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The Commoner.
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volume 12, Dumber 3C
Climbing
0, onco thoro was a kitten,
Tom Henry was his name,
And hero you see him sittin'
Before ho bid for fame.
Somowhero ho'd heard or read it,
"Climb upward! Do not stop!"
And greatly to his credit,
Resolved to reach tho top.
And so ho climbed and clambered,
-Nor downward looked at all,
While foes beneath him yammered
And hoped to seo him fall.
Up, up, he crept, undaunted,
And at tho top ho found
Tho things ho loved and wanted
Were somowhero on tho ground.
Advico may lurk in laughter,
Remember, ere you climb,
That sometimes what you're after
Is near you all tho time.
Frederick White.
Tho Glory of Autumn
Just at this season, 'tho stream of
travel is swollen by tho home-coming
of tho "vacationers," and they
will tell you, with a sigh of satisfac
tion as they lay in a store of freckle-and-tan
romover, bleaches and old
creams, that they havo had a lovely
time. But we, who know, feel that
they arcr missing the best of the
year, for tho glory of tho autumn
months Is just now beginning to
tinge tho woodlands and tint the
mountain sides. Yet tho call of the
homo and business is insistent, and
tho workers must take up tho strife
of tho streets, tho business of the
ing, lay tho gores flat on a tablo, tho tho knee and then blow, and lay In
bias odcre unnermost. Pin tho seam
at the top and straighten tho gore by
smoothing down and across on tho
thread of tho material. The edges
may then bo pinned together as
notched and basted in a thrce-oighths-of-an-inch
seam. If the bias
edge or edges are stretched thoro
will almost inevitably bo a ripple
along tho seam. Begin tho basting
at the top of tho skirt
Skirts of light-weight materials
are sometimes weighted so they will
fall in around the feet and cling
close to the figure. A leaded tape
called a "shot" is sometimes used
In tho bands at tho lower edge of
skir'ts and tunics and Just above accordion-plaited
ruffles on founda
tion skirts. Plaited and circular
flounces and plain skirts are fre
quently faced with some heavier ma
terfals to weight them at tho bot
tom.
In order to enlarge tho last year's
dress for the growing daughter, rip
the shoulder seams and set in a piece
of embroidered insertion, or lace, as
tho garment may call for; or a plain
band of something suitable. This
will give more room in neck and
arm-hole, and lengthen tho yoke part
of tho waist, and if the waist is still
short, a new belt may be used. To
lengthen tho bottom, a band to
match of some sort may bo Bot in
just above a wide hem. Or tho hem
may be let down and faced.
An elderly woman can hardly go
wrong on color if she keeps to tho
quiet, subdued shades; ono Bhould
avoid vivid reds, greens, or other
very bright shades, but the darker
shades of blues, deep greens, steel
grays, gun metal, comDinauons or
exactly the form held when new,
which will leave a slight fullness at
tho knees. Lay tho wet pressing
cloth over this with caro to havo the
fullness not 'exactly at one place,
which would leave an inconvenient
cross-wrinkle, but evenly distributed
over ten or more inches, then a wet
pressing cloth and hot iron carefully
applied shrinks the fullness into orig
inal shape, urease tne oacK or. mo
leg by ironing from the front crease
back over tho cloth. Then press the
outside of tho leg in the same man
ner, and unless the cloth is very soft,
indeed, the leg will retain the proper
shape for some time. But every boy
should learn to creaso his own
trousers.
bread winnem in rvripnlnp-. nnrl tho
housekeeper must bo setting the black and white aro a11 suitable for
house in order for tho coming 0f middle age 0r even older fr the
winter, while everywhere the schools
are calling, calling, and tho young
people must be prepared.
