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The Commoner.
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2.
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Mld-Wintor.
All day tho gusty north-wind boro t
Tho loosened dirt Its breath before;
Low-circling round Its southern zone;
Tho sun through dazzling snow-mist
shone.
No church bell lout Its Christian tono
To tho savago air; no social smoke
Ourlod ovor woods o snow-hung oak;
A solitudo mado more Intense
By droary volc-ed elements
Tho shrlolcing of tho mindless wind,
Tho moaning tree-boughs swayiug
blind,
And on the glass tk' unmeaning beat
Of Khostly finger-tips of sleet.
Boyond tho circle of bur hearth
No welcome sound of toil or mirth
Unbound tho spoil, and testified
Of human life and thought outside.
"Wo minded that tho sharpest ear
Tlb 'buried brooklot could not hear,
Which, In our lonely life had grown
To havo almost a human tone.
As night drow on, and, from the crest
Of wooded knolls that ridged tho west,
Tho sun, a show-blown traveler, .sank
Prom sight beneath tho smothering
bank,
"Wo piled with caro our nightly stack
Of wood, against tho chimney back
Tho oaken log, green, huge and thick,
And on ltd top tho stout back-stick;
Tho knotty forestick laid apart,
And filled between with curious art
Tho ragged brush; thon, hovering near,
Wo watched tho first rod blazo appeal;
k Hoard' tho sharp crackle, caught tho
' . gloam
On whitewashed wall and sagging
beam,
Until tho old, rudo-furnishod room
Burst, flowor-liko, into rosy bloom.
While radiant with a mimic flame
. Outside tho sparkling drift became,
.. And through tho baro-boughod lilac
tree Our own warm hearth scorned blazing
froo.
Shut In from all tho world without,
..Wo sat tho clean-winged 'hearth about,
.Content to let tho north-wind roar
. In baffled rago at pane and door,
While tho rod logs before us beat
Tho frost-lino back with tropic heat;
And ovor, when a louder blast
. Shook beam and rafter as it passed,
. Tho merrier up its roaring draught
Tho great throat of tho chimney
laughed.
. The house-dog, on his paws outspread,
about it I have raised several famil
ies, and have been an earnest worker
all my life, and only after years of
ill-health did I realize how very fool
ish I had been. The mother of very
young children thinks she cannot
possibly spare the time; something
will happen to the babies if she re
mits for an Instant, her vigilance.
Well, "something" will be pretty apt
to "happen," not only to them, but
to herself, if she does not. Not evon
a machine can work always under
high1 pressure without giving way in
some parts. A spell o sicimess win
surely overtake her, and, It may bo,
that she may bo taken away from
them.
0 0
One of the ways by which to get the
half hour is to learn to let some
things go undone, or let 'some one else
do them. Look over your list of
"must bo's," and cross out any that
may bo dispensed with. Begin the
I morning by getting all tho help you
can it may be only a few steps, but
get somebody else to take them. Let
tho men and children do all they will,
and then lead them to do a little, more.
You will bo surprised how many steps
oven a four or five-year-old baby can
take "to help mamma," and it will be
fun for the little ono. Have a chair
or stool in tho kitchen, and slJ down
to do everything you can. If possible,
havo a plain lounge or cot in the
kitchen, and don't hesitate to lie down
on it every chance you get. Hayo it
understood that'll is for your own
use, and allow no one not even the
gude mon, to rob you of this right.
0 0
Give your family, plain, simple food,
dispense with fancy dishes, and try to
get tho most of your cooking done in
the morning. Have your meals strict
ly on time, whether you get 'all you
wanted cooked or not. Wo all eat too
much, any way; simple food is far
tho most healthful. Remember, the
greatest help in the house is, as ev
erywhere else, simple common sense.
It is getting to be quite the fashion
to simplify. Let the little ones wear
plain dark clothes,,, and do not be a
slave to the Ironing board. Think
plan, and act for yourself; a provi
sional program, and practical com
mon sense is far better than "sys
tem." Find out just how much you
can do without making yourself "a
bundle of nerves' and don't trv to
do anything more. Take all the short-
health and the state of one's vitality.
