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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (May 23, 1913)
r"nri r'T' s The Commoner. VOLUME 13, NUMBER 20 f-- T " TTItlP.n InVirr r,-nA j. . . rr IB s 11" ; r & w at a vctq ww-r-T' uyu virotyyg.i. bl . 7 EBfcJmmwi a imvtf-rrvir 1 1 jffl 1 Mn.wK I KSmSt Ah ) I jM 3M1trS drMWte nF yyms Conducfedly Vfeen warts M Deparimeni jli 'Co'' After Years "Givo mo back my child!" I plead that day, My face against the coflln-lid. Hero Is the place, upon my breast; Not there, In cold and darkness hid. Why, ho had just begun to live To know my face, to laugh, to reach His hands to meet my lips, and mako Sweet essays at some unknown speech! "Untrodden round his baby feet Tho whole fair realm of childhood lny; Nor stones nor thorns to make them bleed My hand had smoothed them all away. No wind of Heaven had buffeted His sunny head with cruel breath My arms had safely sheltered him. Givo him to me, 0 Death!" Now, standing by that littlo grave Where in and out the passing years Weave tapestries of green and gold, I smile, remembering my tears. I lay my gray head on the mound That drank my tears, and 'neath my breath I whisper: "It is better so! Keep him, 0 gontlo Death!" Julia Schayor, in Century. to respectable gathering places, and furnished not only with companion ship, but with books, music and reading, or with simple warmth and light and tho pleasure of watching others, the questionable gardens and resorts would not bo so largely patronized. Men and women are gregarious, and the social instinct is strong in them, from tho youngest to the oldest; the hunger for com panionship is little less imperative in its demands than those of physi cal hunger. If country towns and villages would furnish meeting places for tho lonely ones, there would bo less of the crazy rush toward tho city. Many men and wo men, as well as boys and girls, are literally starved for social inter change of ideas. Not alono tho un married, but many married couples would welcome tho opportunity to spend together with their friends, tho spare hours of the day. Combat tho evil with tho good, and teach peoplo to respect themselves and each other. rooms Wanted Our friend, Mr. Dan Sweeney, who tells us he is fifteen years old, wishes the words to a poem, "The Dream of Eugene Aram," by Thomas Hood. As wo have furnishod the "Dreamer," some ono who has the second poem wanted, may please send it to him at Center Point, W. Va. J. S. McC, of California, wishes the words of a poem, tho chorus of which is "Save tho boy, save tho boy, Heaven will ring with joy, Loving hearts aro pleading now, Savo, 0, savo tho boy." Another reader wishes tho words to the old song, "Put mo in my littlo bed." Combating tho Saloon Influence It is claimed that in most places tho saloon is tho poor man's club, and is tho only place whero men and boys may gather to pass tho evening hour; as long as tho working man iinas congenial companionship, warmth and cheer only in these places, ho will go there, and tho boy will go with him. In order to com bat this influence, thero should bo provided a counter attraction, one equally as strong, whero tho moral uplift would influonco to a better use of time. Morality must comrmtn with tho saloon for tho poor man's patronage, and wherever a saloon is established, ono of theso counter attractions should find a place be side it. ''.Thero aro many good men and women who aro anxious to work for tho betterment of society, and there is nothing more needed than tho opening of rospoctablo places, properly chaperoned and guarded, where mon and boys may moot wo men and girls for a social hour. Ono woman, or one man can not estab lish such places, but societies of men and women could, do it, and should. In large towns and cities there are hundreds of homeloss men and boys, as well as women and girls, with nowhere to spend the evening hour except at tho pleasure cesorts, or on tho streets, If theso lomeless, people could bo welcomed Teaching Children to Think Judging from the effects of much thoughtlessness in this life, ono is tempted to believe that the habit of not thinking is as much a crime as the deliberate doing indeed, it is often tho foundation on which many crimes are based. The capacity for solving the problems of life are born with tho problem, and, as experi ences multiply, the capacity in creases until wo are able to over come tho obstacles that arise, if we only exercise our thinking powers. The exercising of the faculty of judgment should begin at the cjadle. Let them learn from the very start to reason out tho difficulties that confront them. Let them manage their own affairs. Their life is their business; not yours. You might as well think to have them walk with out exorcising their limbs, as to have them face life's problems without exercise of mentalities. The babv In the cradle will entertain itself most industriously, if allowed to do so, and mothers mako a mistake in rob bing them of the pleasure. The coo ing baby will have to experiment with its freedom and liberty some time, and it is just as well to let it begin now. Let the child lnnm t decide for itself, and take the con sequences of its own decisions; their experience of self-reliance will give them the Btrength of mind needed to enable them to bear the burden later, as they crawl out of the cradle. Lifo is all a battle ground, and we must each fight for our own; depen- uuuuu upon anotner makes cowards and weaklings of us. It is the arm that strikes in which the muscles de velopthe still arm stiffens. A supervising caro and an unobtrusive guidance- of tho hesitating steps are all right; but let tho littlo one think out its own ways. Remember that you can not alw.ays stand by your child's side, ready to stay the stumbling feet, or pick It up if it falls. There must be will, grit, self poise, a careful weighing of pros and cons, and a sturdy self-rollanco In order to successfully meet tho thous ands of difficulties that crowd its pathways. Teach it to think. deemed their "sphere," and proved their fitness for the larger measures. Such exceptional women have, in all times, encountered obloquy and ridi cule; but each one of the brave heroines conquered somewhat for the women of the future. When the matrons of Rome were oppressively taxed, they remonstrated against the injustice; but finding petitions un availing, they selected the gifted Hortensia to plead their cause in person before the triumviri, and for that purpose they accompanied her in procession to the forum. The speech she delivered is de clared by Appian to have been worthy of Cicero. Tho triumviri were inclined to treat her and her companions with contempt; but the assembled populace were carried away by her eloquence, and mani fested so much sympathy with her cause, that the vexed magistrates deemed it prudent to modify their system of taxation. The conserva tives of Rome cried shame upon wo men who thus overstepped the boun daries of their sex, and the nick name, "Androgyne" was -applied to them (meaning lie.