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The Commoner.
VOLUME 10; NUMBER It
68
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Tho Aftermath
.Wlipn from my weary fingers fall
away
Tho thread of lifo which I have
tanglod bo,
tojolco, and say "Sho ' rcsteth, well
today,"
And do not lot ono tear of sorrow
flow.
t)oar hearts, tho tlmo for tears was
on that day
When first my eyes unclosed to
earth and woo;
When all before mo stretched the
weary way
O'or which, howovor weak, my
weary foot must go.
Bay not, because Death holds mo,
"Sho was good;"
Praise not tho way in which my
foot havo trod;
1'vo slnnod my sins; but bo It under
stood, '
I answer for thorn only to my God.
Heap not, nor scatter flowers above
my grave;
Tho offering seoms so useless and
so poor!
Olvo to tho living hearts that mourn
and crave
who havo so much beforo thorn to
onduro.
The way has been so woary and so
long!
My strained eyes sought to see tho
far-off ond; .
And I havo longed for death as one
who yearns
For Bight of somo dear, long-ox-
poctod friend!
And when death comes, all griefs
that I havo known
Will soem but as a talo that's told;
For I shall stand beforo the Father's
throno,
And all tho glories of His court
behold!
Ellen A. Tamarind.
Uttio Savings
I am not one who thinks that all
the saving should be by the hands of
the house mother, hut there are
many ways in which she can bhva.
and sho should bo given tho full
credit for her thrift. It is well to
cot tho worth out of every dollar,
put the dollar should be worth the
woman's while. Many a mother is
. worrying about clothes for her fam
ily who has plenty of material hang
ing in tho closets, attic, or in boxes,
In the shape of out-grown or out-of-date
clothes, to provide for nearly all
wants. These should be looked over
carefully, and that which can not
servo longer in its orlclnal form
should be ripped apart, brushed well,
cleaned with somo cleansing soap or
fluid, and well pressed until dry,
, Come things may better bo washed
outright. Look over the pieces, and
then get a pattern that can be used,
ven with Borne Dlecine of fh tmnAa
or by using trimming or a remnant
of matching goods. For plain goods
for the children's outer garments,
trimmings of bright plaid, or other
bright colors, can bo used. If the
colors are faded, or the general tone
dingy, it is very easy and inexpen
sive to dye them. Many things can
bo made for the little men out of the
coats or pants of the father or older
ones, or from tho heavier skirts of
the mother or girls. Old woolen
dresses can be ripped apart, washed
Jutr, md? int0 nlco sarments'for tho
little girls, and pieces that wo left
tan be made into quilt covers, & few
fclocks at a tlmo. Many things can
be remado, or brightened up for
further uso by their original wear
ors. It is well to "got the habit" of
making the most of things, and by
this means stretching tho dollars as
far as thoy will go. If tho girls were
taught to take an Interest in such
things, instead of leaving all the
worries to mother, it would save
them many a heartache in the fu
ture, and lifo would wear just as
bright an aspect to them as though
all their time was spent in seeking
amusements outside.
Worse Than Work
A reader asks if wo do not think
tho world has gone crazy over some
subjects, among which is that of -giving
.the whole of a child's time to a
hunt for amusement, rather than in
sisting on their finding part of their
amusement in learning to work stead
ily and earnestly. Whether it is the
world, or tho people, there seems to
bo something of a craze In that di
rection. It is beginning to dawn up
on the minds of somo of our reform
ers that the young people are too
much "amused" for their own good.
A reasonable amount of work does
not hurt any one, and it seems to
some of us that the young folks
might find a lot of amusement, or its
equivalent, in helping tho parents to
bear the burden of their support,
rather than in the feverish rush from
one thing to another In search of ex-
cut tho loops open, and it will look
like "tufting."
