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The Commoner.
VOLUME 11, NUMBER 49
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'Begin It Today"
Although it takes so many months
To make a single year,
Tot far more quickly than you think
The months will disappear.
The very centuries have wings;
New years grow old and gray;
The work which you intend to do
Begin it now today.
Within a single, fleeting hour
How many minutes lie!
But even as you wait to count
The sixty minutes fly.
If you've a tender word to say,
A kindly deed to do,
Suppose you do it now today!
I would, if I were you.
H. A. B., in Philanthropist.
Some Good Christmas Presents
Several have asked suggestions for
Something out of the ordinary" as
a Christmas present for the house
wife. My experience with the house
wives is that thoy are "just like
other folks," and will appreciate one
of the tools of their trade in the way
of improved kitchen or household
conveniences'. Three circulars have
Just been laid on my desk, and as I
have tfsed the articles advertised, I
can assure you, any one of them will
please the house-mother. The first
is for a coffee percolator, and the
use of it insures good, wholesome
cotfeo beverage that will "set woll"
on almost any stomach. The price
of the article is not less than $2 for
a four-cup size, but one large enough
for a good sized family will cost $3,
and it is worth it. There are imita
tions, and cheaper vessels; but it
pays to get the good one and then
care for it. Another is a "complete
house-cleaning machine," with which
the floor may be scrubbed without
getting down on one's knees, the
mop wrung out and the floor dried
without twisting by the hands, and it
can be used for dusting and cleaning
walls and ceilings, brushing or wip
ing the dirt off, cleaning the wood
work, and in many ways saving the
strength of the worker. The price
Is $1.50, and if you don't like it
"after a month's trial, your money
will be refunded. For cutting vege
tables or hard fruits in fancy forms,
the corrugated-feladed knife, or any
one of dozens of cutting devices, may
be had at a cost of 25 cents up. For
this purpose, the French fried potato
cutter is especially desirable, and is
higher priced.
The shops swarm with household
helps, but one should use common
gense in their purchases. A first rate
w.ay would be to give the amount to
be spent to the housewife, and let
her select her own devices. What
one would like, another would have
no use for, and refuse to use it, if
brought in the house. Even house
wives have their idiosyncracies,
which may not be understood by another.
usually fed to the chickens by the
housewife. It is well to feed the
chickens; but it is a little extrava
gant to feed high-priced cooked foods
to them, when thoy can be fed to
the family at a saving. While soup
may not be a very hoavy nourisher,
it is a stimulant and an appetizer,
and has a very important place in the
home diet. In the cities, the meat
is trimmed very closely from the
bono, but enough meat is left to give
a very good flavor to the stock made
by boiling the bone, and many scraps
of left-over foods, a few vegetables,
and some seasoning will often make
a satisfactory and most economical
meal for tho whole family. All
scraps and broken bits of bread can
be used with soup, and nearly all
kinds of vegetables can be put to
good use in the boiling water. Where
the farmer kills his own beef and
mutton, there are many Bcraps that
should go into the soup kettle in
stead of the chicken feed. Bones
from poultry, turkeys, chickens or
game, can be used; bits of ham, or
boiled ham bones are good. Most of
leg bones are rich in gelatin. The
bones or meat should be put on in
cold water, and brought to a boil,
then set where it will simmer for
hours; it is best strained and set
away until the next day, but can be
used at once. The water should be
strained to remove all bones or
strings, before adding the vegetables,
and the vegetables should be allowed
to cook until perfectly soft, rubbed
through a sieve or colander, and
added to the soup liquid. The seas
oning may be very simple, or may
be a mixture of many things blended.
When the boys and men come in
from a day's work in the cold, they
can comfortably put away a lot of
well-made soup, with grateful thanks.
to the cook.
unclean barrels are used. The bar
rol should bo washed jis clean as hot
water and a scrubbing brush can
make them, then filled with clean,
sweet hay, and a boilorful or more
boiling water poured over the hay;
cover the barrel closely with an old
clean blanket or piece of carpet, and
leave until the water is cold. Then
empty and refill with fresh hay and
fresh water, a second time. When
cold and emptied, the barrel should
be sweet and clean.
Ripened Meats
People accustomed to fowl and
other meats bought In the markets
are apt to be disappointed in the
quality of the poultry they raise with
such care and expectation in their
home yards. They find It not so ten
der, and of less delicate flavor, and
pleasant anticipations of the delights
of suburban life are often thus ruth
lessly crushed. The nrincinle reason
of this is. the unripe condition in need be.
which the home-dressed fowls are with a warm, soft towel.
For tho Toilet
The winter season is always a
terror to the woman who likes to
look well, and is willing to take a
little trouble to keep the looks.
Wherever coal fires are used,
whether In one's own house, or in
factories, or other smoke-making
places, the air is always charged
with particles of soot, and soot is by
no means helpful to the ordinary
person's skin. If the skin is allowed
to roughen or chap, it seems almost
impossible to get it clean, and soap
and hot water should not be used.
An excellent thing for cleaning the
face is the bran bag a little bag of
muslin filled with four or five table
spoonfuls of wheat bran, or oat meal,
used as you would soap. It is cleans
ing and healing. Where the hands
must be washed many times a day,
as in the housework, these bags
should be used freely. In washing
tho face, neck and ears, the cleans
ing should be done at night. Warm
(not hot) water, a mild soap, and
plenty of cold cream are necessary.
To remove the grime, apply a coat
ing or. cold cream, leave on ten
minutes, then rub off with soft, clean
old cloths. You will be astonished
at the dirt the cream will loosen.
