The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1898-03-25
RESTORING 4 LOST ART.
Ts ,ching Colo,d Girls in tho South to
Cook ns Their Grandmoth rs Used To.

TO tho house keeper of today tn,
question Of cooks is u very olious
ono. 1t is an old adugo that "sood
cooking" is tho only way to mans
he%rt." Tho majority Of mon rcboI
against this soft impeachment, and
the wise and polite woman always
pays most attention to the culinary
department Of her housekeeping. 1t
is said the illuStlous Eichclicu in.
vented the mnyonnalsc dressing,
showing that great minds arc Ivy no
means indifferent to the proper graft
iication Of dainty catering,
The great majority Of houscliecpers
! prefer colorcd girls as maids in their
III clrn, and tho colorra women of
! q South havr tho reputation Of be
i.S "horn cooks" We read Of dishes
being prepared 10y Southern "mnm,
mics i'll The old days which make
ones mouth water, but the arr, lnack,
trade, or whatever name You choose
to call il by, seems to be dying out
and the Younger generation Of col,
or'd women growing up in the South
'Hems to be losing the art Of prcpar,
ing dainty, toothsnmo dishes.
One Of the large cooking school in
New York city has established very
impora branch Of its work in both
Norfolk and Winchester, which has
proved moro successful than the
most sanguinc Of its originatols, had
hoped The woman at the head Of
this enterprise, in speaking of the
Southern branch the other day, said
"Wc find we have moro applica
tions for colored cooks than for white
ones, somehow a colorcd woman
seems better fitted for Il cook than
others. They have the knack of
cooking to suit the average Ameri-
can taste. The colorel girls who
have been up here in the North for
some time are those who were vouur
when the war was ended or who have
been born since. They cumo at a
time when the whole colorcd race
was dcmoralizcd by the fact that
they were free and Obliged to work
and earn their own living
"Thcsc women have been ruined
by their life up North and arc either
lazy or impcrtincnt. They were
a poor fold to work on, aud 50 after
long and mature delibcration wo de-
terminod to establish a branch in
Norfolk and commence our opera
tons with brand rew material.
"The Arabs considered bad cook
ing sufficient cause for divorce, and
it would surely seem quite as legiti-
matc as arc those often offered in n
moro enlightened atmosphere. In
lact IN these days neglect in the Gull
nary department is entirely unnccos-
sary, whom grcat advantages arc of.
fcrod and so easily obtained. Limit
less combinations may be made, if
only mixed, like tho old woman's
sauce, "with brains"
"Bearing this in mind, VIC have cs.
tablishod our branches down South
on these limos. Wo find tho Young
colored girls who como to us to be
instructed, when rousod in interest
in their work, displaying consider
able OF tho talent of their grandma
thers and mothers. The younoor
generation Of the colored race today
roal'zo the stern fact that thoy must
work, and have apparently settled
down to do it,
"You have no idea how quickly
they learn. They arc not naturally
clcanly, but that is tho first thing in
which we train them. They have no
systcm, but with patient proddine
we manage aftor Il while to inculcate
some system into their work. The
Old saying that they nro born cooks
Is true one. That work seells tc
be second nature to them. They arc
as easily moulded rs IL piece of wax.
What wo find tho most difficult tc
overcome with them is their natural
born wastefulness.
"Fhoy arc tho most wastoful crcat.
ures you over camo across, and VIC
have experienced a great deal of diff
1lcnlty in countoracting this fault
They have considerable pride in do
| ing thor best, and by Offvrino, r,;,os