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The Commoner.
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VOLUME 6, NU1VJBER 51
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OJA
Snowed Under
Of all tho things that the year snowed
under,
The busy Old Year that has gone
away,
How many will rise in the 'spring, I
wonder,
. Brought to light by the warmth of
May?
Will the rose-tree branches, so wholly
hidden' -,
That never a rose tree . it seems
to be,
At the sweet spring's call come forth
unbidden,
And bud in beauty and bloom for
me?
Will the fair, green earth, whose
throbbing bosom
Is hid, like a maid's in her gown
at night,
Wake out of her sleep, and with blade
and blossom
Gem her garments to please my
sight?. - - , ,
Over the knoll in the yalley yonder,
The loveliest buttercups- 4 bloomed
and grew;
"When,, the snow is gone . tha,t .drifted
them under.,
Will they shoot up sunward and'
bloom anew?
When the wild winds blew "and . the.
sleet storm pelted, . :i ,4i
1 lost a jewel of pricelesswworth?" '
It I "walk that way when the snows
' have melted, ' .
Will the gem gleam up from the
bare, brown earth?
IJaid a love that was dead--or dvinir.
For the year to bury and ;hide from'
sight;
But out of a trance, will it. waken,
crying,
And push to my heart like a leaf to
- the -light?
Under .the. snow- lie - things so
cherished
Hopes, ambitions, and dreams of
men, -Faces
that vanished and trusts that
perished,
Never to sparkle or glow again.
The Old Year greedily grasped his
plunder,
Covered it over, and hurried away;
Of the thousand things he hid, I
wonder, . '.
How many will rise at the call of
May?
Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
For the New Year
Did you do all the things you prom
ised yourself to do during the year
S S2f8!S in "story? Perhaps
v ? I the wlsh t0 d0 them made
you better and stronger in future,
S.iyou Wl11 try hard enough. Many
things we might do, if we but thought
i,R. n;,vr t "" r11 ut to
--, ulclu la-one cnmg to whioh
LTl1,?11 Z attention
get the agea "' " not for"
lBtnne Sf "? rS,l ?unshie
pathway, nf . ' ,a iT "i. c alnS He
oia nor; r ;m,," .0-..ma.ny an
ness of agefto Be ;Vtheyor"
generation ,i ..V ."IB ?.unger
v.. " ' , " ouuu nome, tnouch
they may have every kindness -a
! .xvyxi mem, with all
uf ?vLD AND WKLL TniRD RKMWDT
find colic and 1, tho bw remedy to?
.'wenty-avecentB bottle! Iowea7 Ior diarrhoea.
material wants supplied liberally, they
may yet feel a pitiable sense of. de
pendence and pauperism because, no
body thinks to put a little money in
their purse that can be spent abso
lutely unquestioned, as thdy choose.
Often the little things they crave
seem so utterly foolish and useless
to younger persons, that it seems but
a waste; but do not w'e all waste at
times in our money spending? Are
all our purchases "bargains?" What
of the little wants their loving care
so willingly catered to in our helpless
childhood?
This withholding of the hand may
be but because of thoughtlessness; or
it may be because of lack of money on
the part of the younger family. If one
should suggest to certain people that
the old people might like a little spend
ing money, the answer, ten chances to
one, would be: "Why, what use have
they for money? We get them every
thing they need."- But do you? To
be sure, they do not ask in so many
words; but give them a handful of
change, and see how their eyes bright
en! Do not begrudge them the Httle
sumsr even if, the giving does cost
you some, self-denial. Do you think
they thought it a waste to. gratify
your enactions when you were the de
pendents? Ah, no. To please you
was their one thought and joy. What
'did- they not bear in toil and caref that
you might have your .wishes gratified!
1 Little Earnings -
There are many things by the doing
of which, .the old people could earn a
little money for themselves, and the
doing would bo a pleasure and a re
lief to them. Grandmother could
piece quilts, knit little articles and
garments, cut and sew filling for car
petsfbraid rugs, darn, mend, or stay
with the little ones while the mother
went out for an evening or afternoon,
while -grandfather would delight to do
little tricks of furniture-mending, help
ing with the garden, . doing, easy
chores, sharpening tools, and many
like little services for a neighbor, for
which he would be glad proud, to
receive the remuneration, and the
work would, in either case, serve to
keep alive the waning faculties of the
feeble old body. If such little "jobs"
are ottered them, and rrmv mm n.
cept, let them do so, glad that the
stagnation of their lives" can be "thus
broken up.
Just now a letter came to me, writ
ten by one of our readers in far-away
NewEngland. In the little farm home
there are just two old', ailing people,
and somehow, I think you might like
to read this little extractperhaps
it might set you thinking. Some
where, near your own home, there
may oe lonely old people like these.
She says:
"The Christmas festivities are in
projtreBS all ahmifc im. huf -nr
strangers in a strange land in it, but
uul oi it. -me temperature is down
almost to zero, and last night we had
a howling northwest wind that shook
the windows and loose boards with a
sound like the Fourth of July. We do
not enjoy such weather. I never
dreaded the cold of winter so much
as I do this season. It is hard to
keep warm, now, and it will be much
harder when the snow lies two or
three feet deep about us. If we had
OUr WOOd CUt and hnnlorl nn i .
ghed, the work would not seem so
readthe letter, how ."grateful these
old people would be if their younger,
strong'neighbors would but meet some
day and cut, haul and store their win
ter's fuel 'for them, ready to their
hand, and' thus, with no appreciable
loss of time, in a fdw hours, do what
it would cost the old people days of
hard work and suffering to accom
plish. "Inasmuch 'as ye have done it
unto the least of 'these ye
haver done', it 'unto me.'? Would it not
be well?
