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The Commoner.
VOLUME 11, NUMBER 40
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A Prayer
and laughter rock
the
When joy
. . world
. And children laugh on every side,
When selfishness has been forgot
And hands and hearts are opened
wide,
And shoulders bend to help the weak,
And hands reach out to guide
along
Tho feeble ones, and all are kin,
And all tho world Is sweet with
( song
When jealousies are pushed aside,
And envy finds no dwelling place;
When strong, and erst-aggressive
ones,
Lift up tho feeble in tho race,
When beggars reap a harvest great
That make up for the year's scant
dole,
When men are moving heart to heart
And standing soul to soul
When it Is joy to fare abroad,
And It is pleasure Just to live,
' 'And lifo's one bitter drop is that
Alas! we have not more to give!
We ask, O God, thy comfort for
Tho hearts bereft that grieve and
break,
For those no open hands may h,elp!
Dear God! for the Redeemer's
sake!
Judd Mortimer Lewis, in Houston
(Tex.) Post.
Spring Blooming Bulbs
This Is the season for tho planting
of the hardy bulbs, if you want the
eaTly bloomers next spring. Indoors
or out, they make a beautiful show
ing, and are well worth the little
they cost. They should be ordered
now, and should be put into the
ground not later than the last of
November, and earlier would, be bet
tor. If intended for blooming in
doors, they should be potted and put
away in a cool, dark place, so that
no fo?ced growth will interfere with
their gradual development. They
must make plenty of roots before the
top growth begins, and to insure
this, they should be kept cool and
dark. Hyacinths are prime favor
ites, and there are many other bulbs
specially adapted to Indoor growing,
notably the polyanthus narcissus in
variety. There are smaller bulbs,
also, very fragrant and free of
bloom. Tulips are showy and bril
liant, but are apt to be attacked with
the green aphis; they are bettor out
side. Many varieties of oxalis make
' beautiful pot plants, as well as a
showy border outside. The pretty
crocus, which comes in many varie
ties of color almost before the frost
is out of the ground, should have a
place in every yard. They require
only planting, even in the grass of
tho lawn. Look over the catalogue,
and make a choice. It is bettor to
have a' few of the best bulbs than a
lot of small, inferior ones.
If laid down and covered closely
with earth, at any time. The best
method is to cover tho bed with
materials that will admit tho air
pine boughs, corn stalks, limbs of
trees, and if more covering is neces
sary, it can be added on top of
these. After the weather has be
come quite cold, hill the earth up to
the bush as far as possible; then, if
the top dies down, the plant will
send up vigorous shoots in the
spring. It is not the cold that kills
the roses, but the freezing and thaw
ing that occurs with every change
of weather.
Mrs. Decker tells of visiting a
town that needed women's help ex
ceedingly, but the club was limited
and weak; while it deplored the
low moral tone of the town, it was
studying Dante. "My dear women,"
Mrs. Decker said, "Dante is all right;
but he's dead. He died long ago.
And don't you see how much your
town needs live ideas?" There was
a whole sermon in that speech; read
tho poets; but find some good and
necessary work close at hand that
should be attended to; then do it.
That is what the modern club is
doing.
Necessity often forces us Into un
congenial tasks; but with all the
opportunities now open to women,
this condition should not last. The
woman should face the situation
cheerily, pluckily, put her best
efforts in her pre&ent "work, and go
hopefully on. Indifference and
despondency are fatal to progress,
but good work at whatever you do is
the "sure foundation" for the bet
ter job. If your present work ia not
to your liking, do it well the best
you can, and study to do better. Be
ready to take tho higher "pathway
the instant the gate is open, as it
surely will be, if you watch your
chances.
stead of making it tender. Dress the
fowl, and either cook it whole, or
joint it, as you please. Have in an
iron kettle a tablespoonful of drip
pings, fresh fat, or sweet butter, and
put the chicken into this when it is
smoking hot, stirring about until
every part of the surface is smeared
and seared with the hot fat, and
slightly browned; then pour over it
just enough boiling water to cover
the fowl, cover tho kettle, let boil
for half an hour, if the fowl is quite
old; less, if tender; and then set the
pot where the contents will barely
simmer for several hours; the water
should slowly diminish until, when
the fowl is done, there will be just
a rich gravy. There may be dump
lings, or boiled rice instead of potatoes.
