Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-11-20
A Preacher Among the People,
A BREAD AND MILK SUPPER.


children, with beaming faces, sat
around the table eating their simple
repast ~"
"Healthfu1 enough it is true" the
father remarked, "but rather difficult
as to preparation" "whence think
you," he continued, "came LAis hum
BILE, meal, and to how many unknown
but -aithful workmen are we indebted
for the look of contentment that now
characterizes the faces of our happy
children ?''-
1t was no easy question that he had
asked, and, the supper over and the
little ones snugly tucked in bed, he and
his wife sat down together and tried to
answer it. First those interesting but
mysterious forces of nature, without
which their children would have gone
supperless to bed, were considered
There must needs have been earth and
sunshine, the early and latter rains
or there would have been no hay and
corn to transform into milk and no
wheat out of which to make bread.
1t was, however, the contributions
made by different men to that supper
that interested the inquiring parents
most, and those they soon discovered
were amazing in their multiplicity and
of much interest when studied in de-
tail. In some iron mine, the where
abouts or which they did not know, an
unknown workman had toiled in the
interest of that repast. The rough
ore which yielded to his persistent ef-
forts, was transported to the furnace
and thrown into the blast.
The fact of transportation, they did
not forget, presupposed an army of
men who built wagons, railroads,
freight cars and locomotives, and an
other army that operated them, and
the furnace to which the iron ore was
taken for smelling were witnesses that
brickmakers and masons had contrib
uted somewhat to the happiness of
their home.
The smelling process over, the iron
went, some in one direction and some
in another. A part of it passed into
the hands Of those who transformed it
into plows, harows, hoes and other
agricultural tools, after which it was
sold to the farmer who raised corn
and hay with which to feed Mr.. Milk
mans cows. But plows and hoes
must have handles, hence Indebtedness
to woodmen in the forest, builders of
saw mills and those who operate them,
as well as to workers in iron. Then
without horses, agricultural tools are
OF little avail. And with both of
these factors supplied, harness was
necessary in order to combine the two
in such way as to attain the desired
result.
And so the parents had to admit
that the builders OF vats, tanners and
harness makers had helped to get the
supper their children enjoyed so much
Just before going to bed.
To transport the milk from the
dairy to their home, cans were neces-
sary and inasmuch as they had been
supplied, miners and manufacturers of
tin had taken prominent part in the
preparation OF that simple evening
meal.
Having gone over these complex and
interesting processes, the parents were
surprised to find that the work of pre-
pairing the meal was only half done.
Some farmer had grown the wheat out
of which the bread was made. After
It was grown it had to be harvested
and threshed, to do which somebody
had to build reapers and threshing
machines. Then the grain had to be
transformed into -four, and to do that
there had to be mill wrights and mil
lers too. The wheat having been
ground into -four, it was ready for the
baker to begin his work. The baker,
however, could do nothing until the
iron that was left at the furnace was
iiAAhuioSeoicu iulo d StOfe. IN dQ0l- |
tion to a stove, the coal miner had to
supply him with coal before he could
go on with his part of the work. But
when these essentials were supplied,
the maker OF matches had to send the
baker part of his product before he
could start his fire and bake the bread
that had constituted the half of that
supper which now interests US.
And now miners and smelters, and
manufacturers, and transporters, and
farmers, and masons, and millers, and
bakers and host of unnamed workers
having been true to their work, the
bread and milk were supplied, and
still the supper was not ready. Other
Workmen had been busy producing
bowls and spoons, table and chairs,
and they too had to be reckoned with
in the effort to do justice to all who
mad helped that mother prepare the
meal her children ate with such relish
before bidding her good night. And