
 

 

 

 

DETROIT, SEPT.

29., 1888.

 

 

THE HOUSEH(3LQD-~-Supplerner1t.

 

 

A YOUNG WIFE'S VIEWS.

 

I think my husband ought to ’0
Exactly as I want him to,
Especially where it concert 5,
Tre money that for me he earns.

If he and [are one, why do
As if we were and must be, two?
For it our interests all combine,
What’er is h sis also mine.

I hate to ask him every day

For little sums and have him say:

‘ My clear, where has that dollar gone
I gave you only 3 estermorn 2”

’Tis s‘range, indeed, how in his eyes
A sum will swell and swell in size
When once persuaded to resign

It from his pocket book to mine.

He lets me run up heavy bills

At two big stores, and thus fulﬁlls,
He thinks, his duty unto me;

But 1 with him do not agree.

I like to go from store to store,

(As bees the fragrant buds explore,)
And take from each whatever suits
In bonnet, mantle, gloves or boots.

I think “ a common purse ” would prove
A means to strengthen faith and love;
Or better still ’twould be were be

To b jug his money all to me,

And safer. Thr-n, too, he might learn
To ask a little in his turn,

And have a chance as well to see
How very generous I would be.

--—-—-——QOO—-— ——-

MAKING A FLOWER GARDEN.

 

It is always a pathetic sight to me to see
among the homely surroundings of a very
humble home, a box ﬁlled with portulacca, a
clump of gaudy marigolds, or a few plants
of “Prince’s Feather” or “Kiss-me-over-
the-garden-gate,” evidences of the longing
of the woman soul prisoned there, for
beauty and color and perfume in a life of
ml and deprivation. I see many abortive
attempts at ﬂower culture in more preten-
tious homes; attempts that fail for want of
knowledge, through “vaulting ambition
which overleaps itself," or through lack of
time to conquer the weeds that go creeping
everywhere and grow so much more robust-
ly than our ﬂowers. Weeds are the children
of the soil. Earth is but a foster-mother to
the ﬂowers.

There are very few farmers’ wives and
daughters who can give the time and
strength necessary to care for a garden-full
ot‘ annuals and bedding plants. But they
may have many ﬂowers with half the trou-
ble if they will let me tell them how to grow
them. A great deal of work in the garden
can be done more advantageously in Octo-
ber than in the spring. The weather is

 

 

more favorable, the autumnal air is bracing
instead of enervating as in Spring, and the
work in the house is not generally so press-
ing. So, in October, get husband or hired
man to give halt a day’s work toward mak-
ing a start. He’ll probably growl over it a.
little as a “ piece of tcmfoolery ” but don’t
be discouraged over such a little thing as
that; let him grumble; the ﬂowers will grow
just the same. i like a border with a fence
for a background better than a bed on the
lawn for the class of plants 1 am going to
advise you to grow.

Have a space three or four feet wide
either spaded or plowed, and a good load
of well rotted compost from the barn-yard
or sheen shed drawn on it and thoroughly
worked in. With the hoe grade the bed,
making it higher nearer the fence—an ele-
vation of four. inches is ample. To prevent
the grass from encroaching, narrow strips
of board, bricks or stones may be used, but
whatever is used as a barrier set it almost
level with the grass, and don’t. “an’ thou
lovest me,” apply any whitewash. See that
the drainage of the spot selected is goon,
and then you are ready to plant the roots or
seeds of your perennials. If your Space is
four feet wide, you will have room for two
rows; if but three feet. put a row of peren-
nials atthe back, and ﬁll in in front of the
row with low-growing annuals or creeping
plants. Bear in mind, when Setting your
plants, that they are to grow undisturbed
for many years, and do wt crowd them.

If the posts of the fence are. on the “ gar-
den side,” arrange to hide. their unsigluli-
ness with beauty. A clump of till double
hollyhocks betore a post will quite obliter-
ate it from your own and orhers’ Couscous-
ness; another may be crowned. Wrtll a
garland of morning glories, and a piece of
stout sheep-twine stretched from post to
post will afford a way for the vines to hang
a wreath of bells across the intervening
space; the cypress vine with its ﬁne cut
foliage, sweet peas—oh, there is plenty of
material. at yiur hand, when y.;u once con
sider it.

