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The Commoner,
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 43
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My Houso Beside tlio Road
Homer's Ideal "He was a friend to
man, and lived in a house by the
sido of the road."
"There are hermit souls that live
withdrawn
In the place of their selfish con
tent; There are souls like stars, that
dwell apart
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze
their paths
Where highways never ran;
But let me live by the sido of the
road,
And be a friend to man.
"Let me live in my house by the
' side of the road,
Where the race of men go by;
The men that are good and the men
that are bad,
As good 'and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner's seat,
Or hurl the cynic's ban;
Let me live in a house by the side
of the road,
And be a friend to man.
"I see from my house by the side of
the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press with the ardor
of hope,
The men who faint with the strife,
But I turn not away from their
smiles or their tears,
Both parts of an infinite plan;
Let me live injny house by the sido
of the road,
And be a' friend to man.
-"I' know there are brook-gladdened
meadows ahead,
And mountains of wearisome
' height,
And the road passes through the
long, afternoon,
,And stretch'es away to the night,
ut still I rejoice when the travelers
rejoice,
And weep with the strangers that
moan, "
Tor live in my house by the side of
of the road,
Like a man who dwells alone,
"Let me live in my house by the sido
. . of the road,
Where the race of men go by;
They are good; they are bad; they
-'"' are weak; they are strotfg;
Wise, foolish, and so am I.
then why should I sit in the scorn-
er's seat,
Or hurl the' cynic's ban?
Let me live in my house by the side
of the road,
And be a friend to man."
S. W. Fobs.
not a few in every city, town or vil
ago, and many a heart aches with
loneliness, making no visible sign.
There are many young people who
are far from home, and the holiday
given them on this day, would be
far happier, if they were allowed to
work, for they would thus be among
their kind, and the day would not
seem so dreary. Many men and
women, seemingly prosperous, with
homes of their own, would be glad
to share the plainest dinner with
some friends, for the sake of the
day, but they feel that more would
bo expected of them than they can
give, if they were the entertainers,
or. if entertained, that some return
would be expected, which they could
not make. Thus, people are kept
apart through misunderstanding each
other. What is it the Bible tells
us about the "giving that enriches
the giver?" Do we understand? Try
to make some heart thankful today.
The world is too chary of its tender
thoughtfulness. Let us be thankful
that we may offer the "cup" of wa
ter, and if we can put into the hand
of some one starving for companion
ship, just a few crumbs of kindness,
let us be glad to share with them our
joys. Let this be truly a "Thanks
giving day." ,
young and old may
and often.
meet socially
"Thorns in the Flesh"
Many a warm-hearted, loving,
sympathetic woman loses the love
and respect of her husband by her
untidy, careless housekeeping. Her
house looks like a veritable "hurrah's
nest," and nothing is ever in its
place, or fit to use when found. No
matter what she has, in the way of
house-furnishing or garments, she is
never ready for company, or to go
out with her husband if ho asks her
to; if she does manage to toss on
her garments, they look just like
they had come out of the rag-bag,
rumpled, xmkempt, and untidy. Do
you wonder tha.t her husband is not
proud to introduce her to his friends?
It is, not the pretty gown you buy,
or the trifle in the way of jewelry;
that discourages your husband; most
of men like to see their wives well
dressed and up-to-date, as it is a,
good advertisement for themselves,
but it is the wastes in little things
that make for neither comfort or
convenience that really has an irri
tating effect on the nerves of the man
who turns his earnings over to his
family.
Aggravating delays in dressing are
usually caused by some garment be
ing minus a button, a broken button
hole, or detached buckle, or the fail
ure to find some necessary article
of the attire or toilet which has not
found its way back to th owner's
bureau. Nothing sends the bread
winner, man or women, off to busi
ness so thoroughly out of temper as
a hasty scramble for some article
of attire, which is either missing, en
tirely, or in such state of un-repair
as to be unwearable and few things
are more helpful factors in the har
mony of the home than to find one's
belongings in order, clean, and well
mended. The woman who orders by tele
phone, postal or order boy, wastes
about ten per cent of the money she
pays out, as she has to take what
ever the dealer sends her, and which
a clear knowledge of. her own prop
erty rights, at least. Many a woman
is left, ignorant of all laws and alone
at the mercy of dishonest nerBona'
and because of her ignoranco and
irusuumess, loses .everything that
may bo left to her on the death of
her husband, or other benefactor.
Many husbands, seeking to spare
their wives the burden of the man
agement of their joint property, I
never explain to them the possibility
of their having to handle their own
property, in case of being left alone.
Very few women know anything
about the laws governing real estate,
or personal belongings, and are thus,
through their helpless ignorance!
robbed right and left by dishonest
workmen or sharpers.
Another book that will be of great
value, if closely used, is a book deal
ing with the chemistry of foods and
articles used in the household econ
omics. Cookery, laundering, and
general housework are all being put
upon a scientific basis, and every one
should seek to know something of
them. The books will not cost so
very much, and if read and studied
in the family circle, will be of untold
value.
