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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1906)
I '' W" T r a k- : i 10 The Commoner. f Wm&Wm0& m a. j sssa. i rBri .rm iiitiiMjiTtivsJr-immmmmmmw t-i M! f wsrr to&fip&G0&y -s-'"A-rV JKrtLj3 fir KilCjl Conductedby tWefa Watts ' Depa C3 111 V-; , s i mY r it II A A I 05U -" nmenx v a "Th? Fprce of Little Things" 'How easy it is to spoil a day! The 'thoughtless .words of a cher ished frieiid, . ' The selfish act of aJ child at play, ' The strength of a will that will not .bend,' ' ; The slight df a comrade, the scorn of wu a. foe, The smile' that is full of bitter '': things The all can tarnish its golden glow, VCan brush the grace from its airy " wings. And easy it is to spoiL a day By the force of a' 'thought we did - not check;" Little by little we mold the clay, '"Arid little flaws may the vessel f wreck i The careless waste of a precious hour That held the blessing we long had sought, The sudden failure of wealth or power, And lol the day is with' ill in wrought. How easy- it is to sdoII a life And many are spoilt ere well! Degun The home4ight darkened by sin' 'and ' strife, ' Or downward .course of a cherished : one; " l By toil that robs the form of grace, -r And --undermines -till health gives way By the peevish temper, the frowning face. The hopes that go and the cares ,..: tnat stay. , i i i. A. day is too long to be spent in vain; Y:Some good should come as the ' . hours go by; Some tangled maze , may he made ; : more plain; .' ? Some lowered glance may be raised on high. And life is too short to be spoiled '.like this . If only a prelude, It should be sweet; Let us bind together its threads of bliss, i And. nourish the flowers around our feet. Selected. v . Thanksgiving Day We all have much to be thankful for concerning the year that is now passing away; more than many of us, m our moments of dlscouraee- .S2.nS,are wiUing t0 admlt- We do not all approach the feasting and re olclng of the day set apart for ac knowledgements of God's goodness Ttowerann1 , eWtB fC b lov? of 5. J1 n many instances, the SSa2S.t?heftmS!n' " a that others. ' ' irom tne many liliTs6 3 fn01 haVQ th0 roses H if ?S many cases' the flowers faded wl fOUrfhands a few and iaded. We treat them with neglect because we wanted something else the something, perhaps, that w given to our envied neighbor Yet hjany times, it ia the common way! side weeds that grow along our tX way that bear the healingwhich our nnirtS sS01'ely need. If we could ?s s6n?aQ that 0ften tne BhXw washed ivPflmerCTf, becauso our ar- KhtnerTld """"S bear ino? ?ess. of the sunshine! Let us learn to give thanks for the shadows Let us try to be thankful for th things that are withheld. 2 ZtX Y for those which are given. The "silver lining" may always be found, but in many instances it must be sought; otherwise, it would not be appreciated. Let us all count our mercies, as well as our blessings. If we do this, we shall be better able to meet the coming year, and better able to help our brother and sister bear their load of both joys and sorrows. "Oh, give thanks unto the Lord." Money Troubles There are evils which are far worse than those which result from having money, or the lack of it. Money mat ters are, however, a fruitful source of contention and bitterness in the average family circle, and are there fore a subject which merits discus sion. One peculiarity in the matter of .money in the family is that its abundance causes as much trouble, seemingly, as its scarcity. Friction in the family over money matters is usually the result of selfishness, stin giness or dishonesty, in some quarter. Where the noblest motive is the fam ily sood, the Question or individual income or expenditure is not raised, but the general Income and expenses are the consideration. It is not in dividual expenses, but the necessary outlay which is the cause, if any, df worriment in the family 'where every thing is shared in common. In many families there is a sort of communis tic, association, where each Individ ual puts in as little as possible and takes out all he can get. The result is constant friction and jealousy. Such forms of living can not be too severe ly condemned, -JEx. There seems to be something utter ly selfish and unfeeling in' the spirit of its utterance. Being Independent One of the chief troubles In the family is often the mistaken desire on the part of sons and daughters to be independent. It is quite com mon to hear the young people talk about getting their own living, as though that were alL that was re quired, to make them independent, for getting that their parents have board- art l"i4-'Us..l 3 j i ... , wutueu uiiu tjuucaiea mem, often through great self-sacrifices, for many years. As society now is, there is no independence. We must do more than support ourselves. We can not shirk our responsibilities to our par ents or to our children. Among a certain class of public teachers, the Idea of individual independence Is dis cussed on. these grounds; The fact that the child was allowed no voice n the matter of its being born, re lieves it from any duty of obligation, and the parents owe to the being called into the world all the material COmfOrtS liaftn.URA ff Tloirln V. 1.4. it into life without any violation on its part. They contend that the physi cal tie between parent and child car ries with it no obligation for consid eration on the part qt the child for any benefits bestowed. That obedi e?5le t the parent's command is not obgatory, although they admit that the child should be under some author ity; that the parent should understand that the commands given should be because of the obligation which he owed to the child to train him for his highest development; that the ob ligation is on the part of the parent rather than of the child. This would ?h IW dCtrIne t0 teach t0 the youth of today, and in it there seems to me to be no room for the devel oping of the highest ideals, or even of inculcating the doctrine of "lov ing one's neighbor as one's self." ' Fashion Notes Skirts are trimmed flat, and band trimming is used almost exclusively upon those which are at ali, elaborate. These bands which match the mater ial' of the dress or its furnishing often carry out the lines of the bodice