For the Girls at Home
"There are many hundreds of young
girls who, having finished at school,
are at home for the first time, this
winter. Before the end of their first
year at home many of them will, be
unhappy and discontented, unless tho
future has something definite to offer
them. Many of them will become
simply unsalaried servants in the
home," says an exchange, "and will not
take cheerfully to the task, while oth
ers will go into business, or wage
worldng, or learning an occupation.
But there will be hundreds who have
neitlier tfte desire nor the aptitude, for
joining, in the struggle, and the prob
lem is, what is to be done with them.
One wise mother suggests a' cpurse
which she' hopes to pursue with her
own daughter. She is going to turn
over tie housekeeping to tier, daugh
ter, and the young lady ' will, each
week, Receive an envelope containing
the amount which must Otherwise be
paid to 'a TiOusekeeper. The ydung
lady will be taught to buy everything
that conies into the house, and can,
if she buys wisely, save from ' the
amount that is stipulated for house
keeping expenses."
This plan has much to recommend
it, as girls would feel much more in
dependent in their own home, and
would be less likely to make a love
less marriage, or enter into the struggle-
with the world, if they could feel
that they were earning something by
the work they do, and that the money
they spend is justly their own. The
sense of responsibility in 'the social
rush would give them the intellectual
poise that is so necessary to one's
happiness, and the experience in real,
boni fide housekeeping would be of
very great value to them in fitting
them to keep homes of their ownV The
amount of wage might not be so .great
as they couid earn in some gainful
occupation, but the work in the home
would carry with It no sense, Te.al or
fancied", of degradation, nor would it
servo to set them outside the pale of
social life because of the mistaken no
tions held in general in regard to the
status of the ."hired girl." The"n, too,
the mother who has tolled and moiled
and saved, it may be, that her daugh
ter should have the best there was to
be had in the way of schooling, would
be able to rest and take her rightful
place among her friends and asso
ciates. The daughter's work in the
home should be treated in a strictly
business way, with no mistaken senti
ment, and in this way, both the par
ents and tha girl would be greatly
benefited.
In many families there will be more
than one daughter, anct in this case,
the work might be divided, each -serving
In the capacity most suited to her
tastes and abilities. To those whose
position in life forbids their going out
into the world to become Independent
workers,, some such an arrangement
might enable them to do in the homo
A Woman's Worries
It is the fashion to scold the women.
Sometimes I think a little v of it is
deserved but not all, for many of us
do such senseless, useless, silly things
under the impression that it is our
duty so to do, or that it ia expected of
us by our associates or demanded of
us by our position. But Is it, really?
It is safe to say. that every wqman
knows her own complexities, The
same things do not- press with equal
weight upon usi'aU; but it is. not to
be denied that there is too much worry
goes to .the maimers of housekeeping;
there are too many preserves, pickles,
canned fruits, cakes and confections;
too many tucks and ruffles an,d trim
mings that go to the elaboration of the
gown that is" in .season so brief a
while; these elaborations add but lit
tle to the beauty of the garment while
adding immensely to the labor of the
sewing woman and the laundress. But
if we suggest such a thing to the aver
age woman, she gives us a frightened
glance and turns hurriedly to the lat
est fashion plate for .defense, while
she knows and you know that it is
but the race with mothers to see
which can transform her young into
the most perfect imitation of the
monstrosities therein pictured. Not
a stitch less will be taken, for all
your preaching.
Women's fetters are largely self
made. Carving, upholstery, draperies,
brasses, bronzes, and other useless
dust-catching tilings that cause
frowns, backache, headaches, lrrita-
Mr. Metcalfe's Book
"OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM"
And Other Stories from
LIFE , -
NOW READY FOR DELIVERY
A. compilation of tho spools! urtloles
written by Richard JL. Motcnlfo for Tho
Commonorand now published In book
form. Cloth bound, printed from clear
typo on hoavy paper, gilt sldo and back
stamps. 200 pagos. Sent postage prepaid
on recolpt of 11.00. Address
Richard L. Metcalfe
LINCOLN,
Care The Commoner
- - NEBRASKA.
housekeeping, by which much of their
expenses as to clpthing, pin-money,
etc., might-be met, thus greatly rGl
lievingthe father in helping him to
boar the burden of their support
Tho Boy's Room
Be sure and make the boy of tho
family feel that e has a p-'art in the
home, and is one of its supporters.
Give the boys a room, collectively, if
it must bo,, but individually, If pos
sible. Let the boy have his own "say"
so far as convenient, as to how the
room shaH be furnished. Let him have
one place in the house where he can
be himself, in which he is reasonably
sure of having a little privacy for his
leisure hours. It 'may be only a room
up under the eaves, but it should be
his, absolutely and permanently. Give
him a large measure of responsibility
as to the care of itt and thus cultivate
a taste for order, and the ability to
bring it about. Let him collect and
keep all his "traps" together here,
and let it be to him a refuge to which
he may turn at any time for privacy
and relief from the worries which
often beset him; for even the boy has
worries, and there are times when
nothing seems so desirable to him as
to get away from every worrying
thing.
".nd do you know, I though,, as I
other work than that of the necessary
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