66 



Dry Rubbini^ — Complaining. 



III. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



I>ry Rubbing'. 



As your publication is the roceptncle of ttie 

 beneficial as well as the useful, I take the 

 liberty of calling the attention of some of 

 your readers to a custom that may perhaps 

 appear insignificant; but which, when duly 

 considered, is of more importance than is 

 generally supposed. I mean the habit of 

 scrubbing the floors with soap and water; 

 this operation, which is necessarily frequent, 

 I consider arduous, disagreeable, dangerous, 

 and always unpleasant. There is little haz- 

 ard, I think, in asserting that it is the latent 

 cause of many a disease that has terminated 

 fatally. Can it be doubted that the cases are 

 not frequent, where a delicate female carry- 

 ing water from the pump, often barefooted in 

 inclement seasons, standing or working- )br 

 an hour or two upon a wet floor, and then 

 perhaps sleeping in the apartment not per- 

 fectly dry, has originated the seeds of a pul- 

 monary disorder, or some other equally dis- 

 tressing ] I have not the least doubt that 

 many a good housekeeper and valuable mem- 

 ber to society has fallen a victim to the pride 

 of having a white floor. 



My object is to offer a remedy, which, if 

 generally known and tried, would be as gene- 

 rally adopted, as it is far less trouble and 

 produces a much better effect. I have often 

 noticed buckets, kitchen utensils, &c. scrubbed 

 with sand, but have never observed it applied 

 to the floors. There aie few houses you can 

 enter in the south without noticing the floors; 

 these are scrubbed with water but two or 

 three times in the course of the year — they 

 are what is called " dry rubbed" — in fact, it is 

 the opinion there, that water injures the floor, 

 it blackens the wood ; therefore, it is washed 

 as seldom and dry rubbed as often as possible, 

 which is performed with clean dry sand and 

 the usual brush. 



The advantges of this mode are, it makes 

 the floors whiter, produces a kind of polish 

 npon the wood which prevents it from soiling, 

 is much sooner done, and obviates the un^ 

 pleasantness of carrying water and the slop 

 ping about the house, besides a saving of 

 6oap. 



Health, Mr. Editor, is the first and most 

 important consideration in this world. What 

 is wealth 1 A. fine farm 1 Even white floors 

 without iti If parents bequeath to their 

 children a good constitution and industrious 

 habits, they give them much ; the corner-stone 

 is laid. Every means, therefore, should be 

 employed to attain this; and I do believe if 

 dry rubbing was customary at the north as it 

 is in the south, that many severe colds and 

 coughs would be prevented. 



L. K. 



For the Farmers' (.'abinet. 



Coiiiplaining. 



A well-disciplined mind studies to be content. 



In ancient times, amongst various other 

 definitions which were given of the word 

 man, Plato defined him to be a biped without 

 feathers. In more modern times, in England, 

 man was defined to be a tax-paying animal; 

 and in this country some have thought that 

 an appropriate definition would be that of a 

 complaining animal. This thought, I sup- 

 pose, took its origin from the circumstance 

 of the general disposition apparent among 

 farmers to complain of the current state of 

 things, be they wJjatever thoy might. Hav- 

 ing more or less of this complaint myself, and 

 moving much among those who are afl^icted 

 with it, I have often had my attention turned 

 to the subject, and on examination I find it 

 to be a highly coiitngious disease, being pro- 

 pagated through v.hole neighborhoods at al- 

 most any season of the year; but it pppoars 

 to rage with the greatest violence in the sum- 

 mer season. It is almost always too dry or 

 too wet, too cold or too hot, tor persons labor- 

 ing under this affliction. Six weeks ago it 

 was said to be so cold and late a spring that 

 the crops were in great jeopardy ; then it was 

 too wet; next so dry as to excite lively appre- 

 hensions for the safety of the winter grain, 

 corn, and potatoes. Following this was a 

 considerable rain, when the grass and hay 

 became objects of prime solicitude; and in 

 this way we are tossed about from one appre- 

 hension to another the year round, with a 

 very small portion of time which can be said 

 to be enjoyed in calm, confiding composure 

 of mind. 



This state of things, Mr. Cabinet, I can 

 testify has existed for at least half a century, 

 and how much longer T cannot tell, for I well 

 remember, when a sinnll boy, to nave heard 

 these complaints reiterated almost day by 

 day, and they have continued to be poured 

 out at short intervals from that time to the 

 present. Now it is said "that while the 

 earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and 

 cold and heat, and summer and winter, and 

 day and night, shall not cease ;" and even .«o 

 it has been from the days of Moses to the 

 present time ; and there is no rational ground 

 for apprehension but that tiie promise will 

 continue to be fulfilled to all future genera- 

 tions of men who may inhabit the earth. 



What may have been the original cause of 

 this querilous disposition, I know not, but it 

 is very certain that the influence of educa- 

 tion and the force of example has had a great 

 tendency to disseminate and perpetuate it 

 among the youth of our country, but for what 

 good purpose, it is not easy to see ; for it will 

 il readily be admitted by all, tlial no danger 



