Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-03-13
LIBERTY VS.. CUSTOM.

49, s4ltAe AtHoH8gS 1tffttt - ~ !h4+ ~ ~
Z !. ~ LIBERTY vs., CUSTOM = '5l PIT :
q Among all the declarations Of, iLaber-
ty which, American mankind are 80
fond Of making II seems strange that
there is no league, association, party, of
!other 9eombin6tion to- defend honest
men against worn-ont ortabnndi eas-
toms, a.,.,5 .,eo .s.s.r 4aa.sf r.,,ou
For example, will any man tell me
why I am forbidden by what hst calls
!" good fnannefs,s to p6ur9 my tea into
d saucer and cool itatheref Much re-
proauh has been heaped upon sstrong
tea and coffee, which properly belongs
to hot tea and coffee. Every one knows
how much the efficient action Of chem.
icai agents are intensified by heat.
Scalding tea is far worse than strong
tea; but to be both scalding and strong
is an attack 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. q In the
houses where hesecret of making good
coffee is known, cups should be like the
human heart, large and deep. and in
such cases the beverage win, like true
affection, cool very slowly. Hence, one
who does not wish to wait till the meal
lis over before drinking coffee, must
either cool it in his. saucer or drink it
hot, or wait and drink It after break
fast, and all because of an absurd mo-
ton that it is not good manners to pour
coffee into your saucer. ...c,.
q The spirit Of "76" ought TO rise with
every affecting gulp of hot coffesl The
custom is wanton and cruel It is TYR
amy over the inner man, carried by
force, if not by the sword. 7 count il
therefore a duty to humanity TO set at
defiance the edicts Of this liquid despot
--hot, drink. For tho welfare Of man.
kind Irefuse to burn my mouthorstom-
ach. In behalf OF mute devotees of
etiquette, I rise Q plea for relief.
e Meanwhile endowed with courage,
and armed with principle, I rejoice in
pouring forth the fragrant liquid into q
capacious saucer, and before the won
dering eyes, to raite the beverage to
my lips. Superstition is rsbuked
Health is justified of her children.
Even more will be shocked when
avow myself as an advocate of the rights
of the knife. Now, custom has re-
duced it to the mere function of cutting
up ones food. That done, and the
fork serves every other purpose. By
practice, one gains unexpected dexter
ity in using the fork for purposes to
which it is i'll adapted. The Chinese, in
like manner, make awkward chopsticks
rarely serviceable, by practice little
short of ledgerdemain; but is that q
good reason for the use of chop-sticks? !?
p A fork, as now made, is untitled to
pierce any morsel upon its tines, and
yet they are sharp enough to affliet the
tongue if carelessly used. They are
split so as to be useless for liquids, and
yet they are used as if they were spoons.
The fork compels the manipulation to
poke and push and pile up the food
material, which tends to fall back and
apart; it is made to pursue the dainty
titbits, in which often the very core Of
flavor resides, around the plate in q
hopeless chase, and at length a piece OF
bread is called in as an auxiliary, and
thus, while the slim-legged fork, in one
hand, is chasing o slim liquid mouthful,
O wad of bread in the other goes mop
ping and sopping around to form cor
ner, and between the two is at length
accomplished what's called genteel feed
ing. aii ncs .,s,s,l.s sa
Meanwhile, a broad knife is fitted for
the very function which the fork refuses,
and the wad Of bread i'll performs.
The reason for refusing the knife as q
feeding implement is worthy of the
awkward practice. 1t is liable to cut
the mouth no more than fork is to
stick into lip or tongue.
If men ate with razors, there would
be some reason for avoidance. But
table-knives are bluut-edged. II is
even difficult to make them cpt when
one tries, and if they are properly used,
the back of the blade viii be turned to
the mouth. Wa 10 not, object TO the
fork; but we demand q. restoration OF
the knife from banishment. We do
not desire to enforce lie use, but such
a 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 and
white, for home-born or emigrant, fol.
rich and poor, for men and women, and
for knives and forks. .as,s &, alAsz og.
A NosE Snow. They have been hay
inga nose show Ia Austria. Eighty
persons competed for the prize offered
for the most extraordinary nasal protu-
berence in form, sizs. and color. The
jury decided that only three out ofthe
whole could be admitted TO compete for
- L.