Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-10-25
From Woods Household Magazine.
The Wife Of Washington in her work
room.
RY IAlIEs PARToN.

Il
thinking it beneath them to attend tC
the comfort, happiness and dignity oi
their families. If any such there are,
| should like to invite them to look
into the wOrkroOm of Mrs. Washing
ton, at Mount Vernon, the apartment
in which the first lady Of Virginia's
palmy days, used to spend her morn
ings at work, surrounded by busy
servants. Every great house in Vir-
ginia had such room in old times,
end ladies plumed themselves upon
excellIng in the household arts prac-
tIced therein. This particular work
room at Mount Vernon is described
in old letters of the period, copied and
given to the world some years ago,
by the late Bishop Meade, Of Vir-
ginia.
1t was a plain, good sized apart
ment, arranged and furnished with a
view to facilitating work. At one
end, there was large table for cut
ting out clothes upon. At that time,
every garment worn by the slaves
had been cut out and sewed, either
by the ladies of the mansion-hOuse,
or under their superintendence. The
greater part of General Washington's
slaves worked on plantations several
miles distant from his home, and were
provided for by their several over
seers but there were a great number
OF household servants of Mount Yer
non, besides grooms, gardeners, fisher
men and others, for whom the lady
OF the house had to think and con
Tive. At that broad table, sat skill
ful, nice-loOking negro woman some
what advanced in years, with pair
shears in her hand, cutting, cutting,
cutting, almost all day and every
day, the cauntless trowsers, dresses.
jackets and skirts, needed by family
of, perhaps hundred persons. Every
thing worn by the General or by her
self, except their best outside gar
ments, which were imported from
London, were made in that room,
under the eye of the lady of the house.
All the cOmmoner fabrics, too, were
homemade. On one side of the
room, sat a young eOlored woman
spinning yarn; on another, her
mother knitting; elsewhere, wo-
man doing some of the finer ironing
here a woman winding there little
colOred girl learning to sew. In the
midst of all this industry, sat Mrs.
Washington, ready to solve difficult
ties as they arose, and prompt to set
right any operation that might be go
ing wrong. She was always knitting.
From morning till dinner time
which was two O'clOck-her knitting
was seldom out of her hands. In this
wOrkroOm, she usually received the
ladies Of her familiar acquaintance,
when they called in the morning, but
she never laid aside her knitting.
The click of her needles was always
heard in the pauses of conversation.
Her friends were surprised to see
her, after her eight yeaIs' residence
ct the seat of Government, instantly
resume her former way of life. They
found her as Of Old, in her wOrkrOom,
with her servants about her, knitting
and giving directions. One lady,
who visited her after the Generals
retirement from the presidency, gives
an instance of her prudent generosity.
"She points out to me several pairs
of nice cOlored stockings and gloves
she had just finished, and presents me
with pair halt done, tChich she begs
4 tOiU finish and iCedT for her SAKE"
Thus she eOntrived in one and the
same act, to make present and givea
practical lesson in industry. She was,
indeed, a signal example of that viz
tue, at a time when ladies OF wealth
and importance could scarcely avoid
practicing it. She used to speak of
the time spent in levees and other
ceremonial duties, as my lost days"
The chief labor of the mistress of a
house then was in training servants.
Mrs. Washington, like the other Vir-
ginia ladies, had an eye upon the
families of her slaves-and most of
them had very large families-and
when she noticed a little girl that
seemed bright and apt to learn, she
would have her come to the work
room, where she would be taught to
sew, and afterwards, other home arts.
In this way, the house was kept sup
piled with good cooks, chamber
maids, seamstresses and nurses.
Promising girls were regularly
brought up, or, as we may say, ap-
prenticed TO the household trade
which they were to spend their lives
in exercising.
This training of servants was for
merly supposed to be part of the duty
of all mistresses of great houses,
whether the servants were white or
black, bond or free. Ladies did not
then regard house, with all its COM
plicated business and apparatus, as
great clock, which, being wound up
after breakfast, would run twenty
four hours without further attention.
Having themselves actually perform
ed all the operations o. housekeeping.
and having acquired skill in their
performance, they knew that a good
servant is not born, but made; and
they were willing to take world of
trouble in forming q servant, in order
that by and by they might enjoy the
ease and pleasure derived from skill
full service. must confess that some
times, when / have heard ladies COM
planning of the awkwaTdness of girls
who, until recently, had never seen
q household implement more COM
plicated than poker or an iron pot,
the thought has occurred to me that
possibly, if they could take some
trouble to teach such girls their duty,
they would observe a gradual improve
ment.
There is a tradition in Virginia that
Mrs. Washington. with all her good
qualities, was a little tart in her tenn
per, and favored the General, Occ3-
sionally. with nocturnal discourse,
too much in the style of Mrs. Caudle.
The story rests upon the slightest
foundation, and it is safe to disregard
it. Great hOusekeepers, however, are
not usually noted for amiability Of
disposition, and ladies whose hus-
bands are famous, are apt to be over
run with company, which is not con-
ducive to domestic peace, nor does 1t
tend to curb the license Of woman's
tongue to remember that, at her mar
riage, she brought her husband vast
increase, both of his estate, and of his
importance in the social system.
How far George Washington was,
in his youth, from anticipating the
splendid career that awaited him
He was by no means so favored in
fortune and family, as his biographers
would have US believe. Every reader,
I suppose, remembers the fine tale,
which even Mr.. Irving repeats, of the
youthful Washington, getting a mid
shipman's commission, and yielding
il again to his mothers tears. There
lay the British man-Of-war at anchor
in the river. The boat was on shore
the lads trunk was packed and 1
think, his uniform was on. But, at
A. 1,st ,,,or,apf tho faudpr vOuth