-woman), a term used by wits of that day in much the same way that "strong-minded," or "New woman" is applied today. In former times, if a woman had a little extra education, she was called a "blue-stocking,"' until women were afraid to acknowledge that they knew anything of books. But a few years ago, a professor of one of our colleges, advised men to "set their faces as flint" against the educated woman but stultified himself later by marrying a talented woman. Every advancing step taken by women disturbs the minds of a large class of men, and at every innovation they contend that the basis of so ciety is sliding from under them, and that we shall fall through. Asiatic men believe that chaos would come if women were allowed to go about with uncovered faces, while even in our own country it was, and still is, in some parts, thought that public speaking would be fatal to the modesty and home usefulness of our women. "In Olden Times" Ever since Intellect began to as sert its superiority over brute force there have been individual women who stepped beyond -what was Tho Overworked IlousPwifo In talking over the troubles of the overworked, housewife and mother, one of our magazine writers offers' as a remedy, that instead of plead ing with her husband to right the wrong, tho woman should tako the matter in her own hands, and lessen the labor in every way possible, and especially by supplying herself with labor saving household machinery It is all very well to talk, and in many InstanonH nnrii owi , . successfully acted upon and the work done according to rule." But where the woman is the wife of a man of small wages or salary, with several babies yet, under her feet in tho homo, it is not so easy to- do. Even where money is not tho main ques tion, the question of securing avail- vnl,,heVS ft0n fcoPalessly in volved. No amount of mechanioni machinery will look after and attend to the end pro TOn0 , - "ma babies and the woman who attempt to not only do this, but do all he? housework, sewing, laundry work SEW iraProv machinLy7w j And her burdens too great inthZ saw rjsf mako the matter still harder S thousands of these homes, thn ,. band and father seems blind toff demands of the home and family on the strength of the house-mother and increases the burden ten foil' by fretting and finding fault because things are not in apple-pie order, and every comfort at his command in ?iea? fcfuta?i.?g int0 consileratioa the fact that the mother gets no re lease from the care of the babies day or night, he resents being ex pected to spend his evenings at home, helping with the children dur ing his spare hours, and says ho never gets any rest, after working all day. The ageing faces of too many of our young wives speak volumes on the subject. If only some provisions could bo made for the care of the babies for a few hours each day, that the mother might rest! Homo Sanitation Throughout the summer season, the housewife must exercise a per sonal supervision over drains and bathroom, as well as the refrigera tor. Boiling water and washing soda must be used for tho sink drains, in order to remove all greasy deposits and kill odors. Tho soda is cheap about one cent a pound, and a large' handful will bo sufficient for a gallon of water. In tho bath room, all pipes should be flushed each morning with boil ing water, and at night a large spoonful of chloride of lime should be sprinkled into each pipe. A can of the lime should be kept on a high shelf in the bath room, out of reach of the children. For cleaning the bath tub, soap does not always avail; but if a largo handful of washing soda bo dis solved in a gallon of boiling water, and the sides of the tub swabbed with this, boiling hot, the enamel would bo clean.. The tub may then be washed out with hot soapy water, ready for use. Another way to clean the bath tub is with a hot solution of vinegar and salt all the salt tho vinegar will dissolve. If the stains are stubborn, let the mixture remain on the enamel a little while, then wash off with clean, hot water. This is fine. For ordinary, the bath tub and wash bowl are easily kept clean with a cloth saturated with either gaso line, naptha, or coal oil. If you. are so fortunate as to havo your house plumbed, be sure to look after the pipes. Do not allow any thing poured into the drain pipes but what will go through without clog ging. Hair, lint, old rags, burnt matches, newspaper, fruit parings, stririgs, should not bo allowed to go into the drains, as the stoppage win cause trouble. For the kitchen drain pipes, re move grease with hot water and sal soda, have the solution strong ana boiling hot, about one pound of soda to two quarts of boiling water. Flusn afterwards with clear water. For tho Toilet For sensitive skin which finds soap too strong, use almond meai, this can be bought ready prepared 01 the druggist, and will cleanso tuo hands as well as soap without rougu ing them. . , n After a long walk or ride, the face is often very dusty, and if very much heated, should not be asD?" with cold water. Instead, givo tw skin a good coating of any good com cream, and after letting stay on t face a few minutes, rub tho creaui off with a bit of soft cloth. You w u be astonished at the dirt tho ciota brings away. Tho girl or woman who goes about in the hot sunshine with bare arms, shoulders, and without a bat, w .jwi&ki