Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 56

Do not let knives be dropped into hot dish-water. It is a good plan to have a large tin pot to wash them in, just high enough to wash the bladet _without wetting_ the handles.

460. Do It Well.

It is better to accomplish perfectly a very small amount of work, than to half do ten times as much.

[BE TEMPERATE IN ALL THINGS.]

461. Polis.h.i.+ng Knives with Charcoal.

Charcoal Powder will be found a very good thing to give knives a first-rate polish.

462. Preventing Wear.

A bonnet and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs may be worn a much longer time, if the dust be brushed well off after walking.

463. Good Examples.

Much knowledge may be obtained by the good housewife observing how things are managed in well-regulated families.

464. Apple Pips.

Apples intended for dumplings should not have the core taken out of them, as the pips impart a delicious flavour to the dumpling.

465. Rice Pudding.

A rice pudding is excellent without either eggs or sugar, if baked gently: it keeps better without eggs.

466. "Wilful Waste makes Woeful Want."

Do not cook a fresh joint whilst any of the last remains uneaten --hash it up, and with gravy and a little management, eke out another day's dinner.

467. Shanks of Mutton.

The shanks of mutton make a good stock for nearly any kind of gravy, and they are very cheap--a dozen may be had for a penny, enough to make a quart of delicious soup.

468. Lack of Fresh Air.

Thick curtains, closely drawn around the bed, are very injurious, because they not only confine the effluvia thrown off from our bodies whilst in bed, but interrupt the current of pure air.

469. Regular Accounting.

Regularity in the payment of accounts is essential to housekeeping.

All tradesmen's bills should be paid weekly, for then any errors can be detected whilst the transactions are fresh in the memory.

470. Enough Talk.

Allowing children to talk incessantly is a mistake. We do not mean to say that they should be restricted from talking in proper seasons, but they should be taught to know when it is proper for them to cease.

471. Blacking for Leather Seats, &c.

Beat well the yolks of two eggs and the white of one: mix a tablespoonful of gin and a teaspoonful of sugar, thicken it with ivory black, add it to the eggs, and use as common blacking; the seats or cus.h.i.+ons being ieft a day or two to harden. This is good for dress boots and shoes

472. Black Reviver for Black Cloth.

Bruised galls, one pound; logwood, two pounds; green vitriol, half a pound; water, five quarts. Boil for two hours, and strain. Use to restore the colour of black cloth.

473. Enamel Paint

Special preparations of paint, styled "enamel," are now made, suitable for both useful and decorative purposes--garden stands, indoor furniture or ornaments, baths, &c. They are ready mixed in a variety of shades, can be easily applied, and dry with a hard glossy surface.

[KEEP THE HEAD COOL AND THE FEET WARM.]

474. Hints for Home Comfort.

i. Eat slowly and you will not overeat.

ii. Keeping the feet warm will prevent headaches.

iii. Late at breakfast--hurried for dinner--cross at tea.

iv. A short needle makes the most expedition in plain sewing.

v. Between husband and wife little attentions beget much love.

vi. Always lay your table neatly, whether you have company or not.

vii. Put your b.a.l.l.s or reels of cotton into little bags, leaving the ends out.

viii. Whatever you may choose to give away, always be sure to _keep your temper_.

ix. Dirty windows speak to the pa.s.ser-by of the negligence of the inmates.