The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-12-19

holes through winch the neateu ar was
admitted into the room, and success
sion of shelves, one above another, was
provided in this box, reaching not
quite across, by which the circulation
of the air was extended, and it was
longer exposed to the heated surfaces
before passing out into the room. The
back plate of the stove, heated by the
descending smoke flue, impaired heat
to the air between it and the chimney,
the stove standing little out from the
wall. A register of sheet-iron was in
troduced in the descending tlue, which
could be closed wholly or in part. and
check the fire to any considerable ex-
tent This stove embodied the princi
ples of the modern alright stoves
This stove was ornamented in front
with a representation of the sun, near
which were the letters Alter Idem. in
tended for the name of the stove. Tween
ty-five years later, in Hi, DR.. Frank
lin brought out another invention, and
from that time to this improvements
have been made in heating and cook
ing stoves and ranges, though the i'm
provements have been more marked for
the past quarter of a century than for
all time before.
We do not suppose there were dozen
stoves of any kind in Hartford, and we
might safely say in Connecticut, pre-
vious to 1925. All of our older citizens
remember. when stoves first came into
general use. and remember how the
heating and cooking were done pre-
vious to that time. Almost any one of
them can tell you about those old
fashioned fire-places, where huge logs
were piled up during the cold winter
months, and about which, in semi
circle, sat the family and visitors, if
any. Many of these tire-places were of
such huge proportions that they would
accommodate a ten-foot log. coming
from the butt of big tree. 1t would
almost require yoke of oxen to draw
it into place. Still there was room for
the smaller cuts with which to make the
monster backlog" burn. And, in
those loCsely-built old houses, with
their many drafts of cold air, even fire
of these proportions was insufficient in
the coolest weather. That portion of
the body nearest the fire might be
warmed to a degree suggestive of the
punishment laid out for the wicked.
while the other portion of the anatomy
was as cool as the interior of a patent
refrigerator.
In extreme cold weather. however,
the unequal temperature was equalized
in one place, and a comfortable az
secured, by the old-fashioncd
'tsettle." This roomy seat. with high,
back to shield the occupant
from the cold draft, was drawn up
in front of the fire, and took the heat
without the chill. The "old folks" and
the children had that choice place. The
old clay pipe was there brought out by
''grandfa,
But those wide-mouthed fire-places
chimneys of such great size at
the base that it necessitatei houses of
ample ground dimen-
sions. In the chimney places were
ovens of huge proportions in which
nearly all the baking was done. Under
the oven was an lash hole, into which
all the ashes made during the winter
were dumped, aggregating several cart
loads. These wood-ashes were valuable
for enriching the soil.
As the winter holidays approach, the
good housewife of to-day looks ahead
with cheerful serenity, relying with con-
fidcnce upon the improved appliances for
and cooking purposes, to make
the coming festal days full of pleasure
and enjoyment. The housewife of one
hundred years ago, and even of fifty
years ago, looked forward to the APP
proach of such occasions with pleasure.
to be sure, but not unmiXed with dread
at the magnitude of the work to be per-
formed. To be sure her blooming and
buxom daughters could be relied upon
to help her, and on the principle that
'many hands make light work. the
Cay usually passed with no drawbacks
to affect the full enjoyment of the occa-
sion.
The big oven heated to the proper de-
gree, was, of course, a necessary ad-
junct TO a successful dinner. Here the
pies-inince, apple, squash and pump
kin-were baked. Here the old-fash-
toned 1ndian-meal pudding, sweet as
sugar or molasseS could make it, and
often as dark as the ways of the politi-
clan, was done to a turn, the top crisp
and brown; here, too, was baked the
chicken pic, with the ORTIZ
odoX opening in the center to LET out the
foul gases, which, if confined, would
excite a revolution liz otherwise peace
ably inclined stomachs. Then those
huge loaveS of bread with the crust suf-
ficiently Drowned to make them appear
tempting were slid out upon the table
from the wide blade of long iron
handled "slicc.n Sometimes meats.
chickens and turkeys Were roasted
within the walls of the oven, but for
lack of baSting conveniences, meats
were usually roasted in front of the
fire, suspended by wire fastened
to the ceiling. Pigs could be roast
ed in the oven well enough, per-
haps, but even these little quadrupeds
could be handled to better advantage
in front of the blazing logs. On festal
occasions it was not an uncommon
thing to see the Sultan of the turkey
roost, properly dressed and stuffed with
viandS, hanging in front of
the fire, with dripping-pan on the
hearth directly under him, fianked by
chickens on one side and roasting pig
on the other, all with their sides brown
ing under the influence of the heat.
Ever and anon the busting housewife
could be heard telling Johnny to turn
the turkey. or to Ellen to give the chick
ems whirl. and to Billy to move the
pig; while the good lady herself would
come along with the basting spoon and
give them each a gravy bath from the
dripping-pans. The older people have