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DETROIT, MARCH 80, 1886.

 

 

THE H0U§EH©LD===§uppiemem.

 

 

For the HOUSEHOLD.
HOPE.

 

BY CLARA B. BOUTHWELL.

 

Without hope of what value would mortal life be?
Far away in the future no light could we see.

’Tis our ﬁrst natural passion; there lives not a soul
But who has or has had some far away goal

He looks to and strives for and hopes to attain,
And thinks he wel’l merits that this be his gain;
And sometimes it is, but not often, for we
Oftimes tire of pursuing that we cannot see.

We hope for so man y things—fame,love and wealth

Lezrninz and beauty, contentment and health;

And some future greatness will place as their goal,

But a man’s future greatness all lies in his soul.

Without hope who could live? In man’s troubled
breast

’Tis the last lingering light, for it shines when the
rest

Are faded and ﬂed and aﬁliction’s dark gleam

Cause our very existence a trial to seem.

Then Hope, brightly smiling and rad iantly fair,
Whispers us to look upward where trial and care
Are happiness, love and rejoicing, for aye;
Where life is one long and glorious day.
Let us strive to do right and hope for the best
And leave to our Heavenly Father the rest.

Mansmn.

——....—

BUYING BOOKS.

 

A young lady asks me to make out a
list of books for her, which she may pur-
chase as the nucleus of a library. I can—
not do it. Imight as well make out a
bill of fare for a dinner which she .must
eat forayear. Iwould not thank any
one to conﬁne me to boiled cabbage, fried
liver, turnips and mince pie for even one
meal; I might advise what would be
literary corned beef and cabbage to an-
other. I am fully alive to the importance
of the question “What shall we read?”
but tastes are varied, and “of making of
books there is no end.” An intimate
friend votes the books I enjoy most
“dry” and “stupid; while those she likes
I won’t waste time upon; naturally,
literary matters seldom are topics of
conversation. With another I have most
delightful literary conﬁdences; While a
third is continually propounding some
historical conundrum to me which makes
me long to tell her Canon Farrer’s story
of the man who said Dante was “ a dead
issue,” and make a personal application.
But I should shook her dreadfully, so I
refrain. It is not safe to buy a book be—
cause of What is said about it in adver.
tisements, or on the reputation of an
author. Our old clergyman, visiting me
on the farm, said once: “I wish to look
over your books; I ﬁnd a lady’s books are

an unfailing index of her character.”

 

How devoutlyI wished the one volume of
“ Ouida’s” which was purchased because
1 saw so much about her in the papers.
and thought it must be “the proper thing”
to have read her, was reposing on the
bottom of the Red Sea, anywhere, except
in its pretty green binding right within
short range of the ministerial spectacles!

But there are certain standard works
which should be included in every library,
and which, if they are well studied, are a
library in themselves. I have heard of a
man who in his middle age conﬁned him-
self to two volumes, the Bible and
Shakespere, and wona great reputation
for practical wisdom and wide reading.
Some one has said that to know George
Eliot’s writings is of itself a liberal educa-
tion, but I object to that as too sweeping.
How little we ﬁnd in modern literature
that has not been touched by the great
writers of the past, Shakespere, and
Milton, Pope and Goldsmith, Moore and
the Lake Poets? Where shall we ﬁnd
Scott’s equal in descriptive poetry, or the
fervor and ﬁre of Bailey’s “ Festus?”
Yet each and every one must be studied
before we enter into their spirit, and
know and love them. It is not what we
read—soit is pure and healthful—as how
we read and what we make our own
which educates us. One may be an
omnivorous reader, reading everything
and all the time, yet fail of reaching the
harmony between author and reader
which is essential to literary enjoyment.

The library should show the individ-
uality of the owner; express his literary
tastes and attainments; this is only pos-
sible when its contents are a personal
selection. There is much more pleasure
in possession to the one who gathers
slowly, by degrees. than to the rich man
who gives carte blanche to the book-seller
and has his shelves ﬁlled with volumes
in elegant bindings, the inside of wt ich
he never saw. The reading of one book
often opens before us awide ﬁeld, and
leads to the purchase of others leading
from its thought in various directions,
scoording to our individual bent.

Many people, if they read and admire
one book by a certain author, jump to the
conclusion that all his other writings
must be as good. Mrs. Stowe’s “Uncle
Tom’s Cabin” has sold thousands of
volumes of her other stories, to the great
disappointment of buyers. Generally,
one, hr at the most two, books make an
author’s fame, and the rest seem to be
“afterthoughts,” too much diluted. And
too, the ﬁrst book we read by a previously

 

unknown writer is very likely to impress
us favorably, if it has any merit at all,
because in addition it has the charms of
freshness of literary style and originality.
Yet tastes diﬁfer as to which is best, un—
less we accept the popular voice, and go
with the majority. 80 I would rarely
buy books in “sets.” Life is too short,
there is too much to be read, to allow us
know all good books; let us choose the
best of each author’s writings, study them
and know them well; and strive not to be
crushed when somebody who has read
something we have not, says, “ Why I’m
surprised you haven’t read that; every-
body’s read it; it’s splendid!” My own
little collection of books boasts but one
complete “set” of anything, Macauley’s
History of England. Thackeray and
George Eliot come next in completeness,
but I have “ the cream” of Dickens, Victor
Hugo, Morris, Holland, and many others,
besides certain standard volumes in the
way of history, poetry and biography.
But these have been selected by myself
for myself, and I should not assume to
offer the list to a stranger, whose tastes
might run counter to mine, and who
might dub my much prized volumes a
choice collection of literary “chestnuts.”

