Beautiful Girlhood compiled by Debra Maffett

shop, or store. The girl who must do this kind of work, can do well what she
does, and can fill a worthy place. But in the majority of cases the girls found
here are doing only such work until the time when they shall go to life's
greatest responsibility — the making of a home.
There is a strong prejudice against the doing of housework for a living. This
arises no doubt from the idea of servitude; but all work is service of one
kind or another. There is no work that is more necessary or capable of
bringing more real pleasure, than housework. Any girl who can do this
work, will need not be ashamed of her calling. If she uses the spare
moments she can find for study and reading, she need not let her mind
starve, and become but a drudge, because this is her calling. All needful
work is honorable — if it is done well and for a good purpose.
A mistake that many girls make who must go out to work, is that of neglect
of home duties. They allow themselves to go on from year to year with no
knowledge of household work. They cannot cook a good meal, nor make a
garment. It would be impossible for them to do washing and ironing
properly, both for lack of skill and because of fatigue.
Such girls, many of whom can hope to marry only poor men who are able to
give them but a small allowance for household purposes, come to marriage
without any knowledge of housework, or of the buying-value of money.
Here is the cause of many home wrecks. Every girl should remember that
first of all, she is a woman, and the woman in her will desire and claim a
home of her own someday; and if she is to be a success there, she must
make some preparation for that calling.
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