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DETROIT, MAY

23, 1591.

 

 

THE HOUSEHOLD-"Supplement.

 

 

THE GHOST IN THE KITCHEN.

 

The day‘s work is ended, the ﬁre burns low,
The cook stove is shining and bright,

Allis quiet and clean—yet somehow I know,
There‘s a ghost in my kitchen tomigbt !

The windows are fastened with housewifely care,
The door is securely made tight,

But I know by a feeling there is in the air,
There’s a ghost in my kitchen to—night!

It is buried deep down in a bowlful of ﬂour,
With a thick cotton cloth o'er its head.

But I know in the depth of the midnight hour
It will rise from its snowy bad.

While I quietly rest from the toil of the day,
Gaining strength for the new morning light,
This ghost which no Wizard's enchantment can lay,
Will Work in my kitchen to-night.

Like the geni of which in our childhOOd we heard,
Diffusing himself through the air,

80 this spirit by kindliest sorcery stirred,
Assumes vast proportions and fair.

He will work and will work through all the dark
night.
And will rise and will rise from his bed,
’Till he soars out of sight—but to my delight
He leaves me a bowlful of bread. ,
-Alica W. Ballard, in Good Housekeeping.

 

THE HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS.

 

I promised, several months ago, when a
lady wrote me asking me to find her “a
sweet, blue-eyed baby. with curling gold-
den hair, winning ways and pretty face ”
for adoption, that I would visit the Home
for the Friendless on Thirteenth St. in this
city, and see the babies. But time, to a
busy woman, slips by almost unheeded,
and it was not until the matter was re-
called to my mind by a message from one
of the lady managers of the Home to whom
I had mentioned my purpose, to the effect
that there were over forty babies at the
Home, too many for the accommodations,
that I remembered my promise. So one
bright afternoon last week Madame and I
took a disty ride on Grand River Avenue
and introduced ourselves to the matron,
Mrs. Powell, who kindly showed us
through some of the fprincipal rooms and
ofﬁces, kitchen, dining-room, etc; then in-
troduced us to the head nurse, Mrs. Ray,
who in turn presented us to the forty»nine
babies at present in the institution.

Forty-nine babies! Little helpless mor-
sels of humanity, irresponsible for their
‘ existence, unwelcomed, their coming un-
attended by the sacred hopes and joys of
motherhood, evidences of women’s dis.
honor and men’s unfaithfulneu and shame,
destined never to know a mother’s tender
love and a father’s protecting care—how
could ons’s heart be stirred otherwise than

 

 

 

with my for their helplessness and the
unfortunate conditions under which they
must begin the uphill struggle of life! For
nearly all of them are illegitimate, and it
is a regrettable fact that the Home was
never so crowded as at present-regrett-
able, because it seems to indicate an in-
crease of immorality. Many of the unfor-
tunate girls who seek this refuge are from
Canada; most of them are country born
and bred; a great many have been well
brought up. Sad tales of betrayal, broken
promises, sometimes of even graver wrongs,
are told by some of those who come here
to hide their shame --a shame whizh bears
the woman down to the depths while the
man, often the greater sinner in that he
takes advantage of the ignorance and the
affection of the girl, goes free.

