The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-03-15
A Wrestle With the Pots,

The following is an extract from 8
letter from an inmate of Packer insti-
tute, Brooklyn:
You know they fit us for life here
teach us French, ceramics, music, and
housework. To-day | took my first real
lesson in housework. Heretofore | had
a taste of it being detailed to pare ap-
pies for half an hour after supper To-
day I was t'called off'i-that is, instead
of working regularly after supper at the
apple business, had to take another
girl work after dinner. 1t was my
first experience with what the girls call
''the black artillery" and may it be my
last! The "black artillery" you must
know are great black iron steam-kettles
are six of them. They are ugly-looking
vats. They had been used for dinner
and of course they had to be cleaned. l
had never seen the girls cleaning them,
and I hadn't the remotest idea of how
the thing was done. l was too proud to
ask. So set to work with two mops,
an iron dishcloth, a dish towel, and
some soap. The things are so deep that
1 had to balance myself on their rims.
With heels waving in the air, every now
and then made frantic dip at the
bottom. The result of these gymnas-
tics was a smutted apron, a sprained
back, and very unsettled temper.
When l got through diving into the
kettle I tried to regain my equilibrium.
Shades of misery! My 1uckless heels
capsized great pail of dirty water used
in cleansing the vat. This brought the
matron down on me in the ''shake of a
goats foot" She ordered me to mop it
up instanter and not track around in it;
and I was actually forced to come down
to the indignity of mopping up that
dirty, greasy stuff. I Topped around
wildly with the pail and mop for about
twenty minutes, but my spirit was brok-
en-. | was ten minutes late for hall,
having worked like slave for an hour
and half and got one kettle cleaned.
Wild horses couldn't have dragged me
back to attack the other five.
However, l have had two consola-
tions. One is seventy five minutes plus
time, and the other is that left the pipe
all stopped up with grease. l had to
ladle out every drop put into the ket-
tie. When they go to cook anything
there'll be a flood big enough to float
every one of the miserable things off to
Jericho. One of the rules of the insti-
tuition is an enforced half hour of medi-
tation in closet every afternoon. L
was in a lovely mood for meditation that
afternoon. 1 don't think ever spent a
more joyous thirty minutes.
We have house full of visitors among
them young Englishman and his wife,
who have come on from India to finish
an education for missionary life. They
have been here about three years. de
expects to graduate from Boston uni
versity in year more, and then they
will return to India. Meantime, she
will remain here partly as a scholar and
partly to learn how to conduct a girls
school. 1t seems SO strange to have a
married woman in classes with us. She
is thin little creature, with the wor-
ried anxious, deprecating face which all
missionaries wives seem to wear.
The Rev. Joseph Cook lectured here
about week ago. never heard such
lecturing in my life. l was just COM
pletely spell-bound. The first thing he
said was: ITO me Smith college, Wei
lesley, and Vassar are sacred, but this
institution is simply divine. The fac
ulty were so dull of comprehension that
they thought he meant them, but us girls
knew better. He meant us, didn't he?