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The Commoner,
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 1
7 B'Hi'
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Conducted by
Helen Watts Mty J
epartment
" "4 v
Questions
Shall wo romombor when, lifo at an
end,
Frood from Its turmoil and haunt
ing unrest,
Only tho grasses our dust shall be
frlond, Greon and blossoming over our
breast
Shall wo rocall all tho sorrow and
pain,
Madness of anger, and useless
regret,
Toil that was futile, and hopes that
wero vain
Shall wo remember? Or shall wo
forgot?
You, whoso dear eyes looking deep
In our own,
Oponcd tho gates to a world of
delight,
Fnithfulcst guides whon wo wan
dered alono
Out 'mid tho terrors of shadow
and night
Will tho bond broak, when the gar
mont of clay
Falls from tho soul whore Its im
press is sot?
in tho strong light of otornity's day,
Shall wo remember? Or, shall
wo forgot?
Shall wo remember tho winter's de
spair, Earth and the heavens unheeding
our cry,
Visions of springtime, enchanting
and fair,
Moonbeams and starbcams against
tho bluo sky?
All that Is lovely, and all that Is pure,
Cares of tho commonplace, worry
and frot
What shall wo part from, and what
shall onduro?
What must wo cherish, what may
wo forgot?
Vain are our questions. Oblivion's
voll
Sldwly Is shrouding tho past wo
havo known;
Faint grow tho echoes of sob and of
wail;
Dust at our feot are tho idols out
grown. Hearts that havo taught us love's
blessing and pain,
Eyes that with tears for our woes
havo been wet,
Voices that thrilled us with hope's
deathless refrain
Theso, Heaven grant wo may never
forget.
Sarah D. Hobart,
In old scrap-book.
and all art are
Thoro Is scarce-
modern literature,
nGrmoated with it.
ly a great work in the language that
can bo fully understood and enjoyed
without this knowledge, so full is it
of allusions and illustrations from
the Blblo. This is true of fiction,
poetry, economic and philosophic
works, and also of scientific and oven
agnostic works. It is .not a question
of religion or theology, or of dogma.
It is a question of general intelli
gence. A boy or girl at college, in
tho presence of tho works set for
either to master, without a fair
knowledge of the Bible, is disad
vantaged accordingly. The Bible is,
In itself, a liberal education, as many
great masters of literature have tes
tified. It has so entered into law,
literature, through tho whole mod
ern lifo of tho Christian world, that
Ignoranco of It is a most serious
handicap to the student.
In tho School Or in tho Homo?
In comparison with the position of
tho Bible in the family of a' genera
tion ago, it is now a neglected book.
It Is neglected as literature, and the
neglect is being felt in many ways.
Ono of the suggestions for reviving
an interest in it is in operation in
tho Sunday school work; another is
its study as literature in schools and
colleges; but we believe that its re
vival will only come through atten-
good article and take proper care of
it than to buy several cheap articles
and throw them away. When the
careless, or unskilled painter gets
drops of paint, or smears, on the
glass, coal oil will remove it, and
tho sooner it is applied, the easier it
does the work. And while on the
subject of coal oil, it may bo of in
terest to tell you that oiled floors may
be kept looking nicely by going over
them occasionally with a' cloth dipped
in coal oil, rubbing well and leaving
no surplus oil on the floor to gather
lint. A very small amount of coal
plied. The first, or soap mixture
should be laid on boiling hot, with a
flat brush, taking care to form a
froth on the brick work. Let this
wash remain twenty-four hours, so
as to become hard and dry, then ap
ply the second, or alum solution in
the same manner as the first,, hav
ing tho temperature of the second
solution between sixty and seventy
degrees Fahr., when applied, and
this also should remain twenty-four
hours before a second coat of the
soap solution is applied, to be fol
lowed, as before, by the alum so
lution. These coats should be ap
plied alternately until tho walls are
made impervious to water. The
alum and soap thus combined forms
an insoluble compound, filling the
pores of the masonry entirely and
preventing the water from entering
the walls.
oil will do
like water.
tho work don't use it
Among Ourselves
It is to be hoped that you have
possessed yourself of one of "Uncle
Sam's" cook books; if you have not,
put in your request for it at once, for
it is "worth while." We are told
that a million copies are to be pub
lished, including the bulletin on
economic use of meats and kindred
subjects, and will contain much of
interest to the housekeeper, and the
one who foots the bills. Send in
your request for a copy on a postal
card directed to the Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Our
people do not avail themselves free
ly enough of this free literature,
much of it of very great value in
many departments of the home. Re-
tion to the fundamental cause of member, the "people" foot the bills.
this Ignorance the neglect of its There are cases and conditions
wnere it would seem that dyeing the
use in tho home in childhood. If
Its great treasures are not familiariz
ed in growing childhood, they will al
ways bo external of tho late posses
sor. In the family is where this edu
cation must begin, and it will thus
be, as It has been, in the past, an
easy and unconscious education, a
stimulus to the imagination, and a
ready key to the world's tradition,
custom, history and literature.
