The Washington times., 1903-11-14
THE BRAZEN CALF
James L. Fords Arrangement of Yellow Society.

men and women OF France. We were
brought up, moreover. to respect the
kitchen and to feel that TO work in it
was not a thing to be ashamed Of. No
Frenchman or Frenchwoman was ever
known to speak contemptuously Of the
culinary art as "pot-wrastling, as they
do here. When 1 first came
to this country I was grieved to learn
that this land. which had always stood
for freedom in the eyes OF Europeans.
was In reality not free, but enslaved.
The Modern Fetch.
e" 1t seemed to me that the old spirit
Of democracy had given place to a sort
of bondage to what the people called
keeping up appearances, and that for
this useless Fetch people OF the class
that we have here in Arundel Heights
would cheerfulIy starve. Most assur-
edly I would have starved had 1 been
willing to live in the way that some OF
my neighbors did, and l can assure you
that ii was not or knowledge Of
French music, literature. or the grand
monde that enabled my wife and my
self TO live through the long years Of
poverty that we endured, but rather our
knowledge of cookery. And so well did
we both value the accomplishment that
stomachs during our first years in this
country. and kept US out of the clutches
OF that fruitful mother OF all dyspeptic
troubles. the American hired girl, that
we actually proposed to open class in
cookery. Would you believe II true that
we did not get a single pupil, and that
in more than one case the parents to
whom we applied felt themselves in
suited? They wanted their daughters to
/ become society leaders, not cooks, they
gage Us TO understand, and they want
ed them to learn French so that they
might shine in a society to which they
viii never gain admittance, and to
Study music-not for their own pleas
ure. but that they might attract atten-
ton IN these same social circles where
as yet they have no place.
Sound Common Sense.
81 trust you viii forgive the frank
ness of my speech, but the fact
Is that 1 think 1 may help you to OBJ
tain some of the pleasures OF life that
lie well within your means OF course 1
am glad 10 teach French and music to
, children who do not know how TO drive
a nail in wall IL there IS a picture TO
be hung, but / can assure you that if
their parents were not so befogged by
!
taught carpentering, cooking, gardening
anything, in fact. but French and
music. which are of no practical use 10
them
True Keynote Struck
1t IS a pitt that this most sensible
and practical view is not likely very soon
TO be accepted by the people who need
the enlightenment. So long as women
cODfessedIv look down On servants and
consider homework less worthy of a
cultivated intelligence than embroidery
or novel reading, or amateur piano play
ing. or walking about the streets dressed
in their best. so long Will those ideas
filter down into another layer Of society.
and girls who can do the Homework
win refuse to do II for hire The whole
conception OF household work as a thing
TO be shirked is mischievOUs. The note
struck by Mr.. Ford's Frenchman is the
only true keynote for any sOciety-that
the woman who is really grande dame
cannot lessen her dignity by any sort of
useful work-Only by sitting down con-
tentedly in The midst OF disorder that
could be Temedted-
Folly Is Widespread.
There seems little enough use in dis
cussing the matter. when the 1child
whose parents dared send her TO learn
cooking. rather than music would in
evitably suffer loss OF caste. The
pressure of neighbors opinion is
strong, and to oppose it sometimes has
the aspect and effect OF Mrs Parting
ton with her broom Yet an honest
and OutsDoken condemnation Of social
snObbery may have its uses for all that
! tNew York: Dodd. Mead & Coz