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The Commoner.
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VOLUME 7, NUMBER 15
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Pa'a House-Cloanlng
When Uie April biiii'h a-shlnlng' hot,
And things la nlco and fresh,
Whon tho wlllor's droppln' lossols
And tho blnckblrd's In the brq'sh,
An' I'u coinea In for noonln',
And (ho floors la wet ns souse,
Then It's "Laws-a-mussy on us I
Yer Mil's a-elcuuln' house!"
Then mo and Jim Is suro lo find
Hug carpets In tho sun
Whon we'd planned to go a-nahln'
Pop tho suckers In tho run;
But, while rn takes his noonln'
An' tho horses out their snacks,
Us boys can beat them cnrnots
While we're restin' up our backs!
An' then next day Pa's certain suro
To havo to go to town;
But ho always loaves us orders,
"Help to put them carpets down.'"
An' at night, whon ho gets homo again,
You'd think, to bear him groan,
About the hardships of It,
That he'd clono tho Job nlono!
Poor Mu! She has It awful hard;
She'll work until she drops,
And pounds her thumb-nulls half-way
on.
And wots her foot with slops;
She'll got so honrso that she can't
speak;
An' sore In every bono,
But Pa, he says If It was him,
He'd lot the hduso alone.
And when at night the kids Is sick,
.Aa1-1u-Io hnv;Qa,Ji:lnk,., ...,....
An' Mu, she cun't get up because
Her buck's In slch a kink,
If Pu should bang tho furniture
Whilst gropln' for tho cup,
You kin fool him glttln' mad enough
To fairly out her up!
(for It Is not nlwnys tho children alone
who destroy), tho wuuton Injury goes
on, from dny to duy, until tho family,
disgusted with the results of their own
dofaclngs, move out because tho own
er refuses to repair tho destruction, or,
(ho owner gets tired of their vandal
ism and glyos them notice to get out
Such fumllles would not take care
of their own premises, If they had any,
and their wasteful, wanton habits sel
dom allow them to own unythlng very
long. It: Is not doing justice to the
children themselves to allow them to
do such things. If they will not re
spect tho property of others, property
owners do perfectly right to rofuso to
shelter them. They should be taught
to keep things nice for their own
pakes. Wasteful, destructive habits
should In no case bo encouruged.
So me an' ,Tlm was saytn',
If the time should ever come
When pa an' ma should change their
work.
An' pa should stay at homo,
I wouldn't like to be a boy,
But Jest u little mouse
To hear what things pa would say,
If ho was cleanln' house!
W. F. Gibbons, In Woman's Homo
Companion.
"Cooking at tho Bottom of It"
A writer In McCall's Magazine says:
'Indigestion Is ut tho root of almost
as many of Immunity's troubles as Is
selfishness. Without a good digestion,
health Is Impossible, and lack of health
is misery. Poor cooking produces
about as much indigestion ns
bad temper; In fact, It is a case of
action and ro-actlon. Indigestion, Tow
spirits, bud temper; bud temper, low
spirits, Indigestion, nnd so on, intcr-
.ntlnably. Bud cooking, bud temper,
low spirits, all belong together. Since
poorly cooked food produces indiges
tion, poor cooklug should be abol-
cry two things are necessary a knowl
edge of the elements of ruw foods,
and of tho proper preparation and
combination of them by which to
build up tho liumnn system. The
cause of poor cookery Is not always
Iguornnce, but It Is very often indiffer
ence as to the outcome. Not every
"woman can, bo n good cook, any more
than that every man can be a good
mechanic, and very few men are
smart enough to make unythlng of
from the inside. The initial impulse,
or motive power to do or to be, must
como frpm within, or nowhere. Ob
taining an education, or winning suc
cess In any field, is a question of in
ternal energy, of enthusiasm, or of un
foldment of power, nnd it is the de
velopment of push and determination,
rather than the result of any external
lniluonce. Tho people who attribute
their lack of education to absence of
opportunity, or of friends to help them
on, are simply exposing their weakness
of character. In this era of educa
tion, of books and libraries, news
papers and periodicals, schools and
universities, evening schools, lectures,
and the endless opportunities for sejf
culture which our country' affords,
there is no excuse for ignorance; it is
will and push that is lacking. Make
up your mind' to be educated, and tho
battle Is already half won. Do not
vait for chances, but moke them; seek
opportunities, nnd make them. De
pend wholly upon yourself, so far as
possible, and when help is imperative,
there will be plenty at hand; but do
for yourself all that can bo done, be
fore you seek the aid of another.
