Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1911)
mi l ft ir it s The Commoner. VOLUME 11, NUMBER 13 BlU V -n '"' -i iiirtwrgfTrrruij i aGD.) i smmpr V r-5 k Conductcdty vneiwmts epartme; In tlio Sprlngtlmo Now, ovon in dream or story, Did you picture aught like this? Come, walk within the glory And see tho young leaves kiss. Tho plum trees nro in blossom, Tho poach trees, bright and fair; Tkoro's pink buds for your bosom, And white ones for your hair. Long lanes of rosy sweetness For us to wander through, All lined with fresh completeness, With walls of daintiest blue. Tho apple trees are blushing Thoir breath 1b sweet as lovo; Tho pear troo faintly flushing, Shower petals from above. Tho rougish young wind scrambles Through blooming arches white, Whoso soft Bnows filter downward, And strow tho ground with light. Tho birds aro wildly singing, Wingod blossoms fly about, Through petals whito or rosy, Tho droning beo creeps out. , Ho, for tho spring is calling! Tho birds havo been sent to say Fou cannot count your losses, If you como not out today! . Mrs. M. C. Victor. 'Growing Old Gracefully" It is a help to keep young In spirit, to always look for tho funny side of life, and there always is a funny Bido, If wo hunt for it In earnest. One should retain thoir enthusiasms as long as possible. One cannot help tho gray hair and wrinkles tlmo always brings them; but tho spirit need not grow old and morbid and gloomy. A happy, youthful spirit makes even a wrinkled face appear very attractive. Another thing wo should do is to keep tho love element alive; wo must culti Tato sympathy and kindness, and lovo our neighbor," no matter what faults ho or sho may havo. There Is always something lovable about every human being. If wo look for tho good qualities, wo shall find them. We should think health, talk health, and act health, and de termine that we will keep well at any cost. Keep spiritually and men tally wholesome, and the body can scarcely bo diseased. We must not brood; we must not worry only tho serene soul 1b strong, and no human being is any stronger than tho weak est part; if wo are strong mentally, bodily and spiritually, we shall be happy. Worry is a disease, or a symptom of disease, and every mo ment of worry weakens the soul for Its dally battle. A writer has said that "Worry is spiritual near sightedness a fumbling way of looking at little things and magnify ing their importance." One of the strongest cures for tho worry germ Is to have faith In the wisdom of our Creator; to trust that the "right ide" of tho tapestry will show the perfect pattern, no matter what the side we work on the seamy side discovers. "Faith, hopo and charity" these are tho elements that make tor a graceful, attractive old ace. Wo are all here for the purpose of winning tho battle; wo cannot do It, tf we lose faith in our Leader; but K we live right, think right and act right, wo have "done what wo could." There Is nothing better for tho out houses, tho cellar, or tho ordinary kitchen, than a good, well-made old fashioned whito wash. There aro tmany whiteners on tho market, but they do no better than lime, while limo is one of tho strongest disin fectants known. It should be used freely in cellars, about drains, in all outhouses and barnyard build buildings. For tho summer kitchen, or storage shed, there la nothing better, and it is so cheap that it may bo renewed several times dur ing tho season. Do not allow any ono to throw slops about the back yard. Do not allow the scrapings of the dinner plates, the scraps of bread, or other food refuse to bo thrown about in the yards, for this Ib one of tho strongest attractions to mice, ants, roaches and other pests. Such waste also brings stray dogs and cats into tho yard, and nothing gives a more untidy appearance to the surround ings of tho houso. If you have no animals to feed the garbago to, put it into the firebox, or the garbago hole, another good way is to dig a hole in some corner and dump everything that will rot into it, all kinds of vegetable trim mings, lawn clippings, and scraps of food, covering tho hole with a board, and sprinkle a few handfuls of dust on the garbage to keep it from smelling. Pour greasy dishwater in tho hole, and dirty soap suds, and by all, you will have the finest com post for your potted plants that can be wanted. Begin now, and by fall the contents of the pit will be a fine lot of the best kind of manure. Burn every useless thing that litters the yards. Put all the com bustible things in the kindling pile, and all kinds of paper and trash may be burned harmlessly by mak ing a "cage" of poultry wire and putting the trash inside for the flames. Tho wind cannot then blow it about, and there will be no danger of fires. on this island there is no record ex cept that given by himself in the first chapter of Revelations, where he tells us that "I, John, was in the islo of Patmos, for the words of God and the testimony of Jesus." It is supposed that he was Bent thither by his persecutors about the dato of 68 A. D., when Nero was harassing both Jews and Christians with his cruelties. Some authorities suppose it was long after that date, during the persecution of tho emperor Domi tlan, about 90 to 96, A. D. It is not known how long he remained on the island, but it is shown by the records of the Christian Fathers that he re turned to Ephesus, and that the Apocalypse, or Revelations, together with the Gospel and Epistles which bear his name, were written at that place. It is known that he died in Ephesus at an advanced age, but neither date nor manner of his death is known. Baby's Milk From the first of May on into the fall months, it Is better to pasteurize the baby's milk, as bacteria develops rapidly during warm weather. One can get a regular pasteurizer for about three dollars, but the work can bo efficiently done with less ex pense by putting the bottles of milk in a vessel of cold water and then bringing the water rapidly to a boil; men remove the vessel from the stove, cover with a blanket and let remain about half an hour; then take out of the water and cool as auicklv as possible, by running water at first warm, but gradually cooler over the bottles until they are quite cold after which they should be set on