, , mi mm JXh J J 9 f y- -T- --
., H4
h4M(UtMPfM
. r
The Commoner.
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 15
8
IWt
K
fc
IV
e. .
I
r
E.
Mtiu. 7 f vi zlt - fl mtrai; nvjw
SasWfTf. i dH WJF
i irjiw r-jffc'i i n ' iii 'uunr i
w. a iji,TjarHT- ii c in , irv i
an io 75lafi?v A- '-'ii'iLj'
voii
Conducfodby
"Necn Watts &
yrt&fffeT . A
rtment 9
uepa
My Mother's Cookie Jar
In fi dim old country pantry wlioro
tho liglit just sifted through,
Whoro tliey kept tho pies and spices
and tho jam and honey, too,
Whoro tho air was always fragrant
with tho smell of things to oat,
And tho coolness was a refuge from
tho burning summer heat,
It was tlioro I used to find it, when
I went to help myself
That old cookie Jar a-sctting under
neath tho pantry shelf.
Talk of manna straight from heaven,
why, it isn't on a par
With thoso good old-fashioned cook
ies from my mother's cookio jar.
They wore crisp and light and flaky;
they had lots of sugar on;
And I think tho way they tasted that
tho fountains of tho dawn
Had boon robbed to give them flavor,
and tho sweetness of tho south
Had been kneaded in them somehow,
for they molted in your mouth.
How I used to cat thoso cookies when
I camo in from my play;
Yet tho jar was never empty, splto
of all I put away.
Oh tho "days that wore" wore better
than dyspeptic days that are,
And I wish I had a cookio from my
mother's cookio jar!
I am sick of fancy cooking; I am
weary of tho ways
Of tho butler and tho waiters. Givo
mo back my boyhood days!
Givo mo back the good old kitchen,
with its roominess and light,
Whoro tho farm hands did their
"sparking" almost overy winter
night.
Givo mo back my boyhood hunger
and tho things my mother made;
Givo mo back that woll-fllled pantry
whoro I used to make a raid.
Take mo back, as though forgetting
all tho years which mark and
mar
Let mo tasto once moro tho cookies'
irom my mother's cookio jar.
A. D. Braloy, in Homo Magazine.
adjoining or opposito? If there is,
ten chances to one, tho owner will
at once begin building, tearing up the
street and filling it with building ma
terials; or it is a menace to health
and decency, as a vacant lot in a city
becomes a dumping ground for every
kind of refuse, offensive aliko to
sight and smell; or it is the scene of
wild orgies by tho idle children of
tho neighborhood. An adjoitfing sa
loon, butcher shon or bakerv is not
. . .- f
a desirablo neighbor, as the first is an
offense against morality, while tho
other two draw roaches, mice, and
other vermin which are impartially
distributed throughout tho building.
There are so many things which
"make a difference," that the chango
of residence is one of the hardest
problems to settle satisfactorily
which the housewifo has to face.
For tho Homo Seamstress
For tho old lady whoso back
is
adhere perfectly to the glass. Every
particle of the foil should be evenly
pressed down on tho glass, else there
will bo "blisters."
May-Day and Moving
Although tho first day of May has
long boon considered moving day,
most of families chango their resi
dence during April, and if agents are
to bo boliovod, house-hunting is one
of tho delights of the times, as overy
tasto and purso can bo immediately
bujiuu uii inspection or tho shelters
they offer. But tho woman who has
fretted and worried herself into ser
ious illness hunting for thoso "bar
gains" of tho real estato agent's list,
declares that only thoso having long
purses or indifferent tastes can find
what they may oven "make do." It
maices an tiio airroronco in tho world
the size of -the purse and tho tastes
of tho would-be renter. There is no
end to flats, apartments, rooms, dwel
lings and cottages, but the family
that would suit a slim purso with
good light, pol-fect plumbing, re
spectable exterior, good neighbors
" and reasonablo conveniences, to
gether with sanitary surroundings,
must look long and despairingly, and
at last prepare to pay a good price
after long and exhausting search;
and oven then, moro than likely will
have to take something that will fall
far short of requirements. Tho criti
cal house-hunter will ask questions
something like these: Is the noigh-
borhood respectable? Does the land
lord require references? (If not, the
chances aro against having good
neighbors.) Is there a vacant lot
bowed with weakness and years, the
round back of her gown may have
threo darts in the lining from the
waist lino to tho shoulder blades, and
tho outsido material be smoothed in
place over them; in some cases, the
outsido will need a few plaits at the
center of the waist line to dispose
of the extra fullness. If the figure
is broad at the hips, but not full, put
some darts in the lining of the skirt
at the apex of tho hips and smooth
the' outsido material over this, unless
tnero is no lining, when tucks, shirrs,
etc., may bo used. If the hips are
full, make a deep dart in tho front
and the back of the center of the
hips in the lining, and the lining
should bo soft enough to enable you
to fit it closely, avoiding stiffness. If
tho abdomen is prominent, darts in
the front gore of a skirt are a ne
cessity, and tho top of tho skirt must
aiso ue carelully fitted to prevent its
pulling up and the bottom standing
out.
