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Rock Me to Sleep
Backward, turn backward, 0 Time in
your flight,
Make mo a child again just for to-
night! .,
Mother, como back from the echoless
shore,
Take me again to your heart as of
yore;
Kiss from my forehead the furrows
of care, -
Smooth the few silver threads out ot
my hair; '
Over my slumbers your loving watch
keep; ,
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me
to sleep!
Backward, flow backward, O tide of
. the years!
I am so weary of toil and of tears;
Toil without recompense, tears Tall in
vain,
Take' them, and give me my child
hood, -again! ,
I "have grown weary of dust and de
cay, . .
"Weary of flinging my soul-wealth
away;
Weary of sowing for others to reap;
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me
to sloop!
Tired, of the hollo wt the base,' the un-
' true, - i ,
Mother, 0 mother, my heart calls for
Since I last listened your lullaby song;
Sing, then, and unto my soul it shall
seem
Womanhood's years have been only
a dream.
Clasped to your heart in a loving em-
brace
With your light lashes just sweeping
my face,
Never Hereafter to wake or to weep;
Rock me; to sleep, mother, rock me
to sleep!
Elizabeth Alters Allen.
-youU,:j
Many' a summer the grass has grown"
green,
Blossomed and faded, our faces be
tween ;
Yet, with strong yearning and pas
sionate pain,
Mrs. Elizabeth Alters Allen was
born in Strong, Me., in 1832, and her
childhood was passed in Parmington.
The family name was Chase. As
early as 1846, she was writing for
publication, and at the age of fifteen
years she was known by the pen
name of "Florence Percy." In 1855,
her first volume of verse appeared,
and she wrote "Rock Me to Sleep"
soon after, although the poem was
not published until later. It is prob
ably the best known of all her pro
ductions, and the author's own ac
count of the circumstances attend
ing its writing is as' follows: "The
lines voiced the longing of a young
woman for her mother, whom she had
lost. I was myself the young woman.
1 was about to sail for Europe. jo-nuV
remembered that I had sentrnothing
recently to a periodical of which I
was a cojitrUnifcorT'l opened my port-
-liomfoaTid took out several poems and
sketches which I submitted to my
brother-in-law. He told me to send
any duo of them except 'Rock Me to
Sleep, Mother.' I did not consider
that as embodying my best work, but
concluded to send it, and people seem
Long I tonight for your presence to haye liked lt Mtev a timQ an
again, .animated discussion sprang up as to
Come from the alienee .so longhand th(J autnorshlp of the poem, during
which it was distorted and garoieu in
the most ridiculous fashion, but I
paid little attention to it, and it fin
ally died out." The poem , has been
translated into other languages and
set to music, with changes many and
various; as herewith presented, how
ever, it is exactly as written, forty
two years ago. In 1860 Miss Chase
married the sculptor, Benjamin Paul
Akers, who lived but a year. In 1865,
she married William H. Allen, LL.
t so deep,
Rock, me to sleep, mother,-r-rock me
" to sleep!
s -. .
Over my heart, in the days that are
. T flown.
No .'love like mother-love ever has
., shone;
.No other worship abides and endures,
Faithful, unselfish, and patient, like
yours;
None like a mother can charm away
pain
From the sick soul and tlio world- ?" formfr Dldent J Girar
weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms o'er my heavy
lids creep;
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me
to sleep!
Come, let your brown hair, just light
ed with gold,
Fall on your shoulders again us of
old;
Let it drop over my forehead tonight,
Shading my faint eyes away from the
light;
For with its sunny-edged shadows
once more
Haply will throng the sweet visions
of yore; ,
Lovingly, softly, its bright billows
swoop;
Rock me to sleep, mother, rock mo
to sleep!
-Mother, dear mother, the years have
been long
lege, and a man of literary reputa
tion. The residence of the Aliens is
in Tuckahoe, a short distance from
New York City. Mrs. Allen has been
a constant worker down to the pres
ent year, having published a large
number of books, and Maine may well
be proud to reckon her among the
distinguished daughters born within
the borders of the Pine Tree State.
American Woman, 1902.
AN OLD AND WELL TRIE mCMTCDY
. MM. WWBLOYr'sBoorniNa Bvnm for chUdroa
tetthlnghould always be used for chUdren while
l.".,lnR;. " wftena tbe gnms, allays all pain, cares
jrlnd colIcand Is the best remedy for diarrheal.
aVenty-nrepentsa bottle. uwa,
Our Home Chat
For some weeks past, the general
public has been horrified by the .rev
elations being made of the methods
employed by the meat-packers' asso
ciations of our large cities in the
handling and putting up of the pro
ducts of the slaughter-pen intended
for the uses of the table. The dread
ful disclosures have not only touched
the subject of the pocket-book and hy
giene, but have added greatly to the
perplexities of the cook and the house
keeper. In looking over any cookery
book, it is astonishing to observe liow
large a space is occupied In the cul
inary preparations by meats and oth
er animal products. Not only Is the
meat, itself, the "heavy" article, but
it and the various preparations of
the different parts of the slaughtered
animal enter largely into the season
ing of vegetables and fruits the mak
ing of breads, pies, puddings, calces,
soups, stews, gravies, etc., and deli
cacies "for the sick as for the well.
In spite of these disgusting disclos
ures, many people will still, doubt
less, be wedded to the flosh-pots, us
ing the products with more or less
discrimination, because of a meat-eating
habit which it will be found hard
to overcome. Yet there are, and will
be, thousands whoso stomachs will
rebel so strongly against even so
much as the thought of meat that
their meat-hunger will readily give
way before the qualms they can not
control. In these cases, the housewife
will be sorely "put to" for substitutes
sufficiently satisfying to take Its
place.
