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The Commoner.
XT,
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VOLUME .8, NUMBER 1
Tho Return of the Birds
Thoy havo como again to tlio old
plno troo,
I know tlioy would, whon thoy loft
last fall; , t
Thoy arc back again in thoir joy and
cIgo
Tho robin, tlio linnot, tlio thrush
and all.
As I quietly sit by my window today,
I watch two robins building thoir
nest;
but the closed windows will rob them
of their most precious possessions,
and leave thorn little strength to
cope with the duties of the day. Bet
ter bars, like prisons have, than
closed windows and foul air. Foul
air, full of tho emanations from tho
body, is as dangerous to one's health,
as foul, rotting foods would be, taken
into tho stomach. If only our ail
ing ones would try tho effect of
fresh air, good foods, and proper
exercises, together with tho deter
mination to regard sickness as sin,
They have porchod it upon the top- and refrain from breaking the laws
most orancn , 0f nvclone. there would be greater
ly told that wo need exercise, and
by exercise wo usually understand
walking about, or moving our
lower limbs, while it is just possible,
as in tho case of the housewife, the
lower limbs are in need of rest. We
should try to find what muscles or
organs need exercise, then give it.
Woro ever two robins so happy and
blest?
Weaving It closely, and firmly and
strong,
Making it hollow, cozy and soft;
Ho thinks no exertion, or care too
crreat
To build hor a home In tho troo aloft.
Thoy aro up in tho morn at peep of
day,
In tho early twilight I hear them
sing; :
And all dqy long, till tho light is
gone,
These hapjT creatures aro on tho
wing.
These are happy days for you,, 'lady
bird,,,1
But weary- ones, too, will come to
you; ,r ' , . .
When you. hide; youeggfi neath your
golden breasV '
Wlijleyour mate cooes a .lovo song
tenuor uuu uuu.
Then your anxious heart will worry
and fret,
When the headstrong things will
leave tlio nest;
You can only show them tho uso of
their wings,
hanniness, moral, spiritual and men
tal health, as well as material pros
perity. Don't you want to bo well?
Marslmiallows
Dissolve ono pound of gum arable
in ono quart of water; after strain
ing, add ono pound of refined sugar;
put over the fire and stir constantly
until sugar Is dissolved ana tne syrup
tho consistency of honey. Then add
very gradually the whites of eight
eggs beaten stiff, stirring the mix
ture until it is no longer thick, and
will not stick to the fingers. Dust
a pan lightly with corn starch and
pour tho mixture on it. When cool,
cut into squares. No flavoring is
used.
Trouble with, tho Baking
S. E. K. Wishes to learn how to
overcome the tendency of her bread
loaves to riso considerably higher
on one side of tho loaf than tho
other, after putting it in tho oven to
bake. Her friends have the same
trouble. She has tried several ovens,
with the same result. The bread,
aside from this tendency, is very
good. It is possible that her oven
does not heat evenly, and then, again
the outer side of the loaf, next to
the side of tho oven always bakes
a little faster than the inner side,
tho latter having longer time in
which to rise. Will some one give
hor the desired information? She
says some nice things about The
Commoner, which are appreciated.
"Stomach Troubles"; ,
In Health Culture, Dr. .Latson
tells us that, while the first factor
in the production of indigestion is
usually dietetic errors, as timo passes
another factor develops weakness
of the digestive organs, the most
common cause of which iff the sag
ging of the muscles which should
hold the stomach and liver in their
proper place, and thus act upon the
foodas it should be treated in order
For tho Homo Seamstress
Knowing Nature will teach them the to insure complete digestion.
I frpntmonf tnv thin nnniUHnn. ho taIIs
w .V.VX-U .,.. V.f WU..-WU, --w w..
us of exercises which are especially
test.
I am. glad -you are back, to tho old
pin;.tr6'o
I missed' 'you so, when you wont
awayr '
For drear and sad was tho winter
timo
Without your song at tho close of
day.
So I give you a welcome sincere and
true,
For many a caro you lift from my
breast;
And teach mo sweet lessonB of pa
tience and trust,
While I watch you busily building
your nest.
Mfs. D. L. Burrows.
Thorough Ventilation"
There are still a few people in the
world that sleep in rooms with closed
doors and. windows, and suffer dis
comfort,, even in hot weather rather
than bravo the supposed malign in
fluence of tho "night air." Once one
gets accustomed to sleeping, or liv
ing in well ventilated rooms, it is
extremely hard to return to the foul
air and bad smells that oven tho
cleanest rooms havo, if kept closed.
Now la the time to begin tho free ad
mission of fresh air, flushing every
room, several times a. day, and leav
ing, the windows down a. few inches
at the top, and raised the same at
the bottom, no matter what tho
weather. A. timid person, living in
a. city where burglaries are common,
or being alone in the house, will
shrink from tho unguarded openings,
valuable for the strengthening of
these flabby muscles, whereby thoy
may be made to perform their work
and allow the digestive organs to
attend to their business. He claims
that a "stomach that is out of order,
is a stomach out of place," hanging
lower than it should, and tells us
that, In the experience of many
years devoted to the treatment of
stomacn aisoraers, he has never
known a case of stomach disorder
where the stomach was not itself
out of place. In his talk, he out
lines a set of exercises which he as
sures us will correct the trouble, and
bring renewed health and strength.