Then wash the face and neck with
the soap and water, and after the
cleansing, use plenty of warm, clear
water to rinse off the soap. A dash
or com water to ciose tne pores
should be used. An astringent to
use after the soap may be a spoon
ful of vinegar, toilet water, cologne,
or witch hazel. After this apply a
little more cold cream, gently rub
bing it in, to restore the oil taken
away by the soap. The rinsing to
remove any particle of soap must be
thorough, using several waters, if
The drying should be done
There are
cooked). Mix whites of two eggs
and their bulk in cold water in a
large bowl that is, equal quanti
ties by measure of egg-white and
water; beat very well, add a dessert
spoonful of extract of vanilla and
about two pounds of irXXX" confec
tioner's sugar (finest grade of pow
dered ugar), well sifted.; beat the
mixture well and the paste is ready.
Take one half pound of fine dates,
remove the stones, put in the space a
piece of" the candy paste and roll
each one in fine granulated sugar.
For fig candy, split one-half pound
of fig3 and place a layer of the paste
on a board well sprinkled with pow
dered sugar to prevent sticking, then
a layer of the split figs, then a layer
of the paste; press gently together
and cut into squares. Nuts of any
kind may bo rolled and spread be
tween layers of the paste in the same
way. Nut candy may be made by
using the kernels for the foundation,
or inside of little balls of the paste,
rolled in sugar and set away to har
den. Cocoanut candy may be made
by rolling out a portion of the paste
on the sugared board, sprinkle with
Bhredded or grated cocoanut, rolled
a few times with the roller and cut
into squares. Cocoanut and other
nuts may be used together. Walnut
candy is made of English walnut
meats; shape little dabs of the paste
into round, flat balls, press on each
half a nut meat, and set to harden.
Other nuts may be used in the same
way pecan, hickory, etc. A dollar's
worth of all the ingredients together
will make many pounds of the finest
candies.
Comforts ot Cold Weather
One of our housewives writes me,
"I always enjoy a cold or a rainy
fay, for then it is a real pleasure to
get up a good dinner, and I always
try to have something studied out
that will require long, slow cooking,
so I can use the fire that must be
kept up In the kitchen." Especially
Should the soup kettle b in requisi
tion on such days, and with its use
a very appetizing and wholesome
Alnner can bo made of the "scraps"
invariably cooked. Caterers who
give the greatest pleasure to their
customers do not serve them with
fowls just slaughtered; all meats are
better when kept as long as possible
without being actually tainted. An
old fowl well ripened will furnish
a far more savory dish than the
finest chicken just killed. The
toughness of moats is very often
solely duo to tho fact that It has
not hung long enough, and it Is
claimed that in one famous chop
house, orders' for a meal are given
six weeks ahead so that the meat
may b absolutely perfect. This Is
one reason why western-dressed
meats are crowding out ilie home
slaughtered. The family butcher
does not give his meats time to ripen,
while the meats on tho market are
Improved by time. Meats used for
foods the same day the animal is
killed are unfit for foods except for
the savage appetite.
many recipes for cleansing creams
that are inexpensive, and better than
that on sale at tho druggists, as there
will not be either benzoin or alcohol
used to prevent it becoming rancid.
Make in small quantities.
Gleaning the Meat Barrel
Ono of the most frequent causes
of spoiled meat Is the fact that sour,
Good Candles
M. R. asks for a marsh mallow
candy recipe. Get of the druggist
four ounces of best gum arable, and
put it into a cup of cold water until
dissolved; strain, and add half a cup
of powdered sugar, and set over a
slow fire to cook, stirring constantly
until the mixture Is like honey; have
ready tho stiffly-beaten whites of two
eggs, arm stir In gradually; flavor
with rose, lemon, or vanilla to taste;
pour into pans that have been dusted
with corn starch. When cold, cut
in small cuDes and. roll in cornstarch.
Put in tin boxes, and they will keep
until used.
Mrs. S. asks for a method of making-
uncooked candles, given some
years ago in our department. Here
It is:
French Cream Candies (un-
Somo Requested Information
Tho" proportion of salt used in'
cooking vegetables is a tablespoonful
to the gallon of water; a piece of
red pepper, the size of a dime,
dropped into the vegetables when
started to cooking, aids in overcom
ing the disagreeable odor many give
out, and will not be noticeable in
the flavor.
"White sauce" is nothing more
than the old-time "milk gravy" of
our childhood. It is made by stirring
a tablespoonful of flour Into a couple
of tablespoonfuls of nice drippings
or butter, stirring until perfectly
blended, and cooked, but not
browned; then, turn Into the skillet
two cups of hot milk, or milk and
water, stirring constantly until
smooth, let boil up for a minute,
then add a little salt, and pour out
into the gravy bowl. It can be made
with water alone; .but part milk im
proves it wonderfully.
Bread that will not stand up, but
spread, in the dough state, over the
pan, has been made with grown or
sprouted wheat flour, and is hope
less used with yeast. The rest of
the flour should be used for griddle
cakps and pastry. For using com
pressed yeast, to one quart of luke
warm liquid (half water and half
milk is preferred), use two half
ounce cakes of compressed yeast,
stirring until completely dissolved;
add one tablesponful of salt and
three of sugar. When salt and sugar
are dissolved, stir In well-sifted flour
until a dough sufficiently stiff to bo
turned out from the mixing bowl to
the molding board tn a mass, hs
formed; knead well, adding a littlo
flour now and then until the mass
becomes smooth and elastic and
ceases to stick to fingers or board;
put Into a well-greased bowl, brush
lightly with butter or drippings,
cover with a cloth and set to rise in
a warm place until light about two
hours. As soon as light, knead well
again, put back Into the bowl, and
set In warm place for ono hour;
when light again, form into loaves
with little kneading, brush with drip
pings, let rise again to double the
size of original loaf, and then bake,
1 After molding into loaves, it will re-
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