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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 1907)
& , wwawgrs Il'lli i " w f h & V r -, i fc j '. 2 f i ' -r" .-v ,v & J. h f ' , .,.! I Ml 'i i li Ml '! The Commoner. in WSSB0fl ti MSM fi IS5WA. . 0 , mc xvflBssirji . -. n. rrf ryj-u st,..s.- A.y jr n u tF ' 'Jiirz - M ";vuuiviuvvy r M r ftai I f J ihf mjESe Boforo It is Too Lato If yon hnve a gray liaircil mother In tlic old home I'lir away, Hit down and write tin letter Yon put off day ly day. Don't wail until lier tired slepn Roach heaven's pearly gate But show her llial. you think of her Hoforo 11 is loo late. If you've a lender message, Or a loving word to .say, Don't, wall, till you forget it, Kill wIiImmmi II Iniliiv. Who knows what iJltter memories May haunt, you if you wait? So make your loved ones happy llefore it Is loo lale. i We live hut in the present, The future is unknown Tomorrow Is a mystery, Today Is all our own. The chanee that fortune lends to uh May vanish while we wait, So spend your life's rieh treasure Before It Is too lale. The tender words unspoken The letter never sent, The long-forgot I en messages, The weallh of love unspent, For these some hearts are breaking, For these some loved ones wait fcjo show them that you earo for them Before it is too late. Selected. "Spring Winds" Not just yet, but they will soon be blowing through our open windows, and it is time to plan for them. Are you one who leaves everything to be done "at once," rather than begin early and do "by littles" what performed ."in the lump" will surely break one down? If you are, try the easy way, thlH time, and begin doing as soon as you iind yourself with a moment of leisure. An hour of sorting out eveiy day. one room at: a time, will bring you to me end with vastly more strength and comfort than any olhor way. The closets, cupboards, odd corners, boxes, bags, bundles, may be undertaken at odd times and spare afternoons and evenings, and in this leisurely overhauling, the simple needs of any department of the housekeep ing may be brought to light, and ne cessities provided for the work of the larger cleaning. If one could only keep things clean, Instead of cleaning things up, It would simplify matters; but there are bo many things lying In wait for every spare moment that one should hesitate to blame the woman who gets behind hand with her work. In going through the corners often, however, the ac cumulation may be much less, and you can thus know better what resources are at hand. This Is especially true, In the matter of preparing the clothing for the coming season, as, by knowing just what you have, and planning bow -it may be used to the best advantage, the necessities may be planned for and purchased much more economically. epa looking belter, if kept in repair. Very few women can handle tools with enough skill to do the odd Jobs of re pairing. I confess that I am one of the helpless ones. Besides, the tools generally to be found about the house are such as no self-respecting me chanic would think of using. Did you ever notice the, hammer, saw, or halehel that lies about the house? Did you ever try to work with them? Did you ever hear your husband "say things" when he was forced to take them tip? Many things cannot be done until the stoves are taken out, but there are a few ihlnirs that can. Here a little and there a little, the tasks can be worked out. It Is not always the wo man who "puts off." Locks need oil ing and repairing: windows need new cords or fastenings; stops need tight ening; the hinges are loose and the doors are sagging: a window-pane is wanting; a shelf should be put up; hooks are needed; a chair Is broken, or "come loose." the table Is "stng gery," the plastering is cracked or broken and needs patching; the door step is rickelty, and a thousand little things that make or mar the comfort of the family, may be attended to now. A side-walk, if only of the loose stones that are found on many farms, will add to the comfort and cleanliness of all the family. The porches may be out of repair, or the yard fences may need attention. The more you do now, dear, brother, the less will confront you when the busy season sets you to rushing. Do not forget the collar, if you have one; and if you have not, a few days' work, while you can do io out-doors business, will be "dollars" In your pocket, during the hot days, and the coming winter. u all those branches, yet bo decidedly "slack" about keeping things neat and clean. Macli one of the many branches are becoming specialized, and there are cookery schools, sewing schools, dressmaking, millinering, laundries, bakeries, and each one of these M miles" linvo brunches, anv one of which may be learned and followed as a business. This specializing is not so wise as one would suppose, for nearly every girl expects sometime to marry and have a homo of her own. If she dots, she should be past-mistress of every one of these branches, oven though she may be fortunate enough not to have to do with her own hands: but the chances are that she will. And to these duties will be added others of which the girls are nearly always perfectly ignorant, for the health of the family, few or many membered, will lie in or untried hands, as homes are now con ducted. It is predicted by some of our foremost thinkers, tnat the work ." the homes, will be much modified or changed radically, in future, in order to fit in with the changed conditions and diversified demands from the outside. VOLUME 7,. NUMBER 4 been given its proper place among th industries; the opinion has always more or less existed that any girl or woman, no matter the amount o"f in telligence and executive ability or the lack of it that is her portion, can be a satisfactory wife, mother and house keeper, until woman, herself, hag be come disgusted with the low estimate, and has sought a supposed higher sphere one suited to . a supposed higher intelligence, thus leaving the disreputable and degrading business where public opinion has placed it in the hands Uiat are supposed to be fitted for nothing else. The awakening to the just estimate of the work that no one can do so well no the versatile woman has occasioned some inconvenience to the world, but when the business, profession, trade (all these and more in one) of home Making and housekeeping has been placed upon its proper level, bright, self-respecting women will no longer fight against learning its intricacies aud depending upon it as a means of livelihood. For Other Hands Do not hosltaie to call in all the ueip you can get. Point out to