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The Commoner.
VOLUME 7, NUMBER U
in
IS
The Over-Running Cup
The mliilHlor rend ii chapter
bout a bountiful ctii);
Tie said It was full of blessing,
And the dear Lord heaped It up;
Up, till 11. all ran over;
Wore the very words he wild:
Out of the beautiful chapter
lie found In the book he read.
That cup (I've been unking mother,
And Hhe ways it Ih my noan;j
Is going to be big or little,
JiiHt as I do my part.
For mother HiiyH (and In such things
Your own mother always knows,)
That when I'm glad and thankful,
The cup of thanksgiving grown
A little, mean, .stingy heart-cup,
Sour and sad and dull,
Though the Lord pours out Ills bless
ings, Shrinks to a thimbleful.
So I'm going to keep thinking and
thanking,
k For God Is so good to me
Mv cup would keep running over,
Though deep as the big, blue sea.
Selected.
i Mothers and Children
One of the best arguments In favor
of few children and "far between," Is
the faetrtlmt with n family of three to
Ave,' the mother will have" time and
strength to give proper care to the
training of their minds, morals and,
manners, whereas, If she had a family
of eight to twelve, she must Inevitably
(unless of superior health and strength
of character) give up the tight and let
them come up as best (or worst) they
can. y
Vcrjs few mothers who can command-
Ho heln have the time or
strength to do well all tho various
tasks devolving on them In the mat
ter of providing for the material and
corporal wants of half a dozen "ncnrly-of-an-ngo"
children, and at the same
time train their minds and develop
their manners. Inevitably, something
must be let go, but It Is a hard mat
ter with most of us to decide just
what may be neglected. I know wo
shall hear a chorus of cries "Oil, any
thing but tho children," and that is
the feeling of every mother; but in
most cases, the children have to be
tho ones that suffer, for the demands
of food and clothing are so Insistent
ihat when these are properly attended
to, most of mothers are so exhausted
In body and brain, especially If they
be eonselentlousund feel that they
must do all they can, regardless of
their own feeling, that they are apt
to grow irritable, nervous, cross, and
nagging, and in such cases, the chil
dren, as soon as their stomachs are
illcrt and their bodies even inade
quately protected from the weather,
seek relief from what they do not un
derstand, by going out of hearing of
their mother's complaints and scold
ings, and this takes them generally
into the streets. In many instances,
the relief to the mother is as great as
to tho children, ami somehow, thov
drift apart, never to gather into close
companionship again.
I know there are some women who
can handle creditably a dozen to fif
teen children, and see them grow to
manhood and womanhood while the
mother still enjoys hearty good health;
but these are the exceptions,-the credit
of this success must bo given to the
calm temperament and good health
tiiat blessed them, rather than to their
superior minds and methods. I have
strong sympathy for the "norv
.mothers. I was one of them.
"Intending to Do"
To be always intending to do, yet
never finding time to set about it is
there anything more discouraging or
disheartening In tho end? The habit
of "just a-going to" is responsible for
much of the hard luck and unhnppl
uess of this life, and the habit of "in
tending," but never putting the inten
tions into deeds, causes more failures
in life as well as in business than any
other one cause.
Tho habit of indecision of never
really doing, but just intending to do:
is It not pitiful? Never to know tho
jvy of tasks accomplished; of work
done or steps taken; always loitering
along the valley road, and missing the
exhilaration of the climb to now
heights! How much bettor to do, and
done with It! If you have n dis
agreeable task to perform, tackle It
al once, and get it off your mind. Llow
often we worry and dread and delay
some wretched work, weakened and
distressed by the constant presence of
this bugbear to such an extent that wo
rumor, do the things that would bo a
pleasure, and wasting In miserable
procrastination hours that can nevor
1)0 regained! If our intentions arc
carried out, intending will become do
ing, and good deeds are better than
idle phi nnlngs. If you stand still,
looking across tho muddy stream and
good for the blood circulation; peas
and beans arc nutritive, and flesh
formers; cabbage, if properly cooked,
is a valuable medicine, possessing
marked anti-scorbutic virtue; carrots
are valuable for the complexion, if for
nothing else. They should be oaten
freely, cooked, or raw, every day.
