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The Commoner
MAY, 1915
17
m
"Judge Wot"
Judge not thy brother, for- perhaps
if thou
Had'st fought his fight upon life's
battjo field,
Tho laurel wreath which decks thy
temple now
Thou had'st been forced to yield.
He who hast never tasted shot or
flame
Is unfit censor for his brother's
shame.
Perhaps that look thou judgest to be
fear
Was caused by pain; he dared, and
knew the cost;
Thou hast not borne his burdens year
by year
What right hast thou to say his
fight was lost?
Perhaps thy boasted courage all had
fled
Had'st thou but followed where his
daring led.
That tender note, so full of mercy's
power,
Was added tq his voice when he
had cried
In agony ('twas in that awful hour
He found for him that mercy was
denied)';
Then, in his voice that .note of ten
derness Took, root and grew, the weaker ones
to bless.
Whjp, ,gave thee, right to judge? He
, ipraveu tne, scorn ,. . ..,.-
Of "men less .strong. . He. topft the
unbiassed, .trail.
His hands were bruised, his bleeding
feet were torn,
And' still his dauntless courage did
not fail! ' '
Only the Unseen knows the bitter
cost
Of those brave fights the world con
demns as lost.
'.' . Author Unknown.
Planning' Ahead
You know the old, song says: "We
scarce break our fast ere we plan
how to dine," and it is the same with
the work of the seasons. The chill
of winter has scarcely left us before
the garden must be planted and the
fields cultivated for the days to come.
In many localities, strawberries are
at hand, and canning, preserving, jel
lying must be attended to; then, as
we work among the early garden
stuffs, we must remember that many
things intended for the window next
winter must be started now, if we
oxpect our rooms to be filled with
green things growing when the cold
robs us of our outdoor plants, six
months in future. Many will tell you
to plant your seeds of perennials and
biennials in July and August; but to
make sure of having fine plants for
blooming next year, you must plant
now, while the growing conditions
are at their best. Many floral lovers
may succeed in the late summer
planting, but those who fail are much
in the majority. So, order and plant
your perennials now.
In June, many things must be
slipped, and cuttings rooted, the
plants potted and made ready for the
indoor season. Do not wait until
frost, then gather up the old plants
that have bloomed all summer, and
expect them to give you bloom all
-winter, too. The plants, if care is
taken of them, will make lovely pot
plants, and late in the winter will be
gin to bloom, but at that time there
may be outdoor blossoms. It is the
young plants, cultivated and cared
for and kept growing, but not allow
ed to bloom, that will brighten
things at the festival season. Keep
your catalogues, read them, and hceil
the advice the floral papers give you.
"Pluck," rather than luck, is what
fills the windows with brightness and
bloom while the snow is flying out
side. Remember that where a weed
will grow, a perennial, or shrub, care
fully planted, will do the same. If
you have but a few feet of ground,
even the back yard, something will
grow make the growth worth while.
Putting Up Rhubarb
Those who have wisely planted a
few roots of rhubarb in their garden,
no matter the size of the garden, are
now reaping the fruits of their wis
dom. There are few families, that
do not relish the pink stalks in some
form of cookery, although it may
have to give way very soon for other
and better-liked fruits. The old
fashioned kind that was allowed to
grow as best it could, was stringy
and puckery; but under better cul
ture, there are few things nicer tnan
a well prepared dish of rhubarb in
he early spring days. The stalks
should not be peeled, but cut in short
lengths and cooked quickly. Plenty
of sugar is necessary The cooking
Stalks should not be stirred, but the
vessel containing it shaken. Pies,
shortcake, cobblers, jellies, jams,
sauqes, puddings, are some , of the
ways of using it. The canning, jel
lying and jamming should not be
done until later, when the stalks are
not so juicy. There are several ways
of canning it; without cooking is the
least trouble. Only the tender stalks
should be used for canning, and it
should not be peeled. Out into half
inch lengths, and pack as tightly as
possible in the jars, pounding to
crush out the juice as you pack it.
Add enough fruit as you mash it, to
fill the jar so as the juice will over
flow it; use no sugar; .then, when
you can crowd in no more, seal it and
set away in a cool place. The cans
must bo full to overflowing, with no
air bubbles among tho fruit.
Another way is to cut in half-inch
lengths and fill the jar just as full as
possible, packing it down solidly;
then, pour in water, allowing it to
overflow until all air Is out; then
seal. If you have running water, it
is a good plan to set the jar under
the faucet and let fill until all air is
out.
Jelly with or without combination
with other fruit, can be made. Rhu
barb and strawberries, rhubarb and
orances. rhubarb and other fruits
-may be in combination for jams or
jellies.
Bleaching Small Articles
Handkerchiefs, doileys, and other
small pieces frequently become of a
dingy, ugly tinge, caused by the in
judicious use of soap in laundering,
or from age and neglect; to whiten
these, wash in the usual way With
clean soft water and any good white
soap; then, put to soak over night in
clean water in which a teaspoonful
of cream tartar to every quart of wa
ter has been dissolved. Tho next
morning, rinse out and dry in the
sunshine, and you will be surprised
at their whiteness.
If you have some children s
dresses that aire good enough to pass
down, but are hopelessly faded and
streaked, soak them over night in a
pail of water in which one heaping
tablcspoonful of bichloride of lime
has beeif dissolved. Remove tho
dress in the morning and boil twenty
minutes in the same sort of solution,
made afresh; tho goods will bo
white.