the good man the various places where Ins help, in the way of tools and re pairing, will be Invaluable. In these matters, he is as much interested as you are, for the property will be all the more valuable, lasting longer and TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAY Many things for the outdoor garden may be started now in the window boxes; but the hot bed is so much bet ter for such things, and costs but lit tle except time and labor, that it is better to have even a small one say one window-sash size. The plants do so much better, too. and so much more can be grown with no fear of freezing if the fire should go out at night, or the wind through the cracks about the window should chill the plants. Many of our people do have such things; but it is to the one who has not, that 1 am now talking. Do make the best of your homes; much depends upon voa, and there is much the wife should not have to do. Specializing It is the desire of nearly all women, whether the necessity exists or not, to no a Die to earn their own living, so that, in case such a necessity should arise hey may meet the demands. As conditions now are one can never be sure that this need will not overtake her, sooner or later. Hence, it is but the part of wisdom to insist that cverv gir be taught to do some one tiling well. But that women may not have to win their way at the expense of womanhood, the subject should be dls uissed in all its bearings. First, for a woman, we think of housework. But housework has so many branches. The thorough housekeeppr, like the "all around builder," is seldom found, be .fiuso housekeeping has become such 5SdM Snm,Suro of tmdcs' bllsl ."id callings. There are special needs SJo and training, fi yhich he branch termed cookery is but loo often a dismal failure. Yet, one can bo an excellent cook and a very poor laundress or indifferent seara- ou-usa.i, sue mnv hn ni. "- UAL'UimUC For the Little Folks One of the most useful patterns for children is the bloomer drawers for little girls. They will serve instead of petticoats, and should be cut very full on a circular pattern; the openings ara on the sides, and they are finished at the waist with bands and button holes, to be buttoned onto the waist, the same as other drawers. The full ness of each part, or side, is gathered into a close band and fastened below the knee with button and buttonholes. These may be made of woolen ma terial of the same color as the dress, or they may bo made of the same ma terial as the dress. The usn.nl lmR or cotton underwear may be used un der them, and they will thus keep the little thlichs warm. Knit iimiovwnnv should extend down to the ankle, well into the shoe-top, no matter what other garment is used above the knee. The skirt of the little dress should extend over the drawers about an inch. Pa per patterns for these little garments will cost ten cents each. "Too Versatile" A writer in' a Sunday publication tells us that "Women are too versa tile; they are prone to try a little of many things, sticking to none of them long enough to reach even a moderate degree of perfection." Running over a- list of "things" in which it is demanded that the house wife must be proficient, it seems a 111 tie amusing to read of her great ver satility as being a fault. If to the de mands of the mere housewife be ad ded those made upon the wife? mother 5Sl 1r?:kepei; ".e appalled at the , ,.. UMV uusiness, professions and callings with which she must have an intimate knowledge, and with the exercise of which she must have eve v day experience. "ut,vc..y No woman who "does her own work" --whatever that may meanwith a nv snilv LT T V.cS vol siui nope to become a specialist nn may tend. There mav bo qnmn iinM in which she may do bete work $ along others; but the positive demand 'ire so varied, and have todowE many things, that it requires a cat siderable amount of versatility anil . decided intelligence in order t Pdo even Uie most important of them well The work of keeping a home has neve? "Learning a Business" Nearly every woman who is supposed to have, or to be able to command the least influence with publishers, is often appealed to by Other women for help in "getting tliom an easy job, where they can make some money." Most of these women are wives, moth ers, housekeepers, with hands already full and time well taken up in caring for their families: tliev cannot cro out into the gainful occupations, and the idea strikes them that newspaper work is the ideal money-maker, as it can be done at home, and will take so lit tle time! They know they could do this work without it at all interfering with their home life, and many of them state that they have been contributing to their home or county papers, and perhaps others, tor years, never having anything ejected, but never having had anything paid for. The majority of them watit to start out as-conductors of Home or Woman's pages. a?fiey know they could do work like that. Perhaps they could," if they were trained for it; but their letters show that they have very little idea as to what such work calls for. There are a few callings In AUliich there is not more or less hard work plenty of it, and some of it will be dis agreeable work drudgery. No pro fession or business can be taken up and made successful at once as a money-earner, by those who have had no practical experience in its work ings. Natural qualifications count for much; but to these must bo added at least enough knowledge of its require ments to insuro a sense of its respon sibilities and a perseverance in seeking to master its details. Women who are attracted to a businpss because they feel a special adaptation to it, "and are willing to work, and have courage to overcome obstacles and a determina tion to succeed despite of discourage ments, stand just as good a chance of succeeding as men do, provided tliey are willing to commence at the bot tom and work up, pay or no pay. A knowledge of technicals is helpful, but nothing will take the place of practical experience. There are no "easy jobs" lying about a newspaper office. Even though you are but a "correspondent," ,ul' " wol-k, anu work hard. And oven then, you may fail of success. About Porches A writer in "Indoors and Out" says: In all parts of the country passers by see porches on which nobody sits a waste of more things than spaco find lumber. Deluded home-builders at ciV t0 t f ront8 .of llloi1, houses a SSL HT , or shGd of 'various widths, in full view of the street or encircle their sitting rooms and librar- 'J 2Trr2E2! . pjmxmmmvjmtmimmmmmautiasKr, taww-ZZTr Z?, MX