The Art of Quick Dressing
To be able to dress rapidly and in a small space is an accomplishment, a habit which, although it takes long to acquire, will hold to one through life when once learned. Some time or other, many times, indeed, it will be necessary to dress very quickly. A child may be taken with the croup in the middle of the night, and to be able to put on one’s clothes as rapidly as a boy takes them off when he goes swimming may be the means of saving a life. Boys may be taught to do this; the younger the better. The movements used in dressing, such as pulling on or lacing of shoes, buttoning the waist, drawing on of trousers or blouse, are a healthy exercise in themselves. If there are two boys in the family, they may race, to see which can get dressed first. No time should be allowed to hunt for things. It is a game of order, as well as speed. All the apparel needed for the day should be placed in a convenient place, that it can be found easily and quickly. Girls, too, need to acquire the habit of dressing quickly. From the point of view of the husband and father, one of the sterling qualities of the woman or girl is to dress quickly. She can be just as prettily attired, the prettier the better; there is such a thing as dressing quickly. Let her get the habit as the boy has it, and it can not be said of her when she grows up to be a wife and mother, that her husband will need a fresh shave while waiting for her to accompany him for the evening. Mothers make a mistake in dressing or helping to dress children after a certain age. If for no other reason than discipline, training in self-reliance and even drilling the child to take care of itself are of enough importance to deserve the attention of any mother. Watching the round fireman get from his bed to his place on the hose-cart or ladder-truck, will show what can be done in the way of quick and thorough dressing.— Youth’s Companion.