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The Commoner
VOLUME 5, NUMBER 13
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PERFECT THROUGH SUFFERING
God never would sond you tup dark
ness, If Ho felt you could bear the light;
iiut you would not cling to His guid
ing hand,
If the way wore always bright;
And you would not care to walk by
faith, '
Could you always walk by sight.
'Tis truo Ho has many an anguish
For your sorrowful heart to bear,
And many a cruel thorn-crown
For your tired head to wear;
Ho knows how few would reach heav
en at all
If pain did not guide them there.
So He sends you the blinding dark
ness, And the furnace of seven-fold heat;
'Tis the only way, beliovo me,
To keep you close to His feet,
For 'tis always so easy to wander
When our lives are glad and sweet.
Then nestle your hand in your Father's
And sing if you can, as you go;
Your song may cheer some ono bo
hind you
Whoso courage is sinking low;
And, well, if your lips do quivor
God will love you better so.
Selected.
of us. I may not be able to answer having a remarkably sweet disposition
nvorv letter, but I think I will; any
way, I shall make the endeavor, and
I shall appreciate every word you
write. Do not bo afraid to criticise;
do not be averse to pointing out mis
takesthey are of the head (or it
may be, the hand), and not of the
heart. You know it is our aim to make
our Home Department a constant
sourco of helpfulness, and we can do
this by passing along our little items
of knowledge, or asking for Lolp from
others ; we are all willing to bear each
other's burdens, and we have among
our readers some wonderfully wise
and kind people. Write me, and al
ways send your letter to me at The
Commoner office, and, wherever I am,
the letters will find me. Do not for
get. I shall depend on you.
Care of Palms
Home Chat
. Not long ago, I called on a friend,
the mother of a large family, and
found her worrying over tho "daily
bread" necessary for the sustenance
of tho many bodies. She said: "Do
you know,, I worry myself nearly into
my grave, trying to cater to the vary
ing tastes of my husband and chil
dren. Of some dishes we are fond, but
in other directions, no two will eat
the same thing, or, if they do, it must
have a different preparation. Those
who are in school must have a differ
ent menu from those who are in the
office, while the , out-door workers
must have a food of their very own.
It keeps mo planning all tho time."
"Tho market seems abundantly sup
plied, just now," I ventured? "That's
just it," she said. "If I had but one
choice, it would greatly simplify mat
ters; but with so much at hand, I am
constantly on tho rack to meet tho
really reasonable demands for a va
riety. The only way in which I see
the least relief is to set each one to
doing his or her own marketing. It
will bo but a small matter to got it
ready for the. table."
Now, I wonder how many of you
over Btop to think that your editor is
situated very much as this conscien
clous mother is. There is no lack of
material, and it would be a compara
tively easy matter to prepare and
place a suitable menu on the tablo
before you, if I know just what you
would like just what you do not
easily get tired of, or had some idea
of your individual tastes. Even our
favorite dishes may become un-an-
petizing if served too often, while one
does not always relish stale victuals,
though many delightful dishes may be
evolved from even the left-overs, with
tho right sauce or dressing. But I
must know your needs, in order to
serve you properly and profitably.
There is buLone way that I know of in
which I may obtain the knowledge,
and that is, like my friend, to ask you
to "do your own marketing." I want
you to write to me tho more the bet
ter, suggesting subjects and passing
your ideas along, and I will do my
wwv vv oul you prautaDly to both
The best variety of palm for gen
eral culture is Kentia "Belmoreana.
This sort has large and graceful fol
iage of a rich, dark green, borne on
long stalks which rise gracefully
above the pot to the height of four
and five feet, in three-year-old speci
mens which have been well cared for.
