Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1911)
M. J y. I K'i J w M The Commoner. VOLUME 11, NUMBER' 7 ft KSr4J-aFfff r I&sr '- sliwiVi Jwm-J w ir" " jnnnt'unP.-M, r l h .tiM- i . i jh iiiiiiim rhTuiiii i " t MflR Mil'111 111 UAT v WiilS5 ) Conducted 6y Wdm Watts Weffi Departmen " A Tho Survival of tlio Unfit 'Tls tlio crackod and nosoless pltchor That survivos tho hardest knocks; 'Tls tho gown that loast becomes us That outwears our favorite frocks. 'Tls tho broken ribbed urabrolla That confronts us, rainy days, Whllo our own, pearl-handlod treas ure In some othor hall-rack stays. 'Tls tho coarso and common fabric Goos unscathed through suds and dust, Whllo our beat and finest linen Gots tho coffee-stains and rust. 'Tls tlio weed that's most obnoxious That Is loft to spread and grow, Whllo tho slips wo dearly chorlsh "Fall a victim to the hoo. "PIS tho battlo-scarrod old Thomas, Who spits and growls and bites, Who stays with us from year to year, And murders Bleep o' nights, Whllo frollcsomo young Tabby, With temper sweet and mild, Becomes tho prey of vandal boys, Or Is by thief beguiled. 'Tls tho friend our heart most longed for Who can jiiBt a minute stay, While tho family avorsion Comes prepared to spond tho day. Thus, numberless examples Do not provo one llttlo bit Tho correctness of that saying "Tho survival of tho fit." Prances E. Downing. smooth surface, and with a sponge dipped in tho liquid clean tho silk on both sides. Then go over it again, still on tho table, with clean water and a sponge, cleaning both sides. Dissolve a' little gum arable or gela tine in water, moisten the spongo with this and pass it over tho wrong side of the silk. Pin the silk care fully and smoothly on a cloth to dry. denning and Dyeing In sorting over tho contents of boxes, bags, closets and attics, the housowife finds many things that may bo either used in tho original form, or renovated with a few extra yards of materials or trimmings, or renowod with sponging, cleaning and dyeing. If tho last year's lawn dress Is faded or streaked, boil it In water in which cream of tartar, a teaBpoonful to a half gallon, has boon added. This will make a white dress of it. For renovating most of dress goods, it is bettor to rip all tho seams, pick out tho threads, wash well and remove all grease stains before attempting to dye it. Where tho goods is a mixture of wool and cotton, a wool dye should be used to dye tho wool, followed by a cot ton, linen or mixed-goods dyo of the same color as the wool dye, in order to dye It a uniform color. Strict attention Bhould be paid to turning and stirring tho goods while In the dye. Read the directions carefully, and follow them implicity. Have a vessel large enough to allow tree turning and stirring of the goods. Do not crowd. To clean black Bilk, and many other kinds of goods, mako an in fusion of equal parts of clear coffee and household ammonia, and after carefully brushing tho material, ap ply the liquid with a cloth or Bponge, sponging It well. If the Bilk is in breadths, wind It When House-Cleaning Do not use a carpet sweeper on a rug, and never beat it on tho back, as this breaks the threads. Orientals never beat their rugs, and never step on them with shoes worn in tho street; when they become much soiled, they wash them and spread them in tho sun to dry. Tho best way to clean a rug In your own home, if small and dyed with vege table colors, is to put it in luke warm water in a' tub, soap it well and brush with a clean brush. In tho summer, rugs can be hung on a line or railing and the hose turned on them. For the daily or weekly care of rugs, keep a clean broom, not too stiff, for their especial use. Sweep tho rug with tho pile, with the dry broom, then gently against the pile. Lastly, dampen the broom in salt water or ammonia and water, and sweep with the pilo. ' In winter, tho sweeping is best done out of doors. After shaking tho rug, or beating on the right side, Bpread on the snow, and brush off with snow, if snow is to be- had. A piece of rubber hose is an excellent thing to use as a carpet-beater. Lastly, look out for moths, especially in a furnace-heated house. A rug in daily use seldom has moths, but rugs used for hangings are apt to invite coloni zation. An occasional brushing or exposure to air especially In winter, is usually sufficient to dislodge the enemy; but If moth-eggs do get in the rugs, and hatch by the heat of the rooms, shake out all the dust, dampen the rug and press on the back-with akhot iron, going over every inch of it. on a smooth surface and rub well with hot corn meal. To prepare pigeon wings for milli nery purposes, wash the feathers in rainwater, after the process of skin ning, then lay a mixture of thick starch water over the portions to be cleaned. Put the wings aside until the plastering of starch has become thoroughly dried, then remove the starch by tapping it with the back of a knife. To keep quilts or blankets from soiling, cover the parts that come near the face with a wide strip of cheese-cloth. Cut the strip as long as the covering is wide, and let it be at least twelve inches wide. Hem tho ends, and fold in tho middle, lengthwise; tack one half on each side of tho quilt or blanket. When soiled, it can be removed and washed. A brass bedstead may be cleaned with a cloth wet with coal oil, then polished with a dry, soft cloth. This polishes beautifully, but does not harm the lacquer. This should be done about twice a year. For pressing trousers, press first over a cloth only slightly dampened, then dampen the cloth a little more and apply the hot iron for a moment, just long enough to create steam, then remove the iron and cloth, and after going all the way, with a' whisk broom restore the nap by a beating and patting motion. A Good Wall Finish A cheap, yet artistic wall finish is tho Venetian red, dear to all who like pictures brought out; for a good-sized room, take a quarter of a pound of good glue and ten cents worth of Venetian red in powder. Dissolve tho glue in a water-bath to the consistency of milk, first by soaking over night in cold water to soften, then dissolving to liquid form by heating in the water-bath, then add two gallons of warm water, stir in mo powaer slowly, until