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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1911)
i-i; 1 I! 8 (f The Commoner VOLUME 15,' fUMfeBlr wt " - .- . 7 i-.--.:ai Department ,C3J At Itcst I stand alono by tho window, Looking out over tho snow, And my heart 1b filled with a sorrow That only a mother can know. Far, far away on tho hillsldo Tho drlfta aro heaping high; Tho feathory flakes conio sifting Down slowly from tho sky. I know that 'neath that soft robo So cold and still and white, Two Httlo hands aro lying Folded and still tonight. Two Httlo hands, oh, doaror Than all this world to mo, Now lying, cold and frozon, Neath tho gray old hawthorn tree. Onco sho was gay as tho roses That grow on tho hillsldo there; Now alio sloops among them my uttio one, gontlo, fair! But tho roses; whoro aro tlioy hiding? Thoy wore thoro not long ago; Ah, thoy, llko my darling sleeper, Aro sleoplng undor tho snow. ill, why did thoy tako tho roses And loavo her chooks so white? Why am I loft so lonoly, .Mourning hor loss, tonight? And yot, why should I mourn hor? For sho Is among tho blest; And whllo I am weeping alono to night, My Httlo ono is at rest. Louiso It. Frakos. Tho Scrap-Boole ITablt Ono Boldom realizes what is lost by not caring in an ordorly way for tho many ltoms of Information or recipes that aro valuablo which may bo clipped from tho papers and mag azines and kept whero thoy can bo found when wanted, by tho ubo of a Httlo timo, paste and an old book. When ono has to rummage through a pilo of old literature to find what la wanted immediately, or to claw through a lot of clippings that aro tossed haphazard into envelopes or boxes, one Is apt to lose not only valuablo timo, but tompor as well. Any old, well-bound book may bo used for tho scrap book, by tearing, or cutting out two loaves, leaving one, then tearing out two more, un til tho book has been gone through. It requires but a few minutes to inako k fow spoonfuls of flour paste, and to put tho Bcraps into tho book used for tho purpose. Thoro might bo several books, ono each for certain Items of information, for recipes, and for literature. Scrap books make a valuablo library, and aro worth more than any encyclopedia if tho contents are wisely chosen and tho work done neatly. Not only should tho house wifo have scrap books, but many a valuablo itom may be saved by tho man of tho family, and when pastod In his book, ho can find it at a mo ment's notice. Just resolve to culti vate tho scrap-book habit, beginning how. Caving fop tho Hair Wo aro all Interested in having nice hair, but many people "do not do as well as they know, in tho matter. Many times, tho fading of tho hair is caused by neglect or ill health of tho body and scalp, and on toning up tho system, tho hair uay In great measure regain its color. You will obsorvo, In case of animals, that a poorly nourished or neglooted coat turns a decidedly rough, ugly color, but as soon as good food and careful grooming is given tho animal, tho coat of hair bocomes slick and glossy. .Tho hah Is often ono of tho first things to show disease of tho body. Tho treat ment should not bo by stains and dyes, but by means tending to in duco healthy action of tho hair fol licles. During tho cold weather, the heat and dry air of tho house ren ders tho hair dry and rough, and tho first thought is to try somo oily dres sing, or tonic mostly applied to tho hair, instead of tho scalp, through ignoranco of physical laws. Tho re sult is dirty, unpleasant hair. It would bo better to keep the hair clean by occasional shampoos and massage, and wear constantly a cal ico or silk dusting cap, or other light covering, when about tho work, and glvo tho hair an air-bath frequently. A lady who has long been a reader of Tho Commonor, tells mo that for somo years she suffered from dis ordered nerves, and her head became well sprinkled with white hairs, the hairs falling badly all the timo. Finally, her health became excellent again, and tho falling stopped, a new growth of hair camo in, and tho hair was much darkened. Many of her frionds asked her anxiously what sho was using; but she used only the brush and comb, massaging the scalp with hor flngor-tips as often as she had timo. She is past sixty years of ago, and her hair is quite dark. An other lady who writes a great deal and who is past fifty years of ago, has beautiful, long, soft auburn hair, and tells me that when studying her "materials," she loosens her hair, and works off a good deal of surplus "nerves" by constantly running her fingers through her hair and manipu lating tho scalp. Sho practices physi cal exercises in order to keep well, and is careful of her diet. "Reducing tho Cost" In looking over many of the house hold departments, ono is struck with tho cheapness with which a family can live on paper. The bill of fare seems elaborate, and great pains seoni to bo taken with tho prepara tions of the dishes; but wo who live ordinary lives, serving ordinary fam ilies, aro puzzled to know how it Is done, and whether the family ever complains of insufflciGnt-. fnnd wQ is ono of the rules given; the writer asserts that she feeds a family of six for $5 per week, and proceeds to show how it Is done: She says one-half pound of meat, cooked until it Ib In shreds, gives sufficient flavor ing for tho soup; then the meat is ground up fine, mixed with a few nutkernols, bread crumbs, and care fully cooked hominy, mixed well and made into a ball, roasted or baked for half an hour in tho oven, and served with tomato or plain white sauce; the cost of the dish Is eight cents, and will be sufficient for six people. Sho further recommends that there should be served with it macaroni carefully cooked and served with cream sauce. In making the soup, "other materials left over" are used with the water flavored by the meat. In trying to fit it to our own family, we are at a loss to know wH.aLJ (l0, EgBS are t0 b osed as substitutes for meat, and peas, beans, nuts, lentils and macaroni are also mentioned for substitutes, as being much cheaper and fully as nutri tious. Many people cannot digest tho legumes, no matter how