The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-08-21
TRIBUTE TO OLD
SOUTHERN NAM MES
FAITHFULNESS OF GOOD OLD
SOULS WILL BE COMMEND
RATED IN MARBLE.
BY Drucilla Dare.


Every once in awhile bit Of TO
nance, a bit of color, or humor, OF
pathos creeps into the drab channels
of legislative activity. Sentiment has
not been quite lost at the national
capital. Occasionally, in the midst OF
bombastic speech-making, visiting
delegates, ardent lobbying, and OF the
million and one things which make up
the life of our nations chief legisla-
tors, a Quixotic voice is heard urging
some purely sentimental legislation.
Most of these requests are lost III the
avalanche OF practical matters which
swamp the taciturn powers that be in
the senate Maybe once in life time
a bill like that is passed.
Such bill was the one authorizing
the erection in the city of Washington
of a monument i'll memory OF the
faithful colored mammies of the south,
recently favorably reported upon in
the senate by Chairman Williams Of
the committee on the library. Think
of the thousands of devoted proteges
OF those old black mamnies who must
have helped to put that bill through!
At least their silent influence and ap-
proval was felt.
Many a great man traces his sue
cess back to the days of childhood
when some old black nanny had
hand in his bringing up" Hundreds
of men and women remember with
rush of grateful Renaissance the good
old days when Nanny Chloe or
Aunt Phyllis dressed them, scolded
them and fed them, all yes, and led
them! Immemorial glory of Mammy's
southern dishes! Her fried chicken and
her hot biscuits! Were there ever
such biscuits as mammy's? They'd
melt in your mouth, those steaming,
fragrant biscuits that she'd pile law
ishly on your plate. Where is there
another person in the world who
could achieve that crust, delicately
golden, firm and crisp? And the fuf-
fy. snowy hearts of 'em! Joy melts
into sadness at the recollection. But
the old southern mammies are passing
out. Gradually the beloved figures of
the faithful old souls pass in dusky,
shadowy file into the phantomland OF
many of their culinary secrets to the
young 'uns' and to their white mis-
tresses. Some have even been for
IuIldIe enough 10 have SCClll GU lllC
recipes for those famous hot biscuits.
One particularly noted old southern
nanny has bequeathed this recipe
for her biscuits 1t has been passed
from family to family in the south
land
First, nanny always had her oven
piping hot. With the tips of her fin
gers she would work two tablespoons
OF butter Cor lard) into a quart Of
self-rising -four. Nanny always used
this flour with the leavening already
mixed because she didn't believe in
takin' no chances" She wanted her
biscuits to rise. Then she would stir
in cup of real cold milk or a cup of
cold water. This mixture she rolled
out on a lightly Toured board and
then cut She baked her biscuit in
Toured pan in pick oven from ten to
fifteen minutes. Nanny never used
sour milk with her self-rising flour,
and, of course, she didn't have to add
baking powder or soda. With the lit
tie trouble she took she achieved re-
markable results, for her biscuits were
the pride of the family with whom
she lived and the envy OF the other
cooks for miles around.