Now, what to plant: There is nothing
more desirable in the herd r than the per-
ennial phlox, especially the white, Which is
as pure and clear a white as I know in the
garden. Then there are varieties with dif-
ferent colored " eyes,” a quite pretty crim-
son-red and a lavender, all of which are
great improvements on the purplish-pink of
the common sort. And the beautiful Dicen-
tra, or “Bleeding Heart,” is aﬂriwer we can
admire for its graceful growth and its cleanly
foliage. The Peeonies, pink, white and
dark red, are a showy addition to the beauty

 

of the border in June; the Columbines with
their nectar-tilled horns are an interesting
class of plants, and none of them is more
beautiful than the Golden Columbine, a
native of the rocks of Arizona, whose ﬂow-
ers are a clear, soft lemon color. I would
not omit the day lilies, either, both blue
and white, which are autumnal bloomers,
and deliciously fragrant. The Dalphiniums
(Larkspurs) are not to be forgotten; they
are the most showy blue ﬂowers we have
among hardy plants; and the old-fashioned
foxglove is another. The Pentstemon 1s a
plant we do not often see, yet its bright

scarlet, clustered ﬂowers, continuing in
bloom a long time, are very desirable in the
border. The Sweet Williams, in great vari-
ety, bloom in the sexing; and do not forget
that the old-fashioned Iris, both purple and
yellow, is a very popular ﬂower in England
just. at present. I have a tender feeling for
a timer I usrd to know in girlhood, the
Scarlet Lychnis. and also for a certain yel-
low lily whieh I never heard called any-
thing more pretentious than “ Lemon Lily,”
in allusion to the color of i's prettv pet-
ticoat. And did any one ever hear of the
“ blackberry lily?” That too is a plant I
remember in a certain old-fashioned garden,
but 1 cannot recollect the fashion of its
ﬂowering, only that its round shining seeds
were arranged on a receptacle so that it
much resembled a blackberry. But I’ve
never Seen it from that day to this.

There are a great many other hardy plants
which in a well drained soil will fliurish
year after year, growing handsomer the
while. Many of them can be grown from
seed; roots can he. begged from obliging
neighbors; and if I. saw a plant anywhere
in my travels which particularly struck my
fancy, I might possibly mark the house, as
tramps do, and call ’round at the proper
season and big a root of it. For I cannot
imagine a genuine lover of ﬂiwers being
seéﬁsh or stingy in the matter of either roots
or bloom.

When ﬁrst planted, at a distance of three
feet apart, the roots will look very lonely,
but you will be surprised to see how rap-
idly they will spread. It will be a ﬁght
with the weeds at ﬁrst, but these, once con-
quered, are disposed of ﬁnally. All the
care your perennials will require will be an
annual dressing with well rotted compost
every autumn, and a little protection in the
way of leaves or straw in winter. Occa-
sionally a clump which seems to be dying
out or not doing well may need digging up
and dividing, but not often. By a little
study, one can arrange for a constant suc-
cession of ﬂowers during the season except

 


 

 

 

THE HO USEHOLD.

 

 

through the very hottest weather. The per-
ennial belongs to spring and fall.

In clusters amorg them we may plant
our spring ﬁ‘iwering bulbs, tulips, hyacintbs,
crucus and the like, not forgetting the yel-
low j uzquil and the sweetnarcissus; a small
stake whl mark each cluster, so there will
be no danger of digging Shim up. Tall
lily spikes show to line advent-gs among
this perennial foii;.g=; giadiolus as weii;
and in some sheltered spot atew boards
and old sash will Construct a rough but
serviceable cold frame, in which one may
start Seeds of asters, balsams, ageratum,
pansies and other special favorites to be
planted out in the border, ban-hazard, where-
ever there is a vaacncy. Then. along the
front edge we can sow seeds of such low-
growing hardy annuals as mignonette, can-
dy—tuft. sweet alvssum, libelia. phlox and
portulacca. not forgetting a generous clump
of white petunias, which are very beautiful
as well as hardy. A border ﬁfteen feet long
will atf-nd the ﬂiiwer lover great satisfaction
all through the tl-iral year; it will be full of
delightful surprises, and not demand of the
busy woman one-quarter the hard, back-
breakinz work which the same space devot-
ed wholly to annuals would I't’q tire. Were
I to Ill «Sue flower garden again my main
depend-roe would be on hul' s an-zl peren-
nials, wilh a few of my special puts, such
as pamies, asteis, and petunias, among
them. Xiw isthe Season to begin, as the
beautiful days of autumn are passing;
“delays are dangerous,” often fatal to our
new—box n ambitions.

