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6
The Commoner.
VOLUME 9, NUMBER u
Spring
Spring, with that nameless pathos in
tho air
Which dwells with all things fair,
Spring, with her golden suns and
silver rain,
Is with us once again.
Out in tho lonely woods the jasmine
burns
Its fragrant lamps, and turns
Into a royal court with green fes
toons The banks of dark lagoons.
In tho deep heart of every forest
tree
Tho blood is all agleo,
And tlioro's a look about tho leafless
bowers
As if they dreamed of flowers.
But many gleams and shadows need
must pass
Along the burning grass,
And weeks go by, before tho enam
ored south
Shall kiss the rose's mouth.
Still, thore's a sense of blossoms yet
unborn
In ; the sweet airs of morn; '
One almost looks to see the very
stroet
Grow purple at his feet.
At times a fragrant "breeze comes
floating by,
And brings, you know not why,
A feeling as when eager crowds
await
Before ii palace gate.
Sonie wondrous pageant; and you
scarce would start,
If from a beech's heart
A blue-eyed Dryad, stepping forth!
should say, '
"Behold me I I am May!"
Henry Timrod.
even more than it does grown peo
ple. We have all noticed the dis
agreeable odor of some bedrooms,
and in many instances where the per
son is not over-cleanly, the foul odor
clings to the clothing worn through
the day. Persons occupying such
rooms "get the habit" of not feeling
very well. It is simply a case of un
cloannoss. Let us begin now, and
got as much fresh, clean air as pos
sible, by living with open doors and
windows. Many of us are so situ
ated that we can not get out as much
as we should Avish, and tho only
thing we can do is to bring inside all
tho fresh, clean air wo can induce
to enter. Cleanliness should be more
than "skin deep" if we want to be
bright and healthy, and clean air is
to our internal organs what clean
water is to the outside.
Ventilation
.aAJitCr. HyIns In close' stuffy rooms
is most of us do during the winter,
it scorns good to be alive, just to
wUUt;?nd flU,Sh our lunSs with the
days ' nZ f Vf the earI' rins
tmjs. It is better many times to
have too much fresh air than too lit-
o, and while draughts are of ten
he cause of colds and sickness
thorOUgh ventilation will cure almost
any disease 0r at least prevent It.
On the purity of the air takon into
the lungs depends tho well being of
tho whole hnrtv ,1 , k.!.. , "b U1
atantly throwing off impurities which",
... ., 1Q llUL ummgeu, must hp
Sainoadknfnf,nt, th ,Unsi "
Its load of foul waste matter. We
would rebel quickly against having
to drink foul water out of a dirty
cup and would be ashamed to otter
ouch -to a friend, or chance called
yot we are content to sit in a room
and breathe an atmosphere lade
with the foul exhalations from 1 alJ
fn25?n bdieS' aml U a friQ11ds cans
the dirty room and the dirty air are
offered with every show of hosni
a Hty. Bad air debilitates the sys
tem, and makes one feel dull and
sluggish, and every room in the
house should be flushed freely every
day. Especially should aleephS
rooms have all the fresh air possible
as it is while we sleep that the body'
Elves off most impurities. A window
open at night, top and bottom, often
8leeeVnnta30 U10 " unrefreshing
S? 8? J113' complain of. The
want of fresh air affects children
Dressing a Room on Dimes
It is well to remind those who
think they produce charming effects
in house furnishing at small cost by
Bvuumug a row dimes" which are
"never missed," that the dimes soon
amoimt to dollars, if spent often, and
if they are kept until tho dollars
are gathered, really good things,
though fewer of them, can bo bought
with tho same amount. Cheap finery
is as objectionable in house furnish
ing as it is in the wardrobe, and
the particularly flimsy and fadable
materials used by so many for dra
pery about windows and doors, never
add anything. to the appearance of
a room. In these days, when one is
beginning to realizo that useless
things are only dust catchers and
work-makers, 'wnmen nm hainntn..
-" -" v V WVSfc) inning
to see the beauty of neat, plain, ser
viceable furnishings. Tho "sensible"
furnishings need not bo ugly, or un
suitable, but may be made quite ar-
mbuu uy ciosoiy studying the room
and tho uses to which it is' to bo
put. Cheap things are not always
low-priced and, on the other hand,
rea ly good things are not always
high priced. When getting any
household furnishings, this spring,
resolve to got serviceable and suit
able thingsthings that will last at
east until one gets tired of them.
If you are not after the novelties, it
well to get goods that aro known
to be what they are represented to
be, and see that whatever you buy
is worth tho money.
For tho Creeping Baby
Wlifin tlio 'hoix,, -
:. I ,, . "-vy uuiuub 10 creeninc
keen i!S ft gW "P the attempTto
keep it dainty, and confine ourselves
to keeping it comfortable. In orde?
that a child may fairly enjoy the
creeping period and bring as little
annoyance as possible to his hard,
worked mother, he should be clothed
with an eye to the nature of his
activities. The best creeping clothes
are Probably the dark colored over
alls. Make tho trousers very full
w1ln,baBgy',an(1 (lrawn in at the knee
TurkiS? SUC bamuch Hke
Turkish trousers. Dark blue Ger
anAcallc. which is heavier than
eriatrwh?oCaf1IC' ls tho best "
teiial of which -to mako them. Cut
the goods in two pieces after any or
dinary trousers pattern for a chHd
only twice as wide, or even widir
an inch wido hem around the waist
and knees. A narrow, flat Iklms
tic is then run into these hems. Silk
elastic is preferred to cotton as it
is more flexible and does not bind the
legs and waist so tightly. Draw this
little garment right on over the
baby's skirts. The waist elastic
holds it securely in position. Tho
creepers can be bought ready made,
but they are so easily made at home
that the mother who believes in sav
ing the nickels can easily do so, in
this case. A bib may bo added to
the front of the trousers, and will
help to hold tho garment securely in
place, but it is not necessary. Moth
er's Magazine.
