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The Commoner.
8
VOLUME 3, NUMBER It,
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Conductedby
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lDepajrtm
Your Mission.
(This was President Lincoln's fav
orite song, one which he encored no
less than eighteen times when sung
at a Sunday school convention in
Washington in 1801)
If you cannot on the ocean
Sail among the swiftest fleet,
Rocking on the highest billows,
Laughing at the storms you meet,
You can stand among the sailors,
Anchored yet within the bay,
You can lend a hand to help them
As they launch their boats away.
If you are too weak to journey
Up the mountain, steep and high,
You can stand within the valley
While the multitudes go by;
You can chant in happy measure
As they slowly pass along
Though they may forget the singer,
They will not forget the song.
If you have not gold and silver
Ever ready at command;
If you cannot toward the needy
Reach an ever-helping hand,
You can succor the afflicted,
O'er the erring you can weep;
You can be a true disciple,
Sitting at the Master's feet
If you cannot in the harvest
Garner up the richest sheave,
Many grains, both ripe and golden,
Will the careless reapers leave;
Go and glean among the briers
Growing rank against the wall,
For it may be that the shadows
Hide the heaviest wheat of all.
If you cannot in the conflict
Prove yourself a soldier true.
If where Are and smoke arc thickest
There's no work for you to do,
When the battlefield is silent,
You can go with careful tread
You can bear away tho wounded,
You can cover up the dead.
Do not, then, stand idly waiting
For some greater work to do;
Fortune is a lazy goddess
Sho will never come to you.
Go and toil within life's vineyard;
Do not fear to do or dare
If you want a field of labor
iou can unci it anywhere.
S. M. Grannls.
Some "Do Notf."
Do not allow your back yard to be
couio a dumping ground for every
worthless, rubbishy old thing that can
And a lodgmont nowhere else. If ii
is good enough to keep at all, it is
good enough to care for, and it should
have a place of its own; if It has no
value, it should find a place on the
Kindling pilo, 0r the manure heap; if
It will neither rot nor burn, then its
place is "without tho camp."
Thorp are "things" that must be
allowed, oven on tho "kitchen lawn"
but such things should bo kept In. at
least, orderly confusion. Old lum
ber is somotimos a necessary evil
and, like a few other necessities!
must bo tolerated, but it should be
neatly and closely piled, tho scrappy
pieces going into tho kindling pile. If
one has ever so small a garden, there
h!c J? b(J,a pIt,?r hol auS. and into
this should go all vegetable refuse and
other decomposable matter, and thus
turned into tho best of fertilizer. Un
less you have tried it, you do not real
ize what a wonder-worker this nit
. will turn out for you, if kept wet with
- your kitchen slops.
x,Urn allld 8h0eS aiUl rQSS. DO
pot allow them to accumulate; offer
them as a daily sacrifice to the god
dess of hygiene. Gather up all brok
en bits of dishes, glassware, or other
"Imperishable" rubbish and let the
accumulation go with the ashes and
cinders, into the outer world.
Do not allow weeds to grow inside
your yard fence. Sunflowers and hol
lyhocks will grow as readily as bur
dock and jimson weed, and blue grass
will do as well as either of these. If
you must have tall things, try a few
of the blossoming shrubs. Or a row
of gooseberry bushes around the
premises would repay especially if
you got a good variety of "tame"
ones.
Do not think, because you may live
in the country, that it does not mat
ter how things are kept; it should
matter to you; for so much of your
life is spent with this back yard as
your only exercise ground, that you
have need, for your soul's sake, that
it should be full of beautiful things
things that would rouse you out of
yourself; that would make you glad
to be alive, and that would cheer
and encourage you, no matter how full
of shadows your sky might be. If
your life be confined to the city, so
much more need of this one bright
spot, to which you may turn to satis
fy the cry of the soul after the God of
nature.
and see that the metal tops are not
left lying about to get bent or dented
and thus ruined.
Mttle Helps.
