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The Commoneri
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 41
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What Ilnvo You Given Away?
; "What I spent that I had;
' What I saved that I lost;
What I gavo that I have."
Carvo your name high over shifting
sand,
Whero tho steadfast rocks defy
decay
"All you can hold in your cold, dead
hand
Is what you have given away"
Build your pyramid skyward, and
stand,
Gazed at by millions, cultured they
say
"All you can hold in your cold, dead
hand
Is what you have given away."
Count your wide conquests of sea
' and land,
Heap up the gold, and hoard as
.you may
"All you can hold in your cold, dead
hand
Is what you have given away."
Culturo and fame and gold ah, bo
grand
. Kings of salon, the mart, a day
"All you. can hold in your cold, dead
hand
Is what you have given away.'.'
Kansas Children's Home Society.
Tho Nation's Soul Call
The deeps of the nation's soul-life
Are calling "men true and strcng;
The groaning ground-swell of pro
gress Inspires like a battle song.
Our sacred institutions,
The home, the church, the school,
The state, with her holy offices,
Cry loud for men worthy to rule.
Men who have courage and kindness,
Men who love justice and truth,
Men who believe in a God of Right,
With conviction and ardor of
youth.
Men who are clean in their morals
And nourish the Spirit within,
Whose manhood recoils from devo
tion To vulgar and heinous sin.
Men with the spirit of service
To poor and rich and learned;
Men with the Master's Own Spirit
Who never from duty turned.
'America's young manhood,
The challenge is for you!
iTour country calls! Your answer
waits!
Shall its tone be false or true?
James Davidson Dingwell.
repetitions, tho little inquisitive mind
sets about investigating tho internal
mechanism, greatly to the damage of
tho toy which is soon ruined and
thrown away, while tho child turns
for amusement to the old toys that
are so hopelessly undone that every
thing they are supposed to do must
come from the play-spirit in the
child.
Tho Question of Santa Clnus
As often as the Christmas comes
around, there is much said for and
against the story of Santa Claus, and
many conscientious parents are
troubled about the answer to
be made to the inquisitive child.
Many believe the story should
bo denied, while others like to cher
ish the delusions of childhood. It
is safe to say, however, that to every
child that believes, there always is a
Santa Claus. There are a great many
other things in this world that exist
only for those who believe in them,
and for the child, just so longas he
believes there Is a Santa"' Claus,
there certainly exists the Saint, but
only while he believes.
Nothing Is so near to the heart of
the little child as the belief in any
thing that Is wonderful, and the old
fellow with the red. fur-trimmed
coat and pack of toys is certainly
most wonderful.
Christmas Toys .
In selecting toys for the children's
Christmas, remember they should be
such as to suggest action, and bring
the imagination into play, as it Is
the child who plays, not the toy, and
imagination is the soul of tho play.
The best toys are those which set
the mind to work, and give the little
brain scope for expansion. This is
one of tho strongest recommenda
tions for the simpler toys. The won
derful mechanical toys sold in the
shops are complete in themselves.
ana leaves the child nothing to do
.but to wind them up and start them
going, in this case, it is the toy that
plays, not tho child. Children soon
reary or having nothing to do, and,
smg interest in the monotonous
For the Cold Days
. Women should be careful to pro
tect the feet and ankles, not .only
of the children, but of themselves
during the winter weather. This Is
far more important than to protect
the neck and arms, but it is not un
common to see the body wrapped
well in woolens, while the feet are
shod with low or thin shoes, with
only the thinnest kind of cotton
stockings. As soon as the firBt frosts
come, the low shoes should be set
to one side, and the high shoes, with
a good, comfortably thick sole,
should be substituted. If cotton
stockings must be worn, then two
pair is better than one, or the thick
fleece-lined will answer. Leggings
should be a part of every child's
wardrobe, and -every woman should
wear them when going out into the
cold street, or when riding. Espe
cially should they be worn by the
country woman whenever she goes
out to attend to the ''chores" which
nearly every woman of the country
finds that she must see to, herself;
or when riding between the home
and tho market, or on other excur
sions. All kinds of ailments are dpe
to improper clothing either too
warm or too cold, one part over
dressed, while another part suffers
from exposure. If the vitality Is
lowered by any means, diseases, and
minor ailments which open the door
to serious diseases, are sure to accept
the Invitation thus given and enter
the system.
Many women say they "haven't
the time" to attend to such things;
but when one is pulled down by sick
ness caused by such carelessness, the
time must be taken, and though
there may be no serious disarrange
ment of the household routine, there
is always a loss and weakening "that
bring on a chain of evils at a later
date. Many a child is being doctored
for cough, or a disagreeable catarrh,
which might haVe bejen perfectly
well, had their feet and legs been
properly clothed, and the comfort of
tho body attended to. While it Is
'by no means advisable to attempt
facing tho cold and storms of winter
with scanty clothing, it is surely just
as foolish to bundle one's self up so
no accidental exposure can bo met
without a severe cold.
"Earning Money at Homo"
Wo are in receipt of many letters
from our dear women, asking for
advico along this line. But it is
very hard to suggest work by which
these sisters who are kept In the
home by reason of homo duties, little
children, an invalid, or invalidism,
or those living in -country neighbor
hoods far from markets, can earn
anything. It is easy enough to sug
gest, and to cite examples of what
a few rare, "other women" have
done; but it is only tb.e exception
al woman who can do these things,
and though she may not realize it at
the time, the added work Is a heavy
drain upon her vitality, and she Js
more likely to be an old woman or
an invalid while she is yet young' in
years, than if she had let it alone.