But the babies! In one large room—the
night nursery—whose walls were lined
with cribs each having its little white
spread and pillow slip, were enough for a
good sized baby show. Same of the beds
were empty, some had two occupants en-
gaged in staring each other out of coun-
tenance, in others the little ones were
quietly sleeping. One little fellow had
fallen asleep with his tiny ﬁsts doubled up
and “ on guard,” as if he already had an
inkling that life was to be a ﬁght and he
meant to be ready. He was a nice, chubby
baby, too, with a well-shaped head. Half
a dozen were kicking up their heels upon
a thick comfort spread on the ﬂoor and
guarded by foot-high boards with cushioned "“
sides; a couple were perfectly happy in
baby jumpers, while the eight or ten
girls in the room were hoiding a couple
apiece and perhaps rocking a crib con-
taining a couple more. Some of them
were puny, but all seemed well and well
cared for; most of them were nice bright
babies, who would look up and give us a
wide, toothless smile after the idiotic
fashion of very young infants. Here
young Harper, so named because he was
born at Harper hospital, was carefully in-
vestigating his shoe and testing its quality
in his month; he had blue eyes, light hair,
and was almost a year old. Horace may
in time become a contortionlst, at least he
was attempting the difﬁcult feat of swal-
lowing his own foot. Robert was a bright
baby with a well-shaped head and pleasant
face. One baby boy, six months old, had
large blue eyes, dimples, and a pretty
mouth; his name was larger than he,
though hswas a lusty fellow, for unless
some kind soul adopts and rechristens him
he will go through life, as Reginald.

 

Nearly all the children have blue eyes,
and by far the larger proportion are boys;
I was glad to hear that, for at least a man
has not to face the inquiry “' Who was
she?” “ Wnat is he?” is only required of
him. A fairskinned, fair-haired baby
three months old was ﬁtly named Blanche;
and in the day nursery I quite fell in love
with pretty blue-eyed Madeline. There
was a very young babe with remarkably
thick long dark hair, and one of decidedly
Japanese type of countenance. There
was one colored child, a light mulatto with
beautiful curling hair, who looked at us
with a frown in his great black eyes; and
“King William,” squirming out of his
little chair, was set up again by the nurse
only to repeat the wrigglingout proceu.
One poor little child was crying dismally
in the sick nursery, that wailing cry in-
dicative of suﬁering; this was the only
patient. Twenty-two of the babies had
the grippe, but only one died, which cer-
tainly speaks well for the skill and care
of the nurses and the physician, Dr. Ross.

Most of us have on occasion found it
diﬂicult to secure a quiet spot in a house
where there was but one babe with the
normal lung capacity, and would be of the
opinion that forty-nine in one house and a
couple of dozen in a room would make an
infant pandemoniu :11. But it is not so; it
is much more quiet than you would think.
The babies seem absorbed in their own re.
ﬂections; they play about with the toys
which generous people donate, in a solemn
way; they tumb‘.e over and pick them-
selves up again; they look round with
wondering eyes, as if surprised that the
population of their new world should be
so largely infantile, and, seeing so many
attendants about, are seldom shy. I have
a theory that the self-repression and
secrecy maintained by their unfortunate
mothers before their birth in large part
accounts for this. The pre-natal inﬂuences
which were strongest upon them were
silence and self-control, the mother’s
shame being hidden as long as possible. It
is not, perhaps, to be entirely regretted, if
it tends to self mastery in later years.

The Home opens its doors to all who ask
admittance; if there is room for them,
regardless of nationality or religion. But
they must not come the second time. Tney
are allowed to stay three months after con-
ﬁnement, and are expected to assist in the
work of the institution; some of them thus
pay the fees required. There are two or
three nicely furnished rooms for those who
can aﬁord to pay $9 or $10 per week for


 

THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

Inn. The dormitories are good sized
not, plainly furnished rooms, with single
in: bedsteads; the crowded state of the
lone necessitates having three and four
1 these in one room, for there are thirty-
Ive girls sheltered at present.

The children are kept till they are two
yurs old; there is one however, nearly
In'ee, whom no one has cared to adopt.
Beauty counts for a good deal with those
who wish to adopt children, and the
petty babies are chosen ﬁrst, for those who
am have not the mother love which re-
turns the homely child in its parents’
ayes. All babies are beautiful to their
mothers, you know.

