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The Commoner.
VOLUME 5, NUMBER
10
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"TRIED AS BY FIRE"
Yes, friend, I know that o'er your life
Have fallen darker woes than mine;
That from ambition's firmament
One brilliant star has ceased to
shine.
I know that from the victor's wreath
The world has woven 'round your
name,
One matchless leaf was rudely torn,
And tarnished by the8 touch of
shame.
I know how hard 'twill be to bear
This shadow, through the coming
years;
To meet the world with bold, brave
front,
With smiling eyes, your heart in
tears.
All this, I know. Yet know as well
That, strong and brave and true
and proud,
It can not crush you you will rise
Triumphantly, through every cloud.
And some day you will know, dear
friend,
The Hand that smites is not unjust;
From out the grave of perished hopes
will spring the flowers of love and
trust.
And bloom will lie where blight
hath been;
Your soul, from out this holocaust,
Will come as gold, refined by fire
With not one gleam of glory lost. I
HELEN WATTS-McVEY.
Home Chat
When one "looks about and sees so
many old people, even those pos
sessed of some means, who are kicked
about, literally from pillar to post,
by the younger generation when
called upon to minister to the grow
ing infirmities of the old parent, it
is scarcely possible to dodge the ques
tion as to the feasibility of some plan
by which the aged may find a safe
harbor from the storms of life's late
afternoon. This is no new question,
but It should be canvassed more thor
oughly, and some plan thought out
by which it may be made practicable.
There are various institutions
where, either through charitable as
sociations or for a stated sum of mon
ey, an old person may find anchor
age; but many of them are very lit
tle better than the "poor farm" or
pauperage, while some are veritable
work-houses, where these feeble old
folks are expected to do nurse and
hospital duties when, in fact, they
that the parents are expensive
charges, but because they are not
wanted about. In a family of a half
dozen sons and daughters, it is not
unusual to find but one or. two who
are willing to give the old folks a
home; and, usually, that one is a
daughter not always the one most)
financially able to do so, but the one
richest in love, sympathy and self
denial. The care is cheerfully as
sumed, and the rest of them are glad
to respectably get rid of a so-regarded
incumbrance. Old people do
not like to go to institutions, and, in
many cases, their reluctance is not
without reason, for many homes are
run in the interests of the office-holders,
or at least turned into a source
of revenue by them, greatly to the
disadvantage of the inmates. Others,
with larger experiences of the world's
charities, know to what indignities
the helpless ones are often subjected
by unfeeling employes, and their self
respect rebels.
We are often told that we should
"take thought of the morrow," and
lay by in store against the "evil days;"
but riches often take wings, and
many old persons, who have, by rigid
self-denial and hard work, accumu
lated a little, investing it as safely
as good advice could help them to
do, have found themselves stripped of
everything at a time when further
provision is impossible, owing to the
infirmities of age. They are thus
thrown uponnhe world's charity, if
not upon that of their children often
times the most unfeeling of the two.
It would seem that there might be
some means provided through which,
by the payment, during a term of
years, of a small sum weekly, month
ly or yearly, an annuity or pension
might be assured to one arriving at
a certain age or condition of helpless
ness, so that the aged one might at
least keep the sustaining conscious
ness of being not literally a pauper
or dependent. Old people have few
wants, so they have shelter and pri
vacy afforded them.
We have homes for our soldiers
who fought in the armies of the na
tion; but for the veterans who fought
the world's battle for bread where
with to rear the material for the na
tion's armies, there is no provision
made. Could not something be done
In this direction? Could it not bo
made to the state's or nation's inter
ests to provide annuities, and thus
encourage and educate the people to
economic measures, teaching them to
save and rendering their savings safe
against their time of need, even
though the savings of a life-time be
in they would not be beholden to any
one during their waiting for the end.
