As it is, manufacturers hesitate to bring out new
inventions at a great expense, when there is a doubt of securing the
appreciation of the public.

Only the other day we were inquiring