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The Commoner
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 33
plague-spots have been cleared of the
pests by this method, when every
thing else has failed. One should
be willing to endure temporary dis
comfort in order to rid the place of
tho torments. Several bushels of the
lime may be" required. It is the 'air
slacked" lime.
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Longings
Oh, to bo out in the great, free
woods,
Away from tho hurry, away from
the caro,
Whore tho boughs of tho trees weav
a giant hood
To cover tho world, when the
world is bare;
To Ho where the shadows flit to and
fro,
As fairies that join in a phantom
' Play;
To lazily dream through the hours
and know
That caro is a mocker that flits
away!
There's a place out. there 'neath a,
spreading tree
That only tho squirrels and I have
known,
Except for the, birds that come to
see
How fare tho seeds by the fairlei
sown.
And I want to bo there, just loafing,
today,
Through the hours that are happy
and peaceful and good;
I guess that I'm lazy, but, anyhow,
I want to uo out in the great, free
wood.
A. gylvanus, in Globe-Democrat.
Tho Duties of tho Hour
lar will keep fruits and vegetables
in prime condition. Have tbe dark
corner where the canned fruits are
stored, perfectly sweet and clean and
free from mildew and mold. Give all
shelves a good scouring and, if pos
sible, a sunning, and go over them
with riiiso water in which carbolic
acid, or other disinfectant is used.
A clean, sweet cellar is the only kind
that should be under a dwelling.
Dressing tho Children
In getting materials, for fall and
winter clothing, ,it is well to remem
ber that nothing is hotter for keep
ing the body healthy than pure wool
en materials. This is especially true
of children's wear, for tho little ones
do not give as much thought to
changes of temperature as the adults
have learned to do. "Woolens allow
the exhalations of the body to pass
oft, retaining only the heat and elec
tricity, while cotton, linen or jute
fabrics allow the heat to pass off
rapidly, retaining the exhalations
which chill the body and stop up the
pores. Those wearing woolen under
garments do not take cold as readily
as those who wear cottons, as the
pure, soft woolens keep the body
warm and dry, while other fabrics
retain the perspiration and lose the
heat. Many people and some chil
dren perhaps more than wo know
can not wear woolen garments
next to the skin, and for these, there
should be an under garment, quite
jWlth the coming of cool weather,
the house mother finds her hands
4). .11 4-- niinndAiiiInn 4rv. ar innmr
thinss nB8d attending to before tue .' Ut S& 21 X I"
cold days are upon us. we are busy
putting away the "lst things," of
, orchard, Held and garden, and in
many things,' thought must be taken
for the early spring time, demanding
preparatory work along out-door
lines. Where there are little people,
the school needs demand attention,
and there is always more or less sew
ing, making over, letting down, and
piecing out as well as the making of
new garments. Tho fall house clean
over it Thick, hard, board-like Ear
ments are an abomination, and many
materials are made so by unsuitable
washing. Many cottons are.,, now
made soft and "fuzzy," and reaoMy
take the place of woolens, to some
extent; but a light-weight, -pure wool
garment made or line, soft wool, can
be worn by almost any one, and if
properly washed, will retain the soft,
fleecy quality that is so desirable.
For little skirts, and other under
penses of the school's maintenance.
Children do not realize this, but if
fathers would lay the matter before
them in its proper light, it would at
least set them to thinking. . This
should be done now, lor within a
few weeks at furthest, the schools
will be open, and tho children, hav
ing the proper understanding, will,
in a measure, recognizo their respon
sibility, and the tendency will be
rather to preserve than to destroy
what they would regard as their own.
People who are not property owners,
but who get thebenefit of the schools
should teach their children to re
gard tho rights of others, and to re
frain from wanton destruction that
will do them no good, but others
much harm. Girls very rarely de
stroy or deface property, but seeTc to
Improve and beautify, and boys do
not care much for the mother's re
monstrance against their wanton
ness. But they will usually listen
to the father, and it is his duty to
instruct them in such matters. Many
mothers do not, themselves, realize
that the public property belongs to
the people, and must he kept up by
the levying of a tax upon their be
longings.
If interested in such matters, the
boys will be glad to help add to the
attractiveness of the grounds, and
many an hour or afternoon which
would otherwise be spent in learn
ing no good, would willingly be given
to "lixing things up," about the
school grounds, under competent su
pervision. And boys are just as
proud of fine appearances as are the
girls.
fleecy flannelettes are excellent and
warm'; but dresses should not be
made of them for children or others
who are much about the fire, for
their fleecy surface is very inflam
mable. Children should be dressed
in'g must not be over-looked, and the lwear' "nd also for night gowns, the
stock of bedding must be Inspected,
Itf will, very soon Le time to get the
stpvos out and ready for light fires
on cool evenings, and there may o
repairs needed for these. The flues
should be inspected, the stove pipes
examined, and if there are burnt-out
or broken pieces, these should bo re
placed before the stoves are set up.
It pays to keep the stove in renalr.
and it pays far better if care is taken
not to break or burn out the cast
ings. Many women, and nearly all
men are wasteful of fuel, cramming
tho firebox unnecessarily, and thus
burning out the linings. Have a
talk with your stove man, and if he
does not know as much as ho should,
write to the factories and get their
prjnted matter, which will give you
many valuable hints and save you
much waste, if you will heed them.
Dp not "Close your doors and windows
at;tho first cool spell; keep the house
open as long as possible, and remem
ber k that the furnace which8 furnishes
the best heat is in tho body, not out
of it,
"A Plague of Fleas"
Answering a distressed correspon
dent, we give the following sure
method of ridding premise of fleas.
