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The Commoner.
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 23.
SfFcotiuce I (- fll III Irrl IL W
Learning to Live Alone.
I am learning tho saddest lesson
A woman's heart has known
Tho lesson of silent patience
In learning to live alone;
For tho ono that I loved the dearest
Was kissed by tho Angel pale,
And turned from my sido to follow
The lead of a strange now trail.
Sometimes in tho quiet gloaming,
When I watch the stars arise.
My tears like a terrible tempest,
Brim over my aching eyes.
And out of my broken bosom
Old dreams come crowding up,
Till I fling myself face downward,
And cry, "0, not this cup."
And I sob in tho lonely darkness,
With a grief uncomforted,
For there is no peace in Promise
When our loved are newly dead.
I have neither star nor anchor,
My heart Is like a stonej
Tis a hard and bitter lesson
This learning to livo alone.
Ladies' World.
Today is the timo for laughter;
Tomorrow, the time for tears;
Whatever may come hereafter,
Whatever of woo with years.
Today is tho time to borrow
Tho best that the gods can give;
We can sorrow, if need bo, hereafter
Today Is the timo to live
Mothere and Daughters.
Not long ago, a sister editor re
ceived a letter from a girl graduate,
asking her advice as to how she could
most profitably employ her time and
talents, now that her school days were
over. The reply was, "Stay at home
and get acquainted with your moth
.or." The girl sent her a note, saying
that sho was born for better things
than being a kitchen drudge. My
f 1 lend, commenting on the matter,
said:
"In this opinion. I can but concur
with the dear girl. The daughters of
today should not bo. drudges, either in
the ho,rae, or out of it Indeed, there
should be no drudges, in any of the
industries of life. Yet there will al
ways bo so-called drudgery; in every
avocation there enters the element of
hard, distasteful labo:, of uncongen
ial preparatory and finishiug-up tasks
which may not bo put aside. In no
business in life is this burdensome
feature lackinir. Somebodv must nt-
tend to it. In the home, there seems,
fiom its constant recurrence, an over
plus of this detested element, and too
often, I am sorry to say, its accom
plishment falls to the hands of tho
mother, who voluntarily assumes it
that her younglings may bask in the
Bunshino which sho foregoes. It was
so In my young days; it will continue
to be so, so long as tho mother-heart
continues to beat The mother-lovo
will always- seek, at whatever cost to
itself, to spare Its nursling even the
semblance of pain. How unwise the
. sacrifice, neither mother nor daughter
may realize until too late.
"I often hear mothers say, 'I mean
to give my daughter the best educa
tion I can; I do not want her
the drudge her mother has been.'
And comparing the soft white hand
pr the daughter with tho gnarled
knotted joints of the prematurely old
wuLuur, i am tempted to ask if she
has not chosen tho wrong curriculum
by which to bring about tho desired
results. I spealc from dear-bought ex
perience when I say there is some
thing radically wrong. In the long
ago, I was one of those 'curled darl
ings' between whom and the possibil
ity of any distasteful task a loving
mother interposed her own overloaded
shoulders. A mother, growing old and
feeble, wrought constantly, with fail
ing powers, that her whiterhanded
daughter should be one of the lilies:
And I let her do it thoughtlessly, as
many another daughter is doing to
day; not heartlessly because I did
not understand. Pushed away from
her by the toil I was not taught to
share, I was pushed away from her
heart, also, and our lives drifted
apart; we wore as strangers to each
other; the mother's life was too
crowded to allow her time to look in
to and learn the workings of the heart
of her daughter, and I, deprived of her
companionship, never knew my
mother! Our paths lay apart, and I
grew" up, companionless, because this
best friend a young girl's life can
ever know was to me, at best, but a
matchless machine.
