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The Commoner.
Vol. a, No. 5i.s
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CondiicftxFIfr y
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In Winter Time.
About tho dreary fields, today,
Tho winds go wailing up and down,
Tho brooding skies aro chill and gray,
, The hills are bleak, tho woods aro
brown.
A little while ago they wore
The gorgeous court-dress of October,
But now, their masquerading o'er,
Tho fields, the hills, tho woods once
more
Put on their homespun sober.
. Ah, what care we, if winds are chill
If woods aro bleak and skies are
gray
While in our hearts love's summer
still
Abides, and will not fade away?
Thero is a sunshine on the hearth,
A gonial brightness, broad and
tender,
That compensates for wintry dearth,
That makes tho humblest home on
earth
A world of warmth and splendor!
i
So, when the twilight gathers slow,
The welcome hearth-fire's ruddy
light
Makes our low cottage windows glow
Like cheerful beacons of the night
And, hand in hand, we, drawing near,
About the hearthstone, happy
hearted, Forget the world without is drear,
That sullen winter storms are here,
That summer has depaited.
Heap on more fuel let the blaze
" Leap upward to the blackened ralter,
"While, gathered in tho fire-light glow,
We speed the hours with song and
laughter.
What care we, if the tempest rage,
Safe-folded in our cottage warm?
We thank the tender God above,
Who guards us with his watchful love
And shields us. from tho storm.
is a prolific sourco of colds. Through
an intimate knowledge -of how to
properly plan and prepare food, many
a doctor bill and much discomfort can
bo saved.
In preparing glue for mending fur
niture, if you have no regular glue
pot, break tho dry glue into a small
tin can, cover with cold water, sot tho
can in a larger one, and half fill thfi
outer can, add a littlo salt to tho
water bath, or larger can, to raise the
boiling point, set on tho stove and boil
until tho glue is thoroughly melted.
If too thick, thin with strong vine
gar. Do not melt more -glue than is
needed at one time.
Do not use new linen for towelling
to be used about the dishes. It will be
too "wirey" to dry thoroughly. Old
cloth will not cover the china with
lint. Dish towel3 should be softened
by frequent washings before use. Half
worn, soft hand towels make excel
lent tea towels.
Little Helps.
When poaching eggs, put a teaspoon
ful of vinegar in the boiling water.
Tho egg will keep its shape better,
and tho white will be nicer.
A cloth, wet in alcohol, will ..make
washing windows in winter a satisfac
tory task. Alcohol will prevent th3
film of ice which would be the sure
result of using water.
Do not wasluraisins to be used in a
pudding. Rub them clean between dry
cloths. Washing will make your pud
ding heavy.
Ordinary baking soda makes an ex
cellent dentifrice, polishing tho teeth
and sweetening and purifying tho
breath.
An excellent polisher for the nickel
parts of a stove or range is whiting,
moistened with ammonia. When thor
oughly clean, scrub out the dry whit
ing with a chamois skin, or piece of
soft cloth.
Boiling tea for twenty minutes, un
til a good portion of the tannin is ex
tracted, and used hot, makes a goo.i
wash for salt rheum; it readily ro
lieves the pain and itching.
Every woman should know some
thing o the chemistry of the food she
serves up to her family, its health
giving and its llGatlrtrr rmnllHna rtirnr.
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iauHK, ana eating of unsuitable foot1.
Beef Steak.
We are told that beef steak for
broiling should be cut three-quarters
of an inch thick, and put over a hot
fire of clear coals. When it has
browned quickly, as it should, and
been turned and browned on the oth
er side, it yet remains raw in the mid
dle, and if left longer, tho surface
burns.
At this stage, the novice is in de
spair; but she has yet two things to
learn that immediately after the firsr.
browning, the fire must decrease in
heat, or the meat be brought further
away, so that the steak may cook ten
or twelve minutes longer, without
burning; less tima, will not cook it
nicely in tho middle; next, that, like
baked meats, the surface must be kept
moist with hot fat. Before your steak
is put over the coals, cover both sides
with melted suet, and afterward, as
-it dries, spread on a little butter or
beef fat Have in a hot platter a few
spoonfuls of water in which the
bones cut from the stealc have been
boiling, also, a little salt and peiyper.
when the stealc is done, lay it on th-2
platter and keep it hot for five min
utes, turning it once in-that time. This
will give you both good steak and
good graVy.
"Luck? or Pluck?"
Boys, hero is a story I 'would like
you to read. If it is not true, it ought
to bo, and I think it must be, as it
appeared in a reliable newspaper, it
contains a lesson for tho big boys,
who are "waiting for something to
turn up."
Tho story goes back to tho '90's,
when the hero was a hard working
railroad man in Pittsburg. He had
to work hard, for he wasthe whole
intellectual and physical equipment of
a ricitety lew miles of railroad run
ning out of that citypresident, su
perintendent, auditor, engineer, ma
chinist, and a little of everything
else. Naturally, he absorbed about
everything that is worth knowing and
useful of the railroad business, and
one day his opportunity came to him
to test the value of his experience
There was a record-breaking flood
and while tho officials of the big roads
stood around bewailing tho fact that
no freight could be movnri nvw n,..
submerged tracks, this man hired sev-
oral hundred men, and, above his own
rimeni
submerged road, ho built another road
on trestles, out of the flood's reach.