The summer has been hot and dis
turbing, even in the country, and the
sun has been like a flame; the rush
ing about through tho heat and
hurry has drawn heavily upon the
strength of even tho young. But
now, nature is settling down, after
her months of toil, and the harvests
are either garnered, or ready for the
hand. No more toiling under burn
ing skies; no moro wondering,
"What shall tho harvest be?" We
know tho best or tho worst: it is
all dono. Tho glory of tho autumn
lies liko a benediction over fields
and forests during tho "Sabbath of
the year," and a sense of peace steals
over the soul at tho touch of little,
cooling, vagrant breezes that whisper
of comfort and rest. Now and then,
during early September, wo havo a
touch or a hint of frost; and there
are hot days to follow as tho summer
dies away. But October! there Is
nothing more beautiful than this
"cloth-of-gold" month, when tho last
hint of summer has died away, and
the dreariness of winter is but a far
uggestion. These days aro full of
joy, of peace; but the dweller in the
lanes of Urick and stono, tho paved
streets and the darkness of offices
know nothing of it. Tho toil of
nature has changed, but tho mael
strom of lifo in the groat cities
awirls on forever.
woman who has kept herself from
becoming "old" mentally.
For tho Homo Seamstress
In making a seam with a bias anJ
straight edge, or vdth tVb bias"
edges, do not handle tnb gores any1
moro -than can bo avoided; in bast-
Keeping Clothes in Order
Many a boy, like many a girl, is
careless and untidy about clothes,
simply because they havo never been
taught how to be otherwise. Every
boy, however, should bo taught a
few things, for the day will surely
come when such knowledge will
"come in good stead." Tho fact that
spots will got on tho coat, vest or
trousers, should lead him to a
knowledge of how to clean, and re
store the neat appearance, and a
boy or man can do this just as well
as a woman can in many cases, bet
ter. It usually requires a very heavy
iron to press men's clothes much
heavier than a woman should handle;
but tho boy can do the work. A few
lessons from a tailor would not come
amiss. Ono of tho easiest, and of ten-
est required, is the creasing which
gives the trdusers a neat look. The
trousers should bo laid on an ordi
nary ironing board, and tho iron
should bo quit hot. The proper
placo to creaso tho legs may bo
learned by examining a new pair, or
by placing tho outer and inner seams
of tho leg exactly together at the
hem, and putting a pin midway be
tween the two; mako a fold from that
point to tho suspender button, or
belt strap nearest the front at the
band. Have the inside of tho leg
next to tho teonk and have a length
of muslin quite wet to lay on the
creasq; then press tho told through
th,o wet pressing cloth, fiear dojrn
6fi the fifth, and move It slowly. If
tBe"frtftfBGTBi ar& stretched 3r baggy at
.tho l&tiGk, flrets tfco crease first above
Renovating Clothes
Ono of the necessities for renovat
ing clothes is a pressing block, which
can bo made at home. Secure a
cubical block eight inches in diameter
and two boards, tho boards to be fas
tened on opposite sides or me diock.
Tho one serving as a base should
measure twenty inches in length by
eight in width; the other should be
thirty Inches long, nine inches in
width at one end and four and a half
Inches at the other end, tapering
gradually, with rounded corners. The
boards should bo fastened to the
block with five two-inch screws to
each board, so tho whole thing shall
be perfectly solid. Cover tho longer
board neatly with several thicknesses
of soft blanket, or like material, and
one thickness of strong unbleached
muslin, over tho pad. The pad,
when finished should bo ono inch
thick, with the edges tightly
stretched over the sides of tho board
and either sewed on, or fastened with
tacks on the under side. This block,
with one or two very heavy, tailor's
Irons, will find no end of uses in
pressing and renovating garments.
Garments which aro very dirty
should be scoured, either In a tub, or
with a good cleansing liquid and
a brash. Heavy garments which will
not admit of being washed, such as
coats, cloaks, skirts, etc., may be
washed in gasoline and hung to dry
after rinsing in fresh gasoline. But
there must be absolutely no fire or
flame where this is done, and it
should be done in tho open air, then
hung to dry in the open air, and left
until the odor of the gasoline is about
dissipated.
Many Bmall repairs, such as darns,
or rents, should be done before
cleaning, and can be so skillfully
pressed that they will hardly show.
