Middletown transcript., 1895-12-14
70 MAN AND HELPER.
THE MEANING OF A FAMILIAR ITEM
! WELL KNOWN 70 WOMEN

Agricultural Pursuits In the Garden oi
Eden Painted by Modern Eve.
That too familiar item on our plumb.
br's bills. "To man and helper, lis ex-
Pressive Of SO much in our daily domes-
tic relations that one almost forgives the
plumber the gift Of the phrase.
"I'll patch up that paper on the wall;
you leave 1t" says sam. And then Sam
appears on day when you sre in the
thick Of some particularly absorbing
! household task and he says: "I've come
up early to mend that paper, and if
you'll just make some paste for me,
please, I'll go at it." You sigh, but do
it cheerfully, thinking, II 1t is early in
your married life, that that will be ali.
Presently, however, there is demand
for rags, stepladder, pail and whisk
broom. These also You get out and re-
turn to your work.
"Fan," calls Sam, "where have you
hidden my brushf It was in the toolbox
right in the left hand corner, and 1t is
gone. Some one must have taken Il.
Again you leave your task and 60 up
stairs or down stairs to the place whence
cometh the plant and behold the brush
q 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
~ begun again, when Sam appears at
the door: "Where can find box the
right size to set on the stairs, so that
can put some boards across on which to
stand the stepladder?" -
You think minute, and you know
that the only box available is one filed
with odds and ends of needful kitchen
things, but you resignedly lay them all
out on the floor and give Sam the boz,
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 premises, and those
form walk in the backyard. Still they
can be taken up, and they are-but 1t
entails vigorous brushing and cleansing.
Then for time Sam vanishes, and all
is serene, but not for long. There are
clatter of boards and notes Of masculine
trouble, which you ignore, until, find
ing that it is not a 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 go,
and of course you find that be has not
already broken it. You get odds and
ends Of things together to even up and
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 brush, or a match
for his pipe. Then is the time you say,
ITO man and helper, three hours" and
get your revenge, for Sam really sees
the point.
Now, it is strange thing that 1t is
always "man and helper" II a woman
undertakes anything, as a rule she goes
ahead and gets her things together and
does it all by herself, but if man starts
any task not in 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 wom-
an would keep them in her pocket or
mouth. If he is riveting something, the
woman must hold the other hammer on
the under side and get in her arm the
jar of the stroke. If he even mends his
fishrod 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 in the garden of Eden to
tend 1t, he hadn't been there day be-
fore woman had to be made to help
him. He couldn't get along alone at all
Fancy him starting out to SOW his rad
lsh seed and having nobody to ask how
ar she thought he ought to put the rows
apart, SO he could put them some other
distance. It must have been awful
Poor Evel For of all conditions Of
helper" that Of the gardeners helper
s the worst. 1t is easy to imagine her :
Ter days work over, as she supposes-
flaming for a quiet rest upon cool
,reen bank through the long summer
wilight. Along comes Adam, be1ated
n his work, because he had been cast
ng his line from shady nooks into deep,
nossy pools, where the speckled trout
re lying, and he says to Eve: "My
ear, won't you come along with me In
D the garden? haven't seen anything
I my darling all day. You can sit On 4
ice soft stone in the path while !
'ork." And poor, easily beguiled BY
I'VE Eve gets up and follows right along,
ut, alas, the stone has not changed its
ature any more than Adam has. It is p
OF soft, and perhaps that is the reason 8
'hy Adam does not keep her sitting
lere long. Good, kind Adaml he
ants the rake, and it is down at the
ouse, or maybe itwas bower, and she
ay as well bring along a measuring
ne, Of which also she may hold one end
hen she gets back. And then as Adam
,ts absorbed he absorbs more and more
Eve. She rakes up the weeds which
, has hoed out. She holds up the vines
hich he ties to the trellis. She trota
lck and forth for the primitive imple-
ents, and she smiles, as if she enjoyed
but 1t is weary woman who, al
lsk yields to darkness, accompanies
dam to the house, lugging numerous
Ids and ends. It is her compensation,
she greets Abel and his wife, who are
aitiDg for her, to hear Adam telling
s son, ''I've done lot In the garden
night. / think I'll lay off in the mid
e Of the day tomorrow and take try
: those trout In Cain g meadow brook.
New York Times
At Hammerfest. in Norway, the polar
ght lasts from Nov. 18 to Jan. 2a