This nay of having the ﬂ'lW’cI‘S arranged
as a border to the garden or lawn fence,
does away with the temptation to dig a little
hole in the grass in the front yard, and
plant therein the roots we beg or buy, there-
by breaking up the sod, spoiling the ( ifect
of the 1mm and condemning the slips to a
short end precarious existence ending in
untimely death. There is nothing
prettier in front of a house than a level
stretch of greensward, unbroken by shrub~
bery of any sort. Nothing but a tree should
be allowed to break it. The lawn mower,
the scythe or the mower, whatever is em-
ployed to cut the grass, has then a clear
path, and the. work is done. much more fre-
quently than when one must dodge here
a. rosekush and there a shrub; and the
“ women folks ” have no decapitated speci-
mens to weep over, the men no “swear
words ” to be ashamed of. Plant the. shrub-
bery, if you must have. it and some of our
ﬂowering shrubs are indeed beautiful and
desirable—at one side as a hedge, or border,
or in clumps as a background, arranging
them arciirding to their habit of growth.
The effect will be far more pleasng and sat-
isfactory than the hap-DtZlI‘d fashion of
planting, which makes a lawn look as if it
suffered frtm a ﬂziricultural eruption.

BEATRIX.

—-—-——.O.——

CHURCH SOCIALS.

 

 

As deﬁned by Naomi, there seem to be
three gotd phi-poses in church socials, name-
ly, to have a good time, a dish of ice-cream,
and to give money. Who can ﬁnd any
fault with spending a few hours pleasantly,
or who can call eating ice- cream a sin? And
surely, no One can condemn giving money

 

to the church. But I apprehend that tlze
question is not the right or wrong of these
things, but- of the church, as a church, giv-
ing such socials. Any society that under-
takes to walk in other paths than those
prescribed in its organiZation ﬁnds hard
traveling. Take, for instance. the U. A. It.
Let them deviate and enter as an organfz i-
tiou into politics, and I fancy there would
be a commotion in the camp. Now there is
nothing wrong in being a politician, and
though all or nearly all G. A. It. members
may belong to one party. yet that not being
the object of the society. it is wrong for it
to enter, as a society, the political ﬁe} ,
The same is true of the Knights of Labor,
of the church, or any other such societies.
Let us understand what the mission of the
church in this world is, then we can answer
the question, Are church socials right?

We must take our authority from the
founder of the church and none other. The
ﬁnal commission given by Christ to his
disciples was: “Go, preach the gospel to
every creature.” Has the church any right
to engage in any other work than the salva-
tion of fallen man? “Go work in my vine—
yard; the ﬁelds are white already to harvest
and the laborers are few.” There is no
time for other work. If these socials were
a means of grace unto any, if they were to
guide seekers into the way of lioiizievis, then
they would become a part of the lwgitimrte
work of the church; ;—ut so far as my obser-
vatien his exiei;ded there has been no such
work done at these socials; and I believe,
with many others, that actual harm has
resulted, not the least of which has been a
loss of inﬂience by the church over the
world for good; there has been instead a
confc rinity to the world.

But we cannot raise the money we need
in any other way. argue some. Perhaps
this is owing to a lack (-f' faith; perhaps to
a lock of consecration on the part of church
members. Certainly this is true; the church
that gives freely, not grudgingly, receives a
greater blessing than the church that by
means of socials seek the dimes from the
world. It can not be otherwise, for the
heart of the cheerful giver is full of love,
and he works with a correSponding zeal for
the saving of souls, thus advancing the
cause of Christ. I can not condemn socials
as something terrible, but question the pro-

priety of church socials.
, J ANNETTE.

