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The Commoner.
8
a ii i i i i
Y i v y .
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 30
Tho People of the Darkness
I wander through the busy streets,
and boo on ovcry sldo
Dim, painted wraiths of pooplo who
aro living, yet have died;
A world of brooding sorrow lies be-
noath each painted face,
Tho people of the Darkness these:
tho outcasts of tho race.
I wander down a sido-street through
an unfrequented way
To find a little sunless court whore
ragged children play;
Of childhood as WE know it they
havo nothing but the size
But, ah! tho age-long misery that
slumbers in their eyes!
Tho morning shivers and awakes: I
hoar on every street,
Unrested, stumbling through tho
murk, tho tramp of weary feet;
I .Who may these wan-faced phantoms
, be, and what their fevered quest?
Tho workers in tho Dopths aro these,
who toil that wo may rest.
Tho People of tho Darkness, all,
"who did not start aright;"
Who "stumbled" on the weary way,
who "wandered" in tho night;
iWo pity them, and yet, I think, be
fore a Judgment Bar,
I T1b wo will need tho pity we, who
made them what they are.
, Charles H. Mackintosh.
Keeping tho Best for Homo
Children hunger perpetually for
now ideas, and will learn with pleas
ure from the lips of their elders
what they deem drudgery to get by
study from books. Even where they
aro deprived of school advantages, if
thoy havo tho privilege of daily lis
tening to conversations of intelligent
people, they will grow up intelligent
and well informed. We sometimes
ceo parents who aro tho life of the
social clrclo, yet who, at homo are
dull, silent and uninteresting, and
whoso mental condition reacts badly
on tho children that are starving for
tho mental stimulus, the conversa
tion and discussions of thoir elders
can and should give thorn. If their
mental activity is so circumscribed
that thoy can not meet the demands
of both homo and company, let them
first feed thoir own household the
little hungry minds they are respon
sible, for. A silent home and sullen
parents is nowhere attractive, and
every member of it will escape from
it as soon as possible. Those whose
labors or business take them outside
tho homo should remember the dull.
Isolated life of these kept inBide, and
should study to bring color and new
life into the family circle. Much of
tho unhappiness of m;.rried life is
caused by tho dull, silont husband,
"who has no bit of newsy gossip, or
happenings of the day, or items
of information to enliven the
family meal with. Husbands should
study to enliven and brighten tho
Btagnant atmosphere of the home by
tho graces of homo convoj mtion in
stead of further depressing it by a
silence and reserve that only too
often breaks out into peevish fault
finding and quarrelsome harshness.
And there are so many bucIi so-callod
; homes!
which Christopher Columbus first
sighted land. It was brought into
life in appreciation of an inspiring
newspaper article on a heroine of the
revolution, one Hannah Arnett who,
by her advico, much resented at the
time, revived the courage of the
loaders in the struggle for freedom
from tyranny. Though in point of
numbers, it is not the largest society
of women in the world, the daughters
can boast of being unique. It is in
corporated by an act of congress and
must report to that body annually
through tho Smithsonian institute.
Thus, from tho very start, the society
was put on a legal basis, and in this
way gained much in dignity and sup
port. Tho only requirement for
membership is that the women ap
plying must be of unblemished
character, and be able to prove lineal
descent from a patriot of the revo
lution, whether citizen working for
the causo, or soldier in the field.
A statement, based on a scientific
announcement recently made by Pro
fessor R. A. Gregory, an English
astronomer, has it that there will be
more rain than usual until the year
1913. The English professor said,
in substance, that the regular periods
of weather-changes on the earth ex
actly corresponded with the similar
periods of changes in the phenomena
of the sun. Some years ago, another
astronomer named Bruckner, dis
covered that these periodic changes
averaged about thirty-five years in
length, and from this it is inferred
that there would be heavier rainfall
than usual for a year or two longer.
This in answer to a "query."
and a good grade of this metal makes
tho lightest and best cooking vessels.
