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The Commoner
VOLUME C, NUMBER u
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"Just A Few Words"
Just a few words: but they brightened
A life that was clouded with care,
And strengthened a spirit discouraged
And close on the verge of despair.
And faith to go hopefully forward
Sprang up where their tenderness
a few words: but how mighty
For good or for evil their spell?
Just a few words: but they blighted
And blackened a name as a frost,
And stung unto madness a spirit
That hung on the brink of the lost.
Hung, trembling with pitiful longings
To turn from the valley of shame
Just a few words: but they weighted
The balance; and whose was the
blame?
The one who had lifted the burden
From shoulders that shrank from
the load
Spoke also the words of light scoffing
That "proved the poor, halting one's
goad.
The speaker passed carelessly onward,
Nor recked of the deeds she had
done
Nor thought of the lilies or thistles
To spring from the seed she had
sown !
0
Yet, somehow, I cannot help thinking
That, bright thougfi her pathway
may be,
Though the sunshine return to her
four-fold,
Though the shadow she never may
Solnewhere, down the path she must
follow,
May rise up to face her, a woe
For the harvest is promised, and
silrely
"You will reap even such 'as you
sow." , IV-
HELEN WATTSrMcVEY.'
Home Chat
After a summer spent among the
Ozark hills in Arkansas, I am again
at my deslc, strengthened" and im
proved in health and ready to servo
you 'in any way I can. JDiiring my
vacation, I met many excellent peo
ple; these included many of the wise
ones of the day, in the various walks
of life. From this association, I
gathered a store. of helpful informa
tion, and learned many lessons, and
in the coming pages or the Home De
partment I want to share these riches
with you. My days were far from
idle days, for idleness is but a poor
Wnd of rest, but there came into my
life a peacefulness bon to close com
munion with the beautiful in nature,
arid a drawing nearer to the heart of
the great mother, Earth, and it was
with a touch of real pain that I turned
my race again toward the toil and
turbulence, of the city.
Many kind words were spoken to
me of The Commoner, In all its de
partments, but of course more es
pecially the Home pages, and many
of the new friends volunteered Items
of. interest and helpful bits of in
formation for uses therein that will
prove valuable to each of us, as It ap
peals to our needs. But no editor is
satisfied with the paper he "brings
out4." "We always want "our paper"
to' be just a little better than, any
other paper published, and we are
all willing to work hard to have it so.
In. this work, we need the co-operation
of all our readers, for wo want
them, also, to feel a genuine sense of
ownership and responsibility in regard
to its advancement. So we ask that
you, each, write, suggesting any
improvement that might be made inf
the subject matter empioyea m tno
Home Department. We want you to
tell us what you like, and why you
like it; what you do not like, and
why, with suggestions for bettering
it. It is very good of you to say so
many encouraging things as you have
done in the past; but we want to
hear from you again. Only by thus
keeping in touch with you can we
follow your needs. In helping others,
you will help yourselves, for you
know that "no man liveth unto him
self," and you cannot do a'kindness to
another that will not, in some way,
re-act upon your own lives. For
every touch of genuine sympathy,
there will come into your own lives
something of the beautiful that will
repay you for all, many, many times
over.
Query Box
K. M. A. H. Many thanks for kind
words. The suggestions offered are
in line with the spirit of the article.
Sr. Josephine.' For the mildew
stains, rub the spot with the juice of
a raw tomato, cover with salt and
lay In the sunshine.
Housewife. Suet, if finely chopped,
may be used as shortening for pastry,
but the pastry so made must be
served very hot.
F. J. S. Thanks for interest and
kind words. Will send the address to
J. S.
M. D. Your kind words are appre
ciated. Sweet apples may be cann
the same as sour ones, or other fruits.
Will send recipes in 'Requested Re
cipes." Helen M. Nothing" will remove
freckles permanently. The best vou
can do is to fade them as much as
possible and avoid conditions which
are favorable to their development.
' Ladv Subscriber. If vou had Knr.
stamped, addressed envelope I could
have pelted you" to "headquarters" for
such information. It is rather early
in the season to state authoritatively
what will or will not be, worn the
coming' winter.
Lassie. Madras, chambrey, linen,
duckt voiles, and all lightweight silks
and veilings can be used in ladies
costumes. The shirtwaist suit still
"holds its own," and the Eton jacket
is a prime favorite.
laundress. Before putting your
summer dresses away for the winter,
be sure to wash all starch and dirt
out of them, and rinse out all traces
of soap, or they will turn yellow.
Some cottons "become yellow in spite
of all care. Everything must be well
dried In the sun. (2.) The costumes
may be worn quite a while yet.
Mrs. A. T. For tne trouble with
the ants, dip a sponge into a solution
of sugar and water, squeeze dry and
lay it on a plate on the pantry shelf
where the ants gather, arid when they
have filled it, throw it into boiling
water; wash out and repeat until the
ants are destroyed.
Annie". All styles of wearing the
hair are fashionable, provided the one
chosen is distinctly becoming to the
wearer. The pompadour is still in
vogue, but is smaller than heretofore,
and sets more snugly to the bond.
The one lock pulled down over the
left eyebrow has been abandoned.
Mrs. B. Acbrrespondent sends us
the following, which may help you:
Coal oil and cayenne pepper, mixed
In proportion of a heaping tablespoon
ful of cnyenne to a quart of oil and
allowed to stand twenty-four hours
then applied to any hiding place of the
"little brown bug," with a feather or
small oil can, will entirely rid the
place of the pests, it Is safer than
the corrosive sublimate where there
are children. Bugs are by no means
hard to dislodge if you are persistent.
