But there is a second reason why a girl should acquire for herself
strong and worthy interests. The regular occupations of women
in their homes are generally disconnected and of little educational
value, at least as those homes are at present conducted. Given
the best will in the world, the daily doing of household details
becomes a wearisome monotony if the mere performance of them
is all. To make drudgery divine a woman must have a brain to plan
and eyes to see how to "sweep a room as to God's laws." Imagination
and knowledge should be the hourly companions of her who would
make a fine art of each detail in kitchen and nursery. Too long
has the pin been the appropriate symbol of the average woman's
life--the pin, which only temporarily holds together things which
may or may not have any organic connection with one another. While
undoubtedly most women must spend the larger part of life in this
modest pin-work, holding together the little things of home and
school and society and church, it is also true, that cohesive work
itself cannot be done well, even in humble circumstances, except
by the refined, the trained, the growing woman. The smallest
village, the plainest home, give ample space for the resources
of the trained college woman. And the reason why such homes and
such villages are so often barren of grace and variety is just
because these fine qualities have not ruled them. The higher
graces of civilization halt among us; dainty and finished ways of
living give place to common ways, while vulgar tastes, slatternly
habits, clouds and despondency reign in the house. Little children
under five years of age die in needless thousands because of the
dull, unimaginative women on whom they depend. Such women have
been satisfied with just getting along, instead of packing everything
they do with brains, instead of studying the best possible way of
doing everything small or large; for there is always a best way,