Tho copper vessels lined with tin are
expensive, and the tin will wear off,
in time. Among the very best ves
sels for service for ordinary cook
ing is tho iron or steel vessels that
are easily cleaned and literally last
for generations, if given ordinary
care.
For tho Housewife
In arranging for lighting the din
ing room, all overhead lighting
should bo avoided, as such lights
throw bad shadows abQut the room,
while shedding a concentrated glare
immediately on the table and the
diners. The act of eating is by no
means graceful or interesting, and
we should naturally try to avoid
drawing attention to it by tho strong
concentration of light upon the in
dividual. The lighting, electric or
gas, is best given off from side
brackets with several burners vari
ously placed about tire room so as to
give light on all sides; while the
table, if needing more light, might be
illuminated by candles tastefully ar
ranged. A glaring, garish light is
nowhere conducive to the home feel
ing, and a subdued, though perfect
ly cloar light is most agreeable for
all purposes, and particularly to be
recommended for its effects on faces
and fabrics. For tho reading table,
nothing Is more comfortable to the
eye than a good, clear blazo from one
of the new improved coal oil burn
ers, shaded to suit the work.
It is true that tinware has fallen
into disrepute in tho household be
cause of the market being flooded at
present with thin and worthless ware
which at best is nothing bv t an extra
vagance. But if one can go to a re
liablo dealer and get tin of a satis
factory quality nothing is better for
ordinary uses. Enameled ware has
not proven durable, as tho enamel
chips off or burns off easily, and
leaks aro the result, causing the
vessel to become worthless. Much of
the enameled ware sold by depart
ment and house furnishing , stores is
of a poor grade, called "seconds,"
and hardly pays for carrying home.
Aluminum is now being offered at
For tho Toilet
For whitening the kin, cut up and
stew until soft two large cucumbers,
without peeling, using one cupful of
water. Then strain tho juice, and to
one-half cupful of strained juice add
one-half cupful of witch hazel; use
several times a day on face, neck and
hands. Do not make more at one
time, as it is better fresh.
Cucumber cream is a bleach
cream instead of a tissue builder, and
may be used at any time. The tissue
building creams are to be rubbed in
at night only after a thoroughly good
cleansing of the skin with warm
water and good, vegetable oil soap.
After the cleaning, a good astringent
should be used and allowed to dry
on the skin, then the ti3sue-builder
applied, gently massaging it in for
several minutes.
Lemon juice will remove nearly
every stain on the hands; for whiten
ing, few things are better than lemon
juice, glycerine and rose water. Here
is the formula: Rosewater, two
parts; glycerine, one part; lemon
juice, one-half part that is, twice as
much rose-water as glycerine, and
twice as much glycerine as lemon
juice. Dab this on the skin and allow
to dry. Use only after washing the
hands.
A bleach soap that can be made at
home is composed of one small toilet
cake of pure castile soap, shaved very
thin, and put into a double boiler
with half a cupful of boiling water;
let this simmer until the soap is all
liquefied and the water evaporated
about two hours; then add one ounce
of lemon juice, one ounce of cologne,
and thirty drops of tincture of ben
zoin; make into small cakes and put
away to dry for a time before using.
This should not be oftener than once
a day, and a good application of cold
cream should bo rubbed into the
hands after its use, as it is very dry
ing. This may not suit every skin,
but the ingredients are harmless.
in hot weather, try a lotion of eight
grains of tannic acid to four ounces
of bay rum; use this also for exces
sive perspiration of the axillae, then
apply a dusting powder of prepared
chalk or orris root.
.To relieve an itching skin, try a
starch bath; into a tub of warm
water drop about half a pound of or
dinary washing starch; if the itch
ing comes from nervous affections,
put about two cupfuls of vinegar in
the water with the starch, and use
as any bath no soap. This is ex
cellent for itching caused either from
nerve or blood troubles.