~————-.OO-———

THAT SPOILED BABY.

[was much interested in reading Bea-
trix’s article, “A Spoiled Baby,” in the.
HOUSEHOLD of Sept. lst, as I have. had
som experience with such company mysef f.
To the question whether it is possible to
conquer him now, I answer, Yes. The con-
fession he made after the conﬂict in the
bath-room shows that he has a heart that
can be touched, and if worked on in the
right way he will make a noble man: I
think had she taken a whip, not a stiff one,
but one that would wind around his limbs
and make them tingle, and told him she
was going to whip him—then before she
commenced, given him a good talking to,
telling him the whys and wherefores, and
that it was for his good and not her pleas-
ure, how much trouble bad boys get into

 

and where they are placed when they are
bad, all portrayed vividly before him—then
proceeded with the whip, it would not have
taken long to have cosquered him, for his
little he art w0u1d have been softened by the
story.

I think ,where parents make a great
mistake in whipping is, when thlr y are
angry themselves. if a child sees, and he
will see if approached in the right way. that
he is grieving minim-a. there. will be very
little need of whipping. i think it wicked
to spank (as Beatrix says) “ where mothers
smite their young,” as many diseases or at
least weaknesses of the k'dneys might. be
traced to that very cause. When a child
has ﬁts of throwing things, and kicking, I
shoull walk up to him with a quart of cold
water and throw it over him, repeating the
treatment as often as the symptoms appear-
ed, which would not be many times. I
have known this remedy to cure when all
other means failed.

We should aim for health ﬁrst; and use
our judgment as to what is bestfor them
until they are old enough to judge for them-
selves, not let them have what they want
to eat, as did the mot-her in question, sim-
ply because they cry for it; better a few
tears than a ruined stomach that will stay
by them as long as they live. Reason with
your children; they will reason when they
are a good deal younger than is generally
supposed.

BATTLE CREEK. X. Y. Z.

“M..—
THE CHURCH SOCIAL.

It never occurred to me to consider the
church social as either a means of good or
ill until the letter from Naomi called my
attention to the fact that there might be
people so superlatively conscientious that
they have “scmples” against such an ex-
ceedingly mild and insipid form of amuse-
ment as the average church social. In
regard to entertainments, books, people,
preachers, etc, that I do not myself er j ;y
or appreciate. I am always ready to quote
the ingenious method in which Abraham
LinColn once avoided committing himself
to an opinion, and say: “For those who
like that sort of thing, that’s about the sort
of thing they’ll like.” That hurts no one’s
feelings, and they can apply it as an emol-
lient or an irritant, as they prefer; it is say-
ing in effect, “That’s all right if you like
it so.” NJW, I don’t see any possible
wrong in a church social; it is like homeo-
pathic medicine, it may do good and surely
cannot do any harm. The good would, I
think, consist in establishing friendly and
social relations among the attendants at the
church—if they have spiritual grace enough
to refrain from gossip; and as sociability is
promoted by eating, why let those who like
to partake of a dish of ice-cream or struggle
for the lone “church social oyster” do so;
it certainly is as innocuous a form of dissi-
pation as can be well indulged in. And if
one of the deacons in Israel wants to make
himself ridiculous by chasing some middle-
aged woman through the giddy mazes of
“ Snap and catch ’em,” and wrest from her
frosted lips a chaste salute as the prize of his
agility, why, “for those who like that sort of
thing,” etc., etc. Sometimes elderly people
get frisky as they near a second childhood.

 


 

THE HO'USEHOLD.

8

vs

 

in which they enjoy infantile amusements
once more. There are people, you know, to
whom a cup of hot water is an exhilarating
beverage; they are not strong enough to
stand tea and cotl‘ee, either mentally or
phys'caliy. Should we therefore refuse
them the service of the tea-kettle?

People have such queer ids-ts about right
and wrong. Tllll’lk of John Bunyan, who
thought the pleasure he found in ringing
the bell: of the parish church a temptation
of the devil. a sin to he repented with tears
and groans. It is a part of the old Puritan
doctrine that everything pleasant is sinlul;
and there are a goo‘l many very earnest,
conscientious people who seem to think
. anything they enj )y, from a cup of tea. to a
1m: story, must be wrong simply because
they en j )y it. While one must permit them
the privilege of their opinions, it does not
follow that other people’s corn must inevit-
ably be measured in their baskets.