It would seem a true charity for the
Mess couple to take one of these little
wife, and give it the care and training
lid by and bye the love which may make
3 m honored member of society. The
Story of the girls is known to the matron,
uni’fn most cases—alas that it should be so
--they come from respectable families, so
“the children do not inherit the ten-
dencies of a vicious ancestry. The Home
% glad to place its wards in good homes,
and care is exercised in so doing. And
there is that in the helplessness and in-
nocence of a little child which awakens
bye and'tenderness in a kind heart; and no
ﬂier should attempt to adopt a child. It
mid seem better, too, to bring a child up
tom the cradle and guide and form its
ways, than to take one ﬁve, six or eight
years old and strive to undo the work of

listaken or omitted training.
BEATRIX.

TOWARD WHAT ARE WE DRIFTING?

 

In the great “ free for all” race, in which
everybody has entered—scored and started
an the goal with bold persistent stroke, _1
iiink one would be safe in saying two-
thirds are striving for the unattainable.
Wh are largely creatures of circumstances;
not always in the place we would choose
3 following our own inclination, but where
we are forced to be by circumstances;
often performing labors that are thorough-
ydﬁtasteful tous, because we see nothing
Claw do that will bring us in a living.
How many boys and girls today in pur-
I‘hlg their studies, have any settled idea
of what they are ﬁtting themselves for!
How many parents take the trouble to
talk with their children, and ﬁnd out in
what channel their childish aspirations
m? The tendency of the times is towarl
mething foreign. One writer says the
Buglfsh literature our youth are allowed to
read, renders the boys unpatriotic and
mtemptible, and our girls more so. I
think the fault lies in the mothers; in the
example set, and the principles instilled in
the youthful mind. I was reading a short
time since of several women “ in the
swim” who had purchased crowns at
fabulous prices and wear them on great
occasions, and this in our progressive
Nineteenth Century! We cherish Mount
Vernon with its hallowed memories. The
pges of our United States history tell in
simple language of these brave men who
through streams of blood, enduring priva-
tions, hunger and cold. gained us this in

dependence. They whipped the redecats,
but the Americans of today ape English
ways, forms and modes. To be right up
in every way one must be English “don’t
ye naw?" Perhaps there are not- many
who know to what extent Ensland is
crowding out our own manufactories.
Several weeks ago the Protective Tariff
League gave their annual banquet in
Madison Square Grades. 1: was the aim
of the Club to have everything used on
that occasion purely American, but it was
found impossible. Upon looking about,
consulting caterers and furnishers, there
could not be found enough of American
manufacture to set the tables for ﬁve hun-
dred. So orders were given. Trenton pot;
teries turned out 10,000 plates and dishes;
Ohio furnished 3 000 pressed glass wine
glasses: New Britain, Conn., 3,000 knives;

tables which would seat thirty-seven each;
Fall River furnished the cloths and
Paterson the napkins, woven from ﬂax
twelve days before. It was quite difﬁcult
to ﬁnd an American caterer, but ﬁnally
one was secured, Louis Sherry by name,
who served a strictly American bill of
fare. It might be a novelty to see the tin
plate tied with red, white and blue ribbon,
made in Paterson, and containing the fol-
lowing menu:
Beisling.
Green Turtle.
Sherry.
Mushroam Patties.
Zinfandel '86.
Chicago Sausages.

E011
Salmon. Newburﬁ.)

Great Western E. .
Tenderloin Beef] Washington.
Gold Sea , Brut.

Chicken. Maryland Style.

' Cook's Imperial. E. D.
Long Island Asparagus. Columbia Sauce.

Olives. Radishcs.

Snipe on Toast. Dandelion Sauce.
Bergundy.
Frozen Pudding. _
Cake. Candles.
Cheese.
Strawberries.
Coffee.

Cigars. .

Liquors. Absmthe.

