The age-herald., 1897-10-03
TECHNICS FROM
 CURRENT TOPICS,

Mrs. Rorer of Philadelphia. has been haafd fnon sn some othsr capacity than that of cook and kitchen maid. She has expressed, regardless of past favors, her ! opinion of southern women, to a reporter of the Nashville American. After the | ordsr of her kind, she has returned the courtesy of southern women with the criticism that "they are puppets and pretty toys, absolutely worthless as far as mentality is concerned" She in- formed the reporter who interviswed her over the smoking saucepans and steamsng kettles, that certain women of the south were hopeless as conveafsa.- tionaiists," and much more stuff of this degree of malign1ty and intelligence. The pity of the whole matter consists. not in Mrs. Rorer's opinions, which count for nothing, in every community that she has visited. but. that any southern woman ever wasted any time attempting to make herself courteous or intelligibla to a woman who has evidently stewed away whatever small amount of grey matter she may have been born with In her effoqhs to foist upon the racep- tive, creduious public, dishes and con- coctions that no biped was ever known 10 eat, and still retain any claim to health and Christianity.
 
 Mis- Rorer has ffousiShed in Birming- ham: Mrs. Rorer has lectured in Bir- mingham; she has cooked here-stewed. baked, broiled and above all else. Mrs. Rorer vented a few of her unamfable vfsws of benighted @ eoutherners in th,s city, when she was being handsome uy remunerated, to give the women of Birmingham lessons in the culinary art It has been suggested that the late epi- dsmic of typhoid fever was not due as so many think to the pure transparent limpid water consumed by Birminghams helpless citizens, but to the effect of Mrs. Rorer's lectures and cookings fas. winter. The waher IS not always clear. and to be sure fresh; it is not always Dragrant with the sweetness of meadows. 1cr It has the unfortunate habit of greet Ing the early user with odors that puzzle ana alarm; yet it is gui1tless of blame. compared with the d5ath-dealing dishes originated and propagated by this enter pr-Zing Yankee cook. Mrs. Rorer can- not claim exemption from the charge. she came, she cooked, she talked and 10! grim, gaunt fever followed in her wake. And no wonder
 It is certainly high time that southern women should cease ito contribute to tha incomes cf such females as Mrs. Rorer. She does not know as much about gen. uirae good cooking as thousands of WI. men in every part of the south. Ger tainly, If the people are to be instruct- ed in the culinary art in the names of the splandbd housekeepers of the soutt, WING naVe dong since passed to their re- ward let a southern woman give the 1essons. What they cook will at least pc pa1atable, ard not necessarily fatal. una the manner of giving their dnstrue- aions can be depended upon not to be lnsoient and dmpudent. Mrs. Rorer was sunlclenuly impertinlant during her staW IN Bdrmngham last winter to have pre- ciuded her being invited by any other southern community to instruct ladies in the lore of kitchen ard pantry,
 
 IEia Nashville journalist deserves the thanks of southern women, especially Birmingham wonlen for giving the views or Mrs. Rorer. She should have been ex- posed long ago, and other crieduloua southerheIs protected from her money- making schemes, and her unbearable in- science. Immigration, individual and collective, should be encouraged, but not at a sacrifice of self-respect
 
 No matter how desirable new corners may be 1t is we'll that they comprehepd thoroughly from the first that they are not explorers in any sense of the word. Ihey should uderstand that they are not needed as missionaries in this section but will ha welcomed as visitors or resi- dents as long as they conduct them selves with discretion and propriety, but not one moment longer. The desire to encourage immigration uras the hurtful tendency to blunt the resentment of the peopue of the petty filings of outsiders who come to the south with money. It has also the unfortunate inclination to causa cei'tain classes of the citizens of the south to quietly await results in- stead of making those results by thelr own capacity and pluck. Every possi- ble inducement should be offered to en- courage immigration to this section but each and every man should press for- ward with @ tireless energy that will surely bring success and prosperity, whether there come immigrants or not to this favored state. Coal, iron, lime rock, cotton or immigrants will amount to very little unless the people of Ala - bama labor in season and out of season for better and brighter time.
 BALI.