BRUSH FILLE.
————...____

CARE FOR THE BOYS.

li'apzr read by Mrs. ll. )l. Eiwards. of Horton.
at me ~~epzeiii')ei' meeting of the Lioerty Far-
mers” (Zulu

Bishop Earl says: “A boy is man in a
small letter, yet the best copy of Adam be-
fore he tasted of Eve or the app‘e. He is
purely happy because he knows no evil; he
kisses and loves all. Hehas been placed
into a wicked world, surrou‘ided by all
kinds of temptation, yet. he knows is not.
Then how careful we should be to impress
the infant mind with truth, honesty, benev-
olence, and other virtues, and the welfare
of your boy will be insured not only through
this life, but the life to cor e.”

What a responsibility rests upon par-
ents in the forming of a man, for we ex-
pect our boys to become me. They will
trouble us but a little while with their tops
and marbles, then they pass into the wide
world to ﬁll various places of honor, trust,
power and inﬂuence. In order that they
may be able to do this, we should keep be-
fore them good examples. ' he secret of
making good men is to put the b )YS to work
and keep them at it; not hard work, but
have them feel that they have something to
do. Bays 111iy have good moral training at
home and good parents, but if they are not
brought up to labor, they will not become
perfect men. It is employment that
strengthens the body, hardens the muscfes,
perfect: the mind, awakens genius, puts thé
thoughts to work, rouses the ambition,
makes the lad feel that he is a mm, and of
some consequence, and that his father
notices him as such and likes to counsel
with him.

Teach boys to have some employment.
Mike them feel they have their own char-
acters to form, and that the men that fail
are those who are put to no business. Tne
young men that are potted and have noth-
ing to do become lazy and most despisable.
It is better to do little than to do nothing;
every effort gives strength and prepares for
future usefulness. The Indian journeys in
the wilderness in search of an easier meth—
od of procuring food, and prefers to suﬁer
much through life rather than to think; be-
cause he does not think and study he never
improves but lives on from year to year as

 

his fathers did. It is clearly to be seen
that those 11 itions t‘iat hay.) risen to places
of trust, and made iunn'n‘tant advancement
in the arts and sciences. have been rein irk-
able for their labor and perseverznce and
for tinir habits of thought and study.

We not only want our sms to feel that
they must be active :tnl studious, but also
be glad of an oppn'tunity of doing sonn
thing for theniselveas and to luneli' others.
It will soon become a sec and nature to them
to be up and doing, always hiving some-
thing on hand to take thair time, thus keep-
ing their minds occupiesl and guarded from
evil inﬂuences around them. Fathers and
mothers, do all you can to keep your boys
on the farm. Strew your tables with papers
and books, not trashy reading. but good
serviceable books and papers, th it they may
acquirea taste for good reading and that
their evenings may be Spent at home pleas-
antly: and see that they have good com—
pauv, for this not only improves their
manners but their minds also. Thev will
soon love such siciety and refrain from
joining illedisposed boys who will soon
draw them away, and mike farm life un-
interesting to them, and ﬁnally be their
ruin. Most great men were farmers. Our
first president was a farmsr, Lincoln knew
how to Spill] rails, II urace (‘r‘eeley spent his
young days on a tarmand struggled wi:h
poverty until he c'mqiered and becune
eminent. Manypmr biys have been de-
prived of educational. advantages. but being
ambitious have buckled on the' armor of
labor, taken upon their shoulders heavy
burdens. chosen the ruggedest of employ-
ments because they could get more money,
and braved the stor-ns of life to cone out
victorious at last and stand before the world
men of worth and nobility.