It was considered necessary to have ten
varieties of liquids to wash the solids down,
all of American manufacture, many hear.
ing foreign labels. How dinner parties
and banquets have progressed within the
past century! '

It is the great desire of some American
mothers to have their daughters marry
Englishmen with titles. As soon as
Angelica has gotten a smattering of
French, German and Italian she is taken
fora foreign tour; she must see the world
—even though she cannot tell you one
thing about her native land outside of her
own town. She only knows that pa struck
lie, or made a corner on pork or jumped
into a fortune on a venture in the Board
of Trade. They fall in on the way with
a Duke, Prince or Count. He sets his
price. Pater families “comes down”
with the “ gilt,” and Angelica emerges a
full ﬂedged Duchess '01' Princess or Coun-
tess. Such idiotic actions are enough to
make an American citizen blush with
shame. Buy a bloated blear-eyed English-
man and a title, when here a girl can he-
come a queen in society simply by per-
sonal worth and charms! We are marrying

 

our daughters to English nobles. In our

New York City 3000 forks for the thirteen ‘

 

Presidential inaugurations we are following
the innovations royalty demands of sub-
jects. English syndicates own a chain of
elevators from Rochester to Minneapolis;
they control millions of acres of land west
and south; they own manufactories of
leather, cutlery, glass, crockery. All this
business is an offshoot of the immense
individual wealth seen nowdays, and the
false ideas implanted in the minds of our
children. For heaven’s sake teach the
boys and girls that they are American born
citizens. Make them thoroughly Ameri-
can in thought and principle, and never
allow them to ignore the memory of those
brave men who won that freedom for

them. EVANGELINE.
BATTLE Cases.

 

GROWING MUSHROOMS.

 

A subscriber at Ceresco wishes the Editor
to tell her the time of year to begin grow.
ing mushrooms, the best market, prices,
etc.

Mushrooms are a “ fruit" always in sea-
son, but are much more proﬁtably grown
during the winter. The crop can gener-
ally be gathered in about two months or
ten weeks from the making of the bed.
The best returns are secured where the
mushrooms can be delivered direct to the
consumer; but many are packed and sent
considerable distances to cities, and as
there is a good demand for the canned
article, they can be proﬁtably grown near
a canning factory which handles them. ’
They are sold by the pound, and the price
varies with the season. Detroit and Grand
Rapids would probably be the chief mar-
kets in this State, though our inquirer
might work up a market at Kalamaz )0, at
the largest hotels and grocery houses. For
the most exhaustive information on the
mushroom question we refer our corres-
pondent to “ Mushrooms and How to
Grow Them,” by Wm. Falconer, pub.
lished by the Orange Judd C )., N. Y. City,
and recently notimd in the FARMER. Tnis
book tells how to make the beds, the con-
ditions of temperature, how to pack for
market, and gives much information
necessary to the novice. The price of the
book is a dollar and shelf, if we remember
rightly.

 

ASHES FOR SO AP.

 

Isn’t E. M, of Outed, in the House-
HOLD of May 92h slightly in error when
asserting that ashes from elm and hickory
will not make soap? My experience is
right the reverse of this, for I have always
found this kind of timber to be the very
best; while that from our species of oak
here at the north is comparatively worth-
less. Ashes from green elm make the
most and best kind of potash; and the ash
from the live oak at the north and west
makes very good soap.

This soap matter seems to have stirred
up quite a discussion in the Housnnonn;
but if the quantity of soap a nation con-
sumes is the criterion by which to judge of
its civilization and Christianity, then the -
discussion will not have been in vain.

MUSKIGON. GBANDPA.

. mam... . .arrm »¢-..——~ -I.,~:~>7¢-_.,¢v»,—,.&m . f m I“,

 

 


 

 

 
  
  
 

T.HE HOUSEHOLD.

  

3

   

 

 

ABOUT BEDDING.

 

per read by Mrs. Alice Nye before the Odessa
”farmed Club. Feb. 18. 1891.]

Theﬁret thing to do when we think of
preparing bedding, as in all other house-
hold affairs, is to count the cost, to see
what we can aﬁord, for the best we can
aﬂord isnone too good. Of course we must
be economical, but that is nothing new for
the housekeeper, and especially fer far-
mers' wives, as usually the farmer’s in-
come will not admit of anything else. But
I do not regard the practice of so )nomy the
worst thing that could happen, for I be-
lieve the articles that we buy after having
to plan and think and look forward for a
long time we enjoy and appreciate most.
But occasionally times are a little too
close, and after all our planning and
economizing we fail to obtain what we
need, orwhat we think we need at least.
Let us not fret our lives out about that.
but do the very best we can with what
we have, and be content with the result.
It’s an old but true saying, that content-
ment is happiness.

