8
The Commoner.
Vol. a, No. 35.
if
IK
THE HOME DEPARTMENT.
We Two.
In tho bright October weather,
At tho closing of tho day,
In tho golden mists of sunset,
Wo two met my love and I.
Many a long, long year had faded
Sinceour lives all sweet and new
"Wo had pledged our truth and promised-Promised
to bo "always truo."
Wo woro joung and joyous foolish,
All our path was strewn with flow--.
ers,
Whilo with mirth and song and sun
shine, Gaily sped tfio morning hours.
0, our morn was golden, glowing,
'Blue, unclouded was our sky,
And youth's joyous, glad ambitions
Lay about my lovo and I.
Then our clasped hands idly parted;
Still wo smiled, nor dreamed of
tears;
So, tho way between us widened
Widened Into years and years.
Now tho sombor shades of autumn
Darkens all tho daylight gleam,
And tho hush of drowsing nature
Lios o'er woodland, wold and
- stream.
At our foot, tho dead leaves rustle,
Stirred by autumn's fitful sigh, j
And our arms are full of thistles-
Gleanings from a toilsome way.
Each to each, with hands outstretch
ing, Vainly calls, through blinding tears,
Looks across the sea of silence
That engulfs tho years and years.
"O, my love!" his voice, sob-shaken,
Breaks the silenco of tho sea
"What are all these empty honors
, What are wealth and fame, to mo!
"What to me, without your sharing
All tho gifts the years bestow?
They are empty dreams without you
0,my love, did you not know!"
And I, turning from him, weeping,
Sob tho words I may not say,
Whilo, within tho deepening shadows,
Fades the last faint gleam of day.
Some Preventives,
Now that tho chilly nights and
mornings of early autumn aro with us,
tho house mother should see that the
clothing suits the season. It is yet too
early, except in case of delicate chil
dren, to bring out tho flannel under
wear, as tho atmosphere warms up
with tho eunshino, and the extra
warmth from honw rirHifr ,,,,1,1
render tho child uncomfortable. There
should bo old garments," however, laid
away from last winter's wear, which
are thin, and, in most cases, these can
bo used; but if not, there should bo
some light additional over garment
for tho early hours one that can bo
laid aside when tho morning chill is
off, or thrown on as tho evening ad
vances. At this season of tho year, when
coughs, colds and catarrhs aro readily
contracted, preventives aro Important,
as, even slight attacks of these pro
paro tho way for more serious trou
bles, by weakening tho system, and
rendering It liablo to attacks of dis
ease. Ono of tho best materials for chil
dren's night gowns is canton flannel
flannelettes, in tho various weight.
Some of tho colored ones aro very
pretty, but white, unbleached, is tho
most serviceable, as it is warm, soft
easily laundered, can bo boiled and
scalded to suit any case, and they last
several seasons. White, unbleached
canton flannel will shrink when
washed, and should bo made quite
largo when new. In the caso of younc
children, or those afflicted with disa
greeablo urinary ailments, tho canton
flannel is much better than wool flan
nels. If ono wishes to trim them,
there aro plenty of pretty, coarse cot
ton laces that can be very effectively
used.
all bed wear should bo washed, more
or less. - VV
For children who "kick Off the cov
ers," and take cold easily, tho night
clothes should bo made after the pat
terns for night drawers, with or with
out feet Some mothers mako them
long enough to run a draw string in
the iiora, and tlo this, with tho feet
inside; but this form is not desirable,
or even advisable, as, in case of acci
dent, the child would bo helpless.
in caring for her family, the mother
should not forget herself. We hear a
great deal about tho "beauty of a
mother's unselfishness," but that
seems nonsense to mo". Tho health of
the mother Is the sunshine of tho
home. In this respect, tho mother
should practice a little selfishness.
She owes a duty to herself, and should
acknowledge tljat debt by self-care. A
pair of bed-slippers should He at the
side of her bed, and into these she
should not fail to slip her feet, if
called upon for any night errand
about tho house. A long-, loose sack
of some warm material wool, or cot
ton flannel, in some pretty pattern
should hang beside her bed, and this
should bo put on when she leaves her
warm bed to attend to tho wants of
tho children.
