Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-05
sMv
CARPET SHAKING,
J. MANCHESTER.
| smiled, ! was glad.

/ Ii 10 one of the Chief articles of TINT
mysterious household religion held by
all earnest housewives that "all carpets
must come up every Spring and FALL
10 men this is not only foolishness, but
a frequent and literal stumbling block.
Take the "spare-room' carpet for exam.
pie. Th9 man of the house remembers
that it was shaken last Fail, aud that
since that time the spare room has
been used only four times. When, how
ever, hs remarks to his wife, "Of course,
you're not going to take up the spare
room carpet y she invariably replies
"Of course, am" and inquiries if he
wants to live in perfect pig PEN As
a rule, no man Of Anglo Saxon origin
does wish to inhabit either perfect or
an imperfect pig pen, but it is seldom
that the male mind can trace any me-
Cessary connection between living in q
pig pen and dispensing with the rite of
shaking the spare room carpet. Protests
against carpet shaking are, however,
useless. Where wo,Gan has once
adopted the belief that all carpets must
be taken up every Spring and Fall, she
will remain firm in the faith in spite
of all persuasions. When the Spring
time comes, gentle Annie, or Maria, as
the case may be, takes her tack ham
ner and china saucer to hold the
tacks, and then falling on her knees,
performs the solemn ceremony of taking
up the carpets with an unwavering faith
in its efficacy which is both beautiful
and pathetic.
The work of shaking carpets is by
universal consent monopoized by col
ored men, and, together with preaching
and whitewashng, constitutes one of
the three leading colored industries.
There is no doubt that, like the devont
housewife, the colored man looks upon
pet-shakng in the light Of rel-
gious ceremony. This alone explains
the solemn and reverential manner in
which he does his work. He avoids
with the utmost care all unseemly yio-
fence, He handles the carpet with
manifest awe. Often lie pauses and
may be seen, with the edge Of the carpet
in his grasp, gazing on vacancy in rapt
meditation. When be has finished
shaking, he hangs the carpet over the
fence or convenient clotbes-line aud
gently taps it with stick. This part
of the ceremony is called cheat 'ng the
carpet but the colored man evidently
regards it as q purely symbolic opera
ton. lie would not hurt the carpet for
the world, and were he to beat his wife
or small bay III the timid, rcverental
way III which he beats a carpet, his
reputation as ail energetic AMI faithful
husband and father would be forever
gone. The shaking and beating being
ended. the Coored man folds up the
carpet carries II mo me h"i''e' co''ec'S
tonr or tive dollars ior hi, services, and
goes bis way, while TIE housewife re-
Sumes her tack-hammer, puts down The
carpet ana subsequently boasts 10 her
hushaha, "'tA 'ouch OF stifIlgHteoNS-
ness, 'hat hef knees are DIach ana blue,
anu 'hat sue ooh believe she VIII be
'''' " v ~" ''' va
III spite ol al 'h'S trouble ana LABOR,
the last state OF the carpet IS little
better thah 'he hi't' IL stlii yields It's
ous' 10 'he demand OF 'he Dioo"'' IL Is
stlii suspected Oh hafDof'hS moths aud
us outward appearance Is IN no way
'n'p'o'o' Mo'. HOUSEWIVES nave
se0'oV aho o''a"'us CONSCIOUSNESS tha6
'''Pe' on'h'"s p''uuceS no hla'er'aI
''o,''' no"'''i 'l'u0'i ~ may pe'lehO 'he
'o''' nel' "'' ~" "ol'ch WHO "ouiu