1 " ' fWy IWW
Th6 Commoner,
n 1 1 1 1 ii ""
VOLUME 10, DUMBER '40
I
'''
A
f
Tho Oliiincs of Amsterdam
Par up above the noisy city, in the
old, gray belfry tower,
Tho cliiraes rang out their music
each day at tho twilight hour.
Abovo tho din and tho tumult, and
tho rush of tho busy street,
You can hear their solemn voices in
an anthem clear and sweet.
When tho busy day is dying, and the
sunset gates, flung wide,
Jtfark a path of crimson glory upon
tho restless tide,
Jlq tho white-winged fchips drop
anchor and furl their snowy sails,
,'Whilo tho purple twilight gathers,
and tho glowing crimson pales.
but with different wording. The
other poem begins
"In a church in Amsterdam, within
a steeple proud and tall,
Aro the silver-throated chiming bells
beloved by one and all."
Ho would like to know tho au
thor's name. Another poem is
called for, "House by tho Side of the
Road," by S. W. Fobs. Will some
ono please send them?)
JPhnn frnm tlto rklfl HTHV "hflfrV. the
fe, chimes peel out again,
!And a hush succeeds tho tumult as
they ring their sweet refrain;
tJo sound of discordant clangor mars
tho perfect melody,
But each, attuned by a master's
hand, has a place In tho harmony.
( I climbed tho winding stairway that
led to tho belfry tower,
As tho sinking sun in tho westward
heralded tho twilight hour;
For I thought that surely tho music
would bo clearer, swoeter far,
Than when, through the din of the
city, it seemed to float from afar.
("But, lo! as I neared the belfry, no
f v Only a brazen clangor disturbed" the
The ringer stood at tho key-board
far down beneath the chimes,
f And patiently struck the noisy keys,
as lie uuu uuuuunteu umeu.
Ho had never heard the music,
though every day it swept
Out over the sea and city, and in
lingering echoes crept.
,Ho knew not how many sorrows
were cheered by the evening strain
And how men paused to listen as
" they heard the sweet refrain.
'Ho only knew his duty, and did it
with patient care;
But he could not hear the music that
flooded tho quiet air.
Only .the jar and clanior fell harshly
on "his ear,
('And he lost the mellow chiming that
every one else could .hear.
For tho Homo Life
Married people are constantly be
ing advised to "Never do things that
you know are against the wishes of
the other one, much as you may de
sire to do so; above all things, have
no secrets from each other." Would
it not be a much better way, if both
tho husband and the wife could rea
lize that, while they may be "one"
in many directions, in many others,
the oneness can never bo main
tained. "Jack" will always be a
man (or should be), while "Jill" will
always bo a woman, and they see
life from very different viewpoints,
no matter how good and desirous
of making the other happy each may
be. Men, apparently, do not need
to learn this lesson; and the finer
the man, the more things there are
in which to become interested.
Women would have a much happier
life, if they would but recognize this
what stony paths the way may lead.
Tho man sees more or less of other
people, while the wife and mother
is shut away from nearly all social
life because of her loving caro for
her family. When the mountain did.
not come to Mohamet, Mohamet went
to the mountain, and if the world, in
its best guise, refuses to come to the
young, they go to the world. As
much of the social life as possible
Bhould be brought into the home;
but the social life must be had, and
is to be had by every member of the
family and community, if onjy they
will -set about it right. Many infor
mal gatherings at which both the
young, and the elderly may mingle,
should be instituted throughout the
neighborhood. The school houses
should be utilized as meeting places,
and so also should the little country
church building. Youths should be
taught that these public buildings
are paid for out of the money they
help to earn, and should he taken
care or". They should he enlisted
in the preservation and improvement
of the school grounds, and thus de
velop a sense of ownership. For the
coming cold months thought should
bo taken for the extra fuel for warm
ing up the house of an evening, and
for its lighting. "Let there be
light," and let it bo abundant at
these gatherings Teach the youths
to love the light. Let the rooms be
ragged, or ill-clad child or woman is
never happy, or socially-inclined one,
and the old garment can not always
be patched or made over economi
cally. Time is worth, something to
the housewife. Many men take far
better care of their stock than of
their wife and dependent children.
A man who neglects his stock, or his
business is called by some unpleas
ant names; but the neglect of family
is too often covered up by the extra
exertions of the overworked mother,
and "Nobody never says nothin'."
4-v4-1 'iji- 4 tr f 4-T . -t n4 a 4-t
liulu. j.'ui iv. in ju mtj uaiuio wiu... a 'Ui ,,; n- i
ffSfLlL???.??! .CAn I good plan to have some kind of re
freshments, if only a big basket of
apples, each family bringing a sup
ply of "good things." Try It this
winter
' So, we, from our quiet watch-towers,
may be sending a sweet refrain
nd gladdening the lives ahout us,
though we hear not a single strain,
Our work may seem but discord,
though wo do tho best wo can;
But others will hear the music, if
we carry out God's plan,
Far above the world of sorrow and
over the eternal sea,
'It will blend Tvith angeliq anthems,
fc in sweetest harmony;
It will ring in lingering ecnoes
through the corridors of the sky,
And the strains of earth's minor mu
sic will blend with the strains on
high.