When sorting out clothing, bed and
table linen, do not put too many of
them in the pile for the rag-man;
there is, in every household, a con
stant demand for old, soft rags, and
for many purposes nothing else will
serve. Put all old, worn-out sheets,
pillow-slips, table linen, etc., into the
"old muslin" drawer; cut off buttons
and cut out seams from old shirts
and other underwear, dress skirts,
linings, and bundle them up for dust
cloths, polishers, holders, to wipe up
things with, and, in short, to serve
the thousands-and-one purposes which
are always confronting the housewife.
Old flannel garments should also have
seams cut out, buttons removed, and
the serviceable portions put away for
the uses which can always be found
for them. These, and kindred econ
omies, are but a few of the methods
of gathering up the fragments which,
pieced together, go a long way in
solving the question of "pin money"
for the thrifty housewife.
Beeswax and salt will make flat
irons as clean and smooth as need be.
Tie a lump of wax in a piece of cloth,
and keep it for that purpose; when
the irons are hot, rub them first with
tho wax rag, then scour with a paper
or cloth sprinkled with salt. When
the rubber rollers of your wringer
ueuume sucicy, as tnoy very often do
after wringing flannel, rub with kero
sene and wipe dry, and they will bo
nice and smooth. Salt, dissolved in
alcohol, is often found a good thing
for removing grease spots from cloth.
Molasses will often remove grass
stains found on the clothing of chil
dren; rub the stained spot with tho
molasses, as if It were soap, and then
wash in the ordinary way. If vou
would have a fine polish on your win
dow glass, use chamois skin instead
of cloth.
Tho parlor windows might go with
out washing two or three weeks at a
time, but do air tho beds. Keep the
dish cloths sweet and clean, the sink
well disinfected, and don't throw dir
ty clothes down in a hnnn rm H,n i
et floors. Wash and air your fruit
Ti.1 yuu uuluiy tnem, and
put them away at once in a safe placa
I1oujeCIcanIng Helps.
Take time to paste light-weight raa
nilla paper over the back of every
picture frame not already so pro
tected; it will effectually prevent dust
from reaching the picture.
For closing holes in metal, use a
putty made of chloride of zinc and
starch. Tin pails and pans may be
mended with sealing wax, such as is
used for fruit cans. If not used about
the stove, or for holding hot things,
they will be "as good as new."
Wells and cisterns should be venti
lated, and the water thus kept sweet
and free from bad odors; the absorp
tion of fresh air by water renders it
pleasanter to tho taste, and to a
slight extent purifies it
A padding of double-faced canton
flannel should-be used under the linen
table cloth,' as the linen, thus pro
tected, will look better, wear better,
and the sound of the dishes will be
deadened.
A solution of borax, made by put
ting into a bottle of water all the
crude borax the water will dissolve,
is an excellent thing to keep on the
washstand. For removing soils, stains
and roughness, healing scratches and
chafes, pour enough -of the solution
into the wash water to make it feel
soft or slippery, wash the hands in
this and dry with a soft towel. It is
very cleansing.
Do not neglect the cellar, when set
ting the premises to rights. A cool
cellar is not a damp one, and the eel-
jar snouici nave a thorough over-hauling
as early as necessity will allow.
All decaying vegetables should be re
moved, and the walls given a good
whitewashing; if the floor is cement,
this should be given a good scrubbing,
and well sprinkled with some good
disinfectant Boxes of unslacked lime
set about will absorb any dampness,
as well as sweeten the atmosphere.
A neglected cellar is a constant men
ace. After trvine: all nnwrtars nnmfni
housekeepers will quite likely go back
to the old-fashioned washing soda for
cleansing floors, sinks and drains, and
other like things. There is nothing
that so effectually routes impurities
as boiling-hot soda and water applied
with a long-handled scrubbing brush,
then rinsed off with clear water and
dried with a clean cloth. A large lump
of soda, melted over tho drain of the
sink, keeps the pipe clear from all
grease. While soda is the scrubber's
main-stay, the laundress should touch
it lightly, if at all, as it injures the
clothes.
Query Box.