Children and especially those of
an age that can be trusted to wait
upon themselves should be taught not
to call upon "mother" for tho little,
and oftentimes imaginary needs, of
tho night hour. I have known grown
children who did not hesitate to
awaken the mother from her abso
lutely needed sleep, in order that she
might do them some such service as
hand them a cup of water, or lay an
extra covering on -their bed. And
"mother" would get out of her warm
bed, "dead on her feet" for want of
rest, and drag herself uncomplaining
ly about the service they were more
able to, themselves, perform. Com
plain? Why, did you ever hear of a
mother who complained because of
waiting on her children?
And in this, sho Is teaching her
child to bo selfish and unfeeling, re
gardless of the rights of others, and
caring only for its own comfort The
happiest, wisest, best mothers, and
those who aro the best loved, aro the
healthy ones. Every member of the
family should bo taught to consider
mother the most important personage
xii mu mumy, anu snouiu bo taught
also that sho has rights which they
must respect
Talk about woman's rights! It is
time that somebody took up tho cudgel
in defense of mother's rights, and
they should begin tho attack on
mother herself. She should be taught
that she bas rights. She has not
learned that lesson yet She has nev
er had time to study tno question, and
she never will have, unless wo mako
her think it out
Bed Coverings.
In buying muslin for sheets, try to
K6t thO mUSlln tlmt nnmoa 1 ..i
sheeting widths, as it is much more
satisfactory than th "vnwi" i,im.
which has to bo seamed up.
For children's and workingmen's
beds try the medium weight, un
bleached, as it launders easily, and
soon bleaches out white. Pillow slips
for such beds may also be made of tho
same, which comes in "pillow slip"
width 42 inches wido.
If you cannot- nTtnvA rmnA nii..i
blankets, a better ubstitute 'for them
luu uiieup praue is a blanket
made of Scotch flannel. This is warm,
wears well, and shrinks but little in
laundering. . In making bed coverings,
always allow for some shrinkage, as
Faithfulness In Small Things
Women with broad and "evenly de
veloped minds do not find the small
est details of housekeeping and home
making trivial or mean. All the
tasks which aro called "menial" are
accepted as necessary factors in de
veloping tho comfort and making
home life desirable, and women who
are able to suggest and plan from a
basis of experience aro the ones who
are gaining the ground from which
tho women of the future will not re
cede. There are many "Mrs. Jellabys,"
no doubt, but these are but the pre
tenders to intellectual superiority, for
the truly intellectual, cultured woman
holds the homely responsibilities as
sacred, and to be the promoter of
comfort, cleanliness, thrift and order,
to rear children to habits of industry,
punctuality, and self-respect is to
them a sacred and not transferable
duty. Such women appreciate the
dignity and Importance attached to
such service, and feel that "it is bet
ter to sweep a room as by God's grace"
than to grind out a lame and lifeless
lecture. Women who have succeeded
in literature and the professions have
succeeded just as fully in the domestic
circle. A slatternly, slipshod house
keeper will do work In whatever time
sho attempts It, in just the same slip
shod, slatternly manner.
In this life, nothing is valueless. Ev
ery act, word, deed or thought bears
fruit somewhere, somehow, sometime.
Faithful in little things, one can be
trusted with large ones, and a woman
who can 00 trusted to sweep a room,
mako a garment, or peel a potato
may bo trusted in any line to which
her talents may lead her. A promi
nent writer has said: "It is not that
sho can do nothing else, but that she
can do this better than any one else
can; if she does not make home, home
cannot be made;" and the woman who
can rule the world can also rule her
self, bringing to the coarsest, com
monest tasks the dignity and self-respect
that idealizes even the most
menial work.
It is an inspiring thought that "the
hands that tolled among the brick and
straw for Pharaoh, were accounted
worthy to work among the gold and
silver of the temple for God; from
serving in the brick kilns of the heath
en king, they were lifted to be spin
ners of the curtains for the sanctuary
of the Most High."
Getting Ready For Winter.