Of General Interest
Owing to tho poverty of his home,
as much as through his love of
drink, often a respectable family
man is lured to tho saloons by the
physical comfort and social life ho'
finds there; this necessity for amuse
ment and social intercourse is the.
cause that is drawing many men into
tho lamentable depravities that en
compass certain districts in the
cities.
Do not cover tho rosebushes too
soon. Tho buBhes are apt to smother
Good Dishes
When you sort over the poultry this
fall, if you find an old hen or rooster
you wish to sacrifice on the altar of
good living, try this: Dress the
fowl and cut it into joints; put over
the fire in half a gallon of cold
water and bring to a boll; add a
little parsley, a- bay leaf, or other
herbs for flavoring that is liked; but
tie these up in a little muslin bag,
and let all boil slowly; add salt and
a scrap of red pepper-pod with a few
of tho seeds left in, according to
taste. Set the vessel where it can
not possibly boil hard, but simmer
slowly until the meat is ready to fall
from the bones; skim everything out
and strain the broth to use for mak
ing gravy; brown two large Onions
and a tablespoonful of flour in but
ter in a saucepan, adding parsley,
chopped thyme and a tiny clove of
garlic, a couple of whole cloves; but
the spice and garlic can be omitted
if not liked; have ready a slice of
finely minced ham and all bones re
moved from the chicken; put these
in a pan and brown a little, and then
pour over it tho broth, allowing all
to cook ten minutes. Stir in a cup
and a half of raw rice and let the
whole boil until the rice Is thorough
Hy done, stirring occasionally to pre
vent sticking. Then serve hot
Another way to serve an old fowl
is the old fashioned one so long In
use, and unsurpassed when properly
done. The trouble Is that most of
cooks boil, instead of simmer, the
pot, and this makes the flesh tough,
or "brings out the toughness," in-
Renovating Things
There are few things that are more
useful In the home than a varnish
brush and a good quality of varnish.
A coat of varnish two coats, if
necessary will freshen up things
wonderfully. Old trunks, suit-cases,
bread boxes, flour cans, old, rusty
pails, baskets, wooden boxes, clothes
baskets, water pails, trays, and
dozens of other belongings that are
getting to show their age in shabbi
ness. All kinds of furniture , is
given renewed life, if it is well
tightened up with screws, glue, nails,
and then varnished. Old, disrepu
table chairs, tables, benches, bu
reaus, and bedsteads sliould be "gone
over" regularly, twice a year. If the
old paint and varnish make it un
sightly, get a varnish-remover at the
paint store, or make a kettle of caus
tic soda yourself, with a bit of lime
and sal soda, and when the article is
thoroughly cleaned, dry it well, and
try the varnish brush. Get the kind
of varnish that will dry quickly; any
painter will tell you the kind to get.
If the "gude mon" refuses to do the
work, do it yourself; you may not
make a very good job of it the first
time, but you can acquire skill, and
perhaps the "man of the family" will
get ashamed to see you usurping the
man's job. Anyway, get it done.
Sweetening the Meat Barrel
Before butchering time, look well
to your meat barrels, if you would
have success with your winter
supply of pickled meats. Here is one
method of sweetening the barrels
that Is recommended by one who has
tried it: After washing and scald
ing and rinsing until you think the
barrel is perfectly sweet, fill the bar
rel half full of sweet, clean hay, pour
boiling water on it, covering the bar
Tel at once to keep in the Bteam.
The water must be boiling, and there
must be plenty of it. Let It stand
coverqd until cold, and you will find
it will not taint the meat.
