Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-31
WASHING CLASSES.
A FULL LAUNDRY COURSE CON.
slsrs OF FORTY LESSONS.
SOAP and Soda Lessons at the Edin-
burxh school Of Domestic Econ
omy-New Treatment Of SILK Hand.
kerchiefs and Flannels.
fcorre,nondence Of the pIspatch.)
kerchiefs and FL

NEW YORK, Marcn Z3-A IuI iauhuiy
course In the Edinburgh School OF Do
nestle Economy consists Of forty les
sons--four courses OF ten lessons each
each lesson being two hours long.
though many pupils coming In for special
lessons send us fine ironing, the washing
OF Gannels. etc.
The work IL taught In two ways-viz.,
by demonstration and by practice. In
Demonstration lesson the teacher does
the work, explaining ana instructing as
she goes on. The pupils come In with
their notebooks in hand as TO lecture In
Greek history or a demonstration In
physics. Another day comes the practice
lesson" In which the pupils do the work,
the teacher overseeing. enforcing the In
structions previously given. and lending
q hand where necessary.
There is n soap lesson to convert crude
hard soap into convenient soft soap such
as our foremothers used. "a soap mix
ture" is prepared by shredding fine one
pound Of soap into three quarts OF hot
water. This Is boiled and stirred until
the mixture Is thick and smooth. The
caution Is given that 1t must be watched
while boiling, as it will rise Ike milk.
A FAMILY WASH.
There Il lesson In Sorting a family
wash The clothes must be sorted and
laid In cold water the evening before. The
linen and cotton are separated Into three
classes--body linen, bed and table linen.
collars, cuffs and muslins. Each class
| Is put in soak in Its own special tub.
All the tubs and wringers are such as
are found in ordinary houses and cottages.
such as teachers in boarding-schools and
county council lectures will have TO use.
The clothes are wrung from the cold
water. soied parts slightly rubbed with
soap. put back into the tub and then
| covered with warm water. in which soap
mixture has been dissolved In the pro-
| portion Of one pint Of mixture 10 one gal
| lon Of water. 1t Is always brought TO n
| fine lather before being poured over the
! clothes.
Rub the clothes WELL" says the teacher.
illustrating as she talks but don't put
the cloth against the bare hand; rub II
back upon itself"
| To boil, the clothes are laid In the
| boiler and covered with cold water. 10
which has been added one pound OF soap
| and one half pound OF soda TO every TOUT
| gallons OF water. The soap and soda must
be previously dissolved In sufficient hot
| water. The teacher explains that undis-
solved soda must not be put in the boiler
with the clothes. as contact with 1t VIII
| rot the fabrics.
BOILED SLOWLY.
The water is then brought slowly TO
the boiling-polnt, and boiled slowly Tor
about fifteen minutes. The clothes are
then lifted out into n tub and covered
with water from the boiler IF you wish
your clothes to look white" says the
teacher. "and especially II 1t be winter.
and they cannot be bleached on the
grass, let them lie I'm the water for some
| hours.
was particularly interested in the
washing Of n little heap OF white silk
handkerchiefs and necktiei. The pupil
prepared a latber in a large white bowl.
allowing one pint of soap mixture TO a
gallon Of tepii water. In this she washed
the silk articles gently. one by one,
squeezing but not rubbing or wringing.
When clean she rinsed them in cold
water. to which little methylated spirits
Of wine has been added In the proper
ton of two teaspoonfuls to a quart of
water. This Is done to retain the gloss.
The water being again squeezed from
them they are rolled each In linen
cloth and after a short time are ironed
on the wrong side with a hot iron and
with a linen cloth between the iron and
the silk. They come out fresh and glossy
and white as though just from the shdf
| or silk MERGERS. \ cOlored SILK kerchief
was laid in sailed water before being
washed.
. WITH BARE FEET.
The directions ,lven for the washing oil
blankets Rad foreign sound TO the
American ear-viz.; that they be trampIet
with the bare fe,t instead Of being rubbed
with the hands. But 1t Is really
a more common-sence way to dC
them, for wet blankets are heavy
things TO handle. The trampling OF clothe!
is an ancient fashion OF washing still re
tanned In some parts OF Scotland. notably
in the reinoter highlands, where womer
take their tubs out OF doors and wash by
the stream and in the stream. as amoni
the Greeks in Homers day-trampling the
clothes with their bare feet.
In the washing Of fiannels tepid water
Is used. frothed into lather with the
soap-mixture in the proportion OF one pin
TO n gallon OF water.
"Flavnels," says the teacher. SHOULD
be neither soaked nor rubbed hard. but
gently manipulated. then put lightly
| through the wringer and washed in a
weaker lather. After this they should be-
| rnsed in two or more tepld waters until
free from soap Then tightly wrung
shaken, spread on cotton cloth. and
rolled up tightly. After lying for few
moments, they are shaken again. and
| dried as quickly as possible"
| There Is such diversity OF opinion re-
| garding the washing of hannels that
have given the rules Of this school.
| have known house-keepers who washed
their nannels, and successfully. in entirely
cold water. And one laundress always
persisted in hanging my flannels in the
quietest part of her clothes-yard, be.
cause, she said. 1t shrunk them TO be
| dried quickly I'm the wind.
FRANK POPD HUMPHREY.