Here are the recipes, many of them
strongly recommended:
With a nasal sprayer, costing per
haps fifty cents, use a treatment
mado of Siler's solution, which, is a
standard preparation to be procured
at any drug-store, and ten cents worth
Qhnniri inst von six months. The
druggist will tell you how to prepare
the spray. The nasal sprayer may
also be had of most druggists.
This treatment is said never to fail
of benefit: Boiled linseed oil, one
ounce; oil of tar, half ounce; tincture
golden seal, forty drops; oil of sassa
fras, twenty drops; tincture of mul
lein, one-fourth ounce; tincture' of
wild cherry, one-fourth ounce. Put
altogether In a two-ounce bottle and
shake well before using. Take a
small wire and bend a short loop on
one end. wrap cotton on this, dip it
Laid to tho firo his drowsy head; cuts you can, and if you see any pos
Tho cat's dark silhouette on the wall
A oouchant tigor seemed to fall;
And, for tho winter fireside meetf
Between tho andirons' straddling feet,
Tho mug of cider simmered slow,
Tho applos sputtered in a row,
And, closo at hand, tho basket stood
With nuts from brown October's wood.
What matter how the night behaved?
What mattor how tho north-wind
raved?
Blow high, blow low, not all its snow
Could quench our hearth-fire's ruddy
glow.
From Whlttior's "Snowbound."
Home Chats.
Some of our sisters ask, "How are
wo to get tho half-hour rest which
you so strongly recommend?" There
is but ono way, dear sister just take
it. If you wait for it to come to you
or if you wait to "find time," .you will
only find it when you havo worn
yourself down to a bed of sickness
andrwnon exhaustion compels you to
yiold to tho inevitable. I know all
sible chance of picking up a paper or
a book, even for a minute's reading,
just pick it up; if you read but one
sentence, it will give you something
to think of, and rest your mind.
0 0
And, dear dstors, take this comfort
to your hearts if you keep on work
ing beyond your strength you will be
giving your John a chance, bye-and-bye,
to hunt up another wife, and a
seconu mouier lor your children.
Homo Troaiment For Catarrh.
Wo get so many requests for cures
for catarrhal troubles that it may
perhaps, be well to give several rec
ommended treatments, and I would
suggest that they bo either copied, or
pasted, into your recipe book for 'fu
ture reference. At this time of year
catarrh is very prevalent. It must bo
remembered, however, that the dis
ease will return and make itself more
or les,s disagreeably manifest every
time one takes cold, and the severity
of tho disease will largely depend
uijuu mo condition of tho
in tho mixture and with it swab out
the nasal passage night and morning.
Another remedy, which is said to be
good for several things, is given: Put
a bit of sponge in a : wide-mouthed
empty bottle, and on it pour five
cents' worth each of oil of horse
radish and oil of mustard. Take the
cork partly out, when wanted to -use,
inhale a little at a time as you can
stand it; it will sting if the throat
or lungs are inflamed, but it will
cure; can be used as often as you
want to use it. For headache, Inhale
through the nostrils; it will cure In
half a minute; use as often as you
please. For weak and granulated eye
lids, take the cork, out, shut the eye,
put the mouth of the bottle over the
eye and keep it there as long as it
can be borne of course, bending the
head over the bottle, as only the aS-i
cending vapor is used. Keep tightly
corked when not in use.
If tho nasal passage is scabbed and
full of painful sores, one of the most
eixective treatments is to swab the
nostrils out as far back as possible
with carbolated vaseline a five-dent
bottle will last you a long time. It is
not painful, and if a little of it is
snuffed back into the throat, it will be
all the better. Equally as good is a
mixture of fifteen drops of carbolic
acid to announce of glycerine, well
mixed, used in the same manner as
tho ahove. The swab may be made of
any soft material, but-a bit of very
fine sponge is best The carbolic acid
is stimulating, antiseptic, and healing,
and the soothing qualities of the vasa-
line or glycerine are well known. The
effect, is immediate, and very satisfac
tory, and can be used as often as
needed.
