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The Commoner.
Vol. a, No. 34.
THE HOME DEPARTMENT.
Come Vp lUher.
Sweet and clear and steadfast flowing,
Let not women hear in vaini
Unto us a heavenly message
"Come up higher," the refrain.
O'er these new Hesperian valleys,
Sought and found by Freedom's own,
Echoed down the hallowed ages,
Comes the spirit-thrilling tone.
"Come up higher!" By the fountain
Where Rebecca meekly bore
Cool refreshments to the stranger
Resting near her father's door,
Suddenly the message sounded,
And the damsel, speaking low,
Answered to the waiting ages,
As to Isaac, "I will go."
Deborah heard, beneath the palm tree,
With her soul of lofty fire;
Myriam heard with dance and timbrel
Struck the grand, immortal lyre.
Fair Joanne, divinely summoned,
Ready heart and fearless eye,
Flashed response the Orleans lily
For her land could bloom and die.
0, I hear a murmur welling
Up from depths of patient pain:
"Few aro strong to wear the laurel,
Few can regal heights attain.
In the wear and woe of labor,
We are fettered, we are weak
Clinging hands and voices hold us
From the good we fain would seek."
Listen: One who dwelt secluded
On the far Judean shore,
Mary, answered the archangel
For the lowly, evermore.
"Hero am "I." By her exalted,
Simple womanhood puts on
Crown and garland, shares the honors
By her blest obedience won.
0 yswrlip
Ie your I
Lead, with spotless hands, the fallen
up the sunrise hills of Hope.
Light and strength the simple guerdon
Of the spirits who aspire;
Beautiful the feet that follow
God's own calling, "Come up higher."
Frances L. Macy, in Journal of
Commerce.
early be taught to draw upon their own
resources, and they are especially for
tunate if they are so situated as to
have young neighbors upon whom they
can call for assistance, or with whom
they may exchange informal visits.
But, even in this case, it is well to
insist upon a liberal use by them of
good books and periodicals, for, if they
would begin Jife wisely and well, they
must be conversant with the affairs
of the day. They should be taught to
read earnestly and understanding,
to read-with a purpose, and such books
as will develop their moral and men
tal facilities. A reading club, well
conducted, with sincere discussions,
would be desirable.
But it is not only the young who
need amusement. The elderly people
need stirring up, too. The fathers,
Immersed in business, mingling with
men and minds, with change of scene
and associates daily, grow to like
their fireside and the newspaper, to
the neglect of social duties, while it is
too much the custom of the mother to
conflne herself .to the routine of the
household care, forgetting that "all
work and no play" is as bad for her as
it is for "Jack." And thus the elders
lose sight of their young folks, who
often need their presence as a check
upon the frequent tendency of their
wild games and mad pranks to run in
harmful channels.
We should imitate the German
father, who,"taklng his "frau" under
one arm and the numerous family un
der the other, "goes mit der young
beobles," and has a good time alto
gether, -and . thus the whole family
keeps young and jolly.
For the Long: Evening.
Now that the evenings are growing
long, and "lamp light" hours a matter
of course, it Is well to give some
thought to the matter of family en
tertainment and amusement. Amuse
ments should enter more largely into
the daily life of the homo than it
now does, and games and pastimes
suitable for the various members
should bo provided. It goes without
saying that there should bo plenty of
food reading matter; but one must
not expect the young people to sit
contentedly down, hour after hour,
evening after evening, with no other
entertainment than the printed page,
however absorbing in interest it may
be for a time.
If no amusements aro provided at
home, the boys and girls grow rest
less, and long for places of excitement
and social life. The boys aro apt to
seek it in the streets; the girls, at the
dance, theatre, or other evening gath
erings, not always of the most elevat
ing typo, for, so long as there9 is "fun
and frolic," the immature judgment
cannot recognizo the possible harm.
We greatly pity the family where
there is but one child; but wo pity
the lonely child the most. Where there
aro sevoral brothers and sisters, the
question of entertainment will lariro-
ly rest with themselves. They should
Self Confidence.
Here Is a true story for the boys to
read:
When Professor Davies of West
Point was once traveling in Canada he
was served by a hostler's boy, and,
in putting-some questions to him, he
proved so sharp at figures that the
professor took him with him as a ser
vant. He was waiter and boy of all
works, but he developed such gifts
and graces that he was put to his
books, and became a cadet, standing
second to none, until an unfortunate
escapade sent him out to finish his
career in the great school of the
world.
In 1827 ho was teaching mathematics
at Mount Pleasant Classical Institute
in Amherst, Mass. One of his pupils
afterward became the noted divine.
Henry Ward Beecher, and this is the
story he tells of his tutilago under the
mathematical professor:
"When I went to the blackboard, I
was full of whimperings and excuses
ftr an unlearned lesson. The profes
sor said, calmly, but firmly, "That les
son must be learned. I want no rea
sons why you have not learned it. I
want that problem solved."
"I did study it, two hours."
"That's nothing to me. I want the
lesson. You may study it or not, as
you pleaso, but I must have tho les
son. Next boy, go to tho blackboard."
When told that the "next boy" got
somebody to help him with the pro
blem, he said: "That is his business.