A -recommended -bath is prepared
thus: Tako a large old potato, peel
it and cut in half; scrub the body
with this as you would with a brush;
this will make a fine lather, and gives
the water a milky appearance, as the
potato is nearly all starch; scrub and
wash for ten to fifteen minutes, then
rinse off with clear water. Try it.
Renovating Old Furniture
To remove varnish from old furni
ture, use one of the several good
varnish removers on tho market;
paint it on with a brush, let stand
for about twenty minutes, or until the
old varnish is softened, then scrape
it off remover, dirt, old varnish
and all; a putty-knife is a good
scraper to use, then follow with a
cloth wet in wood' alcohol, and wash
the remainder of the varnish off; use
No. 00 sandpaper on the surface until
it is very smooth and the natural
wood showing. If you wish to stain
the wood, use any good stain but a
water stain; the water stain may
raise the grain. There are many
kinds of stain water stain, alcohol
stains, varnish stains, oil stains and
dyes. Varnish stains should not bo
ued on anything of much value, and
it must be remembered that soft
woods absorb much more stain than
hard woods. Tho standard brands
of stain are reliable, having all been
perfected by experts, and if properly
used, will bring good results. Fol
low directions on the label.
Gleanings
Tho Society of tho Daughters of
the American Revolution was formed
In Washington, D. C, October 11.
1890, tho anniversary of tho day on much cheaper rates than herotofore,
Odds and Ends
To pack a hat for traveling, get a
stiff hat-box and cut to just hold the
hat; put the hat in the tray box and
put the box over the hat; underwear
and small things can be packed on all
sides of the cover, and the hat thus
kept from sliding about.
Wash lingerie waists as usual, not
starcning, dry, and then dip into a
solution made of one tablespoonful of
borax to one quart of warm water;
wring out and roll up in a towel, and
in a few hours iron dry before the
garment dries out. . The garment
will not get mussed so soon as if
starcneci, and is much easier Ironed.
When going away from home,
wrap all bottles of liquid in ab
sorbent cotton, and pack closely in
a small rubber bag. An old water
bag will answer. Tie up tho top and
pack tho bag in your hand-satchel,
and it will go safely.
On extremely hot nights, put one
thickness of fine Japanese mattine-
between the mattress and the sheet
Canning Greens
Many things used for "greens"
may be canned by the following
method: Pick over carefully and
wash tho leaves mixture of kinds
Is desirable; cook in boiling salted
water as for the table until nearly
done; do not have much water, but
cook in closed kettles to make tho
steam do. tho work. Then pack
closely in jars and pour over them
boiling vinegar to fill every air-space,
then seal tightly as any other can
ning. Pack the greens closely in tho
Jar, and when pouring in the boiling
vinegar, run a knife blade around
k"o cugo m oraer to open up tho
spaces for the vinegar. Wrap each
jar In brown paper, or put into paper
ff an keep as other canned
iruits. Spinach, mustard, chard,
neet and other greens are put up in
this way.
Pudding Sauces
As many housekeepers aro partial
to fruit puddings, it is well to know
now to make good sauces to use with
them. Nearly all sauces havo for
their foundation the "roux" of but-
ianc,flour' but If thIs is not well
i ?t' , ero ls a taste of raw flour
tTi t n0t. areeable to the palate.
It Is better to use sifted flour, as it is
not so compact as tho unsifted, and
blends more easily with tho butter.
Usually a full (not heaped) table
spoonful of flour is used to each
tablespoonful of butter, but if tho
pudding is to be very dry, more but-
naJR? y.be US!d' Put the butter into
a skillet of suitable nWe n TOi,
!!leJnSlaadd ,the flour' stirring briskly
until the mixture is perfectly smooth:
It must not burn H 4. u. .".'
and see how much cooler your bed is. enough so when the milk or water is
Where the hands aro unduly moist ' added it will boil up at once; if the
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