Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 October 1892 — Offensively Prudish. [ARTICLE]

Offensively Prudish.

There is very little probability that the play written by an American lady, which the English Examiner of Plays has refused to license, contains anything either “gross or coarse, indecent or indelicate,” although the Examiner affirms that it does. The fussy personage who says what shall and what shall not be played in Great Britain is very arbitrary and has made some huge mistakes in his day. Perhaps this insolent accusation of an American woman may turn out one of the greatest of them. As for grossness and indelicacy, everybody knows that English audiences will stand language and allusions which would not be tolerated here. A very old-fashioned but most effectual way to clean a carpet is to rub it thoroughly with a cloth dipped in one part of oxgall and three parts or water, taking care not to wet the carpet more than is absolutely necessary. Not only will this treatment remove stains but it will revive color. The oxgall is, however, most malodorous stuff, and in order 1 to avoid the atrocious smell it is better, if possible, to carry on the process in the open air. It takes at least twenty-four hours to get rid of the smell. To wait too long for any guest is a rudeness toward those who have arrived punctually.