When the country was new, where large
log heaps were burned it would seem that
all germs of seed must have been destroy-
ed, yet tire weeds would spring up and
Cover the ground. Enough seed will grow
without sowing wild oats. Wicked com-
panions will so .v enough Seeds of sin with-
out parents advocating, encouraging and
placing before c‘iildren the temptations of
card-playing, dancing, evil communications,
wine, cider or beer drinking. Witch for
and destroy if possible the ﬁrst appearanca
in the hearts and minds of your boys of
deception, slander, wrath, envy, desire for
evil and low companions, disregard for
proper restraints and parental authority,
and desire for vulgar, evil and unnecessary
amusements. See to it that you do no: in
any way, either by example, sanction or
failure to speak against the great evils of
life, encourage or induce habits of intoxica-
tion and tobacco using.

"Train up a child in the way he should
go and when he is old he will not depart
from it.” These boys of ours will soon
leave the family altar, where they have so
many times listened to the earnest prayers
of fathers. and seek a home of their own.
S)me will turn the soil for a livelihood, oth-
ers will use their education in some profes-
sion. Let them choose their own occupation,
then encourage them. We must have law-
yers and doctors, and we want good ones.
We would have our young men as they
start in life regard character as a capital

 

much surer to yield full returns than any
other capital, unaffected by panics or fail-
ures, fruitful when all other investmmts lie
dormmt, having as certain promise in the
present life as in that which is to come.

Then, after we have set good Usristian
examples before our children, done all our
duty, we can but leave them in the hint
care. of our lIeaVenly Father, trusting His
watch-flu eye will ever be over them, guiding
them in truthfulness, integrity and good-
ness.

”nab.

PERT CHILDREN.

As the subject of training children is
being discussed almost every where, more or
less, I will venture to say a few words on
this very important subjec . M my thoughts
were forcibly brought before my mind the
other evening as we were returning from the
fair. There was a boy (i mention him ﬁrst
as he appeared to be the mist important
member of the party). a man and three
women, apparently of one party, who sat
in the center of the car; that boy’s tongue
never stopped two consecutive minutes, the
distance we rods together, which occupied
an hour or more. He did the talking, the
rest of the pirty di-i the liughing, which
was excessive. i should think the boy was
six or eight years old, though I au1.n0t a
very good j n‘lge of children's ages.

lcould not help thinking, what kind of
training that was for a smart little lad.
What will his future bf.) What sounds
smart and cunning now in a little chap, is
rude, bold and disagreeable and often un-
bearable in a lad of fourteen or sixteen.
And howare the pirents to teach him, and
just- when, that he must say those things no
more, nor do all the talking for the com-
pany? This subj lot was chosen for discus-
sion at our last Literary Society mseting.
After some little discussion, one lady arose
and said: “If I out stand it all the time
with my children, I think Mrs. II. can
stand it the little tima she is with them.’ ’
This is true without doubt; but it is not the
point at issue; the plint is the future good
of the chil-iren, and the present just as
surely governs the future in the human
family, as in the animal or vegetable.

H )w many children of the present gene-
ration will arise in twenty or thirty years
hence and bless father and mother for their
wise training? I am not prepared to give
any advice on this momentous subject. I
am fully aware it is much easier to preach
than to practice; even in applying discipline
to our own thoughts and acts. And I must
say I do not know of any mother who
seems to feel the need of any of the loads
of advice that pass through the printing
presses every year. Every one says: “ M y
children are pretty good children, a little
mischievous and perhaps noisy; but I thin k
they are pretty good children.” I say:
Thank G id for the pure “mother love.”
What would any of us have done without
some one who believed in us, and loved us,
no matter how far we went astray?

It is said one set of rules cannot be
applied to all children; each child needs
different management. They all have to be
governed by the same rules in our public
schools, and instructors pronounce the

 


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4: THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

 

method a success. I am not going to lay
down rules, or preach what I have not pra "-
ticed. Every parent and person will have
to answer to the Great Judge how we have
improved the talents given to us and train-
ed the souls committed to our care.

1 must not omit to tell the HonsEnOLD
readers that I saw Beatriw, and that she is
just as nice as she can be. Now, dear B.’
if you feel in the least like blushing, hold
the HOUSEHOLD before your face, and no
one will see. you. lwould like to tell the
readers all about her. but will refrain. for
fear it would only see the waste baskel. I
told her some of the good things that dif-
ferent readers had said to me; it did her
good to know that her labors in behalf of
her readers were so much appreciated.

ALBION. M. E. H.

