(L',"1
fat
&
I
,f-
'
fev
fc
ft
s
The Commoner.
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 38
7 wcfz-xt -. NssaBse1 iv
Uliicu 'tjmm
"p- --fcyJpUJ)
V ZJBKSL
Conductedby
Vff&en wans 'jfi
iDepa rimed:
"The Comforter"
Rare is tlio heart that in its utmost
sorrow
Finds not another heart to share
its woe;
To presage rain-bow colors for the
morrow:
Ah, God is good and kind to
hearts below!
Alone? Who is alone! The crimi
nal, dying,
Though steeped in shameful crimes
all through and through,
Will leave some heart that trusted,
spito his lying,
Some loving hearts, that, spite his
sins, were true.
The mother from whose sight the
cold earth closes
Her son's dear eyes on whose
heart falls the clod
That strikes on him and crushes
all life's roses,
Has still her comfort, for- she has
her God,
Maurice F. Bgan.
"Blessed Are Thoy That 1)0"
After a summer of almost intoler
able heat, the cool wave will come
to many before they at all ready for
its advent. The woman who put her
affairs in order last spring, putting
away only mended and well-repaired
winter clothing, or who has put in
some of her few spare moments in
re-adjusting the wardrobe, will find
much comfort as the "first hint of
frost" touches her household. Many
a little, thinly clad child will shiver
bout the house during the early
morning hours, laymg in a stock of
"colds" to be developed into real ail
ments, unless the careful mother
watches the symptoms with close "at
tention and additional garments at
this season of the year. The tiny
tots are the greatest sufferers, be
cause they can not voice their uncom
fort intelligibly; but the larger chil
dren must also be looked after.
Women neglect themselves, too, and
thus allow ailments and weaknesses
to get a start which are hard to
check later on. Especially must the
man or woman whose earnings are
imall, look put for the leaks and stop
very waste. Women will do with
out; they are accustomed to sacri
fice; but in many families, the hus
band demands the "full dinner pall,"
whatever the condition of his purse.
Men, as well as women, must cut
down expensed. Thousands of work
ing men still insist upon their "glass
of beer," or other Btimulant, and
their tobacco, while quarreling at the
wife's request for money to clothe
or feed the children. A family of
two or moe children is a costly
thing, in these days, and in many
families, the little mouths would go
hungry indeed if the overworked
mother did not take upon herself the
additional task of supplementary
bread winner. And no woman can
do her duty to her children if she
has also to "work for wages," either
in the home or out of it. One of the
best things the family can do is to
keep an account of every expendi
ture as well as of the Income, and
look them over at least once a week,
finding, and stopping the leak while
it may yet bo done. House rent,
fuel, food, clothing, are all so dear
as to require the closest expendi
ture In order to "make both ends
meet." Begin NOW, with a small
blank book, and watch every penny.
1 1. 1. niinU ,
Caving for tho Lump
If lamps are used in tho family,
thoy should be given the best!of .care,
for there is much solid comfort ob
tained where there is a clear, steady
light on the reading .table. Many
still cling to the oil lamp, claiming
that tho light is softer for the eyes.
In addition to keeping the wick clean
and the burner bright, the bowl of
the lamp should be emptied and
washed out at least as often as the
oil in the lamp gets low, but once a
week is better than not at all. There
should always be a shade over the
chimney to shield the eyes, and the
best of oil should be used. The chim
ney should not be allowed to get
grimy and dirty, but should have
tho breath blown Unto it, then
polished inside with soft, crumpled
newspaper; a rubbing with fine salt
is good. If the chimney is washed,
it is very apt to break and the moist
breath followed by tho crumpled
newspaper is much safer.
into a baking pan, with enough of
the boil water to cool them done;
strips of nice salt fat pork should be
pushed down among the beans in
half a dozen places, then the pan put
into the oven, and left to cook mod
erately until well done and well
seasoned by tho pork strips. This is
one of the most commonly liked
diBhes we know of, and for a cold day
dinner, nothing is more liked than a
panful of hot, well cooked and well
seasoned beans. They are just as
isuuu uuiu. zvh tue uuui weaiuer ap
proaches, necessitating a fire for
some hours morning and evening, the
fire should bo taken advantage of and
such dishes prepared for the meals
when the day is warmed up.