H-MInnie E. Kenny, in Congregationalism
be happy ones, and to every one must
come some disappointments and dis
illusionments. Men and women
should learn to compromise, and
each make the most of what is most
Interesting to him or her, keeping in
mind always the harmony of tho
home. Many things are hurtful
which should, with a proper under
standing, be harmless, and in many
cases, giving up what is extremely
desirable to the ono because the
other does not like it, no matter how
innocent the character of the pleas
ure, has resulted in a matrimonial
rupture which no indulgence could
have brought about. Tho world is
full of interesting things, and it is
sheer selfishness for either the hus
band or the wife to make rules of
life for each other simply because
they have taken up life's' duties to
gether. Men can never understand
why a woman cries, or why she frets,
or why sho "nags," but ."there's a
reason," and just the same, women
can never understand why men like
to smoke, or swear,- or fight the po
litical game. We must each xf us
try to make the most of every good
thing, and see as little of the bad
as possible, and remember that in
marriage, as in other matters, "we
experience only ourselves."
(Ono of our readers has asked for
, tho publication and authorship of
tho above poem. I give it as I find
it in an old scrap-book. Also a sim
ilar poem, bearing the same title,
Giving tho Young People a Chance
As the cool weather comes ont the
question of homo amusements and
attractions rises before us. "Home's
not merely four square walls," and
a few pieces of furniture, and the
boys and girls are not mere animals,
content to eat and drink and sleep.
Good foods, good beds and whole,
clean, serviceable clothes are not all
that is needed to make the home at
tractive to either tho old or the
young. Man, as well as his wife
and children, is a social animal, and
there is no punishment so terrible to
tho criminal as solitary confinement.
Yet many1 homes aro just that, so far
as it 1b possible to make them so,
and the children are rushing away
to the social life, no matter oyer
Good Tilings to Know
When the man of the house goes
to town, and replenishes his stock of
tobacco,, he should invest a like
amount in hardy bulbs or some other
home-beautifler for the "gude" wife.
He should keep a Btrict account with
himself in the matter of individual
expenses, and "tote fair" with the,
rest of the family. No man has any
right to claim that he "supports" his
wife, when she does the work of the
home and often a large share' of the
chores outside. No woman, hag, any
right to feel that she is being "sup
ported She should honestly try to
earn every penny she gets, but be
sure she gets in some form every
penny she earns. A sense of unjust
dependence is degrading.
A man .should see that his wife is
clothed comfortably for the cold sea
son. Many men, as well as many
economically Inclined women, think
tho women's clothes problem should
wait until the "bargain sales" when
the winter is half over, before pur
chasing. If the woman and children
have enough clothes to keep them
comiortaDie until such sales occur,
well and good, if they wish to do so;
but don't force the wife and children
to stand the chill of early winter,
at the risk of contracting colds and
cold weather ailments, in order to
save a few pennies on each article..
Besides, no sensitive woman or child
likes to go out shabbily clad where
others are comfortable in the new
cut of garment. It would be to the
social advantage of many men, if
they were a little more thoughtful of
their own apparel.
It Is well to wear the old clothes,
even to patches and made overs, if
one has to, of if the alternative is
going in debt for the new. But one
should be very sure that the neces
sity for such heroism is there. A
To Prevent Stooping
Many growing girls, especially
those tall for their age, are inclined
to stoop, and many well-meaning per
sons advocate the use of braces or
shoulder-straps as a means of cor
recting the tendency. The brace may
force an upright carriage, but they
give the wearer no strength of mus
cle to maintain the position. A much
better way is to teach the girls how
to strengthen these muscles of tho
chest, back and shoulders which pro
duce an erect figure. Old fashioned
mothers had their daughters drill
with a plate or book, or other article
on the head, and this is a good prac
tice. But a much better way is to
expand the chest with a long, deep
breath and try to maintain the posi
tion after the breath is expired. The
lifting of the chest by the chest mus
cles every time the thought of the
position occurs, will do a great deal
of good,. and, in time, correct the de
fect. High pillows, and a soft bed
spring is one cause of this stooping
figure, but a child should not be al
lowed to sit incorrectly, or "lop"
when at rest. A Btooping figure
makes one ungainly and awkward,
and apart from the damage done to
the health by a constantly contract
ed and sunken chest, the slouching
figure is a very unsightly' one. Moth
ers and teachers should insist, on, tho
lifted chest and the upright position,
making the child go through the ex
ercise's as often as possible.
"Taking Cold in tho Back"
.One is very likely to take cold in
the back, and this leads to serious
results at times. As the chill of
early fall is already in the air, it is
well to take precautions. The back,
especially between the shoulders,
should always be well covered, and
one should not lean back against
anvthinc that is cold. Tho back
should not be in a direct draft, and
when warming the back at the fire,
it should not be kept exposed to tho
heat after it becomes comfortably
warm.
For tho Toilet
This is said to be one of the best
toilet vinegars, helping to keep the
skin firm. ' Only the best ingredients
should be used: Four ounces of ex
tract of cassia, one ounce extract of
tuberose, three ounces tincture of
orris root, three, ounces triple extract
of rose, all added to a pint of the
best white wine vinegar, to be naa
only of reliable grocers. Shake well
and let stand several days before
using. Always apply with an ato
mizer. An astringent that may, be used
after the bath has one ounce of elder
flower water, three ounces of rose
water, a quarter ounce tincture of
benzoin and five grains of tannic acid.
Apply with a soft sponge. If a dry
ness results, leave off.
A good soap jelly to use at night
in place of soap, where the soap Is
too drying, is made as follows: Melt
an ounce and a quarter of pure white
castile soap, powdered or shaved
quite thin, with an ounce and a half
of strainod'-fioney, heating over hot
water, and then add three quarters
of an ounce of white wax, melted;
then add a quarter of an ounce of
r.utaML
,..jiT em IBL
AWtiittiirtflfrMAW ..i. p &J4$fon i4ya4jtjtav. r
iiUL&ii,.,,:
