The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-03-05
NUMBER Z.
LIBERTY vs.. CUSTOM.

Among all the declarations IF Liberty
which American mankind are so fond Of
making it seems strange that there is no
league, Association, party, other combi-
nation to defend honest men against worn
out or absurd customs.
For example, viii any man tell me why
am forbidden by what he calls good man.
ners," to pour my tea into a saucer and
cool it there? Much reproach has been
heaped upon strong tea and coffee, which
properly belongs to hot teaand COFFEE. Every
one knows how much the efficient action Of
chemical agents are intensified by hest.
Scalding tea is far worse than strong tea;
but to he both scalding and strong is an at
tack upon the human body which no man
ought to venture who has any regard for
his health. But etiquette forbids me to
cool my coffee in any other manner than by
waiting. In the houses where the secret
of making good is known, cups should
be Ike the human heart, large and deep,
and in such cases the beverage will, like
true affection, cool very slowly. Hence,
one who does not wish TO wait till the meal
is over b fore drinking coffee, must either
cool it in his saucer or drink it hot, or wait
and drink it after breakfast, and all be-
cause of the absurd notion that it is not
good manners to pour coffee into your
saucer.
The spirit of "16'' ought to rise with
every affecting gulp of hot coffee! The
custom is wanton and cruel. 1t is tyranny
over the inner man, carried on by force, if
not by the sword i count it therefore a
duty to humanity to set at defiance the
edicts of this liquid despot-hot drink For
the welfare of mankind l refuse to burn
my mouth or stomach. In behalf of mute
devotecs of etiquette, / raise plea for relief.
Meanwhile endowed with courage, and
armed with principle, rejoice in pouring
forth the fragrant liquid into a capacious
saucer, and before the wondering eyes, to
raise the beverage to my lips. Supersti-
ton is rebuked! Health is justified of her
children.
Even more win be shocked when I avow
myself advocate of the rights of the
knife. Now, custom has reduced IT to the
mere function of cutting mp ones food.
That done, and fork serves every other
purpose. By practice, one gains unex-
pected dexterity in using a fork for pur-
poses to which it is i'll adapted The Chi
nese, in ike manner, make awkward chop
sticks, rarely serviceable, by practice little
short OF ledgerlermain but is that good
reason for the use of cliop-sticks
A fork, as now made. is united to pierce
any morsel upon its tines, and yet they are
sharp enough to affiict tue ton ,ue If care
lessly used. They are sI'it so as to be use
less for liquids, and yet they are used as if
they were spoons. The fo-k compels the
manipulator to poke and push and pile up
the fool-1naterial, which tends to fail back
and apart; it is made to pursue the dainty
titbits, in which often the very core of fla
vor resiles, around the plate in a hopeless
chase, and at length Il piece of bread is
called IN auxiliary, and thus, while
the slir1le-ged fork. in one hand. is chas-
ing a slim liquid mouthful, wad of bread
in the other goes mopping and sopping
around to form n corner and between the
two is at length accomplished what is called
genteel feeding.
very function which the fork refuses, and
tie w.a OF bread III performs. The reason
ior refusing tie knife as feeding imple-
ment IS worthy Of the awkward practiced.
It is liable TO cut the mouth TO more than
fcrk is TO stick into lin or tongue.
Ii men ate with razors, there would be
some reason for a. oidance. But table
knives are blunt-edged. 1t is even difficult
to make them cut when one tries, and if
they are properly used, the back of the
blade WI ie turned to the mouth We Go
not ohi-lt To the fork bat we demand
restora -;on of the knife from banishment.
We co not desire to enforce its use, but
such liberation as shall leave each one
free to use the knife for conveying food to
the mouth when that is most convenient,
and the fork when that is preferred. Equal
rights we demand for black ani white, for
hone-born or elnigrant, for rich and poor,
for men and women, and for knives and
forks.