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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1910)
( The Commoner. VOLUME 10, NUMBER. 17 ton around the legs. Tho bottom of this little skirt to be finished with a hem. s pr-. ft. tv It f ft h" ' It In''" SSwSHsriB jA&uv& 1 mr-r m . 'srw -- " Pnnrfunfnd f)V I Hden Watts Wefe l ep artmen if A Mother Ileliovcd In Mm, Long Ago Time-worn, weather-beaten, with dim, bloarod eyes . Ills faco like a map of tho Country of Sin; Knowing no liopo and winning no prize, Callous without and hardened with Ill Room for him still on tho great highway! Comrado of shamo and companion of .woe; Look whoro he staggers, and softly say : "A mother boliovcd in him, long ago A woo little babe, on her bosom he lay, And gently sho chanted an old, sweet song: "Hushaby, lullaby; over, alway, Ills whito angols guard thoo from orror and wrong." And his lips were pure as a thought of God, And his eyes wore bright, that are heavy and dim, As tho sleep-angels bore him, o'er fields untrod, Thoro where the twilight was sing ing its hymn. Time-worn, woathor-beaton and yet sho dreamed, "With love in her eyes, as a mother must; And sho sow whoro tho sunlight over him streamed, And tho prayer in her heart was tho prayer of trust. A mother believed in him, long ago This i3 his passport to heights of peaco Where we walk no more with orror and woo cially indestructible by flro. No othor product yet discovered could take its place. It has been called mineral wool, and also the connect ing link between tho mineral and the vegetable kingdoms. After the fibres of asbestos have been separat ed from their mother rock, they have a fluffy softness and whiteness much like wool or cotton, and can and have been converted into cloth. As cloth, it is impervious to fire, and is used for fire-proof theatre curtains, firemen's wear, and for gloves and shields for men working at the mouths of furnaces. In the kitchen of-tho home, it has become a neces sity in the form of mats and sheets to be used about the stove and to set hot things on. The cloth re sembles canvas, and is too coarse for curtains in the home, or women's and children's wear. Surgeons use it in making splints and dressing wounds; it needs no treatment as It is naturally clean and antiseptic. When it is to be cleaned, or puri fied, it has only to be thrown into the fire. The cost is rather high. Most of the rock which yields the flbro used in its manufacture is mined in Canada, on this continent, but it is also found in Tyrol, in Dauphiny, and in Scotland at sev oral places. Gleanings Look at the young, eager creat ures what things of fads they are! Today they are wet to the skin in the eagorness of collecting for the aquarium; tomorrow, covered with the dust of ages in their zeal of dig ging into an Indian mound; next week, languid and dreamy, mooning about with books of poetry, or sit fulness with this impenetrable sense of solitude, and years only can stifle the constant questioning. "Why?" Sunday Magazine. Effect of Tea-Drinking There are certain complaints in which the use of tea is distinctly prejudicial. In flatulent dyspepsia or indigestion accompanied uy uiu formation of large quantities of wind or gas, it is especially injurious, and its use often greatly retards the progress of cure. Many women ruin their digestive powers by taking large quantities of weak tea three or four times a day. The excessive consumption of tea, especially when combined with a poor diet, leads to a condition of nervousness and irri tability whitfh is quite pitiable. This habit is especially prevalent among dressmakers and others whose occu pations are of a sedentary nature. In the out-patient department of many hospitals the effects of excessive tea drinking are almost as noticeable as the result of intemperance as regards alcohol, and that is saying a great deal. It is not an uncommon prac tice with enthusiastic students, to re sist the claims of the system ifor re pose and keep themselves awake at night by the generous use of green tea. The object is attained, but at the price of destruction of health and vigor, both of body and mifid, which is too often the penalty. Medical Plain Talks. For tho Toilet A harmless cosmetic that has stood the test of time is made as follows: Heat in a double boiler six ounces of oil of sweet almonds, and add one ounce each of sperma ceti and white wax, and two ounces of lanoline; stir until the ingredients are thoroughly dissolved and blend ed. Remove from the fire and beat with an egg beater until cold, adding during the beating process two tea spoonfuls of simple tincture of ben zoin and a drop or two of altar of roses. When cold and firm, put in a little jars or boxes and cover with tin foil, and keep in a cool place. This is called "almond cream," and is very healing and whitening, giv ing a soft, velvety texture to the skin, and making the skin firm. The ingredients, if .bought at a large drug store would not probably cost more than a dollar, and it is not at all difficult to make. If bought ready made, this quantity would cost several dollars. "At Comparatively No Cost" There is a great deal of writing done and talking indulged in, just ting up late in the moonlight, or of the city going "back to the land," " .." to '"- xxv.vlu, ,, uuu iuuuv are me roseate matures Woolr nffon onrlmmlniv tinnl-lnni J1 . - ,. . - ,, . ., . m-wiv M..v.iw, a n 1111111111(5, UUttHUB, HUU- And tho pain and tho travail for- mg, golfing like mad. You wish Over Cease. - vour bov wmilil ntlnlr fn rm Vi4r and get through with it but that Only a wreck, 'mid tho wrecks of men, Crushed in the battle; lost, for lorn, Staggering on, through mire and fen, Yet to hope's heritage ho was born.. Mako room for him, then, on tho great highway! Whither 't will lead him we may not know, Out of the maze of doubt and dis may, Since a mother believed in him, long ago. Alfred J. Waterhouso, in Success. "What is Asbestos?" One of our readers asks this ques tion, and many more would like to know