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The Commoner
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 52
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Kft)epaHme
Old Time Winter Nights
I wish that Father Time, some day,
Would leave unlocked his kitchen
door
And lot mo And the backward way,
By withered year-leaves drifted
o'er,
Just touched with dim, uncer
tain lights,
That leads to old-time winter
nights.
When woodlands, frozen stiff and
still,
Stand numb within the wlntor
gloam, I'd like to peop across the sill
Into my own great-grandma's
homo,
As through the dusky, low
' coiled room,
The candles twinkled into
bloom.
ed, with a long list of waiting appli
cants for admission, and many ben
evolent associations are paying the
expenses of individuals ntil they
can got them into the institutions.
It is a pity that some of our philan
thropists who are soeking ways and
means of disposing of their "sur
plus," do not endow homes where
these poor old men and women could
go, sure of a refuge for the few
years remaining to them.
With velvety, enchanted shoes,
HPtftaftInto tho chimney's warmtn
' ""VmiHai i
And3;backlL&nd forth, with lissom
1 x A UU
turn the
wheel:
Or on the cosy settle sit,
v 6randma's side, and primly
knit:.?
I'd
I'd
sjnging spinning
u-
I'd revel in .. the 'splendid flash
Of tawhy blames that played
around The ample girth of oak and ash,
With sunple grace and purring
, sound,
Or trailed a copper-yellow chain
';, About thevkettle on the crane.
v
)i
With; asts of greenings, round and
i 1 !&( h ' '
With:,' 'essences and savors born
Of home-brewed nectars in the air,
Witfi, snowy dance of popping corn,
'. I'd flrfd ' a hundred fresh de-
j ,. ;.. .i
UgUlS . iij ,11,
. . Ihdllyfpld-time winter jiights.j
Hattie 'Whitney Durbin in Ladies
Worldt
Tho Helpless and Homeless
Notwithstanding the wonderful
JtoroapJerlty" so confidently prom-
' S'if, there are thousands of people
who are out of work. Many of them
are facing the storms of winter after
months of idleness, with no pros
pect of work or means by which to
keep their families from suffering.
Others, driven to desperation by their
inability to get employment of any
kind, are filling the news columns
of the daily press with "suicide"
items. The benevolent associations
are pleading for increased funds in
order to meet the unusual and heavy
demands made upon them, and many
private and personal charities are
trying to help meet the pitiful con
ditions. Among the most difficult
questions to deal with is that of
furnishing work for old people, or
even those past middle age, men, as
well as women. Nobody, apparent
ly, wants them, and in many cases,
those having grown children are
forced to seek support for them
selves because the younger people
are out of work, or earning so little
that they cannot undertake the care
of-the elders. Many of these elderly
people are able to do good work,
. though not strong enough for tho
heavier duties of the home, offices, or
shops or factories; others are in
competent, mentally and physically,
to in any way pay for their keep.
The homes .for old people are crowd-
Women and the Country .Life Com
mission The question is being asked by
many papers and magazines, why, in
appointing the commissioners on
country life, no women were men
tioned. In this connection, Mrs. Gil
man, in Good Housekeeping says:
"The sense of individual citizenship
In women Is far too strong today to
relish, being lumped together as mere
feminine connections of men, and
must be appealed to direct, as re
sponsible citizens; not studied Into
and recommended about as if they
were part of th live stock.- Wc may
appoint experts to tell the -farmer
.what to do with his cows and pigs,
and even enforce right conditions by
law; but when it cqmesto the 'moth
ers, wives and daughters they are
the ones to be nonsuited What we
need in this case is a commIssion
largely -of women: ,'experts in. domed-
tic architecture, decoration, land
scape gardening hduseholdV indus
tries, sanitation, liyg1ene-and physi
cal culture, food preparations, asep
tic cleaning, education" and amuse-ment-r-nine'
. distinguished s authori
ties. They should have, ' sufficient
time forf thorough stu,d$ 'be' amply
supplledtlwith,-rneans, "aiidpSommand
uieiniemgenc nteresc pi uienoip
country"'
Mrs. Gilman further saysrj "Pres
ently we should find ' 'qnt that" the
t women of our ' country ho .work on
farms are the hardest worked and
least paid of any class wo have.
There Is no sweat-shop that fails to
pay something to its hard-driven
slaves; but the sweat-shptf called a
kitchen gives no wages. The work
of the farmer's wife begins earlier
than his, for she has to get his
breakfast; lasts longer than his, for
she has the supper dishes to clean
up and mending to do in the even
ing; is more wearing than his, be
cause it is carried on together with
the cares and labors of child-rearing;
and is far more dangerous than
his, as shown by tho death-rate. The
man works out of doors, the woman
in the house a great disadvantage
to her health; the man's work has
some social outlook; he markets his
crops, he has his political Interests,
he gossips with his friends at the
store or postomce; he is in some
touch with the world's life. The
woman has nothing beyond her
house and family, except the
church; that is why she .so often
becomes insane, and usually with re
ligious mania. Isolation is tho key
to the whole trouble."
pervision, and no farmer would treat
his stock with the indifference as to
its comfort that he shows toward
his children's mental and physical
comfort. ' Many will tell you that
the child should not tie allowed to
complain of the 'teacher, or of the
school; but no man or woman csn
be trusted so implicitly as that. Let
the children talk, even though you
say nothing,' but listen quietly to all
that is said, and then investigate tho
matter in a business spirit. Get ac
quainted with both teacher and the
school house.
back and front; then stitch up the
remaining opening for the shoulder
seams; ciit an. opening down the
back for a placket hole, large enough
to allow the garment to be slipped
over the, baby's head. Finish the
placket and the neck with a soft
ribbon binding, and close the neck
and placket with. several buttons and
button holes. When you lay the
baby down, or take It out into the
air, put it into this bag, feet fore
most, and button and band about its
neck. The baby can exercise all it
will, as its hands tmd feet "are free,
and they will keep warm and comfortable.