Watching Over the Boys
It is well enough, in fact, abso
lutely necessary, that care should be
taken of the girls, but there" is the
same necessity due to the boys, who
are just now pouring their young
life-blood into the dark streams of
the city's business arteries. A prom
inent speaker said, in an address
before a large city gathering,, recent
ly: "The most staggering fact that
confronts the student of the criminal
courts of our great cities -is, that
from 65 to 70 per cent of the crim
inals going through the courts are
between the ages of sixteen and
twenty-five years of age the surest
evidence that the city is not develop
ing morally as rapidly, as physically
and mentally. One great reason for
Vila 4a tVint V10 nViiifoVioa otv Tint Ar-
ing the work they ought for the is ve,7 oten notuwlmt "e wan8' or
young boys and men. The very wuu .., . C1A ,ulu BC
first blood to contract the. great im-
For the Hands
You can not have pretty hands un
less you care for them. Old gloves
should have the finger-tips cut off,
and kept in a place where they may
bo picked up at any time you have
any rough, dirty work to do, which
will admit of hand-covering. Old
stocking tops make good mitts to
wear about sweeping, dusting, hand
ling the kitchen .utensils, and in
many ways about the housework, if
a thumb is set in one -side. For
whitening and softening the hands,
THE FIRST TASTE
Learned to Drink Oofl'ce When a
Baby
Thanksgiving Day
. The subject is so well understood
that It seems- superfluous to repeat
the" significance of the observation of
a day of general thanksgiving for
the larges3 the year has brought to
us; and because by this month, the
fruits of the forest, field and garden
are all harvested, the day is one that
may be observed by all without in
terfering with the care of any crop.
This Is the festival of the home
. comers, the re-union of friends and
relatives, and we should strive to
make of it indeed a day of gladness
and thanksgiving. In gathering
about us "our own," we should not
forget those who are strangers, or
far from their loved ones, or alone
in the world. Of these, there ate
moral contagion in the wicked city
is in the veins of the boy who comes
from the country, and who does not
knpw what confronts him in the
city's, allurements." While this is
true of. the country youths of both
sexes as regards the city, the country
boy learns a great deal in his home
environments", for there is evil and
temptation in every environment.
But a great deal of this may be over
come by providing for safeguards in
the shape of proper associations and
places of resort for the youth before
the "young blood" seeks a pathway
to the .city. The churches can do a
great deal in the country home, and
the schools may contribute their
share; but nothing but a knowledge
of the wretched pitfalls will keep the
young feet in the safe pathway. "The
well-fed never steals bread," you
know, and if the boy and girl are
fed from the Bocial table, and taught
through the companionship to be
found there, what life might be, they
would not be so free, or so eager to
rush into the dark places the cities
so abundantly furnish. Give the
boys and girls good social environ
ments, and do not send them to the
cities starved for companionship. See
that you have places where both
self. If one 1b at the counter, she
can examine the goods; herself, and
has no difficulty in telling which are
the fresh, and which the stale goo.ds.
Necessary Books
Recently, I told you to get a dic
tionary a good, large one, and to
use it. There are several other
books that should be found, and
used, in every' family. One of these
is an authoritative work on etiquette,
And the family, from the oldest to
the youngest, should study this
book. Many a naturally refined boy
or girl commits blunders in the so
cial world which subjects him or
her to ridicule, or humiliation,
through the remarks of some tact
less person. There are so many lit
tle things that "make a difference,"
and It Is well to study these things
around the family lamp, these .long
evenings, discussing the subjects with
other members of the family.
Another one, which may not seem
so necessary to those not having
thought on the subject, Is a good
law-book, with clearly defined ex
planations of the rights which govern
for the good of the community. A
copy of the laws of the state, plainly
written, will bo very helpful in many
ways, and every woman should have
If parents realized the fact that
coffee contains a drug caffeine
which is especially harmful to
children, they would doubtless hesi
tate before giving the babies coffee
to drink.
"When I was a child in my moth
er's arms and first began to nibble
things at the table, mother used to
give me sips of coffee. As my par
ents used coffee exclusively at meals
I never knew there was anything to
drink but coffee and water.
. "And so I contracted the coffee
habit early. I remember when quite
young the continual use of coffee so
affected my' parents that they tried
roasting wheat and barley, then
ground it in the vioffe mill, as a sub-
stitute for coffee.
"But it did not taste right and
they went back to coffee again. That
was long before Postum was ever
heard of. I continued to use coffee
until I was 27, and when I got into,
office work, I began to have nervous
spells. Especially after breakfast I
was so nervous I could scarcely at
tend to my correspondence.
"At night, after having coffee for
supper, I could hardly sleep, and on
rising in the morning would feet
weak and nervous.
."A friend persuaded me to try
Postum. My wife and I did not like
it at first, but later when boiled good
and strong it was fine. Now we
would not give up Postum for the
best coffee wo ever tasted. .
"I can now get good sleep, am
free from nervousness and head
aches. I fecommend Postum to all
coffee drinkers." f-f
Read "The Road to Wellville," in
pkgs.
"There's a Reason."
Ever read the above letter? A now
one appears from timo to time. They
aro genuine, true, and full of huma
interest '
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