2004-11-24 A Little Lunch Reading

This afternoon while the children and I finished our lunch, I read exerpts from the book, "The American Frugal Housewife. Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy." written by Mrs Lydia Maria Child in 1832. This book came to my attention through the Dover Book sampler which I receive once a week through e-mail. Sample pages with old recipes (receipts) for custards and puddings intrigued me so I searched our local libray's catalog to find that it was available and placed a request for a hold on it.

This book is a treasury of 19th century maxims and wisdom. Although there is much that is not very relevant for todays living (like the fact that an ox's gall will set any color into fabric), there is much wisdom about frugality and caring for the material things we have been given that still holds true today, 172 years after its writing. The quotes listed on the cover are "A fat kitchen maketh a lean will. - Franklin" and "Economy is a poor man's revenue; extravagance a rich man's ruin." The introduction to the book is filled with reasons for frugality along with many examples. I enjoy her account of how she heard someone claim that they could not live on less than "twelve hundred a year" and someone tell them that they were not "economical" for they only spent eight hundrend a year. A third one who was present and silent later said he one spent six hundred per year for he , his wife and children. She said that it "occuured to her that his wife and children were in the habit of picking up paper and twine."

Of particular enjoyment to the children were the statement that "Beer is a good family drink." and the fact that ear wax is a great rememdy for cracked lips.

The next section we will read is entitled "The Education of Daughter" which should be of interest to the girls.