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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1911)
Spfjrw i TO1,;'V, s The Commoner VOLUME 11, NUMBER 17 cJr. -'' V WmrWm III v7-4MU taSl W"tfW Ti1' epartm en t f IFo's tho Man I haven't much faith in tho man who complains Of tho work ho has chosen to do, Ho's lazy, or olso he la lacking In brains, And a bit of a hypocrite, too. Ho's likely to cheat, and he's likely to Bhirk; Away with tho man who finds fault with his work. But give mo tho man with tho sun In his faco, And the shadows all dancing be hind; Who can meet with rerorses with calmness and grace, And never forgets to be kind; For whether he's sovereign or mer chant or clerk I have faith in tho man who's in love with his work. Chicago Inter-Ocean. The New Housekeeping To the housewife accustomed to using and seeing In use only the old tttylo housekeeping devices, a visit to one of tho household shows,'1 or to tho housekeeping department of any of our large stores where "demonstrating" is going on with all kinds of new labor and other sav ing devices, would bo a bewildering revelation. The array of newly offered domestic machinery is won derful, and the motive power varies from electricity, down through the water hydrant to the "hand-power," and results are Bimply wonderful. Tho first-cost of nearly all these household helps is rather startling, but tho saving in the long run more than pays. Tho flroless cooker has become an established fact, and although there are many mates on the market, the Idea and the outfit are practically the same in all of them. A couple of radiators (soapstone) for each com partment, tongs for lifting thom to and from the fire, pots and pans and ahallow wire frames into which the pans are to be slipped, are about all alike, and once having "got the hang" of the methods, it would seem that no housewife would attempt cookery without one of them. With this device alone, the fuel, the house wife's time and nervous energy, aB well as tho food itself, are all saved, for tho food, though it cooks per fectly, never scorches or burns. "While the vacuum cleaner and dustless duster keep tho carpets and curtains and furniture clean, tho laundry Is wonderfully simplified by the use of the washing machine and dryers and flat-irons run by electri city or other fuel, the mangle iron ing to perfection the straight pieces, while the self-heating irons make light work of doing the rest. Of the wnall labor-saving inventions, thero Is no end, and It almost makes one long for a home kitchen where these wonderful mechanical helps may be put to use. There is economy in dollars and cents, as well as time and nervous energy, in the use of this plethora of machinery in the home that is becoming recognized. ing done this for New York. In Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Cali fornia, Arizona, North and South Da kota and Idaho, the husband controls the wife's property absolutely; not only her property, but her earnings, are his to control in these states. He has virtual control that is, the wifo's rights are merely provisional in Alabama, New Mexico and Mis souri. In Wyoming, whoro women vote, but are in so great minority that their votes scarcely count, wo man may not earn hor own living unless she satisfies the court that It is necessary. Louisiana has, upon tho whole, the worst laws for women. Now York state has probably the best laws for women. Hampton's Magar zino. In these days, when women earn not only their own and others' living, but often a surplus as well, and when so many women are be coming property owners, It Is Impera tive that they Inform themselves as to the statutes governing their acts and earnings. If they would so in form themselves, many surprising bits of Information, and not always of a soothing nature, would be opened to them. One of the draw backs to this attempt to get legal light is that the average woman will not understand, and many cannot understand, the technique of law literature, while others refuse to Investigate. that tho food eaten was more com pletely assimilated than at any other period. And the Kansas Industrial ist, from which tho above items were gathered, tells us to just go ahead and drink all the water we want to, at any and all times, in season and out of season. It won't do a bit of harm. Spring Work If you are so fortunate as to have a plant of the clematis panlculata, cut back the tops as early In the spring as possible, so that It will branch and grow freely near the base, and the shoots thus produced will be vigorous, the whole plant a mass of foliage, and in the autumn, the whole plant will be a mass of snow-white fragrant blossoms. If you have no plant, do not fail to order it, for nothing is more lovely, either In foliage or flower. Women and tho Law As women broaden out mentally, they are becoming more and more Interested in the laws governing the property and other rights of them selves and their sex generally. In many of the Btates, the laws In re gard to women havo been codified, a woman, Miss Emilie Bullowff hav- Water With Meals In this restless age, we scarcely "know where we are at," for we no sooner settle down to one belief than some "experimenter" comes alons and knocks our convictions all to pieces. We have been trying our best to believe that we must drink nothing with our meals not even water, and we've been very uncom fortable in the trials. But along comes President Waters, of the Kansas agricultural college, and tells us that he has just received official Information describing the conclu sions In very interesting and im portant tests along the water-question lines in the laboratory of phy siological chemistry in the University or Illinois. Dr. P. B. Hawk is the authority. Leaving out the elaborate scientific details, this is what hap pened: Two experiments were made, one in which a man drank water be tween meals, and another in which a man drank it at his meals. It was proven after long and careful obser vation that water drinking at meals stimulated gastric secretion, Induced activity of the pancreatic function, and decreased intestinal putrifaction, all of which, as any normal person knows, is perfectly proper. In both cases, the water consumed was uni form in quantity at all periods; in the one