Home Department
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The Battle Field.
Bt William Cullen Brtakt.
,Once this soft. turf, this rivulet's sands,
. . Were trampled by a hurrying crowd,
And fiery hearts and armed hands
Encountered in the battle-cloud.
Ah! never shall the lan,d forget
How gushed the life-blood of her brave .
Gushed, warm with hope and courage yet, ' ,
Upon the soil they fought to save. .
Now all is calm, and fresh and still;
Alone the chirp of flitting bird,
And the talk of children on the hill,
And bell of wandering kine, are heard. ''
' r
No solemn host goes trailing by t .'; ' ,
The black-mouthed gun and staggering wain;;
Men start not at the battle-cry,
Oh, bo it never heard again!
Soon rested those who fought; but thou
. .Who minglest in the harder strife . - .
For truths which men receive not now,
Thy warfare only ends with life.
A friendless warfare! lingering long
Through weary day and weary year,
'A wild and many-weaponed throng
Hang on thy front, and flank, and rear.
Yet nerve thy spirit to the proof,
, And blench not at thy chosen lot. T
The -timid good may Btand aloof, .
The sage may frown yet faint thou not.
Nor heed the shaft too surely cast,
The foul and hissing-bolt of scorn;
For IJh.thy side, shall dwell, at last,.; 1: j
The victory of endurance born. ',
a .
Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again;
Th' eternal years of God are hers;
But Error, wounded, writhes in pain,
And dies among his worshippers ' "
Yea, though thou lie upon the dust,
When they who helped thee flee in fear;
Die full of hope and manly trust,
Like those who fell in battle here.
-Another hand thy sword shall wield, . -'
Another hand the standard wave, .. ".
Till from the trumpet's mouth is pealed ,"'
The blast of triumph o'er thy grave. -V
Mother's Fun.
Perhaps there is no quality which in a woman
i3 more needed or more often lacking than humor.
The woman who can see the funny side is rare
and fortunate. So many times when the day has
been full of little worries and the climax Is capped
by a failure in cooking the supper, a woman bursts
into tears or vents her temper on her family, when,
if she could only have seen it, there was a very
funny side to the day's experience and a good
laugh would have relieved the strain and rested
the tired nerves.
Still oftener the mother takes the trifling mis
demeanors of her children too seriously. If she
could poke a little fun at them the children would
be ashamed to repeat the mistake'. Again, the
tempers of mothers and children are strained to
the point of giving way because of natural wil
fulness on both sides, when a joke and a laugh
would adjust the whole difficulty and the trouble
would soon blow over.
Again, when mother has good cause to be tired
and worried a little fun on the part of the alert
and thoughtful daughter is better than a sleeping
powder for worn nerves.
"This charming power to throw away for the
moment the conditions which keep us from fun
ought not to belong exclusively to babies," writes
The Commoner.
Helen 0. Candee, in the Ladies' Homo Journal.
"Wo took outrageous liberties with mother's sweet
face when wo lay cooing in her arms, and she was
the happiest of women in consequence. Is it not
a pity that through our years of necesary train
ing we should forget the trick of playing with her
by the time we are grown? No girl, I am sure,
could possibly misinterpret mo into meaning that
wo are to turn sober considerations into foolish
ridicule. What I really mean is that many mat
ters would be improved if a flense of humor shed
its light upon them; and this can best bo accom
plished by girls."
The samo author says: A. fairy's wand has
no such joy-provoking power as- a compliment
from a daughter to her 'mother. A girl doesn't
know what it can do until she tries It." Farm,
Field and Fireside.
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Terse Suggestions.
All floor and whisk brooms should be wet in
scalding hot brino before using them. It will
effectually .prevent the' straw from breaking.
B'rooms will last much longer if they are dipped
for a moment or two in a ketle of boiling suds
each week. This will make them tough' and pli
able. The gum that exudes from cheery trees, if
boiled in soft water, makes a good mucilage. 1
A thick solution of gum arable, with plaster
of paris to form a paste, makes a good cement for
mending china. It dries in a few days.
Figs preserved with lemon juice and ginger,
pickled and spiced, make a delicious conserve.
If the dried fruit is used the figs should be steamed
first.
To polish steel surfaces mix a soft mass em
ery powder with a liquid turpentine. Coyer the ar
ticle with this and rub vigorously, then dust slight
ly using a soft flannel rag with dry .emery powder.
Cheese may 'be kept from' driving or mold
. ing by wrapping it in a thoroughly wrung cloth
that has been dipped in vinegar and then putting
it into a paper bag, keeping it in a cool place
Sunny South.
Pound Foolishness.
