Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 1912)
J.I ' ' The Commoner. VOLUME 11; NUMBER -53' .'' 1 V 'V 8 . 4s kLEeD a rirneni IF Soap, tho Oppressor The folks at my house half tho, time are thinkin' about dirt; It sort of gives 'em horrors, an' they act as if it hurt. The sight of just a little makes 'em daffy as can be v They're always washin' sumthin', an' half the time it's me. It ain't 'because I wot my feet that gives me cold an' such; 'Tain't runnin' round that keeps -me 'thin it cause I'm washed so much. It does no good to toll 'em, they're so stubborn. But I hope That some day they'll discover what deceitful stuff is soap. I tell you, very often when my hands was clean and white I've gone along to wash 'em, 'cause it did no good to fight; When I've stuck 'em in the basin it was plain enough to see The soap would make the water as dirty as could be. If folks would give me half a chance, with soap that didn't cheat, . I guess they'd be surprised to find I'm nachurally neat. I'd take on flesh. and leave off havin' colds an' such, I know An' no one could complain about the parts of me that show. Burgess Johnson in Everybody's Magazine. her by getting a good machine, cut ting table, well-filled work basket, and other necessities for doing tho work well. A carpenter, or other mechanic would never think of trying to work at his trade without tools, and a wo man or girl should have the neces sary tools for her trade, as well. Good work can not be done without them. "Alter the Holidays" If you have not spent all your money, it will be a good thing to take advantage of the January sales and the marked' down prices on the winter goods. There is always sure to be remnants, and If one is 'a judge of quality, the remnant counter is a better place to invest your surplus than the "bargain counter" ever can bo. In the matter of underwear, there are many things that will sell for enough less than the before-holiday prices to enable you to fill any vacancy in the wardrobe of your family. It is a good time to replenish the supply of "findings," .and get ready for the work that will surely claim your attention very soon. Styles and fashions change so rapidly that remodeling of half worn, or "good as new" garments Refreshments A few years ago, the dining room or lunch counter in the big dry goods store was unheard of, and the woman shopper thought it her duty to shop or attend to business until she was ready to faint for lack of food, rather than take the time and money to get her lunch at the down town restaurant, which was supposed to belong to the men.. But of late she has learned wisdom, and the big stores have all taken advantage of her wisdom, . and there are lunch counters and basement rooms where a very 'good meal is served between certain hours at a reasonable price, or a cup of excellent coffee, clam or other strengthening soups or broths with crackers may be had for five cents the bowl. Many of these stores have a regular dining room where high-priced dinners are served to those who prefer them; but either of these shows that woman has be gun to economize her Btrength and heed nature's warning when the con suming faintness comes upon her, and she makes her way to the rdoms or counters, and fortifies herself for further exertion. These convenient adjuncts to trade are crowded with shoppers of all classes, men as well as women, where for a small sum they can enjoy substantial "pick ups" of Whatever suits their purse and their appetites, served in a cleanly manner by cleanly waiters. making a mixture that is very much liked. As a filling for layer cake, pine apple is delicious. Any good white cake baked in layers will answer. Boil one cupful of granulated sugar and one-fourth cup of pineapple Juice which has been strained, for six minutes after adding one teaspoonful of lemon juice. Beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth and stir into the boiled syrup gradu ally, whipping the mixture as the syrup is added, with an egg-whip. Beat this for five minutes longer, or until a stiff cream, then add enough shredded or finely-chopped pineapple to the icing to make it moist, and spread between the layers. becomes a necessity. If one is apt at making over, and . can handle sewing implements skillfully, there is a world of Economy in the work. In some large qlties there are really good dressmakers that make a specialty of making over garments, but many 'women who do their own sewing will find it no very hard task with the aid of the excellent paper patterns now obtainable. Many mothers of large families can save for their own now garments by making over the last season's garments for the children and young people. If one of the girls of the family shows a taste for sewing, she should be encouraged to learn an sne can. even serving a term with some first-class seamstress, or attending the sewing classes taught in tho training schools at such reasonable prices. A girl who can male her own clothing cap. dress far more richly for the same outlay of money than can the girl who has to hire everything: done. Materials ar The Pineapple It has been found that the fruit of the pineapple contains a digestive principle" closely resembling pepsin in its action, and to this is probably due the beneficial results of the use of the fruit in certain forms of dyspepsia. On casein of milk. pine apple juices act as a digestive in al most the same manner as rennet, and the action is also well illustrated by placing thin pieces of uncooked beef between two slices of jresh pine apple, where in the course of a few hours its character is completely changed. In diptheritic sore throat and croup pineapple juice has come to be very largely relied on in coun tries where the fruit is common; the false membrance which causes the closing of the throat seems to be dis solved by the fruit acid, and relief is almost immediate. Medical Magazine. Using the Pineapple Pineapple is at all seasons obtain able, and one large pineapple selling for ten to fifteen cents, is all that is required to make a. well-filled dish. To make the fruit at its best, peel and dig out the eyes, then shred or tear it to pieces with a silver