thor oughly mixed, then apply to the wall with a large brush, keeping the paint stirred up from tho bottom. It will not rub off, and may bo applied to any surface. Washing Baby's Woolens Dissolve one teaspoonful of borax in each pailful of soft, worm water not hot with sufficient white soap to make a good lather. Rub lightly with the hands (not on a board), squeeze well, and put into second water prepared as the first. Use two or three waters, as the condition of the garment requires. Be sure to have the waters all alike as to warmth, borax and soap. The last, or rinse water, requires but little soap, though the quantity of borax should be the same. Wash dark colored flannels in separate water, to seep me wmto lint trom flecking the colored. Wring or squeeze the gar ment thoroughly, twisting as little as possible. Pull into shape and dry In the shade in a gentle breeze, if possible. Delicate colored dress goods should always be turned wrong muo out. All cottons and flannelettes should be scalded well, and no garment should be worn twice without a good washing and scalding. put Into coffee can. Use this with equal parts of coffee, or a less quan tity of coffee, if preferred. It is a good substitute for coffee, and much cheaper. Mrs. A. Camp, 111. Helps for tlio Housewife Pie-plant must not be peeled; there is much richness in the peel, and no matter how stringy it is, it will cook up all right! For making hominy, use three tablespoonfuls of cooking soda to each gallon of corn, with sufficient water to make the lye, and proceed as with wood ashes. Horseradish sauce is made by creaming one-fourth cup of butter and adding the same amount of freshly grated horseradish root, with one tablespoonful of lemon . juice. Beat all together and serve very cold. Matting is usually cleaned by washing lightly with salted water, using a flannel cloth. It should be wet as little as possible, and wiped dry with a soft, dry cloth. Any badly soiled spots should be first rubbed with dampened corn . meal, after a gentle, but thorough, sweep ing to remove all dust. A quart of salt to a pailful of water is about the proportions. The water should be cold, and the matting wet as little as may be. If matting is sewed with strong, soft thread, making long stitching, instead of tacking over-laps,, there will be no ridges to scuff out with the feet, as there always are, if the breadths aTe lapped and fastened with tacks. A poor quality of mat ting is an extravagance, and one piece of good quality will outlast two or three poor pieces. For papering a whitewashed .ceil ing, get one pound of dry glue and soften by letting stand in cold, vine gar overnight; in the morning boil in a waterbath (the vessel contain ing the glue set in another vessel containing water which is to be kept boiling until the glue is liquid.) Lot the vinegar and glue cool, but not get cold, apply to the ceilings and walls as you would paste. .Let this get nearly dry, then put on the wall paper with paste, as usual. It is best to put the paste on both paper and walls. The vinegar neutralizes the alkali in the lime. uot - lrkO vl vnf ATtntilvr Ann rP li rx boardB on which goods aro wrapped at the mills; If the goods Is in small pieces, smooth when almost dry with a cool flat-iron, applied on the wrong side. Nothing la so good for cleaning black silk as beef gall. Break the gall bladder Into as much boiling water as you care to use; spread tho material on a table, or other Good Things to Know When hot cloths aTe wanted, heat them In a steamer and avoid tho necessity of wringing. A colnniW evenly about a will do, if covered to keep in the steam. Paint splashes on a floor mnv ho removed by soaking them for a short time in benzine or turpentine, then rubbing them with emery paper or a little pulverized pumice stone, ap plied with a damp cloth. noiiana snaaes that bta nii.i Substitutes for Coffee Having had several inquiries for substitutes for coffee, we give the following: Two quarts of corn meal, three quarts of wheat bran, one pint of ow vneaus moiasses (riot sor ghum), one pint of boiling water. Mix evenly, put into pans or one large, Bhallow pan and roast, in nvfin until quite brown, stirring to cook it even. The amount used for one cupful of beverage depends upon tho taste of the user. Experiment will give satisfaction. This is anM t be better for children than milk raid where milk Is not to be had as In many largo cities, tho beverage will be an excellent substitute Another Two quarts of bran pour over it as evenly as possible tw.4. u"vul OI JNQw urieans molasses. s55Bafe"slSSsVSSS --- w vujy tu utirriug irequer they can bo cleaned, lay scorching. Wh Requested Recipes To Bone Fish To remove bones from either fresh or salt fish, while raw, take the headless fish - in the left hand, split down the back; with the right thumb carefully push" the meat from the flesh side of the back bone, then gently force tho thumb between the backbone and the skin of the fish from head to tail; now gently pull sidewise, and the ribs adhering to the back bono will o.om out with it. All the remaining bones can be removed by catching them between the thumb and the sharp blade of a knife. If the fish are salt, they must be freshened before being boned. Cornish Saffron Cake Three pints of raised bread sponge, one generous uuium ot iara (or butter and lard), one cupful of white sugar, one tea spoonful of. salt, one rounded teaspoonful of Spanish saffron, (this must be steeped on th hnoir nf tho stove in a- little water until the water is well colored, then both water and leaves must bo used) ; one-half pound of currants, one-half-pound of rais ins, washed and dried. Mix thor oughly, adding flour enough to make a uoit aougn, let rise, work down and let rise again; the second time, make into loaves; let rise the same as bread and bake the same. If the weather is warm, a small pinch of soda will prevent souring. (This recipe has been frequently asked for, and is now supplied by one who has lived much among Cornish people.) WVVVUM .. vuvij V-tm. IKJ Uiramen. OV ennmli nn Trrt u i ..-. w I J-UUlUll IVIPPI Mlirtriln OU 11 lfl -W611 nrrvamn ttt . . u6 xuuiuu meai budding (Boiled)- -wu.tvu, , warm a pint of molasses and a plat ltAl... ..U