IT"
8 -..
The Commoner.
,
VOLUME 3, NUMBER ,
fc ir- rf
fr
October Field
Though sharp tho morn with autumn
frost
And chill the early air, ;
The mellow sun gives promise of
A day superbly fair.
What otchings of the shade and light.
What matchless tints are born
Each moment in ho frosty fields
Of pumpkins and of corn.
The corn shocks rustle dreamily,
As if they whispered low
Tho story of the summer which n
Was hero short space ago;
'And gleaming in the autumn sun;
To eager eyes revealed,
Big, tawny globef" repose at ease
About the pumpkia .field.
Tho cool, soft dew of rosy June,
Tho fervor of July, k
When copper-pointed shafts were
flung . (
From out a seething sky,
The tranquil glow of August with '
Her warmly-fragrant tears,
Have wrought their mingled flavor in
Those yellow-rinded spheres.
And comes deliciouj visions
Of tho luxury to be
When wind and frost shall shake the
leaves "
From every hapless tree; .
When, holding for the household band,
A radiant surprise,
Tho board shall creak beneath the
weight
Of royal pumpkin pies.
Hattio Whitney, in Ladies' World.
looking-glass thuli yea are holding be
fore you.
If tho girls go' blind-folded into a
vegetable garden at midnight, they
may learn tho vocation of their future
husband; if a bnet bo pulled up he
will bo a trader,! aan; a turnip signi
fies a traveler; a carrot, a husband
rolling in gold. If in a city house,
where no garden is available, place the
vegetables upon, a table, scattering,
lead tho blindfolded girl to the table
and let her pull from the" vegetables
her choice.
Fill a tub three-fourths full of wa
ter; write the name of tho lad who
is the admirer of each of the lassies
assembled, on a slip of paper, make a
deep cut in the side of each apple
and Insert the slip of paper in the cut.
Now place tho apple in tho water in
the tub, and as they float have each
lad, kneel, one at a time, and duck
for the apple, trying to catch it in
his teeth if he can. Tho lass whose
name is on the slip in tho apple thus
taken will be his future wife. This
may also be played to determine part
ners for the evening.
i Hallovre'sn
Among all ages and classes, the
evening of the SOth of October has,
for many centuries, been set apart
for the practicing of "spells" and in
dulging in superstitions and merry
makings. Especially was this even
ing observed by the ancient Scotch
peasantry, with tho practicing of
many mysterious ceremonies. Burns'
poems are full of references to these
merrymakings, in which devils,
witches and other imps of darkness
are conspicuous for their baneful
pranks. Fairies, too, both good and
bad, select this season on which to
exercise their powers. There are
many innocent Hallowe'en customs
which may be indulged in by those of
all ages.
One of the first ceremonies of the
evening was the pulling of stalks of
cabbage. The lads and lassies used
to go hand in hand, with eyes blinV
folded, into the garden and 'pull the
first stalk that came in their way; its
being big or UtCTo, straight or crooked,
was indicative of the size .and form
of their "true loves" their future hus
band or wife.
Two chestnuts wore placed side by
side in the firo jj the open grate, giv
ing each the nam of a lad or lassie,,
and as they burn quietly together, or
hop and jump avay from ono another,
the course and termination of thqir
courtship would be foretold
To see tho portrait of your future
- spouse eat an apple before a mirror,
brushing your hair all the time, occa
sionally glancing over your left shoul
der. Fill a basket with eais o2 corn, from
which each guest takes one blind
folded; a fine, large, full ear promises
prosperity for a twelve-month; a
tasselled ear, a great joy; a short ear,
a gift; a red ear, no luck at all.
If you desire to see your future hus
band or wife; descend the collar stairs
alone backward; you will see trim
or her peering over your shoulder in a
The Twentieth Century Womu.
