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The Commoner.
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2i
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epartmen
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TIio Last Expcnso
Wo talk of tho high coat of living,
But tho high cost of dying is
worse;
You can rido to tho coast in a Pull
man, For what a milo costs in tho
hcarso.
"They had a wholo -hack-full of
flowers!"
Then tho friends and tho mourn
ers disperse.
You always die ere you expect it,
And tho insurance money must go
To pay tho "mortician" his charges,
When it ought to clotho Bobby,
you know.
And Susie quits school for the factory,
For tho doctor is waiting, also.
Object to tho mortician's charges?
Unheard of! Tho height of poor
taste!
"LaBt meed of respect and affec
tion;" Who'd count such an outlay as
waste?
You may havo the luck of a Jonah,
And fall In whatever you try;
You may havo a struggle terrific
To livo with the prices so high;
But for goodness sake, put off your
dying
Until you have something laid by!
-Walter G. Doty, in Farm Journal.
moral, and too often a physical, sac
rifice which women are rightly un
willing to make."
"Restless Women"
"Tho cause of tho modern woman's
restlessness is that she is awaken
ing," says -a writer in tho Nautilus.
"She Is stretching her arms and try
ing to rise and take up her work.
Changing ideals and ideas have
brought about entirely now condi
tions; men havo stepped into her
homo and taken moBt of her tasks
away from her; her garments are
factory-made; her spinning and
weaving and knitting are done by
machinery; tho tailor and dress
maker and milliner and baker sup
ply her needs and those of her
family. Electricity and gas illumine
her dwelling and cook her meals;
vacuum cleaners Bpirit away the
dust, and elevators toss hor back and
forth to hor aerial dwelling place.
Agrlculturo and nriraitivo industHnn
woro first taken from her, then, moBt
of tho work of tho household and the
household drudgery; and tho home
life has bocomo so simplified because
of theso changes that sho does not
know what to do with hor idle hands.
Sho shops' aimlessly, joins clubs, goes
into tho gainful occupations, and in
every way tries to All up her idle
hours. Tho euro for tho restlessness
for tho majority Is to select some
suitable labor to keep her interest in
tho world's affairs alive, and devolop
hor hitherto neglected powers."
Another author says, "Women are
Just as willing now for somo one to
take caro or them as they over were;
this willingness is not essentially
feminine; it is human nature; and
while it is necessity that drives her
into the new fields, the necessity may
bo veiled, for it is not always poverty
that is to blame. The hardest and
most bitter necessity frequently has
no poverty and never starvation; the
real origin of this so-called invasion
of women into non-domestic work Is
the undeniable fact that there are
not men enough capable, or at least
willing, to offer a proper sort of
existence to the women. To marry
merely for the sake of marrying
would frequently entail a mental,
Who Pays tho Cost?
Mothers have written .to me that
they are glad the papers and maga
zines are beginning to make warfare
on the excuse for dress worn by wo
men and girls, and are demanding
a reform. They ask sincerely, "Who
is to pay the cost of the undress con
dition in which girls and women go
about in all weathers, at all hours,"
and they are .not thinking of their
pocket-b6oks when they ask tho
question. The hundreds of new
diseases, increaso of tho old ones,
and aggravation of those which a few
years ago were deemed haTdly worth
noticing, and the increasing ill-
health of our girls, is making this a
serious problem, for the "cost" of
tho ruined health, physical and
moral, will reach beyond this gene
ration, "even unto the third and
fourth." Some ono must pay heavily.
Meantime, many blame the mothers
for "allowing" their daughters to
aress so; out tho girls will not heed
admonition, and if they would, it Is
almost impossible to get any other
than the present style of clothing, or
an aggravation of it, among the
ready-mades; unfortunately, home
dress-making is nearly ono of tho
lost arts, and if one attempts to hire
the work done, it Is almost impos
sible to get a dressmaker to do it.
'Many women of modest tastes refuse
to buy the ready-made clothing, and
are turning their attention to their
sewing machines; but the "paper
pattern" companies are supplying
very few patterns except those of the
"latest style," and even if the pat
terns could bo had, very few, com
paratively, would know how to put
them together so little is known of
dressmaking by the present day
seamstress. A revival of the lost art
of dressmaking may help out mat
ters; but it seems to me that, if the
fathers and brothers would refuse to
let their "women-folks" wear -such
scant attire, it could be stopped.
What do you think of it?
"The Homo Dressmaker"
Cutting, fitting and sewing seems
to be among the lost arts, but among
a, sensible average of women, it is
being revived, as the present styles
ar0 anything but satisfactory. Not
long ago, a young woman attended
a "special sale" of silk drosses. They
were advertised as "marked down"
to $8.98, "tho latest models," etc.
Having time on her hands, she went
to several stores and priced not only
the ready-made dresses, but the
various qualities of goods. The gar
ments were miserably scant, and the
best of them not of tho desired
quality of material: so th wnm0
went to the pattorn counter, selected
what she wanted, bought tho called
for materials necessary, and, after
adjusting the fullness to suit herself
made a much handsomer and bettor
dress than sho could buy, at a great
ly reduced cost
Health Notes
A writer in Farm Journal gives
the following method for treating
eczema, There are many kinds of
eczema, or rather, eczema from so
many cauaeg, 'and what will help one
case will "not 'help another. As hot
fomentations arevgood In nearly all
cases of itching of the cuticle, it is at
least harmless. Here is the method:
"Get a teakettleful of boiling water;
pour part of it into a wash basin;
have a sponge and wrap a cord
around one end to make a handle.
