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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1902)
A. I ' " pi. a, No. 42. 8 -T The Commoner. v BE Mr & WS MJVMS JLPfUl f . v; fra&aafcaaaaa&&tf!e Home Sons:. Now thrust my thimble in its caso, And store the spools away," And lay the muslin rolls in place, My task is done, today. , For, like the workman's evening hell, A sound has mot my ears, yr Tho gate click by tho street doth toll Papa has como, my dears. . "Boar off the toy-box from tho floor For yondor chair mako room, And up, and out! unbar tho door, And breathe his welcome home. For 'tis tho twilight hour of joy, When homo's best pleasures rally, . And I will clasp my darling boy, Whilo papa romps with Allio. There, take the hat and gloves and bring The slippers warm and soft, Wliilo baby's tossed, with cooing laugh, In those loved arms aloft. And let each nook some comfort yield, Each heart with lovo be warm, For him whose firm, strong hands shall shield The household gods from harm. Selected. November. -. Thoreau called November "the twi light of the year." It is the border landthe halting place of nature; tho last trace of summer is gone; winter is not yet ready to fill her place. All nature seems asleep; she has carefully tucked her childron away in their cool brown beds, away under the brown mosses; and the falling leaflets are softly drawing a brown coverlid ilX over their sleep.' But there is a beauty, if only one have eyes to see it; and music, if one have ears to hear. The sunsets are unrivaled in brilliancy, the sky is so clear and blue, the stars glitter in the night skyso wonderously bright, as the grand constellations sweep upward over the heavens. The soft rustle of the fatting leaflets; the soft silken stir in the fading foliage; the low. restful sigh of the fitful wind as it heaps the leaflets over the sleeping earth, qt carries them, in little, eddy ing whirls, along the forest paths. Tho soft "fluff, fluff," as we tread over the earth's carpeting; the saucy chatter of the squirrel, tho challenge of the jay, and the hoarse caw I caw! of tho flying " crow.. Now and then there will come a day of such tender beauty warm, soft and soothing. So restful so full of con tent While the "gray days," when earth and sky seem blent in Quaker coloring so still! so hushed! as tho everything were listening listening. To a healthy, heartsome nature, there Is no melancholy in all this. Tho "slumber month" is so full of praise; so full of thanksgiving! God never meant that there should be a melan choly day, or month. And there is vnot, save to one who has a "headache" in his heart 1 '', 4 - ' . . A te the Quest.' Now that the holiday season, is at hand; there will he more or less visit ing between friends and acquaint ances, and it should not be forgotten that the charm of the occasion de ponds as fully upon the behavior of tho guest as upon the hospitality of tho hostess. There are certain duties bind ing upon each, the observance of which will determine, in no small degree, tho enjoyment of both. Do not make "surprise" visits, if it can bo avoided. Surprises are not al ways pleasant, and tho coming of an unexpected guest may occur at a very inopportune moment, causing annoying porplexitles which will sadly mar the enjoyment of all concerned. Your hostess should bo asked to sot the date of your visit to suit her convenience, tolling her about what time you will bo free to accept her invitation, and also, the probable length of your stay; thus enabling her to arrange her own plans with reference to your enter tainment Be punctual as to tho day set for your arrival, and do not insist that your hostess "put herself to no trou ble" on your account No matter how welcome you may bo, extra work is inevitable, but you can mako it as little as possible by attention to' neatness of your personal belongings, caro of tho room and its furnishings, orderliness and punctuality to all meals, and care ful conforming to the habits of the house. Enter heartily into all planil for your entertainment, showing appreciation of kindly intentions, and by your man ner assuring your hostess that you are enjoying the visit, and at all times tacitly mako her preferences your own. Try to be "on call" whenever wanted, quietly effacing yourself on the least suspicion that your presence interferes with the perfect freedom of the family. It must be a very delightful person in deed who is "never in the 'way," and there are times, every day, when your absence for an hour or two would be a positive relief to your hostess. A tact ful person will find many excuses for absenting herself room to care for, wardrobe to overhaul, letters to write, magazine 'or newspaper to look over and your hostess, relieved of the nerv ous tension of entertaining, will en joy your presence .afresh, on your reap-, pearance. If disagreeable happenings of a do mestic nature, or family "jars" should occur, do not show that you know it; keep your eyes closed to everything your hostess would not wish you to see; and under no circumstances al low yourself to speak of it there, or elsewhere. It is unwise, as well as unkind, to indulge in adverse remarks about hap penings in the home, the hospitality of which you have just enjoyed. In many households, where there are several of tho family to assist, your room will often be preferable to your company, about tho housework, and a lady, whilo keeping herself on the alert for any little offices of kindness, will go quietly about caring for her room, straightening up any slight disorder in the way of sprawling newspapers, tumbled music, scattered books, mak ing her little services as unobtrusive as possible. When your visit is ended, say good bye, with thanks for the hospitality enjoyed, and as soon as possible after reaching your home, send a letter, ac knowledging your indebtedness for the pleasure the visit has afforded you, and expressing gratitude for all the social courtesies you received at the hands of your friend and her family. Chrlstrnaa Thoughts. It is none too early to plan for your Christmas kindnesses. In arranging your glvlngs, do not strain after the Impossible, but give according to your means and ability. Try to have your gifts serve some purpose to amuse; to entertain; to instruct; to fill some need; supply some want; something to servo, in tho way of cheering, bright ening, comfort and encouraging. Let them be as beautiful as you may, but do not make them burdensome be