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The Commoner.
VOLUME 10, NUMBER. 17
ton around the legs. Tho bottom of
this little skirt to be finished with
a hem.
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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
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