Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-12-05

| PooP'o "io SIoWiuS Wlse ant
discovering the errors of the past On
that dangerous knife! Who saws that tn,
case knife is dangerousP Echo answers
whop And now before Welding to ,hi.
inglorlous charge against the knife, let IL
hear their reason. The very idea is s,
ridiculous that l am hardly able to main
tain my usual gravity. 1t reminds me o
the fable of the grand feast of the fox an,
the stork; and also of the fanatic VIII,
persisted in eating his bean porridge ou
of a junk bottle with one tined fork
Now do not smile, for the time was wher
the bare relating of this fable or story wa,
considered fit provocalon fer goo,
cohvuslVe laugh, but now it is not looked
upon as very great feat after ALL an,
most OF the community are practicing nov
TO become experts at h,s table. But to b,
sober again There is hardly anything .
authority to be found in its favor. Th,
cyclopedlas are mute on this subject
Hills manual has but few remarks. |
will give the chit: ale says that fashion.
change in modes of eating as in other
things. Primitive man used to conye,
his food to his mouth with his fingers. Ir
process of time they began to use instru
ments instead of fingers, viz, knife and a
two tined fork; and later still the three
and four tined fork has been used il
conveying the food TO the mouth. The
advantage, he says, is being that there is
less danger to the mouth from using the
FORK, and food is less liable to drop from it
when being conveyed from the plate, ETC.
Now the very great improvement and
development, everyway from the state of
the primitive man up to the using OF
knives and forks, is acknowledged and
appreciated by all thinking mortals; and
rejoice also that there is great improve
ment in the manufacturing of these not
only, but in all kinds of tools. But, when
Mr.. Hill makes his argument for the use
of the fork to the exclusion OF the knife,
he fails entirely to prove his position
He does not use facts in his reasoning
All experience contradicts it. l consider
his attempt to justify and defend the alb
normal use of the fork weak and silly
undertaking TO cater 10 the whims and
follies of changeable people. Now
deny, squarely and bluntly, the assertion
THAT the common ease knife, when prop
erly used in eating, is more dangerous
than the fork" Nor is it true, "that food
in general is more likely to fall from the
knife than from the fork" A1d challenge
the party TO prove this assertion untrue
Of course each instrument has its proper
use; there are some parts of each meal
that adapts itself to the combined" use
of bo b in order to be neat and graceful
Therefore, to eat with becoming modesly
and dignifed grace, you need one of the
instruments to grade and to poise the
conveyance to the mouth. The knife.
when properly used. is never brought with
the edge towards the mouth. but the back
always. Hence the idea that the knife
is dangerous" per Sc, is the most ridic-
ulous nonsense. Now let us take a peep
inside and see hese polite creatures per-
form with the fork alone. With knife
and fork in hand they proceed TO cut up
the meat into szsable juuks, then mash
the potatoe and mix it all together into
one grand mess and, laying down the
knife with a slam the fork with flourish,
comes up all brislling in the right hand,
ready for the pray. 1t slabs one side and
then the other of the pile, and with a
twist or two, turning over few times.
assuming possible shape for an upward
slide. then raising their eyes for approba-
ton, push it into the mouth for good
But sometimes they will pitch right into
the middle of the plate and take up
mouthful, as a man pitching off bay, and
oftentimes as stringy-requiring the fin
gers to make piece with the contend
ing parts. And now munchng goes on.
in hot haste, as the fork keeps the hop
per full. But soon the plate is mostly
empty, resembling somewhat n bayfield,
before raking after the cart. But, 10!
new plate appears with pie; now the
fork appears triumphant. the knife bav.
ing lift the scene in disgust. See the
bright fork plunge into the innocent pie;
jaming and twisting, until 1t
finally yields to the brutal assault; but
only when the fingers come to smooth off
the ragged edge 50 that it can enter the
mouth, if the hand comes round, square
before the mouth, like loaded cart en-
tering barn. What scene! Behold
the ruins! But it is true that some kinds
of pie can be eaten better than other with
the fork; but there is no pie but what
can be eaten better and more gracefully
with knife in connection with the fork.
And there are many things, in going
through with meal, that can be done
much easier, quicker and far more grace
full and neat, with the knife and fork
together. The knife and fork must go
with equal copartnership. The fork, OF
the two, is the most dangerous instrument,
and acknowledges it every time you look
it. 1t would be just as rational for the
farmers TO throw away their shovel and
hoe and use pitchforks and rakes. Every
instrument and tool dictates for itself how
it is to be used, and no sensible person will
undertake to change the natural use of
things. "JoVE."
WHAT He THOUGHT ABOUT IT.--"You
think that ere woman with the three