Another "Sign of the Times"
The St. Louis court of appeals has
given progressive matrimony an
other blow by deciding that a man
can not evade the payment of ali
mony by assuming the responsibili
ties of caring for a second or third
wife. The learned judges say that
even the clothes on the man's back
may be- taken a "pay up or go
naked," verdict; for the judges hold
that alimony ia a preferred claim,
and tha,t an ex-husband's clothing
may be., seized to enfo.rce payment.
The. fact that a man's salary is not
large enough to support two fami
lies, thp court .declares,. ,has nothing
to do with the case; Jiis first wife
must first be satisfied, even If he
Iqves the second wife best. The sec
ond wife knew, or should, ha,v,e
known about the alimonv. and she
:inust g$t along withwhat Ijer prer
aecessor leaves., i;nis decision, iqoKff
like a , good' idyr, an,d gdo,d
sense. It Is in, ffnetap wl.th.v,tl6
time-honored maxlp,. aBe sure you
are .off with, tlie old love before you
are ;pn with ,ther ney" St, L.qus'
, For JBabyJs Buggy ,
w Make thevpad for the baby's buggy
of white linen, perfectly plain, .with
a border of insertion sewed en about-
three inches from the edge. Bead
ing can be used, and ribbon run
through, making a flat border, if pre
ferred. Leave one end of the cover
open, and close with buttons and
button-holes.
'A very pretty pillow for the buggy
is made of wide insertion and ribbon
the same width ; or the Insertion may
be of lace, and for the ribbon, em
broidery may be used, of the same
width as the insertion. Tie in -bolster
style at both ends, the frilled
portion being finished with narrow
lace and ribbon.
When a house mother feels her
self growing irritable and easily
fretted, it means over-doing, fatigue
and physical exhaustion, and she
should simply "let loose" of every
thing and lie down. One day in bed
at such' times will save a' dozen that
ought to be spent in bed later.
Some Reminders
Do not neglect to visit the schools.
Go as often as you can, and study
the conditions into which you send
your little folks every day. The par
ents will send the children "to
school," knowing nothirg of what is
being done, from day to day. No
business man would turn his stock
For the Young Baby
Mothers all know how difficult it
is to keep the baby's hands and feet
covered and warm, as the little one
is constantly tossing them about
and displacing all covering. Here is
a1 garment, the making of which is
not difficult, and for the little one
that has not yet learned to crawl,
it is very comfortable: Buy a couple
of yards of eider-down flannel,
double It, and sew the selvedges on
each side together, making a sort
of bag of It Find the center of the
widths at the mouth of the bag and
Little blankets for the baby's bed
Can be made of a good quality of
outing' flannel about ten cents a
yard, and these blankets are quite
warm and comfortable, and have tho
advantage over woolen that they can
be washed and scalded, and even
.boiled, without Ifijury. Crib quilts,
and little robes for the buggy can
be made of the outing flannel, used
as lining, while the cover may be
made of any suitable stuffs. Very
serviceable, as' well as inexpensive
little cloaks, capes, or coats can be
made of bleached turklsh toweling,
and these can be washed without in
jury. Embroidere.d garmerits should be
Ironed on flannel. Lay , the' right
side ofthe embroidery on the' flan
nel and press the: "wron'gside qu'ite
firmly with the Iron; Continuing the
process until the garment i? perfect
ly dry. Ironed in this way, every
lne and curve of the 'embroidery
will be brought out and the ' gar
ment will have an entirely different
appearance than when pressed' on the
right side on the ordinary ironing
bqard. The thicker the flannel, the
better the work will show up.
"" '' . ' ""-',
Treatment pt the Amaryllis Jolmr-
i. soniiM - - " i.ts
r ThlB beautiful bulb'nsually'Modnife'
rh Iviarch, and should be started'into'
growth in early January. ' Bring thre
pot'into the light, and treat as you
would any other -winter blo6ming
TiUTb. A good sized bb wlllr have
several' stalks," ahd- each stalK-'WIII
bear two to f bur, and sbmetimfis even
Wore, beautiful "red lilies, wTiich Will
keep perfect' f 6r -quite a -long- tinle.
This bulb is very easily cared for,
and if giyen any kind of reasonable
treatment will not fail to bloom.
When the last flower fades, the stem
should be removed, cutting it- off
near the surface of the soil, and. the
development of the foliage should be
encouraged by shifting the bulb into
a larger pot as soon as the flower
scape has been removed. This will
tend to enlarge the bulb and bring
on vigorous growth of foliage. In
some cases, the bulb will use up its
energy in growth instead of forming
bud-germs, and may not bloom the
next year. Give this bulb a sunny
situation, and after the foliage has
fully developed, and begins to fade
(become yellow), water sparingly,
letting the plant gradually become
dry and the foliage lifeless, after
which give it barely water enough
to keep it from drying entirely out.
The bulb has laTge, fleshy roots
which dust-dryness will ruin. In the
summer, the bulb may be bedded out
in the border, and it will often bloom
in the autumn under this treatment,
Mending Knit Underwear
Many times the neck and bottom
of the sleeves of underwear give way
while the rest of the garment is
good. To remedy this, cut off the
frayed portion and knit or crochet
of goods over to a stranger, to be
housed, or cared for without his bu- round out the middle to fit the neck,
AN OI.D AND WELIi TRIED REMEDY
Mns. Winbi-ow's Soototno Syhup for children
teethintr should always bo used for children whll
tectums. It softens tho gums. Uay the pain
cures wind colic and Is tho best ronncdy for diar
rhooa. Twcnty-flve cento A bottla.
