Home Problems from a New StandpointHunt, Caroline Louisa
General
Home Problems from a New Standpoint
Hunt, Caroline Louisa
Home
I MORE LIFE FOR WOMAN 3
II MORE LIFE FOR MAN 17
III MORE LIFE FOR THE HOUSEHOLD EMPLOYEE 33
IV MORE PHYSICAL VIGOR FOR ALL 51
V MORE JOY IN MERE LIVING 67
VI MORE BEAUTY FOR ALL 83
VII MORE PLEASURE FOR THE PRODUCER OF HOUSEHOLD STUFF 99
VIII MORE CONSCIENCE FOR THE CONSUMER 119
IX NEW WORK FOR THE HOME 135
HOME PROBLEMS FROM A NEW STANDPOINT
MORE LIFE FOR WOMAN
More life for woman--not only in length through increase of years, but
also in breadth through increase in joyful, satisfactory, well-directed
activity.
A person is prompted to activity by certain instincts or desires. It is
common to divide these desires into two classes--the self-regarding and
the other-regarding. Among those of the first class are the desires for
nutrition, for parenthood, for intellectual activity, and for creating
objects of utility and beauty. Among those of the second class are love
and sympathy. It is common, also, to divide the activities prompted by
the desires into selfish and unselfish on the ground that some are of
value to him alone who engages in them, and some are of value to others
only. The latter division, however, is not rational, for it is easy to
show of any act, that if it is of benefit to the doer it must be to
others also, and _vice versa_. Eating, for example, is prompted by a
desire that is entirely self-regarding, but if we did not eat we could
not work for others.
Although there is no reason for a classification of activities based
upon the recipient of the benefit, there is a reason for a division
based upon the way in which the advantage comes to the doer or to
others. The self-regarding instincts inspire one to acts which lead
directly to the enrichment of his own life and only indirectly, and by
way of his increased power through activity and consequent increased
capacity for service, to the welfare of others. By such acts he
preserves his life, promotes his health, acquires knowledge, and
cultivates talents in whose expression he finds pleasure. The
other-regarding instincts lead one to activities which tend directly to
the welfare of others, and only by a circuitous route and by way of the
benefit conferred upon others, to the enrichment of his own life. By
such activities he sacrifices or endangers his life that others may
live, he gives up health for the health of others, imparts knowledge at
the expense of limiting his own store of information, and leads others
to the satisfaction of expressing their talents by sacrificing the
cultivation and exercise of his peculiar gifts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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