at . .. ift -....
WTT?
W!Wif3WSHMB
EFKsMMRH
- - "
UMUMUMaa
-lukiMUaMMdAMMMMMuM
s-
'
fr.
'-.
ft.v
The Commoner.
Vol. a, No,, 4 1.
10
'V
Bf
l
yn
i, -
ev1-
je
fV
fit t
V
HiHMiiittmttttwew
.XAe fivme Department... ,
fcaW6Cfcfc
,
The Lamb Without.
Whene'er I close the door at night
And turn the croaking koy about,
'A pang anew assails my heart
I think, "My darling is shut out"
Think that beneath tho starryiskles
He wanders, with his littlo foot,
The pines stand still in glad surprise
The gardon yields its welcome sweet
Through every well-known path and
nook
I see his angel footsteps glide,
As guileless as tho Paschal lamb
That kept tho Infant Savior's side.
HlB earnest eyo, perhaps, can piorco
The gloom in which his parents sit,
He wonders what has changed tho
houso,
And why the clouds hang over it
Within tho darkened porch I stand
Scarce knowing why I linger long;
O, could I call theo back to mo,
Bright bird of heaven, with sooth
Vr song!
But no the v meanest wrotch may
pause '
To bless tho shelter of my door;
Kinsman and guest may enter in,
But my lost darling never moro.
Yet, waiting on his gentle ghost ,t
From sorrow's void, as deep and
dull,
Come a faint breathing of delight,
A presence calm and beautiful.
I have hint, not in outstretched arms,
I hold him, not with straining sight,
While In blue depths of quietude
props, like a star, my still "Good
night"
Julia Ward Howe.
Centralization of Rural Schools,
Much Interest Is being awakened
tn the matter of providing better edu
cational facilities for the children of
some assurance of being boneflted by
tho attendance.
Heretofore tho only way for tho av
erago farmer to do, in order to edu
cato his children was to leave tho farm
and settle in tho cities, villages and
towns. But this method has not al
ways worked for the benefit of either
tho parents, or tho children. In send
ing tho children away from home to
schools, tho worst feature is that this
courso weans them away from farm
life, becauso of tho tendency of the av
erage "boarding school" pupil to ridi
cule and deprecate tho occupation of
farmer.
In many states, much attention is
given to tho subject of tho centraliz
ing of rural schools, tho purpose of
which is "to provide the best schools
possible for the children of farmers,
and, second, to reduce the average an
nual expenditures of school corpora
tions. Tho experimental period Is past,
and rural communities in many coun
ties and states have found the relief
so anxiously sought"
To these consolidated schools, tho
farm children are conveyed in hacks,
at the public expense, and, instead of
many little, poorly equipped "cross
roads" school houses, with a teacher
whoso ability was in keeping with the
equipments, there is one good school
within, four or five miles of the.home,
and,, the "health o-the children is bet
ter guarded, being conveyed to and
from their homes in comfortable "ve
hicles, instead of having to travel
through mud, rain or snow for a mile
or more, to reach a cold, draughty,
badly ventilated 'cross-roads school
house."
Better teachers, better equipments,
better classifications, larger classes,
Inrfftr nttnnrlnnnA. lnn.ren.HGrl interest.
I PTontflr Trtinnt.nn.lH.v- loncrer and more
regular terms, greater incentives for
attendance from older pupils, study of
special branches, and many other ad-
grcona please them. Three differpnt
sizes may be chosen. The long one,
for ties, the almost square ono for
gloves, and the largo ono for hand
kerchiefs. A pretty set niade of a
combination of colors is. one halt the
outsido crimson, tho other half green,
while tho lining is purple. Crimson,
purple and green sounds very gaudy,
but these aro deep, not bright, tones,
and there is not the slightest touch dt
fomlnlnlty about them. And decora
tion by needle or brush must also bo
In designs wholly masculine.
Tho pocket pin-cushion is old, but
it is nevertheless greatly appreciated.1
It Is "Lady" Again
For a decade tho word "lady" has
been tabooed by polito society, says the
New York Herald, but from London
comes tho tidings that Queen Alexan
dra has declared herself in favor of a
revival of the word. "Woman"- formed
an excellent substitute for that fre
quently abused word and "lady" be
came almost the slur that "woman"
was 10 years ago.
The queen of England has voiced
her objection to the word "woman" on
the ground that it sounds harsh and
indelicate, and that, inasmuch as the
English for hundreds of years desig
nated their gentlewomen as "ladies"
the impulses of a squeamish set should
not alter the dictionary.
Americans returning from London
say the queen's declaration Is mani
festing itself, and the most fashionable
persons in England use the word
"lady" enthusiastically. , It Js assumed
in New York there will be a revival
of "lady" in sympathy with tho Lon
don decrees.
tarm homes. Tho burden and shame vantage3 claimed in its behalf.
of Illiteracy have long and unjustly
been laid upon Innocent and helpless 1
Bnoulders, and it is time tno state ana
nation were awakening to the fact
that tho farmer Is a citizen, and as
much entitled to care and considera
tion as those of the cities and villages.
