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The Gommoner
VOLUME 13 NUMBER n
TIio Unknown Dead
All day, from morn to falling night,
An upturned face, bo Btill and white,
Two ldlo hands, in endless rest,
Laid on a woman's stirlcss breast;
A twist of soddon, golden hair,
Above a girlish forehead fair,
Palo lips apart, as though to cry
Again life's old, unanswered "Why?"
Frightened, perhaps, at ghostly fate,
She swift unbarred the water-gate
Out from lifo's temple, Booking
thero
Tho last mad refuco of doRnnir.
What swift repentanco may have
como
Kro eyes wero dimmed, or lips were
dumb.
Id writ In water. Dying cries
Once boro tho thief to Paradise.
But sadder than tho woman dead
It is to hear tho steady tread
Of wistful scokors, hither drawn
To find, perhaps some jowol gone;
Some blossom that has blown adrift,
'Til lost adown somo yawning rift,
Somo shallop, lured by lights ashore,
Then wrecked amid the breakers'
roar.
Poor, weary one! They look askance
At first, with timid, side-wise
jIUUUUj
Then turn aside, and softly say,
"It is not Lucy; 'tis not May."
And some good women kissed the
chook
So round and white, so 'pale and
meek,
Remembering their own lost, may-be,
Porhaps as still and white as she.
There aro so many lives amiss,
Homes hungry for the lost one's
kiss,
Poor lambs who wandered from the
fold,
Lost on tho mountains, bleak and
cold,
And with remorse and grief, sore
pressed, Turned to the river-bed to rest.
And when the news abroad has
spread,
Tho seekers come to scan tho dead,
With faces whito and set to boar
What the Morgue's slab can tell them
thero.
1 Ethel Lynn.
which nothing else can give her.
With tho helps for housecleaning
now on tho market, the woman of
even small means will find the work
greatly simplified to what it was in
tho olden-times, when everything
was done with the hand-brush and
broom, tho carpel , beater and the
scrub bucket.
Right closo up to tho other work
comes tho beginning of the canning
season, for May brings the strawber
ries to many localities, and from
that on, thero are always some kinds
of fruits and vegetables beginning to
bo taken caro of. And sandwiched
in between all tho work, no matter
how pressing, thero is an ever
present demand for tho family sew
ing machine, especially whero thero
aro growing children. Very few
mothers dislike to make pretty
things for tho kiddies, but a great
army of them find the bulk of tho
sowing to bo for rough-and-ready
use, with a demand for strong stitch
ing and good thread. So, every
season brings its joys, and tho joy
of hearty work is chief among them.
Tho Joy of Work
Somehow, -whenever tho growing
eason comes, with its thin veil of
newly-unrolled leaflets and tho smell
of the warming earth, it is very hard
to keep one's eyes turned indoors
and to follow steadily the beaten
path of routine. Tho sun-bonnet or
garden-hat becomes very lovely in
our eyes; thero Is a perfect fascina
tion in tho garden tools, and the
stout, useful gloves seem to nt a
great deal bettor than the hand
coverings for othor occasions. Even
tho much-deplored house-cleaning
upheaval, over which tho department
writers make such moan, Is chock
full of allurements, and like tho hen
In tho garden, the housewife just
aches to "scratch." it is like going
down to do battle, and there are few
women who, down in their hearts, do
not onjoy tho fray, and go into It,
heart and soul, no matter how tired
thoy may get before things are again
adjusted to their likings. If the
woman havo strength enough, or can
command tho right kind of helpers,
and havo senso enough not to try to
do too much at one time, thero is
uomething exhilarating in the work
Cleaning Dclicnto Fabrics
For washing delicate fabrics, such
as chiffon and fine laces, which will
not boar much handling, put tho
article in a iruit jar with a glass top;
make a good lather with fine soap
and soft water, having It warm. Fill
tho jar half-full, or with enough of
tho suds to well cover the goods;
lot stand five to ten minutes, then
screw on the top of tho jar and shake
vigorously for five to ten minutes,
then pour off tho suds, and if the
fabric is clean, rinso thoroughly with
clear soft water, changing the water
several times to remove all tho soap
suds. If tho piece was much soiled,
ropeat the suds after removing the
first, until the article Is clean, then
rinso. Tho rinsing Is done by shak
ing in the jar, just as the sudsing is.
