i
The Commoner.
VOLUME 5, NUMBER 24
K
a-i
in
Hi "" " """"
r
c
9"
n
i
l'vl
WHAT IS HOPE?
'A beacon o light 'midst the darkness
of night
Stretching far over the sea,
Shedding its beams with a radiance
that seems
Reaching to you and to mo.
Ah, sweetly it sings and it never takes
wings
Tho' gladness and joy fade away;
How gently it holds bruised hearts in
its folds
And clings to the souls gone astray.
Tho the darkness of night o'ershaddws
the light
Yet ever a beam from afar
O'er the low drooping heads soft heal
ing balm sheds,
Like a gleam from tho "Gates Ajar;"
And tho world-weary eyes in a tender
ness rise
To hope and its visions of love,
.While' softly its beams like childhood's
sweet dreams
Bring a message of peace from above.
-Gusty Van Roy in Milwaukee News.
Home Chat
When packing your trunk for your
vacation trip, whether to be 'spent at
tho seaside, the woods, mountains or
river or lake resorts, do not neglect
to, put in it a good magnifying glass;
Especially Is this a good idea If there
are children in the party "TJy its use,
you will get morer closely in touch
with nature Chan In any other way,
and you will bo surprised to learn how
very little you know of the wonderful
life teeming in every nook and cranny
of earth and air. Many things which
to the unaided eye may be dull and un
interesting, will, with the aid of a good
glass, develop beauty of form and
color and wonders pf structure of
which you never dreamed.
This is true, not only -of the floral
and vegetable world, but of the in
sect family, and the earth and mineral
formation' over which your careless
feet may stray wherever you go. Na
ture is teeming with life and beauty,
and she spreads her jewels so lavishly
at your, feet that you hardly stop to
give them a glance. Everything in
the universe is worth our close admi
ration, and tho "little things" that lie
at our hand are full or lessons for one
who cares to learn. A field glass is
,a good thing, but a magnifying glass,
through which you can see the won
ders of the hidden world "will serve" a
better purpose for your self and the
little ones, who are brimming with
curiosity and enthusiasm.
Do not neglect the glass because
your trip may be a short one, or
your travel limited. In your own
door-yard are thousands of things
which you have never seen, and but
for the help of the glass, never would
lenow about. Tho glass should be a
good one, so as to give satisfactory re
turns, but it need not bo so very ex
pensive. One can bo had that will
do good service for two or three dol
lars, or you can even got one for as
little as fifty cents, but it will not give
you the returns a uetter one will.
Economize on something else, and get
a good glass, and then ue it, even
though you are one ot the "stay-at-komes."
to try to do it all the last few days,
when there is so many lastlys, and
the children being indoors are so apt
to catch on. By beginning early you
can plan and acompllsh so much more.
Select next years's dolls from this
year's holiday stock. Cut some good
patterns and keep in a handy place.
Then during tho whole year when
ever you are getting the family sew
ing ready, cut something for dolly out
of the scraps before you put them
away. So much can be made from
scraps, from fancy caps, collars, sashes
and handkerchiefs, to colored under
clothes, cotton dresses and cook ap
rons. Also bedding, cushions, foot
stools, couches, laundry bags, rugs,
mats and many other things that will
please a child, all of which, if made
during the odd moments of a year
will cost you so little time and ma
terial and please the little ones so
much that you will be glad you tried
it. One way to save yourself time
would be when laying aside old gar
ments save the best part of ruffles,
hems, tucks and laces make them up
for dolly and laundry nicely and they
will do as well as it new. To protect
a nice doll's face and hair from being
mussed up while sewing for it fold
its hair up about its head, and fasten
a cloth around the head and face.
When you have finished any article in
tended for the tree, tag and string it
ready for hanging, and pack it away.
Ex.
Canning Green Corn
Having several calls for methods of
putting up corn in this way I copy
from the Commoner of June 17, 1904,
directions which have met the ap
proval of those who tried them last
year. Success does not always de
pend on the directions given, but gen
erally on the care one takes in follow
ing them, the quality of the vegetables
when put up, and the amount of com
mon sense used in the work. For can
ning, the best is none too good, and
you will get out of the jar only what
you put into it.