Another remedy, which is highly
recommended by a well-known phy
sician, is a daily cleansing of the
nasal passages by the use of a douche
and a solution made of one drop of
carbolic acid to one ounce of water
using a pint of water at a time. If
this Is too strong, use twice as much
water. Wash the head out well with
was two or mree times a day. A lo
tion composed of five to ten grains of
permanganate of potash, dissolved In
a pint of water, used with the douche
as above, is also recommended.
Ask for kelp whenever you wish it:l
1 am glad to assist you.
Hattie. The first step away from
self-respect, we are told, is personal
uncleanness; tho first move toward
building up a proper pride, in man,
woman or child. Is a visit to the bath
tub. You cannot be healthy, pretty,
sensible, or eveh good, unless you aro
clean, physically, and the dishonor
is not in getting dirty, but in remain
ing 50.
Comfort. Radiators neither take in
nor drive out bad air; they, have no
element of ventillation whatever. An
open vessel containing water is there
fore not only desirable, but a neces
sity, and some means of ventillation
should be provided in a room heated
by a radiator. Living rooms should
have a temperature of 62 to 70 de-
'grees Fahrenheit. All sleeping rooms
should have plenty of sunshine.
Sister. A good substitute for a
lounging pillow, when feathers cannot
be obtained, is baked cotton batting.
Take a good quality of the batting and
pick it thoroughly apart until quite
loose; then place it in a large paper,
pinning loosely so it cannot fly around
and put it in a warm (not hot) oven,
leaving the door open, and let re
main there until quits heated
through.
Querist. The lour dollar stamp of
the Columbian series, issued ini-1893,
bore the portrait of Queen Isabella of
Spain. Martha. Washington is the only
other woman honored by our govern
ment; "her portrait is on, the eight
cent stamp, of the present series. It
is understood that ,thepostofllca de
partment will issue a set of stamps to
commemorate the St. . toiiis . exposi
tion, which opens in May.
"S. E. W. Yes, t indeed, ingrowing
toe-nail does at time,s become a seri
ous, menace to, one's life. As a treat
ment, several things are recommend
ed; one Qf the best early . treatments
is to pack tfite .corners of .the ingrow
ing nail with antiseptic cotton "and
saturate this with the tincture" of
chloride of iron. The iron acts as an
astringent and hardens the tender
granulations, deadens the pain and
stimulates the formation of healthy;
tissue; repeat three times a week
for several weeks, until the nail has
grown out, then trim straight across.
Another remedy is to pack finely pul
verized blue-stone under the ingrow
ing nail. At the first Soreness, mere
ly to pack the corner with antiseptic
cotton will answer.
Mrs. E. A. Cv For the farm wo
men who have little money and less
time, and who are yet anxious to .read
good literature and keen abreast oS
the times, I would suggest th high,
class literary monthlies as. furnishing
the best all-round, means of improve
ment. Singly, the subscription price
is from fifty cents to one dollar per
year, but in combinations, where sev
eral are offered together, tho price is
much less. Much excellent reading
matter, stories and information pn
many matters, as well as a great deaf
of instruction in the various depart
ments of the home, may also be had
in the hotter class of very cheap
monthly publications from fifteen do
twenty-fivo cents per year. A few
very desirable publications are sent
out for ten cents per year. I cannot
give addresses in this department, but
if you will send stamped, addressed
envelope I will be glad to .help you. to
some of the best of these. I will not
"forget my farm sisters." .,
Query Box.
Flower Lover. If you will watch
the advertising columns "about these
days," you will find the names of re
liable seedsmen and florists.
Little Mother. We all have to
learn, and r fully appreciate your
trials; but do not" dvo un- a ,i;
rections for making dried yeast bread
For Dried Yoast Broad.
Td mako good light bread with drjed
yeast, while getting supper, boil un
til thoroughly soft, three or four good
sized Irish potatoes, and when ready
to mash, there shbuld be fully a quart
AN OLD AND W 1CLL TRIED KJCMKDy
Mna. wiNBtowa sootmnq Strop for children
teeth ne BhouU always be uwd for children whll
general I and mince meat in another column Elna .Pi,cL 8nd ,s h0 bet remedy ror du'nhwa;
utl (,ulUffln' ' Twmtr.fiYO cents bottle. itlst&olMsrt,
m.
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