The Portland daily press., 1883-02-13
The Black Artillery.
A New York Girls Experience in a Fash
ionable Massachusetts Seminary.
New York SUM-

NEW J ork SUM-
Extract from letter to an old schoolmate at
the Packer Insttute You know they fit us for
life here teach us French, ceramics, music
and Homework. To-day took my first real
lesson iu housework. Heretofore I had had
taste of it in being detailed to pare apples for
half an hour after supper. To-day was "called
of"-that is, instead of working regularly at
the apple business after supper, L had to take
another girls work after dinner. 1t was my
first experience with what the girls call 'sthe
black artillery" and may it be my last! The
BLACK artillery" you must know, are great
black iron steam kettles in which they cook
our meals There are six of them. They are
ugly looking watts. They had been used for
dinner, and of course they had to be cleaned.
had never seen the girls cleaning them, and I
hadn't the remotest idea how the thing was
done. was too proud to ask. So L set to
work with two mops, all iron dishcoth, a dish
towel and some soap. The things are SO deep
that 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 gymnastics was smutted apron,
sprained back and very unsettled temper.
When had got through diving into the ket-
tie tried to regain my equilibrium. Shades of
misery! My luckless heels capsixed great pail
of dirty water used IN cleansing the vat. This
brought the matron down ON me in the "shake
of goats foot" She ordered me to mop it up
instanter, and not to track around in it; and
was actually forced to come down to the indig-
nifty of hopping up that dirty, greasy stuff. i
Topped around wildly with the pail and mop
for about twenty minutes, bnt my spirit was
broken. / was ten minutes late for hail. hav-
ing worked like slave for an hour and a halt
and got one kettle cleaned. Wild horses
couldn't have dragged me back ito attack the
other five.
However, I have had two consultations. One
is seventy-fve minutes plus time, and the other
is that left the pipe all stopped up with
grease. | had to ladle out every drop put into
the kettle. When they go to cook anything
there'll be flood big enough to float every one
of the miserable things off to Jericho. One of
the rules OF the institution is an enforced half
hour OF meditation in closet every afternoon.
was IN a lovely mood for meditation that af-
ternoon. don't think ever spent more
joyous thirty minutes.
We have house full of visitors, among them
eJlns III EDGli iRlpas1. 70 M. his xxi have
missionary life. They have been here about
three years. He expects to graduate from Bos
ton University in year or more, and then they
| Will return to India. Meantime, she will re-
| main here partly as q scholar and partly tt
learn how to conduct girls school. 1t seems
80 Strange to have married woman in classes
| Win US She is a thin little creature, with the
| worried, anxious, deprecating face which all
| missionaries wives seem to wear
Rev. Joseph Cook lectuTed here about a week
| ago never heard such lecturing in my life
1 was just completely spellbound. The first
thing he said was "Te me Smith College
Wellesley and Vassar are sacred, but this insti-
tuition is simply divine" The faculty were SO
meant them, but us girls knew better. He
meant us, didn't he?