Tin cans are better than glass for
corn, and the corn put away in tin is
easier kept and more economically
handled. For tin you must have a
soldering outfit, which, need not be ex
pensive, as corn will not keep well,
if at all, sealed with wax. Two solder
ing Irons, one costing fifty cents and
a smaller one costing ten cents, are
needed, with prepared acid, solder, etc.
A little charcoal furnace is a con
venience, in which to heat the irons.
Be sure that your tins are clean and
sweet, and free from rust. Any tinner
will tell you how to prepare the acid..
Take sweet corn of the best quality
to be had, the grains well filled with
milk, but not beginning to harden; cut
the raw corn from the cob with a thin,
sharp knife, scraping the stubs of
grains lightly so as not to bring away
the bran with them, and pack tightly
in the cans as tightly as possible,
pounding it in with a tomato masher,
so the milk will cover the corn no
water is to be used. The cans should
bo full, and success greatly depends
on getting it packed tightly in the
can. Punch a 'small hole in tho lid
and, after carefully wiping the groove,
swab the edges of the lid and sides
of the groove with the prepared acid
to make the solder stick. Put a drop
of- solder, on each side of the lid to
hold it so it will not rise when sol-
uereq, ana proceed to seal with tho
Set the cans in a boiler filled with
water to reach nearly to the top of
the cans, bring to a boil and keep
boiling for three hours (some 'say
seven hours,) after which take out, one
can at a time, close the small hole
with a" drop of solder and return to
the hot water and boil ten minutes
longer, letting the water cover the
cans this time to a depth of several
inches; if the sealing is not perfect,
bubbles will rise from any opening,
and the can must be taken -out, the
hole sealed and returned to the water
until no more, bubbles rise. Remem
ber, the sealing must be perfectly air
tight. To open the can for use, put a
few coals on the top, blow gently, and
the top may be lifted. If the cans
are of good quality, and well-cared for,,
they will serve several seasons.
For canning in glass, have your jars,
caps and rubbers perfectly sweet and
clean, and well fitted to each other.
Proceed with the cdrn as for tin,
packing tightly in the jar, a little at
a time, pressing and pounding gently,
so as not to break the glass, but be
sure to pack tightly. Pack the jar
quite full. Run a knife blade through
the corn, pour in a very little cold
water to be sure that all space is filled,
and jar well to settle. .The jar must
be tightly full. Then screw on the cap
nearly tight; have a wooden rack on
the bottom of the boiler on which to
set the jars; cover with cold" water
about an inch above the jars and boil
one hour (some housewLves say three.)
Then set the boiler off the range and
remove one jar at a time for inspec
tion. If the water has settled in the
can below the top of the corn, remove
the cap and fill with boiling water
from the teakettle, and screw the top
on perfectly tight. Some housewives
contend that the cap should, under
no circumstances, be removed but im
mediately screwed down as tightly as
possible. Let stand in the boiler until
the water is cold, then take out, wrap
in brown paper and set away. A
steam cooker is fine for canning.
cloth and put a weight on it; it k
malce its own brine. After throe or
four' days a scum will rise, and tho
cloth should be taken off, all scum
removed and a fresh cloth put on.
These are all recommended recipes
and I hope will meet tho wants of
those asking for them.
Fruit Acids
Eminent scientists have finally
agreed upon the healthfulness of a
fruit diet. The claim that the acids
in fruit are nature's disinfectants for
the stomach and alimentary canal,
and that none of the ordinary germs
supposed to be dangerous to the health
of tthe body can long survive in fruit
juices. The three kinds of acids
found in fruits are citric, malic, and
tartaric. We get tartaric acid from
the grape, and citric acid from lemons,
oranges and cranberries. The prin
cipal acid found in other fruits is
malic. This is also present in tho
apple. The pear and blackberry con
tain the least acid about one-fifth
of one per cent. Strawberry, prune
and currant contain six per cent; the
orange, peach, apricot, and raspberry,
from four to five per cent, the plum,
a little less, and the grape, fourteen
per cent, the greatest amount of sugar
of any of the fruits. The currant con
tains three times as much sugar as
acid, but is placed among the acid
fruits. Even the lemon contains more
sugar than acid, but to the taste it
is a bitter acid. The strawberry has
six times as much sugar as acid, and
the cherry ten times as much. It is
claimed that a free use of fruits will
destroy the germs in the stomach
which menace health. American Wo
man. In eating fruits, as In other things,
one must remember that "What is one
man's meat is another man's poison."
