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The Commoner
"VOLUME 11; NUMBER !.
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floor, and everywhere a flea can hide.
Leave on for a day, or longer where
it will not be ' tracked about, and
then clean up. You will hardly have
to make a second application;, but
if needed, do it with a will. Tho
liriie will do the work.
Gleanings
They liavo a pretty llttlo theory
nowadays which thoy call the theory
'of Interest. This means, so far as
I can make out, that Johnny must
novor bo allowed to suspect that ho
is learning anything In school. You
must keep him amused, entertained,
and while his attention Is distracted,
you may slip In a bit of usoCul in
formation bore and thoro along the
way. Woman's World.
"It's a sad reflection that our
teachers aro such savago and fero
cious creatures that thoy cannot lie
trusted to slap a child when ho needs
it, and it Is reassuring to know that
Johnny can always protect himself
from debasing physical violence by
tho slmplo words, "Don't you dast
touch mo; you'll go to jail if you
do!" -Ibid.
Evory physician will toll you that
about half his patients noed no medi
cine; that thoy only need right liv
ing. But ho will also toll you that
this class of patients will not let him
bo honest with them. If ho tells
them thoy need no medicine, they
will not believe him. They will think
ho does not understand their case,
and will proceed to some other doc
tor who, perhaps, is not so conscien
tious, and who will glvo them medi
cine, harmless or otherwise, and thoy
are satisfied.
I am quito sure that It Is better the work with the lace toward you,
to havo everything brought before and with number fifty cotton thread
unu in uuuna, in mux wiiy, inu uuu-
loms reach us when we aro cool and
not warped by the sophistries of an
instant passion. Life itself presents
its problems with a terrible distinct
ness and directness, and at the very
hour when we are least able to judge
calmly. Hence this Pisgah-slght of
things off the top of a book is only
a rational preparation for tho ugly
grips that must follow. Robert
Louis Stevenson.
preferably), should bo well incor
porated with tho loam. Butjn this,
judgment must bo used, as too much,
or too now manure will cause the rose
beds to bo manure-sick, and disagree
with tho plant. Wo often read that
the rose-bed cannot be made too
rich; but like much else that we
read, this is misleading. A well
rotted cow manure, well mixed with
good garden loam, with plenty of
clay in it, is the best; but the clay
loam must bo light and loose, rather
than heavy and sticky.
For tho Sewing Room
To apply lace insertion on a
straight edge, roll tho edge of the
goods and overhand the lace on this
edge, holding the goods to you and
rolling tho edge toward you, easing
the lace on tho underside so that
when finished it will not pucker. To
put laco insertion on a design, the
samo effect as overhanging (whip
ping) may be obtained by pinning
it on tho right side of the goods in
tho required design, and sewing with
very small, overhand stitching on the
outer margin. The inside edge must
bo gathered with fine cotton and
small stitches and basted where
needed. Turn over to the under side
and cut away tho material between
these bastings to within a sixteenth
of an inch of the basting, then fold
bo better as tho rodents are wary
of human smells. In using poisons,
or traps, they must be put where
domestic animals, poultry and little
moddlesome children cannot reach
them. One of the quickest extermi
nators for mice is half a teacupful of
cornmeal with which a teaspoonful
of strong arsenic is well mixed. This
is a deadly poison, and should be
set in some out-of-the-way place, and
all other foods put out of reach of
the animals, so they will be forced
to eat of this. If one is very careful,
the mixture can be set out at night
and removed in the early morning
before children and poultry are at
work. But it must not be neglected.
Odds and Ends
To find the quantity of lace
necessary to go around the outer
edge of a circle: Find the distanco
across the center of tho circle, which
is called tho diameter; multiply this
diameter, no matter how many inches
it may be, by 3.1416, and tho result
of tho multiplication will give the
circumference, or the distance
around the outer edge of the circle,
within the thousandth part of an
inch. This is tho method to follow,
for any size circle. For practical
purposes, for a 24-inch circle, one
should purchase 76 inches of lace,
which is about a fraction, of an inch
too much. Housekeeper.