Tho pressing of seams or repairs may
bo dono with ordinary laundry Irons,
and all seams must be well pressed.
The padded block is used to press
hems) using tho lower end, while
shoulders of coats, waists or jackets,
or tops of trousers should be
stretched over tho larger end of the
padded board. Tho Irons should be
very hot for pressing, but tho pressing-cloth
should be folded so as not
to admit of scorching. When clean
ing a collar, or any ono spot of a
garment, sprinkle fuller's earth oyer
tho spot and rub gently with the
hands, then brush the earth away
carefully.
tho head is well opened; stem, and
put into a steamer and set tho
steamer over boiling water; steam
for five or six hours, then drain and
press out any liquid remaining in tho
blossoms. A dose is ono teacupful
every other day; it is good for
biliousness, is a blood-maker and
purified, an appetizer and an aper
ient. Dandelion roots should bo gath
ered in the fall August or Septem
ber, when the roots are matured.
Wash all dirt from them, dry well
and put away in paper bags. This
makes a good medicine for tho liver.
in tne spring time, the blossoms may
bo gathered, steered, and the tea
used for the same purpose.
A mosquito net for the baby's crib
may be mado by cutting two barrel
hoqps so that the ends extend over
tho sides of the crib and join them
at the top by means of a light strip
of wood, or a small, stiff wire run
ning the length of tho crib. Stretch
mosquito netting over this frame
and fasten, and tho baby can not get
tangled up in it.
The juice of acid fruits, lemons,
limes, oranges, gooseberries, grapo
fruit, currants, some varieties of
cherries, apples, plums, strawberries,
and perhaps peaches, has the effect
of making tho blood more alkaline;
tho juices are readily absorbed, and
have a diuretic effect. Nearly all
fruits have a laxative effect upon tho
digestive organs.
Where the child refuses to tako
tho necessary dose of castor oil, try
this way of disguising it: Take a
cupful of milk, one of molasses, half
cup of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of
ginger, teaspoonful .of soda, half cup
of castor oil and flour enough to roll
out; cut the dough in shapes and
bake in a quick oven. One or two
of these cakes will serve the purpose
of a dose of tho oil, and children
like them.
Extracts and Essences
It Is a good plan to make one's
own extracts and essences when it
can be done as well as not, for so
many adulterants are used in the ex
tracts and essences on the market,
that one is not always sure of get
ting what they pay for.
Quintessence of Lemon Peel Best
oil of lemon, ono drachm; strongest
rectified spirit, two ounces, intro
duced by degrees until the spirit
kills and completely mixes with tho
oil. This preparation possesses all
the fragrance and flavor of fresh
lemon peel. A few drops on the
sugar used in making beverages and
in cookery will' instantly impregnate
it with as much flavor as the old,
troublesome method of rubbing tho
sugar on the rind, or grating tho
yellow outer peel.
A very easy way of making essence
of lemon peel is to fill a wide
mouthed pint bottle half full of good
alcohol, or brandy (alcohol is best),
and when a lemon is to be used, par
the yellow rind off, very thin, and
drnn into tho hnttlA. Itennine it sealed
at all other times. In two weeks It
will be ready for use, and peel can
be added at any time.
Vanilla Extract Get the real va
nilla bean, if possible; the bean 18
usually six to eight inches long;
cut in inch pieces and put the pieces
into a bottle holding five ounces; nil
this with tho best rectified epirts'
keeping tightly corked, shaking
occasionally, and in a month'B time
tho extract will bo strong enougn
to use.
Health Notes
An old-time blood-purifier that Is
as harmless as It Is beneficial, is
mad from recVctbver blossoms.
Gather tho red clover bloohis When
Borne Good Redpes
If you can get tho quinces, there
Is nothing nicer than quince honey.
Four pounds of sugar, three cuW
Of waiter and six largo qulhces. bup
tho frnit hard to remove the fus oij
dowfl. fhph wipe well, ctit m halv6&
reihove tho seeds and tho stiff seea
graft i iFM
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