ice until tho baby's meal-time, then warm to the proper degree for the baby's use. Whatever Is done, be sure to keep the milk clean, and in a cold place, putting it away as soon as it is delivered. Window Hangings It is said that one's neighbors often make up their minds as to the tastes and character of the house hold largely from the curtains which are hung at the windows. The cur tains should be simple, tasteful, un obtrusive and satisfying to the eye, rather than showy, elaborate and in harmonious with the surroundings. The washable curtain of simple de sign and unpretentious fabric is much more suitable in the long run. Lace is very lovely while it lasts, and many cheap ones aTe very nice while they are new; but unless very ex cellent care is given them when laundered, even the best of them soon wear out. If inexpensive .ma terials are used, such as sheer mus lin, sheer dimity, cross-bar muslin, or even plain lawn, or Swiss muslin, one can make them very lovely with feather-stitching or other fancy stitching, braids, rows of netting hemstitching, sheer embroiders lano insertion and edging, tucks, ruffles or even plain hems, and the work may be made very effective. All of these materials come in very inexpensive grades, but it is well to get a good quality that will bear repeated laundering. the wind is "just right" to carry the dust out of the house. Any rugs small enough to be handled should be carried out on the porch, or grass and rugs or carpets that must bo cleaned indoors should bo well sprinkled with wet tea-leaves or shredded paper, wet bran, coarse salt, or anything that will catch the dust Instead of stirring it up. Sweeping should be done with short, light strokes, and the dust taken up frequently, rather than, as some housewives do, carrying it from room to room. Where it is possible to have the vacuum cleaner, the prob lem is solved, as all dust and its denizens are taken up in that way. It is to bo hoped that the day will soon come when every housewife can afford an apparatus of this kind, but at present, the cost of the machinery is too great for the very largo majority. Over-Working the Woman If one has even a small bit of ground, there is a strong inclina tion to "plant something," and where there is room for a garden, it is time to get it planted. But garden ing is hard work men's work, and women should not be expected to do it. Too many women' strive to do everything in the way of "chores" to help the menfolks in the busy times, and this, besides the house hold duties, such as cooking, wash ing, Ironing, caring for the chickens, milking the cows, feeding the pigs and calves, baking, mending, sewing, often cutting the wood and bringing the water from a distance, in addi tion to the never-ending little things that crowd her from morning until away into the night, then cradling a sick or ailing baby in her arms until morning. The husbands of these wives Bupply themselves with labor-saving machinery, but leave the wife to get along the best she can with the old hand-implements. While this will not apply to all husbands, it does to a too large majority of them. Don't you think something should be done. Early Spring Duties The spring fover is developing tmpldly, and one must keep the eyes open for the little things that spell iBomJort as well ax convenience. Tho Isle of Patmos Patmos Is a rocky Island in the Egean sea, just south of SamoB, a few miles from the coast of Asia Minor, and contains about sixteen square miles. It is inhabited almost wholly by Greek sponge fishers, whose huts lino the ontiro coast. On the rocky summit of the island Is a Greek monastery, built in 1088, and called "Monastery of St John, tho Divine." Of the stay of St. John Sweeping and Dusting In many articles on domestic economy, we are warned of the dan ger of dust in the house, and taught how to remove it in the right man ner. Not all of ub can have the dust ier cleaners or the expensive ma chinery to free our houses from the accumulations of dirt with but little labor; even the carpet Bweeper, which is at best but a limited con venience is beyond the reach of the majority of housewives. So wo should learn the best way of using the old-fashioned broom, dust brush and cloths. We are warned of the dangers of dust, and told timf should not sweep with closed doors and windows, as this, with the dust ing that follows is but a disturbance and redistribution of the dust par ticles, only tho coarser dirt beine ttere lurks tho deadly germs of disease, not only the poison fallen from our own bodies, but that brought in from the street on our shoes and skirts and clothing. Whero the broom must be relied on, the doors and windows should be opened if possible, and for the heavy sweep ing, the days should be chosen when Bits of Information Rice should be washed and allowed to remain in water over night, and can thus be cooked in ten .minutes when wanted for breakfast. If like dried, it can be drained and set in the oven and dried, ready for the table. Acid fruits, eaten for breakfast, should be followed by either eggs, a bit of bacon, or minced meats of some kind; if followed by cereals, they are apt to cause discomfort through indigestion. Instead of meats for breakfast, a broiled tomato, egg-plant, corn muf fins, or something of the kind, is much more wholesome, and one mioum Degm to lessen the quantity of meats as tho days warm up. Griddle cakes are cooked so quick ly that the center is not well done, which makes them very indigestible. If the batter is put Into muffin cups and baked for half an hour, they would bo nutritious and wholesome. It is very necessary that starches should be well cooked. Helps for tho Housewife If a cotton rug is to be washed, it Is generally of such proportions and thickness that it cannot be wrung. Lay it on a smooth, inclined floor, or table, and go over it with an ordinary rolling pin, rolling it as you would dough. This will force the water out, without wrinkling tho rug, and it will dry much quicker. Where the walls and ceilings havo become streaked and black with smoke, put two-thirds of a cupful of coal oil in a galloa of hot water, and gb over the surface with a cloth wet with this mixture. Keep th , i .7 kr48 t ..AfcjMjSamadMfa ng,rttlii'iiltMriTiiiiii