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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1910)
.. 8 t. The Commoner VOLUME 10,- NUMBER Bt t- c I-. J.; lr it. i; VRffl jl v j- w i in i tit. ' Through Suffering, dod never would eond you the. dark (, ness " if Ho thought you could bear tho light; But you would not cling to his guid ing hand If tho way wore alwavs brlcht. And you would not care To walk by , faith Could you always walk by sight. 'Tls true, He has many an anguish s For your sorrowing heart to bear, And many a cruel thorn-crown ' For your aching head to wear; Ho knows how few would reach heaven at all If pain did not guide them there. 6p Ho sends you the blinding dark ness, . ' , And" the furnace of seven-fold " heat; 'Tls the only way, believe me, To keep you close to His feet; For 'tis always so easy to ' wander When our lives are glad and sweet. Then nestle your hand in your Father's, And sing, if you can, as you go; Tour song may cheer some one be hind you Whose courage is sinking low. And well, if your llpB do quiver. God will love you the better, so. -Author Unknown. well. But do wp ever stop to ask them, or ourselves, what would con stitute a really happy and prosper ous Now Year, to either them or our selves? There are so many good things in this life to be. had 'with '& little effort; yet many of them would fail to inako us happy, if we possessed them. There are many degrees or prosperity, and we may prosper finely in some one or more things yet fail in others equally as important to our well-being; and, inissing the thing we felt that wo most wanted, wo may hold all else as nothing, or at best very little. Few of us know, really, just what we do want. We are told that we should seek 'first the kingdom of rietitfcniia- ness, and entering there, all else shall oe given unto us. A second only to ' this wonderful possession, we should seek health health of body, soul ; ana spirit, one evem fairly well in ; body is usually happy and prosper ous, ior neaitn is indeed happiness and prosperity. But we muat nav the price for all good" thing. Let l us seek health in every way w can. Urain the fragrant, flowerine:. nr fino foliage kinds, that will rest you and icomrort you. Let the "things to eat" grow in tne kitcnen carden. Lifs wants nothing so much as love and beauty; and the housewife needs rest- rui, tnought-bringlng things. See that there are beauty-snots about Hia back yard, as well as the useful. Cul- tivate an sides of your nature. "The Happy New Year" ; The custom of celebrating the first, $ay of the now year is a verjr ancient one, though the date of the New Year's day differs among tho na tions. Among the majority, there was always feasting and gift-giving and varipus merry-makings. The practice of ringing In the New Year with a peal of bells at midnight comes from a very ancient custom of northern Europe. The calendar used by Christian nations is a revi sion of that of the old Romans. The Roman year began with the month next following the whiter solstice, while the nations of northern Europe cecwd the year with the winter sufcfcice. In early Christian times, the date varied, but was flnallyflxed in the sixteenth century. The Jewish Now, Year is not a fixed date, but ocours in September; the Chinese New Year comes fh September, and the Mohammedans in July, the day being fixed each year by lunar changes. In olden times, in this country especially the new year opened with much festivity, but from several causes, fell into disuse, though Its observance Is again bc coming more general. The people of Holland and Germany make mare of the New Year than any other people with customs peculiar to themselves. Twelfth Night Is the evening before Epiphany, or the twelfth night after Christmas, and the observance of this date used to be the culmlnatlqn of the Christmas festivities In England. Its superstitions are still sacredly ob- served in some parts of England. With many at the present day, New ' Year's day is the beginning of a new life, and an appropriate time to wish all manner of good things for their friends and themselves. May it be a Happy and Prosperous New Year to each of you. Poem Wanted Will some one furnish the words and namo of the author of a poem containing these lines: "With passions unruffled untainted with pride, By reason my life let me square; The wants of my nature are cheaply supplied, And the rest are but folly and care. How vainly, with infinite trouble and strife, The many their labor amnlvtrf Since all that is truly delightful In life Is what all, if they will, may enjoy." What Do We Wish? Ws are all wishing for onr friends and acquaintance a "Happy and fcrosparaut New Year." And it is Planning for tho Springtime It is none too early to begin the spring planning. Almost before we realize it, the winter will be gone, and the spring work will be rushing in upon us. Tho florist's catalogues have reached you, or will be sent to you on request, during this month, and it is a rest and recuperation to Jook them over and study the possi bilities of your purse and plans. Re call the vacant places in the border, the bare places about the grounds, and study carefully, with mtfch fam ily consultation, how these lacks may be met most satisfactorily to all. Do not be v content with a bare, flower less door yard, back or front, and see that there are plenty of vines In the proper places for them. Do not shroud the window with vines, how ever, for there Is nothing so good as the sunshine,; but they may, be trained up around the casements of both doors and windows, with charming effect. Do not plant trees about the house so as to shut out the light from the rooms, or the sun shine, from the grounds. Shade is good?' but human beings need the sunshine. There is a place for both. "Let there be light," and let it be plentiful; damp, dark corners are a menace to both children ami rtTiit "Nothing ripens in the shade." Have flowering shrubs that will stand ne glect, if need bo; have perennials In the border, if you are a busy people; try to have a succession of tho flow ers. Lot tho children have their favorites, if only one or two, and in sist on them caring for