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The Commoner.
VOLUME 5, NUMBER 20
"Only A Song"
It was oiily a slmplo ballad,
Sung to a careless throng;
There were none who know the singer,
And few cared for the song.
Yot the voice w:s sweet and tender
As the call of a woodland bird:
Strange, that it woke no echo
In the hearts of those that heard.
She sang of the wandTous glory
That touches the world in spring,
Of tho strange, soul-stirring voices
When "tho hills break forth and
sing."
Of the thousand sounds commingling
To usher the dawn of day;
And the hush hung o'er the valleys
In peace of tho gloaming gray.
And one in a distant corner
A woman, worn with strife
Heard in tho song a message
From tho springtime of her life.
Fair forms rose up before her,
From tho mist of vanishod years;
She sat, o'erwhelmed with mem'ries,
Her eyes were veiled with tears.
Then, when the song was ended,
And hushed the last sweet tone,
The listener rose in silence
And went her way alone.
Once more to her life of labor
She passed ; but her heart was strong,
As sho prayed, "God bless the singer,"
And sho thanked God fcr tho song.
Selected.
Our Home Chat
with the lower grades, and thus comes
"bad luck" in tho pantry, at the least,
and often tho time, as well as the
money invested, in wasted by the fruit
spoiling in tho jars.
Tho best . utensils for "putting top"
time, is tho porcelain-lined kettle; the
next best, for preserving at least, is '
the yciiow-waro tnat win stana me
fire. Brass may be used if it is kept
perfectly clean, and nothing allowed
to stand in it, but not for pickling, as
if one is careless, -'iegars create a
poison by contact with brass. A wide
shallow vessel is better than a deep
one, a wooden spoon bought or home
made, to stir with, and great care to
prevent possible scorching. Before
beginning, everything should be in
readiness and at hand.
will not keep. To test, drop a little
on a cold plate; if it coagulatos, it
is done.
After a little experience, it is easy
to tell by the way the boiling juice
drops from the skimmer. When it
riins around the edge and falls in only
two or three places in thick, wide
drops, it is done. If it drips in only
one place, it must boil longer.
Fruit Jams
From Eureka Springs, Ark. I am
sending you my greeting, this week.
For a little season, my work will be
done here, in a tiny cottage hung
birdcage-wise on the face of tho moun
tain in the shadow of these wonderful
hills, and then I hope to go back to
my home greatly rofreshed.
Even here, where the maior
thought seems to live the butterfly life
of the hour, people are prone to think
of the hard, every-day duties which
alone make life livable. What is it
Owen Meredith says about living with
out everything else, if only the cook
be spared to us? Well, it is so here,
and the housewife is busy canning,
preserving, pickling, nutllne away for
tho comforts of the "evil days," the
product of the garden f.9ld and or
chard. Here, as elsewhere, people
must eat.
It is a pity wo cannot gather our
fruits and vegetables from tho gar
dens and orchards instead of from tho
commission house or tho huckster.
wagon. If the first were our .privilege,
we should gather only, in the morning,
- only when fully ripe i out the least
taint of over-ripeness; we should
bring our vegetables in fresh and
crisp; we should not gather immedi
ately after a rain, or on a damp,
cloudy day; for in these cases, the
danger of mildew is great, and Lhe
fruit will bo less finely flavored. We
would not use imperfect, half-ripe or
over-ripe fruit, and nothing but- the
best and freshest would hn. "n-nori
enough" for putting -ay. We would
not gather more than wo could put up
in one day, lest standing over night
would impair the flavor, even if it did
no worse. And we should put up such
quantities, using ihem in all ways of
preserving for winter se if we could
have them of our own.
But when one-must buy both fruit
and vegetables, unless tl.e high grades
aro afforded-1-and that means a great
ly augmented pricethey are never ao
good, and in counting tho cost of all
things, one feels tempted to put up
Jams are made either with large
fruits cut in small pieces, or with the
small fruits whole. 7" fruit should
always be boiled in water before the
sugar is added, but it must not be too
thick, or it will scorch almost at once,
and so be entirely spoiled. Acid
fruits require more than pound for
pound, else they will not keep at all.'