These arc but a few of Nature's
wonderful, ncvor-fail remedies, and
every one who has a little piece of
ground and a bundle of persistence
and industry, can have them on most
satisfactory terms. These be the days
in which to make your bargain with
Mother Earth, and if you do your part,
be assured she will do hers. Do not
neglect to stock up the family drug
store, for by so doing, yon will save,
as well as earn, more than money.
"Tub Frocks"
All the material to bo used for tub
frocks, that is, garments that are to
be laundered repeatedly in one season,
should bo subjected to a thorough
shrinking before the material is cut.
Washable fabrics all shrink percep
tibly in the first washing, and almost
all garments in the making of which
the precaution of shrinking has not
been taken, will be found short, tight,
and scant in every direction. The pro
cess of shrinking is not difficult to ac-
rnmnHs1i. hnf V Trmt hn rlrmn Hinr-
longlng to bo over It you are, in your ouehlv in order to obtain satisfactory
heart doing the disagreeable task all 1 results.
and prevents the buttonhole-stitchinj
from pulling out.
A good way to mend torn silk shirt
waists is to get sewing silk of the right
color, separate the thread into tho
strands which compose It, and darn
tho rent with one of these strands.
Tne darning thread will be about the
sb.e and softness of the weave of tho
silk.
Jf you find it hard to run tucks iu
the gored skirt, try simulated tucks,
made by stitching bias bands where
the tucks were wanted, stitching down
only the upper edge of the b'and.
For sewing narrow lace edging on
ru'flos, put the liommer of the right
width on tlie machine and crease the
hem by sewing it-without any thread
on the machine; then smooth out tho
goods and stitch the lace flat along the
crease which is to be the bottom of
tho hem, refold, and stitch the hem
'down.
For a broken stay, or where a short
one is desired, smooth the end of tho
stay and bind it with a piece -of
chamois skin; this will prevent its cut
ting through the cloth, which it is very ,
aptt otherwise, to do.
A good way to mend a kid or sllfc
glove is to work a loose buttonhole
stitch around tho edge, then overcast.
taking the thread of the buttonhole
fctitch on Hie edge and drawing ""the
edges together with a few darning
sMtches.
In looking over the last year's cloth
ing, be sure to darn all thin places, or
sot a thin patch of the same color un
der the thin place, nnd, darning down
with "blind" stitches, fasten the edge3
so as to relieve the worn parts frojn
unnecessary strain. In using crino
line or stiffening goods with old ma
terial, be sure to first shrink it.
your idle time; while, if you gather up
jour courage and strike out, stroke by
stroke, or step by step, you will find
the way opening before you, and al
most before you know it, your feet
will touch the earth on tho other side.
"Hlossed are they that do."
When Johnny came home at noon
with torn clothes and bruises, his
mother scolded him. "Johnny," she
said, "don't you know I have always
told you not to fight?" Tho little fol
low looked thoughtfully at ' his torn
clothes and scratched hands, then said,
with a long breath: "Well, mother, I
know we had to fight sometime, so I
thought the sooner I licked him, the
better It would be for both of us, for
we are getting bigger every day."
