Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-01-16
BARBER RCOUNTY INDEX
{. P. cARUTHtRs, EDIToR 1 PROPRIETOR


Years ago was impressed with an
article written upon this subject, and 1
have had it brought 10 my mind many
times since. While cannot say, from
personal knowledge, rs the writer of
that article did. there Is actual s.death
In the dish-rag," can say that there is
actual fih in n good many .dish-rags.-
And what Is moro surprising, such q
cloth Is often found in the hands of a
woman who cOnsiders herself q good
housekeeper, and who Is usually an ex-
cellcnt housewife in most, ofhBrSre-
spects- Ihave Known womBn who kept
all their best and most c0mf0rtable
rooms closed from the use Of the family,
for fear Of having something soiled.
and who would make you feel most un-
welcome were you 10 leave = print of
mud ON the iioOr, OF scratch on the
wall or furniture: YET they w,iH use. or
permit to be used, dish-rags for weeks
at time without washing or boiling
them, until they are stiff with filth. To
say the least, it is not pleasant 70 think
0f eating Od dishes washed with such
cloth. Such careless habits are en-
tirely without excuse, even among the
poorest; for it Is not necessary TO have
3 number Of cloths, If one is willing to
make n judicious use of soap and
water. But why a subject of so
much Importance should be over
looked by women who could
afford to buy all the linen they
need. aud who are, at the same time,
scrupulOusly clean In other things, still
remains a mystery TO me. However.
bad habits, long practiced. have a
wonderful eject upon US, and often
from home-training, we persist in fol-
lowing IN the old groove. failing TO see
the injurious effects. until our Intention
has been called 20 1t by Others, and
even then Il Is difficult 70 turn some
from the old path. be It ever so crooked.
II is most essential then to teach chill
dren that whatever is worth doing at
Az. is worth doing vel.
Next to having food pure and free
from all dirt, Is the Importance Of
having clean dishes, and, above all,
bright knives and spoons. How many
housekeepers hang on to the old Ger
man-silver spoons. For my own. use,
think brass itself Is not much more in
furious. Give me tin, wood, iron,
white metal, anything. before German
silver, for unless one Ii extremely care
H"i W Accp IL AWulS EuDDcO DrIgnt, u
is positively dangerous to use 1t. Care
lessness in such things among servant
girls has vexed me sorely, and it is my
usual custom to burn the dish and stove
rags the FIRST thing after 1 take the
work into my hands. LIDO not mean to
say that initiate the lady who only
came down stairs once aweek to throw
out the stale bread. nodded meats and
vegetables; but il is very hard for one
who has long practiced bad habits, to
leave them OF in q short time. and. be-
sides. do not like to tell girl of the
same fault three times q day. Occa-
sionally | find one who is rs careful
about these things as she is about her
other work. bat have observed that
this one fault Is so common that | can
not refrain from writing on the subject
Lot me say then to those who have not
given much thought to tho dish-rag, to
consider IL we'll. and remember that all
things that have tho appearance of
cleanliness are not clean. and the use
of things that are not clean Is not only
repugnant 70 refined tastes, but Is often
fruitful source OF discase.-L l..
Hinds, ~ Rslral Ne1O Yorker.