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The - Commoner,
VOLUME 3, NUMBER
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Unrest.
Down In tho harbor tho ships Ho
moored
"Weary sea-birds, with folded wing
Anchors dropped and sails secured,
Yet on tho water they 'rock and
swing,
Rock and swing,
As though -each keel wore a living
" thing.
fellerico sleeps on tho earth and air,
Never a breath does the sea-breeze
blow;
Yet like living pendulums there,
Down in the harbor, to and fro,
To and fro,
Backward and forward tho vessels
go.
As
child on its mother's
a young
breast,
Cradled in hapj)y slumber lies,
Yet, half conscious of joy and rest,
It varies its breathing and moves
and sighs,
Moves and .sighs;
Yet it neither wakens nor opes its
eyes.
Or, It may be, the vessels long
For almost human they" seem to
me
For tho leaping waves and tho storm
winds strong,
And the fetterless freedom out .at
. sea,
Out at sea,
And feel their rest is captivity.
So, as a soul from a higher sphere
Fettered down to this earthly clay,
Strains at tho chains which bind it
here,
Tossing and struggling, day by day,
, Day by day,
Longing to break them and flee
away
to give as wo should like, or, in all
probability, be expected to do. Tho
tendency of the times seems to be
growing more and more towards mak
ing the old-time festival of good will
to men" but a timo of annual barter
and exchange, and the receiving, in
many cases, gives as little pleasure as
the bestowing, because of the "duty"
character unmistakably borne by
many of the presents.
NS"
As a rule, such presents are neither
artistic nor of practical value, and
are usually of such a misfit order that
one hardly knows what to do with
them, and many of them really are
laid a'way to await the coming of an
other gift-giving season when they
may again serve as duty presents with
which to ease tho consciences of their
present recipients. Such gifts are
very ungracious affairs, at best, and
one instinctively feels that it would
be a comfort to return them to the
donor. In anything so sacred as the
Christmas custom, the sordid spirit
should have no part, and nothing
should be regarded on an exchange
basis; the idea of a return being ex
pected or obligatory should not enter
into either its bestowal or acceptance.
And right here we need a thorough
reformation, if we might only find a
Moses with sufficient courage to lead
us out of our humiliating bondage.
Let us make our gifts expressive of
ourselves, of our good will, friendship
and respect. No money value should
find a "pan broil" very good,
when done.
Season
Poultry and Game.
To broil, split the body down the
back and lay it open.
To cut up a fowl for fricassee do
not break tho bones; cut the joints.
Fowls with white meats should bo
well cooked; fowls with dark meats
may be underdone.
Flesh of game is apt to be tough
when first killed; it is more tender if
kept some time, or if frozen.
Clean giblets thoroughly; cook and
chop them fine; use them in the gravy
or in the filling of roast fowl, or
mixed with bread crumbs, well sea
soned and moistened, they may he
browned in butter and served with
meat.
. In roasting or boiling whole any
fowl, truss it which means to draw
the thighs close to the body and cross
the legs at the tail, tying firmly to
the body with twine, which is re
moved before serving; or pass the
legs through a slit in the skin near
the tail and skewer the wings close
to the body.
be considered in the kindly exchange I articles.
For Nimble Finger.
It is not yet too late to make many
little articles with which to help solve
the problem of what- to' give to our
friends for Christmas rememorances.
As a help to the puzzled ones, I ap
pend descriptions of a few easiiy-maae
of mutual expressions of good wishes.
Strive tho ships, in their restlessness,
Whether the tide bo high or low.
Ah, why these tear-drops? I can but
guess,
As down in tho harbor, to and fro,
To and fro,
Backward and forward, the
ships -go.
Selected.
The First Woman Graduate.
On July 18, 1.840, the first diploma
ever Issued by a chartered woman's
college was handed to Miss Catherine
E. Brewer, now Mrs. Catherine E.
Brewer Benson, of Macon, Ga. As
Miss Brewer took the document from
the hands of Bishop Pierce, president
of the Georgia Female College, she
little realized, at that moment, that
she was the first woman in all the
world to bo graduated from the first
sea- chartered college for women, and to
receive its first diploma. In the long
Home Chats.
As tho morry Christmas season
draws nearer, unless one has exer
cised considerable forethought and
made ample provision for its demands,
the contemplation of its "gift" feature
Is conducive to anything rather than
a "merry" state of mind. There is
little merrimont in discouragement,
worry, anxiety, wrinkled brows and
an exhausted condition of body and
brain, the inevitable result of trying,
at the last moment to match tho suit
ableness of our belated choice to tho
contents of our already hopelessly de
pleted purse. "Nerve-racKing" s.eems
the more appropriate adjective for the
occasion.
years which have passed since that
day so many changes have been
wrought in educational advantages for
women, and in every sphere in which
she moves, that it hardly seems pos
sible that the hrst woman graduate is
still living. Mrs. Benson recently
celebrated her eighty-first birthday.
The college from which she graduated,
then known as the Georgia Female
College, is now tho Wesleyan Female
College.
Menta.
As a people, wo are not considered
stingy, or particularly selfish; the
poorest of us like to give pleasure to
our friends, even -at the cost of more
or less self-denial on our part;
scarcely a man or woman but thinks
with delight of some gift-giving that
shall mean real joy to some one we
love, and most of the people long to
make the season a time of real happi
ness, full of gracious and loving sig
nificance. Yet we do often contem
plate the approach of Christmas time
with a sinking of the heart and an
involuntary clutching of the pocket
book; wo feel that wo cannot afford
Salt and season boiling meats when
cooking.
Never put meat directly on the ice;
put it on a vessel on the ice.
In boiling, put fresh meats in hot
water, and salt meats in cold water.