In every home and especially in
tho homes of tho "plain, common peo
ple" there aro boxes, bags and bun
dles that must now be opened, and the
contents overhauled. The last win
ter's garments must be assorted; some
for wear, some for repair, and some
for the rag bag. The clothing of the
little folks must be "let down," and
"let out" to fit the growing forms of
the lads and lassies, while many a
hopelessly outgrown garment must
ue cut down to fit the next in line.
It is always well to neatly patch and
darn clothing before putting it awav
for another season, yet in the case of
children s clothes much must be left
for the fall sewing season, as one can
never "guess" just how much the boy
or girl is going to grow, or whether
the garment must be "passed down the
line," because of an unprecedented
growth of the original owner." In many
cases, it is best to rip all seams, wash
or otherwise clean, tho goods, press
out all wrinkles and roll up tho best
parts, either for cutting down, or for
use as patches, linings, combinations
etc.; this method will save much time
and will show just how much material
one hcT which can be "made over"
This rule will apply to summer goods
as well as to those for winter, arid be
fore stowing away tho discarded sum
mer wear, this "sorting over" would
doubtless save much work and worry
and some expense next spring.
Do not think to eonomize by usine
material already worn thread-bare for
"cut down" garments, for it is gener
ally a waste of time and temper, and
the finished garment will always be in
need of repairs. In deciding about
the new garments, it is frequently tho
case that one can almost clothe tho
little folks from the clothes bags, and
by this means, tho new goods may flu
the needs of tho elders.
One can almost clotho a child un
der eight years of age from the "scran
bag," if all "fragments" have been
carefully put away. It is surprising
to what excellent uses many half
worn garments may be put by a
mother who is "good at contriving,"
and can handle her needle and scis
sors deftly and skilfully. By pur
chasing good material, and caring for
it wisely, much expenditure may bo
saved. A neatly made garment of even
poor material is much handsomer and
more "lasting" than one of better
value put together in a slovenly, hap
hazard manner. Economizing does
not mean "cheap" things, or nig
gardly expenditure.
Household Helps.
Mothers should teach their boys to
take an interest in household affairs.
The home should be a co-operative es
tablishment, where every member
should, expect to do his or her part
toward keeping it orderly and pleas
ant to share its responsibilities as
well as its comforts. If the mascu
line mind, were trained to an intelli
gent appreciation of the fact that man
was made to be useful as well as
ornamental in the home, there would
be fewer broken-down wives and
mothers, and fewer families would be
forced to endure the incompetency of
hired help. It is as easy for the "pa
ter" to fold and lay his newspaper on
the table, or to hang it upon its hook,
as to throw it down, in sprawling sec
tions, for "mother" or the girls to
pick up, straighten out and put in its
place. It is as easy for the men and
boys to put their soiled clothes in the
wash-bag, as to throw them down in
corners or "on things" for their
A DOCTOR'S EXPERIENCE
Medicine not Needed In This Case
It is hard to convince some people
that coffee does them an Injury! They
lay their bad feelings to almost every
cause but the true and unsuspected
one.
But the doctor knows; his wide ex
perience has proven to him that to
some systems coffee is an Insidious
poison that undermines the health.
Ask the doctor if coffee is the cause
of constipation, stomach an'd nervous
troubles.
"I have been a coffee drinker all my
life. I am now 42 years old and when
taken sick two years ago with nervous
prostration, my doctor said that my
nervous system was broken down and
that I would have to give up coffee.
I got so weak and shaky I could not
work, and reading your advertisement
of Postum Food Coffee, I asked my
grocer if he nad any of it Ho said,
'Yes,' and that he used it in his fam
ily and it was all it claimed to be.
So I quit coffee and commenced to
use Postum steadily and found in about
two weeks' time, I could sleep soundly
a- night and get up In the morning
feeling fresh and well. In about two
months, I began to gain flesh. I only
weighed 146 pounds when I commenced
on Postum and now I weigh 167 and
feel better than I did at 20 years of
age.
I am working every day and sleep
well at night x My two children we're
great coffee drinkers, but they have not
drank any since Postum came into tho
house, and are far more healthy than
they were before." Stewart M. Hall,
Fairfield, W. Va. .
It , y,-, run
ILmiOM'
?f.iLiL.
