f"V
10
The Commoner.
VOLUME 5, NUJU3EH 21
THE MUSIC THAT CARRIES.
i'vo toiled with the men the world
has blessed,
And I'vo toiled with the men who
i'vo tolled with the men who strove
with zest,
And I'vo toiled with men who
wailed,
And this is the tale my sou", would tell
As It drifts o'er the harbor bar;
Tho sound o a sigh don't carry well,
But tho lilt of a laugh -rings far.
Tho men who were near tho grum
bler's side,
O, they hoard not a word he said;
Tho sound of a song rang far and wide
And thoy hearkened to that instead.
Its tones were sweet as tho tales they
tell
Of tho rise of tho Christmas star
Tho sound of a sigh don't carry well,
But tho lilt of a laugh rings far.
S, W. Gillilan, in Success.
Home Chat
It is noaring tho time when wo will
have to meet the, haps and mishaps
of the hour with a well-stocked medi
cine chest, a big roll of bandage cloth
and a full assortment of surgical In
struments. It Is to be regretted that
our patriotism can only be demons
trated by a reckless use of firearms
and explosives, the aftermath, of
which is death to many, disaster to
raoro and racked nerves and breaks
and bruises not only to the'"iarticl
pants in tho general lawless uproar,
but to tho stay-at-homes and tho Inno
cent spectators of this seemingly crim
inal folly. Every year wo read of de
struction of property in addition to the
loss of life and limb, directly charge
able to the careless use and abuse of
1110 and inflammable materials, while
tho harm done to tho sick and the in
valid through the shock and nolso of1
explosives can never bo told. Tri some
cities, measures are already being
taken to suppress this reign of terror,
and the use of cannon firecrackers,
pistols, revolvers, and toy cannon, and
other dangerous noise-makers is be
ing prohibited by law for the Fourth
of July. It is to be regretted that the
prohibition is not more general and
faf-reaching-, for much harm is often
d6ne in the smaller cities and villages,
as well as among the farming com
munities. The number of serioiis and
fatal (not to mention the minor pain
ful and annoying) accidents at every
celebration of the nation's birthday is
a growing evil which should not bo
tolerated.
fruit if done in small quantities. It
isjust as easy to put up fruit so it
will "keep," as to put it up to spoil,
and not nearly so expensive. But in
order to do the work well, one must
have good fruit as well as good ves
sels. Half-spoilt fruits will never
make satisfactory dishes, even though
it should not spoil in the jar.
If strawberries are raised on sandy
soil, they should be put into a colan
der or wire sieve and cold water be
poured over them, letting the vessel
containing them rest in another pan,
then lifted, and the pouring of fresh
water repeated, draining them quick
ly, until all water has passed off. If
this is done, tho sand will all be re
moved without injuring the berries.
A good way to can strawberries, after
washing and hulling, is to put two
cups of sugar and one and one-half
cup of water in a kettle for each quart
of prepared fruit. Let this boil five
minutes, put in berries enough to
make a little more than a quart, or a
little more than two quarts, and let
them barely simmer oh the back of
the stove for half an hour never al
low them to boil, and never have your
kettle more than half full; two quarts
is a good quantity for one time, and
if you are quick motioned, you may
have several small kettles heating,
filling half a dozen cans at one time.
Have your cans rinsed thoroughly,
tyith the covers, in boiling water or
at least very warm water, as, in some
hands, boiling tWater will "break the
jars of glass. Fill carefully at first,
and when full, run a silver fork around
the edge of the can to let the air
out, being sure to fill the jar full,
before putting on the top, or cover.
Wipe the top carefully, and, dipping
the -rubber in hot water, put it on
the jar, screw the top on as tightly
as possible, stand the jar bottom up
on the work table, leaving it for sev
eral hours,- or until cold, 'unless you
find it leaking, wheu it should be at
once unscrewed, the top removed, and
the defect remedied either by a new
top, or -rubber; or lightly hammer the
edge of the top down into the rubber
at the leaking place. Do not re-open
to fill in the space at the top when
cold, as this will certainly cause them
to spoil. Canned fruits of all kinds
should be put away in the dark, and
in a cool place.