"In a far-away city cemetery is a
little, white-walled space, guarded by
a shaft of gray marble; in this space
lies all that I ever knew of my pa
tient, loving, hungry-hearted mother
just a handful of dust At rare in
tervals I, a white-haired woman, go
there and, kneeling beside the marble-guarded
dust, sob out my long
remorse: u, mother, why did you do
It? Why did you' not draw your woman-child
closer to your heart, by
teaching her to share your toil; to
know your weaknesses and your sac
rifices? Why did you leave it to the
bitter lesson of loss to teach me to
know what you were to me what I
should have been to you?"'
Today, other mothers are laying up
this lesson of unavailing sorrow for
their daughters' learning, hourly de
priving themselves and their budding
daughters of the sweetest of all com
panionship companionship which
the girl-naturo seeks in vain fm oil
other sources, and which should de
velop and protect her, as nothing elsa
can, from the wretched mistakes
which too many of them make in their
unsatisfied longing for a warm, hu
man love "which faileth not."
Girls, do not be -afraid to help your
mother. Do not hesitate to show her
how much you love her how much
you long for her love. She needs your
young strength; your fresh young
mvjufciiLB, mo magnetism of your
kisses, and the comfort of your un
clouded presence. It is better to show
your love now than to cry over her
siuve. xaKQ pains to get acquainted
with your one true, unselfish friend.
Grapes as flcdlcln.
The medicinal and therapeutic prop
erties of the grape are well known.
Among tho constituents of this fruit
arc gum, tannin, bitarate of potash
auiiniauw uj. ijuuiau, tartrates of lime
magnesia, alum and iron, chlorides of
potassium and sodium, tartaric acid,
citric, racenic and malic acids. Some
varieties contain a largo percentage
of sugar, while others contain an ex
cess of acids.
In the grape-growing sections of
Europe, many sick people are fed ex
clusively on grapes, allowing three to
six pounds per day. For persons re
covering from acuto diseases tho
sweeter kinds are best, as they aid
digestion and increase appetite Those
not over-ripe, and containing littlo
sugar, are best for laxative purposes.
Diarrhea may result if allowed to be
eaten to excess by adult invalids and
children. Grapes are diuretic in their
effect on the kidneys. Where tho
biliary secretions aro insufficient, and
digestion feeble in consequence of
sluggish portal circulation, the use
of grapes have a beneficial effect If
more fruit were eaten, it would great
ly benefit the health of all who use it.
The smallest garden can spare room
for a grape-vine, and it can be trained
up the side of the house, or other
building, or over the back porch.
There is little excuse for any one
owning even the smallest home not
to have at least a limited supply of
this delicious fruit growing at hand.
Usfertrentcd drape Wine.
This is a grateful beverage, easily
made and kept, and liked by those in
health as well as being strengthening
and nourishing for invalids. It is the
best, also, for sacramental purposes.
As it will soon bo "grape-time," here
Isr a good way to put up your supply:
When grapes are just right to eat,
gather and wash in a colander; pick
from the stems, rejecting all imper
fect ones. Put the grapes in a porcelain-lined
kettle, allowing for ev
ery gallon of grapes two and one
half quarts of water; heat slowly to a
doii, doii onsKiy lor five to ten min
utes, stirring constantly all the time
to prevent sqorchlng. If the stirring
does not mash them sufficiently, mash
them with a wooden potato masher.
Take off the stove and pour into a
cheese-cloth strainer and let drip.
When no more juice will run through,
put the juice back into the kettle, let
it come to a boil, put in glass self
sealing jars (pint bottles are best),
seal tightly and put away in a cool
dark place. The less the fruit is
cooked the brighter colored and bet-tre-flavored
is the wine. Small bot
tles aro best, as tho whole bottle op
ened must bo used at once. No metal
should come in contact with the win
When wanted for use, add a cupful of
sugar to one quart of the juice, if
liked.
Fello-tvlng One's Taste.
