Minnehaha and Winnie Peg

By H.B.C.

IME has cast a halo of romance about the life of
Minnehaha wife of Hiawatha, but in reality hers must
have been a drab and dull routine of heavy manual
labor.

Compare her daily existence with that of modern

Mrs. Winnie Peg; who may be considered as an aver-
age home-keeper of our city...

Roused by a peremptory command from her lord and
master, Minnehaha drags her protesting limbs from her rabbit-
skin couch and sweeps out her wigwam with a bundle of twigs.

Mrs. Winnie Peg, on the other hand, through the medium
of an electric vacuum cleaner and an electric floor polisher,
keeps every room in her house spotless with a minimum of
effort.

Next, Minnehaha, who has long ago ceased to indulge in
the musical laughter for which she was once famous, sets about
the arduous task of preparing breakfast.

Rain or shine she must gather twigs and bark and carefully
light a fire and then watch over it with tender solicitude, for
Hiawatha likes his deer steaks done “just so”.

Mrs. Winnie Peg has no such worries. Blithely she pops
the food into her electric range, sets the thermostat so that
the meal will be exactly cooked at the desired time, snaps on
a switch, and goes out with no further worry.

Perhaps Hiawatha in pursuing some furry denizen of the
north woods has tripped over a deadfall and falling headlong,
has soiled his buckskin shirt and moccasins - - Minnehaha shud-
ders at the sight. She must prepare hot water or take the
garments to the nearest brook or pond, and there with infinite
labor, done with her own sunburned hands, restore them to
their pristine freshness.

Mrs. Winnie Peg, however, easily accomplishes her weekly
washing by means of her electric washer with hot water from
her electric water heater. When dry, her washing is ironed
with her convenient and clean electric iron.

Minnehaha cannot keep her meat fresh in summer because
of the burning sun and swarming flies. Therefore she has
to perform the arduous task of drying the meat and pounding
it into pemmican.

Mrs. Winnie Peg rests assured that her food is fresh and
safe to eat because it is kept in her electric refrigerator which
preserves eatables at the correct temperature to prevent
spoiling. :

At night Minnehaha stumbles across the rough ground, with
a flickering smoky torch for a guide, but the home of Mrs.
aways Peg is brightly and pleasingly illuminated with electric
ights.

Instead of spending her days in drudgery as did Minnehaha
Mrs. Winnie Peg enjoys the comforts, safety and help made
possible by her electrical servants and can spend her spare
time in the companionship of friends, in the study of books and
in healthful sports.

Some say that romance is dead. “Thank goodness,” Mrs.
Winnie Peg declares “If that was romance give me the hum-
drum life of our modern, electrical age.”

et

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