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The Commoner;
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 41
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Ono Woman's Howard
This woman never had tho time
To any social Ufa attend;
She seldom saw a neighbor's home,
Because of jagged rents to mend.
Her floors were tracked with muddy
prints,
The trampled weeds grew by her
door;
The plant tliat In her window stood
Untended, never blossoms bore.
tJnseen by her, the world went by;
Those who, In state, had won
renown
Passed dpwn her way she did not
heed
Small hands were tugging at her
gown.
In after years, a strong, proud man
Was called the halls of state to
grace;
He turned to where, mid plaudits
loud,
Was lifted up his mother's face.
Good Housekeeping.
The Key to Beauty
Many of our girls write me for
advice as to how they may become
beautiful. I have just returned from
a western trip, to my old home', and
from meeting many of the associates
and friends of the long, long ago.
Many 6f these old ladies were womon
with families of their own when I
knew them, and they are now well
past the four-score mark; but they
were every one "good to look upon,"
and some of them were really beau
tiful. Often I heard the expression,
"What a lovely old lady!" as the
younger generation passed them.
Every face was scarred or seamed
with care; their complexions were
not as the rose leaf, and their patient
eyes had a look of "only waiting" in
them. Over the once bonny hair,
the frosts of time were thickly
nowdered. and their faded cheeks
showed the washings of tears; th
once smiling mouths had pathetic'
droops at the corners, and their
hands oh, so w,orn by years of
love's service; trembled as they
clasped my own, and gave me greet
ings for the old, old days' sake.
Many of these were past the four
score mark, while a few were past
ninety years old. Yet they were as
beautiful, if not more so, as their
sisters who laughingly acknowledged
Hhat the three-score mark was now
behind them. f .
There were a few others beauti
ful in -a' certain sense, yet the lines
were not Buch as to beautify; life
had been hard with them, and they
had hardened with it, and the -fret-
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fully ageing faces, while the faded
eyes saw all the shadows in the faces
of others, instead of the sunshine.
One dear, beautiful woman, whose
life had been cruelly hard, in every
way, and who stood alone in her old
age, greeted every one with the
words, "How good you look!" and
her tender eyes smiled, even though
you could see the glint of tears -behind
them, as she said, "Yes, we are
alone now Just the dear Lord and
me;, hut so long as He is with me,
Heaven is not far away." And many
turned from her patient star-lighted
beauty with tears in their pwn eyes,
not look so bad. Yes, the children
are all gone, and just me and the
old mah, and I have a great deal of
trouble with him." Or, "Yes, I am
a widow; there's nobody cares for
me now. Tho children? Oh, yes,
they are all gone; but children don't
care for the old folks now-a-days."
As I met and parted with these
old friends, the thought came to
me that a wonderful lesson could be
learned from them by our girls, if
they but gave It a moment's thought.
Did you ever see a face that you
loved that seemed ugly to you? No
matter the lines, or the color,, or
the contour; if you loved it, it was
beautiful to you. And every one of
you "know some old lady whom every
body loves, and they say, "She is
such a lovely old lady!" If any one
refers to her wrinkles, and faded
color, it is to say, that every wrinkle
is a badge of honor or for some beau
tiful deed done or thought of help
fulness to others. No cosmetic, no
lotion, emollient, wash or powder, or
external beautifier can give such an
effect. And right now is the time
to begin this self adornment. Look
only for the beautiful, the good, the
true; be tender and helpful and true,
yourself, and fight out all feelings
of envy, selfishness, anger, fretful-
ness, or ugliness toward others. Let
the "inner light shine," and the outer
will be illuminated. A fond mother,
looking on her remarkably talented
and sweet mannered daughter, said,
"Yes, I like to think that Louise is
beautiful, and graceful and talented;
but I love best to know that she is
good.'"
Think of this, girls, when you lok
into your mirrors, and try the happy
thinking, the "doing of good unto
others," along with right physical
living, and note how the expression
becomes you how it endears you to
others. It is the one unfailing key
to beauty.
and a decent lunch room. Some day
I may tell you more of this fine ne
cessity, and it may inspire you to.
greater exertions in behalf of your
own towns. Winter, lis well as sum
mer, this "house of rest" is a ne
cessity. Women should not be
forced to choose between sitting with
her children in the weather, or'
crowding about the small space of
the country store while the husband
is talking with other men at far less
reputable places. By all means, get
your town to help you, and if noth
ing better offers, insist that a room
be set apart in the town house for
the uses of the women and children.
See that women are treated at least
as well as the stock, and don't force
them to share the shed of the ani
mals, sitting in the wagons while
they wait.
That Rest Room
fooling as though they had "seen a1
vision."
Another class would greet others
with the words, "Yes, I see you are
getting old, too; you have a great
many,. wrinkles, and your hair is so
grizzled. If it was whltet it would her bahies could find a seat or a cot
What did you do, the past season,
about establishing a rest room for
your country sister, or the sister vis
iting the village with no acquain
tance, and having to spend some
hours waiting for something or
somebody? Perhaps you, yourself,
need such a place to await appoint
ments, or to pass an hour or so
while you must wait for something'
down in the busy part of your town?