A woman who is raising a family,
or who has full charge of all the
household duties, should be exempt
from further earning.
It Is Impossible to say what any
one woman can best do; half of us
do not know this, ourselves; any
work we may attempt at home may
be but experimenting, and that in a
losing direction. Where one woman
is so versatile as to succeed at any
one of half a dozen things, another
will ,t ail, no matter what she tries
so much depends on the woman, and
the wish or the will, or even the
necessity, to do, is not all that is
necessary. Whatever one under
takes, It will bo necessary that there
be an available market, or it will do
no good. One must brace herself
for failure, and refuse to be discour
aged until a reasonable trial has
been given the work. The out-put
of her industry must be such as to
sell itself, and this can only be done
by doing the work better than any
one else can do it, and by pushing
it in the market which demands it.
Business methods must prevail, and,
like Henry Ward Beecher's "He," it
must be well stuck to, if it becomes a
success. A writer says: "Put vonr
eggs in the nest, and then watch the
nest never take your eyes off it un
til your chickens are hatched. Then
watch the chickens.!'
wrinkles; third, neglected hair. A
habit of "don't care,' and "nothing
matters" makes any woman look old,
no matter what her years. A bright,
hopeful, generous habit of mind has
much to do with keeping one young.
Don't expect a clear complexion
unless you pay attention 4to tho bath
insido and outside. Temperance
in all things, exercise, cleanliness
and careful dieting are imperative.
Keep the sewers of the body, open,'
and allow no .clogging of any organ.
Fruit, rather than meat, should bo
partaken of freely. Green vegetables
are blood purifiers, and plenty of
fresh air and a constant practice of
"good will to all" will do wonders,
where powders, pills, lotions and
unguents will fail.
For tho Toilet
When soap does not agree with
tho skin, take two tablespoonfuls of
oat meal in a muslin bag and drop
into a pint of very hot water; let
the water cool so the bag can be
handled, and squeeze all the starch
out of the bag, strain and let cool,
add two tablespoonfuls of eau de
cologne or alcohol, and apply to the
face with a soft cloth. Keep the
face very clean, and use a soft com
plexion brush to take out the "black
heads," which Is nothing but dirt al
lowed to lodge in the pores, and with
the brush use a good vegetable oil
soap, If need bo. Afterwards wash
well with clear warm water in which
there is enough benzoin to make the
water milky. This treatment must
be continued a long time.
A correspondent asks what makes
a woman look old, and how shall she,
avoid the appearance. First, the
figure is neglected, and allowed to
get all out of shape and slouchy;
second, bad dieting, careless washing
and caring for the fao.o. whinii banana
a faded or yellowed complexion and)
Query Box
Young Mother An easy way to
make the bed-slippers is to knit
them, just as you would the foot of
a' sock or stocking. Let them come
wen up tne ankle; and fit rather
snugly.. When finished, tuck them4 hr
about the bed somewhere, so you
can get them before putting the feet
out in the cold.
Alice L. The only way you 'can
find a market for your sketches is
to study the contents of the maga
zines or papers, and then send your
manuscript to the one containing
your style of writings You must
enclose stamps for return, as you
will probably get a lot of it back. .
H. H. The household editor of
a popular journal sent word to one '
who sent her a lot of household,
stuff, that it was no use to send'
Such matter as even the boys and
men were copying recipes and -.
"hints" and sending them in; and
there are many editors that are utter
ly unqualified to judge of sucTi stuff,
hence, much useless trash gets into
print. .. . , - v.;jv
The formula for making almond
extract requested by a reader in
California will be given in our next
issue. The chemist mislaid the- re- '
quest, and it had to be furnished
again.
S. S. Many times the condition
referred to is caused by a lack "of
tone in the system, with no disease
existing. A good physician will ad
vise you. A weakened condition of
the nervous system is to blame for
many aches and" pains.
B. E. S. It would be impossible
to tell you what sort of present to
give your friend; perhaps the beat
would be nothing but good wishes.
Men are not always delighted with
the selections of their girl or woman,
friends. A neat card would convoy
a message of gobd will.
Tincture of myrrh and spirits of
camphor, equal parts, is a good thing
for the teeth and to sweeten tli'e
breath. A solution of borax and wa
ter is also good.
Health Items ,
An old remedy for stomach'
troubles where there Is an excess" of :
acid, is a tea made of soot and ashes.
A quart of boiling water Is poured
onto a half pint of clean hardwood
ashes mixed with a tablespoonful of
soot, well stirred. Let this stand
over night, then pour off the clear
liquid and bottle. A tablespoonful
is to be taken in a glass of hot water
after meals, or whenever acidity- is
felt,
Soot is a valuable medicine, con
taining potash, lime and magnesia,
ammonia and "creosote. "
For curing nasal catarrh, one of
the simplest and most effective rem
edies Is a solution of borax, one tea
spoonful to half a pint of water.
Have the solution warm, but not
scalding hot; pour a little In the
palm of tho hand and isniff it up each
nostril several times a day. Till
should be continued, a long time; On
of the greatest difficulties to b met
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