. Reading Mutter
As the evenings lengthen, the mind
will turn to the supply of, reading,
either now on hand, or to be ordered.
Magazines and newspapers are now
so cheap that there may be quite a
variety for a small sum. See that
ou get something of value, and of
interest. Many magazines are repre
hensible because of the nature of the
literature presented. There are many
others that give the best of fiction,
not only of the kind that elevates
one's tastes, but also that teaches
a lesson in a most pleasing, manner.
Try to keep up wuii the most im
portant of the current . events, and
take interest in the world in which
you live. If you have access to a
good library, you can fqed your men
tality on the best of food, and there
is absolutely no excuse for ignorance
of the most interesting events.
"Schooling" is good, but education is
better, and one can become educated,
though he knows little of schools.
Decide to put in your spare mo
ments to advantage, the coming win
ter. Why not a neighborhood read
ing class?
Meat Substitutes
Qn .account of the excess of nitro
genous elements in their composi
tion, the ripened seeds of the le
gumes are among the best substi
tutes for animal foods, and for use
with foods -in which starch or other
non-nitrogenous elements predomi
nate. Legumes are particularly valu
able as strength-producers, and are
deserving of a more general use than
is given them. When using dried
peas, Deans, or lentils, soak over
night iji cold water, then, in the
morning pour off the water and cover
again with hot water as a general
rule, two quarts of soft water is
sufficient for one pint of the seeds.
Thoy should be kept boiling mod
erately all the time, as suoh things
should not simmer until nearlv dnnv
Salt should not bo added until the
contents of the kettle are nearly
done. If the fopd is liked very dry,
it can be cooked down, but care must
be taken not to scorch. As the seeds
become soft, the boiling should be
diminished. Do not stir at any time.
If the kettle is perfectly clean and
smooth as it should be let cook
from the beginning without putting a
spoon in it. It will not burn; but
if stirred, the contents will scorch.
For baked beans, the seeds should
be cooked until tender, hnt nrt
mushy; then, having been allowed to
boil nearly dry, they should be lifted
For the Toilet
To prepare oatmeaf- for the toilet,
mix three gills of .water with two
and a half ounces of oatmeal; boil
this for half an hour, then strain off
the liquid. More -than this may be
prepared at one time if after it is
boiled, strained and cooled, bay rum
Is added to make It. almost as thin
as good cream. This should be ap
plied to the skin after the nightly
cleansing, and wiped off before it be
comes quite dry, using a soft flan
nel. This is for softening the skin
and is especially good for cold
weather, as it prevents chapping.
; An old, tried hair tonic Is made
from a1 formula written by. the late
$ir Brastus Wilson:- Tincture of
cantharides, one; ounce; , oil, of laven
der, one-half dram; oil of rosemary,
one-half dram; eau do cologne, eight
ounces. Massage into the scalp every
other night.
There is no wash or salve lotion
that will give back to the burnt skin
the delicate beauty so recklessly
ruined by the abuse of running in
the hot sunshine bare headed, bare
armed and bare necked. In time the
Skin becomes so tanned and hardened
that it never will regain its softness
again. Even the removal of the
outer cuticle will fail. Heroic
remedies are not always successful,
and it is well for our . women and
girls to look more to preventives
than to cures.