Your town, itself, should set aside
a sum from its revenue by which a
small building could be put up and
simply furnished for the use of the
neighboring women who bring their
trade to the merchants. A promi
nent club woman, in pleading for
such a place, said that "sheen and
swine have shelter, and the cattle
have stalls, while the horses have
sheds; but the woman and baby has
not even a chair to rest in.'' The
Missouri state fair has just been held
in one of its beautiful cities, and
one of the most interesting things
on its program was the dedication
of its fine $35,000 woman's building
to the uses of the women of the
state and country, in which to rest
and spend her spare time learning
many new things. This magnificent
building, donated by the state, was
the result of the continued agitation,
of the question by the women's clubs
of the state, demonstrating its prac
ticability and great value by provid
ing a tent on the grounds for three
years, where the tired women and
"Good Lights"
The early, dusk-fall calls for light
ing in the home, and no matter what
lighting material is used, the light
ing should be good. For children
and students, there is no light like
the old kerosene, or coal oil lamRs,
for they give a soft mellow light
particularly pleasing to the busy
eyes, while the flicker of gas and
glare of electricity is not so sooth-'
ing. Clean the burners by boiling
often in a strong' soap suds, or a
suds made of some good soap pow
der, or washing soda solution, or
where wood is used as fuel, some
good, strong wood-ashes lye. See that
wicks are often renewed, and that
they are trimmed evenly, and keep
the lamp bowl well filled, and the
chimneys well polished. You can
not he too careful with your eyes.
Have shades for the lamps, to throw
the light down upon your work and
at the same time relieve the eyes of
the surplus. The lamps should be
cleaned every morning and freshly
filled. Be particular about this, for
nothing is more deserving of the
very best care than the eyes, both
of young and old.
In many homes where the furnace
has not yet absorbed the firelight
and carried it to the basement, the
individual stove nas us doors filled
with transparent plates of' 'mica;
ana this allows the light of the
burning fuel to send a1 most grateful
glow out into the room. The mica
plates are very easily kept clean by
wiping them off with strong vinegar,
and this should be done as often as
the heat is allowed to go down. The
soot may be kept brushed off, uBlng
one of the brushes used about the
stoves for polishing purposes, but it
should be kept for this alone. Many
people who do not read by artificial
light find this softened, subdued light
very attractiv6, rfnd for pleasant,
home gatherings of the family, noth
ing is more cosy.
There are so many ways in which
the attractions of the home life may
be enhanced, without any undue ex
penditure of money, by giving care
to the little things, that we, should
all cultivate the homing instinct by
little thoughtfulness.
dust of wood or coal ashon mnionn
ing with Bweet oil and apply the
paste with vigorous rubbing; -it is
said the table will look like new
Wodd ashes are best, but coal ash
can bo used. Sift through a bit of
thin muslin, so only the very finest
dust will be used.
Where one, can not have stained
polished or tiled floors, rugs, with
the border of bare floor covered with
some prettylinoleum, are very ar
tistic, if, the coloring and markings
are harmonious. These floor cover
ings may be used with the rough
floors, and are easy to care for. But
one muBt keep the house-maid away
from them with her scrubbing brush
and hot suds; rub them once a
month or oftener, if much used
with a little oil and methylated
spirits, mixed in equal quantities,
using only a -very little at a time,
with a soft cloth, as you would for
a waxed floor, wiping and polishing
with a dry, clean cloth or chamoi3
skin. The .inlaid linoleum, made of
bits of cork and oil, the design going
clear through the thickness, is more
expensive at first cost, but cheaper
in the long run, than the painted or
stamped linoleum, or oil cloth, as tho
designs of th,e latter, being only on
th, surface, wears off with use.
A mistake that many housewives
make is to try to cook something of
everything for every meal. One or
two kinds of vegetables, orm fcinrl nf
meat, one kind of bread, a frUit des
sert, or one easily prepared, will
save whole hours to the cook, and
give just as good nourishment to tho
family, besides leaving room for va
riety. Teach the family to "eat to
live,'! and give yourself time for self
culture that you may guide the fam
ily to the higher life.
For the Honsekcepcr " ;
Most housekeepers have difficulty
In removing the stains left on pol
ished tables by hot dishes. . No mat
ter how thick a canton flannel cover
is used next to the table, stainB will
sometimes appear, especially in the
form of white Spots. It is claimed
that these can be removed by sifting
through a hit of muslin the very fine
Some Health Notes
One of the very finest things for
"nerves" is the cold bath, followed
by vigorous friction until the body
is "all-aglow" from the stir of tho
blood set in circulation by the vigor
ous exercise. If one can not stand
the cold bath, or if the re-action is
slow, and a feeling of cold, or chill
follows the bath, one of two things
is the trouble you are either not
strong enough to re-act, or the rub
bing down was poorly done tho
blood was not brought to the sur
face. A thorough rubbing down
every night with a coarse towel,
using no water, is good, -and this
would better be done by the patient,
but assistance by a second person
is better than nothing. In this, how
ever, one should try to have the as
sistance of a strongly magnetic per
son. Not all persons are magnetic
to the same degree, or the magnetism
may not be pleasing to the patient.
Try to get assistance from one who
is magnetically stronger than your
self, and at the same time pleasing.
Bating a light supper will give
you a better night's rest than any
"sleep" tonic taken upon a' loaded
stomach. It is not always'best to go
supperless to bed, and if one will
eat of light, nourishing food, not
loading the stomach, the sleep will
be refreshing and dreamless. It is
well not to excite the brain by talk
ing, or visiting, of reading excitable
literature. Just before retiring, it
is well to drink a tumberful of wa
ter of the temperature that best
agrees with one; for myself, a
slightly warm drink is best relished.
Many persons induce sleep, or at
least allay restlessness, hy wrapping
a folded towel, wrung out of cold
water, around the head, bringing it
low down on the back of the neck.
Tea or coffee' can be dispensed with,
if one has will power enough, and
the abstainer will be all the better
for giving them up. Will-power is
a good thing to cultivate. We are
admonished to love our neighbor as,
ourself ; but if we love.d him a little
b
s.