1900 



GLEANINGS IN BKE CULTURE. 



973 



from her mother. And let me say right here 

 that, through all of our married life, there 

 has been scarcely enough wasted in our kitch- 

 en to be worth carrying to the chickens, to 

 say nothing about the pigs. When Mrs. Root 

 and I commenced life together we got our 

 start by saving what many people throw away. 

 She has learned to cook so there is almost 

 nothing wasted ; and now while we two are 

 alone she manages so nicely that, while we 

 both have enough of every thing we want, 

 there is scarcely a crumb left to be given to 

 the chickens — nothing whatever for the slop- 

 pail. 



Well, one of this daughter's first experiences 

 was in having every thing shoveled into the 

 slop-pail just as soon as the family were fairly 

 away from the table. Then if she did not 

 keep an eye almost constantly on the girl the 

 contents of the dish-pan would go into the 

 kitchen sink — at least every thing she could 

 get to run into it. Even after it had been ex- 

 plained to her that the waste-pipes would be 

 clogged by such a course as that, and that an 

 expensive job of tearing up the pipes would 

 follow, she did not seem to care much about 

 it. By patient care and kind teaching this 

 difficulty was mostly got over unless the girl 

 "got mad." When she got her temper up 

 she would begin venting her spite by dump- 

 ing every thing, not excepting pie and cake, 

 into the slop-pail.* I presume she had learn- 

 ed that this provoked her mistress more than 

 almost any thing else, or came the closest to 

 upsetting her Christian spirit. Do you say 

 you would not have such a girl on the prem- 

 ises an hour? Oh ! yes, you would, I think, 

 or at least I hope you would. The girl had 

 some very commendable traits. She was an 

 excellent cook, nice-looking, and well-behav- 

 ed ( when her temper did not get the better of 

 her). Shall I tell you what provoked her 

 most ? It was having company come so that 

 her work would be a little harder. By the 

 way, I am told it is getting to be quite a 

 fashion for hired girls to demand that their 

 employers shall not entertain company — not 

 even their own relatives. When Mrs. Root 

 and I visited the Hilberts recently, they tried 

 in vain to get a hired girl. In fact, they en- 

 gaged two different ones; but when they found 

 there were to be guests there from Ohio, the 

 girls both — and I do not know but I might as 

 well say all — refused to come. So Mrs. Hil- 

 bert and Mrs. Root had to be hired girls them- 

 selves ; and with the amount of fun they had 

 when they were at it, I do not know but they 



* Some of you may, perhaps, think I am making a 

 big fuss about a small matter ; and I am free to con- 

 fess I had not thought so much about the was:te of 

 food I have alluded to until we had these reports from 

 starving India. Read the letter on page i'ysn, and then 

 think of the life and strength and relief from the 

 awful agony of starvation that might be saved if this 

 one avenue of w iste that is going on in the llnited 

 States could be stopped. I should hardly dare to sug- 

 gest that the nice and expensive food thrown away in 

 America would feed starving India : but when we 

 consider what a very small amount of nourishing 

 food can be made to "keep one alive, such an estimate 

 may not be so far out of the way after all. In our 

 large cities it has become a great problem how to dis- 

 pose of the slops and sewage ; and yet a great part of 

 this tremendous bulk is made up of wholesome food.j 



enjoyed it more than if the girls had come. 

 I think their husbands did, any way. 



Well, dear friends, my story is getting to be 

 a long one, and I have not yet reached its 

 commencement. After the good women of 

 Medina had had just such troubles ras I have 

 been telling you of (and some of them a good 

 deal worse), they finally decided to send to 

 some sort of an agency in the South for color- 

 ed girls. First came three or four, then half 

 a dozen, and I do not know but there are now 

 two dozen all together here in Medina. Now, 

 I am not going to put in a big plea for the 

 colored race as helpers — not just yet, any way. 

 While they have excellent constitutions, plen- 

 ty of physical strength, and to a certain ex- 

 tent a high degree of docility and good nature, 

 they are not just yet exactly what we want. 

 A colored girl, only 17 years old, is now help- 

 ing Mrs. Boyden ; and I hope I am telling the 

 truth when I say that Mrs. Boyden is helping 

 this colored girl to be not only a woman but a 

 follower of Christ Jesus ; but her task is not 

 altogether an easy one. I have heard people 

 say that you must be careful how you make 

 too much of the colored people, especially 

 the younger ones, and I have learned some 

 lessons along that line. When I look at them, 

 and study the peculiarities of their race, and 

 their general make-up, my heart is warmed 

 toward them ; but when I am told that, very 

 soon after such a girl comes into the house (or 

 at least it is the case with some of thern), you 

 must put a lock and key on every thing in 

 the shape of eatables that you are not ready 

 to give away, my heart rises up in rebellion. 

 While I was in the South I was told repeated- 

 ly that these people steal, and tell lies about 

 it, to such an extent that nobody expects any 

 thing different. I thought it could not be 

 true ; but I have been forced to admit that 

 these girls are bringing at least a little of this 

 fashion into the North. Worse still, many of 

 them do not seem to think that such coiiduct 

 is inconsistent with a profession of religion 

 or a member of the church. May God help 

 us, and may he help them. When the matter 

 is submitted to me, over and over again I have 

 to say, "Lord, help me to realize and to re- 

 member that Jesus died for them, every one of 

 them ; and for this reason, if for no other, 

 help me to be wise and careful and patient." 



Dear friends, when we are moved by the 

 missionary spirit, and think that God is call- 

 ing us to foreign lands, shall we not remem- 

 ber that Africa is here ? Yes, in one sense it 

 is here in America, to our sorrow ; and yet you 

 know we have his precious promise that even 

 the wrath of man shall be made to praise 

 him. 



Well, now, friends, if I should stop right 

 here my conscience would trouble me for fear 

 I have been a little too hard on the colored 

 people ; and therefore I shall take pleasure in 

 calling your attention to something bright — 

 yes, bright and glorious — opening up for them 

 and for ourselves as well — at least T bope so. 



Some time ago somebody away (^ff across 

 the water (I think it must have been a mis- 

 sionary, but I can not remember jnst now), 

 asked us to procure for him a book called 