Some Contributed Formulas
Tlis Is recommended by one of our
readers: ,Take a piece of tobacco
about two inches square, cut it up
finely; put it intp a vessel and pour
a teacupful of water over it; let this
boil for ten minutes, then take off
and strain; add to the Juice one level
dessertspoonful of lard and one of
turpentine; set the mixture back on
the stove and stir until thoroughly
mixed, but do not boil. If you have
tetter on the hands clean them with
soft warm water and rub them well
with this mixture every night before
going to bed; wear old gloves or
mits made of old cloth to keep from
soiling the bedding. Repeat this for
several nights, and the hands will be
cured. Try this and report. Mrs
A. B., Missouri.
As the rough weather of fall will
soon be with us, cut this formula out
and have It ready for use: After
washing dishes or working in water
or out in the moist, damp air, rinse
tho hands well and dry them with
a warm towel; then mix a teaspoon
ful of flour with half ts much salt
and rub the hands and wrioto m.
It; after scrubbing or doing dirty
work of the kind, rub the hands
thoroughly with lard or chicken fat
and flour, then wash with warm soap
suds and rinse yell, a good oinfc
ment is made from one part of mut
ton suet, one part chicken fat, with
a few drops of bergamot for per
fume. Melt the suet and chicken fat
in one cupful of boiling water, then
set aside to cool; strain while hot
pour off the water when it is cold
stirring in the perfume. This is an
excellent "cold cream" for "chans"
Mrs. W. V. C, Iowa.
Marketing is learned by experi
ence; all the advice and information
that could be written would not
count one bit if you do not test it by
personal . practice. Go to the mar
ket yourself, and see just what is
offered you for the money you have.
See that you get what you pay for,
and see that it is the best of its
kind.
What You Want to Know
Mohair is not washable, and it is
never shrunken, as the steaming
process is supposed to injure the
lustre of the fabric. It is an excel
lent material, however, as it sheds
dust .remarkably well, and does not
readily take any soil.
Linen or duck is shrunken by al
lowing the fabric to lie in cold water
for several hours, then hung straight
and dried slowly in the shade. The
material should be hung up cave
fully and smoothly by one selvedge,
so it may not need ironing.
There are several methods of
finishing seams, dependent on the
kind of material used. The ordinary
sdam may be finished with the edges
pressed well open; the lapped seam
has both edges turtitod In one direc
tion and held in place by one or two
careful lines of machine stitching;
the strapped seam which has its
edges pressed wide open and a band
of the material applied directly over
the right side of the seam and
stitched; the bound seam, which has
each edge bound with a bias strip
and the seam pressed wide open.
To remove grease from panama
cloth, scrape off as much as possible
with a dull knife blade, then lay a
thin, soft white blotting paper on the
spot and press with a warm iron; re
peat this until the grease is well
drawn out, then rub the cloth where
the spots were with soft brown paper.
The tiny loaf buds of the sassa
fras tree are dried, rubbed to a
powder, and sold in the south under
the name of gumbo file. The leaves
are rich in mucilage and have a
dainty flavor without any of the sas
safras characteristics. A teaspoon
ful added to a gumbo soup or Bruns
wick stew Improves the flavor
greatly.
Wild fox grapes, just under ripe,
make one of the most delicious jel
lies, not to be compared with jelly
made from the dark, cultivated sorts.
Where woods are thick, the grapes
grow abundantly, but 'are not ripe
until frost comes.
Little Helps
In making the jelly bag, a good
way is to hem the large end, or top
and run in tho hem a hoop, or wire
bent in form of one; have several
loops sewed to the hem of the bag,
and hang the bag up by these loops.
The tapes should be long enough to
hang the bag up by. Two squares,
or thicknesses of cheese cloth are
better than one, and a thin flannel
is very much liked.
In order to thoroughly sweeten a
jar or crock that has contained vine
gar or pickles, wash and scald the
jar well, then open up a place of
fresh earth and invert the jar over
the fresh earth, leaving it thus for
twenty-four hours. The earth will
sweeten it.
To clean a coffee pot, fill it with
boiling water and drop into it a tea
spoonful of saleratus, or a table
spoonful of sal soda, with a little
hard soap; set on tho stove and let
boil for an hour, then empty; If not
:! i
Y.... L.
ggtLjiujfe:)to,)A'lAA,ic,Ua