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8
The Commoner.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 21
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VfaML2w
Conducted
ttfelen Watts Mcft
Depa
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After the Fourth f July.
Wo put him to bed in his little night
gown, The worst battered youngster thero
was jn the town;
Yet he said, as he opened his only
wholo eye,
" 'Rah, 'Rah, for the jolly old Fourth
of July."
Two thumbs and eight fingers with
lint were tied up,
On his head was a bump like an upside-down
cup;
And his mouth was distorted, his nose
all awry
From the joys of the glorious Fourth
of July.
Wo wore glad; he had started abroad
with the sun,
All day he had lived in the powder
and fun,
While the boom of the cannon roared
up to'tho sky,
To salute Young America's Fourth of
July.
I said we were glad all the pieces were
thero,
As we plastered and bound them with
tenderest care;
But out of the wreck came the words,
with a sigh,
"I wish 'at tomorrow was Fourth of
July."
He will grow all together again,
never fear,
And be ready to celebrate freedom
next year;
Meanwhile, all his friends aro most
thankful thero lies
A crackerless twelvemonth 'twixt
Fourth of Julys.
Wo kjssed him good-night on his
powder-specked face,
Wo laid his bruised hands softly down
In their place,
And he murmured, as sleep closed his
one open eye,
1 wisht ever' day wuz the Fourth of
July." selected.
Farm Sanitation.
The article given below "was sent to
mo, with the request that it be given
space in the Home Department, hon
ing thereby to awaken interest in a
subject which vitally concerns so largo
a portion of our readers. The evils
referred to exist even in the oldest
settled par.ts of our country, as well as
the newest. In this, as in other things,
we becomo familiarized with customs
that havo always prevailed and, even
-while we recognize the disastrous ef
fects, wo allow ourselves to become
blinded to the dancers which menape
us. We keep our conscience comfort
able by not contemplating them. Here
ifl the note of warning:
"The cleansing of the farm homes
and the preservation of the most val
uable manures made upon the farms
are subjects that should engage the
attention of all who live in the coun
try or till the soil. The actual condi
tion of at least too many of our farm
homes is very much as follows: Not
far from the kitchen door Is a gontle
declivity leading often to a basin
like pool near at hand, down which
thero flows an almost perennial stream
of whitened slops, containing all man
ner of soapy water and similar liquid
wastes that cannot be turned to prof
itable account in the hog-pen. Some
times a drain has been made to con
vey these slops a rod or two further
away from the house, thero to accum
ulate as before, fllllng the soil and
air with offonsive smells, and acting
as breeding-places for myriads of
flies.
"In many homes, the praiseworthy
desire to save steps for the over
worked housewife has reduced the ac
commodations for all manner of lin-
uid waste to the least that is possible
in all the bedrooms, and water, even
for washing, is little used on the up
per floors. The usual method of get
ting rid of that little is to throw it
out at the window, suggestive stains
discoloring the sides of the house be
neath the window, especially of rooms
used by the men.
"At the bottom of the garden, or in
some other inconvenient place, stands
a temple of ill-fame -the common
garden house for the accommodation
of the establishment, covering a vault
of more or less depth, from the ac
cumulation of which thero arises,
especially in hot weather, the vilest
air to which yie human senses have
learned to accommodate themselves.
The name, "night-soil fever," has been
given to typhoid fever, so directly has
this night-soil been proven to be one
very active cause of the disease. From
the breathing of these roul emana
tions arising from decaying organic
filth may be traced many of the most
pestilent and fatal epidemics of our
times. In the cities there are few
sources so .prolific of death and dis
ease as the dreaded sewer-gas; but in
the farm home the deadly effect of the
same, though more limited, cause is
regarded as "the workings of Provi
dence." Rather let us cry out against
it as the natural result of improvi
dence and criminal neglect.
