Reading Response # 4

1.  I think Beecher would like her audience to understand the term "housekeeper" to mean a woman who is in charge of her family and household but does so with an "equable and cheerful temper".  Having an "equable and cheerful temper" means that the woman treats everyone with equal respect and a pleasant attitude to get the best results from people.  Beecher says that if you treat people with a hostile or have a mean temper that the results you want won't be nearly as good as if you were to speak to someone with a calm and collected attitude.
2.  A woman should regard her duties as important, dignified and difficult so that she may feel useful and have a sense of far reaching influence.  She should always be prepared for temptations and obstacles because underestimating difficulties usually leads to problems.  A woman should also deliberately plan for her best calculated plans to be interfered with due to the diverse habits of family members and she should meet each complication with a "cheerful and quiet spirit".  Also she should make plans that fit within her means so that she won't have to cancel and face embarrassment.  Lastly, a woman must face life with neatness and order and meet complications with patience and cheerfulness to get the best results.
3.  When Beecher begins to talk about an American mother and housekeeper and how influential she can be you can notice her assumptions about American women and how they are collected and even tempered.  Also the part about how a woman should make plans within her means so that she isn't embarrassed.