Ignorance of tho Bible
Tho quostion of having tho Bible
ased in tho schools is now being
agitated, and many roasons, for and
against, are being urged. Recent
statistics show that ignorance of tho
Blblo exists to an extent almost in
conceivable among college and uni
versity students. And this ignoranco
is disclosed not by attempted relig
ious instruction, but in the study of
tho ordinary branches of a literary
education. The pupils are entirely
unable to understand a groat mass
of allusions in tho masterpieces of
English poetry and prose. Wholly
apart from its religious, or from its
ethical value, the Bible is tho one
book that no Intelligent person who
wishes to come in contact with the
world of thought, and to share tho
ideas of great minds of tho Christian
era, can afford to he ignorant of. All
For Cleaning Carpets
An excellent cleanser for carnets
and rugs is given: Take half a bar
of good vegetable oil soap (to be had
for five cents), two ounces of pow
dered borax, two ounces of sal soda,
half a teacupful of alcohol, and two
gallons of soft water. Shave the
soap and put into the water all the
ingredients except the alcohol, and
boil until all is dissolved. "When the
mixture gets cold, add the alcohol
and stir in well. With a brush or
sponge rub this into the carpet, a
small space at a time, then rinse by
rubbing with a sponge dipped in
clear water. Go over all the carpet
thus.
For cleaning carpets with ox-gall,
use ono pint of ox-gall to two gallons
of water; sponge and rub the cloth
well with this, then go over it im
mediately with ii cloth or sponge
dipped in clear water, until the gall
is uu rmsea out witu the dirt.
hair is justifiable; but one can not
be too careful in using even the most
harmless seeming dyes. A case is
now in court where a lady is sueing a
well-known hair-dye firm for the
ruination of her hair by one appli
cation of a dye, and the firm claims
that it is the only complaint they
have ever had. There may have
been many which have not been
made public. What is harmless to
one, or under ordinary conditions,
may result disastrously to another,
or under other conditions.
Be sure to have your cans, jars
and bottles, with their covers, rub
bers, corks and sealing wax, with a
pound or two of paraffin wax, in
readiness for the fruit season, which
is now Dut a nttie while distant.
Have the metal or glass top fitted to
its own jar, have new rubber rings,
and put jar, ring and top together'
icauy iur use. jjo not use cans show
ing the least bit of rust, or glass jars
or bottles with even the slightest
sign of crack or "slivering off "
Have plenty of pint jars, even for 'a
large family, for a small quantity
comes handy" sometimes where a
larger quantity would spoil before
being used. See that the jar fasten
ings are strong and simple.
Helps for tho Hurried
Clean the zinc with coal oil, -using
preferably a woolen cloth. When
clean, rub and polish with a dry,'
clean cloth ; use no "soap or water.
For papering painted walls, go
over the walls and ceiling first with
a brush, removing all dust; then go
over them with a solution of sal
soda, wetting them thoroughly, then,
after a few minutes, wash this off
with sponge and clean water, drying
after the washing. This will cut the
glaze of the paint. Then go over
the surface with a "size" made of
glue, according to directions given
recently, and let this get thoroughly
dry before pasting on the paper in
the usual way.
A good and- cheap floor paint is
made in this wise: One gallon of oil;
yellow ochre, four pounds; turpen
tine, one pint; red lead and litharge,
one pound each. Mix the night be
fore using. This amount will give
two coats to a 14x16 surface. The
color is a pleasing reddish brown,
and the paint is durable. Rub the
paint well into the boards, leaving
as little surplus as possible; let each
coat dry before applying the next.
The last coat should dry for one
week before using the floor. If one
must go over the floor, lay pieces of
boards about to step on; but it pays
to wait.
Molasses' will often remove grass
stains from children's clothing. Rub
the molasses as you would soap into
the stain, and then wash in the usual
fashion. Salt dissolved in alcohol is
often found to be a good thing for
removing grease spots from clothing.
ivory may be cleaned with a new,
soft tooth-brush, a' white soap and
tepid water. After washing thus,
dry the ivory well, brush clean, dip
the brush in alcohol and polish until
it has gained its former sheen,. If
the water gives it a yellow tinge, dry
the ivory in a heated place. If yel
lowed by. age, place it under a ball
jar with a vessel containing lime and
muriatic acid, and set the whole in
the sunshine. The lime and acid
mixture must not touch the ivory. -
Tho Paint Brushes
Coal oil is the best thing always
at hand for cleaning paint brushes
that have been used for wood work
Whon done painting, put the brush
down in a vessel of coal oil, letting
the oil reach not quite to the wood
part, and let soak awhile;- then the
pmnt can do wasned out easily with
soap and water, and will dry as soft
as new. Brushes that havo become
like boards through being put away
uncleaned, can be made usable by
this method. It pays to take care of
anything, as it costs less to buy a
For Damp Walls
Mrs. F. A. E. wishes to know how
to prevent her basement walls from
becoming damp inside. Here is a
method recommended, taken from an
old-time "Reference" book: "Use
two kinds of wash or solutions for
covering the surface of the walls,
vhlch must be clean and dry when
the application is made. For the
first, or soap solution, use three-
Huuitj:H or a pound of castllo soap
to one gallon of water, thoroughly
dissolving it; for the second, or
alum solution, use half a pound of
alum to four gallons of water, well
dissolved. The temperature of the
room should not be above 50 degrees
Papering a Board Wall
If you want your paper to keep
whole, and not crack the length of
every joining, tack smoothly over it
a thin grade of building paper, and
07e,r lhIs tack .and paste muslin.
Make the joints of the paper as close
fitted as possible, and be sure to tack
it well on, or it is apt to "sag," and
the muslin must be stretched very
tightly. A really skilled paper
hanger will make such a wall ibolc
iiP fOOU any Plastered wall can
USfe an ' thG paper win not crack;
wniSS Jle r,om wil1 be very much
ZZTr iu wlnter and cooler in
summer.
Query Box
J.Mr.8.' s- W- of California, wishea
Fahr., when the compositions are an- our ?5?2Si tfttlns spreads, as
ap ' our Grandmothers used to do, it. Th
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