Thoughtful women are coming more
and, more to realize that it is not the
essentials, but the non-essentials,
which make the life of the modern
woman anything but a "primrose path
of dalliance." With all the privileges,
so new and alluring, and all the re
sponsibilities and duties which rise
up to confront her, and all the praise
and censure and advice and criticism
aimed at her, it is small wonder if,
sometimes, her perspective becomes a
little blurred, a:.d Jn her confusion
she may take the wrong path; but we
may still trust to the fidelity of ev
ery true, womanly heart to at last
realize the utter folly of giving the
best part of life .to simply "playing to
pawns."
Why should we wish to make our
homes simply show-places, at the ex
pense of our peace of mind, and why
should we overtax ourselves, mental
ly, physically ai.C financially-, simply
ic Keep up with the procession, when
the opinion of . the procession has
really no bearing on tho things in our
individual life that are really worth
While?
Why should wo strive to right all
the wrongs of humanity? Why should
we seek to reform the world to .the
neglect of our own homes, and the
sjmple duties which lie close at hand?
If wTe look closely "within our own
"four wa.lls, wo may find a greater
need than any which lies outside. This
does not mean narrow living' but its
very simplicity arid conservatism is
the open-door through which women
may pass to a broader and higher
life. Ladles' World.
Floral Talks.
Leave tho canna roots out doors as
long as possiblo, taking them up only'
when there is nagger or a hard freeze.
The first few frosts will not hurt them.
Dig them just after a rain and leave
the mud on the roots. Be careful not
to- injure the tubers, and cut the
foliage off ono or two inches from tho
root. Packmclosely together on a
moist bottom . and cover with coarse
sand wher.e frost'eannot reach them
a frost-proof cellar is just the place.
During the cool, moist months of late
fall, the canna makes its mopt valua
ble growth. If you have any plante
that are now full of buds, you' can
and putting them in boxes, giving
them awarmr sunny corner with suf
ficient moisture until (lone blooming.
After -dope blooming, set tho box
away in the frost-proof cellar.
O O
Before the wet, freezing weather
comes you should go to the woods and
get a large -box of leaf mold, or woods
soil. This is obtained by pushing- back
the decaying leaves and scraping up
the loose black dirt that lies imme
diately under them, being careful not
to scrape too deep; an excellent soil
is fouDd around old, decayed stumps
and logs. Sieve this in order to free
it from trash and twigs. A suitable
Eieve may be made by tacking a square
of wire netting such as screen doors
are made ot, on an old box frame. Be
sure to put away a box of well-dried
hen manure, as this is best for some
plants, but should bo used sparingly,
as it fs very rich. Pulverized sheep
m'anure Is also excellent. For some
plants, old, well-rotted cow manure is
best, and old, well-rotted stable ma
nure is always standard. Liquid ma
nure must be used intelligently, else
it may do much harm. Some plants
aie very impatient of manure in any
but the weakest form. M
0 0
Before attempting to lift a largo
plant, cut around it with a sharp
trowel or spade, at a distance pro-1
portionate to the size of tho pot in
which it is to grow. After a few days,
tho shortened roots will have become
calloused, and the plant may be lifted,
top-pruned, potted and thoroughly wa
tered and set away in a cool, dark
room until its freshened leaves show
that it has recovered from the shock
of removal, when it can be brought
gradually to the full light. More
plants x die from over-watering than
from any other cause. If too much
water is given, the surplus sours the
soil and the plant gets sickly. All
plants will not receive cheerfully even
the sprinkling overhead. Primrose,
gloxinia, rough-leaved begonias, achi
menes and other hairy-leaved plants
object strongly to having their leaves
wetted or their crowns deluged.
0 0
When you use a nlno Ifimnn -Inst
'tuck the seeds down into a box or pot
oi son, ana Dye-and-bye you will find
the seed transformed into plants
which in time will grow into nice lit-
,tle shrubs. A seedling lemon will
blossom and bear fruit when eight to
twelve years oiu, but the pot shrub
is always beautiful, and requires-about
the same , care as a geranium. You
may shorten the time considerably by
grafting bearing t.shoots onto the
shrub, and, while your window shrub
will not bear enough to Injure the
lemon trade, Jt will be a pretty thing
to look at Seedling oranges may be
grown the same way, and the foliage)
is always lovely and fragrant. Neither
or these shrubs will bear much frost,
and it is besft not to subject them to
any.