"a Foot Corns
Corns are not always confined to
the foot- or-'toes, but are sometimes
developed on the hands, or parts of
the limbs or joints subject to usage
developing callouses. Corns are the
result of pressure; the blood is forced
from the sebaceous glands, causing
an excessive or unnatural quantity
of oil to be thrown off. This diseases
the blood, and the oil forces its way
to the surface; as it reaches the cut
icle it evaporates, leaving the top
layer hard. Layer upon layer forms
downward and deepens until it
presses upon the nerves. Corns have
no "roots," but they cannot be cured
until one goes beneath those layers
of diseased oil and removes them.
This may be done by thorough and
repeated soakings in warm or hot
water, and the layers scraped off un
til the little dark spot is reached and
laid bare, after which an emolient
should bo rubbed on the place, and
the pressure kept off of it. A soft
corn is more easily treated than a
hard corn, and is usually the result
of acid in the blood. -H. H.
are themselves in the utmost need
of nursing and hospital care. Self- but small?. Is there any objection
respecting old people, especially those to tnis idea .' we have the pleasing
of refinement, dislike very much to
become inmates of one of them. At
the same time, it is too often the
case that, in the homes of the chil
dren whom they have reared, the old
people are made to feel very sensi
bly that their care and presence are
burdensome and their room prefer
rable to their company. Between
these two extremes, fortunately, is
often a mean where the dear old par
ents are treated with all the tender
ness they so richly deserve. Often
times, the parents themselves are un
duly sensitive, and consider them
selves burdensome where the children
do not.
It has been said and the facts bear
out the statement only too often
that, while one parent can and does
support a dozen children in comfort
and luxury, it take a dozen childr:n
to supply the real needs of one par
ent. "And pity 'tis, 'tis true." Not
assurances that the Home pages are
read, and their usefulness acknowl
edged by many of our fine thinkers.
and I hope this may awaken in their
minds a sense of the need of the
measure herein advocated. I would
be glad to receive suggestions from
any one interested. I have met so
many old people who suffer keenly
from a morbid tear or a pauperized
old age, that I am greatly interested.
The churches of all religion are active
in the work of caring for the helpless
of the world, but the measures we
would advocate do not call for chari
ties. 'It would include a work of ed
ucation along a lino -of economical
savings, safely invested, for the needs
Qt the worn out "body when one can
no longer work. The beneficiary of
such a measure might well feel pride
in the knowledge that they were thus
laying a foundation for resnctablo in
dependence (at least partial), where-
Discouragements of Housekeeping
There is in housekeeping the con
stantly recurring elements of- destruc
tiveness and its action follows- in such
quick succession that it tends to dis
couragement as no other work seem1
ingly does.- Every day, the" -routine
goes on,- several times each -.day, in
some things; the beds are made but
to be unmade; the dishes are scarce
ly dried until again dirtied; the
dusted furniture sneedilv mui tints it
self, the dining room is scarcely "set
lo ngnts" ueiore it must again be
used, and the sitting room, even in
the most careful families, seems al
ways "undoing" itself. Nothing seems
stable about the house; it is a con
stant state of doing over, and the
never-endingness of the Work tends
to become discouraging drudgery,
even with -the most optimistic house
wife. Because of this monotonous
repetition, this incessant call for
building up what is at once torn down
women grow dissatisfied and discour
aged, and "lose heart," and under this
pressure, health fails; she becomes
nagging," fretful, anxious and irri
table; she is blamed, where she
should be sympathized with, and her
element grows more restricted as she
Is set apart" because of her discour
agement, until she seems utterly beat
en down, and thinks of and lives only
for the successful carrying of her
burden, machine-like, and with a res-
gnation that is absolutely pathetic,
OUt for Which Rhfi in Tnrn-a. V. in.
ly blamed, instead of given her due
for the successful carrying of her
supposed duties, according to her lim
ited light.
