The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-04-17
iLLITERAcY QUESTION

The Experiences NJ One Woman and lIes
Iteinedy.
Illiteraey and Its Remedy" was tho
subject assigned at a woman's club for
paper to be written by one of the
most active clubwomen in Brooklyn.
She insisted on having 1t changed to
"Illiteracy and it's blessings" giving
her reasons for the modification about
as follows
oh, yes, know what am talking
about. Within the past six months
have had two successive domestics, and
comparison of the two has thrown q
great light on this illiteracy question.
The first, whom may call Mrs. Nc
Monigal, had come from distance and
commended herself to me because she
wrote such pretty letter. She was, I
afterward discovered, great reader.
Her mind was forever full of The
Dread Spectre Of the Lake and The
Wife Who Never Came Back and The
Strange Fate Of Mrs. Squeers No. g.
Her trunk was half full Of paper backed
novels, and our gas bill ran up to tre-
mendous proportions, all justified by
the condition Of the meter.
with three Jets burning, she would
be poring over Miss Jinks Of Jinks-
town at two o'clock in the morning.
When bi eakfast time came she was, OF
course, sleepy and weary and tagged
out Her dishes were always standing
about the kitchen unwashed and those
that came to the table were never real
ly clean. Her floors were always dusty.
her room always in disorder, her sink
sink Of iniquity and herself a pattern
OF slovenliness, II slovenliness has any
pattern. .
"of course this couldn't last forever.
I confess II wouldn't have lasted as
long as 1t did but for my many club
duties. ! gave her notice, paid her for
the last week and she went off Tuesday
without doing the washing. Then set
my wits at work. I wanted girl as
different from this one as possible. She
had been literary and tall and fair and
middle aged. What l wanted was evil
IDENTIFY a short young colored woman
who could neither read nor write. We
were taking our meals out for week
before discovered what was looking
for. Z,
Marjorie Mason filled the bill. She
was only eighteen, and her coal black
white trimmed eyes shone like stars in
the half twilight Of her mahogany face.
Her cheeks were round, her form was
plump and her fingers were always
busy at something. But above all other
qualifications l rated her inability to
read. She developed first mania for
cleaning the silver, until all that was
only Quadruple plated seemed in dan
ger of being forever disgraced.
Then she swept the house every day
=, uod thin0c IN hpr hoQ ri
/ content. Her dishes were clean. She
made a pretty figure in neat cap and
! gown when she answered the door bell.
co we only laughed when We found that
she had relocated every book in the lie
brary turning each upside down, and
separating every vo,ume from its COM
panioD."
But you are away a lot" interrupted
q friend, "and how could you send a
, telegram to this girl II she couldn't
/ read?"
mo trouble at all. Majorie would
find out what was in the telegram, and
she wouldn't let the messenger boy
He would read 1t for her, because the
trouble with her eyes, or for some other
|
And Marjorie spent her time at her
J work, not knowing the delight of loaf
+ ing over a book. ! never had to COM
plain Of anything. / tell you that
opened my mind about this illiteracy
question. can tell you all about the
/ Blessings Of Illiteracy,' and welcome" 3"
! you are indeed lucky to have such
treasure in your house." sighed q
weary faced woman. I'VE have been
doing our own work for ten days"
"Oh, Marjorie has disappeared" con-
fessed the active club woman, with a
smile. I'VE are boarding now. Mar
/ jorie eloped with our cream colored
4 grocery boy, and l suppose she is do
4 ing his cooking just now over on
Thompson street, in the Borough Of
Manhattan.