Contributed Recipes
Canning Mushrooms Do not use
any water, either to wash the mush
rooms, or in canning. Peel tho thin
skin from the top, and cut off the
stem; lay them in a large platter,
and when the platter is covered
sprinkle very lightly with salt; then
add another- layer of mushrooms and
salt, continuing thus until you have
enough to start filling the jars. Small
jars are the best to use, and it takes
a lot to fill even half pint jars. Put
them In the jars, lightly pressing
down with tho finger tips, leave
4-V STV1 Anr m !. X ..
iim , x w uimuies, ana press in
more, but do not bruise. When tho
jar is packed to the top and the
juice is running over, put on a new
rubber ring and glass top (metal
tops should not be used) , clamp half
way; put the jar on a wooden rack
in the boiler and pour cold water in
the kettle to come half way up tho
jars, bringing water slowly to a boil,
and boil gently for half an hour!
Then lift out the jars, one at a time,
clamp down the top tightly, return
to the water and leave in it until
the water is cold; wrap each jar in
brown paper and keep in a cool
place.
For Pears Try putting cinnamon
buds in your preserved or canned
pears, and notice what an improve
ment it makes. Five cents worth
will be sufficient to flavor a bushel
of peaTs. It is better to steam than
to boil fruit for canning, as it does
not shrink so much as when cooked
in the ordinary way. After you are
done making jelly, wash the jelly
bag in cold water to remove all pulp,
then put into boiling water and see
how clear of stains the bag will be,
as well as how soft and easily folded.
Dough Syrup for Whooping Coughs
or Colds One ounce of hoarhound,
one ounce of spergnet, half ounce of
licorice root, half ounce of lobelia,
one ounce wild turnip, half an ounce
of oil of wintergreen. Put the herbs
in a sack; boil till the strength is
out; add five pounds of white sugar
to the strained water; add the oil
of wintergreen when cold; put in
cans or bottles and seal air-tight.
The herbs should be pulverized, and
the sugar and decoction boiled until
a thick syrup. Mrs. Annable, Michi
gan Thanks for the tested recipe; but
you forgot to tell the size . of the
dose, Mrs. A.
Requested Recipes
Cheese Cake. These cakes are
never made of cheese, of any kind;
the name is given to a mixture baked
in pastry shells. Boil the peel of
two oranges until it can be pounded
to a paste; weigh the oranges first,
then take twice the weight in pow
dered sugar; beat this with the peel
and add the seeded pulp and strained
juice with half a teaspoonful of but
ter; beat well and bake in patty pans
that have been lined with a rich puff
paste. Cheese straws are made by
mixing grated cheese with light
pastry, roll thin and cut in thin
strips, bake as biscuit. For these
only the firm sort of cheese will
answer.
Lemon Pie This Is' made with
slices of the fruit rather than the
juice. Peel and slice three lemons
very thin; have a deep pie tin lined
with a nice paste, and lay the slices
in the crust; mix well five well
beaten eggs with a cup of water; add
three cupfuls of sugar and two
tablespoonfuls of corn starch, mix
ing well. Pour over the sliced lemon
and bake until the lemon is tender.
This should make two pies.
Steamed Pudding Beat half a
cupful of sugar and butter the size
of a walnut together, and add one
beaten egg; sift one teaspoonful of
salt with two cups of flour, and stir
Into this a' cup of any preferred fruit,
then stir all together and add gradu
ally while stirring two-thirds of a
cup of sweet milk. Pour into a but
tered pudding dish and steam one
hour, serving 'with any preferred
sauce. i .
Pumpkin PiQ To one quart of
stewed and mashed pumpkins add
eight eggs, whites and yolks beaten
separately, two scant quarts of sweet
milk, one teaspoonful each of mace,
cinnamon and nutmeg, and a cup
and a half of sugar. Beat all these
together; have pans lined wita
nnafn i nrtiii n Ti mixture, eltner
deep or shallow, as you like. . wnip
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