"Anxious." I have great sympathy
for you in your affliction and help
lessness, but the information, to be of
any use to you, would fill both the
pages allotted to the Home matters.
Write to the secretary of agriculture,
Washington, D. C, asking for any
bulletins on the subject of mushroom
growing. The bulletins are free.
I am afraid you could not be self
supporting "at once," unless you had
seme means, a knowledge of the prac
tical workings of the business and
strength to do the work.
Juvenile Prodigy
This is how Johnny, recited one
stanza of it, to the delight of his
proud mamma and amid the plaudits
of the company:
" 'Liza Grape men allry mindus
Weaken maka 'Liza Blime,
Andy Parting Lee B. Hindus
Footbrin Johnny sands a time."
And thus was another promising
elocutionist turned loose on the
world. Exchange.
For the CoorDays
.With the coming of September,
there will be cool evenings and chilly
mornings, and the mothers must not
forget that the smaller children and
especially the babies will feel the
change of temperature Very sensibly,
without being cognizant of the cause
of their discomfort. The mother will
know, however, that the clothing must
be attended to by the addition of
seme light outer garment, which may
be removed as the day advances and
replaced when the night air descends.
It must be remembered that the lit
tle children especially the crawling
babies live in a cooler atmosphere
than do the grown-ups, as the tem
perature close to the floor is always
the coolest. It is must less trouble
to change and re-change the little
one's clothing than to care for a sick
baby, -and the mysterious colds, so
hard to be accounted for lw iio nn.
1 thinking mother, more often than not
nave tneir origin in the unsuitable
clothing the little one is compelled
to wear in the chill atmosphere next
to the floor, while the adults are per
fectly comfortable in their higher
altitude.
It Is not that more babies should
be brought Jnto the world, so much
as that we should keep those already
here in a better condition of health.
Give them sensible care, cultivate a
strong body and healthy organization,
and the world will have an abun
dance of people and a better class
of them. The little one with "no
language but a cry" cannot 'always
make you understand the difference
between unreasoning fretfulness and
real discomfort, and you must study
conditions for the baby as closely as
you would for the older one.s. Do,
dear mothers, take care of the baby's
comfort.
Then, too, tho cooling days of the
advancing autumn will find the older
children in need of the lighter wrap
or "top-garment" that may be put
on or off at will, rather than the
heavier clothing that will be needed
regularly later on. Children going to
school should not be allowed to come
in from a romp on the grounds, hot
and perspiring, and sit down in tho
chill of the closed room to "ronl
without laying some light wrap about
their shoulders. The teacher should
"Why Marriage rs a Failure"
The St. Louis Woman's Maeazlni
has the Mowing, which is too TeX
true to be lost: rly
"Married life is dull because it k
a partnership in wnich there is no
equity. . When a woman signs a Ma
contract with a man at the altar
she puts more capital into the firm
than he does. She gives whatever
mbney she may have; she gives the
love of lier heart; she gives the work
of her hands; she gives all the la
telligence she possesses; above all
she gives herself. She takes tho
same risks the man does; if financial
trouble comes, she must endure pov
erty and privation; if mistakes occur,
she must suffer for tnem; in all the
labors and losses of the firm, she is
an equal partner, but she is not an
equal partner in its profits and per
quisites. She is a silent partner, with
no voice in the management of the
firm, yet she must stand for its debts.
She gives her earning capacity to it,
yet she is expected to be grateful for
getting her living out or it. She has
no idea' of whether she has a right
to draw much or little money out of
the business, yet she is blamed if
she spends too much.
"No such unjust arrangement could
continue for a minute between men
in business, and it ought not to bo
countenanced between men and wo
men. The two principal things
that make the life of the avarago
couple dull are bickering about money
and the lack of some subject of con
versation of mutual, absorbing inter
est. A real partnership, based on
justice between husband and wifo
will supply both of these deficits.
.... All that women hate, and
get upon their nerves and makes
them seem greedy for money is the
feeling that they are being treated
unjustly that they are not getting a,
fair divide. There is not one woman
in ten thousand who, if her husband
will candidly explain financial situa
tions to her, (and treat her justly,)
will nob gladly and cheerfully do her
part of the economizing. Women, as
a rule do not know what their Hus
bands can afford, and, having no in
centive for economizinc through lack
of knowledge of the financial con
dition of the firm, and because they
never hear or see any tangible re
sults of their saving, they readily
find excuses for any extravagance.
You never hear of "a woman who is
taken into active partnership in the
matrimonial firm and who is treated
justly, as a partner, complaining be
cause she has to work hard ana
economize."
Danger in the Tea Pot
The injurious effect of the use of
tea as a beverage does not arise from
the use, but from the abuse of tne
decoction. The bevarage, if properij
made, is a mild stimulant, and to some
extent, an exhilarant, and it is c aimea
by experts that the decoction."
properly prepared, can be attended uj
no deleterious effects. But tea sliouiu
never be boiled, nor should it ueai
lowed to "steep," as is the custom
in some families for an hour, or houi s.
Tannic acid develops by this stee
ing, and used in this way, tannic
acid is really a poison. Tea Jeaves
should never be allowed to )on.
neither should the tea pot be use
time after time without being ti or
oughly cleaned. The pot should no
be set over the fire at all. After m
BETTER THAN SPANKING
Spanking does not cure children of bed wotnf
It it did tliero would hofew oWWronHirt worn M
it. There Is a constitutional cause i for taw , er
Bummers, Box 118, Notro "o, lnd., wI"J noney.
home treatment to any other. Btoo wte no rnou
Write her today If your chlWrontroumoyouiB
way. Don't blawo the ckUd. 1 ho chances '
cant help It.
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