Soil is not of so much importance as
many think, for good specimens can
be grown in any garden loam if it
is enriched by the application of a
good fertilizer, but it is well to take
some pains in preparing a compost
for the plant. Two-thirds ordinary
loam mixed with enough sharp sand
and old, well-rotted cow-manure to
make up the other third, will give ex
cellent results, and such a soil is
within reach of most amateurs. If the
cow-manure can not be obtained, use
more sand, and substitute bone meal
as a fertilizer, using in the proportion
of a table-spoonful for an eight-inch
pot. This will last for three months
or more. Then add as much more of
the bone-meal to the soil, working it
in well about the roots of the plant.
'Perfect drainage is very necessary.
Have at least two inches of broken
crockery or something similar in the
bottom of the pot. More palm troubles
are due to defective drainage than
anything else. Too much water at
the roots, or undue retention of it
there will almost invariably result in
unhealthy root action, the first indi
cation of which is seen in the brown
ing of the tips of the leaves. There
fore, make sure to have good drain
age. In watering, observe the old
rule of -waiting until the Boil looks
dry before applying anything. Then
use enough to make the soil moist all
through. An even, moderate amount
of moisture is what should be aimed
at.
should endeavor to be just as sweet
when no one is present but her fami
ly. Her voice should bo just as soft,
her patience as great, and her will
ingness to help mother as manifest
when no one is around to applaud,
as though the whole neighborhood
constituted an admiring audience in
the door yard. This may require
some effort, but every victory we gain
makes it easier for us to gain an
other. To. be just what we seem is
an evidence of strength. To be other
wise is to be deceitful. If a girl has
an ungovernable temper, let her pro
ceed to correct this serious evil, but
she should make as serious an effort
in the privacy of home, as when she is
among strangers. There is something
fine about the girl who makes no en
deavor to put her best foot foremost,
who "would rather have people know
her as she really is, than to pose as
something she is not. Her determina
tion to be thoroughly honest, however,
need not hinder her in correcting her
faults.
A girl is very apt to grow lax in
her personal appearance if much
alone. There is no excuse for this.
Oire should always look- one's best,
whether on a desert island or in the
midst of many people. The girl who
comes down stairs in the morning
with her front hair done up in curl
ing kids, ,her back hair uncombed,
and wearing a morning gown fit only
for the rag-bag or the wash-tub, is
sure to be surprised some day by
visitors. No excuse she can offer for
her appearance will remove from the
minds of her callers the impression
she makes on them. Even though
she says the usual thing", "Oh, don't
look at me; I've got on every ola dud
I have," and the visitors offend their
own intelligence by replying, about as
usual, "Oh, you lnok all right; no
body would ever notice it if you didn't
say anything," she will drop-one-half
in their estimatibn. It is always best
to look as neat and clean as we know
how, if for no other reason than for
our own personal satisfaction. We
will be inspired with a much greater
respect for ourselves, if, on glancing
into a mirror, we behold neatly ar
ranged hair and a fresh white collar,
than if we see an Americanized edi
tion of a Hottentot. Ex.
less varieties of braids, varying from
an inch in width, for some of tho
Cluny patterns, to the finest peai-lings
With tho aid of a stamped design, q.
most any woman can put these braids
together with a very few stitches
thus preserving to a gown so trimmed
at least a part of the distinction
which all hand work gives, and which
no machine work can more than imi
tate. These laces will be used not
only for .trimming, the Cluny for
heavy materials, and the Bruges and
Princess Louise for light, but there
will be shoulder-collars, entire waists
and jackets of them, and even hats,
and possibly some covers for para
sols. Cluny, like the English em
broidery, will also be used for tea
table covers, centre pieces, scarfs, and
all decorative linens. Good Housekeeping.
Simple Remedies
It is often necessary to wash out
the bowels of a sick infant, and this
is best done by using a small rubber
catheter with a small glass funnel
attached, into which the fluid may
be poured. Oil the catheter before
inserting it into the rectum and use
normal salt solution for washing out
the bowels. Normal salt solution is
made by dissolving a tea-spoonful of
salt to a quart of boiling water; use
warm, but not hot. Babies often have
the colic, and a good way to cure it
is to inject half a pint of warm water
with three or four drops of essence of
peppermint. It is better given this
way than by the mouth. Water used
for the baby's bowels should be care
fully tempered, so as to be perfectly
comfortable, and be neither too warm
nor too cold. Conkey's Home Jour
nal.
