Miss Leslie's lady's house-book; a manual of domestic economy containing approved directions for washing, dress-making ...

Front matter

A Companion to " The Lady's New Receipt-Book."

MISS LESLIE'S

LADY'S HOUSE-BOOK;

Preface

The design of the following work is to impart to novices in bouse-keej)ing some information on a subject which is, or ought <o be, important to every American female, so that they may be enabled, to instruct unpractised domestics, or, in case of jmergency, to assist personally in forwarding the indispensable work of the family. More than nine-tenths of these receipts are entirely original ; all are expressly adapted to the meridian of our own country ; and though they generally refer to the condition of families in what is termed genteel life, a large number of them may be found useful in houses where close economy is expedient.

It has Sfeen the design of the author to make her directions as plain and intelligible as possible, and therefore she has thought it best to explain every particular with unusual minuteness, as if addressed to persons who were totally ignorant of the subjects in question. In this, as in her Cookery Book, she has not scrupled, when necessary, to sacrifice the sound to the sense ; repeating the same words when no others could be found to express the purport so clearly; and being always more anxious to convey the meaning in such terms as could not be mistaken, than to risk obscuring it by attempts at refined phraseology or well-rounded periods.

Complaints are incessantly heard of the deterioration of servants; but may not one source of this growing evil be traced to the deterioration of mistresses in the knowledge and practice of all that is necessary to a well-ordered household. A great change has certainly taken place since the days when, during the ptesidency of her husband, Mrs. Washington, followed by a servant-man with a basket, went daily to Philadelphia market ; and when the all -accomplished daughters of Mr. .Tefferson made pastry and confectionary in a room fitted up for that purpose in their father's mansion at Monticello.

4 PREFACE.

While we regret the present system of education, in which all things are taug-ht (or rather attempted) except that whicii io every American female must at some period of her life be absolutely necessary, we would not have our young married ladies discouraged if, on first assuming the charge of a house, they find themselves subjected to much perplexity and inconvenience from ignorance of their new task. A competent knowledge of household affairs is by no means difiicult to acquire, and is within the reach of every woman of tolerable capacity, who has a proper conviction of its utility, and an earnest desire to profit b}'' all opportunities of improvement in its pursuit. It is a homely but a true saying, that " where there is a will there is a way."

. A neat and well-conducted house, with fires and ligrhts always as they should be; and a table where the food is inviting, from being good both in material and cooking; also clothes well washed and ironed, are comforts that are not lightly prized by any married man; and it is but just that he wlfl perhaps labours hard in his business or profession to procure the means of obtaining them, should not be disappointed in their application; particularly when the deficiencies are caused by the inertness or the mismanagement of the woman who should consider it her especial care to render his home agreeable to him. Should this book have any effect in directing the attention of her young countrywomen to a subject of far more importance to their married happiness than the cultivation of showy accomplishments, or the unavailing pursuit of studies that to females are always abstruse ; should it, on trial, be found a useful auxiliary to practised house-keepers, in furnishing them with additional hints, or new and easy modes of doing things that have always been done, its object will be accomplished ; leaving the author with the gratification of knowing that she has not written in vain.

Philadelphia, February \9th, 1840.