Hang without wringing in tho open
air, or put into a thin muBlin bag and
hang tho bag in tho air until the
articles are dry. Smooth very care
fully when it is nearly dry.
Buildings of tho Past
On my desk is a paper-weight a
block of clear glass on the back of
which is pasted the Dictum nf n ni.i
old farm-house; in front of tho
house aro two immense pine trees
toworlng several times tho height of
the little one-story, Blanting-roofed
cottago that is just as old as the
trees. It is still a neat-looking
house, and used by the family now
owning tho land, though it was built
nearly seventy years ago. It was
built on tho wide prairie lands pos
sessed by "pre-emption" in those
days, by tho father of a large family
of boys and girls, and here, in the
five rooms, all the children grew to
adult ago. When tho world called
the family from tho country home It
passod into othor hands, and none' of
the original family except one white
haired man, ever entered its doors
again. A few years ago, one of tho
youngest of tho family was -In the
neighborhood, and ho was eagerly
Questioned about the trees. Ho had
with him a kodak, and took views
of many of the old houses about the
village in which tho family had at
various times spent, tho winter that
the children might havo the benefit
of the village schools; Every one of
thoso old houses are oyer sixty years
old school house, church, tavern
and other buildings. At the time the
views were taken, they were all in
good condition and still occupied.
Very few of them had been changed.
How these old buildings keep their
life is a mystery to those accustomed
to the frail modern buildings which
look (and are) old within a few
years after being constructed. In
the new houses, the lumber soon
rots, tho masonry cracks and
crumbles, and the boards pull apart,
the paint "scales," and by the time
'they have rounded out their first de
cade, they are old, dilapidated,
tumbling-down things, fit for little
but the kindling pile or the wrecker's
hatchet. Scattered about over the
country are im.ny of these old build
ings many, of which threaten to
servo another generation, and. they
show a superiority of workmanship
and material that no modern-built
"shack" can claim. The contractors
and builders can tell you why this is
so, if they will;' but few of them
caro to unveil the mystery.
i
Getting Ready for Warn' Weather
It would seem superfluous to re
mind tho housewife that It Is full
time to put up the screens, but many
think they can not afford them.
Something else would be better left
out, and the screens provided. If
nothing better offers, mosquito net
ting may bo used, and it is cheap.
If the frames from last year have
been preserved, they can be covered
anew, and it is a matter of impor
tance that they should havo been. A
few small nails will make them firm,
and a coat of paint will protect them
from tho weather. A con wncfc
netting that is very wide can be
used with hotter results than the
mosquito netting, as it is more sub
stantial, and will bar out tho insects
better.
When the screens are in place, the
outer door can bo left open, and a
good fastener is convenient. Cover
a brick with a piece of carpet, or
blanket, or any thick cloth, and it
will not scratch the door, but will
hold it open.
Useful Information
In cultivating sweet peas, flowers,
lima beans, etc., it is literally "cut
and come again," for they will bloom
or bear until killed by frost if not
allowed to dry up or form ripened
S66QS.
For ferns that have become spotted
and brown, dropping their leaves,
saturate the earth about tho roots
with weak limo water; if there are
any worms, this will destroy them;
S3. T? should be WGt through.
Get ehoep manure from tho florist
if you do not keep sheep, pour water
TL a iandful and let stand over
night. Then drain off and water the
Plant with this after soak7ng It in
the vessel of water for half an hour
Tapioca
Tapioca is mad from tho roots of
tho plant which is called by various
names where found. The botanical
name is Manihot, but it is known as
SSSEft aSSaf a' manIPt, manioca
manidoca, and several others, i?s
native home is Brazil biiMt i i
produced in Porto Rico JarnnilSQ als?
