WWItA'Ti
The Commoner,
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 12
tho home-grown will amply repay
the waiting. After awhile, it can bo
made into jellies, jams, or vinegars,
or put up in sealed jars for use in
tho winter. If you havo none of it
growing, do not fail to sot out a few
thrifty roots this spring.
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Spring Days
Old Winter's storms, that swept
athwart the sky
With dismal waillngs, seek their
arctic homo;
And with a graceful shyness, draw
ing nigh,
Young Spring just ventures o'er
our Holds to roam.
A.nd as tho sunshlno paints with
goldon light
Hill, wood and valley with a
brighter glow,
'Cho foathorod songsters wing their
northern flight
To Holds just 'merging from their
robe of snow.
t noods no clang of bells, no organ
peal,
No voice of eloquence to wake our
love,
j5ut llko the springing flowers each
heart may feel,
'Mid fair, green fields and shin
ing sky above,
'Clint thoro aro nobler ends to bo
attained
Than bards havo sung or prophe
sies foretold; '
flero, pure, unspotted, bloodless and
unstained,
Aro richer fields than countless
mines of gold.
C. B. Thrushor.
cheaply, ready at hand. But many
children still enjoy coloring the eggs
in tho old way, with mother to
watch over the work and aid by sug
gestions. Thoro was nothing pret
tier for tho Easter breakfast table
than tho dish of colored eggs bear
ing many and varied colorings and
often tho names of tho family. In
tho days past, children wero taught
to think, and do, and they enjoyed
tho results of their labor and
thought.
Your Own Reference Book
Thoro-is ono thing that it does not
pay to either borrow or lend, and
that is tho reference book. If it is
a nood one. it is alwavs in demand
whero it belongs; ono never knows
what a day may bring forth, and a
good, reliablo reference book, cover
ing a largo- number of subjects,
should bo at hand for any emergency.
It doos not pay to lend it, because
iust when vou want it. Knnin nniirh
bor has borrowed it, and you feel made very appetizing indeed.
A Gluuico to 1)0 Kindness
Wo havo several letters from
roaders of our page, who toll us
thoy aro living on homestead lands
in an unsettled part of tho country,
and find it hard to provide for the
wants of their families in tho matter
of clothing. Thoro aro school chil
dren among them, as well as grown
people, and thoy would bo glad if
somo ono having discarded clothing
would sond it to them. In the mat-
tor of applying to societies who pro
fess to do such work, it seems useless
to ask tho favor, as wo are quickly
told that each community has its
own poor. But there may bo pri
vato families who, clubbing together,
might fill ono or moro boxes and
send to these people. The names
and addresses will bo furnished, if
evidence of good faith and intention
to send tho necossary aid aro given.
Who will be first to write mo? Re
member "Inasmuch as ye havo done
it unto the least of thoso ... ye
havo dono it unto Mo." It will bo
necessary, of course, that tho send
ers shall pay tho freight on these
boxes.
Easter Customs
After tho unusual conditions of
discomfort which havo prevailed
during tho past long, stormy winter,
it is, a relief to turn to thoughts of
Eastortido and spring. But, like
everything else, tho customs havo
changed, and tho confectioners'
shops aro filled with endless varioties
or. castor eggs and toys, leaving but
little for tho ingenuity of tho child.
Jn days not so very long past, each
child was allowed a number of eggs
to color, and where half a dozen
children wero allowed to get to
gether and do tho coloring, there was
always plonty of interest and fun.
Instead of the homely dyes made
from household stores, skins of
onions, bits of bright calico or cam
bric, or other household "dye-stuffs,"
wo havo now tho package dyes, cheap
enough, and satisfactory, and rabbits
vuiuiiB, uucKimgs, ana otnor pretty
"like saying things" because it is not
at nana, it aoes not pay to borrow
it, for you can not possibly keep it
all tho time, neither can you copy
tho things you want to keep. So, the
very best thing to do is to have one
of your own. Tho "scrap-book
habit" is a good thing to cultivate,
and by saving clippings on subjects
in which you are interested, and
pasting them in books, you have an
invaluable reference book, which
you should nover lend, and surely
you should never borrow a scrap
book of any kind. A scrap-book, at
best, is fragile, and must be handled
with care. There are so many times
that wo want information just at the
moment, and can not wait for it
until wo can get it from our favorite
editor, while, if we clin the rUrpp.HnnR
or recipe or tormula, and paste it
where we can reach it, no time is
lost. There are many reference
books, treating in a plain, reliable
manner, of the housewife's difficul
ties, from attic to cellar, and these
cost from 50 cents to several dollars
each. Among the inexpensive ones,
aro the bulletins issued by the ex
periment stations, or by the agricul
tural department, and if vnn wnf
tho advertising columns, you will find
many booklets offered free for the
asking, in which you will find much
excellent information. These bits of
information are, of course, collected
and given out in order to advertise
tho various merchandise, machinery
or other matters of which thoy treat'
but they aro gotten up by experts in
mo lines exploited, and aro well
worth having and saving.
into plenty of cold water, washing it
quickly and thoroughly, piece by
piece, if necessary; transfer to a
colander, let drain, then rinse
through a second water, wasting no
time about it. For most of fruits, a
soaking of ten to twelve hours is
necessary to plump the pieces, and
this should be done in a clean vessel
with plenty of clean water, with a
cloth covering to keep out the dust
and admit the air. When soaked
sufficiently, take the fruit out by
handfuls and put into the cooking
vessel, allow the water in which it
has soaked to settle, then drain it
off carefully, leaving the dregs, and
pour over the fruit. Cook in this
water, and if not enough, more may
be added, as there should be suffi
cient juice on the cooked fruit to
cover it. Boil gently until tender,
and add any sugar or spices just a
few minutes before it is to be re
moved from the stove. Apples, apri
cots, peaches, prunes, may all be
prepared In this way, and can be
Rais
"High Cost of Living"
When discussing tho popular sub
ject of "high cost of living," it is
well to remember that it is not the
amount wasted by one housewife that
causes the trouble, but the countless
wastes, small, but sure, in many
houses and by careless or inexperi
enced, or over-busy housewives, that
create the serious problem. Many
women 'never will learn economy, or
can "sense" the fact that waste
makes want, because they are not so
constituted as to realize such things.
