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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-
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