The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1879-04-18
HOUSEHOLD CLEANLINESS I20 YEARS AGO.

1t is the fashion to assume that cleanliness
in its thoroughgoing, all-peryading acc piG
tiou, was the quality for which households
Of the old stamp were distinguished Where
the mistress and her daughters hed strict
supervision that would be so but we have
now and then an insight into things as they
were, where this eye was wanting which tells
another tale \ certain viii Verrals cx-
periencas are 50 much to the point that we
will give them, as CHANGING upon them in
our reading, though we have seen them
quoted not very long since elsewhere. viii
was nkeeper and man cook, of Lewes, in
Sussex, employed by the gentlemen of the
neighborhood to cook their state dinners for
them. He published a cookery book--the
date of l759-and wrote a preface to it
which shows him master of picturesque
style: 4 have been sent for many and many
a time to get dinners for many of the fami-
| lies hereabouts, The salute generally is,
'Will' for that is my name), 4 want you to
dress me a dinner to-day with all my
heart, sir says ; 'how many will your
company be p why, about ten or twelve,
or thereabouts.' And what would you please
to have me get, sir, for ye? oh, says the
gentleman Il shall leave that entirely to
you, etc. My next sep was to go and offer a
great many compliments to Mrs. Cook about
getting the dinner. The girl, I'll say that
for her, returned the compliment very pret-
tily by saying, Sir, whatever my tmaster or
! you shall order me to do shall be done as
far and as well as | am able But Nanny
| (for that | found to be her name) soon got
into such an air as often happens upon such
occasions. Pray Nanny says |, where do
you place your stewpans and other things
you make use of in the cooking way? La
sir says she, that is all we have (pointing
to one poor solitary stewpan, as one might
call it, but no more fit for the use than {
wooden hand-dishl. 'UmphH says to my
self, how's this to be? a surgeon may a,
well attempt to make an ncision with a pail
Of shears, OF open vein with an oyster
knife, as for me to pretend to get this din
ner without proper tools to dn it, A
length, wanting a seiye, l begged of Nanny
to give me one; and so she did in momen
but such one | put my fingers to i
and found it grayelly Nanny, says T. 'thi
won't do ; it is sandy She looked at it
and angry enough she was Rot our Sue
says she, she's always taking my seive t
, sand her nasty, dirty stairs But, however
to be little cleanly Nanny gave it a thum
on the table, much about the part of it wher
, the meat is generally laid, and whips it int
the boiler, where | suppose the pork an
r cabbage were boiling for the family, gives
a sort Of a rinse, and gave it to me 9gai
with about as much of the pork fat about
as would poison the whole dinner so
+ said no more, but could not use it,, and mad
use Of a napkin that slyly made frienl
= with her fellow servants tor at which sh
leered round and set Off; but | heard he
say, as she flirted her tail into the sculer
Hang these men cooks, they are so con
. founded nice I'll be whipped, says she,
a there was more sand in the seiye than wou
. lay upon sixpeuce H-Blackro0Ps Mog
e -ite.