Many of our most successful practi
tioners are largely giving up treat
ment by drug-taking, and advocat
ing proper exercise,, fresh air, foods,
aim mental neaung. it is a com
mon experience with the sick that
a cheerful, optimistic friend will
stimulate them more than any
"tonic" the druggist can give. Many
doctors aro now practicing tho "mind
over matter" doctrine, using mental
suggestion for their most effective
weapon, against disease. There is no
surer way to Increase an ailment
than to have our friends continually
telling ua how bad wo look; how
we are breaking; how ineffectual all
treatment has been found in cases
like our own. It we make up our
minds that we are sick, we have lit
tle difficulty in becoming so, while
if we braco up and defy disease, we
can overcome all minor ailments and
many major ones. We are constant-
For lingerie waists, the square
block-tucking is very pretty, and
while somewhat complicated, is very
easily managed, Run in the group
of tucks in the center front all the
way down; let the next two groups of
up and down tucks stop half way
down, and the next two groups a lit
tle higher up. Tils brings the full
ness in nicely, and the,crossing of the
tucks is ornamental. The cross
tucks should run from arm-hole to
arm-hole, in groups of three or four
tucks.
Cashmere and light weight goods
of wool aro very much liked for
spring costunles, and they come In
checks, stripes, and plain colors. One
or more such costumes should be
found in all wardrobes, for uso on
chilly or dark days when thinner
materials would be uncomfortable.
A touch of black is considered
very good taste, and may bo intro
duced in the costume in many ways.
Cream colored and unbleached
linens make up attractively, and are
seen in many handsome gowns.
Stripes, in all materials, but espe
cially beautiful in silks, are seen in
the new goods.
Breakfast jackets and skirts are
among the prettiest morning toi
lettes; all the simpler, washable ma
terials are suited for this purpose.
Sleeves usually terminate just be
low the elbows with lace-trimmed
frills, but long, plain sleeves can be
substituted, if liked.
For wash materials, the five
gored skirt, with one or more tucks
laid just above the hem. is a favorite.
the tucks give extra length in case
of shrinkage.
Tucked chemisettes, guimpes, and
slips of delicate tints suited to the
complexion of the wearer, are dis
tinctive items of the toilette, and if
one have half a dozen of these acces
sories, the aspect of tho toilette may
bo so varied as to produce the effect
of several costumes, in the use of
one gown.
The new piques are less liable to
"muss," and much cooler than lin
ens, and they are popular for tub
dresses.
enough for the dress of the little
one of a year; a dress any longer is
likely to be in the way when tho
child is learning to walk. At eigh
teen months, a sturdy tot running
around looks best in a dress half
way down the little, round legs. By
two years old, knee-length, just
showing a peep of the bend of tho
kneo, is correct; and that samo
length is correct for the small child
up to five or six years of age. Tho
skirt of the average-sized child of
seven, eight, nine, ten and eleven
years should be of sufficient length
to just cover or hide the bend of
the knees. When the girl is twelve
and thirteen, she needs from an inch
and a half to two inches added to her
skirts. The length of the skirts for
a girl of fourteen years is more of
a problem; she may be no more de
veloped than the child of twelve or
thirteen years, and in this case, tho
same length of skirt will continue
to be correct for her; but the more
developed girl of fourteen should
have her skirts half-way down the
calf, or swell of the leg. As she
approaches fifteen years, it should be
lengthened just to cover the calf;
when fifteen and a half, an extra
inch or two is added. At sixteen
years, a skirt to the top of the shoo
is correct. When seventeen years
old, she may still wear it to the shoe
tops or to the ankles. At eighteen
she is a young lady, and should be
permitted to choose the length she
likes; but if she is wise, her skirts
will be ankle-length, or four inches
from tho ground. Ladies' Home
Journal; --
One of tho commonest faults "with
dress skirts is the "sag," or uneven
ness of the bottom shorter in some
places than in others. This .may bo
the fault of the cutting, or the seam
ing, or of ill-fitting; but whatever the
cause, it should be remedied. There
are few things that give a more pro
nounced appearance of untidiness-r-unless
it be the sagging and showing
of the underskirt, or petticoat.
Accessories
All sorts of shapes in belts" are
now seen, from the straight-around
Deit to tne rancy, irregular outlines;
in many instances, the buckles and
clasps are quite expensive and artis
tic. Suede, glace kid, elastic, silk,
and linen, embroidered in self or a
contrasting color, are all used for
belts.
For neckwear, many styles of "col
lars, cravats, stocks, and ties are
seen. The high-boned lace collars
are peculiarly suited for the long,
slim neck. There are little cravata
of lace or linen worn with the em
broidered turned-down collar; lace
and embroidered mull jabots aro
gaining in favor, the cravat and
Jabot being usually worn together.
These are edged with lace and inser
tion,, or made perfectly plain, as may
be desired. The striped linen col
lars are simply fastened with a
brooch, or with a baby pin.
some-
Length of Girl's Skirts
These rules must, of course, vary
for the unusually small or large girl;
To the top of tho tiny shoe is long
Patching and Darning
An overhauded rmtnh i
times less conspicuous than a darn.
uu u. iiirge paten less noticeable
than a small one. Cut out a, square of
the material on the thread, clip
the corner diagonally and turn anar-
rJw5old a11 around; cut a square
of the new material just the same
size of the hole, allowing for a nar
row fold to be turned down on all
its edges, matching the figures per
fectly, and join the folded edges as
they belong, working on the in or
wrong side, overhanding the folded
edges together at the top, then at
AW OLD AND WELT, TRIED KKMEDT
I !?SHe sh?JlId always be hm for children whlla
1CT ; ." yw wo gums,, ausys tlio pal a,
crcs wind colic ud is th best ivm&y r AtaS
rboea, Twenty-flve cento a bottle.
akJb fU'-AtLi t,(y&d Sm