——«.———

WAIT AWHILE.

Many are the chapters, paragraphs, quips
and anecdotes extant and ﬂoating through
the press as to the dense ignorance of the
average woman, notably on the political
question. Not long since a woman was
held up as a striking example of the genus
ignoramus because she thought a nomina-
tion and election equivalent terms, or rather
took the one for the other. Yet this woman
might have been well informed on other
subjects, but no one would question her
unﬁtness for political work.

The city miss that thought milk was pro-
cured from the cow by pumping, using the
tail as is Jer power, was wotully ignorant of
country customs, but might have been well
posted in city life. The man who was
wonder-Struck at the appearance of the
comet of 1859, investigated the phenom;
non by asking another his opinion, and
being gravely informed that it was "the
evening star in ﬂ 111185,” believed and assert-
ed it, was not posted in astronomy, yet was
a successful farmer, and not considered an
idiot. The other fellow who energetically
urged his opinion “that the best way to
prevent foreign admixtures and get a pure
article of cotton-wool, was to import male
cottons, and thus have the safe means at
home or‘ raising to raw material,” was
certainly not perfectly at home on all ﬁrst
principles, but may have been an enterpris-
ing citizen, and better learned in lore of
another style of farming.

I am not. skeptical in regard to the asser-
tion made, that there are voters in this
enlightened land who have such perfect
faith in some esteemed leader that if he
assured them the moon Was made of green
cheese, they would adopt the idea as a part
of their creed; and such blind na’iurals are
the ones who so highly value their privileges
that they are never absent from the polls.
They are the ones who triumphantly ad-
dress SOme ponderous machinery in this
form: “Puﬁ, puff, spet, spet, Slams it and
be bothered, ye ould child of Satan that ye
are! Ye may do the work of twenty-ﬁve
fellies, ye may take the bread out of an
honest laborer’s mouth, but, by the powers,
now, ye can’t vote, old blazer; moind that,
will ye!”

Thus it is that the vote which for the
time makes the lowest on a level with the
highest, holds a magic charm. There are

 

many voters to whom the ballot has no
higher signiﬁcance. Ignorant alike of let-
ters, principles of government, laws or law-
makers. they are keenly alive to the question
of bread and butter, to say nothing of beer.
Should one occupying such ground he brand-
ed as a knave. because he batters a privilege,
valued on so low a plane, for a substantial
substance, whose value he thoroughly ap-
preciates? Look at the knave at the other
end of the bargain. NO, l’m not going into
politics, woman suffrage or other exciting
themes. My only purpose in this little sum-
ming up is to ﬁnally express an opinion
that any one, male or female, white or
black, native or foreigner, so densely igno-
rant on any subject, should have no political
or moral right to meddle with such subject,
until qualiﬁed by proper study.

INGLESIDE. A. L. L.

APPLE BUTTER.

 

Several wealthy families in this city send
to Pennsylvania and Ohio every fall for a
supply of apple-butter for the winter break-
fast table. They pay round prices for it,
and claim their fondness for it dates from
youth, wnen it was a dainty dish to
their unsated appetites. The Pennsylvania
method is as follows: ‘

Take any desired quantity of pure sweet
cider, fresh from the press, and boil. it down
one-half. Pare, quarter and core ripe, well
ﬂavored apples, and when the cider is boil-
ed sufﬁciently, add them gradually. Boil
and stir and add the fruit until the resultant
is a sweet, stiff mass, SIIl’)0th and homo-
geneous, in which no lumps appear. Unless
both cider and apples are sour, sugar is not
needed, and no spices are added to the true
Pennsylvania apple-butter. The secret of
its excellence is the long boiling, a process
often continued from noon until ten o‘clock
at night; it is then ladled into earthen
crocks or jars, covered with strong brown
paper carefully tied down. and set in the
garnet or a dry store-room, where it will
keep an indeﬁnite time.

Pear-butter may be made in the same way
as apple-butter, using apple cider and pears.
it is richer than apple-butter. An excellent
butter is also made by using half pears and
half apples. Qiinces may also be used to
ﬂavor the butter, but. they are too rich to be

used alone.
—-————-‘oe>—-———-—

VALUE OF MINUTES.

