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The Commoner.
5
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 27
epartroen
If
Bo Wlmt Mother Tlilnks You Aro
Wlillet walking down a crowded city
stroot tho other day,
I heard a littlo urchin to a comrado
turn and Bay,
"Say, Chiramy, lommo tell youso I'd
ho happy as a clam t
If I only wuz do foller dat mo mud
dor t'inlcs I am.
"Sho finks I am a wonder an' she
knows her littlo lad
Could novor mix wit' nuthin' dat
wuz ugly, mean or had.
Oh, lots o' times I sit an' t'lnk how
nice 'twould ho, goo whiz!
If a follor wuz do feller dat his mud
dor t'Inks ho is!"
My friend, bo yours a life of toil or
undiluted Joy,
You still can learn a lesson from this
small unlottorod boy.
Don't aim to be an earthly Baint,
with oyes fixed on a star,
Just try to bo tho follow that your
mother thinks you aro.
Will S. Adkin.
I
Learning to Shirk
Every housewife recognizes tho
fact that, with tho coming of the
hot months, tho labors for tho house
hold aro greatly incroasod. Much
of this additional work can not bo
neglected without vory disastrous re
sults; tho sweeping, dusting, scrub
bing, bed-making, cooking, washing,
Ironing, making and mending must
go on, while tho additional care of
foods and tho keeping of perishable
table supplies in good condition is
a work in itself. Then, too, the
laundry work assumes terrifying pro
portions, especiallly where (hero are
several children, as lighter clothes
must be worn, changeB must bo fre
quent, not only with bodily wear,
hut with table and bed linen, and
every article requires extra care be
cause of possible stains, dampness
from perspiration, rips, rents, tears,
lost buttons, missing tapes and other
fastenings, torn buttonholes, and like
happenings over present during the
vacation season. In addition to all
this, tho heat, confinement, over
work and worry aro usually pros
trating enough by themselves. What
is to bo done?
Wo must cultivate a "fine sense of
tho relative value of things," and
thus decide what things have to be
dono, and what may safely be left
undone. Wo must cultivate the
courage to sort out and handle the
work from tho standpoint of good
sense. Few things are of a life and
death consequence, and tho things
that must be dono aro the things
that are dono. But even that is all
a matter of thinking. In such mat
ters, every woman must be a law
unto herself; she must solve her own
problems; must make her own
choice; but of one thing she may be
assured that only tho things which
increase the happiness of tho human
family as a whole aro worth doing.
Get all tho help possible, and do tho
Imperative, but learn to shirk most
, vigorously every thing that 1b not
I necessary. And when you stop to
i think of it, half to two-thirds of the
l thlmra flnnA In thin wnrlrl tirrmlrl
serve humanity bettor if they had
1 authority for that.
tho littlo ono Ib lot go positively too
dirty to kiss, and that must be pretty
dirty, to tho ono who Is a mother
at heart. If ono delicately mentions
tho fact of cleanliness being a ne
cessity for tho child, during tho hot
months especially, tho mother will
at onco assure you that tho baby is
bathed every morning, or evening,
as tho case may be. But every
whoro, Indoors and out, there is
temptation for tho busy little fingers,
if tho mother is not over-tidy, or
negligent. Of course, this remiss
ness increases the laundry work, but
many mothers are not greatly con
cerned over it, as the baby wears the
one garment all day, perhaps sleeps
in it, andv goes through another
twelvo or twenty-four hours without
a change. If to this neglect, tho
pest of flies is added for in such
homes, oven with screened doors and
windows, tho oxclusion of flies is not
rigidly enforced tho little smiling
face is covered with the flies drawn
to It by its food attractions, and the
little ono somehow seems to get
used to the dirt as well as tho flies.
We aro told of wonderful endow
ment for tho big educational insti
tutions, and rich men are putting
onormous sums into such things; but
as yet, except in a few cases, and in
tho minds of reformers and thinkers,
tho ignorant mother is allowed to
go on in her reckless work, doing,
perhaps, as well as she knows, but
often knowing better than Bhe doesl
After seeing such pitiful sights" as
are on overy hand, one is almost
tomptod to encourage the idea of
the state taking hold of the babies,
and removing them from tho neglect
and ignorance of the untaught and
unthinking mothers.
faithfully; but try the use of abun
dance of water Internally as well as
externally, and tho spots will not bo
so offensive
For tho Homo Seamstress
Ribbon facing should be used for
tho top of the hem of heavy goods,
instead of turning the edge in; the
ribbon will leave a flat finish to the
horn which is an -improvement over
tho old style. The ribbon facing
comes in rolls, and is not expensive.
The collar for the shirtwaist
should be straight, which will make
tho neck look smaller, and will fit
much more neatly.
In making up material for a dressy
gown, the yoke and collar must
match. If the square or round yoke
is used, it need not be stitched to the
waist, but may be used as a separate
guimpe.
In basting, be generous with the
pins and thread, as few women can
do good work without. Use fine
needles for pinning velvet. Remove
the basting threads before pressing
the seams or work, or the mark of
tho thread will remain.
It is expected that during the sum
mer months the very full skirt will
be Introduced. The princess frock
is still worn,, but not seen so much
as formerly.
The belt line is once again in its
natural place, and with all tailored
costumes a tailored belt or a belt of
patent leather or suede, or kid is
ono of the demands of the moment;
but it must have a handsome buckle.
glass fruit Jar in the bottom of which
you havo put two ounces of wholo
allspice, broken, but not ground; two
ounces of coarsely-broken stick cin
namon; let stand six weeks covered
closely by screwing down the lid
loosely, then transfer to the perma
nent Jar. Add to it in this Jar ono
ounce of orris root bruised and
shredded, two ounces of lavender
flowers, and a small quantity of any
other sweet scented, dried leaves,
such as lemon verbena, rose gera
nium. Mix all together and put in
tho Jar in alternate layers with the
rose stock, a few drops of oil of
roses, and pour over the whole a gill
of good cologne. This Jar will last
for years. Occasionally a little lav
ender, or orange-flower water, or any
nice perfume may be added. The
first cost will be the only cost for
many years.