The country schools are now prac
tically "experiment stations',' where
boys and girls, themselves of Inferior
education generally, aro allowed to
teach their "first terms," regardless
of fitness for the place or position.
To these schools a few small children
are sent as the weather, or work on
the farm permits, and by the time
they aro of an ago to take an interest
in educational matters, they have
reachod the limits of the teacher's abil
ity to teach, or lost Interest In the
monotonous routine, and so stop at
home, through preference.
What the farmer needs is not more
schools, nor more months of the usual
sort of teaching, but better schools
and abler teachers; schools to which
the large boyg and girls can go with
Hair Wash.
A useful wash for the hair, especial
ly for those who easily take cold, is
made by taking five cents' worth each
of powdered camphor and borax, and
pouring over them one pint of boil
ing water. Let this stand until cold,
then bottle. When washing the hair,
add a tablespoonful of this solution
to the warm, soft water. It is very
cleansing, and tho camphor prevents
any chill being felt
Present For a Gentlemaa.
A never ending question among
women who are skilled in tho use of
needle or brushes is, "What can I give
that is a suitable present for a man."
Now-a-days, men prefer to buy their
slippers, gloves, neckties, etc., but ev
ery man Is delighted with some sach
ets which will hold his gloves, hand
kerchiefs and ties. Men do not like
faint tones, but the deep purples,
bright crimsons, and rich browns and
Before the School Days.
It is conceded by all that the foun
dation on which to build all. later edu
cation is laid in the home.- It is here
that the dawning intelligence receive
its first and most lasting impressions,
and tho. first teaching is all done by
example. These aro the lessons eas
iest to learn, and the child will learn
these lessons with no urging, from the
first moment of its life, from its nurses
and surroundings. How important,
then, that the mothers should realize
this truth and strive earnestly to In
stil into the awakening mind only les
sons that will benefit and bless the
growing intellect!
A child of average intellect need
never be lonely, and should bo taught
to find food for thought in everything
about it There is much to bo learned
outsido of the printed page; the book
of nature lies always open to our
hand, and the. child should be, from
tho very first evidence of interest In
things about it tho "taking notice"
taught habits of observation.
A few days ago I asked a bright
boy of twelve years to tell mo' how a
bird walks. He did not know, and was
surprised, on noticing the home ca
nary, to seo that it did not walk at all,
but, as he expressed it, "got around
by hops." When told to find out tho
difference in the lying down and ris
ing up of the cow and tho horse, it
was a revelation to him.
A child should bo frequently asked
to describe things, or animals, or lo
calities. Tho powers of observation
can be greatly Increased by intelli
gent direction. There is much that
they do not know, simply because they
have never thought of it There are
thousands of things that may be
taught to tho child before its school
days begin, and if it have wise train
ing, tho early lessons for tho school
room will have special significance for
tho little pupil, becauso it has been
taught to think, and can realize what
tho simple sentences may mean. It
should be taught to name the birds
and study their habits; and bees, beet
les, tho various house-flies, the differ
ent kinds of moths, spiders, cocoons,
etc; the difference between the fur of
pussy and the hair of Ponto.
Teach It to ask questions. If you
cannot at once answer them, .tell the
child to try to think out its own an
swer by a certain time, and, by that
time, do you look up the answer your
self, and help, it to the solution of the
question. Let them learn to trust
you. Do not tell it "just anything,"
and let if go. It will soon learn to
doubt you, if you do. A child will of
ten ask questions that would puzzle
a savant v "
Do not tell your child an untruth.
If you do not know .the answer re
quired, and cannot "find out," tell it
what you dd know, and stimulate it
to search out tho truth for Itself, from
books or from others.
By all irieans, be your child's best
wisest friend. Let it feel that it is free
to brfrig to you all its -little worries,
.griefs, perplexities, confessions of
wrong-doings, or enthusiasm over
new-found ideas. Make the home
school a place of perpetual enrichment
of the little mind in every way you
can. Here is the wonderful a b c that
will enter1 into all after education.
See that it is learned aright
Save the Screen Wire.
Every housewife worthy the name
gloves to have her home supplied with
those numberless little conveniences
that may be made by skillful fingers,
costing little but time and patience.
Few, however, are aware of the possi
bilities contained in a yard or two of
screen wire when managed with good
taste and a pair of old scissors.
For a waste-basket use an old hoop
from a wooden pall, a round board for
the bottom same size as the hoop
(which is used to strengthen the top)
and a piece of screen wire eighteen
inches wide and long enough to reach
around tho board and lap -one inch.
Sew tho screen wire together at tho
lap, and bind it top and bottom with
a strip of mohair braid. Wind the
hoop with a strip of red calico and sew
it to the inside of the sdreen wire
close to the edge, sewing through the
braid. Cover, the board' with the red
calico, and slip the screen wire down
over it It should fit tight and be
tacked in place with, a row of brass
upholsterer's tacks.
When ono has made successfully
one useful article from screen wire a
dozen others will sugest themselves to
an ingenious mind. . A very neat and
convenient work basket for spools.