cause x)f their uselessness, or unfit ness for the recipient In your plannings, remember the lonely and the friendless. Oftener than not, you will find them among well-fed, well-clothed, well-conditioned persons; money, or anything that money will buy, will not stay the heart-hunger, or longing for companionship as will a kind word or act of social courtesy. Remember tho poor in purse with delicate tact, for poverty Is often very proud and sensitive Do not forgot tho aged and neg lected; there is nothing so grateful for kindly notice as unregarded age. If your purse is empty, do not think that Christmas brings to you no op portunity. To your absent friend, send a loving message of remembrance, if only a few words on a postal card. To those about you, give cordial greet ings, and kindly words. You cannot measure tho good this touch of sym pathy may do your friend. "A smile, a word, a touch, And each so quickly given! . ; i Yet they may win wy A soul from sin, ' And smooth the way to heaven. A word may soften pains keen.'est . smart, A touch may lead us from sin apart How easily given!" Nowhere have we any record that our Lord gave material gifts. He gave only himself. A healing touch-; a tender tone; a loving admonition; a sorrowful rebuke; a look; a tear; and in all these he gave us evidence of his great love and . compassionate sym pathyjust himself. Give goodly gifts if you can; but re member that oftentimes the best and sweetest gifts are those that one can command "Without money and with out price." .Women as Navy Nurses. Surgeon General Rixey, of the navy, says "that women are the superior-of men for the work of nursing, there can be no question, and the objection that they are not compatible with military conditions can scarcely ap ply to institutions of the character of our large naval hospitals." Women In Federal Service. About one-third of all the employes in tho government department at Washington are women. Their salar ies range from !j660 to over $2,500 per annum. Last year of the 3,083 appli cants for government positions, 2,476 passed the examination, and 444 were appointed. The most popular examin ation for women is that for stenog raphers and typewriters. The men ap plicants for these positions predomi nate; yet the average passing was larger on the women's side. Many of the lower officials refuse to have male stenographers in their offices. Although the records show that the women applicants have much greater ability than the men, yet men are in the majority appointed. A thousand reasons are urged why men should have the preference, although hardly one woman In fifty but is either the sole support of a family, o'r one of its main props. The government employe works just as hard as her sister outside, and, once having obtained a position, she has to' work to keep it A young woman was last year made chief of one of the divi sions in the postoffice department be cause she knew more about the work of that particular division than any other employe. Miss Thora Stejnegor, a Norwegian woman, has charge of the classification of all animals received by the Smith sonian institute, and she examines and labels them with unerring skill. The way of obtaining government positions is tedious and long, but un der the methods employed by the civil service commission, it is open to all. There are a great many elderly la dies employed in the treasury depart ment Some are in the 70's; one or two have reached the 80', They have I Will Cure You of Rheumatism Else No Money is Wanted. After 2,0.00 experiments, I have learned how to cure Rheumatism. Not to turn bony joints into flesh again that is impossible. But I can cure tho disease always, at any stage, and for ever. I ask for ro money. Simply write mo a postal and I will send you an or der on your nearest oruggist ror six bottles-Dr. Shoop's Kheumatic Cure for every druggist keeps it. Use it for a month and, if it succeeds, the cost is only $5.50. If it fails, I will pay the druggist myself. I have no sampies, because any med icine that can affect Rheumatism quickly must be drugged to the verge of danger. I use no such drugs, and it is folly to" take them. You must get the disease out of the blood. My remedy does that, even in tho most difficult, "obstinate cases. No matter how impossible this seems to you, I know it and take the risk. I have cured tens of thousands of cases in this way, and my records show that 39 out of 40 who get six bottles pay gladly. I have learned that people in general are honest with a physician who cures them. That is all I ask. If I fail I don't expect a penny from you. Simply write me a postal card or a letter. I will send you my book about Rheumatism, and an order for the medicine. Take it for a month, as it won't harm you anyway. If it fails, it is free, and I leave the derision with you. Address Dr. Shoop, Box 515, Racine, Wis. Mild cases, not chronic, are often cured hy one or '.two bottles. At all druggists. worked for years in this department, and are wonderfully expert in their duties. Their salaries overlap the $100 per month mark. It is doubtful if any man could be found to do the work at any salary. In cases where exactitude to tho verge of finickiness is required, women are better clerks than men. The tab ulating machines, requiring unending patience and the most skillful exact ness of touch, are all run by women. Useful Items. To prevent the escape of feathers from pillows and beds, turn the new ticks wrong side out and thoroughly cover the surface with starch, working it in -with the hand until smooth. X To remove varnish from a piece of furniture requiring revarnishing, rub it over with a cloth saturated with equal parts of gasoline and kerosene. This penetrates the pores of the wood and will cut the most confirmed kind of surface. A damp cloth should be never be used in dusting highly polished fur niture. Tho best materials are soft worn silk, partly worn silk flannel, and a fine quality of cheese-cloth. For or dinary dusting there is nothing better than old flour sacks. Do not use a brush nor a whisk broom, as the dust rises only to settle back on tho furni ture, or on something else. Pennyroyal will drive away ants as well as flies and mosquitoes, but it is better to kill them. , Cover a plat with lard or drippings and set it where tho ants are thickest. When the plate is covered with tho busy pests, brush them off into the stove, or dip tho plato in hot water. Squeaking shoes may be successfully