light colors will be all the. vogue-dresses-of
muslins and laces. and em-'
broideries, "to be worn after one gets
there," while summer wraps of pretty
pinks, blues, pale inauves, whites and
champagne shades, made of "cotton
stuffs, linens, silks, pongees, aiid mo
hair, with plenty of laces and embroid
eries, will be most fashionable. iTor
those who cannot afford the expensive
materials, the gowns and wraps may
be made of linens, chambreys, ging
hams, pongees, and other wash stuffs.
There are many pretty, inexpensive
muslins and white muterials that will
work up satisfactorily. All tills will
spell "good times" for the launderles,
but not always happiness for the homo
laundress. '
Fashions for the little folks con
tinue to show flowing skirts, with or
without trimming above the heirf; they
hang from yokes frilled at the neck
line, or finished below it with ribbon
drawn beading, or in any desired
trimming. The full sleeves may be
half, three-quarter or full length.
Those skilled with the needle can
have any amount of the dainty acces
sories in tho way of frilled or plaited
or lace trimmed ruffles, as most of the
expensive hand-made v lingerie bqws
and cravats can be copied at home
with slight expense. The girl that has
learned to sew will be "it" this season.
Fashion Notes
The jumper waists arc simply made,
with or without sleeves, and cut quite
low In the back nnd front of the waist.
They are made of any and all ma
terials, and are tucked, plaited, or
plain. The little cap sleeve is quite
popular. It is best to have the
lumper waist made of the same, ma
terial ns the skirt, while the guimpe,
or undenvalst, should be of contrast
ing color.
Stripes arc all the vogue, and many
drosses are made of a combination 'of
both straight and bias stripes.
Clusters of tucks trim many of the
new gowns, and many of the mulls
nnd tissues will have no other triih
mlng. ,'
Everything that can be embroidered
Mflll Virv on I vtYYitln -tit. aa.i4 4 0 A
themselves in the mechanical lino bl.0iaci;ea avticles Place thorn oiit.f
the reach of the average buyer, the
woman or girl expert with the needle
can do the work herself, as the do-
Caring for the Premises
"May-day and moving time" will
soon bo with us and many people nrc
spending nil their spare time and en
ergy in house-hunting. Those having
a family of children find It hard to
get suitable quarters, as house-owners,
as a rule, do not like to lot their
property to such tenants. In many
cases tho objections are for very good
reasons nnd tho fumllles have only
themselves to blame for their troubles.
In a great majority of cases the ten
ants seem to feel a sort of resentment
toward the owner and consider that
in paying rent they have tho right to
use the property In any manner they
please, often wantonly destroying or
injuring it so that tl)o owner Is put
to much unnecessary expense in order
to keep his property presentable. The
objection is not so much to the chil
dren ttftmselves as to tho manner in
whlchffiftey are brought up. Because
tho property is rented the children are
allowed to drive nails In the walls,
cut letters In tho woodwork, pound;
the wooden or plastered surfaces with
hammers, handle tho paper with dirty
Angers or pull pieces of it off the
wall, mark things with chalk or pen
cils, break the hinges, shatter the
window glass, or scratch letters or
figures on tho window panes, and, in
a thousand ways known only to de-
wlthout .at least a little training. Yet
women and girls are given a cook
stove and a supply of groceries and
vegetables, and, no matter how ignor
ant or indifferent they are, It is firmly
expected required of them thut they
sot before tho family a nourishing
menl! Until cookery is given the
plnco nmong the -fine nrts to which It
is justly entitled, nnd un amount of
t mining under good touchers required
for every woman who is a possible
housewife, we -shall have to endure
bud cookery and Its consequences.
Some women might itryx nil their lives,
nnd have everything, furnished them
to work with, yet still full in the cul
Innry lino, just us they "might have
the best-of teachers and tho most per
fect Instruments, and yet fail as a
muslclnn. Give the girl the best trnin
Ing you enn nfford, but if she fulls,
do not blnmo her -too severely j!or
shortcomings for ,whlch she is in no
wise responsible.
signs nrc practical, nnd ensily fol
lowed. Colors mny be employed if
liked.