Dip the loose end of the sponge in
tho hot water after it has become
cool enough so it will not scald, and
bathe tho affected patches with the
water as hot as it can be borne;
keep on bathing one place until it is
hot to a considerable depth; rub on
a little good vegetable oil soap, and
bathe the other patches the same
way, keeping up the heat of the
water by pouring from the kettle.
When all the patches have been gone
over thus, go over them again with
the hot water and rinse off the soap."
It is claimed this will stop the itch
ing for a time, if not finally. In
applying the sponge, there should be
no rubbing, and to rinse off the soap,
the water should be squeezed over
the affected parts. For some cases
of eczema, water should not be used.
Gleanings
A great deal is said against the
family cat because of its propensity
for killing young birds. Many fami
lies will refuse to have a cat on the
place, yet will encourage the squir
rel in every possible way. The Farm
Journal tells us that, with the pos
sible exception of the timid little
flying squirrel, there is not a variety
of squirrel in America today which
does not make a business of bird
killing and nest-robbing. Even the
tiny chipmunk, or ground squirrel,
stalks birds consistently and not un
successfully. In many localities, the country
people have decided that school
houses are public property, and be
long to the people, and they are ex
pecting to use them for the public
good, by inaugurating social meet
ings at the buildings, and arranging
so as to accommodate all who wish
to meet together. In many localities,
the school buildings are vacant and
unused for months at a time. Much
good would come of opening them
for church and social gatherings.
From certain districts complaints
come of rowdyisms enacted by the
young men; but the elders should
nana together and force these wild
boys to behave themselves. They
are not really desperadoes, but they
are full of animal spirits, and seem
to have no other idea than to bring
themselves into notice.
An excellent use to make of old
wire that was cut from the baled
nay, or Daroea wire that is no longer
useful on the fence, is said to be
found by mixing it with the concrete
for floors, walks and walls, as it
helps to hold the concrete together
while drying, and prevents cracking
If no objection to its use is found
It will be a good method of getting
rid of a very troublesome accumula
tion. Another good ubo to make of
it is to throw it into the gullies, or
washes, and let It become buried
The wire rots underground.
1
"In the Air"
The sensible portion of both men
and women are beginning to protest
strongly against the freak fashions
which are filling the streets with
samples of "indecent exposure of
.Rerson," and are advocating a return
to, the ample skirts of ankle wUt
worn, a few .years ago. Several wo!
Uen .whose position In society wiU
-carry, .weight with the revival iw
.promised to return to the mo mod
est styles, and it is predicTethat a"
revival will thus be brought about in
a short while. Many young Hra
of the "latest styles," but in many
cases, it is impossible to make their
own clothes, and there seems noth
ing else to be had in the ready-mada
lines. So they are forced to "do as
other people do." Many others still
cling to the wardrobes on hand, and
possess their souls in patience hop
ing for the return of sane methods
of dressing.
Another hint of returning sanity
is in the gaining of favor of the low
shoe-heels. There is plenty of room
for .other reforms, and we hope our
women and girls will hasten the day
of their coming.
"Summer Boarders"
Many worn out mothers, fathers,
sons and daughters would be glad
to avail themselves of a few weeks
in the country, but complain that the
price of board and rooms aro hpvnnn
their means. Country people should
charge a fair profit for their enter
tainment, but should not expect to
make a fortune from a few guests.
The story magazines are full of
stories telling how the farm wives
clear so much money from their sum
mer boarders, and the most extrava
gant tales are told; but when one
reads these stories, they should
realize that they are bits of fiction,
and a great many of the writers
never saw a farm, or visited in the
country. Every one should get a
summer rest, if possible, and thero
are many charming homes where the
vacation can be spent cheaply and
happily.
Taking Care of tho Bedding
During the hot months, bedding
should be sunned as often as pos
sible every day is none too often.
Tho covering shduld be light in
weight, and washable, and the mat
tress should not ' be bo heavy as to
make carrying It out of the house
too great a burden. A cheap mat
tress one made of excelsior with a
cotton top is an extravagance, for
it soon gets lumpy and is exceeding
ly uncomfortable. It is better to pay
a little more and get a felt mattress,
and this should not be too heavy.
There are mattresses made in two
sections, and these can b'e handled
with less labor. If the felt mattress
is too hard (and some' of them do
get very hard after a few years' use)
It is well to have a cotton mattress,
made like a heavy bed comfort, to
lay on top of It. During hot weather
the perspiration of the body is apt
to make tho bedding smell badly un
less it is often aired and sunned. For
children, . nothing is more comfort
able and economical than the old
time "tick" filled with oat straw,
which can be kept well stirred, and
aired, and when it gets ground up,
the filling can be renewed at small
expense. But this can not always
bo had by the city woman. The
wheat straw can be bought at the
feed stores, and will answer very
well, with a cotton padding made
separate, to lay on top. Everything
that is slept in, or under, should be
aired as often as possible, and the
windows should be left open as much
as possible.
"And the Boys, Too."
Just now we are hearing a great
deal about the girls; but it is sug
gested by a handful of letters from
mothers, that we call attention to the
fact that the boy, too, are reaping
the harvest of "conditions" and
should be looked after a little closer.
So long as boys are allowed to school
themselves in vice to such a degree
as is now the case, it will be difficult
to keep the girls from sometimes go
ing wrong. The curse of city life fofl
the children is that they have noU
ing to do, and wo know .who trad
..W-jl
