The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-07-11
Wash Day in Switzerland.

SSNH, Aunt, do tell us something
~ about your journey to Europe"
exclaimed |, as Aunt Hattie came into
the room, having returned only few
days since from tour to the old country.
WE'LL" replied aunt, " will tell you
of call made on friend in Switzer-
land She had shown me around the
house, when suddenly she exclaimed in
her sweet, broken English, "you know
not that we wash these days"
You wash to-day and such a company
to dine " exclaimed |, as a recollection
of the way we ignored Monday as a COM
pany day at home flashed through my
mind,
All, oui, my friend, that makes moth
thing, if you excuse me for little but
you see | have engaged my women, it is
now three months, and the weather makes
so warm that we like no longer to wait"
Engage women three months before
hand to do a washing and warm wea-
ther, what had that to do with itY" l
must have looked my blank astonishment
and ignorance, for Madame fastened to
reply, laugbingly.
"Oh, oui, l forgot that you know not
our habtudes We do not as you, who
are so poor and have so few linens that
you must wash all the weeks And"
lighting up with sudden thought, "you
shall come with me now this moment
even, and regard our so different man
ner."
And taking my arm she led me down
a short flight Of steps to the laundry
An immense, well-plastered basement
room, in the center of which were four
tubs, as they called them, seven or eight
feet long, resting upon solid supports of
hard wood, and filled, some with colored
clothes, some with white.
Here were three women Gathering
about over the rough stone floor, as they
followed their mistress directions in set
ting up a lye, very much, girls, after your
mothers manner in the old-fashioned
soap-making days. Only that here, in
stead of one insignificant barrel, were
three or four huge hogsheads from which
the lye ran into large watts beneath
These three women, so my amiable hos
tess informed me, were hired by the day
to prepare the linen, the drying ropes
which they extend from tree to tree in
the orchard-the clothes pins, all in short
which is req uisite to prevent too much
going and coming when the great wash
ing day arrives
Besides, they make in the enormous
range a fire which is fed day and night
during the washing, and heat the water
which they pour over the clothes in the
great tubs or watts, whence it runs through
pipes into the sewer, whose open mouth
is at one end of the room.
Tomorrow morning" Madame went
on to say, the six women | have en-
gagged to wash, will come early in the
morning and begin by rubbing the cali
Goes as they are always washed before the
the whites Two or three women wash
at the same vat, during which the others
do not cease to pour boiling water over
the whites, which are usually washed
the second or third day. After this they
must hang up the clothes to dry, and iron
them if they know how, if not, other wo-
man, ironers, must be sent for" ...
In farther conversation | learned that
these washerwomen we're to be hired for
nothing else that, going around, as they
do, from house to house they naturally pick
up and disseminate to the best Of their
ability all the cancans (gossips) of the vii
lage, and hence the saying. which has
perplexed me more than once in transla-
ting, that person who NEEDLES with the
affairs of others is lessiOeuSe Cye-washer.) J
And now" said aunt Hattie, in con
clusion 81 believe have told you all /
know about washing day in Switzerland,
except that these iessiOcases have to be
fed ive times day--three square
meals and two lunches of bread and
cheese-winc of course"
But you haven't answered all our
questions" exclaimed mother. U
What puzzles me is to know where
that abominable mass of soiled clothing
can be kept for twelyemonth without
engendering the phgue. In some out
building for the purpose | suppose.
No, indeed, | remember asking Mrs.
Lebarre about that ut the time and she
answered me that hers we're stored in the
attic. where the n,nnv windows were kent