Cooking-Fruits
As tho fruit senson npproaches, It
is well to remember a few things' In
regard to using it properly. Do not
use soda in fruits to lessen the need
of sugar for sweetening. A fruit to
which soda has been ndded mny be
less tart but it is usually far more
tasteless.
Fruit that is very sour may be ren
dered less so by placing it in an agate
kettle, and cover with clear cold
water r set the kettle over the fire and',.,
bring the contents quickly to a boil, .
Immediately pour off the water, then
reet the kettle where the fruit will cook
slowly, covering close, adding only
wnter enough to keep the fruit from
burning. Do not ndd the sugar until
just before the fruit is to be removed
from the fire.
Tho water that wns poured off the
fruit will mnke a ni8e ground for .a
pudding sauce, sweetening to taste and-.
thickening with corn starch.
Do not stow fruit as you would veg
etables; it should be kept as entire as.
possible, and cooking it-with steam Is"
a gtfod way to have it retain its form. -Mnny
kinds of fruit should not be
cooked nt nil, but enten in their rin-
ened state as fresh gathered as. pos;
sible.
w
"No CRance"
Henry Ward Bepcher said, "The
elect nrc whosoever will; the non
elect, whosoever wont" In like man
ner, soys Success Magazine, it may
be snld thut tho educated', In tills
country, are whosoever will, and the
non-educated, whosoever wont. A
JUeaUliy young man or woman who enn
find excuse for ignornnce in this nge
would not nttnln to knowledge or suc
cess under nny clrcumstnnces. The
ronl opportunity for self-Improvement
must come-r-not from the city or coun
In millinery, tie mushroom shnpe
nnd the new polk effect nrri the lend
ers. Mnny snilor huts will be worn
with n narrow brim nnd brond crown.
Leghorns, of various colors, nre nlso
favored; brims nre both narrow and
wide, nnd nil sorts of crowns nre cor
rect style.
Embroidered materials nre used for
the mnking of entire costumes. Em
broidered flouncing, enn be lurgely
used for the skirt, tucking the upper
portion of the flounce to fit over tho
hips, stitching it flnt to do nway with
the bulktnessof gathers, while the
lower flounce Is shirred and joined to
the bottom of the upper portion.
The most noticeable shades in dress
goods are lavender, gray, blue, browu,
and white goods. White Is very fash
Jonnble, and mnny of the white coats
hnve blnck velvet collnrs nnd cuffs;
skirts nre short, with jackets elnbor
ntely trimmed. White jnckets with
skirts for general wear, and white box
coats with a touch of velvet trimming
are in good taste. - White garments
soil easily, but laundering will not
ruin them.
-Toilet Vinegar ' V--
For too profuse perspiration, toilet"';
vinegar in the wash water is a' 'safe
remedy. To make it, take One pint of
the best white vinegar (best cider vin- -egar
will do), ,and ndd to it two drums -ench
of the following ' ingredients: '
rosemary, lavender, rue and camphor.
Let the herbs soak in the vinegar for
twenty-four hours, then strain and bot
tle . The dried herbs can be had of the
druggist A tablespoonful to a pint '
of wash water is about right
Outing Fashions
The Delineator tolls us that the
"cumbersome traveling' gowns will be
Herbs for thp Cook
If one raises her own kitchen herbs,-4
she will have them much more pungent-''-
fhan any she can buy. Now Is the
time to sow tliora, nnd even. the city
dweller cnu hnve n hnndful of -fresh "
green herbs nt the cost of a little la
bor. An herb garden may be had hi
a window box, if nowhere else; but a '
few feet of ground will grow all one
wnms oi, severni kinds. Herbs which
nre to be dried .should be gnthered
when the plnnt is just rendy to bloom;
604D,AND.Wl!LfensD REMEDY
a J$L?X!FBtolr fl SootfniNa 'Syrup for obll
flron teotbinc should altoays be used for okil
dron wbllo teothinc Itsof tons tho iiums; allaya
struetivo, H.-tofl CUdron oV Muiis ' t V, ywhoro outsit 0 but sooTho mWK Sf ' ? ttSSS3
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