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The Commoner.
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VOLUME 9, "NUMBER 1
in
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" r mMnJ flPWA'JHD IV
Two and Two
Light tho lamp and draw tlio cur
tain, Dorcas Is growing bold;
Hoar him raging round tho caso
mont Ah, tho night is wild and cold!
All within is light and comfort
All without is wintry storm;
And within tho lamp light's circle,
All my housohold, sheltered warm.
And of all God's happy creatures,
1, tonight, should happiest be
Peaco and plenty all about mo
Blessings and prosperity.
Not iv thought of tho tomorrow
Vexes mo with anxious pain,
And I caro not if it bringoth
Storm of wind, or snow, or rajn.
But tho storm-Icing brings a messago
To my soul to others dumb;
And ho boats upon tho window,
.Shouting hoarsely to mo, "Come!"
Out, away, through storm-swept
pathways,
Plies my soul, In swift roleaso,
To a city, white and silent,
Which Is called "Tho Gates of
Peaco."
jror upon Its close-shut portals,
' Wild, wot winds and sobbinj rain,
Wintry sloot or summer tempest,
Pour their mighty wrath in vain.
Not a quiver stirs an eyelid,
; -.Not a sigh oscapes the lips,
And a sllonco, strange, unbroken,
uroous oor loiuou linger-tips.
, Hero I call "Love, 'tis your mother!
Is your rest so deop and sweet
That you hoar no sound of sobbing
In tho cold rain's icy boat?
Aro you so contented, darling,
In His bosom foldod warm,
That no earth-thought stirs of others
Whom you left, still in tho storm?"
; Though with bated breath I listen,
Plodding, prayer alike aro vain;
So, with grieving heart, I hasten,
Onward, with my guide again.
Flootor than the fleetest flies ho
This wild king, in wintry wrath,
Ana my spirit rides tho tempest,
t Close upon tho storm-king's path.
i ...
jPiuibo wo then, upon the mountain;
'Mid the pines our wild flights
coaso,
And tho tompest, white and breath
loss, Falls on other "Gates of Peace."
O'or a llttlo.jmound, my spirit
Knools and sobs, in bitter pain;
"Darling, do you hoar your mother
urying to you, through tho rain?
' tV
"Does tho tompest touch you, darling,
With its snow and ice and sleet,
Or do summer sun and blossom
Bless tho pathways for your feet?
Darling-" Warm hands fold my
Angers
"Mamma, can you hear the
storm?"
And my child's warm lips recall me
. To tho lamp-light bright and
warm.
1 wo. Two children play about me,
Life and laughter in each breath
Two. Tho Gates of Peaco close
tightly,
And their warden grim is Death.
H. W. M.
"tanking tho Most of Things"
In theso disagreeably hard times,
when so many men and women aro
out of work, tho eriforced idlers will
find their vacations not entirely lost
time, if thoy will but look about
them and see where thoy can do lit
tle odd jobs about tho home. There
are always pieces of furniture that
need repairing, and one or two nails,
or screws, or a dab of glue, a tack
or two, and a bit of paint or varnish
will renew tho life of a crippled chair
or table, making it last a much longer
time, and give greater satisfaction.
A castor may be wanting, and a joint
lnnao nnd flirutn. In tlio CflSA of tables.
may cause a lot of broken dishes,
some day. A lock on window or door
may need a turn qf tho wrist with
screw-driver, or a tightening up with
a bit of "filling." A scrap of putty
will sometimes do wonders, and a
little plnstor of paris Will shut out
many a tiny draft of air, and save
tho further loosening of wall plas
ter. A board in the walk may be
loose, waiting unwary feet, and
may do serious injury by tripping
the passer up. There are thousands
of little things one can find to do,
and in doing, add comfort, conven
ience and health, to say nothinc: of
.tho longer life of property. Many
people refuse to put these little
touches to property not their own;
but thoy, not the landlord alone,
suffer for tho out-of-order condition
of tho premises, and the man who
will not respect himself enough to
keep his surroundings as neat and
well-conditioned as possible, will do
very little better when working for
himself. Habit is a great factor in
tho life of every one, and it is a
very slovenly, uncomfortable habit
to fall into simply because oar sur
roundings happen to be the property
of another, to neglect our own com
fort. It is a little thing to nail on
a loosened picket, or adjust the gate
hinge, to nail down the loose plank
in the board walk; but it counts in
comfort and respectability. Besides,
tne man who makes theso little re
pairs gets a bit of skill, and a feel
ing of self-respect that will not be
lost when he "owns his own."