" Currants '
Where they can be obtained, a very
delightful fruit for sweet pickle is
the currant. For seven pounds of
red currants (not too ripe) use half
a pint of strong vinegar, half a pint
of currant juice, fourpounds granu
lated sugar, two ounces stick cinna
mon, and one ounce whole cloves.
Bring the vinegar and the juice to
the Dolling point, adding the sugar and
currants, and add the cinnamon and
cloves, each in a separate bag; let
boil until it jellies; then pour out into
earthen bowls known as fruit bowl3.
It will require an hour, or a little
more, to boil down to the proper con
sistency. This "spiced" jelly is as
beautiful as it is good.
Respecting Self
The girl whqjslcredited abroad with
Lace Making
Bruges lace, which is fine and will
be used to trim the sheer linen, has
been made in the convents of Bruges
by old women whose hands have
grown stiff clicking the bobbins back
and forth, who learned it when they
were children, from other old women,
who had in their youth, learned it
from other old women, and so on
back for hundreds of years. Almost
the same might be said of Cluny; and
the Princess Louise, which is more
nearly new than the others, is but
a close imitation of duchesse. What
is comparatively new about these and
other laces which women make now
adays, is the fact that machines really
do the most of the work for these so
called hand-made laces. Few Ameri
can women will sacrifice their eyes to
this tedious work, and none could be
found who would sit as the forty
French peasants sat, for seven years,
to make the wonderful lace gown
shown at a Paris exposition, and val
ued at eighty-five thousand francs,
(?17.000).
Yet they must have lace to wear
that is not all machine-made, so the
machine has come to the rescue for
tho difficult part, and there' are end-
Lemons
When persons are feverish and
thirsty beyond what is natural, indi
cated by a metallic taste in the mouth,
especially after drinking water, or by
41 whitish appearance of a greater part
of the tongue, one of the best cool
ers, internal or external, is to take a
lemori, cut off the top, sprinkle over it
some fine white sugar, working it
down "with a spoon, and then suck it
slowly, squeezing the lemon and add
ing more sugar as the acidity in
creases from being brought to the
surface from a lower point. Invalids
with feverishness may take two or
three lemons a day in this manner,
with marked benefit. Lemon taken
thus at tea-time would give a good
night's sleep.
Hygienic Breads
Every housekeeper should learn to
make good brown bread, and then
make it often. When I hear any one
say, "I don't like brown bread," I
wonder what kind of brown bread
they have been accustomed to. I
never yet have cooked for any one
who did not appear eager for it, and
visitors act as if it was a luxury.
If the members of your family are
reluctant, try them with warm brown
bread, then with toasted brown ureau,
and -with toasted brown bread cream
toast the brown bread will counter
act the evil effects of the thickened
milk and when they get a little
uswd to it make the brown bread into
brews, simmering in a little water,
and stirring until stiff and free from
lumps. Then there is Johnny-cake,
the sweetened kind and the old
fashioned hoe-cake. The latter when
made just right is delicions. W
meal coarse, -granulated Indian meal
should be salted and well scalded,
perhaps cooked a little on top of the
stove until it is of just the right con
sistenoy to spread on the hot griddle,
then well-browned on both sides.
There are also many varieties of noj
gems those with rye- or Indian meat
AN OLD AND TVELL TRIED REMEDY
Mrs. Winblott's BoorniNO Stbup for cnuan
toothing ehould always bo usod for children wnwo
toethlnar. It sorUws the Runw, allays M "" SSu
wind chollo aad Is the beet renlody for dlarrna.
Twenty-nvo cents a botUo.
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