Excerpt from Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million: Containing Four Thousand Five Hundred and Forty-Five Receipts, Facts, Directions, Etc; In the Useful, Ornamental, and Domestic Arts, and in the Conduct of Life Being a Complete Family Directory "All the labor of man & for his mouth," nays Solomon. If this proverb be understood, as it was undoubtedly meant - that the chief aim and purpose of all human labor are to make the homes of mankind places of enjoyment, we see how important the art of household management becomes. While preparing my "New Cook Book," I was naturally led to examine the subject, and the result was a deep conviction of the need of another work on domestic economy, or directions how to guide the house. This led me to prepare the present treatise, embodying rules and receipts, such as never before have been brought together for the help and instruction of a household. "Knowledge is power" always; knowledge used for good purposes is wisdom. Knowledge, like gold, must be gained by personal effort; and usually, in small quantities, and by continued exertions, both wisdom and gold are accumulated. It has been by washing the sands of common experience and gathering the small bits of science and art found here and there on the mining ground of common knowledge, that this large work, containing the pure gold of truth, applicable to all the needs of common life, has been made. A few nuggets will be seen, such as the collected maxims of Franklin, and the "Words of Washington," never before placed within the reach of the popular mind. In the economy and well-being of the family, personally and individually, improvement should be sedulously kept in view. It is not enough that woman understands the art of cookery and of managing her house: she must also take care of herself; of children; of all who will be dependent on her for direction, for health, for happiness. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Castle and The Girls of Atomic City comes a new way to look at American history through the story of giving thanks. From Ancient Rome through 21st-century America, bestselling author Denise Kiernan brings us a biography of an idea: gratitude, as a compelling human instinct and a global concept, more than just a mere holiday. Spanning centuries, We Gather Together is anchored amid the strife of the Civil War, and driven by the fascinating story of Sarah Josepha Hale, a widowed mother with no formal schooling who became one of the 19th century’s most influential tastemakers and who campaigned for decades to make real an annual day of thanks. Populated by an enthralling supporting cast of characters including Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, Walt Whitman, Norman Rockwell, and others, We Gather Together is ultimately a story of tenacity and dedication, an inspiring tale of how imperfect people in challenging times can create powerful legacies. Working at the helm of one of the most widely read magazines in the nation, Hale published Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and others, while introducing American readers to such newfangled concepts as “domestic science,” white wedding gowns, and the Christmas tree. A prolific writer, Hale penned novels, recipe books, essays and more, including the ubiquitous children’s poem, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” And Hale herself never stopped pushing the leaders of her time, in pursuit of her goal. The man who finally granted her wish about a national “thanksgiving” was Lincoln, the president of the war-torn nation in which Hale would never have the right to vote. Illuminating, wildly discussable, part myth-busting, part call to action, We Gather Together is full of unexpected delights and uneasy truths. The stories of indigenous peoples, immigrant communities, women’s rights activists, abolitionists, and more, will inspire readers to rethink and reclaim what it means to give thanks in this day and age. The book’s message of gratitude—especially when embraced during the hardest of times—makes it one to read and share, over and over, at any time of year.