In putting up jams it is better to use
small glasses, as this prevents the
frequent opening that may spoil a
larger quantity before it can be used.
If paraffin is melt-d and poured on
tho tops of jellies and jams, after they
are cold, there wi". be no necessity for
the troublesome method of cutting pa
pers to fit, and dipping them in brandy
or alcohol. The paraffin may be melt
ed and used any numbers of times,
and a pound costs about twenty cents.
For Making Jellies
Fruit for jell.- should bo gathered
just before it is f"lly rine; else it will
not make perfect and clear jelly. Also
when a- sweet fruit, like tho straw
berry and the pear, is used, 'always;
uuu ouuic very suur juice; say sour
apple or red currant A third apple
lo iwo-unrus neacn mice "tfmirGs rr
fine combination, and the sairie prohor
tions of raspberries and currants re
spectively are good. ' Crab apples jelly
readily, but I always add n'tevt slices
or lemon, to correct the slightly in
sipid flavor.
Swamp huckleberries and the low
growing blackberry both make delight
ful jelly; so do the quince and green
grapes. Large fruits should be cut
into small pieces and barely enough
water to prevent burning Is needed in
making jelly. Cover the kettle closely
and boil very slowly until the fruit is
perfectly soft. The jolly bag is best
made of flannel, but a bag cf cheese
cloth will do. If the juice is allowed
to drip, and but little squeezing is
done, the jelly will be quite clear
enough for all purnoses. unless it in
to compete for a premium at a fair..
men it need bo only the juice that
drips readily that is used; any that re
mains may be utilized ,for the next
and home use. Measure the inW
after dripping, and allr t cup for cup
except for quinces, where only three
quarters to tho pound of sugar need
be allowed. Put the juico to boil and
allow twenty minutes after it mmna
to the boil, skimming well. It should
not boil hard at any time, but steadily
Have tho sugar rea.' - heated, and add
gradually to tho boiling juice, stirring
constantly. When it comes to a boil
again it is ready to pour into glasses.
which should be hot and dry.
Jelly that is boiled too long will bo
discolored and the flavor will he in.
jUred. If it iS not boiled nnmirfc If
For The Hair
For a good shampoo mixture, lay a
cake of the purest vegetable oil soap
in a vessel, and pour over it one pint
of soft, boiling water; stir until a good
lather is formed. Take out the cake
of soap and, if the hair is very oily,
add one teaspoonful of bicarbonate of
soda, but under no circumstances use
ammonia or powdered borax. Wash
the scalp and hair thoroughly in this
shampoo mixture while it is still warm,
and rinse in warm water. Do not rinse
in cold water, as the sudden change in
temperature is bad for both scalp and
hair. If the hair is very dry, a tea
spoonful of sweet almond oil may be
added to the last rinsing in water.
Hair which is thin, dry, and breaks
easy should not be washed with soap
oftener than twice in three months.
The yolk of an egg well-beaten and
applied in the same manner as you
would use soap will cleanse the hair
and scalp and leave the hair soft and
glossy. Thin hair, if falling out,
should be combed very gently. After
washing with the egg as above men
tioned, rinse thoroughly with clear
warm water, then with co'ol (not cold)
water to which a teaspoonful of bay
rum has been added.
Before retiring at night, loosen the
hair and rub the scalp very gently
with the tips of the fingers wet in cool
salty water- teaspoonful to a nint.
This acts as a tonic and.- stimulant to
the roots. After this rub a very little
pure vaseline into the scalp, parting
the hair, for a couple of weeks, .then
apply only two or thrcj times weekly,
to start a new growth of hair, and
Keep it sort
A fine tonje-to follow the above
treatment is made of one pint of bay
rum, tincture cantharides one drachm;
castor oil one ounce: resoreln nne
drachm; mix well, and rub well into
tne roots of the hair three times a
week until a good growth is estab
lished, and the hair seems to be in a
good, healthy condition.
of the detested bugs, thin and gray
from its paper diet, but ready to begin
business as soon as possible, it 3
needless to say its life was shortened
Another lady told mo of having
brought one into her ". ouse in a bundle
of papers: , .received at the postoffice.
