Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled During Her Visit Among the "Pennsylvania Germans"Thomas, Edith May Bertels
General
Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled During Her Visit Among the "Pennsylvania Germans"
Thomas, Edith May Bertels
Cookbooks; Cooking -- Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania -- Social life and customs; Pennsylvania Dutch
"Well, if you want to know," replied the irate domestic, 'I'll tell
you. He called me a 'servant.' I know I'm only a working girl, but
your son nor nobody else ain't got no right to abuse me by callin' me
a 'servant'."
"Ah! I see. You object to the term 'servant' being applied to you,"
said the Professor, comprehendingly. "The word 'servant' is
distasteful to you. You feel it is a disgrace to be called a servant.
I see! I see!" In a fatherly way, the old man resumed: "In a certain
sense we are all servants. The history of human achievements is a
record of service. The men and women who have helped the world most
were all servants--servants to humanity. The happiest man is he who
serves. God calls some men to sow and some to reap; some to work in
wood and stone; to sing and speak. Work is honorable in all,
regardless of the capacity in which we serve. There is no great
difference, after all, between the ordinary laborer and the railroad
president; both are servants, and the standard of measurement to be
applied to each man is the same. It is not so much a question of
station in life as it is the question of efficiency. Best of all, work
is education. There is culture that comes without college and
university. He who graduates from the college of hard work is as
honorable as he who takes a degree at Yale or Harvard; for wisdom can
be found in shop and foundry, field and factory, in the kitchen amid
pots and kettles, as well as in office and school. The truly educated
man is the man who has learned the duty and responsibility of doing
something useful, something helpful, something to make this old world
of ours better and a happier place in which to live. The word
'servant,' Sibylla, is a beautiful one, rightly understood. The
greatest man who ever lived was a servant. All His earthly ministry
was filled with worthy deeds. When man pleaded with Him to rest, He
answered: 'My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.' When one of
Christ's followers desired to express the true nature of his work and
office, he called himself a servant. He used a word, 'doulos,' which
means, in the Greek language, a slave or a bond-servant. By the word
'doulos' he meant to say that his mission in life was to work, to do
good, to serve. This man was a great preacher, but it is possible for
any one to become a 'doulos' in so far as he is willing to serve God
and his fellowman. You see, Sibylla, the spirit of Christian work and
brotherly love is the spirit of 'doulos.' The word has been
transformed by service and unselfish devotion to duty. Great men who
have blessed the world, and good and noble women who have helped to
uplift humanity, have done it through service. It is just as honorable
to bake well, and cook well, and to do the humblest daily tasks
efficiently, as it is to play well on the piano and talk fluently
about the latest books."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account