"The bringing up of the coal for the steam boiler is to be divided among
you. I will give each her share of it to do as equally as I can. If any
one of you thinks she is doing more than belongs to her, rightfully,
make no talk about it, but come directly to me, and I will see that it
is made right."
My first object was to lead the women to make me the central, regulating
power, in the kitchen, so that I could reduce the chaotic state of
affairs to something like order.
"In a week," I said to the Deputy that day, "I hope to get something
like order established."
"I will give you a month to get the run of things."
"You want the meals well cooked, and promptly passed out at the time;
the place kept quiet and clean."
"That is what we want."
"Be patient, and in a week or two we shall arrive at that."
"I shall find no fault till I see occasion."
That night, after the work was done, I called them all around me, and
told them they would find me kind and pleasant, if they were obedient.
If they were not, they would surely find themselves in trouble, because
it was a part of my duty to make them obey, and it must be done by the
rules of the institution; I could not change them. I saw that their work
was hard; but I would make it as easy as possible. The work was there,
and they were put there to do it. The more willingly they undertook it,
the easier it would go off. If they tried to help themselves, I would
help them.
They all assented, and thus we made a compact to be kind to each other.