their own. uo not piant grape vines over the General Household Don't forget or neglect to protect yourself when hanging out clothes during the winter. Many women bring trouble on themselves by going out from the steaming wash room to hang the wet clothes on the line, wearing thin house shoes and with no extra wran. excent It mav hn something wound about the head. Mittens made of light colored flan nel or canton flannel am msiiv mawa and when not in use should be slipped into tne ciotnes-pm bag, ready for' the next washing. An easy way to cut them out is to lay the open hand down on -a, piece of paper and trace a line all aroupd the hand and thumb, leaving plenty of space for the wrist. Allow for a good seam, and plenty of room. Sew the two pieces together when cut out and hem tho top of the wrist. Keep old, thick sock-legs and make snow shoes of 'them; or- buy ready made snow shoes or "arctics;" put on a jacket, or over garment, and thus protect the body against the chJU of the outer, air. Where furnace heat is used, with the' registers' in the floors, stretch a stout wire across the inside of the register and hang on thlB a small tin pan, or even a tin can, and keep well filled with water, and this will supply much moisture. To remove lamp soot from furni ture, try blowing off the soot rather than wiping it off. A lighted lamp, left burning for many hours, may fill the room full of soot, , covering the furniture with a coating of soot which can be removed In no other way without ruining whatever it set- ties on. Tne rurnlture may be taken out of doors, and a small pair of bel lows used. Walls and ceiling may be treated with the bellows, catching the soot on sheets or papers held so as to receive it aB It falls. Lamps should not be left turned down low; it is better to shade the light, or turn them entirely out, as a turned down lamp gives off a bad odor, as well as- spreads soot from poor combustion. tin a tin can will do two strips of tin about six inches long and an inch wide. In the middle of each strip, cut half way through the strip, then slip the two pieces together, crossing at right angles, fitting the cut places one in the other. -Set this on the top of the chimney over the lighted lamp, and set the cup or ves sel on it. The tin cross-piece will' hold the vessel up so as not to inter fere with the draft of the chimney. Using tho Corners -Don't forget that the corners may be made of the greatest convenience by fitting into them three cornered boards to be used as shelves, the' highest one being suitable for a table-top. Where the house Is a rented one, the corners may be made into closets, for most of small houses built for rent are woefully lacking in closet rooms. Tho shelves may be screwed to upright pieces that will hold them steady, and these screwed to the walls, and may be taken down and apart when a ohange of residence is made. They are wonderfully con-' venient, i An Emergency Convenience Here is a little contrivance, not hard to make, that may be of great value where there are children, or sudden cases of Illness which re quire tho quick heating of some thing: Make a frame of stout wire, or the ribs of an old umbrella, hav ing four legs, with a sort of rack on top on which to set a tin cup or small vessel; make the frame high enough so a lighted lamp may be set under the rack, and make It stout enough by braces at the sides so it will bear the weight set on It with out collapsing. A piece of stout wire and a pair df pincers to shape tjie wire with are all the ' materials re qiilredj The cup or vessel set oh the rack and the1 lighted lamp net unqer it wn soon give results. 'jtVlYlAl ia .k ..,- . . front porches; such things belong toltb hHiTi little rack made Ttt&S !ei 5nd UMp ' n, cross! ad life oHS p ,, u um ui vwuMrn, oi tn xamp chimney. Cut from any , Some Health Notes For cold feet, after being sure they are clean and comfortably clad, Iry taking the tiptoe exercise, rising slowly on the toes, holding the posi tion a minute and then slowly low-' ering the heels to the floor. Will-power is the psychic energy that enables one to control them selves, mentally, morally and physi-V cally. It is not necessarily courage, or fortitude, but is a higher power. It is one of the strongest factors-for health enabling one to rise above weaknesses of the flesh, and oveW. come them. As soon as a cold sore appears, . wet the spot with camphor and covery with powdered subnitrataof bismuth; . camphorT?y Jjtself often..qures. :-,'. . Ear-strain, from defective Uearjngv is frequently a cause of headache,; just as eye-strain is. When the" hearing is bad, the eyes as well as the ears are strained to catch the sound, and this tires the nerves. There are many mechanical de vices and aids for both eye and ear' defection, and some oT them are very valuable; but with these it is like : with artificial teeth they are poor' substitutes for the natural organs. It pays to take special care of one's health. - For sorenesa hptwonn tv. first wash the feet carefully and gently remove the callous, then wet a bit of gauze or medicated cotton ' with tincture of myrrh, compound tincture of benzoin, pr colorless iodine, and put between the affected toes. Deep breathing of fresh air will do more for. tho complexion than any kind of cosmetic. Begin the house cleaning from the inside, and push tho waste material outwardly. Clean- -Ing the doorstep will never make the house look tidy, if the litter is left inside. Copious water-drinking should be indulged in, between meals, and the water should be of a tem perature that one likes the best. Ice water should not he taken, as very cold water retards digestion. -, . Questions of Etiquette It is, no longer considered correct to wait until all are served before beginning the meal; when two or three are served, they may begin "" slowly to taste the foods, buttering the bread, etc., using no undue haste, however. The small dishes holding th olives, radishes, tiny sour pickles and salted nuts are arranged about th centerpiece, the spoons or forks be side them. A potato Is broken up with tha rk"Tnot cut itiuthe knife; put the skins on one side of your platii, mmk IH IM 1 I 4.'