The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 5 (September 1, 1930)
Health Hints for the Housewife
Health Hints for the Housewife
So many women become slaves to the house and its hundred and one tasks and its thousands of worries. There is so much to be done in each day, and so little time to do it that they have absolutely no time for their own pleasures and relaxations. Their lives become one long round of sweeping, cooking, mending.
It is all very well to say that your duty lies at home, that your sphere in life is to make the home happy and comfortable; how about yourself? You owe a duty to yourself as a human being who requires change of scenery, meetings with fellow creatures, freedom to think, and leisure in order that you may develop yourself. It is terribly easy to sink into a rut and to acquire a passive resignation to your lot; to let your life degenerate into an eternal routine of household tasks, and your mind into a narrow and limited affair—incapable of any consideration save that of the home. You should not make such a sacrifice. Your health, mental and physical, demands something from you.
In the first place, go out of the house for an hour at least every day, though you may feel too tired or too lazy to bother. After a morning in the kitchen you probably think that half-an-hour with a book before you start again is all that is necessary, and that a walk will only make you more exhausted. You must have change of air and surroundings every day, and you will be surprised at the difference a daily excursion of an hour will make to your general health. Exercise in the house—rushing about dusting rooms, doing the washing, scrubbing the floors—is exercise for the muscles but not for the brain and nerves. A short, brisk walk will rest you more than anything else.
If you are a gardener, an hour among the flowers will be your best tonic. While you are digging or walking, don't worry about the house and the family, think of anything else and you will come back all the more fitted to take a keen interest in their household affairs.
Workshops Social Activities
“Merrily, merrily whirled the wheels of the dizzying dancers.”—Longfellow.
(Photos, J. V. Garvitch, Petone.)
The Social Hall at the Hutt Railway Workshops (Wellington) presented a bright and colourful scene on the occasion of the first annual staff dance, held on 3rd September. The function (thanks to the splendid arrangements made by the Social Committee for the entertainment of members and their womenfolk) was a pronounced success, and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone present. Excellent music for the various dances was supplied by the Workshops Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. J. Bolton. The top illustration shews a flashlight photograph taken during the course of the evening, and below are shewn some of the fine decorations of the Social Hall.