8
The Commoner.
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 62
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"The Sccona Place"
Unto my loved ones have I given all;
Tho tireless service of my willing
hands
Tho strength of swift feet running to
their call
Each pulse of this fond heart
whose love commands
Tho busy brain unto their use; each
grace,
Each gift, the flower and fruit of
life:
To mo, they give with gracious hearts
and tenderly,
The second place.
Such joy as my glad service may
dispense,
They spend to make some brighter
life more blest;
The grief that comes despite my frail
defense.
They seek to sootho upon some
dearer breast.
Love veils his deepest glory from
my face;
I dimly dream how fair the light
may be
Beyond 'the shade where I hold, long
ingly, The second place.
And yet 'tis sweet to know that,
though I make
No soul's supremest bliss, no life
shall Ho
ftuined and desnlnto fn-r mir i,
Nor any heart be broken when
T rl tr I
And sweet it is to see my little
space
Grow wider hour by hour, and
gratefully
( thank the tender fate that granteth
me
The second place.
Susan M. Spaulding.
Bielping to Solve Your Problems
.'TVe are beginning a New Year, and
many new readers, as well as the
older ones, will be with us through
the next twelve-month. As in the
past, we are very zealous to serve
2' l mto of our department
? i best' if not the bt, to be
2 i rder t0 d0 thIs' we must
keep in close touch with you, and
you ThfaiVdea"f wt interests
you. Then, too, your kindly words of
encouragement are an inspiration to
us, because even an "editor woman"
has her blue days and bad hours, and
sometimes feels like she has missed
iri10 S Yhile sh.e y not
"iiI i ! if lor Praise she is
livened up" by knowing she has
made some other person's path a
little easier. One of the greatest
111 ian?, insPirations an editor can
have is the coming of letters from
readers, asking for the solution of
some problem or problems that are
worrying them. We want thea
the more the better; and we do not
want you to feel that these answers
axe a burden to the department No
matter if some of the queries seem
very unimportant to others-so they
S?Jni?i0Pnt t0 you' ,s a11 e ask
They all show us the general trend
or what the masses want.
We don't pretend that we know a
great deal perhaps not as much as
JnMmif J0U know' bu Have
facilities for gathering bits of in-
S-Tf?H0n WhIcb you m&y nt have,
Sk Vl?ft d0 ot troublo to use. For
wny tbgs, we have reference
books at hand, and usually these Ivl
.correct; but often we are not sure
but there are better answers at
least more up-to-date, so we pass the
question on to be answered by some
one whose word is authoritative.
Often wo have to search for the in
formation, and those who are sup
posed to know, refer us to some one
better posted, and it all takes time.
Our "wise" friends are usually busy
people, and sometimes can not attend
to our business at once. Or, we may
have to make personal visits to these
wise people, and may not find them
at leisure, and have to await their
convenience. Often, we have to send a
letter to some other city for the in
formation which only the manufac
turers can give us. This is why even
the personal reply to the "stamped,
addressed envelope" people is some
times slow in coming. Wo want to
get thoroughly .reliable information,
and the best possible, before passing
It back to you. But anyway, we want
to get the information you ask for,
and in helping you, others are also
helped. For this reason, even a
personal answer may not always be
sent "by return mail," as many ask
for it. But we are more than glad
to have your letters. Whether ytfu
want to know things, or know some
thing you want to pass on to us, we
are glad to hear from you.
Words to the "Bye-Lo-Land" song
are sent by Mrs. Chas. J. Maher,
Portland, Ore., and "Mina Persall,"
Ohio, to each of whom we send
thanks. Their kind w6rds are appreciated.
Mrs. C. P., Illinois, writes that she
thinks "'a' woman's place is at home,
and that she will find enough to do
if she stays there." Well, yes; if
the woman happens to have a home
which some of us don't; while others
would not have, if they did not work
pretty hard to get and keep it. Mrs.
P. tells us she does not care to as
sociate "with that class" (meaning
suffragists, I suppose). Too bad;
she might Und them worth while.
Mrs. Perkins-Gilman says ."politics
(as it touches the pure milk ques
tion) is not outside the home it Is
inside the baby." The "staying-at-home"
question is a many-sided one.
For Cold Feet
Many aged people and young chil
dren more than people of other ages,
are troubled with cold feet. A nnnr?
bag is an excellent "comfort" for this
trouble. Get some clean sand, and
dry, by heating it in an iron kettle
over the fire, stirring until it heats
through. Make a bag about eight
inches square, of thick cotton cloth,
fill with the dry sand and sew up
the opening very closely; cover this
bag with thick flannel cloth; this
will prevent the sand from sifting
out. When wanted, heat by laying
on top of the warming oven, or other
surface where It will not burn, and
when hot through, use it for warm
ing the feet. The sand will hold heat
a long time, is always ready, ana can
be emptied and the sack washed at
any time. Or the flannel can be re
moved while it Is heating, and re
placed at once.
white bulls were tied by the horns.
Then a druid, clothed in white,
mounted the tree, cut the mistletoe,
and received it in a white cloak
thrown over his hand. The sacri
fices were then made, and prayers
were offered to God, to send blessings
on his own gift. Many of the old Eng
lish superstitions have come down to
us, as, for instance, the saying that
the first person to enter a house on
New Year's Day morning must be a
man. Also, that, when sweeping the,
aire out oi aoors isew iear s morn
ing, all one's luck for the year .goes
out with it. It is said that even in
America the cows kneel at the stroke
of twelve on New Year's Eve. But
as the cows themselves are dumb on
this point, and nobody may positively
say they do not, one has full liberty
to believe It, if desirable.