Not eVery one can eat, the same kind
of fruit with the majority without
greatly disturbing the health. Even
the lemon or the strawberry does not
agree with every. stomach. The only
way to-be clone is to find what fruit
agrees with yourself, individually,
and let that which does not severely
alone, no matter who recommends it.
Use common sense, and learn to judge
for yourself.
"Looking Forward"
While the day aro bright the chil
dren are out doorw for hours at a time.
auu it ia so mucn easier lor mamma to solder. Any tinner will snow you how
, make preparation for Christmas than' it is done.
Drying and Pickling Green tiorn -
For Drying Cqra. Take corn 'when
"just right" for roasting ears, remove
all implerfect grains and silk, and boil
ten minutes; then cut off the grain,
not too close to the cob; add a hand
ful of salt to three gallons of the corn,
mix well, put it on a cloth, spreading
thin, place in the hot sun and dry
until it rattles like old corn. Stir oc
casionally while drying. Put away in
oags ror winter use.
Another Way.- Select good corn,
just right for roasting. With a sharp
knife (after having husked and
"silked" it,) merely cut off the tops
of the grains, then scrape the balance
from the cob, being careful not to
bring the "husk" or grain-sheath away
with the corn; put into dipping pans
thinly, and set in the oven, stirring
often until the milk is dried, after
which dry as usual. The oven should
not be too hot.
For Pickling Green Corn, Have the
corn as for canning-or drying. Cut
it from the cob, and for thirteen pints
of corn use one pint of salt, add a little
water and cook until nearly done. Can
in quart glass jars. When wanted to
use, soak it over night in warm water;
or freshen in the morning, soaking
and changing the water often. Cook
until done and season as fresh corn.
Another Way. Cut from the cob,
and to one gallon of corn, add one
quart of salt, stirring well together
and pack in stone jars; cover with a
Timely -Recipes
Cherries are beautiful served in
their own clusters. Rinse well in run
ning water and chill thoroughly in the
ice-box, by other means, as they should
be cold, and serve In a bed of their
own leaves in a. pretty glass or other
fancy dish.
Artichokes are a nice addition to
the list of summer vegetables; they
should be put on to cook in boiling
water, salted, and cooked until a leaf
can be easily pulled out. Serve with
lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper,
in a small glass saucer; they are
eaten with the" fingers, each leaf
pulled off until the heart is reached,
when the knife and fork must be used.
Peaches, to be frozen, should be
quite ripe, and of 'the free-stono va
riety. Pare, cut up and sugar them
an hour or two before freezing, that
a syrup may form. When ready to
freeze, add a pint of cream to a quart
of fruit, mix well and freeze as stilt
as possible. A peach parfait is frozen
peaches prepared this way with a
spoonful of whipped cream on top oi
each glass. Tall, slender-stenviM-'i
glasses are used for. these parfa'i-
For a peach drink, wash, wipe ani
halve free-stone peaches; those thaj
aro not perfect may be used. ' uc
them in a deep bowl, adding hait a
BETTER THAN SPANKING
c.
t in
Hnnnklnrr rinna tint rarn phlhlron of bCll VP
If It did" thoro would bo fow children Hint wou '
If rnim.n l v. ,.. tt...l..1 .niton InrtlllS. 1M
Summora, Hox 118, Notre Damo, Ind., will m.m '
homo treatment to any mothor, Bho asks no ii
Wrlto nor today I f your children troublo yon n '
way. Don'tblamotUoohlld, The clmncos. ar
enn't nolo it.
s ot.
gSsS!!L!L tesevAfviKMittoi