"Not only do these matters of which
we speak: exert their injurious effects
upon the air we breathe, but in cer
tain cases, by infllteratlon of their
liquids through a porous soil, make
their way into the wells and springs
from which are drawn the water for
drinking and cooking purposes. It is
a singular fact that water thus con
taminated is often peculiarly clear,
sparkling and pleasant to the taste,
as the soil, while it retains all foul
ness perceptible to the senses, has no
eitecc on tne insidious poison itself.
"Much might be said. In its nrnnpr
place, about the economical side of
the question, as careful estimates put
the value of this wasted fertilizer ma
terial at not less than ?50,000,000 an
nually in this country alone, but the
greater question of health and com
fortoven the lives of our farm fam
ilies, far outwoighs any monetary con
sideration which might well be advo
cated, and it is to this side of the sub
ject wo would most earnestly call the
attention of our people.
more aro various remedies that
might easily and Inexpensively be ap
plied, any one of these, intelligently
managed, is a successful means of dis
poslng of all offensive waste matters
usually allowed, on the farm, to go on
contaminating the very fountains of
life itself, amid conditions which
should bo the most ideally sanitary
Country people should be the most
healthy people on earth, but are
they?"
'Fourth of July."
Independence Day is generally given
over to notey explosives, sulphurous
smolls, military music, patriotic ora
tions, the singing of Hail Columbia,
Star Spangled Banner, and wonderful
fire works, in the midst of which pan
demonium. Yountr Amnrfnn fofo t,i.
self blown un with unwdor fnm n ,.
by explosives, mutilated by reckless
use of firearms, shatters delicate peo
ple's nerves, and occasionally makes
accidental bonfires of valuable prop
erty. In view of the wnolesale wreck
age of the small boy, the deafening
noise, smoke, smells, and lamentable
mishaps often occurring to the grown
ups, the mother who lives in torment
while the small boy is getting in his
fun, and the elders engaged in pick
ing up the pieces, is apt to indulge in
the unpatriotic regret that Cornwallis
did not win the victory and done with
it. But, of course, she would not
dare "say the regret out loud," lest
the "stern rebuke" would be stren
uously dealt out to her by those who
never indulge in the weakness of
nerves.
n
ilonnt Mellick Embroidery.
Mount Mellick embroidery is an old
accomplishment of the ladies of Ire
land. It is said to have originated in
a convent near Mount Mellick, Ire
land, from which it received its name.
It differs from ordinary embroidery
only in the great variety of stitches
used, there being really no new
stitches pertaining to it alone. Hea
vy stitches and much raised work en
ter largely into the most elaborate
pieces. Colors are much used, but
all-white is much daintier, and the
work may be done with either linen or
silk floss. Colors are used for stand
and cushion covers, and for the cen
ters of dinner tables after the cloth
is removed.
A wide latitude is allowed when se
lecting stitches for the work, any
fanciful stitch being appropriate, but
taste should be exercised in order to
decide on those most fitted'to the var
ious parts of the design. The French
knot, chain, coral, satin, button-hola,
out-line, blanket, bullion, lace, herring-bone,
. brier, darning, feather
stitch and -couching stitches aro all
desirable, provided they are tastefully
arranged. Shading, in the usual sense,
is out of place in this style of em
broidery, though a disposal of vari
ous shades to be used may be so
made as to give a more pleasing ef-
iect man tne use of one shade only.
Where more than one kind of stitch
is used in a given space, one may bo
lighter than the other.
Query Bex..
Agnegs. As the wedding is to take
place late in the fall, smooth cloth
would bo in better taste for the wed
ding dress than silk, and certainly
more useful. If the wedding is to take
place in a church, hat and gloves
would be necessary, but for an In
formal home wedding, these may be
omitted.