The outside material of n. tnUnro
gown may bo fitted perfectly around
tho waist lino by usinir a wt. r.intii
and a hot flat iron, combined with a
deft method of turning and twisting
tho iron which tailors certainly pos
sess. A tailor places a wet cloth on
the wrong sido of material and
shrinks the latter into shape with a
warm iron over tho cloth until the
cloth is dry; the iron does not re
main quiet, as that would mark the
gooas, out is on the move, working
away as though endowed with life.
A collar or lapel that "fulls" is
treated in tho same manner, using a
medium heavy iron, but for a large
piece, like a skirt, or a coat, a heavy
iron is used, moving it actively one
way, and never allowing it to rest
in ono place. This is one reason why
a man tailor does better work than
a woman can because ho has the
strength to use the suitablo iron for
tho work. Ladles' Home Journal
Wall Hangings
To paste oil cloth on the wall,
make a paste tho same as if you
wero to use paper, only put some
glue in whilo the paste is hot two
ounces of gluo dissolved in a little
water to a gallon of paste; put tho
paste on both wall and oil cloth, and
apply the cloth to the wall, as you
would paper, and it will stick. This
for ceiling as well as sides. The
common table oil cloth is often used,
but tho cloth prepared expressly for
the walls is better, having a fleeced
side to go next to the wall.
To make paper stick on a ceiled
wall (boards), get a cheap grade of
muslin, and take strips as long as
tho walls are high, or the ceiling
wide, and begin by tacking one end
of the cloth at the top, then stretch,
and tack a short distance along one
side, then an equal distance 'on the
other side, tacking in the middle as
you go along, continuing until the
length is fastened to the wall, then
take another strip, fitting the edges
of the strips together, do as with the
first strip, and repeat until the walls
and ceiling are all covered. Some
paper hangers wet the muslin with
a paste in which two or three ounces I
or dissolved glue is added to each
gallon of paste, then paste and apply
the paper as to a plastered wall. The
cracks between the boards would
better be filled with the same kind
of filling used in floor cracks, thus
giving no room for insects, and mak
ing the wall smoother. If paper is
put on the boards without the mus
lin, it will break along every joining
of tho boards. Some persons paste
and tack strips of old muslin or
lawn over the joinings and cracks,
and thus save expense.
For papering hard finished plaster
or painted walls, go over the surface
with a size made by soaking and dis
solving one pound of glue, and when
thoroughly dissolved, pour over it
three gallons of boiling water con
taining one tablespoonful of pow
dered alum. If the walls have been
whitewashed or kalsomined, wash
with hot vinegar; or make the paste
of vinegar instead of water. If the
wans are very rough, smooth down
the roughness with a smooth piece
of hard wood and apply a coating
ofr paste to dry on them before apply
ing the pasted paper.
of water has been dissolved. Let lie
in this water several hours, or over
night. When ready to wash, squeeze
out what water you can, and if you
have a washing machine, put them
in a strong suds made of soft water
and any good laundry soap, then
work the machine as for any tubful;
if it is a good machine, it will not
damage the curtains. When clean
as tho water will make them, put
them through the wringer, and then
put them into the boiler, as any other
white clothes; let boil fifteen to
twenty minutes, or half an hour,
then put through the machine again,
put through clear rinse water, then
through a slightly blue water, and
they are ready for the starch. If
no machine, after taking them from
the soak water, put into strong suds,
squeezo and work them about until
tho dirt is well out of them, then
either put through a wringer, or
squeeze as much water out of them
as possible, put into clean boiling
water, let boil as usual, run through
another lighter suds, rinse in clear
water, then through blue water. The
lace must not be twisted or rubbed,
but squeezed and patted about.