something about it, if they only give the matter a thought. The constant increase of tho use of it, and tho growing appreciation of its value is readily acknowledged, but when one asks what it is, very few can answer tho question. Encyclo paedia. Britannlca contains an inter esting account of it, but as not all have access to tho Encyclopedia, a few facts in regard to its nature may be given. It is a variety of tho horn blende family of minerals, and the chemical composition of the whole family is chiefly silica, magnesia, alumina, and ferrous oxide, but varies considerably. Asbestos con sists of fine crystalline elastic fibres With a silky luster, varying in color from white to crav nnrl iroon derives its name from being 'espe-. is not at all his wav. You. maturo human being that you are, may have reached the point where things go on to a finish, but he is in the stage of loose ends; he has not yet come to the selvedge. -It is not yet time for him to turn back and weave a' patient thread in and out in the ac cepted way; he is busily flinging col ored threads, intent on a gay pat tern ho only half knows, himself. Let him alone, keep the machinery in order, and watch for -the pattern the Master is teaching him to weave. The boy who never dares venture upon inquiries or nis own never truly knows anything. He is so over-taught that he is not taught at all. Let him think for himself. As soon as the dew of his young won der has dried and he has overcome the damp of the chrysalis, he will spreaa nis wings and, master of his own powers, will go abroad on his own quest. Success Magazine. The dream child is seldom found in couples, and the fact may be taken as symbolic of that pathetic isola tion or childhood in a world of grown-up mysteries for which even the kindest mother usually fails to give adequate explanation. The an swers given to his questionings are generally no less puzzling than the original mystery, and sends him back into his loneliness to ponder it out by himself. Surrounded with the cabalistic writing of a strange world into which ho has suddenly awak ened, he is loBt in questioning. To the lonely thinking child, there comes an almost unbearable wist- drawn to tempt them to go. One editor (who, however, does not live on the farm, and would not) tells his readers: "The American farmer can have the best the earth can pro duce in any quarter of the globe; can have it without asking any man what he shall eat or wherewithal he shall be clothed, for with his garden, field and orchard he can raise it at almost no cost to himself or family, and can have everything in abun dance for twelve months in fha vani. His poultry yard will supply his table with eggs and fowls, and his dairy will furnish abundance of butter and pure milk, while his stock yard will leave nothing to be wanted in the way of meats." And we, who have farmed," wonder where we failed' SIdrt for a Creeping Baby Make a front and back breadth, each half a yard wide and long enough to protect the dress. Make two side breadths each nine inches long and three Inches larger than the wider breadths. Make a band inLen,,u? t0 button around the chubby little leers, ftntii nnu -i.- breadth so that tho material covers about two-thirds of this band, and tY.Aends PrJGt like a strap with button and buttonhole in the ends. Sew up the breadths and gather the ton of the skirt onto a belt, with a nlacket- n-n vi,t ., buttonhole in the back. Sew strans on the belt to cross back and front over the baby's shoulders; brighten the little skirt with dainty braid Slip the skirt over the baby's head button tho belt around the waist' the straps go over the shoulders, and the bands on the side breadths but- Helps for the Seamstress Where velvet is- used, in ripping the basting threads, cut them every few inches, and if a part must be altered showing stitches, or the pile of the velvet is crushed, fold a wet cloth next to the wrong side and place it close to a hot iron which is stood up on its broad end. This will steam the marks out. Velvet seams, and sometimes cloth will not bear pressing in the usual way; but by standing a warm iron with the small end up, opening the seam with a dampened finger and running the center of the seam over tne iron, the seams can be dpened without marks. Velvet must not be pressed with a weight. Velvet is generally becoming to all faces,- and especially to a thin, sallow face, or a fading face, as it gives a softened appearanco to the skin. In working button holes, strength en the material around the cut por tion with running stitches 6f thread, and carry a strand of silk or thread (to prevent the button hole from stretching) along the top of the cut while working. A regular tailor's buttonhole has a bar worked across the end. To remedy the ' pulled-down look of the shirt waist shoulder seam, raise at the point of the shqulder only in front, and cut out more un der the arm. Cut the neck straight around in front, not to be lowered there, or a stock collar will not fit nicely on it. If the center of a- iHrf imno-a fnn full tbe other widths need raising at the top; when basting 'a skirt, commence at the top, and fit tho skirt carefully before stitching the seams; have an easy tension on the machine to prevent drawing when stitching up the seams. d .A he. on the lower edge of a skirt will not look as well as a sftaped facing, and when velveteen ?; braid binding is used, t6 protect the edge, it should be allowed to project an eighth of an inch, below, or it will not protect the edge. Packing China When Moving Have in one place all the break- v Lanbric"a"brac t0 be amoved. w S JLolns Jou" can better JudSQ iiL i0W much PackInS space is re- SSSS'i ani Can sort and count and recognize the condition of each piece. let tLber 0f empty barrels and let them be strongly built ones, if of iY J? B l0 b0 longJ a quantity S?r ? POrs and exlsior; o pvi0niha or cbaff may be used. Pack all the articles belonging to gether by themselves; thus, the ?d ing room china in one barrel, tht i$s Ui .UUfc,.