To bleach muslin, into eight quarts
of warm water put one pound of bi
chloride of lime; stir this with a stick
until all the lime is dissolved. Add
to this five pails of warm water, and
stir well; then put in tho muslin. Let
it roraain one hour, turning it ovor
occasionally that every part may be
thoroughly soaked. When taken out,
wash in two waters to remove the
lime, rinse well and dry. This quan
tity should bleach about twenty-nve
yards of brown muslin.
Another way to bleach muslin
Place a boilerful of heavlly-bluod
water on the stove, and unroll tho
muslin; put it in the water and let
come tq a steady boll. Remove from
the boiler without wringing and hang
on lino to drJp dry in full sunshine.
When dry, iron in the usual way. The
first washing should mako it a clear
while, or it may be washed a second
time before using.
A Word of Warning
Wo copy the following from Park's
Floral Guide, In regard to a plant
that has been, and still is, advertised
by many florists "A clipping from a
southern paper states that the beau
tiful Crab's Bye Bean, (Abrus Prae
catorlus) Is poisonous. The beans
are a bright scarlet with a black oye,
and are often used as beads, and
sometimes called Prayer Beans. Al
though not poisonous to handle be
fore puncturing, it Is said that if tho
needle used in stringing the beads
should puncture tho -flesh, it will
cause serious poisoning. The vine Is
beautiful, and is sometimes called
weather plant (and is so called in
catalogues advertising It for sale)
from a fancied idea that it foretells
tho weather. The beautiful little pea
like beans are said to be so poisonous
that tho natives in warm countries
where the plant is found use the ma
cerated pulp for poisoning their ar
rows. The beans should never be
placed in the mouth, for if swallowed
it Is claimed they cause death."
Floor Coverings
One of the novelties shown by the
stores this season is a delightful rug,
made of twisted tissue paper; it
would seem that so delicate a fibre as
tissue paper could hardly stand so
much wear and tear as would neces
sarily fall to the share of a floor cov
ering, but when properly twisted and
treated with a preparation to make it
waterproof, it wears almost like wire.
The rugs are made in delicate and
beautiful color combinations, and
may be used in almost any room for
summer usage. They are also dur
able enough to stand the service of
porch.
Another kind of rug that is grow
ing in favor is made from the wire
grass of our own western plains, and
these rugs have almost superceded
the use of Chinese and Japanese mat
tings, are more durable, more artis
tic, and in the long run, more econ
omical. There are few more suitable
coverings for the summer floor us
age, and tho wire-grass rug will
stand tho wear and tear of outdoor,
as well as indoor use.
For bedroom rugs, tho body bruR
scls is very much liked, and a close
second is tho Qocblin weave or art
rug. A modified typo of tho oriental
rug Is much used; tho plain hand
border rugs aro very popular, but
tho newest has a small center medal
lion with a plain neutral ground and
a neat border of cither floral or con
ventional design in which the colors
used In other furnishings of tho room
predominate.
Tho use of linoleum has greatly in
creased in all parts of tho house, and
tho plain colors form an cxcollcnt
background for any furnishings;
where floors aro not satisfactory for
staining, linoleum makes an cxcol
lcnt basis for rugs or carpets. The
manufacturing of floor coverings in
the United States Is becoming mora
and rriore of a paying business, and
our homo goods aro of as fine a qual
ity and low In price as that of any
other country, even in tlmo of pea,co.
Window Boxes
If you can have no gardon other
'wise, try to have tho window box. The
boxes may bo made as cheaply, or as
elaborately as one may choose. The
soil should bo four or five inches
deep, reaching nearly to tho top of
tho box, so tho water will not run off,
but bo held to soak Into the soil. If
it can be done, it is well to line the
box with zinc, as drainage Is not
necessary If care Is taken In water
ing, but in case of heavy rains, it
will bo well to allow for drainage,
Tho soil should bo rich and por
ous, and the water evaporates quick
ly. They may be set In the window
or on tho porch rail. In most of
them, plants of a drooping character
are used, and those that bloom con
tinuously during tho summer are
preferred, though fpllage plants aro
very much liked. The plants should
- ! !.! m till
WHEN DINNER COMES
One Ought to Huvo u Good Appetite
A good appetite is the best sauce.
It goes a long way toward helping in
the digestive process, and that is ab
solutely essential to health and
strength.
Many persons have found that
Grape-Nuts food Is not only nourish
ing but is a great appetizer, and
children like the taste of it and grow
strong and rosy from its use.
It is especially the food to mako ,
a weak stomach strong and create an
appetite for dinner.
"I am fifty-seven years old," vrltes
a Tenn. grandmother," and have had
a weak stomach from childhood. By
great care as to my diet I enjoyed a
reasonable degree of health, but I
never found anything to equal Grape
Nuts as a standby.
"When I have no appetite for
breakfast and just eat to keep up my
strength, I take four teaspoonfuls of
Grape-Nuts with good rich milk, and
when dinner comes I am hungry.
While if, I go without any breakfast
I never feel like eating dinner. Grape
Nuts for breakfast seems to make a
healthy appetite for dinner.
"My little grandson was sick with
stomach trouble during the past
summer, and finally we put him on
Grape-Nuts. Now ho is growing
plump and well. When asked if he
wants his nurse or Grape-Nuts, he
brightens up and points to the cup
board. He was no trouble to wean
at all thanks to Grape-Nuts."
Name given by Postum Co., Battle
Creek, Mich. Read "The Road to
Wellvllle," in pkgs. "There's a
Reason."
Ever read the above letter? A new
one appears from time to time. They
are genuine, true, aad full of Imwax
interest.
v