Housewife. Two or three coats of
oil, well rubbed in, will give a nice
tone, as well as artistic finish to your
kitchen walls. Oiled walls will turn
dark in time. If you wish, add a lit
tle varnish to the oil, which will make
it easier to scrub. Coloring may bo
used a touch of forest-oak-green
stain in th nil win jrVQ i ,
Unless you have had some experience
it would bo well to lot some practical
painter mix your color for you
"Elderly Woman." To obtain a
more general culture than you now
possess, a wide reading of the best
periodicals of the day, good books
scientific, biographical, historical, of
travel, and upon the live questions of
the day, will benefit you more than
a course of study with some "corre
spondence school." Give to your read
ing the same close attention that vou
would to the conversation of a friend
and make yourself familiar with all
sides of the question; note style, did
tion, and exprc.Mon, etc., of the best
authors, and compare your own with
them. Learn to think. Reading
without thinking absorbing, assimi
lating, making your own, will not aid
you.
Young Mother. Don't begin by
rocking the baby to sleep. It sounds
very pretty in "song ana story," but
in real life, it will work hardship upon
you, if, as you say, you "must be
your own servant" Have as regular
hours as possible for him; see that
he is comfortable, with appetite ap
peased, dry napkin, warm feet and
then lay him in a rockerless crib in
a quiet, darkened room while yet
awake, and train him to go to sleep
without further care rrom yourself.
When he awakens, give him the re
quired attention, lay him back in his
crib, and let him learn to amuse him
self. You've no idea how nicely he
can do it Don't Cake him up every
time he whines. You will soon learn
to Interpret his Settings. Begin his
education now.
Student I think the reason a "man
stays young longer than a woman"
does is that the man does not think
his education Is finished with his
school days. Men cannot afford to
stand still, mentally; they realize thar,
to keep in the race at all, they must
keep the mind awake, alert; must
observe, compare, philosophize, learn
ing how to run as they go. Then, in
the very nature of things, their life
outlook is broader, and their mingling
with other minds a-matter of neces
sity, and these things help to keep
their minds alive and growing. It is,
in most instances, more the monotony,
the never-endingness of little, oft-recurring
duties of an almost unvarying
sameness, and her lack of interests
OUtside Of herself. whlTi nirna n ran.
man beyond her years.
L.nariey. No, it 1b nothing against
a boy's manliness that he "want's to
look nice. Everybody likes a nice
looking boy, and because a boy has
to earn his living by hard work is no
reason he should neglect his person,
his clothes, or his manners. Just keep
yourself as neat as you can, my boy,
and when off duty, look nice as your
means will allow. Respect your self,
and command respect from others.
Remember, that however neat the out
side may be, the Inside of the boy must
be Clean, too. Yon nnnrinf nmrn
moral impurity it will "show
miuugn."
Mrs. N. E. For persimmon beer,
wash and mash the fruit; to every
gallon of pulp, add two of water; press
through a sieve; then strain through
a thin cheese-cloth; put in a barrel or
earthen-ware jar, according to quan
tity; tie in a piece of cheese-cloth one
cake of good, live yeast and drop in
the liquid; if you make a small quan
tity, USe less veast: nrm rnlro f rmn1
yeast is enough for a half-barrel. Keep
a thin cloth tied over the barrel.
A Child' Rights.
I have just read an article from the
!rtn LW W" Adnson, the New
l nought leadfir. whinh a an f,,n
, ...v.ji iu aj lull , Ul
strong common sense that I wish -I
might give you the whole article, but
must content myself by copying a few
DaraerranliH nniv oi,t- L j.t.
w , . . """ "yeaning ui LUO
race suicide" question, he says:
Regarding 'race suicide,' I have no
word to offer in adverse criticism, buD
the suggestion merely touches upon
one phase of It; and there are other
and more subtle forms of Injury to tho
race being Inflicted every day by
ignorant and unthinking people in all
valks of life. To me it seems a ques
tion of quality, rather than quantity
not more children, but better ones.
'Every child has a right to be we'll-'
born to be loved into being. ."When
one considero the thoughtless, care-
.''
jESss
SSBS!