The Family Drug Store
While tho dweller in the city is
wending his way toward the drug
stores in search of "spring medi
cines" through the taking of which ho
hopes to bo relieved of the many ali
ments tho winter's food has loft In
his blood, tho family In the village or
oi the farm can have their "specifics"
right al hand, fresh from the labora
tories of Nature, In doses warranted
to cure, and leaving no bad effects or
harmful complications from taking the
wrong medicines. These medicines
ni" not to be had "without money and
without price." No good thing Is. But
tne price is within roach of the poor
est, and, while Nature does not "give
credit," she makes tho payment to Quit
all circumstances, If only one Is willing
to do the work she exacts. ITore Is a
partial list of her "cures," warranted
to do what they claim:
Dandelion is a blood purifier; let
tuce is a remedy for insomnia; spinach
is a "clean sweep;" tomatoes arc for a
torpid liver; beets and potatoes are
flesh builders; water cross is a tonic;
onions and celery are for the nerves;
parsley assists digestion; asparagus is
a kidney cure; cucumbers aid diges
tion; cucumbers, Internal and oxtornal,
are complexion clearors; parsnips, are
better than any sarsaparllla prepara
tion; onions are a germicide and pre
vent malaria; garlic and looks are
The material should be completely
saturated with hot water and allowed
to remain in the water a few min
utes. It is then taken out without
wringing and hung on a line, pinning
it along the selvage as evenly and
straight as possible. When the ma
terial is partly dry, a roll of paper as
long as the width of the material is
covered with a clean cloth and the fab
ric is rolled on it, being careful not to
wrinkle it in doing so. Now the ma
terial is ready for pressing. This
should bo done on 'the wrong side and
very accurately, always pressing up
and down or straight across from
selvage to selvage, keeping these on
perfectly straight linos. Every section
should bo pressed quite dry before the
next one is commenced, and it is prac
tical to roll the pressed material on
a paper roll when finished, rather than
tc fold it and thus cause creases. If
the material is reversible, it may be.
necessary to spread a cloth over it
when pressing, so that one side of the
goods does not show more gloss than
the other. Laces, embroideries, braids,
etc., to bo used in these garments,
should be shrunk before being used.
Delineator for April.
An authority on fashions tells us
that "When the mass of plain and
only reasonably attractive women
grasp the truth that they may at least
approach distinction if they will dare
to bo simple, our standards of dress
will rise. But the majority will con
tinue to trim themselves into likeness
of a Christmas tree, with edgings and
insertions, incrustations and pipings,
with jangling chains and strings of
beads, nnd with innumerable brace
lets." Delineator.
Some Desirable Roses
Answering" a request for a list of' '
d6slrable roses for the border, I give -below
fh6 names of some wliich artf
htgMy recommended tn me by a prom
inotit rose-grower. Nearly all of themT
can bo had of any florist, and all can
be obtained from any large rose
grower. All are everbloomers, fra
grant, free-bloomers, strong growers,
and nearly all of them hardy in anv
situatiou, while, with reasonable pro
tection, all will do well in tho border.
Keystone, one of the best ever
blooming climbers, rosy pink in color,
and absolutely hardy.
Rubin, is an improvement on the
Crimson Rambler; free from mil
dew; color, shining crimson-scarlet.
Climber.
Climbing Clothildo Soupert, Fine;
perfectly hardy; color, ivory-white,
shading to silvery rose in the center.
Climber.
Helen Gould, color, rosy pink.
Princess Bonne; color, solid crimson.
-iuic soupert, color, rich pink. Vir
ginia, color, light-yellow. Marion Din
gee; color, deep crimson. The Queen;
snowy white. Henry M. Stanley; clear
amber colored. Pearl Rivers; color,
ivory white, wiUi petals delicately
shaded and bordered with pale rosp.
Golden Gate; creamy-white, tinged?
with yellow and rose. Souvenir de
Francois Gahlain; velvety crimson.
Souvenir de Clairvaux: brleht. ro?v-
pink flowers. White Golden Gate;
color, ivory-white; one of the best
will to roses. Papa Gontier; rich cherry-red
color. One of the finest for the
border. These are listed at ten cents
each, for mailing plants, sure to bloom
this season; but will not give as much
bloom as after becoming established.
They are well worth giving protecOon.
to, the first winter.
The Home Seamstress
For makJng buttonholes in thin, soft,
or easily-frayed material, mark the
size of the buttonhole with cither a
pencil or a basting thread, then stitch
around that marking with the machine,
using a very short stitch, leaving room
enough inside tho stitlching to cut the
buttonhole, then work it as any other
Culture of Roses
Get roses that are free bloomers '
a list is sent in for this issue and
AN OLD AND WELL TRIED REMEDY.
Mns. Winslow'r Soo-rnmo SYHTjpforobll
drcn toothing should always bo used for chil
dren while teething. It softens tho gums, allays
b u to 0 e T lis Svoi . , flJSf i ' ?" iK
uuttoniioic. mis gives a firm basis, fordlarrbcoa. Twenty-live cents a bottle.
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