Work of Women's Clubs
The Delineator for June says: "It
is remarkable in how many states the
clubs and federations are taking up
the matter of legislation against child
labor. Statistics have already proved
that every fifth child in the United
States, between the ages of ten 'and
fifteen years, is a bread winner. Of
these juvenile- wage-earners, every
third child is a girl. In Philadelphia
the principal topic of interest among
club women the past winter was the
agitation in favor of child labor legis
lation. Practically every woman's
club in the city had a committee work
ing for the reforms which have been
granted in certain other states, and
which there is so much trouble in
enforcing. In all communities, chil
dren are taken out of cchool long be
fore they reach the proper age and
kept out on the false statements of
parents. The Civic Betterment asso
ciation has a membership of over
twelve hundred, and is working
against slot machines, gambling, sell
ing tobacco and intoxicants to minqrs,
and the smoke t nuisance. Clean
streets, park extension, public play
grounds, police matrons, production
officers, and the betterment of local
conditions wherever necessary are
among ifs objects. Another of their
efforts was with reference to the con
dition ,of a certain "Wateryiew Park,''
which, with few improvements, might
be made a recreation ground of value
to the mill people in the Immediate
neighborhood, and they also discov
ered by investigation .that some five
acres of land had been deeded to the
city in 1890 which had been princi
pally used aa a dumping ground.
These club women put their shoulders
to the wheel, fenced in the ground,
put in swings, see-saws, gymnasium
apparatus and a shelter, donated a big
sand pile, and had thirty-four Jittle
gardens laid ouf.and put in the care
of neighborhood children, with a care
taker to keep the grounds from 1
o'clock to 10 at night. More than a
hundred children have used this play
ground continually ever since this
was done." It is by such practical
work that women are demonstrating
everywhere the answer to the old
question, "Of what use is a woman's
ClUDY"
The thrifty, housewife is already
looking after hof fruit jars, and in
somio regions to tho southward tho
pitting up of fruits has already begun.
Before the real work commences, and
tho hurry season is upon us, be sure
tlie cans or jars now on' hand are in
good condition, well "washed in hot
suds, well rinsed and well sunned;
that the covers, whether for glass, tin
or earthenware, are in good shape 'a
new supply of wax, and rubbers pro
vided, and tho need of now oncq at
tended to. Porcelain or graniteware
kettles are best, and these should not
be cracked broken or burnt. The pre
serving kettles should never be used
for cooking vessels. Do not get these
kettles too large, as it is best to ho.nt
small quantities only at one time-1-riot
more than two to four, or at most
six jars -should be filled from one
heating. This Insures better flavor
and one is not so apt to scorch the
Gooseberries are readily "canned
whole by gently heating, not boiling,
them, and they are the easiest of
fruits to keep. Currants make fine
canned, fruits, and keep nicely, either
ripe or green. They should be put on,
one gallon of fruit to one cup of water,
and let heat slowly, covered, but not
allowed 'to become soft. Into another
kettle put two cups of granulated
sugar and one of water for every
quart can to be filled. While it is
boiling, clean and cut into half-inch
lengths nice young stalks (the red
ends -only) of rhubarb. "When the
syrup begins to thicken slightly, put
in a cup of the copked currants and
two cups of the rhubarb, using that
proportion until you have a little more
than enough to fill a quart can, or (if
you have doubled the quantity of
sugar and water) you may make the
amount two quarts. Cook slowly until
the rhubarb is tonder, but not broken
and can as you do other fruit. It is
not only good to the taste, but beauti
ful to the eye.
If one is so fortunate as to live
where there are huckleberries, or mul
berries, these aro fine for canning
Bleaching Piano Keys
It is a common belief with most
persons that the piano must be closed
when not in use, in order that it may
not be injured by dust getting inside.
The majority of pianos made today are
so constructed that dust cannot easily
penetrate them, even when open.