Hot Weather and Baby
It is a hard matter, in many cases,
to make tho mother understand that
cleanliness is preventive of disease
as well as curative. In many homes,
Perspiration Stains
The bane of the summer time, to
many girls and women especially,
Is the stain of perspiration, especial
ly on the silken garment which can
not be washed. Many claim that
there is nothing that will remove the
stain except the careful laundering
of which most silken garments will
not admit. Others say, if the gar
ment Is at once sponged with clean,
cold water on removal of the gar
ment, whilo the stain is still 'damp,
there may be hope for it. A method
recommended is to sponge the stain
with equal parts of alcohol and ether
with five drops of ammonia to each
two tablespoonfuls of the mixture,
exposing it to the sun immediately
after until the odor is gone. If tho
stain still remains, sponge again with
equal parts of ammonia and cold
water and expose again to the sun
shine.
Some persons find it harder than
others to remove tho stain, as, if
ono Is not particular about regular
bathing, or is afflicted with certain
classes of diseases, the perspiration
may havo not only an ugly color,
but a disagreeable smell, as well;
with some ailments, this Is the case,
no matter how often one bathes. The
cleanliness must come from within,
and only by attending to the general
health can one hope for relief. With
many persons, perspiration affects
tho garment little more than a wet
ting in common water would, and
there is practically no odor; but the
perspiration will always leave a stiff
ness to the spot, and tho dust in the
outer air will settle on it, leaving
it soiled.
Labor Savors
Sheets, towels, every-day pillow
slips, red table cloths, and many
other straight articles may be care
fully folded as taken off the line,
put on a flat surface and a board
or other flat surface laid on them,
and they will be as good as ironed.
If care is taken to have them folded
smooth when run through the wring
er, and hung straight on the lino,
they will be free from wrinkles and
in good shape.
Helps for the Housewife
If you want ink for a fountain
pen, this is recommended: Get a
worn-out typewriter ribbon from
some one, turn over it a pint of very
hot water and leave for a few days,
stirring occasionally. Turn the ink
thus made into bottles and cork
tightly. This ink will flow freely
from the fountain pen and will not
corrode. If the ink is too thick,
thin with a little more water poured
over the same ribbon until the color
is extracted.
For smoothing ribbons,- take a
smooth quart bottle and fill with
boiling water, then wrap a single
sheet of paper smoothly about the
bottle; wrap the ribbon, after it has
been soaked and squeezed and rinsed
and dried, around the bottle, smooth
ly and tightly, and wrap another
paper around it and fasten with a
pin or a few stitches; set it aside
for a day or two, and the ribbon
will look fresh and like new.
An excellent cold cream is made
as follows: Melt four ounces of
fresh, sweet mutton tallow and
strain through a double cheese
cloth; add- four ounces of almond
oil, one teaspoonful of spirits of
camphor, ten drops of carbolic acid,
one ounce of peroxide of hydrogen
and a few drops o'f desired perfume.
Beat to a cream, and put into small
china Jars and cover with paper. Use
as any cold cream. A good smoother
and whitener.
Littlo Helps
For making sticky fly paper, melt
two pounds of resin (the yellow
kind) with seven ounces each of raw
linseed oil and molasses, and mix
well together over heat. Get the
number of sheets of manila paper
wanted and spread with the mixture
while hot. Or, melt one pound of
resin and eight tablespoonfuls of
lard together, mixing thoroughly.
Spread thinly on manila Daner and
put two sheets together, the resin
Inside; press together to keep moist.
When wanted, pull the sheets apart
and lay where the flies congregate.
The surest way to keep mosquitoes
out is to screen windows and doors,
and teach the family how to handle
them bo as to keep them whole.
For a Roso Jar
An inexpensive rose Jar is made
as followB. Gather the rose petals
in the morning and let them stand
in a cool place to dry for one hour.
Toss them lightly, then put them in
to a large covered dish in layers,
with salt sprinkled freely between
layers. Add more leaves in the same
way ior several mornings, or until
you have enough. Shake or stir well
If tho garment can bo every morning, and let the wholo
washed at all, It is better to do this, stand lor ten days after the last
If it can not, try the spot removers leaves aro added. Transfer to &
Some Don'ts
Don't forget to give the baby a
drink often, these hot days. Little
children often suffer for water when
they can not make their wants
known; a teaspoonful is often all
the baby wants, but it wants that
badly.
Don't leave the screen doors flap
ping and letting in the flies; keep
them well closed with good spring
hinges.
Don't leave crumbs and scraps of
food lying about either on the table,
on the floor, or in the yard. Starve
the flies out by keeping the foods all
covered and the' dishes all clean.
Don't forget to wash the baby's
face and hands often, for the sweet
ness of the baby attracts tho flies,
even though it is clean. Flies should
not crawl over the. baby's face.
Don't let the little folks push holes
through the screens, and insist on
the older ones having a care as to
the w'ire. Teach the family, big and
little, how to handle the doors.
Don't neglect the baby as to cloth
ing. If the morning is anyways cool,
put on an additional garment, and
as the day warms up, take it off,
leaving the little one with just
enough covering to keep it comfort
able then, as the evening cools, add
some light garment to keep it from
chilling.
Keep a light, loose strip of flan
nel about the baby's bowels, bo as
not to invite bowel trouble. Just ft
m