Boil both slowly.
If you baste roast meats, do not use
salt in the' basting. Salt the meat
when partly cooked.
Never salt and popper broiling
iheats while cooking. Season with
salt, pepper and butter after remov
ing from the gridiron.
Never wash fresh meats before
roasting; scrape it If necessary to
clean it. If it has been wet or moist,
wipe it thoroughly dry before putting
to cook.
An ordinary pan will do for broil
ing; heat very hot; use no fat of any
Kind; put tho meat flat on the nan.
turn rapidly and often, and you will
A'doiley for comb, brush and hair
pins, to protect the bureau scarf
when making one's toilet, may be
made of any suitable material linen
is pretty. Take a piece twelve inches
long and nine wide; hemstitch a hem
one inch wide; embroider on it any
pretty flower design in either white
or colored wash-silks of the shades of
the flowers. A finish of some narrow
lace would be pretty.
A pretty shaving pad is made by
cutting two pieces of green felt into
the form of a leaf, somewhat larger
than the natural size, and place be
tween them leavos of tissue paper cut
tho samo shape of the relt. Hold them
in place by a piece of narrow ribbon
passed through the base of the leaves,
and tie with a bow.
Little mats or doileys made of com
mon shaded crochet cotton will
brighten up a dressing case and help
give a color effect to a room. Direc
tions for these are so numerous in all
fancy-work papers that it is scarcely
worth while to give them here. A
wheel pattern is very nice, and four
of these may bo made from a five-cent
ball of tho cotton.
a. vuivy uuuuuvu couLUi-yiwua ui
platter mat may bo crocheted of knit
ting cotton by following directions for
a thread doiley. The difference in the
coarseness of the material will make
quite a large mat. Sets of doileys for
the table, crocheted or knitted of com
mon ball cotton No. 10 or 12, are use
ful, Inexpensive and easily made.
These mats may be edged with
worsted of pretty colors, and are use
ful for wash-stands.
A gay school bag can be made of
ticking, if -it is stiff and' new. Cut a
piece large enough when folded to
hold your largest book and slate, the
stripes running whichever way you
prefer. Work all the white stripes
with cat-stitch, or feather-stitch, with
red marking cotton. Make little pock
ets, up and down, by setting pieces on
the inside of the desired width and
length, for pencils, etc. Across the
bottom, whero tho piece is folded to
make the bag, put rows of stitchine
about an inch apart, and into this run
a narrow piece of wood curtain stick
is good to prevent the bag from saz.
ging. Sew up the sides firmly and
put rows of stitching around the ton
into which a large cord may bo run
closing with a draw string; or a flan
may bo sewed on to button over.
A useful gift for a young mother is
an apron made of a square of heavy
twilled flannel, which may be made
plain or ornamented with feather
stitching of some contrasting color,
with a broad hem at both ends.
Through one end run a ribbon for a
belt to tie around tho waist. Baby
may bo lifted from his bath tub to
this apron, thus obviating the use of a
blanket, and also protecting mamma's
dress.
Buy some soft rose-colored cheese
cloth and cut two pieces to fit the bu
reau drawers; between them lay a
piece of cotton batting sprinkled
heavily with sachet powder, and tuft
all together with a pretty shade of
rose-silk; next make a pocket on each
endt Before sewing the pockets oa
tho sachet, -embroidery in fancy let
ters on the narrow pocket, the word
"Gloves;" on the other, "Handker
chiefs." Use pink silk of a deeper
shade for the lettering and tufting.
Baste the pockets in place, then turn
in and baste down the four edges of
the satchet, including the pockets;
feather-stitch the edges with the em
broidery silk, remove the basting
threads, and your -present will please
you, as well as someone to whom you
give it.
Query Box.
If Mrs. C, of New York city, will
send stamped, self-addressed envelope,
I will try to assist her with tho
kitchen and laundry question.
If A. M., of Sutton, will send self
addressed stamped envelope, I will
refer him to those who are authorities
on tho question he wishes to under
stand. His perplexities could not ho
solved in the brief space allowed for
answers in this department.
Comfort. Tack dark-colored oil
cloth over your screen doors, and they
will answer the purpose of storm
doors. Big Brother. Your suggestions aro
good, and I will try to carry them
out later. Simple home-made toys
aro greatly appreciated by tho iittlo
folks, and if you use your wits and
your fingers, you can make them very
happy at little cost.
Fanny. Tho carcass of your turkey,
if used with a knuckle of veal or bits
of beef bones, will give you a nice
pot of soup, and the scraps may ue
made into a variety of dishes, any of
them appetizing.
Bertha. A bottle of good perfumo
should make an acceptable present.
A good article can be obtained of any
first-class druggist. Cheap perfume
does not pay for the purchase.
Seamstress. Tucked chiffon can ho
renovated when crumpled, and mussy
looking, by passing a hot iron oyer
tho wrong side of the material. This
will make the tucks have the raised
appearance of new goods. .
Aunt Hattlo. Fowls or an m""
should be put into a very hot oven at
first, to sear the outside, and care
fully tended until commencing to
brown, when they should be cooUeci
more slowly and basted frequently.
The flesh of a properly done fowl
should be as juicy as a nicely roastea
piece of beef. ,
Housekeeper. To clean and re-coior
bronze, free it from every particle oi
grease and dust, and with a cloth ap
ply a mixture of one part muriatic
acid to two parts of water. When dry,
polish with a dry cloth.
School Boy. To mend yur
coat, or mackintosh, get some ruhDer
tissue or mending tissue, u "7 n
times called-and lay a strip etweon
the parts you wish to join and prew
with a warm (not hot) iron. d
r- t T-1 ioiTYiofi that unlroneu
Mrs. R It is claimed that unl
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