As arule, people like a good soft bed
tosleep on. I know some claim to rest
better on a board than on a soft bed. They
are the exception and not the rule. And
why shouldn’t we like a good bed to sleep
on when we consider the fact that in a
lifetime of sixty years, twenty years, or
about one-third of our lives, are spent in
sleep?

In the ﬁrst place good springs are in-
dispensable in a ﬁrst class bed. Then we
want a hair or wool mattress. If this can’t
be afforded a mattress of cheaper grade is
better than straw, because so much cleaner.
0)!!! husks or straw with a feather bed
make a good bed, but make more work
than a mattress. When I went to house.
keeping we had only straw with a home-
made mattress over it, and good pillows,
and thought we had pretty good beds. :It
is claimed by some that feathers are not
healthy to sleep on, especially for children.
0! course‘every-b—EélthamgWEo—his own
belief about such matters, but I don’t
think there is a healthier class of people
than the Germans, and there are none who
use more feathers about their bedding, for
they often sleep bet ween two feather bed?
(I don’t think I should care to ha‘vﬁ
feather bed over me.)

I am greatly in favor of using lots of
wool about our winter bedding, not only
for sheets but for mmfortables, theylare
so much nic.r and better than cotton,
being so light and yet so warm, and the
wool bats will last as long as we are willing
to recover them, so they are not very ex-
pensive. In the earlier days our mothers
used to card and spin the wool and the};
weave it into sheets and coverlets, which
were good and very durable, but whEt'l'ots
of hard work! Since we are soon to have a
woolen factory at our young city I sup-
pose we can obtain all such goods by fur-
nishing the wool and paying for the work.
Let us get wool blankets or comfortables
and do away with the old style of piecing
quilts; it is true economy to use up the
pieces of the. clothing made up for the

 

family, and it is a source of comfort some-
times as we look over the pieces after the
children are grown up, and each piece
brings to our mind just how our 'little
one looked in this little suit, or that
apron or sunbonnet. Let us sew them to.
gether and make quilts of them if we wish,
but let the pieces be of large size. Where
one has leisure I have no fault to ﬁnd, but
where time is money, or more than that-—
health, we had better be writing a paper
to be read at the farmers’ club, or recreat-
ing in some other way than buying cloth
to cut up in small pieces and sew together
again to make it look pretty.

White spreads are cheaper than quilts.
Very pretty ones are quickly and easily
made of unbleached e)tton with wicking
drawn into it, in any pattern desired.

In conclusion, if we have not all the
conveniences we could use I’m sure we all
have some. Let us make the most and
best of all available resources and be con-

tented.
---—-.OO—

ABUSE OF LANGUAGE .

4.

What El. See said recently about the
study of the dictionary ﬁtted in nicely
with my thoughts at that time -thoughts
purchased “by my penny of observation,”
as “Moth" says. I have belonged, the
past winter, to the “ Monday Night Club,”
composed of a half dozen ladies who met
oncea week for the purpose of reading
aloud and discussing some interesting
books. Two of the members are teachers,
and are very particular in regard to pro-
nunciations. S) we read with an Una-
bridged on the table, and one of our num-
ber looked up any disputed or doubtful
words. That we had proﬁted by the
readings and the study of the dictionary
was acknowledged by all at the last meet-
ing, at which we ﬁnished Oliver Wendell
Holmes’ “Over the Teacups." Some of
the “ new pronunciations ” were found not
tobe “new” after all, but according to
the dictionary of 1878. Some words we
learned we had always mispronou nced be-
cause we had 'never taken the trouble to
look them up. For instance, “ nomad ” I
had always pronounced as if divided “ no-
mad,” with the long sound of the 0.
Others confessed errors and rectiﬁed them.