The turn-over collar worn with
overhand through both lace and ma- the tailored neck-tie should be
terial with very line stitches. The
goods will roll itself.
It is well to put all one's money in
values of material rather than in
trimmings. If you cannot afford good
lace, use tulle or a simple figured
net lace. For lingerie and summer
dresses, omit all trimmings rather
than use the cheap, poor quality;
tucking, a simple beading or lace in
For the Baby
To prepare farina for the baby,
take ono tablespoonful of farina and
gradually sprinkle it into a mixture
of four ounces each of milk and
water, boiling together; add a pinch
of salt, stir until well cooked in a
double boiler, for an hour. When
fed to the baby, pour a little top
milk on it and feed with a spoon.
When making farina porridge great
care must be taken to prevent its
lumping, and it will be perfectly
smooth if the farina is gradually
sprinkled in and constantly stirred.
To coddlo an egg, take a perfectly
fresh egg with the Bhell on, and drop
it into a saucepan of boiling water,
remove immediately from tho fire
and allow the egg to remain in the
hot water for seven minutes; when
broken open, the white should ap
pear like jelly. Before giving it to
tho baby, add a pinch of salt and a
few crumbs of browned toast; give
only half the egg at first, gradually
increasing to a whole egg. Another
good way to feed an egg to the baby
is to beat it up, raw, in a pint of
milk, adding a very small pinch of
salt.
sertion with neat neckwear and belt,
will give a much better effect than
quantities of cheap, poor trimmings.
Keep the lines of all garments simple
and soft, and choose harmonious
colors. Remember that one really
good garment is worth a half-dozen
poor ones.
Simple clothes do not always mean
inexpensive ones; it does not mean
to be dressed plainly, nor to do
without all trimmings or fancy
touches."" The knowing how, and
what is or is not suitable, are the
chief secrets tho dressmaker and
wearer should study in order to be
"well dressed." A great many wo
men are far better dressed in the
good "ready-to-wear" clothes than
they ever can be in what they make
themselves. Not every woman is or
can be a dressmaker, and thousands
of women cannot even be "tolerable"
seamstresses. They have no talent
for the needle, thimble and scissors.
mounted on a deep collar-band. This
band is intended to be well starched
in the laundry; the turn-over should
be very slightly stiffened. All kinds
of embroidery, white or colored, may
be used for these collars.
For a ruffle of embroidery to be
put on any undergarment, ordinarily
allow once and a half the length of
whatever is to be trimmed. To put
- Query Box
Mrs. K. B.---ThQ Chinese sacred
lily plant should be kept growing
as long as its foliage is nice, and
then set in some place in tho border
where it can grow undisturbed. -It
will not bloom in the house any
more, and it may be several years
before it will give a few blooms out
of doors.
Z. M. Recipes for chili sauce will
bo given in season, when ' it can be
made, but it may not be liko tho
commercial -article; if well made, of
good vegetables, it should be , much
better.
L. N. One of the very best ce
ments is made by mixing plaster of
paris ancC gum arabic together, with
water enough to make a thick solu
tion; apply to the broken edges with
a small brudli, bind the pieces firmly
together and set away to get per
fectly dry before using..
F. F. For dyeing the brown
switch, take pyrogalic acid, 15 gr.,
alcohol, two and one-half drams, dis
tilled water, ten drams; dip the
switch in this until the desired re
sult has been obtained. For a black
color, make a strong tea of walnut
hulls, leaves, or bark, and soak the
switch in this until the desired color.
Teresa C. To clean silverware
without friction, once a week lay
the silver pieces in boiling hot sour
or buttermilk, leaving them there for
an hour. Rinse in hot water into
which has been stirred a tablespoon
ful of household ammonia for every
pint of water, wipe dry with a piece
of the softest linen, and they will
remain bright for a long time.