Men are just as wasteful as the
women, and many of them demand
dishes and foods which they will not
touch in a "warmed-over" form. It
is not always the fault of the house
wife or the housekeeper; tliere aro
usually several factors.
ins, grapes, cherries, and all dried
berries are excellent treated in this
way. Delicious butters can be made
of the fruits by cooking as directed,
then passing through a coarse sieve
or colander, and stewing down until
as dry as wanted, stirring either con
stantly, or frequently, as the fruit
may call for.
Tho Wiled Fruits
Dried apricots are of a higher food
value than the fresh fruit, and stimu
lating to tho appetite through tho
flavor and prottv color wimn nvi
- .. --w.i. iiiyjiimiy
uuuiiuu, uuung aiso as a mild laxa
tive. It can bo used for filling for
pies, for stows with sugar, for
dumplings, shortcakes, and in many
other ways. When stewed with
sugar it makes a very excellent con-"
sorvo.
Cooking dried fruit should bo done
in such a manner as to preserve
every atom of flavor and restore it
as nearly as possible to. a condition
resembling fresh fruits before cook
ing. It should be picked over care
fuly, removing any spotted, or sus
picious lookine nlnppa fniH i
pains not to leave anything that will
Tho Vacuum Cleaner
Several housewives have asked for
somo information regarding this new
method of house-cleaning, but I can
tell them very little from personal
knowledge. At tho household shows,
and the salesrooms, they are demon
strated, but the floor tests nfc on oh
places are by no means conclusive
as to their value, especially in the
hands of the housewife where the
cleaner is expected to draw dust from
under a carpet, pick up bits of flat
paper, lint, hair, trash, flattened and
stamped into tho carpet, and to re
move germ-laden dust from house
hold furnishings without destroying
Luiuufcu iuu great suction the fabrics
and textures of the upholstering, or
uiuijoiiua. to operate even the
easiest of the hand-cleaners, one
must have about as much strength
for the work as a small electric motor
can supply, and it calls for hard
work harder than a delicate woman
can give, and in nearly every in
stance, for the best results, there
must bo a second nevnnn tr. -
helper. Unless these condiHnnn n
be met, one will obtain more satis
factory results with one of the
sweepers, of which there are some
excellent ones on the market. There
are piston hand-cleaners on the mar
ket which weigh about five pounds
and can be used by one person, but
these are but little mnv '"
tory than tho best carpet-sweepers,
and of course will not do the work
of the big, expensive cleaners used
by professionals, and in large build-
Fashion Notes
The process of mercerizing cotton,
until recently unknown, has brought
to market whole lines of new ma
terials unexcelled for beauty and
fineness of finish. Mercerized ba
tiste, which is exquisitely soft and
beautiful; dimity, both plain and
barred; nainsook, an old-time favor
ite; substantial long-cloth; and many
more are here to choose from. The
laces and embroideries have kept
pace with the general improvements,
and their application gives to the
garment a finish hitherto impossible
to attain. Hand embroidery is much
used, and transfer patterns, are cheap
and easy of application," so many
women are now doing their own em
broidery. The popular Dutch neck is now no
more; the new cut has a straight
line coming just to the neck, back
and front, and runniner together in
a point on each shoulder, leaving a
part of the shoulders bare.
Collars in general will be nar
rower, the extremely high ones not
appearing any more. . The new styles
are more comfortable.
The new skirts are most of them
made with three or four gores, many
of them showing the one-sided effect;
tunics are shown in a variety of
lines. The ugly tight skirts seem
to be going out of style, and while
the skirt is still straight and nar
row, they are now two and a quarter
yards around the lower edge. It is
predicted that there will be an early
return to the normal waist line.
Another change is from back to
front fastening in the new gowns.
For the Summer, all tnh flrnnsAn will
have front fastenings, while many
others will have the same style.
Many gowns and drpsses will button
from neck to hem of garment.
White shirtwaists will again be in
favor, and this is especially pleasing
to the woman vhc likes to be clean,
as a visit to the laundry will be all
that is necessary for freshness and
cleanliness.
y
The Homely Rhubarb
Long before the village housewife
or the homo gardener sees tho rhu
barb largo enough for use tho
housewives of the largo market
towns w ill havo grown tired of if
but tho bunches of stalks sold over
the counter or from tho huckster's
SSSi"1 iA be ? bo well
:fr;r, uo x use" soon as
East. aeco,0. to C'SSKfeb & EsS?
Washing a Sweater
In order to prevent the garment
shrinking, it must be very carefully
washed. Soap must not be rubbed
on it; to make a suds, slice a bar of
good white soap and pour over it a
quart of boiling water; as soon as
softened stir well until dissolved,
then add two gallons of soft tepid
water. Shake tho sweater well, turn
It wrong side out and shake again;
tuou uavmg dislodged all the dust
and loose diri, put it Into the'siids
and allow it to soa'k for ton 'minutes
or more to loosen' the dirt';' 'dip it5 up
and down carefully, w6rking t it
through the handsbub'dtf no Wring
it. Squeeze it as you work it. When