If men aro strong, they must be
permitted to bear their own self-assumed
burdens, and women should
bear theirs. A woman should live
within her means and be content; If
the spoon she handles isn't silver sho
must bo satisfied with commoner
metal; she must -save her husband's
earnings, be they great or small, and
make the most of everything, if
family likes show more than comfort
let them have it; there are women
who toil over a broken, smoky stove
cheerfully, because they are saving
the price of a parlor carpet. That is
all right, if tho family agree to think
so and tempers hold out against tho
smoke. I don't know that such a
woman is more to be condemned than
tho book-hungry family that feed un
on stale bread and cheese for the sako
ly a matter of taste. But, a married
unu duuuiu iuukb me nving for hia
family, and the woman should take
care of what he makes. Ex
Women Students Excel.
Reports from colleges and universi
ties all over the country indicate that,
ai leSi so far as tfte ordinary, teste
of ab ity, daily markings and e
aminations can determine, women ex
cel m scholarship and honors where
co-education prevails. The heads of
these institutions declare that the
soman's perception is keener, her
memory better, her industry greater
and her general capacity for absorbing
knowledge is beyond that of her
masculine competitor. The fact is
emphasized that the great devotion to
athletics by men students handicap
them against young women in studies.
Statistics of tho universities are high
ly favorable to women. '
Health Hint.
Two secrets of good digestion aro
rest and hot water for a rebellious
stomach, which is usually an over
worked one. The habit of hearty eat
ing is not easily checked, even when
al the Injured powers are crying for
a halt If you must go to the table
at such times, have a teacupful of hot
water and sip it as hot as you can
swallow. Repeat this, if one cupful
ia not sufficient Generally you wilt
find that it satisfies all cravings and
acts as a comfortable readjustee In
stead of fretting that he cannot eat,
such a sufferer should feel that ho
has scored a victory for every meal ho
has managed to do without by this
means. A day's fasting on hot water
will cure a bilious attack or a sick
headache, and help to reduce a soro
throat or a cold. If everything elso
fails, try the hot water. Let it be hot.
not merely warm, and do not be afraid
that you are drinking too much.
There is nothing so comforting to a
pnin in the stomach as a hot water
application inside and out. A per
son suffering from inflammation of tho
stomach will scarcely find anything
more soothing than the application to
the diseased part of a towel wrung
out of very hot water, and covered by
a thick, dry one to keep the steam in.
Shange for another hot one as tho
oth cools, and keep well covered.
Try the hot water.
Fashion Netes.
Plain skirts are rarely seen this
season, for most skirts show trim
ming of some kind. Tucks, shirring,
bands, ruffles and flounces are all
seen on the new skirts, or they aro
accordian-plaited, box-plaited or pan
eled. 'The skirts are all made long;
only the walking skirt is made short,
just escaping the ground, while" tho
outing skirt is a little shorter.
Pongee is much used, not only for
gowns and waists, but very smart
coats are made from it for traveling,
driving and automobiling. Coats ara
finished with drawn-work, braiding,
velvet collar and cuffs, while other?
are trimmed with bands of Persian
trimming, laces, etc. Pongee wears
well, and can b3 cleaned nicely. A
pretty material for summer gowns is
the cotton voile grenadine; the ma
terial makes up prettily, and is quito
inexpensive.
The wide girdle is gradually gain
ing favor. A pretty finish Is one of
the long buckles of jet or steel.
Suits of white and colored linen aro
very stylish. Lavender is used a great
deal in millinery, especially purpla
and lavender flowers. Ribbon velvet
is used on many gowns, not only
black, but colors. It can be used
nicely on the cotton summer goods,
as well as on the gowns of silk oc
wool. "
Potting Soil.
Bye-and-byo, when it is time to pot!
up your plants for your window gar
den, there will be a great outcry about
not having tho proper soil, and not
knowing where to get it Your maga
zine has been telling you about "turfy
loam, leaf mold, well-rotted manure,
sharp sand' and a lot of other things,
and warning you to have things ready,
but you think that "all things come to
her Who wnlta " tf aim -nrnlfa long
enough; but those plants must be tak-