(We have requests from several of
our readers for directions for setting
the table according to the latest edicts
of fashion, for all occasions. To give
these would require more space than
tho Home Department can devote to
such matters, but if our querists will
send stamped, addressed envelono
with their queries, I will bo pleased
to refer them to authoritative sources
or to publications specially dealing
with such subjects. So, also, of ques?
tions on matters pertaining to styles
and dress for 'certain occasions )
Mrs. Lizzio O., Ephrata, Wash
Sent you the information regardlnit
club organization by mail, Zxl
quested. xc
A Reader, Bethany, Neb. If you
will send your address on stamped
envelope, I will send you tho direc
tions requested. The Commoner ap
preciates your good opinion.
A Querist. Bread for garnishing
should always be shaped before toast
ing. Croustades are cubes of stile
bread from which the centers have
been removed and the cubes fried in
deep fat; croutons are half-inch cubea
of stale bread browned in deep fat, or
butter.
Tired Housekeeper. Ironing ma
chines, or mangles, would not be a
satisfactory investment' for ironing
dresses, children's clothes, and such
things. They are used for ironing
straight, smooth, pieces, such as bed
linen, table linen, towels, handker
chiefs, straight underwear, etc. Price3
range from $5 to $75.
Jennie. Rugs are very popular a3
floor coverings for several reasons, ono
of which is the greater ease with
which they may be handled, reducing
the work of sweeping and dusting, and
giving greater cleanliness throughout
the house. The cost of a good rug is
not so great as that of a good carpet,
and a clean, painted or stained strip
of floor space around the edge of a
room is very pleasing to some.
Bessie. In clearing the table be
tween courses, all things relating to
one course must "be removed before
serving another. Remove all food
first, then soiled china, glassware, sil
ver and cutlery, unused china and
other articles not further needed, then
the crumbs. Soiled plates and dishes
should he removed from the right
side; waiters must serve at the left,
as this enables the guest to use the
right hand.
Gertrude. There is said to bo
nothing safer or better for the re
moval of freckles than the old- rem
edies. Grate horse-radish roots into
sour milk; set in a warm place for an
hour, then set away until next day;
wash the face with it every night and
two or three times during the day, be
ing careful not to let it get into the
eyes. Or, wet the spots with a small
bmsh dipped in the juice of a lemon
every night and once during the daj
Harriet S., Chili, 111. To remove
scale insects from the palm, make a
strong suds of whale oil or ivory soap
and water and, with an old tooth
brush scrub the leaves, rinsing well
with clear water. Or take a feather,
MONEY TO COOKS
$7,500.00 Donated, to be Divided Among
Family Cooks.
The sum of $7,500.00 will he distri
buted between now and midsummer
among family cooks, in 735 prizes
ranging from $200.00 to $5.00.
This is done to stimulate better
cooking in the family kitchen. Tho
contest is open to paid cooks, (drop
the name "hired girl," call them cooks
11 ,y deserve it) or to the mistress of
the household if she does the cooking.
I he rules for contest are plain and
simple. Each of the 735 winners of
money prizes will also receive an en
graved certificate of merit or diploma
as a cook. The diplomas bear the big
gut seal and signature of the most
ramous food company in the world,
The Postum Cereal Co., Ltd., of Bat-
nZ CSe2c Micu" the wel1 known mak
tJi? Dostum Coffee-and Grape-Nuts,
rwf xrhemo atld address Cookery,
Dept No. 448 for full particulars.
onnl remaable contest among
n?nmJ T! n fhe money Priz and di
hSSS8 WiH1 give tnousands of families
n J o?Land mG delici0s meals as well
as cleaner Kitchens and a general im
provement in the culinary depaXeVt,
STii wik8 Diust 8how marked skiU
Qronf 8it0rmo.nt in servico t0 win
entorn8 LmS f mouey devoted to such
SmanAv f anWayS reSUlt In PuttInS
oivnK fur,th? along on the ad to
pmess ' eaUb' comfort and ha
X-flJ l.y-,2.
jArtm.,.