The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, July 15, 1910, Page 8, Image 8
Z'"''"'?'"'' 'T'rrK "I-mS-Wwr "ipmpiiiiy p 7S iVTJJfi.T1-?! Ir tt ' Ife, 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