Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-07-14
(For the Perrysburg Journal.}
1.-THE OLD FOR THE NEW"

Doubtless my lady readers have all, some
time since, finished that necessary nuisance
of every ring-house-cleaning BY the
way, that is one of the occupations to en-
gage in which there is no competition be-
tween the sexes, and very little with the
members of the same sex. The women are
permitted to he mistresses of the field, and
to tyrnnIze over the colored or white meni-
ais secured for removing stoves, shaking
carpets and kalsOmining and there il
scarcely any strife between the mcnials for
the employment, unless as now, body
must do almort anything in order TO pay
his taxes and keep the gaunt wolf o. FAM
inc away from the door.
l do not propose to either homilize on
the need or advantages or best methods Of
house-cleaning, or perpetrate DdnbuTyiSms
on its grim humor or serious exertion. 1t
is ont of season for the former, and the
latter must he left to those more skillful
in word-painting yet l have been there
however, against my will, and could por-
tray in considerable lively colors, if
could tell all have felt, what have suf-
fered on snch occasions from cutting my
fingers with refractory stove-pipe; MASKING
my toes by having coal-stove suddenly
and unnecessarily sit on them; being
thrown into lOck-jaw by running a rusty
nail into my bar foot; having eyes, mouth,
nose, neck and ears filled with dust in shak-
ing one emf Of carpet with the wind the
wrong way having one or both eyes sealed
by u falling splash Of paint or white-wash;
or cutting my fingers nearly in two while
lacing bed-cOrts.
As the caption of this article intimates,
what set out to write is quite different
from cleaning house, though one of its
common, ii not Indispensable concOmitanls.
The subject can beet be elucidated perhaps
by brief historical sketch. Some twenty
years ago a friend, on commencing house
keeping in modest house Of his, bought
a carpet for the parlor-an ingram, of high
colors large fgnres and a summer and
winter side. IIiswife is an excellent house
keeper, and the carpet remained where it
was first laid for several years or 80 long
ms they occupied that house, being turned
from season TO season to secure pleasing
variety. All this while both were entirely
satisfied indeed quite proud of their first
outlay in the carpet line. But they re-
moved TO a larger house in a larger place
and it was necessary to have larger car
pet. The new one was a Brussels, and the
| old one went into the spare room. This
was the first promotion downward, TO per-
petrate IIibernianism. The next step
was to put it into bed-ro ON of less repute,
and another removal and house-cleaning
drove it into the dining-room where II now
is, though year or two from now it will
probably reach the kitchen, whence TO be
taken nobody knows where.
There are some queer facts in this con-
nection; one or two will mention. Al
ter the Brussels snpplanted the ingram, the
latter seemed 10 lose its brilliancy and
beauty. 1t was perhaps little faded, but
| il had held its colors remarkable we'll, and
il appeared not 10 be at all the worse for
wear. This was complimentary TO the
fabric and to its mistress as we'll Even
now it flashes and flames with almost its
old brightness, like the glow-worm, despite
its unreserved degradation. The old book
case in the dining-room which was also
then the sitting and sewing room. heard
the old library or secretary taunting the
humiliated carpet the other morning, with
the certainty that the latter would go into
the kitchen, and alas could not gain-say
the heartless assertion. So, my reader,
we neglect old friends for the new, often
too, to our sorrow. Inotice that my friend
loves, in his declining years, to sit in the
dining room where the familiar old ingram
seems to remind HIM OF the happy days oi
his early welded life. He is less happy
now the parlor furniture is too good for
him to use, and his chief consolatio be-
side the wreck of former enjoyment, is in
silently communing with his old, faithful
friend, the ingram carpet. Thus We moi
unfrequently return to our old human
friends, when the new have proved tickle
aud false, SCRIBE.