This careful closing will cause the
keys to turn yellow, and for this rea
son, the piano should be left open
much of the time. It is supposed that
the room in which the piano is kept
is not allowed to become very dusty
and that precautions to that end will
bo taken. If, however, the keys have
become yellow, rub them with pow
dered pumice stone moistened with
water, then cover tho wood work of
the piano carefully and roll the instru
ment up before a sunny window, let
ting the sun shine on rae keys while
still moist. This bleaching is a slow
process, and may have to hn ronoof,i
several times before satisfactory re
sults are obtained. It is claimed bv
some housekeepers tLat the keys mav
be kept beautifully white by simply
letting the sunshine rest on the keys
hour byxhour, day after day.
Table Etiquette
Cream cake, and things of a simi
lar nature, require a fork to carry
them to the mouth; they should never
be bitten. Asparagus, if the stalks are
large and full, may be taken with tho
finger and thumb; otherwise, a furk
should be used. Pastry of all kinds
and raw oysters call for the fork alone!
Peas and beans must be eaten with
the fork. Green corn on the cob must
be held with the left hand only, and
eaten fromr left to right; if the cob
is too long to hold, it should be brok
en in two, the napkin being held over
it during the breaking process. Ber
ries and sauces are, of course, to be
eaten with the spoon. In case of
very large strawberries, they may be
served with tho stems on, and each
dipped i.to a small heap of sugar at
the side of the plate. When that is
done, finger bowls must be beside the
dish and removed with it. The spoon
should be removed from the cup after
the sugar is. dissolved, and left in
the saucer. Always leave some of tho
liquid in the cup or giass from which
you are drinking, avoiding even the
semblance of trying to balance the
upturned glass upon your nose.
Renovating Furniture
From some reason or other, all tho
worn places, the breaks, bruises,
soiled spots and frazzles on the house
hold furnishings become unpleasant
ly apparent at this season pf the year,
and the spring house-cleaning reveals
things-in a, degree of shabbiness per
fectly disheartening to the ordinary
woman. But if we have just a little
mechanical skill, and some knowledge
of the housewifely art of malting old
things look- ljke new, it will' not bo
long before things right themselves
again, and many an article of furniture
"will become "like new" that would
otherwise find its way into 'the kind
ling pile. If the housewife has not
this skill and knowledge, and if tho
head of the house is not economically
inclined, things go from bad to worse,
until new furnishings are demanded.
Paints, varnishing, rubbing with oil,
and other ways known to the wise
ones, are great money-savers, and the
housewife should endeavor to take
advantage of these bits of wisdom.
It is not a hard task to recover old
or frazzled furniture, if one only
knows how. In doing this, the old
cover must be removed by lifting out
the nails carefully, and the old stuff
will serve as a pattern from which
may be cut the new cover, which may
be of brocade, tapestry, velvet, chintz,
or any other material used for such
purposes, according to our pocket
book. The new fabric should bo
stretched tightly over the seat, or
other part to be covered, and nailed
firmly down with suitable tacks or
nails on all sides to keep it in place.
After this, is done, trim off the super
fluous stuff, and make the edges look
neat and tidy. Over the trimmed raw
edges take guimp or a narrow furni
ture fringe all the way around, using
either brass or other ornamental nails
or strong tacks.
In fixing up old furniture, do not
forget the importance of the glue-pot,
and weak places may be strengthened
with brass or iron rods used as stays.
As soon as .a chair or other article
of furniture shows signs of weakness,
or coming apart, to take it in hand
at once, and by thusr watching tho lit
tle weanesses, great ones may he
avoided and new furniture .rendered
unnecessary. It is tho little savings
that count.
BETTER THAN SPANKING
Spanking does not euro children of bod wott ic.
If it did thoro would bo fow chlldron that would Jo
It. Thoro 1b a constitutional canso for this. Mrs. M.
Summers, Box 118, Notro Damo, lnd., will pond nor
homo treatment to any roothor. Sho aslcs no monoy.
Wrlto hor today If your chlldron troublo you In in 9
way. Don't blamo tho child. Tho ohancos aro it
can't help It.
V -'