One of the commonest forms of pound fool
ishness is countenanced by many high authori
ties. This is the purchase of certain household
provisions in large quantities. Few writers on
domestic topics fail to lay stress upon tl.o econ
omy of buying groceries in bulk. That sugar and
flour, potatoes, and apples should be bought by the
half or whole barrel, cereals by the case, butter
by the tub, and other things., in like proportion
is one of the early precepts in the "Young House
keeper's Complete Guide to Domestic Economy."
The ignorant young things buy the provisions flrst
and the experience afterward. The flour grows
musty, the cereals develop weevils, the p'otatoes
and apples rot long before they can be eaten, and
the cook exercises a lavishness in the use of-the
butter and sugar she would never show were jnfcy
bought in such limited amounts that the house
keeper could hold close watch over them. Even
after these events the young mistress feels as if
she were absolutely reckless and no manager at
all when she so far departs from household law
as to buy food in small quantitiesThe Inde
pendent. Losing Temper.
The most foolish thing in the world is to
lose one's-temper. Of old the wisest of men said,
"Better is he that ruleth his spirit than he that
takefh a city." The person in authority who la
self-controlled can control others children, ser
vants, and employes generally. No one can gov
ern subordinates who is not able to govern him
self. When one loses temper in the home, and
says bitter things, in a hasty mood, there is sure
to come, an after-time of sorrow and repentance,
and there is a hurt in the heart which may or may
not last for years. There are scars that never
f.a .
cease to throb, though the old wound seems to be
hoalcd. Should death suddenly snatch hence a dear
one, before pardon for somo injustice had been
sought and granted, tho regret would never pasa
away. Christian Herald.
i
The Joy of Coming Home.
There's joy in sailing outward,
Though wo leave upon the" pior,
With faces grieved and wistful, .
Our very dearest dear;
And the sea Bhall roll between us -
For perhaps a wholo round year. .
There's joy in climbing mountains,
In fording rushing brooks,
In poking into places
Wo'vd read about in books,
In meeting stranger people
With unfamiliar looks.
But the joy of joys is ours
Untouched by any pain, ' '
When we take tho home-bound steamer
And catch tho home-bound train;
There's nothing half so pleasant
As coming homo again.
-Margaret E. Sangster, in Harper's Bazar.
In Lieu ot the Hot Water Dag.
Nothing proves better than good dry heat to
quiet pain. Hot water bags and bottles are ex
cellent, if perfectly tight. Hot sand bags also
are good to place beside the body and limbs. A
relay of hot plates, wrapped in woolen cloth, will
do wonders in giving relief to a patient. In any
case of serious bowel trouble it is well to follow
up with relays of hot plates, lightweight earthorn,
or, better still, because of. their lightness, arc the
tin plates such as are used, by bakers, being al
ways careful they are as hot as can be boifcie, but
not too hot and wrapped in cloth. This remedy
vill allay inflammation and pain to a wonderful
degree. It is also excellent in rheumatism of the
hip, knee or ankle. A frequent change of hot
plates, well wrapped in woollen and placed be
neath or over the suffering joint, as the patient
lies in bed, will bring great relief.
Coffee Cake.
One cupful of brown sugar, one-half cupful 62
butter, one-half cup of-molasses, one-half cup of
strong coffee, two eggs, one-half teasponful of soda,
one teasponful of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of
cloyes, one-half teaspoonful" of grated nutmeg,
one-half pound of raisins, one-half pound of cur
ranta, and two cupfuls of flour; cream the butter,
add the molasses, coffee and sugar, the eggs well
beaten"; add to the flour all the dry ingredients, dis
solving the soda in a little hot water; add this to
the first mixture.
Rice Muffin.
Put two cupfuls of sifted Jlour In a bowl; add
to it one-half teasponful of salt and three level
teaspponfuls of baking powder; beat one cupful of
milk into one cupful of cold boiled rice, then add
three tablespoonfuls of melted butter and one
egg well beaten. Stir this into the flour mixture
and beat very light; All buttered "gem pans, two
thirds full and bake twenty minutes in a quick
oven.
Everlasting Yeast.
Pare and boil eight good slzed potatoes', and
pass them, thrpugh a colander. Add one cup -hop
tea mado by steeping a single handful of hops in
water. Then add to this one cup salt and one qup
white sugar. Stir well and pour over the mixture
three quarts of boiling water. Mix and place on
tho back of the stove. Now dissolve one cup flour
in one quart cold water and add this to the other
mixture. Bring to a boil. When cool add one dry
yeast cake and one cup yeast. Put in a warm
place to rise. Mrs. George W. Butler, in Rocky
Mountain Husbandman.