Starch thinly, and if you have a
stretcher, put them at once on that;
if not, lay a clean sheet on the car
pet, fastening it down smooth with
pins or tacks, and pin the curtain
on that, pulling it in shape. '
Lace- doilies, tidies, scarfs, and
other knit or crocheted articles may
be cleaned in the same way. If there
are holes in the curtains, wet a piece
of old curtain, matching as well as
possible, in thick starch and pat or
press the piece over the hole smooth.?
ly, and let dry on it.
Re-silvering a Damaged Mirror
Pour upon a sheet of tin foil three
drams of quicksilver to tho square
foot of foil; rub smoothly with a
piece of buckskin or chamois skin
until tho foil becomes brilliant. Lay
tho glass upon a flat surface a table
or board face downward; place the
ion upon the damaged portion of the
glass, lay a sheet of paper on the
foil, and place upon it a block of
wood or a piece of marble with a
perfectly flat surface; put upon it
sufficient weight to press it down
tight; lot it remain in this position
for a few hours, and the foil should
A Recommended Whitewash
Put one peck of unslacked lime in
a large iron kettle; pour on sufficient
water to slack it to a smooth paste-
add one quart of coarse salt, and let
.1. outuu lux- one weeic, when it will
be ready for use. Tho vessel must
be large enough to allow for the in
creased bulk of the lime when
slacked. It is said never to flako or
rub off when used indoors, and is
good for outside wnvir t? i,i
washing tho cellar, add enough cop
peras to give a yellow color to the
wash, and vermin and insects will
seek other quarters.
For tho Laundry
eef0Ji? wettlnS ttle- lace curtains,
shake them well to remove all dust
and mend the breaks as well as you
can. Lay them In a tub and pour
over them to onvor -mot i.A,
I tablespoonful of borax to a pailful
Gleanings
The custom of taking sulphur in
the form of brimstone and treacle
has little in its favor, and there" are
many things much better for the
physical spring house-cleaning, such,
as carefully selected diet, eating lax
ative foods, and abstaining from un
hygienic habits. The habitual use
of sulphur internally is apt to impair
the digestion and spoil the appetite;
its chief recommendation is its laxa
tive properties. In the form of oint
ment, used externally, for many skin
disorders and parasites, it is inval
uable. The rhubarb used for medicinal
purposes is obtained from Thibet and
Chinese Tartary, the dried root be
ing the portion used. The drug is
largely used for children, though.
wny, it is dillicult to say, as nine
times out of ten it does more harm
than good. Children should not
have such drugs forced on them, as
attention to diet, the eating- of fresh
fruits, dried figs, prunes, etc., with
hygienic clothing, cleanliness and
sanitary surroundings, are all that is
required. For both children and
adults, it is far better to abstain from
the use of medicines in any form, un
less there is a real necessity for it,
and then a competent physician
should advise.
The leaves of common garden let
tuce are esteemed as a cooling and
r , , , sumu, out as tho flower
stalk develops, it develops a bitter
taste, and when the stem Js cat or
broken a milky juice exudes which,
InGni ?r!?d forms a brown solid
called lettuce opium. By some it
is used as a substitute for the real
nSimuTher,? ,the opIum d6 is in
admissible; it is somewhat uncertain
In its action. The eating of the let
tuce leaves in the form of salad is
and ih 2f ga; for sleeplessness,
nUJL certa nly harmless as a nar-
cotlc. A pillow made of hop leaves
is recommended as a relief for in
somnia. u
Query Box
Discouraged - Where paper per
sists in cracking and tearing off the
walls or ceiling, make a smooth
v