Ah address should have been given
by this correspondent,, as. .queries
can not be answered through the
"box" under two weeks after their
receipt at the office. x
To rid the house of fleas, there is
nothing better than a plentiful use
of air-slacked lime, which should be
bouglft by the bushel, and almost
any building contractor can tell
For tho Homo Seamstress
When making a dress skirt, put
on the belt before finishing the bot
tom; then slip tho skirt over the
shoulders, fasten the belt and pro
ceed as follows: "With a piece of
crayon (white is best) thoroughly
cover the edge of a table, or bench.
land, allowing the skirt to touch the
chalked edge, turn slowly around,
thus getting a faint mark on the
skirt all around tho skirt at an equal
distance from the bottom. Take the
skirt off carefully, and with a meas
uring line, or yard stick, measure
the required number of inches below
the marking for the length of the
skirt, marking with white crayon.
This will give an even length with
out the help of a second party.
"Wool comforts are easily made at
home. If one lives on a farm, and
keeps sheep, the wool can be carded
into sheets at the mills; in nearly all
large cities, wool batting, in various
widths, from one to two yards wide,
and two and one-half yards long, can
be had at a cost of from one to two
dollars per sheet, while, if you are
skilled in the use of the old-fashioned
cards, you can card your own
wool into "bats," and fill your quilt
covers with the wool, tacking, as you
would a cotton comfort. The wool
filled comforts are so light and warm,
that, once having had them, you will
not willingly use the heavy, hard
cotton bed clothing again. The wool
filling never packs, or gets "solid,"
and gives warmth without weight.
For the children's bed flannelette
or cotton-fleeced blankets, are con
venient, as' they can 'lie washed
oftener than woolens, and are quite
warm.- For night gowns, nothing is
"better than a good quality of flan
nelette, but It should not be too
close-woven, as heavy' goods gets
very solid and board-like after a few
washings. A thinner weave will
shrink Into i a very comfortable thick
ness. This, for children, is better
than flannel, as if may be boiled in
the laundry, and come out of the
wash sweet and clean, while even the
most carefully washed woolen will .
retain stains and get hard in time.
with as few clothes as will make where it may be obtained. If there
them comfortable; they should not are out-houses where animals espe-
usually be "bundled," or wrapped
up, thus making trem dependent
upon clothing for warmth. Fresh
air, healthy exercise, and a habit of
keeping the "furnace inside" in good
shape, are better than many folds of
clothing, watch tho very small chil
dren carefully, for they can not tell
you of their discomfort; the very
little ones know they aro uncomfort
able, but they do not know from
what cause, while even the older
ones neglect to mention It.
Before putting the winter's supply
of fruits and vegetables in the cellar,
go over the walls with tho whitewash
brush; sweep up and clean the floor
sprinkling with some disinfectant,
removing all trash, old, broken bot
tles and jars, or other rubbish that
has lain over from last spring. Have
the bins all cleaned and white
washed, and whitewash
well over
head. Only a thoroughly clean eel- the form of a tax, to meet the ex
Caring for School -Property
One of the duties the fathers owe
to their sons is to impress upon their
understanding the fact that destruc
tion or damage of school property re
acts upon themselves, as the prop
erty belongs to the property owners,
who are responsible for its welfare,
and any moneys called for to repair
damages or replace destruction must
come from their own pockets, either
directly, or in the form of taxation.
The public schools are spoken of as
oemg "rree," but every property
owner, whether sending children to
the school or not, must pay a certain
percentage of his or her holdings in
daily hogs are kept, sprinkle all
floors liberally with the lime dust,
throwing it up against the side of
the building for a couple of feet. Do
this with all outhouses. If dogs or
cats are harbored, sprinkle the ken
nels and sleeping places with the
lime, and rub some of it into the fur
of the animal, being careful not to
get It into the eyes or ears. Persian
insect powder may le used, hut is
more expensive. Dust all pathways
leading to the house with the lime.
Inside the house, take up all rugs
or carpets, remove clothing and bed
ding and beat and sun well out of
doors. Then, dust the lime plenti
fully over all floors. Into crevices
about the surbase, and let it remain
for a day or two; two days is suffi
cient. The bedding can bo brought
in for sleeping. Shingles, or hits of
board may be laid about over the
floor to walk on while the lime is
on the floor. After the second day,
sweep up the lime, remove, and give
the floors a thorough washing, leav
ing the lime dust in the cracks, If the
floor is loose. The carpets can then
be put down, and the furnishings re
placed and the family live In peace.
This remedy Is unpleasant, but It Is
thoroughly effective. The worst
Caring for the Aged
Interest is being awakened in
many parts of the world in the sub
ject of pensioning the aged. In
some countries it is being tried, but
the Bubject is nowhere given the at
tention which it deserves. After
January 1, 1909, the British govern
ment will pay a small pension to all
deserving persons over seventy years
of age. The English old age dole
-will not equal more than $5 a month,
and may be as low as $1. New Zea
land has "been giving pensions to per
sons of sixty-five years of age for a
few years past, and the amount of
the dole is eighteen pounds a year,
or thirty shillings a month.
There is a comnulsorv old age in
surance In Germany, and for this,
an employe is required to contribute
a portion of his wages to an insur
ance fuiid during his years of able
bodied usefulness, the employer pay
ing an equal amount, and the gov
ernment also assisting. The English
system has the whole amount conio
from the state. The estimated an
nual cost of pensions for the Brit
ish treasury is about $30,000,000.
In England, it Is said that one-fourth
AN OLD !AH WBIX TXIKD REMEDY
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