The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-08-17
Our New Servant.
BY GRACE GREENWOOD,

think must tell you of wonderful
servant we have. She is not Irish, or Ger
man, or African, but that exceedingly rare
bird, genuine American servant-hundy.
clever and cute. Her virtues are manifold.
In the first place, she is wonderfully quiet
goes silently and steadily about her work
doing all that is required of her with
"neatncss and dispatch" She is good
iempered--is never ION the rampage''-
never insolent-never unkind to children
She has no ioilowers-never goes off with
out warming; never wastes, never blunders,
don'tdrink, and don't break the eighth
commandment. -..-,. ....
call her IL servant, but she seems to me
more like Al helpful friend, kindly com
panion: and yet she is but Il soulless thing
after ala mere wonderful piece of human
mechanism; sheis-Oney Hificor e. Gi6bs'
dd'nndbte &ewi'tg Machines. ........ ..
was very late in availing myself of the
service of this great, beneficent handmade
en OF modern womanhood. l have longed
Tor one vaguely for years, and made many
resolutions 10 procure one, but have re-
Trained, from painful doubts of my own
abihly To manage II creature that seemed
10 meso 1earIuilyand wonderfully made"
Being but modestly endowed with me-
rhanical ingenuity and insight, l dreaded
the trouble and vexation of learning to
work dty machine, and my inquiries of
friends were always for the most simple
invention. The weight OF reliable evil
dence being overwhelming for that of Will
cox d Gibbs, at last decided upon it, pro-
cured IL, and am more than satisfied.
began my acquaintance with it with
some trepidation, but it soon put me quite
at my ease. We We're capital friends at
once, and, AS yet, have had no falling out
Together we fell right to work, and manu-
iactured an article of clothing very credit
ably that very morning. 80. ss
The simplicity of this machine is only
equallsd by the unerriIig accuracy with
which il works. Our little daughter, after
Il very few trials, was able 10 manage it
nicely, and the two are now on excellent
terms. The only troublei is, that mamma
cannot supply work last enough. She
laughs To see il ithungrily devourt the tedious
,ong seams which were once her aversion,
and then lick up the little seams, hens,
tucks and iells with such apparent relish.
All, mothers ard wives, when work
presses--whcn muslius, linens and prints
cumber your drawers, anti little ones clam
or for spring ''toggery," the thought that
in your sitting room waits, ever to help
you, a silent, trusty friend, of forty sewing
women power, is wondrously sustaining,
isn't il?
And while the novelty lasts at least, a
sewing machine is a great incentive to in
dustry in the family. Restless little girls
| delight in kind of work so exceedingly
like play; and boys even take to it, and
think it 'Jolly good sport" to be able to
manufacture their own shirts.
AS for myself, must confess have not
yet come to any real hard work with my
machine. 1t still amuses me. I am still
experimenting with it, and wondering at
Its Puck-lik swiftness. Idelight to set it
ut long seam, and see it go like a grey
hound on the scent-ike Flora Temple on
the course. In short, l don't believe there
will be any end to my enjoyment of my
machine while the dry goods hold out.