1 had a rather unusual experience lately. I
was visiting a lady who has three children,
all “little tots” under ﬁve years of age.
She is a farmer’s wife, and has “help”
only a few months in summer, does all her
own sewing, including dressmaking. has
to cook and wash for outside help, so one
would imagine her “hands were full” all
the time. I knew the lady to be very fond
of reading, and condoled with her on the
impossibility of indulging in her favorite
recreation. There was no grumbling reply.
She turned with a bright look: “ You would
be surprised to see how much time I ﬁn r to
read! I always have a book or paper at
hand when I take baby up, and I ﬁnd I can
glance at “Babyland” while I prepare
vegetables for dinner. Flossie holds it and
turns the pages, and gets a good deal of
knowledge of the pictures and stories as I

 

glance at them and talk to her of them.”
Well, thought I, here is a woman that is not
of the complaining order. She wisely uses
the good within her reach, and no one
listening to her lively, intelligent chat on
the questions of the day would think of the
paucity of tinie at her command in which
to keep posted.

I think there is a good deal in the way we
read to make the most of minutes. I think
the lady in question looked over the general
news more than the details 01 some foul
crime, or the disgusting report of some
scandal trial, or the chapters of some thrill-
ing novel. But the moral is all I wished to
point; the judicious use of the moments.

INGLESIDE. A. L. L.

 

—QC.————

Contributed Recipes.

PEACH SHORTCAKE.—Make a shortcake as
follows: Sift a quart of ﬂour and two and a
half teaspoonfuls of baking powder and a
small teaspoonful of salt, rub into ﬂour a
tablespoonful of lard, wet up with sweet milk,
handling as little as possible. Do not roll,
but pat into shape in the baking tins. Bake,
split, butter, spread with a thick layer of
thinly-sliced peaches, sprinkle with sugar, lay
on the other half, and eat with cream and
sugar. The peaches for this should be ripe,
and cut for an hour or so before using, when
the juice may be drained off and boiled with
a little sugar to make a rich syrup, which
may be used as a sauce with, or instead of,
cream. B.

 

MIXED MUSTARD PlCKLES.—One quart
sliced cucumbers: two quarts small cucum-
bers, whole; two quarts onions, whole: two
quarts green tomatoes, sliced; one quart
small tomatoes, whole; two heads cauliﬂower;
two large green peppers; one gallon vinegar:
twenty tablespoonfuls mustard: one and a
half large cups ﬂour; one and a. half large
cups sugar; half ounce tumeric. Soak the
vegetables in brine over night. Cook until
tender (but not soft) in the brine they have
been soaked in. After cooking, turn off the
brine and cover the vegetables with Vinegar
and water, let stand until cold. Stir the
mustard, tumeric, sugar and ﬂour with one
quart of vinegar; add the other three quarts
and cook until the thickness of starch. Then
turn vinegar and water off the vegetables,
draining well, and stir in the mustard. This
makes about four gallons. All try it and re-
port. ) KATHRINE.

GENESEE.

MIXED MUSTARD PICKLES, No. 1.-—Two
cauiﬁowers; two quarts white onions: two
quarts small cucumbers; one quart green to-

_rn:itoes; one-fourth pound mustard seed: a

handful ot‘ mixed spice and one pound mus-
tard. Break the cauliﬂower in pieces and
quarter the tomatoes. Let the cauliﬂower,
onions, cucumbers and tomatoes soak over
night in salt and water. Cover with vinegar
the next day; then add the mustard seed and
spice. Cook until tender.

MIXED MUSTARD PICKLES, NO. 2.—To one
and a half gallons best vinegar add four
ounces bruised ginger root; two ounces whole
auspice; half ounce bruised red peppers;
two ounces tumeric; one pound mustard;
half pound onions; one pound common salt.
Boil quarter of an hour, except the onions,
boil those ﬁve minutes. The mustard and
tumeric stir with cold vinegar and add when

nearly done. Set aside when cold. Add
vegetables at any time; out up and scald ﬁrst
in clear water. Dry them before putting in;
add more vinegar when needed. I put in
small cucumbers whole. Mus. H. N. B.

Ypsmmr. '

 