Tho Druids' New Year
In the oldentime, tho Druids on
NeW Year's Day performed the cere
mony of cutting the mistletoe.
Preparations were made for a ban
quet and a sacrifice under the oak
where the mistletoe grow, and two
Wage Earning When Past Fifty
A reader asks if there is something
at which a woman past fifty, who has
had no training at any kind of wage
earning, can start in and make a
living and $150 clear per 'year. It
depends very much on the woman,
but even at the best, in these times,
only a few comparatively who work
for wages make more than they
necessarily spend. Among wage
earners there are several cladses
One is the debtor class, who is always
working to' pay; for yesterday's din
ner, and never catching up; the fault
for this does not always lie with the
worker, but circumstances are often
to blame. Others work to pay for to
day's dinner, and this is what is
called living from hand to mouth,
and the majority of workers belong
to this class. Any little circum
stance that deprives such an one of
even a day's wage will leave him
among the debtor class, with scant
hope of ever regaining the lost foot
ing, unless aided. The one who
works to pay for tomorrow's dinner
is the one who has laid -by in store,
whether much or little, and has
learned to spend less than he earns,
no matter at what cost to himself.
In order to earn even a living, after
fifty yeaTs old, with untrained hands,
there, must be determination of
character, prudence, frugality and
industry, at least.. Yet many women
do this very thing. It is remarkable,
the way a woman can get along,
make a living for herself .and a' de
pendent family, when left alone, de
pendent on her own abilities, and not
only raise her family, but educate
them, and keep a good home over
their heads, through her industry
and determination to carry the
project through. Children of both
sexes should be brought up to work,
learning to do some one thing well,
and acquiring habits of industry and
thrift; even when thrown out on the
world at middle age, there is usually
something by which a living, if noth
ing more, can bo made. The social
world Is in a ferment, just now, and
tho tossing of the waves is bewilder
ing; but no one should bo dis
couraged. Find if possible what you
can do best, and where your market
may be, then, "do determinedly."
For the Toilet
Where one has to use soft coal
and especially where one has to
stoke her own fire," dirty, or al
least, grimy hands are the rule
Soap and water only seem to tnake
matters worse, as the cuticle rough
ens, and the hand all over is covered
with black seams. A much better
way is to have a jar of cold cream
or any clean, unsalted grease will
do, and before washing the hands at
night, and if necessary, several
times a day, rub the grease well over
tho hands, let remain, a few minutes
then wash in water warm enough to
take off the greasewith the aid of
a good, vegetable-oil soap, and then
when clean, rinse with cold water'
rub in a few drops of the toilet mix
ture so often told about glycerine
rosewater and lemon juice, and then
dry; pr, in most cases, dry before
applying the mixture, applying but
a very ntue.
Another way, where the hands are
very much seamed with the line lines
Which the ordinary washing with
soap will not take off, have one of
the little stiff brushes used in the
kitchen, which costs several cents
each; grease the hands as above,
then, with a very little soap suds,
hot enough to take off the grease,
go over the hands with the little
brush, scouring all the lines away,
then dip the hands in common cider
vinegar, let dry, and the hands will
be much smoother and clean. Some
people, after letting the grease soften
the dirt, rub it off before washing;
others wash the skin well, then fill
wth the grease and remove the
grease with a bit of gauze, or cotton,
or old, soft, rags, which can be
burned after using. Any of these
methods will cleanse the skin,
smooth it, and prepare it for resist
ing the dirt.
A pair of cloth gloves, costing not
more than ten cents, and often to
be had for five cents, should be kept
with the con! supply, or close to the
stove, and put on every time any
thing is handled. These gloves
should be regularly washed and kept
clean.
Sheep Skin NRngs
To clean these, make a strong
lather by boiling soap in ' a little
water; mix this with a sufficient
quantity of water a little more than
lukewarm to wash the rug In, and
rub the boiled soap on parts which
require additional cleaning. When
the skin has been well washed in
this water, prepare another suds in
the same way, of the same warmth,
and put the skin through this, fol
lowed by a third,, which should be
enough to clean it thoroughly. Rinse
it well in lukewarm water until all
the soap has been removed, then put
it in water In which a little wash
bluing has been dropped, sufficient
to make the wool a good white.
After this it should be squeezed well,
shaken out and hung .In the open air
with the skin side toward the sun,
but not while it is too hot, else the
skin will become hardened. Shako
and rub it while drying, to prevent
the stiff, crackly condition'. It should
be frequently turned, and hung up
first by one end, then the other,
until thoroughly dried. Be sure to
rub it frequently between the hands
as.it is drying. These rugs, with or
without lining, are excellent foot
warmers for old people, or those
sitting still a great deal. The wool
may be dyed if desired.
Cleaning Garments
To reraovo. stains from broad
cloth, this is recommended: Tako
an ounce of pipe-clay that has been
ground fine; mix it with twelve drops
of alcohol, and the same quantity of
spirits of turpentine; when ever you
wish to remove any stain from
cloth, moisten a little of this mix
ture with alcohol and rub on the
spot. Let remain until dry, then rub
on the spot. Let remain until dry,
then rub it off witlTa woolen cloth,
and the spot will disappear.
Grease Spots, to remove: Dis
solve an ounce offoure pearlash in
a pint of spring water, and to the
solution add a lemon 'cut In small
slices. ' Mix the ingredients well,
keep the mixture Varm for a few;
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