Washing Clothes

Dear Fellow Seminarians:

I received a recipe for washing clothes from a friend, via e-mail. The point was to help us reflect on "how good we have it," with our automatic washing machines, and by extension, other labor saving devices.

The price of oil has continued dropping steadily as a unit of human labor for many decades now. We Christians know that God expects us to work. Our entitlement society has grown a fairly large segment of idle people, in addition to a fairly protected class of workers in public unions.

In the past, work was not optional, in the sense that it is today. If you are homeless for a year, that greatly aids your application for psychological disability. Food comes more easily now, from the Green Revolution of the 1940's. We can get fat with less effort. With all of our free time, we have a duty to make our own work, and the work of prayer and fasting is perhaps one of the best usages of our time.

Love, Nathaniel

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"Washing Clothes Recipe"

Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe:

This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook - spelling errors and all.

WASHING CLOTHES
Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.
Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.
Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
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Paste this over your washer and dryer the next time when you think things are bleak, read it again, kiss that washing machine and dryer, and give thanks… First thing each morning you should run and hug your washer and dryer. For you non-southerners - wrench means, rinse.