days. A very great enemy to the
successful cultivation of early lettuce
is the English sparrow, which strips
tho bed of its tender leaves in a few
minutes. A bed of lettuce plants
may be preserved by enclosing it
with old screen wire taken from the
whole portions of the screens and
used on doors and windows last
year.
Cleaning Windows
Tt In nlfilmPfl Hint the window
panes may be cleaned in winter and
the frost entirely removed by using
a" gill of alcohol with a pint of hot
water; wash quickly and polish with
chamois skin. Another way -is to
make a paste of Spanish whiting and
water, dab this paste thickly over
the glass, let dry on, and polish with
a soft cloth, or crumpled newspaper.
If window panes are washed with
soap they are apt to be streaky.
It is not tho one who attends the
church gatherings the most unfail
ingly who is closest to God, Many of
our noblest and best carry thdir
hearts to the "secret chamber," and
God listens and comforts. "To be
alone with God" is it not a beauti
ful thought? To carry thither all
our heartaches, burdens and disap
pointments and discouragements,
sure of a hearing and sympathy
tuat is blessedness.
tho spirit in which ;.she worked,
which carried her to" the sunset of
her days with a heart touched with
tenderness for all humanity. In
writing of her, one of .her biograph
ers says: "It is among the hardest
lessons that of learning to he
patient under harsh judgment, care
less misconception, or intentional
misrepresentation. To fight a wrong
against which the whole nature re
volts, is one thing; to lceep Belf
poised, working against opposition
without hatred or prejudice, with an
eye intent only upon what is sought
to be accomplished, is another, and
ono which only the grandest natures
can accomplish." In the early days
of the new year, it would.be well
to think of these things,, setting our
ideals higher, and determining to
work harder than ever before to
reach them. We all have battles to
fight, and one of the hardest foes
to conquer is human nature self.
Slinking Hands
In shaking hands, people who are
lull of life, spirits and good will
never allow the hand to lie limp in
that 'of the other party, hut when
they shake hands, they do it as
though they meant the spirit as well
as the letter of the custom. There
should always be a difference, how
ever, between the whole-souled
"shake" and the deadly grip which
occasions pain. A friendly pressure
ot the hand puts your visitor or
chance acquaintance at his or her
ease, leaving no doubt as to your
disposition toward him. To. most
men and women, a firm, warm,
friendly grasp of the hand is moire
expressive of character than the low
est bow, or most flattering words.
The Rose-Bed
Now is a' good time to cover the
rose-bed and tender perennials. If
you saved the leaves and the trim
mings of your shade trees, you should
lay a few twigs over the beds and
In the spaces fill the leaves. We
have had so little rain, in onany. re
gions, that the leaves are as light
as and fluffy as when they fell and
they are excellent protection against
the snow and sleet and frosts which
may bo expected during the next
few- months. Verv sovoro wAntii
seldom comes until after the new
year begins, and in many latitudes,
February and March storms are the
most disastrous. Bo good to your
plants, indoors and out.'