Trinidad. Owing to iariTSoS
stances and cheap labor tho S I
part of the world's sut.natest
from tho Straits Settlements V?meS
Tho plant grows from four to lu&
feet high, consisting of nIn ? e e,at
woodystalk f rom aS ?nch to W
and a half in diamete Jg
into largo skeleton leaves with i
slender stems. The only ZQ th,??'
made of tho stalk is for cmi3
which are planted for a new ?"?
Tho crop of roots mature tlve &
eighteen months after planting Th
useful food put consists of one
more tubers something like a sweet
potato, usually much larger in she
single tubers occasionally weichw
ten to twenty-five pounds. Thorn
roots are washed by machinery, S
passed into the grinder throuS
which a steady stream of wite
flows, washiner out. fho ,i. , ur
the wood and fibre of the root. 5
umx imris or tne work, the starchy
water is -caught, the starch allowed
LTiC then grained. It is claimed
that the pearl form of the product
is not as pure .or wholesome as tho
flake tapioca.
Odds ana Ends
Among the rHovfln.0o -nr i
nrroaf 7l, w-SilT " WB. 1UlV
ocwUa mo .cm&usu sparrow Is the
fact that -it fouls tho 'floor of tho
porch, the sill of the windows, and
many other conspicuous places, by
its droppings from its roosting place
under the eaves, or other sheltered
nooks. It has been decided that the
sparrow is a nuisance and a ma
rauder, and notice must be served on
it to migrate to new countries, or
take the consequences. Tho United
States department of agriculturo has
issued a bulletin, No. 493, which
gives various methods of destroying
these little pests. Ono very good
way is to destroy any nest you know
to be that of a sparrow as soon as
it is found; but be sure it is a spar
row's -nest, and not that of one of
tho useful birds.
Don't forget to put up the bird
houses; let them be out of the reach
of the cats, and somo say they should
bo protected from the red squirrel, as
this squirrel is very destructive to
bird-life. Tho useful birds havo
many foes, and at best, it is a con
stant struggle for them; so it is as
well to heln them nil rem
..Ife need tho warnings of science,
the 'barefooted boy" is ono of the
old things that havo passed away."
According to science and the doctors,
the barefoot gathers innumerable
diseases, whether or not there is
abrasion of the skin through which
the germ or poison may enter the
system. In the cities it Is claimed
there aro always "things" lying in
wait for tho naked foot, and parents
are warned that the children should
be shod if they are to remain healthy.
Yet the boy and not seldom the
girl will willingly brave the dan
gers of the street dust to kick off
shoes and stockings and feel the cool,
soft earth under tho naked feet. In
the southern states, whero the hook
worm thrives, the warning Is par
ticularly urgent. It is a good thing
for tho shoo man.
Where tho Money Goes
The following statistics were mado
public through the American federa
tion nf wrvw T,l -.. -
""" " oca juygiene or wmen ur,
Charles W. Eliot, president emeritus
or Harvard university,' is president.
Here aro tho figures which tell a
large part of American yearly expen
ditures: White slavery, $3,000,000,
22 J? intoxicating liquors, $2,000,
000,000; tobacco, $1,200,000,000;)
jewelry, $800,000,000; automobiles,
$200,000,000; church, work, at
aome), $250,000,000; confectionary,
200,000,000; soft drinks, $120,
222'000; tea an coffee, $100,000,
000; millinery, $90,000,000; patent
medicines, $90,000,000; chewing
gum, $13,000,0000; foreign mis
sions, $12,000,000.
- t
Preventing Contagion-
In tho contagious wards of th$
Brooklyn children's hospital glass
partitions about five feet high are?
placed between the beds. And the
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