Howells, in one of "his books, makes fun
of the woman who pronounces the name
of the Supreme Ruler as if it were spelled
“ Gawd.” Yet I have known people who
considered any other pronunciation ir-
reverent! Rav. Dc. thcliffe, of this city,
recently gave a lecture entitled “ The New
England Primer,” which he pronounced
with thei long-—“pri-mer.” An elderly
lady who has a copy of this old elementary
book over a hundred and ﬁfty years old,
said that in her girlhood it was thus called.
But Webster marks this pronunciation
“obsolete and rare ” and deﬁnes and
spells as we have always heard it. Tnere
{i one word in common use which is gen-
erllly misspoken, by middle-aged people
pirticuiarly. It is “Aunt,” which is
usually called “ant.” It is disrespectful,
let alone unpleasantly nasal, to call one’s
mother’s sister an insect.

 

which we have a “ bowing acquaintance "
-so to speak, but with which we are
hardly on speaking terms. We see them
in print, know what they mean and how to
spell them, but are not sure of ourselves
when we wish to pronounce them. If you
do not believe this statement, try reading
aloud and you will soon be convinced,
especially if you look up authority on the ,
words of which you are in doubt. It is
not quite as bad to mispronounce a word
as it is to use it out of its proper meaning,
but the number of purists is increasing
every year and we must keep up with the
procession.

I heard the J eﬁerson-Florence company
give Sheridan’s unriva' ed comedy, “The
Rivals,” this winter, and there was
nothing—unless indeed it were “ Bob
Acres’ ” inimitable facia. expressions—
which provoked more is. ughter than
“Mrs. Malaprop’s” “nice derangement
of epitaphs,” on which she specially prided
herself. The complacency with which she
“ misﬁtted” her language was irresistibly
funny. And I have seen it not quite
equalled but feebly imitated, off the stage,
by women from whom you would have
expected better things, but who seemed
possessed of a mania to use long words out
of their proper meaning. Such an one
said to me once “It rained all day yester-
day without secession”——blandly uncon-
scious of error.

In a recent issue of Harper's Bazaar I ﬁnd
the following, which is good:

“ How many people are there who pro-
nounce any proportion of their words cor-
rectly, not merely by reason of clipping
and mouthing, but by ignorance of good
usage? We ﬁnd them everywhere, and
they lay the accent on the ﬁrst instead of
on the second syllable of acclimate, for
example; they pronounce the second
syllable of acoustics, coo, instead of cow;
they do not put the accent on the last
syllable of adept, as they should do; they
leave the u sound out of buoy; they prov
nounce duke with the 00. instead of with
the simple long u, emphasize the ﬁrst in-
stead of the second syllable of enervate
and sound the t in often. They are as-

tonished to know that precedence has the
accent on the second syllable. and placard
on the last; that quay is called key; that
sough is suf; that thezinstead of thee
sound is to be given in sacriﬁce, and the
reverse in rise; that subtlle and subtle are
two different words; that the last syllable
of tortoise is pronounced “ tis ” instead of
“ tus,” that it should be used and not ust;
and that it is not the “zoo,” but the
zoological garden.”

It is quite time, we think, when we hear
one of these talkers, for some of the fancy-
work and fancy studies of the day to be
dropped, and a little hard work on the
dictionary put in their place

BEATRIY.

—-—...————

Mas. W. H R., of Brighton, asks what
fashion magazine sends out patterns with
cloth models. The Demorest patterns at
one time were sent with cloth models, but
we do not know if the practice still con-
tinues. In the Eiitor’s experience, how.
ever, the cloth model was not worth the
proverbial “half a row of pins.” For in-

 

There . are a great many words with

    

formation address W. Jennings Demorest,
15 East 14th St, New York City.


THE HOUSEHOLD.

  

 

“KIND HEARTS ARE MORE
CORONETS.”

