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The Commoner.
VOLUME 9, NUMBER 2
fuel; also the cost of alcohol burn
ers, where they can be- found on
sale; what tho cost of the alcohol,
and .whore it can bo got. We shall
bo glad to hear from any one having
the information, and having had ex
perience along these lines.
8
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Forward
Dreamer, waiting for darkness with
sorrowful, drooping eyes,
Linger not in the vnlloy, bemoan
ing the day that is done!
Jllmb tho eastern mountains and
wolcomo tho rosy skies,
No'ver yet was the setting so fair
as tho rising sun.
Dear is the past; its treasured we
hold In our hearts for aye;
tfoo to tho hand that would scat
tor one wreath of its garriered
flowers;
But larger blessing and honor will
come with tho waking day,
Hail, then, Tomorrow! nor tarry
, with Yesterday's ghostly hours!
Mark how the summers hasten,
1 41imiVi V1rCBrmltiP' flnlrln nt
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I June,
. To the purplo lanos of tho vintage
and levels of golden corn:
Splendors of life I lavish," runs
nature's exultant tuno,
"For myriads press to follow, and
the rarest are yet unborn."
hink how eager the earth is, and
eyery star that shines,
T6 circle the grander spaces about
God's throne that bo;
'evor tho least moon loiters nor the
largest Bun declines
Forward they roll forever, those
glorious depths to see.
Jbreamor, waiting for darkness with
sorrowful, drooping eyes,
Summers and suns, go, gladly, and
wherefore dost thou repine?
limb tho hills of morning and wel
come the rosy skies
Tho joy of the boundless future
nay, God, Himself is thine!
Edna Dean Proctor.
go on. These wo should school our
selves to take.
Many a housewife and mother
breaks down physically and becomes
a nervous wreck simplybecause of
tho "nover-endingness' and monoto
nous routine of tho dead level of
"things rather than the hardships
that beset tho occupation. If we
could only persuade her to take a
vacation whenever she can (not
will) get away from tho treadmill,
it would be better than all the tonics
she could take,.
Laundering Fine Handkerchiefs
Fill a' bowl half full of warm, soft
water and dissolve a little powdered
I hnrn.v in It n. l.fijiRnnonfiil to half a
basin of water. Dissolve enough rainwater n a .bottle, add to it qne
windows to keep out stray cats, dogs,
and rats from the alley, and other
marauders.. Remove everything that
has a tendency t6 sour. Keep" the
shelves well washed, and whitewash:
tho sides and ceiling; The best
wearing and most sanitary floor for.
the cellar is the cement floor.
, , For tho Hair
Mrs., N. A. D. sends formulas for
two preparations to be used for the
hair, which she says she has used
successfully for promoting ,, the
growth of tho. hair, and for arresting
grayness. Hero are the , recipes,
which do not seem to contain any
harmful ingredient, unless it bo the
sugar of lead: Put three pints pi
nice, white soap in it to cleans the
handkerchief, and in this suds rub
each handkerchief gently between
tho hands until clean, then rinse in
clear, cold, soft water that has been
slightly blued. White linen or cot
ton, handkerchiefs may be scalded a
few minutes to clear them. The
borax will always whiten linen, and
should always be used in water for
hashing linen articles. Iron the
handkerchiefs while quite damp,
pressing the embroidery . on the
wrong side, and ironing the rest on
tho right side. A perfectly clean
marble slab or pane of glass may be
used instead ot ironing, pressing the
handkerchief on tho slab or pane,
putting the wrong side next the sur
face, smoothing out all wrinkles
while wet. Soaking in cold sweet
milk is claimed to be good for the
removal of peach stains. Wash the
spots well in the milk before putting
in the wash.
ounce each of bergaxnot, flour of sul
phur and- sugar of lead: shako well,
and .after a day or two apply to the.
scalp with the tips of the Angers,
rubbing In well. This Is a cure for
dandruff, also.
