Wichita eagle., 1889-10-22

MRS. EWING AND COOKING AND HIRED
GIRLS.
Our reporter said the other evening, IN
answer to question we put to him touch
ing the interest being awakened by Mrs.
Ewing's cooking lessons, that eighty odd
ladies were present. The answer was
gratifying for reasons IN number sufficient
to fill a column, but principally SO to Us
because it was an assurance that quite a
number of women of our better homes
would learn, if they never knew it before
that the average hired girl is not only an
utter failure as "a cook, because of a lack
of age and instruction. but the greatest
single burrhen and extravaganza laid upon
the shoulders of the homes bread winner.
We could dilate to the length Of another
column on this question of waste,
extravaganza and want OF judgment
upon the part of the average hired
girl, but we will leave that to Mrs. Ewing.
Another source Of qualification is the re-
Election that some women will no doubt
learn from Mrs. Ewing that brains are
just as necessary to the preparation of any
dish as is the commonest condiment. A
meal not seasoned in its preparation with
brains, is not worth eating so far as any
gustatory pleasures are concerned. INTEL
li9ent observation, inventive genius and
experience, such as no young. thoughtless,
hired girl can possibly have, are pre-requi-
sites to the successful preparation of the
simplest dishes. A pot of mush can be
made either a delightful repast or a raw
mixture of water and corn meal, fit only
for hogs. To be an accomplished
cook is to be an artist and
a scientist combined, and no mother
or wife or daughter ought to be above its
study as an accomplishment. There is
just as much art in preparing and COM
bining the ingredients of a paIatable dish
as there is in properly mixing colors for a
great or striking painting. and as much
science in such preparation of food and in
the after cooking of it and in sending 1t to
the table tempting sum total of expert
knowledge, as there is in the cumulative
analysis of mysterious chemical COM
pound. We don't care what her wealth.
or station, or what her other accomplish
ments, no woman is fit to play the wife
or the mother whose mind is too narrow
to. in some fashion at least, grasp the mys
teries of cooking sufficiently to either do
it herself or to direct how it should be
done. Women who cannot so comprehend
and from day to day add to her knowledge
of cookery both by invention and by logi-
cal deduction, ought to forswear the high
aims and objects which pertain to home
life, not only, but forswear marriage and
motherhood and turn "suffrager." The
average hired girl and her slop- are
a holy terror, although there are women
who are like her whose sentiments are re-
corded on a tombstone at Bushey, Eng
land, who dotted on the hired girl, proba-
bly,, because she was unobtainable. We
are glad she is dead. Her epitaph reads:
Here lies a poor woman
Who always was tired,
Who lived in house
Where help was not hired.
Her last words on earth
Were, Dear friends. am going
Where washing amt done,
Nor sweeping nor sewing,
And everything there
Is exact to my wishes.
For where they don't eat
There's no washing up dishes.
I'll be where loud anthems
viii always be ringing,
For having no voice
I'll get clear of the singing.
Don't mourn for me now,
Don't mourn for me never,
I'm going to do nothing