thoy are cooked. Tho menus call for oat meal, milk, coffee, tomatoes, potatoes, cab bage, breads, butter, eggs, beef, fruit, cereals, lentils, rice, custards, salt fish, lentils, wafers, oysters, mutton, lettuce, cheese, hominy, cream, tur nips, spaghetti, celery, peaches (canned), fresh fish, chickens, beets, cocoa, molasses, flavorings, condi ments, corn meal, ryo meal, olive oil, vinegar, lemons sugar gelatine, dried beef, and many kinds of vege tables. The milk alone was to cost ten cents a day. How did she do it? It belongs to tho puzzlo column. Worth Knowing A plaited skirt should be basted all tho way down each plait, then a wet cloth (not too wet) should be laid on tho plait the wholo length and pressed with a moderately hot iron, wetting tho cloth each time it gets dry; if this is done there will bo no trouble, and the skirt will look as nice as when new. An ironing board is good to do the pressing on. Where spots are found on dark dresses, sponging with a tea made of soap bark, then sponging with clean water and pressing will restore tho freshness. To prepare soap bark, pour one quart of boiling water over two ounces of soap bark (to be had of the druggist), which will cost about five cents. Let this simmer gently for two hours, then strain through a cheese-cloth into a clean vessel. Uso what is wanted, and put the rest In a bottle; it will keep for several days in a cold place. Its uses are many. When vaseline is used and gets onto the towels and clothing, It is hard to remove, as washing with soap and water will only set the stain. The garment or article to be cleaned should soak in coal oil or alcohol before being wet, for some little time, then wash. If the fabric cannot be washed, try cleaning with ether or chloroform, wetting the stains well with this and then rub bing well, repeating until clean. A reader tells us: Before putting the new shoes on the child for the first time, warm the soles well be fore the fire, then, while still warm, paint the soles with copal varnish, applying wun a brush. Allow the coating to dry, then warm the sole again and give another coating. Three coats should be applied, and the child can put them on, sure they are waterproof, and will last much longer. A cork or lamb's wool In sole is a great comfort for cold feet. bio Is a popular way to' collect' mon-' ey, as each one who attends has to t pay an admission fee of sixteen pen.- Tim nies, or pay that amount for certain -. ' refreshments. Pennies may be made , .-' the foundation of many practical 2 schemes for tho raising of money: -Vy Anything that will tend to increaso.v-'. the social life of the church member-" ship, and to bring the people togem-v; er often can be made popular. There' ;-. is too little sociability among the" members of the majority of theT cnurcnes. . -. Query Box . . ; - Raising Church Funds A very popular method of collect ing for church and benevolent pur poses Is by the "mile of pennies" plan. A mile of pennies counts up to $844.80, allowing sixteen pennies to a foot. Adhesive plaster one inch in width may be cut into any de sired length usually one or more feet, and distributed to those who promise to fill the strip by sticking the requisite number of pennies on the strip and when full returning It to the association. Another plan is to have the members of church and Sunday school put into the box an amount in pennies, or other money i JIVS1 V1 PennieB the years of their S. 5f uw 55?' dePaitinS the money on the birthday. A "sixteen" soda- C. G. To remove spots of ink--from wash fabrics, before wetting with water, lay in a bowl of sweet milk, leaving for three days, chanc ing the milk night and morning. If this does not remove it, try salt sat urated with lemon juice with expo sure to the sun. S. H. K. In some hospital prac tice., what is called "test meals" are administered, then removed from the stomach by an emetic or other pro cess, and examined to determine the cause of failure of the stomach to perform its functions. Discouraged Doubtless the stumb- ling block you encountered in your "raising pigeons for profit" experi ence was poor care, neglect, irregu lar feeding and slovenly methods. Overcrowding will mean sickness and vermin, and nine cases out of ten of failure is due to lack of experience or carelessness of the attendant. Frances R. To clean the chamois gloves, wash in cold soap suds, using castile soap for the suds, then rinse in a light suds to prevent hardening when dried; hang them by the upper edge away from heat to dry. They may be put on the hands and washed in gasoline if one is very careful to do the work' where there is no flame or fire. C. D. W. To remove Ink "from silk, dip a small camel's hair brus'h in a weak solution of oxalic acid and pafnt the spots carefully; repeat sev eral times, sponging between appli cations with pure water. The ground color will likely be changed, no mat ter how carefully you work, in which case diluted ammonia may partly re store it. The best way is to take it to a professional cleaner who under stands his work. i, Li Q7rMutton tallow for the hands will be hard when cold, and for use it must be slightly warmed on the outside, then rubbed on the hands. A teaspoonful of glycerine beaten well into a half teacupful of the tallow while warm will soften it-somewhat. OLD COMMON SENSE Change Food When You Feel Out of Sorts "A great deal depends upon your- ' self and the kind of food you eat the wise old doctor said to a man who came to him sick with stomach trouble and sick headache once or twice a week, and who had been or1?1118 Q,nd different medicines for three or four years. He was induced to stop eating any sort of fried food or meat for brea fast, and was put on Grape-Nuts and cream, leaving off all medicines. In a few days he began to get better and now he has entirely re covered and writes that he lsin ne top health than he has been before In twenty years. This man Is 68 years old and says he feels "like a new man all the time." nirieadhe .Road t0 Wellvllle" in . pkgs. "There's a Reason." Ever rend tho above letter? A new one appears from time to timo. ThoT ti - ;s jjjbVa !wt! Aaakt