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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 1903)
;yv f''r 8 The Commoner. of. a, No. 50. mp- I the dome Department ..Conducted by.. Empty Hnnds. A multitude of cares encompassed me, Stood at my elbow, hung about my knee; Hedged me away from all the world outside, Thronged In my path, if to escape I tried. And thus, from mingling with my hind debarred, Often I mourned and felt my lot was hard; Slipped from the clinging" fingers, sighed for rest, , Hushed the shrill tongues and deemed the silence best. One day God took my cares unto him self; I need no longer toil, for love or pelf. Free am I now, to roam to far-off lands, Or sit in silence, with my empty hands. Alone I go; as lonely I return; And none remains to feel for me con cern. No noisy shouts, no clamorous tongues in glee To break the silence all is hushed to me. No clinging fingers clutching at my dress; No tumbled curls upon my bosom press. But now dear Lord! if I could ope the door And know my cares would meet me as of yore, I'd give ah, with what gladness, I would give All the slow weary years I "yet must live! I -vander always praying always vain 0, Lord, dear Lord, give me my cares "again! Selected. can do, is to wisely and cheerfully use the means at our command; do the best wo know how, and tacitly hope that all thinks will work together for our good. We must do as the children do trust. Over us, the Father keeps watch and ward, and we have His promise that the help we need will bo given not always, perhaps, yet in God's own way and time it will come. Wo havo but to trust in the higher wisdom. We can neither help nor hinder, save as we work with His will. And thus, while planning for the work of the dawning New Year, it is well to remember that whatever is given us whatever of joy cr sorrow, victory or defeat, may be ours, a wise hand rules, an eye that can look for ward, even unto the end, will trace out the paths for our feet, and in this path we should go forward,, cheerfully, hopefully, courageously, trusting, as little children trust, in the tender watch-care of Him who "so loved the world." Growth of the Soul. It is a recognized fact that, as a general i;ule, we are just what we make of ourselves; that the position we fill at any given time is the one for which we are best fitted at that particular moment. But not a few of us feel that we are capable of better things; of filling a higher place; of doing a larger work, yet we do not quite know how to go about getting into our "proper With a Child's Faith. The holiday season, with its hilari ous happiness, is ended, and the boys and girls pour out of happy homes, swarming along the streets once more to the school rooms. After a sturdy wrestle with their exuberant spirits, they will settle down to the work be fore them, and the fun and frolic of the vacation days will become a dream. When the day is ended, they tum ble out of the school room doors, a noisy, laughing, shouting army of healthy, happy bodies and care-free hearts; they "take no thought of the morrow," the "cares of bread" do not enter their restless minds; their one thought is to reach the coasting hill or frozen ponds as quickly as possible. What zest! what riotous enthusiasm! No one thinks of supper; it will bo waiting for them at the proper time. No one is brooding over how to "make both ends meet" they trust all that to fathers, mothers, and guardians. Warmly clad and well-fed, armed with skates, hand-sleds, and other sources of amusement, they rush away to the play-grounds, pell-mell! alive only to the fun before them. The "cares of riches," or the "cross of poverty" is not for them. We, who are grown up, are as much children as are these. We, too, are dependent upon a higher power for the comforts and blessings of this life, Do what wo will, we cannot help our selves against the rulings of Provi dence. With all our cares and anx ieties, we cannot bring about the good, or avert the disastrous. For the food we eat, the clothes wo wmi' fha nnt that shelters us, the fuel th& keeps us warm, we must trust to a higher ruimg than our own abilities. All we I Question Box. & The conductor of the Home De $ zjx pnrtment will bo glad to answer Jjj S questions concerning matters of K jg interest to Housekeepers. Make w your questions as brief as possible w nnd address all communications j? to "Home Department, The Com- moner, Lincoln, Nebr." eseeeesee-ssss&as sphere." We look about us, and, see ing some one else occupying some coveted situation, wo are only too prone to ask from them the help we feel that we ne"ed. But, friends, climb alone. No one can help you. You must raise yourself. It is slow, hard work, generally, and we will find that all progress demands as its price more or less pain. There must be pre paration lor all things, and you must not scorn the drudgery that clears your pathway of obstacles. We must set ourselvqs firmly to work, with this adea of superiority to circumstances firmly fixed in our minds; we must grow daily by en deavor. We must lay aside all puny personalities and work faithfully to ward our Ideals, accepting all trials or crosses as so many means toward the end, and above all things, we must have confidence in ourselves. We must believe intensely in our own abilities. This very determination will give one s:rength to rise, and the consciousness of innate power will lift us over many bitter trials. be honest with ourselves, and this will develop within us a habit of hon esty toward others. Faithfulness in little things alone will give you ruler ship over the great ones. One may not sit idly down and wait for 'some coveted good to fall to his hands. If .t did, he would not know how to make the best use of the unearned gift. Take whatever offers; do what ever falls to your hands', and do it well. This exercise of doing is the apprenticeship which gives us the skill of experienced hands, and only by doing, conscientiously, the little things do we prove our fitness to be trusted with the greater. One would scarcely care to trust important mat ters to hands that scorned, or did