For shrinking cotton wash goods,
lay the cloth to be shrunken in a
tub of water that will allow of it
lying without doubling the length,
as it must be left folded as it comes
from the store. Let it soak in luke
warm water to which a little salt
has been added, until thoroughly
wet through, then lift it out and un
fold carefully and pin on the line
without wringing; there should be a
good breeze, and the cloth should
drip dry. It will not require ironing.
Good Tilings to Know
For pressing a curved seam, turn
the rocking chair upside down, -pin
several folds of cloth smoothly over
it as long as the seam you wish to
press; have the cloth as smooth as
for any other pressing, and use this
for pressing the seam. Remember
that you must have a damp cloth
between the iron and the goods, or
if it is such as water will not mark,
the seam may be opened by the wet
fingers, and the iron follow in the
opening. Pressing is done by mov
ing the iron slowly, not rushing it
as in smoothing out cloth.
In sewing together a bias and a
straight seam, pin or baste the two
together at short Intervals, allowing
the bias edge to be much looser than
the straight edge. Do not "full" on
cltemont and 'something different," J?0 I0seness ' oi tne bias, hut hold
leaving the older ones to wrestle with ifc eaBiJy' n th upPer side and SQw
the question of their bodily needs. A efully, r hand sewing; for ma-
umue aewing, tne Dias snouia be on
child will trot all day long, when
awake, and its trotting will be no
less satisfactory if its actions are
useful. Work, to the tiny toddler, is
never "work" if it is conscious of
"helping mamma," and as.,it grows
older, its activity might have a little
of tho same stimulus. The streets
and sidewalks are not the best of
playgrounds for the children, no mat
ter how "amusing" they may be.
For tho Home Seamstress
A deep hem is always stylish on
children's skirts, and in case of
growth of the child or shrinkage of
me gooas, wm allow extra length.
If the patterns for children's clothes
are cut on good lines, so the gar
ment will hang well and be shapely,
they need not fit snugly. If the
material is good, tho child will hard
ly wear the garment out until it Is
outgrown.
Tho fashion of making the dress,
waist and skirt in ono piece, la a
very accommodating one for the
growing girl who romps a good deal.
Many children wear wash "frocks all
tne year, and this, too, is a good
fashion, for garments that aTe fre
quently washed are moro sanitary
than those worn a season through
without cleaning. N
Here is a way of making "tufted"
ruga sent in by a sistnr: cut a nian
of wire a couple of feet long and
bend in the middle like a hair pin:
the device should be, when bent, one
foot long, and the ends as well as
the curve, one inch apart. . Cut your
vubb auu sew tnem as for weaving
suiting your colors as you like; then
wrap them around the staple, first
one side and then the other, as in
hair-pin" work, and when enough
rags are wound on, lay tho covered
staple of wire on tho foundation of
your rug, and on the machine sew
down tho middle of the staple. When
the rags are sewed on, draw the
wire staple out, and re-fill and sew
again, until the rug Is finished. Then
metal, such as a knife, or point of
scissors, should be used to clean un
der the nails.
Ripe tomato juice is claimed to
have bleaching qualities for the toi
let. It Is certainly inexpensive and
harmless, and easily within reach of
any. one. It is used externally, like
lemon juice.
Glacial acetic acid is just what its
name implies an acid, and a strong
one, and if used at all it is largely
diluted, fifteen parts of water to ono
of the acid; is used as an astringent
for flabby muscles, and some claim
it .as a' bleach. Any. acid will burn
out the natural oil of the skin if
used too strong or too freely. Vin
egar, though an acid, is healing and
disinfecting.
A bleach for" freckles is given,
made by mixing one dram of borax
with one-half 'fluid ounce of diluted
acetic acid, and one ounce of rose
water. Apply at night, and leave
on; if the skin becomes tender and
sensitive, apply a soothing cold
cream.
For five cents you can buy a meas
uring glass that measures ounces and
fractions, each of which is markqd
by lines on the side of the erlass.
This is valuable for many things i
especially for giving medicines. .
the under side, and the pinning or
basting should be duite closo to
gether.