THAN

 

The evening shadows were gathering
early, and the night gave promise of
being dark and stormy. in fact, the rain
was beginning to fall as I arose from the
supper table and began taking away the
dishes. I had only taken away a few
when our fourteen year old son stepped in
through the back door, saying “Mother,
here is a young man who would like some
supper.” He spoke with much conﬁdence,
knowing that I never refuse to give a
tramp something to eat. I looked up and
there stood a boy but a little older than
my own. I have had a varied experience
with the traveling gentry, and have more
than once decided that I would not, no
mm! believe their stories again. But the
very next time a tramp appeared at the
door with his pitiful “ Please, lady, will
you give me a little cold bite? I’m very
hungry,” my resolutions vanished and a
generous lunch would be brought out,
and I would usually ﬁnd that the same
had been repeated over and over again at
the houses of my neighbors. But this
young boy brought out a strange sympathy ;
visions of unkind parents, had luck and
inexperience and many such things quickly
ﬂitted through my mind. N othwithstand-
ing all this I tried to adhere to my former
resolutions. But my boy stepped close to
measI wasﬁllingaplate and said “Fill
two or three, for he is probably very huno
gry or he would never ask for it,”‘ and
“ Can’t he come in here to the table?” I
thought the kitchen would do, it was very
comfortable. So Ora made him cOm-
fortable there and came back to plead with
me for a bed for the tramp. I told him I
could not keep him over night, for the
town would provide a place for him.
“ Well, mother,” still pleaded the generous
boy, “ I would willingly let him have my
bed, I could sleep almost any place.” But
1 was inexorable. “ Well, I shall not
leave him until he has a comfortable
place.” The tramp having ﬁnished his
supper Ora says to him “ Come with me,
I will ﬁnd you a comfortable place,” and i,
anxious to know what. his plans were,
called him back to inquire. He said he
was going to take him to “ the Cabin.” This
is situated on an island in St. Joe river
within sight of our house, but reached by
a circuitous path and necessitated crossing
the river twice to reach it. It was now
very dark and the rain pelting down dis-
mauy, but this did not deter the boy from
seeing his protege safe. There were
strange thoughts ﬂitting through my
anxlOus brain as the two boys started
out in the dark. Admiration for my kind-
hearted boy, and also for the conﬁdence
which the stranger seemed to have in his
benefactor. Then the thought would in-

t rude, “ Suppose this fellow is vicious and ~

he and his possible confederates should
murder my son!” At eight o’clock he‘re-
turned all right, saying in answer to my
anxious inquiry, “Itook him up to my
cabin, where there is a good stove, plenty
of wood and good shelter.” It is a little

what he csuid do in that line. Next
morning he was astir before any one and
trying to prepare breakfast for his charge,
refusing to eat his own breakfast until he
was provided. He took him a hot break-
fast, and after some trouble in trying to
waken him by calling from the opposite
shore, came back home to get his boat and
go by the river. Then the third time he
made the trip to carry him paper, en
velops, stamps and pencil, that he might
write to his friends of his trouble. Whether
he used them for that we shall probably
never know, or if he was worthy of the in-
terest which he had awakened. And it
was hard for me to undeceive the mind of
my boy by telling him they are not all
honest who pretend to be. But how
beautiful would this world he could we
have such conﬁdence in every, human
being, and all were deserving! This tramp
question is a hard one for me to solve. I
never wish to turn a hungry person from
my door. Therefore to avoid doing it I
give to them all. That same morning
two others called for breakfast and got it.
Am I encouraging laziness?
UNION Crrr. DELLA E.

. M..—

WAKEFULNESS AND PLANTS.