Mine is to see that he knows his les
son." Under this discipline I gained a most
intense sense of intellectual indepen
dence, and the courage to defend my
convictions. In the midst of a les
son, his cold, calm voice would startle
me with "No!" I would hesitate,
stop, then go back to the beginning,
and on reaching the same place in the
demonstration, his firm "No!" barred
my progress. Another boy was called,
and he, too, was stopped with "No!"
but, carefully reviewing his work, he
went right on and finished and was
rewarded with "correct."
"But," I whimpered, "I recited it just
as he did, and you said 'No!' "
"Well, you should" have said 'Yes,'
and stuck to it It is not enough to
know your lesson. You should know
that you know it; you must be sure,
and defend your proof."
The inward confidence inspired by
such drill, joined to the chivalric no
tion of independent manhood already
existing, tended to fix and fasten the
feeling that a man is what he is in
himself, and that the love of doing,
and the power to do, if guided by the
right, are all the honors that he
needs, and will bring him more than
any university can bestow.
Note: In the second column of the
Home Department in The Commoner
of August 29, for head line "Sweet
Tomato Pickles," please read- "Green
Tomato Picktes." .
Pretty Accessories for th Toilet.
. It is surprising how much a woman
who Is handy with her needle and
"good at contriving" can do with a
little money, In the way of clothing
for herself and family. If one is so
fortunate as to possess two or three
gowns of good material and correct fit.
she can add variety to her wardrobe
by the aid of a few yards of lace,
embroidery, silk, velvet, or other suit
able material, from which to make
pretty plastrons, cuffs and collars,
or dainty yokes, and neckwear, fichus,
vests, scarfs, jabots, collars, stocks,
belts and girdles. These can all be
made of any harmonious color or ma
terial, and will give the wearer the
appearance of having quite an ex
tensive wardrobe.
Good Bedding.
There is nothing in house furnish
ing quite so nice or so" necessary
as clean, comfortable, sweet-smelling
beds, and these are so easily provided
and so cheaply made that it is a won
der intelligent people will put up
with such "make-shifts," as one often
finds, even among well-to-do people.
A bedstead should be "firm on its
feet," and its parts closely fitted, so
there will be no cracks, crevices or
holes In which a chance insect may
hide. If such hiding places do exist,
they should bo filled with putty, such
as glaziers use, at the cost of a few
cents. Castors are a matter of course
nowadays. Twice a year the bedstead
should bo taken apart, thoroughly
dusted, washed, and one or more coats
of varnish applied. In this way it
will always bo clean, and look new.
A varnish brush costs but little, and
with care will last for years.
To every bedstead, there should bo
good bed-springs; the best is none too
good, and clieap ones are an abomi
nation. Get the best mattress your
means will allow; but if you must get
a cheap one or none, it will be an
exercise of economy to get none, for a
mattress made of a loose weave of
cheap ticking, filled with shavings or
poor excelsior, with a thin layer of
lumpy cotton batting spread over its
top, is one of the most unsatisfactory
"investments you can make. A better
way will be to buy a good grade of
ticking, or domestic gingham, and
make it up to fit your bed six feet
nine inches in length, and four feet
ten inches in width, is a good size,
and ' will allow for shrinkage when
washed. Make two openings, on each
side one near each end, largo
enough to insert. your hand; leave tho
end partly open; send to the "feed
store" and get a bale of the best
straw that which is freest from chaff,
or, if you like .it better, a bale of
prairie hay. Fill the tick with, this,
stuffing all the corners well, and push
ing it well to the sides. When as full
as it will hold, "run up" the end seam,
with u coarse needle and -thread, and
lay it on the bed springs, then, put
ting your hands into the openings left
on the sides, stir the filling evenly all
over the b.ed-tick. For the first few
times of using you may find a few
"holes" and "humps," but these can
readily be stirred down, and the straw
equally distributed. - '
Now, get some medium weight un
bleached domestic quite thin will do,
and a yard wide; tear off three strips
the length desired six feet four
inches is about right; seam tho threo
widths together on your machine;'
tack one and one-half widths into a
frame, as for quilting, letting the other
part fall over to one side. Get four
rolls of cotton batting, and lay even
ly over the muslin, as if for a comfort;'
turn the loose muslin up over it, tack
ing also to the frames, and, with"
coarse knitting cotton, or cotton
twine, tack this, as for a comfort,
though not so closely. When done,
take out of the frames, and "run up"
the side and ends by hand. This will
be your cotton mattress, to lay over
your straw mattress, and you will find
it comfortable, and easily aired and
kept clean.
When the muslin shows soil, as It'
will by usage, rip up the hand-sewed ,
side seam and ends, cut the tacking,
and carefully lay your cotton out in'
the sun, while vou launder the muslin,
then put together again as at first,
and your bed will be sweet and clean
again, with .very little trouble.
A good way to clean your mattress,
especially if children have been sleep-
ing on it, Is to lay it out on boards,
or grass, just before a heavy shower,
and let it remain out and dry in tho
hot sunshine before using.
For the Sewing Room.
In doing up the fall sewing, whether
making over, or working up new
goods, there will be many scraps of
cotton, woolen or silk goojfand
these should be saved up, puttmfe- ihem
;
, j.fo.ij? .JtMfc .
