The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-12-03

Eternal Dish Washing.

A/HO1I11 O1I1O Is 1OOOs
) Eternal Dish Washing.
: The quiet fidelity with which 81
will dish-wash her life away ft
"him," is a marvel of endurance an
grace. just here is the servitude ,
woman heaviest; no sooner is hs
work done, than it requires to
done again. Man works up job
ends them, and takes his pay. Thi
pay can be translated into somethin
else desirable. A man works a
day, and draws pay for his day
work. This pay alIures him, as oat
a horse hOmeward bound. Thu
men work by terms and jobs an
although work is endless as to quan
tity, yet when cut up thus into term
and jobs, we men go heartily on. ou
Journey and count our milestones.
i Not so with our mates. "She
mends our socks, and we put on
irrepressible toe upon the darne
spot, and she darns it again. "She
washes for the family, and the fam
lily makes haste to send back tn
same garments to be washed again
"She" puts the room in order, ant
we get it ready to be "rid up' again
The same socks, the same washing
the same room every time. She ha
no successive jobs, no terms, no pay
day, no tally-stick Of life, She wash
es the same dish three hundred an,
sixty-five-yes, three times thre
hundred and sixty-five times ever,
year. No wonder she breaks it anC
is glad of it! What q relief to say
81 We done with that dish -
Not only have we washed dishes
but also we cooked ard served ant
helped eat a meal with 'bated appe
tite because of cooking,) and now w
are astounded at the number o
thoughts, and steps, and acts, anG
processes involved in a very plair
supper. Only two of US, jolly GRO
nies, caring nothing for style, an(
needing only very PLAIN SUPPER
And we had it, and with it came wis
dom.
Gentlemen. all! We go into /.
room and see table ready set. 1
seems to US one thing-it is, in fact
from fifty to two hundred separate
things, taken down one by one for u:
to use, and for "her' to wash and pu
back whence they came. There is {
plate of biscuit. 70 that plate o
simplicity we with our own hand:
and feet brought together q new
quick fire for baking, viz: kindline
wood, raklng out stove, and hod o.
coal; flour from the hin, shortening
from the gravy-dip down cellar, sal
from one box, sugar from another
soda from the jar, acid (muriatic,
from a bottle, spoon, a pitcher o.
water, dripping pm, and tin par
for mixing up these ingredients
and, after all, happening to forget
ed the biscuits hall through, in a way
which we men reckon quite unpar
donable In cook. Meanwhile thai
one plate of biscuit added to the
eternal dish wash two spoons, two
pans, one plate and little cup. JUS
a little piece of steak contributed
eight pieces to the dish wash. A few
strawberries sent in SIX pieces to bs
got ready to soil again. Four eggs
Impressed themselves on six separate
articles.
Gentlemen, we began at ten min
utes of six, aud quarter to eight VIC
found ourselves triumphant-every-
thing cleared away except the dish.
cloth. You see we washed up the
bread pan, dish pan and the sink,
scalding them all land our fingers
too), and dried them off with the
dish cloth. Now, where on earth
can We 60 to wash out that dish-rag ?
Not in the clean pan! Not over the
clean, dry sink We stool aghast
for five minutes, and then wadded up
the rag, round like ball, and tucked
it i'm the far corner of the sink, and
shut down the cover--our sink has a
cover. But that rag, though hidden,
was heavy on our conscience. "She''
never would have done so. We have
seen clean dish-cloths, but how they
washed them passes our skill.
And so, as we said, "she' is away,
leaving US to thought and good res
olutions. We shall be a wiser and
a better man for OF least two days
after her return. And whenever we
stop to think, shall rank q successful
housekeeper and home-maker, as a
worker second to none on scale of
achievement and deserving. Her
services are like the air, the rain and
the sunshine, indispensable, yet too
often enjoyed without thanksgiving.
Rev. r. Il. Beecher.