No. 2. Five cents worth of either
common flour of sulphur (which will
cost about five cents a pound)' or
lac qulphur, which her druggist says
is preferable to the common sulphur,
to a quart of rain water. Cork the
pottle tightly and place in the hot
sunshine for two weeks, shaking
thoroughly every day. The summer
A Vacation or a "Hobby"
Speaking of the effects of one's
frork upon tho physical welfare of
the worker, a writer in Medical Mag
azine gives tho following:
In. chooBing an occupation," three
things aro to be considered: An
inborn love of the work, for the
work's sake, and not for the money
to be earned by it, but in the strict
sense of a vocation, a calling to do
it; the possession of a mental ca
pacity ample for mastering the
knowledge required in practice of the
occupation and a thing of the very
greatest importance a physical en
dowment equal to its requirements.
Lack of any of these three renders
one unfit for the work, however con
genial it may be otherwise. But a
job that "fits" its owner is not al
ways the completo solution of his un
easiness, for many a man who is in
all three ways adapted to his work
finds himself "going stale." He
loves his work by first instinct, and
comes to detest it by long practice.
If unrelieved, he may go on to a
desperate breakdown from sheer
;boredom, for ho is usually the man
oi spirit, and his very soul gets sick.
His salvation will be some 'hobby,
some avocation which, distracting
his over-wearied brain fromN tho
bruising irritation of things he khows
too well, gives his normal instinct
xor the regular work a chance to re
cover its freshness of sensation,
which is the pleasure in tho practice
of any vocation." If one might have
frequent short vacations, or occa
sional change of occupations,- it
would bring new life to the exhaust
ed spirits, and give us strength to
A Sweet Cistern
To prevent a cistern becoming
foul from a natural accumulation of
dust and soil that Is washed from
tho roof, there should be a filter
placed so that all water must pass
tnrougn it before entering the reser
voir. Decayed animal matter, drop
pings of- birds, leaves, and other
dobris carried by the wind, are apt
to lodge in the eaves-troughs, and
wash down the spouts, and the wa
ter supply will thus be contaminat
ed and unfit for use, even though it
may not "smell." If the filter has
been neglected, and the water is
foul smelling, the cistern should be
pumped dry, and the walls and
bottom scrubbed clean, any leaks re
paired, and alternate layers of gravel
and charcoal, to a depth of bIx or
eignt incnes laid over the bottom.
The charcoal will absorb tho foul
gas which is usually generated, and
the water will keep sweet lontror.
But the better way is to supply the,
omission, ana put tne filter of gravel
and charcoal where the water must
pass through it before entering the
cistern.
time is really the only time in which
to prepare this remedy, as- only th,en
can It have the1 necessary sun heat
After standing two -weeks, drain off
tho liquid and rub It well into the
roots of the hair, night and morn
ing, using the finger-tips. .This will
make the hair soft and glossy and
arrest falling out. It is claimed to
restore fhe color of the hair, as it
gives new life to the scalp and hair
follicles. ,
Summer Caro of tho Cellar
Be lavish of lime in the cellar.
Charcoal is also an excellent disin
fectant and purifier. Put either lime
or charcoal in open boxes and set in
damp corners. Open the doors and
windows every day if the weather
permits. Put the old rubbish any
where else than in the cellar, remove
all trash that collects and carry out
all rubbish. For the furnace, insist
on having the cold air drawn from
the, outside rather than from the in
terior of the cellar. Tack fine
meshed poultry wire over the cellar
With Our Readers .
