Born of the Sunbeam and the Dewdrop

WAFFLES:   Did you ever attend a church supper where, baked to a glorious brown, they were served hot from the irons and as they came steaming to your plate you could almost hear the babble of the brook and see the blue sky and the bright sunshine which entered into their making.  And then you covered them over with a layer of rich maple syrup and as your whole being responded to the delights of the palate, you could hear the song of the bob o' link and see him, swaying in the field of golden grain, while the spirit of his song bursts from its prison and steals o'er you like a tender memory from a half forgotten lullaby.  There may be other foods, born of the sunbeam and the dewdrop and glorified by the music of celestial choirs but as for us---well, pass the waffles, please.

Sometimes when I'm searching for obituaries and news articles about family in the old newspapers, other articles catch my eye.  This came from The Steubenville Herald-Star, published Saturday, February 6, 1915, in Steubenville, Ohio.  The older issues of The Herald-Star always seemed to have a few long columns of short paragraphs with news or editorials - tidbits, I call them - of which this is one.

I only occasionally print items like this because the microfilm readers available for newspapers usually print "dirty" copies.  I can't remember who I was trying to find when I found this.  I do know that my mother was not yet born, and my father would have been nearly 2, though neither of them nor their parents were in Steubenville when this was published.

With snow headed to Ohio today and tomorrow, I particularly like the imagery of this little article.  I also appreciate the chuckle I can't avoid when I read it.  (How language of newspapers changes!)  Maybe you'll want to make yourself some waffles?  I think I'll go make mine now.

Copyright © 2010 by Nancy Messier.