One of our readers tells me to warn
our 'home" folks that they may get a
supply fr6in the public library, and
another tells of getting hers on tho
street car. They will come in on the
garments of visitors whose hat or
wrap may be laid on the bed, or tho
guests may have brought one or moro
in on her clothing, whether from her
own home, or from some place iq
has visited.
One of our readers sends a few lines
from Georgia, which I think will bene
fit some one, and I return thanks for
his kindness. It is worth trying. Hero
it is:
"There is scarcely anything in tho
Home Department that will confer a
greater blessing on the housekeeper
than to make kno.vn methods for the
elimination of. the bedbug from one's
house. The thorough scalding of the
bed and bedroom in the spring is tho
way to start the war, or it may jo
done at any time; then watch the
joints of the bedstead, the corners of
your mattress, and any fold in tho
bedding. Wet these places well with a
good embalming fluid, putting it on in
the morning and shutting up the room,
keeping it closed all day the closing
not necessary, but best. At night, air
your room before using it. It is tho
most effective thing I ever knew fn
the doing away with the pests. I
think it is perfectly harmless to tho
human subject, used in' this way. Tho
solution of corrosive sublimate recom
mended does not begin to compare
with it for this purpose."
. The writer, who signs M. D. after hi3
name, also endorses the use of cor
rosive sublimate and witch hazel for
itching scalp, but thinks it not harm
ful to use even if one has an abrasion
or scratch on the hands as surgeons,
he states, recommend its use for cuts,
and themselves wash "large cut sur
faces in a solution of corrosive sub
limate. He recommends that either
the fluid of the solution shall be freely
applied to free the house from tho
pests.
One who has a large experience in
preparing rented houses for incoming
tenants strongly recommends the fu
migating with sulphur, and plenty of
it. It will free the house, and any
thing contained in it, if properly used.
Floors should be well scalded with hot
water containing plenty of carbolic
acid. Now is tho time to exercise duo
vigilance. For obvious reasons, wo
do not publish the name of the fluid
he recommends, L -t the reader c i
have it, if wanted.
"Line Upon Line"
"Eternal vigilance" is the price of
more things than liberty, and it be
hooves the housewife to be always on
the alert in order to circumvent such
foes of the household comfort as the
pest of the sleeping apartments. In
hot weather, such as we are having
now, and will continue to have for
sometime to c6me, this vile creature
multiplies with exceeding rapidity, un
less one is watchful. The very few
wui. uve escaped the spring house
cleaning can soon stock the whole
premises, if they are not now routed
from their hiding places. No one can
be absolutely sure that their bedrooms
uru iree Irom them for any length of
time, for they are not particular as to
their mode of travelling rather tak
ing every opportunity to make a
change of residence. Not long ago,
returning from a visit to a large de
partment store, where I had purchased
two paper, patterns, I tossed my pur
cJ,ase on my desk, when I saw some
thing hastening away from the pack
ago as fast as it could go, and on
looking closely, I found it to be one
Query Box
N. F. Sent your answer by mail.
Sara H. See answer to your in
quiry in issue of June 16.
"Vista." Think you can get tho in
formation regarding keeping weavels
out of peas by applying to secretary of
agriculture, Washington. D. C. For
recipe, see "Requested Recipes."
Mason R. To disinfect the drain,
take copperas, one-fourth pound and
dissolve in a gallon of water ana poiu
into the drain occasionally, as needed,
and it will keep sweet. Half a pound
of chloride of lime to a gallon of water
will have the same effect. Either is
cheap.
"Economy." For sealing bottles
with wax, melt eight ounces of bees
wax and four ounces of rosin in a
vessel placed on the back of the sloo;
stir until well mixed. Put the corKS
into the filled bottles and press them
BETTER THAN SPANKING
Spanking does not onro children of bod wottln.
If It did therowould bo few children that wonW"
Summers, Box 118, Notre Dame, lnd will B0" "r.
lis
uumo tremnieni 10 any moinor. one "' ;' ,j,
nuiouoriouay nyour cuuaron iruum " ., it
Tray. Don't blame the child. The chances n,ta
can't help It.