instance, the amount of water taken was Bmall, in another large; in the largo amount it was increased tenfold, with the result Spring Dishes With many, this is the between season, as the cellar and storage are empty, and the new vegetables have not yet grown. While cornmeal is not, in large quantities, to be recom mended as a summer food, it is a good, nourishing, easily digested food for the changeable days of spring. The Italians use cornmeal largely In their dish called polenta, which is like our hasty pudding. When done and hot, the mush is poured Into a dish or mold to give it shape, then, when cold, sliced and fried and eaten with a rich tomato sauce, a meat ragout, or a thick, brown onion sauce. Slices may be laid in a large baking pan, thickly sprinkled with grated cheese and bits of butter and browned in the oven. A very hearty dish is made by cutting the cold mush into small, thick slices and arranging them In layers In a baking dish, well greased, with a thin slice of bacon and a tablespoonful of grated cheese between each layer; pour over it a pint of cooked, strained tomato sauce and bake for twenty minutes. Serve this hot. If macaroni or spaghetti is not cooked enough before dressing, It will be neither good nor wholesome. Experience teaches that forty minutes Is none too long to cook the paste, and It Bhould be quite tender, al though not soft enough to fall to pieces, when ready to season, or to serve with cheese. Beef, larded and cooked, with a rich brown gravy, seasoned with a very little garlic, is excellent served with RnfurWi Canned tomatoes, made into the usual sauce, seasoned highly and added to the boiled spaghetti half an hour before serving, makes a nice dish. Serve spinach and greens as fast as you can get them, and as often. Dandelions, beet tops, radish tops, all the tender green things that may be gathered by the roadside, or "thinned" from the garden beds, are used for greens, and relished as spring dishes. Rhubarb Is really a spring medicine, and should be used lavishly. Wash, cut into lengths, put In a dish, cover with sugar and set In the oven to bake; use no water the plant will supply that, and when it is done, It will be a delicious mass to serve in pretty dishes with macaroons. alkalis. If one has the misfortune to have whitewash spilled on a car pet, this will immediately restore it. Keeping Shoes Nice For calf-skin shoes, a wax polish comes specially, to be put on with a brush and then rubbed with a hair or felt brush and finished with a soft cotton cloth,. Dust and dirt should always be brushed out of leather be fore the polish is applied, as calf skin is oily and holds the grit. A paste for dull leathers, which should never be shined, is made of glycerine, lamp-black and turpentine, and must be well worked into the leather to give it the soft, dull appearance so much admired. Patent leather needs a' good quality of friction polish. Only a thin layer should be applied and quickly rubbed to a polish with a textile brush and soft cotton-flannel cloths. If the polish will not appear, it is because the leather has too much of the paste, and the shoes must be washed with lukewaTm water and castile soap; wipe the water off quickly as possible. The pretty bronze leather, gilt or gold cloth, should be slightly brushed and a liquid bronze or gold applied as soon as they begin to dull. The shoes or slippers should be on trees as this is done. Naptha or gasoline cleans evening slippers of satin, silk, or kid, and there is an erasive known as "art gum" used by illustraters, that is good for this purpose. Tan shoes should be washed with warm water and soap, and rubbed with a banana peel. Japanese Oranges The kumquat, or Japanese orange is a small, orange-colored fruit, usually offered in our markets in boxes holding a pint to a quart, is of Chinese origin, although now cul tivated extensively in Japan. Florida and California are taking up its cul ture, and the demand for the fruit is increasing every year. The fruit grows on a low bush, both singly and in clusters. The bush makes an ex cellent pot-plant, with beautiful dark green' foliage. The fruit does not lend itself as readily to various cookery as do the grape fruit or orange, but it is liked by many in its raw state, the pulp, which is acid in navor, and the skin, which is sweet, being both eaten. The simpler methods of preparing it for the table give the best satisfaction. To Clean tho Brnsscls Carpet To clean and brighten Brussels carpets, take a fresh beef gall and break it into a clean pan; pour one half into a clean pail and add three or four quarts of warm (not hot) water. Take a coarse cloth and, hav ing uniBiiea uie carpet well, rub It hard with the cloth thoroughly wet with the gall water. Only do a small piece at a time, and have ready a dry coarse cloth with which to rub the carpet dry. ' Go over the whole car pet in this way until it is clean. A few drops of carbonate of ammonia in a little warm water (rain writer if possible) will change discolored spots upon carpets, and indeed, any spots, whether made by acids or Fashion Notes All sorts of combinations of black and blue are being used. For in stance, a black gown may have blue cuffs and collar, while a' blue gown may be cuffed and collared with black. For the young girls, the college graduates and the brides, the early summer will usher in a perfect riot of color. For the older women, the dark shades are the more fashion able. With every shirtwaist and tailor coat there must be a crisp white jabot of lawn or lace. The jabot is about five inches wide in the center and Is attached to a band of lace Insertion. It may be either part of the waist or else pinned at the throat with a pretty brooch. The effect of a dark yoke and col lar even of transparent chiffon or net Is no longer smart; there must do as much soft white against the face as possible. The season's long, half-fitted wraps fall either quite to the hem of the skirt, or are but a few inches shorter, while in addition to tho Eton, there are also separate jackets trimmed fancifully and reaching no further than the hips; but for separate coats there are no between lengths; In Bomo models the back Is plain, In vmem uiere is a nigh empire Den I Of BOft folded or rnllA1 emtln VhB f J 1 - Ta ww - - ijm-.Mb'&mt..t.nil ,