The practice of selling the farm
animals and buying back the finished
products of the packing houses has
become almost universal among even
the backwoods farmers, and for the
people in general and especially
those in large towns and cities there
seems no other source from which
to draw their supply. But to the
farm folks themselves, the situation,
so far as, the immediate table supply
is""c6ncerned, should not be so bad,
even though they -may have to dis
card the heavy hams, shoulders and
canned goods now so generally used
by them, they have (or should have)
the poultry yard; the sheep-fold, the
calf-pen, the stock hogs and the farm
fish-ponds, and from these may be
drawn in sufficient quantities to supply
any immediate demand. It is not so
very long ago that country people
and farmers slaughtered tneir own
animals, and they can return to the
practice for at least family supplies,
with the assurance of using bnly
healthy animals, fed and fattened un
der their own eyes, known to be in
good condition, the carcasses handled
in a cleanly manner and preserved by
healthful methods. The cheapest is
not always the best, and bargain coun
ter meats, like other bargain-counter
goods, are good things to let alone.
Many of us can recall the neighbor
hood practice, once in vogue, of a
periodical slaughtering by different
ones and the dividing up of the fresh,
healthy, home-fattened carcass in
quantities according to the needs of
the various neighbors, to be in turn
so supplied themselves, thus keeping
up a supply of fresh meats during
the hot months, when a whole animal,
however small, could hardly be kept
in good condition by one family alone.
On many farms there are animals on
pasture at all times fat enough, with
a little grain-feed for finishing the
meat qualities, to be used as food, and
on most farms, too, there Is, or could
be procured, a supply of old grain suffi
cient for the finishing rations. "Back
to the old paths," in many instances,
is by far the best direction to travel.
Meantime, the housewife must put
on her thinldng cap and devise ways
and means by which the crying want
of a substantial, satisfying diet may
be evolved out: of the gardens, fields
and orchards and forests. What shall
it be sisters? May we have your sug
gestions and reliable recipes?
VOLUME 6, NUMBER 23
late in the day to accomplish her in
anything. But it will all depend on
the girl. Girls should be allowed to do
the things they show do. aptitudeor.
If a girl delights in housework, let
her become proficient in that. A
course of home-teaching and experi
ence will be beneficial, no matter
whether she likes it or not. If she
"takes" to sewing, see that she has
the opportunity to become skilled in
that line. Common occupations are
as honorable as any, and, in any case,
it is the individual that honors the
work. To become distinguished in
art, music, sculpture, or literature, re
quires energy, perseverance, deter-
Imlnation, time, money and talent. To
succeed at anything requires hard,
persistent work, more than talent,
and the- overcoming of many and
great obstacles. If one loves the
work, the labor Is not regarded, and
even in the face of hindrances, there
is an upholding sense of success, a
knowledge that so much work has
been dono, and well-done, and anoth
er step has been taken toward the
heights we hope to attain. There is
no one who has not a talent for some
thing, and whatever that talent may
be, it should be allowed to develop.
Do not try to make a cook of your
daughter if she takes no interest in
culinary matters, though it is possible
that in time, or through necessity, she
may become- tolerably proficient in
cookery, but it won't be because she
loves it, and she will always go atr
it reluctantly. A woman will always
be a woman, no.-matter what she un
dertakes; but it is better to make
her useful, independent and pleasing,
to develop her "along the line of least
resistance," that she may be able to
do some one thing better than any
thing else, so it may become her busi
ness. The world is full of "square
pegs in round holes," both men and
women, and to this may truthfully be
ascribed the thousands of miserable
misfits, failures, s,een on every hand,.
Help the girl to find out her mission
and do not seek to hinder her fron
accomplishing it; for, in whatever di
rection her path lies, she will always
long to walk therein, and whatever
else she does through circumstances
or environment, she will always "be
joined to her idols."
What to Do With Our Girls
"A Mother" asks us to tell her, now
that the school days are ended, what
she shall teach her girls to do. If
the girl has had no "primary" teach
ing in the art of doing, it is rather
For the Summer Waist
Every woman knows how difficult it
is to keep a silk waist perfectly sweet,
if it is worn much in warm weather.
This method is recommended for rid
ding the garment of any odor, and
leaving it fresh and sweet. During
a warm summer rain, turn the waist
to the open window and pin it in posi
tion so the moisture may reach it,
but not the actual rain; let it hang
for several hours until damp and thor
oughly sweetened, and you will be
surprised at the fresh, clean odor that
has been imparted. The inside must
be turned to the window. Woolen gar
ments may be as effectually refreshed
in the same way, which is so simple
and so easily tried that I hope it may
prove satisfactory to you -Ex.
Timely Recipes
Watermellon Sweet Pickles These
will keep for years, improving with
age if put up properly. The melon
must be quite ripe and as fresh as
may be. Cut the rind in strips and
remove the pink part, as that is not
used in pickle, and alsO pare off the
thin green outside. Cut the rind into
square pieces and put into weak brine
made of one tablespoonful of salt to
one quart of water. Keep in this
salt water for three days, then put
them into alum water (a small tea
spoonful of -alum to one quart . o
water) for three days, after whicn.
- WED D I HO INVITATIONS
Announcements, cards, etc. Op-to-dato and new
samples mailed f roe.
Tuo Butler Press. UhcoIb, Nebraska
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