The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-02-12
Grinding at the Mill.

Il Is little remarkable that, although the
practice Of grinding corn by . hand mill, to
which tho sacred writers 80 often allude, Is stu
very common In Syria, yet witnessed but one
instance Of Il This was ut Jenin, on the bor-
one Of tho houses Of this village, I saw two
young women sitting on the ground, engaged
In this mode Of grinding. The mill consisted
of two stones, tho upper one circular, tho lower
one partly 50. with projection on ono side,
two or three inches long, slantinG downward,
and scooped out 30 as to carry OF the meal.
The lower stone had an lion pivot Il think 1t
was) extending from Its centre through hole
In the centre OF the upper stone. An upright
handle was fixed In o socket near the edge
Of the upper stone, and both women, taking
and round with great rapidity. One Of them
every now and. then dropped handful Of grain
into the hole at the centre Of the upper stone.
Perceiying my curiosity, they stopped the mo-
ton of the mill, and, taking of the upper stonc
from the lower, afforded me q view Of the inside.
I found that the surface OF tho stones where
they came In contact, was very rough. marked
with indentations for the purpose OF crushing
the grain more effectually. At m earlier stage
of my journey, at Pompeii. in Italy, had seen
pair Of mill.stones entirely similar to these
W
among the ruins there as the house OF the
baker, occupying, In oil probability, the spot
where they stood on the day when the crup-
ton OF Vesuvius buried up that ill-fated city.
The labor of grinding ut such mills Is still
performed for the most part by females, rs Is
implied In the Savior's declaration: "Two wc:
men shall be grinding at the mill the one shall
be taken, and the other left." II was impossi-
BILE to look at two persons sitting like those fe-
4 Al. Il. r. oh nd od In
the same occupation, without feeling how for
chilly that language must have conveyed to
Christ's hearers the intended idea Of the sud-
denncss of the destruction which was about to
burst on Judea, and of the difficulty and uncer-
tainty, In the case Of each individual, OF his ef-
fcting his escape from It..
The time Of grinding Is regulated by the
wants of the family hence, though II may oc-
cur at other times. 1t takes pla:e usually ut ear
ly dawn, In preparation for the morning meal,
and, for similhr reason, ut the close OF the
day. rwas saying, In the house Of o resident
at Jerusalem, that was disappointed in not
having seen rs yet the Eastern mill in use
"If you will come at sundown," he replied.
"you can satisfy that desire you will see and
hear the women grinding all around u.s." His
house was on the hill Bcletha, where the un-
occupied ground allows the people to come
abroad and perform such labor in the open air.
The operation Of grinding Is attended, not
only with the noise occasioned by the grating
of the stones, but often by that Of the singing,
or, rs we might call It quite as properly, the
shrieking OF the women who grind. Various
travellers testify to the fact OF its being common
for them to accompany their occupations with
song.
Hence, rs the recurrence Of the noise OF the
hand-mil ut the proper hours Is ono Of the
characteristics OF nm inhabited, hourishing vii.
lagc SO, on the contrary, tho cessation OF this
noise is mentioned In the Scriptures as one OF
the. things which mark most impressively the
solitude OF place given up to desertion and
ruin. Thus, In Jer XIV 10, II, God thrcstens
to take from the Jews
"Thc voice Of mirth, and tho voice Of ofgladne".
Tho voice OF ,ho bridegroom, and the voice OF tho
The sound Of the mill.stoncs and the light Of the
candle,
And the whole land shall DC uesolation anu IN
astonishmcnt"
The writer of the Apocalypse (xxiii 22,) an
nounces the fall of the mystical Babylon In sim
liar terms "The voice Of harpers and musi-
clans, and Of plpers and trumpcters,. shsll be
heard no more In thee and no craftsman, Of
whatsoever craft, shall be found any moro In
thee and the sound of n milestone shall be
heard no more at all In thee"
It is evident that no family could well dis
pense with so necessary IN article rs the mill
stone. II deprived of this. they would be put
to the greatest inconvenience In preparing their
daily food. Hence, we see the humanity Of the
Hebrew lawgiver, who enacted that "No man
should take the upper or the neither mill stone
NJ pledge; for he tskcth man life In pledge"
(Deut. xiv: 81.
The common mil.ston rarely exceeds two
feet In diameter. and hence Its sire fitted II to be
used rs nm instrument of punishment. II was
sometimes tied to the neck OF criminals who
were to be drowned. To this use Of II tho pas.
sage MARK IL 42,) slludes, which says, "who
soever shall offend one Of these little ones that
believe In me, II Is better for him that mill
stone were hanged about his neck, and be were
cast into the sea-" Gee also Matt. xviii o.
and Luke xvii 2. II In said that this mode
OF execution has not become obsolete In tho
East.