It took him two days to msh the job
through, and on the third day ho was
moving freight into and out of Pitts
burg, while the officials of the rival
companies, with their tracks still un
der water, looked on in amazement
Of course, the deed was noised
about, and the Gould people heard of
him. "We've been wanting a good
general superintendent for some time,"
they said; and a committee of promi
nent officials of tho Wabash railroad
was sent to Pittsburg. They went
to the terminus of the little "pig and
whistle" road and asked, "Where will
we find Mr. Ramsey?"
"Out there, under that locomotive, '
they were told, and they picked their
way over ties to the locomotive stand
ing on a siding. It was, one of the
two owned by the road, and under
neath it, pounding away at a repair,
was a man clad in a pair of ovoialls
and a greasy jumper. Pretty soon,
the man crawled out and stood before
the officials. His face and hands were
dirty with soot and oil.
"Are you Mr. Joseph Ramsey?" they
asked. He answered in the aflir mo
tive, inquiring wliat he could do for
them.
"You can leave this job and tak-5
the position of general superintendent
of the Wabash," they told him; "we
came out here to look you over, and
question 150R.
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to
Cii
Tho conductor of the Ilomo Do M
pnrtment will bo glnd to answer $;
questions concerning matters of
interest to JriousekGonnrcj. Mnlrft fl
m your questions ns brief as possible $
w and address nil communications W
Jk to "Home Department, Tho Com- ?
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decide about you later, but we've
changed our minds. We want you
right now. An official that knows
how and is not ashamod to repair
his own rolling stock needs no other
recommendation."
Mr. Ramsey took the offer, and to
day is president of the Wabash rail
way, and the right hand man of its
owner in tho battle for a tidal outlet.
Answers to Quorles.
Marion. Coal oil is said to be an
excollont cleaner for the coal range,
and will not only eat away tho dirt
and grease, but will polish the nickel
plating nicely. Be sure there Is no
fire in the range while using it. Deal
ers sell an enamel specially prepared
for the black parts, and it is much
more satisfactory and durable than
common stove blacking.
Freddie's Mother. By 'some it is
thought that the daily tubbing bath is
weakening to the body, but it is a
mistaken idea. The little fellow, will
soon grow to lovo his bath, and will
exercise his littlo limbs by kicking,
splashing and beating tho water with
his littlo hands, in great glee. The
time to give the bath is before, oi
about an hour after his meals. Have
the temperature of the room not low-
er than 80 degrees, and that of the
water, about 98 degrees. Use only
pure soap white castile is good; have
a soft sponge, used only for baby;
soft linen towels, a soft flannel apron
or blanket to lift him out on; a lit
tlo good powder to dust in his "wrin
kles" after drying off. Let him stay
in tho water about five minutes,
sponging him thoroughly, rinse off
all soap-suds, then lift him out onto
tho warm blanket, wrap it around him'
and rub gently and rapidly the limbs
and body, completing the "drying off
with a gentle use of the linen towels.
Dress him loosely and comfortably;
be sure the" little feet aro warm, and
lay him in his crib. Do not "nurse"
him to sleep, and do not hold hkh af
ter ho is asleep. Teach him to lie in
las crib.
Mrs. L. What you say of overeat
ing, especially during tho holiday
season, is true. The appetite, at fuoh
times, is no guide to the amount oZ
food necessary to the nourishment o!
tht body, and common sense must be
caJled upon to restrain it Overeating
is r.iimi2 to both health and beauty,
and especially so where cne'is con
fined indoors. Housekeepers are in
deed 'on their feet" nearly all the
time, but working is not walking, and
Women should walk more in the open
air not only for health, but to at
tain a graceful carriage. "Out in all
weathers" will not give one colds, it
precautionary wraps, suitable to the
occasion, be used. Exercise In the
open air is not only conducive to
general health and good looks, but -is
a tonic for irritable nerves and- a
sure specific for fretting and spellsoi!
temper. '
Young Housewife. Liver is alto
gether a breakfast dish, and it Is of--
ten desirable to cook it quickly, con
sequently, nine times out of ten, it
gets burnt. But this is needless waste.
Take as many slices as are requireo,
lay them in a dish, pour boiling wa
ter over them and allow to remam a
few minutes, but take them out while
the water is still very hot, slip them
onto a towed, where they will dry
quickly. Cover tho bottom of the
skillet with a number of slices! 'ot
salt pork, and, laying the liver' on
top of these, set the skillet on -'the
stove. When the pork has fried near
ly enough, put the pork on top of
the liver, and allow tho liver to Ho
flat in the pan. Turn it onco or
twice.. It will soon be done, and done
nicely, with a fine flavor.
Query Box. '
Do not forget the questions, Sister's.'
We want to make tho Homo Depart
ment specially helpful, in" more ways
than one, and questions on your part
will stimulate inquiry on mine, as
well, thus benefiting both. If you have
a question to ask, the answer to which
you think may be of interest to several
other readers, write to us, stating tho
question as clearly, and Jn as fow
words as possible, and, while we do
not profess to "know it alf," we in
tend to "knowa great deal" in order
that we may be helpful to you. The
helpful spjrit should rule in the
home.
Pure Food Items.
Good Housekeeping says: "One
noed not be a woman suffragist to
recogWzo the imperative demand just
now for an overpowering fominino
sentiment for the protection of the
home from the several impositions and
dangers of high-priced fuel and out
rageous food adulterations. . . . Wo
are satisfied that, when the wlvqs and
mothers aro awake to the situation,
and to their ability, whether organ
ized or unorganized, to arouse tho
men to action, thoy will not be slow
to perform thoir duty. ... Up to a
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