adornment or are run about, the skirt in t graduated widths. Long Empire skirts are usually trimmed in vertical lines, adding to the graceful effects so much sought. The short boleros are still ia good taste upon house and evening gowns. Sleeves of wraps, unless of actual tailor persuasion, are voluminous, and tend to the dolman and cape shape. All sleeves that are shaped to the arm have' cuffs, and there is a ten dency to elaborate the cuff finish. The straight, hanging box coat Js considered the best style for small inaidens, as it will serve for any pur pose, go on over any frock without crushing it, and is simple enough for youthful, wearers. The neck may be closed snugly to the throat, with a shield having a low standing collar, or it may be worn without this acces sory, or with the rolling cqllar. The uuup ure- ot me smart, turn-hack va riety. The Problem of Living "The struggle for existence in our large cities, and in many of our smal ler places, grows keener and keener, and many families feel like giving up in despair. The expenses of liv ing are continually rising, while the wages, except in unionized trades, either stand still or decrease. The cost of living for the average wage earning family In 1905 was $48 per month, while in 1906 the nnst nt liv ing has risen to $57 per month per family, and it is claimed that in 1907 it will be - still higher so high, in fact, that a very serious problem will have to be met in some way. In many large cities, it is claimed that parents, finding the struggle for existence-no longer bearable, owing to the large increase in the cost of rent, food, and other necessities, are seek ing to place their children in insti tutions. During the first throp rmfVia of 1906 it is said nearly two thoxf- aana ennaren were proposed for com mitment to Institutions, the parents finding it impossible to support them. This is an increase in number from 1905 in exact proportion to the in crease or living expenses. "The parents of these children are not paupers; they are honest, hard working people, who earn from $10 to $12 per week, and who make great sacrifices In order to raise their fam ilies, but if the Income is $10 a week and the expenses $12, what is to be' done? You will say, curtail the ex penses; .but you can not curtail the cost of a five-cent loaf of bread, when it is five cents, and with meat at al most, prohibitive nrw t,w ,i the cities get very little of it. Rents, Tr or,T T yer moiun are now $16, and so it goes all along the line. The poor have squeezed their few dol lars until they could squeeze no more and they took their children tote' ?waU ?fTcnarItis and asked that -hey be taken, as they could no long- ersupport them. s "The increase In the cost of livin? conditio V?n5ron' and wSSS conditions that break up homes and VOLUME G, NUMBER 45 separate parents from children qhn..n not be tolerated if anything can h done to break them up. Honest working people always managed t0 live fairly well in this country ex. cept in periods of great trade enrol fi.a5d. ifc was only ie BhliSS that had to be looked after; but nw wheir it is claimed to be a period 5 great prosperity, we see many hou est toilers giving up the struggle in discouragement, while homes are be ing broken up because of the con ditions which are almost intolerable" Literary Companion. A Woman's Duty to Herself "Every woman has the right-a right so inalienable as to become it self a duty to cherish and comfort herself; to let flowers bloom in her heart; to lighten her burdens by al lowing, or, if need be, requiring others to share the weicht of thfm n win be found that a household, all of whose members share alike in the daily routine, is more cheerful and charitable than one conducted on the single-slave plan. It is more agree able, all around, to contribute some thing than to accept everything; and it produces better hearts and minds and manners. And even if the house work does get neglected occasionally, that is better than a neglected life; and it may sometimes be wiser to buy a new garment than to patch the old one." Julian, Hawthorne. Small Economies "If one becomes a business woman, it behooves her to know that she can not succeed if she fritters away her energies on too matiV ' small economies. She can not work in an office all day and then sit up half the night to make her own dresses. If a man earns only $5 a week he doesh't try to save by stitching up the- seams of his own coat -or trousers; if he- did, he never would earn any more-than the $5; he puts his head Into his business and schemes to make himself more val uable; then he buys coats and trous ers with his increased salary. A woman saves at the spigot and breaks down." Potting in Tin Cans For many nlants. tin csma aro the best, as the soil dries out much more slowly than that in earthen pots; but care must be taken not to keep the soil too wet, or it may sour and either kill or badly damage the plant. The cans may be painted some sober shade, or paper of various kinds may be used ip wrap about them. The paper should be of a neutral color. The matting which comes about tea is also good. Cans of all sizes may be used, from the 'milk can to a very large lard bucket. When a plant re quires shifting, lay the can on a table, letting the plant hang over the edge of the table; with a can-opener begin near the bottom of the can and cut a slit clear thrniicrh to the top, press the cut edges apart, slip a table knife all around close to the tin, and the ball of roots and soil will readily fall out into the hand. Floral Notes The practice of filling all cracks about the windows and unused doors during cold weather is a commend able one, for several reasons. It pre vents the plants from chilling, and saves fuel. Hygienlsts may object to this, on the grounds that the pure air is necessary for health, and that the size of drug bills is greatly in creased thereby, Plenty of air may be obtained by throwing open the doors for a few minutes, two or three AirtoiiDAirDimxTRiim nnnmr ftrB. WnretoWiPSooiHiKS &nttnfor obllrfN ttlihifreboBld always ba vised (or children whU tectbloff. Itaoftons the gujns allays all pain, cores wind coU .and ts tta beat rsnedy for dlarrka. aVsty-r caatRA bettl. '"Pi . a-CU.ii -&., 11 M, frrrWftafr'ii.iT &etmi&i aSuti