TO rid a Small closet of TnnfTin
burn a lump of camphor gum in the
ciosea cioset. A red-hot stove lid,
set in a pan of hot sand will burn
the camphor gum and its fumes are
sure death to the moths.
It is the little things that count,
in dress as well as in other things.
Don't allow any one to persuade you
not to have plenty of looking glasses
in the house, and then do not allow
yourself to pass them without "tak
ing a look." Many times vnn ni
be surprised at what you see. Just
try looking at yourself when you
have your hair dressed and a collar
on, ana men taice a look when the
hair is out of order and the collar
ia leit OU. It IS IllRt nr -orall f l,o,,
a i1"1 (Lvanity and t0 respect one's
boh. xue coarsest white thing you
have, if it is clean and fresh, makeB
a marked difference in your "looks"
for the better, over no neckwear.
Have the nicest you can afford, but
have it always fresh and clean.
Fop tho Toilet
' Milk of Cucumber-rCut up two
large cucumbers and cover with wa
TTabout half a' cupful of water
win i uo uuoui rignt. Let simmer half
an hour and kean onvomii t,
water will not steam away, then take
uu. uuu strain tnrougn a cloth; to
the water add 'a o.nnfni t iwnt
water, ten grains of powdered borax
uuu enougn tincture of benzoin to
make the water look milky. Stir
the benzoin in gradually. When
cool, bottle. This is a delightful
skin lotion, and can be used freely
upon face, neck and arms.
It is claimed that the use of lemon
juice to remove stains from the
hands and nails" will make the skin
yellow and the nails brittle. Per
oxide Of hydrocen is mpnmmnnn
I using ft tooth pick and a little cot-
wix w vxean unaor tne nails. No
For Canning by Steam
Get a piece of board that will fit
loosely in the bottom of the wash
boiler, and bore holes an innh in
diameter, two" Inches apart, all
through it. Nail on the ends a strip
oi wooa to Keep it from warping.
Nail strips on the bottom to lift the
board six inches high. Put the
board on the boiler, and pour in
boiling water to a depth of five or
six inches; on the board set the fruit
jars, filled with raw fruits or vege
tables, the syrup, or other liquid
used in the jars covering the ; fruit,
and the tops screwed on' lo'osely.
Put a thick cloth over the top of
the boiler, put the lid on, and let
boil rapidly for the required time.'
When done screw the lids down
tightly.
"A Hot Weather Oven"
Elizabeth Gillan, In Woman's
Home Companion says: "We have a
two-burner gasoline stove, but no
oven. To bake our favorite dish off
corn pudding, I started one burner,
turn over it a very shallow cake tin,
place my pudding dish on this, then
turn an iron kettle over all. I leavo
the flame, high for two or three min
utes, to heat my oven, then turn low
for thirty minutes. Upon lifting tho
i. "r r Peectly baked dish.
With this device, hot biscuit for tea
is u. simple matter; regulate the heat
to suit and note time required for,
baking."
Some Egg Recipes
If you don't happen to have or
care for meat for your breakfast, and
live near a fresh egg factory, try,
these only with fresh eggs:
Beat five eggs separately, using a
silver fork; add a pinch of salt a
dash of pepper and two ounces (four
tablespoonfuls) of sweet milk, beat
ing all together. Heat an omelet
aand Put In two tablespooSfuls
? i A and as son as melted,
turn in the egg mixture, and cook
ntlnlr W t 1Sl Q DOttOl
a li: DC1VB ai once.
S? erl PrePare and cook tha
eggs as above, but add four table
spoonfuls of grated cheese. A hall
oSSJnl 5 munh!00.m caDS' or al
be used! m' mInced' maS
With tomatoes: Put four table-
SSW8 bu.tter ln tte Bklllet and
fry ln It one minute a sllco of onion -i
E3ETJIie 0n.l0n' alld Wt into th'01
" t cupful c conned oS
stewed and unseasoned tomatoes, twS
tablespoonfuls of sugar, and cook all
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