Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-03-13
LIBERTY VS.. CUSTOM.

Among all the declarations Of Liberty
which American mankind are SO fond Of
making it seems strange that there is no
league, association. party, or other combi-
nation to defend honest men against worn
out or absurd customs.
For example. will any man tell me why I
mn 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 heat.
Scalding tea is far worse than strong tea ;
but to be 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 coffee is known. cups should
be like 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 before 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 60 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. l count it therefore d
duty to humanity to set at defiance the
edicts Of this liquid dcspot-hot drink. For
the welfare Of mankind | refuse to burn
my mouth or stomach. In behalf of mute
devotees 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. Super;ti
ton is rebuked! Health is justified of her
children.
Even more will be shocked when I av3w
myself as an advocate Of the rights Of the
knife. Now, custom has reduced it to the
mere function of cutting up ones FOOD.
That done, aL1 q fork serves every other
purpose. BY practice, one gains uueN-
pcctcd dextcrity in using IL fork for pur-
poses to which it is i'll adapted. The Chi
nese in like manner. make awkward chop
sticks. rarely serviceable, Ly practice little
short OF ledgerdermain but is that good
reason for the use of chop-sticks
A fork, as now made. is untitled to pierce
any morsel upon its tines. and yet they are
sharp enough to aihict the tongue if cars
lessly used. They are split so as to be use.
loss for liquids. and yet they are used as if
they were spoons. The fork compels TIN.
manipulation to poke and push and pile up
the food-materiai, which tends to fill back
and apart; it is made to pursue the dainty
titbts. in which often the very core Of fla
vor resides, around the plate in q hopeless
chase, and at length n piece of bread Is
called in as ar auxiliary, and thus, whilv
the sliln-legged fork, in one hand, is chas-
ing a slim liquid mouthful wad of bread
in the other goes mopping and sopping
around to form a corner, and between tia
two is at length accomplished what is called
genteel feeding.
Meanwhile, q broad knife is fitted for the
very function which the fork refuses. anf
the wad Of bread i'll performs. The-roason
for refusing the knife rs a feeding imple-
ment is worthy of the awkward practiced
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 b.,
some reason for avoidance. But table
knives are blurt-edgcd. 1t is even difficult
to make them cut when ono tries. and j
they are properly used, the back of the
blade will be turned to the mouth. We de-
not object TO the fork but we demand
restoration of tho knife from banishment.
We do not desire to enforce its use, bui
such liberation rs shall leave each onn
free to use the knife for conveying food t.
the mouth when that is most convenient,
and the fork when that is preferred. Equal
rights we demand for black and white, foi
home-born or emigrant, for rich and poor,
for men and women, and for knives and
forks
MONEY IS a battomless scl, in which hon
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