fork and set it on ice for several hours. It will become soft and juicy; sugar it well; or serve as salad on crisp tender green lettuce leaves, with a For Cleaning Laces For dry-cleaning expensive laces, the following mixture should be used to soak the lace in: Pure al cohol, one gill; sulphuric ether, two ounces; best benzine, one pint; chlo roform, two ounces. Mix and shake well before using. This will cleanse and restore, any lace or ribbon, but is expensive. Baste the lace on flannel and dip. squeezing gently from time to time until quite clean, then wind around a bottle to dry. The liquid can bo placed 1n a bottle, tightly corked after using, and al lowed to settle; then the ".liquid can be poured off, leaving any sediments, such as dirt, or grease, and it can be used again. If this is done every time it Is used, it can be used for cleaning as long as any liquid is left. All the ingredients are very inflam mable, and it must not be used where there is any fire ot flame of .any kind. and must be kepi 4ghtly corked. Be fore putting it into any cleansing ma terials, the lace must bo 'basted loosely on a piece of clean white flannel, using cotton thread, and while in the liquid, should be gently squeezed with the hands, the very dirty places being carefully rubbed with the finger tips. If this is done, there will not ordinarily be any dan ger of tearing it. when tho lace is quite dry, remove the tacking and lay the lace on a clean sheet of white paper and sprinkle over it pure cal cined .magnesia in finest powder With a very soft brush, brush this powder thoroughly into every part of the lace, shaking it from time to time and brushing in fresh powder. It should be beautifully white. To whiten lace that has become very yellow, dip again and' again in a solution of peroxide of hydrogen, gently squeezing occasionally, until white and clean, then rinse in blu ing water and finish by winding round a bottle to dry. Before it is quite dry, dip in a -solution of one dram of- Isinglass and one ounce best gum arabic in a pint of water, squeeze gently out, remove from the bottle, lay on a clean flannel, cover with a clean muBlin and iron out smooth. which is not desired. When tho edge for half an inch or so (on wide lace), or as deep as desired, is well wet, take out of the water and leave in the roll until thoroughly dry. When it is dry, and unrolled, the edge which was in the water will have shrunk so the lace will curve around and lend itself, readily to the round edge of the goods, requiring no fulling on, as otherwise would have to be done. For separate lace collars or yokes to be worn with dutch necks, mount the yoke or chemisette on a French guimpe, which should be made of lawn, cut to fit well on the should ers and at the arm's eye; this should reach just below the bust, finished with a narrow casing and draw string so they can be tied' around tho body and kept in place. Any paper pattern house can supply you with a pattern for such a guimpe. To lessen materially the difficulty of ironing a shirtwaist sleeve, open the sleeve from shoulder to wrist after joining the underarm seam, hem the raw edges, finish the for ward lap with lace and join the sleeve again with buttonholes and tiny pearl buttons; the result will not only be pretty, but will make the ironing very easy. Many persons, when putting onx braid attempt to sew it on with the machine without basting; but the machine is almost sure to hold the braid too tight, causing tho goods to draw and ruining the effect. All braids should be either put on by hand, or carefully basted. Where straight and bias edges are put -together, careful basting must be done, and the bias edge must be put on the under side, where the ma chine will take care of the fullness without puckering.'-. b Mildewed Catsup Mrs. D. asks what, she shall' do' with her catsup which has Vhite specks on top. The only thing to do is to remove the top as far as the white specks of mildew are found, being careful not to mix it with the rest. Clean the neck of the bottle and turn the contents into a preserv ing kettle, adding two tablespoonfuls of sugar and half a dozen Cloves and bring to a goo"d boil, scalding thor oughly, but not allowing to scorch. Thoroughly clean and scald the bottles and use new corks; have the bottles hot, and re-fill with the boil ing catsup to within an inch of the top; fill the space with hot olivo oil and seal at once; cork and dip the neck of the bottle into wax, either sealing wax or paraffine wax. lih-minh dressing noured over it at cheap, and it is the bills for making the last moment. Tho juice of the that eat up the allowance. Encourage I fruit will blend with the dressing, For the Home Seamstress For sewing lace around a circular piece of cloth, some preparation of the lace is necessary. Here is one woman's way: Roll tho lace Into a tight roll and sew down the end with a few basting threads. Stand tho roll in a shallow dish of warm water just deep enough to cover the edge that is to be sewed on tho goods; let it stand in the water three or four minutes; if left too long tho water will soak up and wet the whole roll, Query Box Mrs. J. M. J. wishes information as to the uses of Lingon Berries, as they are new to her. Some one please answer. Mrs. J. M. J. The size of, the shoe, would be six and one-half; the D refers to the width of tho last on which tho shoe is made. Eustace B. For tho sore throat, one of the best gargles is one-glass of water, quite warm, containing one teaspoonful of baking soda and three drops of carbolic acid; gargle the throat with this onco every hour. This gives almost instant relief. Mrs. L. The black lace that looks so dlscouragingly rusty should bo soaked for some hours in a solution of two tablespoonfuls of strong vine gar and one pint of water, then rinsed in strong cold coffee and ironed while damp between two; pieces of flannel. T. R. Almost any book dealer, will get you a work on physical cul ture if you ask him to. In a city th size of yours, you should have &' public, or school library, and be1 able to look over books on the subject, and thus knowing what you are buy ing. Not a few of the books Issued iWi mi in uJimm