 

For years one of our neighbors was in
very poor health, conﬁned to the house
through the winter months, a martyr to
colds, nervousness and sleepless nights.
She was seldom out of the doctor’s care, ,
and has told me she spent enough on
doctors’ bills and medicine every year to
almost support a small family. The gift
of a geranium was the beginning of a new
treatment, and after a while she was com-
paratively a well woman. Her one plant
was followed by a window garden and
fern case. In summer she was out in the
garden. She told me the very smell of the
earth was life-giving, and when her old
nervous, wakeful times came on she went to
a box that was full of earth, turning it up
with an old spoon, taking handfuls and
smelling cf it, and this always soothed her
nerves and prepared the way for a good
sleep. She went out every day, rain or
shine. I have seen her working in the
garden, in a summer shower. This was
followed by a good rub over her whole
body with a coarse towel, and warm dry
clothing. She ﬁlled her time completely
with reading about, and caring for
plants. She says she “has not time to
catch cold, or be sick.” She does not take
medicine and wishes other invalids would
try the plant cure, saying: “ It is being
out doors in the pure air, and having the
mind and heart ﬁlled with the care of, and
love for plants that would work wonders
among sickly women.”

Dmnorr. SISTER GRACIOUS.

 

[There is really more in the “ earth
cure,” as we should call the above, rather
than the “ plant cure,” than skeptics
would be ready‘to admit at ﬁrst thought.
The odor of freshly turned earth is strong
and readily perceptible. Poets have sung

 

building which Oraereoted,justtosee

  

scientists say the "earth smell” is due to
a peculiar fermentation undergone by the
humus or vegetable mould contained in
all true soils. Bertheiot and Andre, dis-
tinguished chemists, have recently com-
municated to the French Academy of
Sciences brief note intimating that they
have begun to investigate the cause 'of the
odor. Its essential principle, they say,
resides in a neutral organic compound
which must be classed among the yet un-‘
known aromatic substances. They ﬁnd
the odor of the compound to be penetrat-
ing, almost pungent, and analagous to
that of the camphor grou p., The aromatic
principle of the soil is neither acid nor
alkaline in its reaction; the experimenters,
despite their skill in research, have not yet.
been able so to determine its general
characters as to specify them absolutely.
They are continuing their investigations
with the hope of ultimate success—En]
_.__*..____

J SOAP MAKING .

 

In a recent issue of the HOUSEHOLD E.
M. left us at the ash house, where I im-
agine a host of young housekeepers
pleading for escape. In the meantime
they have procured lye; if so place in it an
egg to test its strength. If the egg returns
at once to the top of the lye we have good
lye and can proceed to the beginning of
the end. The fat should be placed in the
kettle over a moderate ﬁre and stirred
constantly until the whole body of fat has
reached a white heat. Then pour in a
pailful of your strongest lye, continue
stirring and adding lye. if you have a
large amount of fat the kettle will not ad-
mit enough lye to thin the soap, but this
may be added after the soapisinthe barrel.
I have the best success by salting the fat
when putting it down.

The above has been my rule for twenty-
ﬁve years, and having never had the
slightest trouble in getting soap within
three hours, I offer it, feeling certain thom

who try it will succeed.

PLAINWELL. M. M. M.

 

[Does M. M. M. mean the soap-maker
to add cold lye to the fat as the little boy
wanted his dinner—“all to wonst?” We
should expect a great scattering of hot fat
and some severe burns if a pailful of lye
was turned into heated grease. Tell us
just how you manage that detail safely,
please—En]

 

IN a recent Housnnono Maybelle, of
Wolverine, Cheboygan 00., asked a dona-
tion of Sunday school books for a school
just started in a new country. Mrs. Chas.
Allen, of Plymouth, Wayne 00., writes
us that the Baptist Sunday-School at that
place have old books which will be cheer--
fully bestowed if they will be acceptable,
and asks Maybelle to write her personally
for further information.

..____...__..

To clean black lace churn up and down
in alcohol till the latter foams; squeeze
well and clap it between the hands; pull ,
out the edges carefully and press in sheets

 

of it; N. P. Willis writes of " the pleasant
earth-smell of the month of April;" and

 

of brown paper under a heavy weight till
dry. Aniron must not housed.

   

 

 

 