Zj.? " CZ n w ti VL waai really
worth while? .. "'
It is the' overdoing, the straining af
ter things -beyond our reach in our
daily lives,!.! and the overcrowding of
pur homes -with useloss furnishings
our desire to outshine our neighbor
and attain to social distinction which
crowds out the things which are real
ly essential to the sweet serenity
which is a' benediction in our homes
and tho sign and seal of a life well
lived. There is always hope for ev
ery woman who is honest enough to
now and then stand face to face with'
her own conscience, and ask and an
swer tho question of what things in
our complex civilization are really
broadening and satisfying, and what
things make for the best interests oC
the home life of humanity. Selected.
Tender Feet.
We all suffer from them, and we all
wish we could find a remedy for this
trying condition. To the busy woman,
compelled to be on her feet much of
the time, aching feet are simply a
species of torture. ' Shoes, either looso
or tight, are alike in this matter, and
It is often a comfort to cnange from
one to another. Washing the feet fre
quently in 'cool water is very helpful.
Changing the shoes for a few hours is
also restful. Various powders are ad
vertised, and some of them aro quite
IS YOUR STOMACH'ON A STRIKE?
There ia Nothing: o Prevent You Emp.oylne
a Substitute to Do Us Work
Question of Importune.
Shall we strive for social position
and favor at the cost of a quiet and
peaceful home life? Shall we run af
ter every now fad at tho expense of
health and happiness and peace of
mind? Shall we regulate our lives
by what people say, and shall wo try
to be something wo aro not capable of
being, do something wo are not capa
ble of doing, or live our life according
to our abilities? Would It not be best
ffj Rtftmn mm rTrm n41. lJl-.li ...
keep them until quite late by lifting SooT our Uvea Tand Tai STS?
them with plep of earth on ie toot! 1 SSmttoSt
There is such a thing as forbear-
r anco ceasing' to Le a virtue even in tno
case of ohe'fl stomach. There is no
question but that somb stomachs will
stand a great deal more wear and
tear and abuse than others, but they
all have their limit, and when that
limit is reached, the stomach must be
reckoned with as sure as fate. The
best way and really the only effective
way to treat your stomach when it
rebels is to employ" a substitute to do
its work. This will 'give the weakened
and worn-out organ an opp 'tunity to
rest and regain its strength and
health.
Stuart's Dyspepsia, Tablets relieve
the stomach of its work by takiny up
the work and demg it just as one sec
or shift of workmen relieves another.
They actually digest the food in just
the same mannei and just the same
time as the digestive fluids of a sound
stomach do. In fact, when dissolved
in the stomach, they are digestive
fluids for they contain exactly the
same constituents and elements as tho
gastricjuice and other digestive fluids
ot the stomach. No matte what the
condition of the stomach is, their wc ric
is just the same. They wont in their
own natural way without regard to
surrounding "conditions.
The stomach being thus relieved by
Stuart's Dyspepsia Tablets is restored
and renewed by Nature and the rpst
of tho human body does not suffer in
tho least by reason of its failure to
perform its work.
A Wisconsin man says: "I suffered
tho pangs of sdyspepsia for 10 years.
I tried every known remedy with in
different results until I was told of
the remarkable cures of Stuart's Dys
pepsia Tablets. I bought a box, be
gan taking them and forgot I had a
stomach, Three boxes cured ne com
pletely. I have had no trouble what
ever for a year and have an appetite
like a harvest hand and can eat any
thing that is set before me without
fear of bad results."
Stuart's Dyspepsia Tablets are for
sale by all druggists at 50c a box. The
druggist never fails "to have them in
stock because tho demand for them W
so great and so pronounced that no
cannot afford to be without them Peo
ple who could not got them of one
rtrutrrrtaf Wrmlil trn in another ana
would get in tho habit of buying their
other dniKS there as wen aa
IStuart'g Dygpepala Tablet
their
l!h