AN OLD AND WELL TRIED REMEDY
,,i1?- w,,NSV?w,'9'SuoTiiiNa Svnui for children
JcqUi iiRniiauhl nlwnys lo used for children whiio
tcctlilnir. It sonoiii Iho minis, nllnys tb" Mii
cuicHWIiulcollo mid Is tho bust remedy for dmr'
rhociu Twenty-ilvoccnls a bottle. Umr
It Is a little too early, unless you
have very unusual facilities, to start
seeds and roots into growth; but
ono should have the order for garden
and flower seeds well on the way to
the seedsman. Many of the hardier
kinds of either may be started in the
house next month, and made stocky
by frequent transplantings, ready for
the garden when tho time comes for
nutting them. out. Lettuce plants
fnii110t ,stArt?d ln: cold fmes last
fall, might be pushed forward, for
they stand lots of cold in the spring
"Gathering Up the Fragments"
The economical person will find no
end of instances in which the prin
ciple of "gathering up the frag
ments" may be effectively applied,
not only in tho matter of foods, but
of other materials, and a very great
saving will be found to result. In
the matter of half-worn or out
grown, or out-of-date clothinc, won
derful reconstructions and new com
binations may be made by the woman
who knows how to use her scissors,
needle and thimble, and has the
"bump of constructiveness" well de
veloped. Many pieces of underwear
can be made "as erood n.n now" in
this way, and will be made to serve
for several seasons, thereby saving
for a better class of goods the next
time. The fashions of the day ad
mit of many COmhinn.Hnna nf o
terials, not only of dresses, but of
uuiwr garments, and dyeing has be
come such an. easy matter that, if
the colors do not suit tho inOV.
perienced woman, by paying strict at
tention to directions to be found on
the package of dyes, can achieve ex
cellent results. Often, by the use of
a bit of new goods, a worn garment
may be "made over" without being
ripped apart, and if n mnforini
all soiled, there are so many recipes
for cleaning and removing spots and
stains that if care is exercised, there
is often little need for extensive reno
vation. Housewives who have more
time than money, should make a
study of these subjects, as "money
saved is money earned."
:tr
Query Box ..;.--
A. R: Your letter 'r,ea'ched me'top?1
late for the information 'to ' bene'fttr'
y0UV ' . .. '."i-M i.i-'l Zf--yK-
"Puzzled." - A cotton material
called taffeta, costing about twenty
five cents a yard, is much used for
drapery for windows and doors.
L. L. To give lace the "old" look,
wash it carefully to free it from all
dust and soil, and dip it in tea (such
as is used for the table), or squeeze
it out of saffron tea until of the de
sired shade.
Invalid. To help the circulation,
use a hair mitten, flesh brush, or even
Turkish towelling, rubbing the body
and limbs vigorously on arising in
the morning, and, if convenient, be
fore going to bed at night. -
Ella S. The word, Mizpah, means
"The Lord watch between me and
thee when we are absent one from
another."
Though used between friends, in
the case referred to between Laban
and Jacob, it implied a want of faith
in the good intentions of either in
Becoming Embittered
It is written of the late Susan B
Anthony that she prayed that she
might not become bitter and unjust
toward men because of the abuses
and injustices dealt out to women bv
some of them through the laws of
the land. She did not wish to for
get or undervalue the thousands of
just and noble men who loved the
right and sought to protect women
from the workings of the unjust laws
on tho statute books. This was
Can't Do It
Hqart affections will not get well ,f
themselves; neither do they remain In
active. If the cause Is not removed,
they 'continue to grow In number and
severity.
ThQV Jiro t.VlO niltf"T'rntrl-Vi rf -wT,,,r,-,l
nerve force, and tho heart can not stop
iV0St' aJ do the o)er organs, arid
must continue to struggle until com
pletely disabled, and that's the end.:,.
J?i ithe very flrst. Indcations of heart
2nwle you ca aP a11 Progress and
effect a cure by the uso of ' . .
Dr. Miles' Heart Cure
the most effective heart remedy known.
LbJi!ldB up' foed? and strengthens tlo
nerves and muscles of the heart, and'
restores It to perfect health. '
"I had serious heart trouble, for two
fto,8 m He seemed to hang by 2
Kr-ndVUo.nTTmy attention was called'
tSwn'tin8 eart 9,uro T commenced
th0 Heart Cme and Nervine,'
and In two months thoy restored mo to
comparatively good health.''
REV. W. A. ROBINS, Port-Elgin, Onfc
Tho first bottle will' benefit,, if .'not
tho druggist will return your money!
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