B. B. The poem will be-given
soon. Use the maple syrup and
sugar the same 'as in recipes for
other brown sugars and molasses.
Our th'anks are due for kind woi;ds
and some excellent recipes.. We are
grateful for both.
Planting Roses
In growing garden roses that
bloom from early Juno until frost,
remember that the healthiest rose
bush in the greenhouse will prove a
disappointment if its tender roots
are thrust into a soil that lacks
nourishment. The soil should be
well spaded to a goodly depth, and
a ripe, old fertilizer (cow manure
Answering Queries
All cracks, dark corners, looso
joints in the woodwork where
roaches and other noxious insects
hide should be gone over with boil
ing hot suds, salt or alum solutions,
pouring the boiling liquid into the
openings, then fill the openings with
sometmng like sawdust mixed with
glue, newspaper shredded in paste,
or anything that will prevent their
forming future nesting places in
them.
Rats and mice about a building are
very destructive and should be killed
with traps or poison. Things used
it on, "nick" the top in four equal
parts, gather between each of these
notches, using a separate thread for.
each part; measure and crease tho
top of the garment where the ruffle
is to be sewed, exactly the same dis
tance from the bottom as tho depth
of the ruffle, and with a pencil mark
this line into quarters, beginning in
front. Next make a small tuck in
the garment on this crease and place
the gathered edge of the ruffle close
up under this tuck; baste the tuck
over the gathered edge and stitch
down on the lower edge of the tuck.
This will hide the .raw edge.
Beading is much used as a trim
ming, and serves to join lace or em
broidery, between tucks, or to con
nect parts of garments such as the
neck and collar, sleeves, and
shoulder-seams. It can be used any
where that ordinary insertion is
used. It may be put on with a flat
margin and feather-stitched, the edge
Deing turnea unaor, or may be rolled
and whipped on.
Getting Rid of Fleas
"A Reader" asks for method of av.
terminating fleas. There is nothing
uueuper or more elective than air-
Biacicea lime. Got a barrel of it, or
a bushel; but be sure to get a plenty.
Scatter it freely in all the outhouses'
throwing it up the sides of the walls;'
scatter along the pathways, in all
runways; in the dog-kennels. For
the house, take up all carpets or
rugs, beat and sun well; wash the
floors with hot water and plenty of
Rnnn fVton cnntfot 4-V.rt ltM. n
for this purpose must bo handled aBJ floors, into the cracks and 'joints of
little as possible not at all, would wood, in corners, over the cellar
House-Cleaning Helps
For cleaning 'oiled woodwork, use
a soft cloth dipped in coal oil, and
tho work will be dono better than
if soap and water were used. The
oil leaves the wood looking better
than before it was used. Use coal
oil for cleaning furniture; whatever
it is used on will show improvement.
It must be well rubbed into the wood,
and not left to catch lint and dust.
When chilling strong-smelling
foods in the ice-box, put the food
in a glass fruit jar, screw the lid
on tight, and set in the refrigerator.
All kinds of strong smelling foods
can be cooled in this wise without
imparting their odor or flavor to tho
more delicate viands.
Common white lead, such as paint
ers uso, is one of the best cements
for broken china or glassware.
Apply the white lead thinly to the
brokon edges and press tightly to
gether, fastening so it cannot slip,
and set away in a warm place, leav
ing for a week or even several weeks,
according to what is broken. It will
resist both water and heat. '
To soften old paint brushes, heat
vinegar to the boiling point, and put
me onsties (not the fastenings) into
the vinegar and let simmer for five
or ten minutes. Then take out and
wash well in strong soap siids, and
see how soft the brush is.
When washing painted woodwork
or floors, add a teacupful of coarse
salt to a gallon of tepid water, and
wash with this; this will cleanse the
suriace, aua a gloss and preserve
the wood.
Oil-painted walla may be cleaned
with soap and water, using a soft
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