At tho creeping period the little
legs are so constantly kept in con
tact with the floor that they should
be especially warmly clothed, with
woolen stockings and little under
drawers, the seat of which should be
cut out. These little drawers may
be kept in place by pinning to the
undershirt with safety-pins. The
trousers should be made plenty long,
with a generous bagging, and. the
stockings will bo protected at the
knees. Nothing pays the mother bet
ter than to look after the comfort
of the baby at this period, and his
clothing should be adapted to the
changing weather of the season, for
the baby must be kept warm. If the
undershirt is not made of woolen,
there should be a loose band of flan
nel around the baby's bowels to pro
tect from sudden chills.
For tho Sick Room
To change the sheets . on a1 sick
person's bed is a very simple matter;
if understood. Loosen the soiled
sheet on one side of the bed and roll
it up lengthwise against the patient's
back, who must lie on his side; over
tho stripped, mattress spread the
clean sheet, tucking down the outer
edge, and the half left unspread muse
be in a roll which is laid alongside
of tho rolled, soiled sheet; when half
of the bed is thus stripped and cov
ered, the patient must turn, or be
turned on tho other side, with his
face to tho clean sheet, and this will
bring him over on the clean side of
the bed; then both sheets are to be
drawn from under him, the soiled
ono to bo removed, from tho bed, and
tho clean one, put in place on the
mattress and tucked in under the
side of the bed.
To change the night gown without
making the patient sit up, the arms
are slipped out of tho sleeves and
the gown drawn down below the
shoulders. Havn t.h nionn o.
hand, already warmed, and put the
arms into the clean sleeves, lift the
head and slip the garment under the
imiieiiiH suouiaers; then, by raising
the lower part of the body, the soiled
gown is to be drawn off and the
clean one drawn into place.
Mothers' Power in Government
The Mother's Magazine says:
New social movements tending to
elevate the moral and physical tono
of a town or city aro quickly per
ceived by the mayors of progressive
cities, and while some wel?omo E
innovations, others resent them
mere Is one movement which I have
and that Is tho presence of the moth
er in important civic movements. In
the last ten years, from the Atlantic
to tho Pacific, from the Lake of
Woods to the Gulf, she has arrayed
herself against bad government and
bad civic principles, and in countless
lnBtonces has caused the working out
? bet,ter governmental principles. It
la a significant fact that, aside from
a righteous grand jury or judge
there is nothing the professional poll
itician fears so much as an organized
movement of mothers against his ne
farious intentions. In a certain large
city, when the mayor found he could
not control the aldermen intending
to be corrupt by ordinary appeals to
their honor, made his appeal to their
wives and the mothers toI their child
ren. The result was that the men
were shamed into decency of con
duct, and the wrongful measure wna
defeated.
"S6me men insist that it is not a
woman's business to interfere in such
matters, but the man who fears the
voice of the mother of his children
is afraid of his own conscience. A
wife and mother has a right to know
how her husband is protecting not
alone the honor of his family, but
of the community of which he is a
vital part. Many men high in the
councils of the nation insist that mu
nicipal government would be cleaner,
would rise to a higher level, if the
man In office took more frequent
counsel with the mother of his child
ren. A woman will instinctively
scent a bad measure or a bad man
long before the alarm reaches the
intelligence of the man. Women
have devised and carried out many
great reformatory works where pre
occupied men have hung back and
scoffed. What ignorant or careless
city councils or .boards of trustees
have neglected for years, the force
of an organized body of mothers ha
compelled to be done."
&
Accessories
A dress that seems hopelessly
plain may be beautified by some
tasteful accessory, such as a pretty
collar, . belt, ribbon bow, or other
trifle, or a bit of trimming tastefully
put on. A bit of lace, will work won
ders, and if one is skillful In the art
Of embroidery, many things may be
mado at home that, if bought, would
cost large sums. Neckwear is very
easily made in the prevailing styles,
and small scraps of lace, embroidery
or silk or velvet may be worked up
into these charming accessories by
any ono at all handy with the needle;
thus saving many dimes and freshen
ing up the plainest toilet.
Pick-TJps
For cleaning the sink or removing
stains of smoke or soot from-cook
vessels, use any good borax soap
powder. It is better than coal oil.
It is claimed that when a thing
Is wanted to boil quickly, a stick
ShOUld bfi l.lirl nn-nnac f T, 4. o 11
vessel in the center, and this will
prevent boiling over. A piece of
clean kindling will do. Try it
If food is unfortunately burned to
the vessel when cooking, empty at
once and put into the burned vessel
a tablespoonful of sal soda to a pint
of water bring to a boil; and let
simmer for an hour. The food will
sup fiom the vessel without scour-
A solution of sal soda is good for
ni?i,PUrp08es ln tlle household.
Dissolve one pound of the soda in
?SS ST? .? ,Water' Put int a Jus
and label "soda solution." If hard
JhJ LS?Sed; one tablespoonful of
snLn ntl0n,In the dlh water will
soften it so a lather can be made
with soap.
In washing dishes china, or glass
hw? iBeB0ap' unless vou aro
K? S?i.wUh the aoftest watSr. Have
Sri, ? tree from all
tZ PLVS? and use clear het wa-
and-hot, with clean dish
cloths. Have clean, soft drying
L?P ND WELL TRIED REMEDY
toothiBffinY,sSoo;rniNa Svp for children
tffilne Ln&wy4Bb0US0d for children whUe
caiSwfnaPiinteito?iCTms' "ys tho pal
rhTcLWKcryC.Sv3nS0abboCfuJ:0medy
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