St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-08-13
BcecHer on UdSHiHg Dishes.

Rev. +, h. Becchcr has had an eXpe-
ricnce with dishes and has 'dishcd' it up
tor the public III this characteristic way !:
Tue quiet fidelity with which ''she"
Will dish wash her lie away tor ''him, "
Is Il marvel ol endurance and grace. Just
here is the -ervitude OF woman heaviest:
-no sooner i her work done than it re-
quircs to be done again. Man works up
jobs, ends them and takes his pay. This
pay clu be translated into something else
desirable. y man works all dav, and
draws pay tor his day work. This pay
allurcS hIm, us oats Il horse humcward
bound. Thus men WORK lay terms and
Jobs and although work l. endless as
to quantity, yet when cut up thus into
terms and jobs, we men 80 heartily on
oar journey and count our mile-stoncs.
Not 81 with our mates. ''She' mendS
our socks, and We put our irrepressiblc
toe upon the darned spot. and she darns
il again. "She' washes for the family.
and the family makes haste to send back
the same garments To bc washed again.
''Nhe" puts the room i'll order, and we
get it ready to be rid up" again. The
same socks, the same washing, the same
room every time. She has no successive
JOBS, no terms, no payday. no taiIy-stick
OF life. She washes the same dish three
hundred and siXty-tive-yes, three times
three hundred and slXty-tive times every
year No wonder she breaks it and Is
clad of it, What 4 relict to say, i've
DONE that dish
Not only have We washed dishes. but
also we cooked and served and helped eat
y meal, with bated appetite because OF
cooking) aud now We are astounded at
the number of thoughts, and steps. and
acts, and processes involved in very
plain supper. Only two of Us. Jolly
cronies, caring nothing for style and
needing only very pIaln supper. And
We had it, and with it came wisdom.
Gentlemen, all We 90 into Il room
and see Il table ready set. 1t seems to Us
one thing-a supper. 1t is, in fact, from
fifty to two hundred separate things, tax
en- down one 10y one for us 10 use. and
for ''Aer' to wash and put back whence
they came. There is plate OF biscuit
To that plate OF simplicity we with our
own hands and feet brought together I
new quick fire tor baking, viz: kindling
wood, raking out stove, and hod OF coal
Flour from the bin, shortening from the
gravy-drip down cellar, salt from one
box, sugar from another, soda from the
jar, acId (murlatic) from bottle, 4
spoon, pitcher OF water, a dripping
pan, and a tin pan for mixing up these
ingredients; and after all, happening to
forget the things for ten minutes, we
burned the biscuit half through in way
which we men reckon quite unpardona-
bic i'll cook. Meanwhile that one plate
OF biscuit added to the eternal dish wash.
two spoons, two pans, one plate, and Il
little cup. Just IA little piece OF steak
contributed eight pieces to the dish wash.
n few strawberries sent i'll six pieces to
be got ready to soil again. Four eggs
impressed themselves on six separate ar
tlclcs.
Gentlemen, we began at ten minute.
"a anu " SlSul we lOuilu
ourselves triumphant-cverything cleared
away except the dish cloth. You see We
washed up the bread pan, the dish pan,
and the sink, scaldimg them all, (and ouI
fingers too,) and dried them oft with the
dish cloth. Now, where on earth car
we 20 To wash out that dish rag Nu
in the clean pan. Not over the clean
dry sink. We stool aghast for fiy,
minutes, and then wadded up the rag
round like a ball, and tucked 1t into til,
far corner of the sink, and shut down til,
cover. Our sink has cover. But thai
rag, though hidden, was heavy on oul
conscience. ".SAe'' never would hav,
done 50. We have seen clean dish cloths
but how they washed them passes oul
!, skill.
And 50, as we said, "she' is away
leaving us to thought and good resoiu
tions. We shall be a wiser and a better
man for at least two days after her re
turn. And whenever we stop to think