H. E. P., of California, recom
mends "aluminum cooking vessels, as
being the most serviceable, and
cheapest in the long run for kitchen
uses. Among their good qualities
are the facts that fruit will never
stick to the sides and bottom, or
burn, or scorch, unless all moisture,
is boiled out of them; they admit,
of being used regularly, for every
day cookery without, being injured,
aro readily cleaned, and if made of
heavy metal will last for many years
for constant use. They aro very
light in weight,, also. He also tells
us that strong salt water or soap
suds or lye water must not be al
lowed to stand in them, as these
dissolve the metal; that a dry alu
minum vessel must not stand on a
red-hot stove, as the great heat is
liable to melt the metal; that alkali
in the water will cause precipitation,
nut tomato water, or 'any acid fruit
juice will readily take it off, leaving
bright as new. This metal does not
chip or crack, like granite ware or
enameled ware." Aluminum ware. is
by no means cheap, a four-quart
preserving kettle selling usually for
$1,25, up; the Berlin kettles (with
cover) will cost, for one holding a
quart, about 80 cents; a three-quart
one, at least $1.25. Many people
do not like aluminum because it
gets a "pewtery" look so soon, and
ith some people perhaps the fault
of the care-taker "things" do stick
and- burn. We shall be clad tn hon
from others, who have used tho ware,
whether successfully or not, and al
so, about the new steel vessels.
Several readers wish information
about denatured alcohol as a kitchen
For tho Laundry
For ' starching shirts, collars and
cuffs, always dry from the wash be
fore starching. To make the starch,
wet two tablespoonfuls of starch
smoothly in a little cold water; pour
over a quart of boiling water, stir
Ing rapidly until it boils over heat;
add a piece of enamel the size of a
hazelnut, stirring to rhix. (To make
the enamel mell together one ounce
of Vhite wax and two of spermaceti,),
Boil the starch slowly ten minutes.
Then, while still hot, put in collars
and cuffs; work thoroughly in tho
starch, then spread each piece on a
sheet and rub the starch well into
each piece, smoothing out tho
wrinkles. Wring out a .towel not
too .dry in cold water, and lay each
piece on separately and roll all tight
ly. In half an hour they are ready
to iron. Lay on a hardwood board
and iron smooth with an ordinary
iron, then polish with, a polishing
iron. Mrs. G. D:
Qolored muslins should be washed
in a lather of cold water. If ;the
color be green, add a; little vinegar
to the. water; if lilac,, add a littlo
ammonia; if black, add 'salt,
Yellow spots oji linen or cotton
made by the iron may be removed by
setting in the sunshine, the hottest
to be had.
To wash organdies and lawns,
soak them in a gallon of warm water
in which a tablespoonful of borax
has been dissolved;' leave them to
soak for about twenty minutes, then
rub them in soapsuds made of good
castile soap.. Pour boiling, water
over them and let set until the wa
ter cools. Rinse in tepid water and
iron in the usual .way.
Remember to wash colored goods,
especially black cotton or linen in
thin flour paste, using no soap, rinse
in clear water, dry in the shade and
iron on the wrong side.
Grass stains, "when freshly made,
may be removed by rubbing in
cream tartar water or alcohol. When
the stains are old, javolle water will
remove them, but it will generally
remove the colors, too. Good linens
need no starch.
Helps from Our Household
E. C. G., of Louisiana, sends
recipe for a good beverage for social
gatherings:
Iced Tea Nearly fill a large lem
onade glass with iced tea, then add
tho juice of a 'lemon and sweeten
to taste. This Is a healthful, and
more palatable than beer or liquors.
J, L. M., of Missouri, gives tho
following:
Grape Juice Cup Rub two lumps
of suar upon a lemon, and two
iuuij ou un urunge until tne sugar
is. colored well with the oil in the
skin of the fruit. On the lumps
squeeze the juice of the lemon and
the orange, and let stand for half
an hour; pour on the sugar a pint
of fresh grape juice and leave on ice
until well chilled. Turn this over a
large piece of ice in a large bowl,
and add a pint of some ,good,
charged water, adding a dozen each
of strawberries, cherries and rasp
berries, if in season.
Spice Cake (made with buttermilk
and soda) One cupful of brown
sugar, half a cupful of shortening,
one cupful of fresh, rich buttermilk,
two cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful
of saleratus, one teaspoonful of cin
namon, half a teaspbohful of cloves
(spices to be ground): and fruit to
taste. Can be made without fruit,
but raisins improve It. All butter,
QT equal parts of.Jmtter and fried
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