The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-20
no MAN AND HELPER.
THE MEANING OF A FAMILIAR ITEM
/ WELL KNOWN 10 WOMEN.

Eden Painted by n Modern Evo.
That too familiar itom on our plumb
pr's bills. "To man and helper, ri is ex-
prcssive Of so much in our daily domes-
tic relations that ono almost forgives tho
plumber the gift Of tho phrase.
"I'll patch up that paper on the wall;
you leave it." says Sam. And then Sam
appears on day when you are in the
thick of some particularly absorbing
household task and he says: GIVE come
fup early to mend that paper, and if
you'll just make some paste for me,
please, I'll go ut It," You sigh, but do
lit cheerfully, thinking. if it is early in
your married life, that that will be all.
Presently, however, there is demand
for rags, stepladder, pail and whisk
broom. These also you get ont and re-
turn to your work.
Fun" calls Sam, "where have you
hidden my brush? 1t was in the toolbox
right in the left hand corner, aud it is
gone. Some one must have taken it."
Again You leave your task and 60 up
stairs or down stairs to the place whence
comoth the plant and behold the brush
10 little to the northeast perchance, but
quite in the visible neighborhood of that
little left hand corner. Without even a
blush Of shame he takes it, and you re-
turn to your own work You have bare
ly begun again, when Sam appears at
the door: "Where can find box the
right size to set Oh the stairs, SO that I
can put some boards across OH which to
stand the stepladder?''
You think Il minute, md you know
that the only box available is one filled
with odds and ends of needful kitchen
things, but you rcsignedly lay them all
out on the floor and give Sam tho box,
catching at the same moment look
which reveals that he is about to ask
you for the boards There are only two
long boards on the promises, and those
form walk in the backyard. Still they
can be taken up, and they are-but it
entails vigorous brushing and cleansing.
Then for time Sam vanishes, and all
is serene, but not for long. There are
CHATTER of boards and notes of masculine
trouble, which You ignore, until, find
ing that it is not day for taking
hints, Sam calls again, Fan, will you
please come and steady this thing, or
I'll break my neck OF course you 90,
and of course you find that he has not
already broken it. You get odds and
ends of things together to even up aud
strengthen his rickety scaffolding, and
then you sit on step with your head
up between the boards to steady the lad
der, except when you vary it by hand
ing pasty rag, or n brush. or match
for his pipe. Then is the time you say,
To man and helper, three hours" and
get your revenge, for Sam really sees
the point.
Now, it is q strange thing that it is
always man and helper. If woman
undertakes anything. as rule she goes
ahead and gets her things together and
does it all by herself. but if man starts
any task not i'll the line of his ordinary
business he will manage to draw to
himself the assistance of every woman
within call. If it is driving nails, some
one must hand the nails to him a wom-
an would keep them in her pocket OF
mouth. If he is riveting something, tho
woman must hold the other hammer OH
the under side and get i'll her arm the
jar of tho stroke. If he even nends his
tishrod or ties his flies, she must hold
the waXed thread or turn the rod with
both hands. do not see how any mar
ried woman can doubt the truth of the
Scriptures. Why, to her, the fifteenth
and eighteenth verses of the second
chapter of Genesis set the seal of truth
fulness upon the whole. When man was
made and put i'll the garden of Eden to
tend it, he hadn been there day be-
fore woman had to be made to help
him. He couldn't get along alone mt all.
Fancy him starting out to SOW his rad
ish seed and having nobody to ask how
far sho thought he ought to put the rows
apart. so he could put them some other
distance. 1t must have been awful
Poor Evel For of all conditions of
"hclper" that of the gardeners helper
is the worst. 1t is easy to imagine her
her days work over, as she supposes-
planning for quiet rest upon cool
green bank through the long summer
twilight. Along comes Adam, belated
in his work, because he had been cast
ing his line from shady hooks into deep,
messy pools, where tho speckled trout
arc lying, and he says to Eve: "My
dear, won't you come along with me in
to the garden? haven't seen anything
of my darling all day. You can sit OH
nice soft stone in the path while I
work. " And poor, easily beguiled by
love Eve gets up and follows right along,
but, alas, tho stone has not changed it's
nature any more than Adam has 1t is
not soft, and perhaps that is the reason
why Adam does not keep her sitting
there long. Good, kind Adam! He