New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-26
Gadslife! The good old timesl

Never nina, MISS prudence Snis
(Harper's, 1897, your work shall n,
be marred by slurs Of a later day. \
is not your fault that in this, q.
Thanksgiving season Of 1916, prices a,
so high that one Common Cake IN !
family would be almost sufsci.,.
grounds for divorce. You compiled Il.
a public that happily knew naugbt 4,
speculation in cold storage food, an
you satisfied our great-grandmother
INTRODUCING MISS PRUDENcp
SMITH AND DEACON ROGER
GOODFELLOW
Incidentally, you wrote an introdw
ton to your now forgotten cookbook
which is as spicy as some of your re-
ipes and as well worth quoting. Permr
us to use part of it, eighty-fve YEAR
after:
Though arrived at the age Of discretion
which, in my opinion, no woman attain,
under fifty, have never been married.
spoiled my complexion by porting over N.
fire, studying the practical part OF N.
sublime science, and, like all great cooks
that ever heard Of, grew fat, as it were,
by broiling over the Goals. Hence, the idle
young fellows Of my acquaintance paid m.
little attention, and have been for many
years. past left to the unmolested enjoy.
ment Of my favorite pursuit, without any
other solace than the proud consciousness
that was preparing myself to be useful to
the great mass Of mankind instead Of being
subject to the caprices of one alone. For
this purpose it has been my practice FOR
more than thirty years past to subjec.
every receipt for cooking to the test Of &C.
tual experiment; that is to say, tried
every one and tasted the result. If il was
marvellously excellent, and Of trum.
plant relish, did forthwith record it IN
my receipt book, like unto Mistress Mar.
anna Starke, with certain notes Of adnrra.
ton, the number of which indicated the de.
gree Of its perfection. In this manner
did | collect many hundreds, yea, thou.
sands Of receipts, the most rare and val.
liable ever offered TO the world in one sin.
gle volume, such as is now laid before the
reader.
when | had completed sufficient ma.
terials for about twenty volumes, con.
suited my brother, the parson, about pub
fishing them. But he discouraged m.
sorely, saying, that after all there was
nothing original in them except a new
receipt for making apple sauce; that twas
mere compilation, and only telling every
body what everybody knew before. was
not a little mortified and somewhat angry
at him for talking in this manner. How
ever, finding me determined to publish my
collection, he offered me twenty dollars for
the whole, as verify believe, that he might
burn them up; for I suspect he was jeal.
Gus. | rejected his offer and told him that
/ meant to take them TO New York my.
self, and have them published there. Ny
reverend brother laughed at this, but
could see he was very much frightened
lest / should go. He tried TO coax me net
to think of such thing; but l was re-
solved, and accordingly came TO New York
under the care of Deacon Roger Good
fellow, as pious a man as ever split
Single, though some Of my neighbors tried
to raise scandal about my travelling with
him alone in the steamboat. I must ny
was received with great attention In New
York, and was what they call lion, until
| was cut out by young lady in short
pettcoats"
She's still here, that young lady, ano
she's still wearing 'em. And theyr'
shorter than ever, Prudence.