Housekeeping should not be con
sidered drudgery; yet It looks that
waj', to most of us. The reason of
such a "look" is that we undertake too
much, and tax ourselves until our
nervous systems are torn to tatters
or stretched all out of shape. We
should learn our own strength, utter
ly refusing to go beyond the limit. We
do so many useless things, and cheat
ourselves with the fond delusion that
we are a necessary part of the ma
chinery; that without us, the wheels
would cease to go around; when, in
fact, the world will go on, just the
5?1?? after we are out of itor our
job is taken from us because of
incompetency. It we would only stop
tr nrmalrloi Vio oUimii...
Uw.Uw oituauuii. we would
see that at least two-thirds of X
tasks -we set ourselves are of no v i
use to any one, and only mid to thn
element of destructiveness, by hav
ing to be done over, in endless rene.
tition, once they become established
facts in our households.
Do', dear mothers and housekeen.
ers, let us study the "simple life"
and learn to weed out the unneces
sary; .shirk the unimportant, and tone
up our .distracted nerves by learning
to -be lazy! Let us -practice the wT
'selfishness of allowing others to help
us bear our burdens, and, as we so
love to do all the work, let us "do
unto others" letting them have some
of our greedily gathered-together joys
and teach them the blessedness wo
so well know that it is more blessed
to give than to receive. Don't re
fuse to let the other members of the
family know how delightful it is to
serve, instead of being served. We
are praised for our unselfishness,
when I do think we are, in this re
spect, the most selfish of human be
ings. Housekeeping and serving that
do not admit of a little leisure where
in to rest and enjoy the fruits of our
labor, is, in the end, the poorest of
housekeeping, no matter how perfect
the cleanliness and order we may
achieve. It is said that "the woman
who lets the housework cry some
times in order to make the family
happy is a good housekeeper," and I
think we all need a higher ideal of
such a position than to make a ma
chine the standard cf our emulation.
Do let us be human beings.
For the Sewing Room
I am sure we are all rejoiced at the
fact, that, for some time past, the
apron has been gradually working its
way into favor again, and the mystery
,to most of us is, how it ever went
out of .favor, for it is one of the most
useful and feminine' fashions that
ever "came in." In its' new reign, it
will be. of many shapes and designs,
of many materials, and its uses will
be widely extended. There are de
signs for the society girl, the homo
girl, the housekeeper, nurse, business
woman, clerk, book-keeper or office
girl; dressy affairs, as well as use
ful ones, and a wide scope is left for
the tastes of its wearer. It may he
merely ornamental, or worn prosai
cally to protect the dress, and the ma
terials used will be of such as to suit
all needs. Mohair, silk, sateen, per
cale, linen, organdies, dotted swiss,
silk mull, fine lawns, calicoes, ging
hams, and even oil cloths and white
rubber sheetings, are all used. The
oil cloth or sheeting may be cut cir
cular, slightly gathered at the hand,
and either "pinked" 'around the low
er edge, or bound with silk ribbon or
serviceable braids. Some of the dain
ty designs shown represent the apron
cut in one piece, with pointed bib and
skirt, fitted to the waist-line with tiny
tucks, while others are tucked,
shirred, ruffled, piped with bias bands,
or ornamented with dainty bows ot
ribbon, or niching. Some of the Je
signs are particularly "fetching.
It will soon be time for the mother
of the school boys and girls to begin
overhauling the boxes, bags arm
bundles, for the warm days will ye
followed by cool nights, and there i wm
be many cool days in which addition
al clothing will be very comfortau e
to the little ones about to enter t
school room. Happy the woman wiio
remembered, last spring, in Pa?K?
away the winter garments, that w
.autumn would be full of dudes ana
leisure time be scarce, and that niceij
mended-garments to be put on at
moment's notice would be a o
BETTER THAN SPANKING
Spanklnc does not cure cUlldrpn of bPjf JJjJdrto
If It did thore would bo ten children t in wouw
It. There Is a constitutional ceufo for this. 'r, ,
Sunimors, Box 118, Notre Dame, Ind.. JKliSioner.
home treatment to anT mother. Shears vxnon
Wrltohcrtortajrtfyonr children trouDioyouii. t
way. Don'tblame the child. The chances re
can't help It.
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