slightingly the so-called trifles. I like to think of Jesus, the God man, kneeling before his human brethren, washing their feet It was a menial task one which the com monest servant could have performed; yet it was not small in his eyes; it was part of the work assigned to him, and he did it with a grace which we know was divine. In performing for his brethren these menial services, he glorified them for all time. Nothing that should be done, was a trifle; or of too small moment for his patient, faithful human hands to do, and through all his sorrowful earth life, the dear Lord set himself faith fully to do the "will of the Father." His reward came not on earth, but in the glory of the promotion to which his absolute faithfulness in tho discharge of every work given, en titled him. But, in order that our growth may be sure, there must bo no half-work, no faint-hearted slipping backward. Every stroke must toll. We must cut carefully eyery niche; malco every rung of the ladder strong. We must Intemperance. Girls, beware of the young man who uses intoxicants, no matter how "moderately." Human nature is very much the same, everywhere. In America we have been used to warn men against the use of intoxicating liquor because of the impetuosity o the American character. It is said that the American goes wild over, whatever he undertakes; becomes too enthusiastic, and he drinks liquors as enthusiastically as he does anything else. The certainty of his losing con trol of his appetite, if he drinks at all, is almost absolute. Facts do not seem to sustain the opinion, once prevalent, that the drinking people of other nations are safe from the results which follow indulgence here. The French, so of ten cited as a sober people, although indulging in the lighter wines, are be coming much addicted to intemper ance, and are substituting stronger wines tor the lighter ones. Appetite is about the same, everywhere. The Chinaman becomes a slave to the opium habit, as will any one, of what ever nationality, who uses it. With indulgence, the appetite for intoxi cants grows; and, while it may take tho Frenchman aUittle longei4 to be come a drunkard thari it! does the tiigh strung, nervous American,, he Beaches the level at last Tho. German may stick to his beer for a longer time, but he, too, will reach the end in time. The only safe rule, is to lotit alone. If men will not drink, t.hqre will be no drunkards, but if 'they do, beginning ever so lightly, they will find it grow harder and harder to sub due tho craving until appetite will rule them to their destruction. i i ' - Bargains'. Immediately after, the holiday sea son, the counters of tho various stores are piled high with thd left-overs'from the holiday trade, and the daily nju pers come out in regular placard style, tolling of the wonderful values simply given 'away, "at your own price," at these marked-down mid winter sales. ' If you are a judge of values, now and then a real bargain may be se cured, but the most of tho goods are of a cheap quality, or in some way damaged, and simply "marked-dowr" from previously inflated prices which always obtain during the hurly-burly shopping of "the season." A really good article will always bring a good price, and such things, if not disposed of at something near their value, may be laid away, or sold to smaller mer chants to very good advantage, and merchants are not often found giving dollars for dimes. Sometimes, a rea. ly good article, from the fact of its having been used in display windows, or as a sample, and thus soiled by the dust, smoke, or much handling, or, not having found favor in the eyes of purchasers from some cause of color, weave, etc., is put upon the counter at reduced price, and if the article or good 3 it washable, or otherwise clean able, or even if it may be dyed, it is as well to buy it. But unless you are a judge of quality, it is safe not to invest too heavily in "bargain goods." A great many women and men, too buy things for which they have not, and, in all probability, never will have, the slightest use, simply because it is cheap, and they think they may want it at some future time. Such people have any quantity of odds and ends lying around, going to waste, and when they really do need some thing of the kind, find that what they havo will not suit tho need of the hour, and have, at last, to buy new to fit the purpose while the "unavail able" is still taking up room and will eventually find Its way to, the wasto heap. It is not always economy to buy new goods with which to piece out an old garment, .but if one must buy, it is just as well to buy a cheaper grade, and thus the whole garment, new and ozd, will wear out together. The Mission of Pain. "I always know that one has suf fered when I get the impression of kindness and sympathy from him. Petty cares and troubles often em bitter one, but great suffering and pain develop the feeling of human brotherhood. I doubt very much whether one has ever progressed ex cept through pain. In tho voices of the great souls of all ages may be heard a suggestion of the. minor note. Those who have suffered who havo felt the deadly grip upon the. heart understand their fellow-men and wo men, and find it easy to speak the kindly word, send the loving glance, give the warm hand-clasp. Their blood is warm and their hearts beat strong they understand without be ing told. Much of thg best of life has come to us through sorrow when wo t understand this wo know many things." New Thoughts. Questions and Answers. A correspondent asks how she can bake , bread so as to avoid having a hard crust on it It is not altogether in tho baking. When you have moulded your dough and, placed it in tho pans to rise, take a little sweet, fresh butter, or clean, sweet lard, warm It, and, with a little roll of old cloth used brushwise, ap ply the warm lard or butter tb tho ex posed surface of each loaf. Put on the dough all it will absorb by tho time it is ready for tho oven experi- t 'lO lUlfl A COLD IN ONE DAY .1'akoLnxativoBromo Quinlna Tablets. All druggists refund tho money if it fails to car E. W, Grove's signature is on each box. c.