In buying the works which the press
of to-day is throwing off in such con-—
fusion and profusion, a little monthly
magazine issued by Chas. Scribner’s Sons,
The Book Buyer, $1 yearly, seems a very
good guide, giving an inkling of the
scope of the books issued by this ﬁrm.
The reviews in our standard magazines
also are good, though all too brief,
generally.

Our correspondent’s purpose of “ start-
ing a library” is commendable. I wish
every mother of a family who reads this,
every young woman earning money,
would resolve to set aside a certain sum
yearly, if but $5, to be spent in the pur-
chase of books. It is a source of the
purest and highest enjoyment. I used to
think that if Iever could have all the
books and papers I could read, I should
reach that condition known as “perfect
bliss.” But I ﬁnd that profusion brings
satiety. I do not enjoy my present
abundance as I did the scantiness of the
old days when I limited myself to ﬁve
dollars, then ten dollars, yearly, and
stretched the “butter and egg money”
to cover the cost of an extra, much
coveted volume. Selections were made
carefully, the newcomer anxiously ex-
pected, and I know no longer that thrill
of satisfaction and delight which came

 


 

THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

 

as the precious package, withmits _lovely
brown wrapping-paper 71nd its charming
canceled stamps, was placed in my eager
hands. In those days I understood
Henry Ward Beecher’s description of how
he bought books before he was famous,
when money was scarce and wants
many. He describes the battle between
desire and prudence, the struggle with
temptation in Which he was "worsted,”
the resolve to do without some article of
clothing and buy the book. the revulsion
which came after he had ordered it done
up, the thrill of pleasure in tucking the
package under his arm, the consternation
with which he remembered he had yet to
face his wife and account for his
treasure, his diplomacy in disarming her
displeasure at his extravagance by making
her a present of it, recollecting it would
be his, just the same.

Just try, dear ladies,-the pleasure of
buying books, not when you have money
you can spare as well as not, but when
they cost your calculation, strategy, self
denial, and see how dear, how like loving
friends they grow to be. Buy them, not as
luxuries, but as necessities, as aids to
your development, as means to make
your home attractive to the children, and
tell me if you do not ﬁnd “it pays.”

BEATRIX.

-——-—-———ooo—-——

THE FASHIONS.

 

I admire the methods of the girl in
the story who twice a year “put her
whole soul into the fashions,” and then
felt free to devote her time to literature,
society, charity, and the thousand and

. one things which even “ frivolous girls”

ﬁnd to do. To plan a season’s outﬁt, and,
once executed. have no more concern
about Fashion’s latest caprices as to the
location of buttons and the depth of a
pleating, seems to me a step toward
womanly independence in matters of
dress. So now, while subtle currents of
life are thrilling through naked trees, and
a scent of spring is in the air, it is a good
idea to look over last spring and sum-
mer’s garments, decide on needful re-
pairs and alterations, and what new ar-
ticles- must be added. And here 1 will
say to the girls, don’t indulge in much
making-over—which is truly the very
“luxury of woe ” in dressmaking—unless
it is actually necessary. Do not remodel
adress which does not need it, simply be—
cause it is not exactly up to the latest
wrinkle “in style.” It does not pay. If
waist or sleeves are worn, if rents or
stains disﬁgure the skirt, there is good
cause for renovation, but unless too
antiquated, do not spend time merely for
fashion’s sake. Generally last season’s
dresses can be worn again without alter-
ation, the principal changes being in the
draperies, which are worn longer, and in
the length of the skirt, which is now
made to just escape the ground. In
making up new dresses it is best to use the
latest style. always provided it is not
conspicuous and is becoming; one thus
avoids remodeling.

The new draperies are very long in
front and back, leaving both sides of the
front visible from the belt down. The

 

front drapery is very wide and full, the
fullness being pleated into the belt; it
drops in apoint toward the right side,
and is caught up in pleats on the left
hip, falling in a curve to the foot on the
left, leaving the right side quite straight.
The lower skirt, thus exposed on both
sides, may be laid in lengthwise pleats,
or may be made of striped goods matching
the plain. 0n light summer goods, as
thin silks, nun’s veiling, etc., these spaces
may be ﬁlled with many narrow ruﬂles,
each headed with a row of narrow velvet
ribbon. Lace ruﬁies on black silk are
elegant, especially if headed with lines of
jet passementerie. The back drapery is
very narrow where pleated to the belt,
but is very full, and may hang straight
to the foot, or be opened in the middle
and draped in two points that disclose
the full lower skirt. All round ﬂounces
are “out,” rufﬂes and pleating being
conﬁned to the front and sides of the
skirt.

Basques are short, with high darts
giving the effect of slenderness. The
laced front is a feature of the new
basques, whichis becoming to all ﬁgures.
Some wool dresses are laced from the
throat down, but most have separate
pieces added at the top of the ﬁrst dart,
sewed in with it, which are laced to the
bottom of the basque, while above is the
full gathered plastron and its revers.
Such dresses are fastened with_hooks and
eyes; indeed buttons are useless ap—
pendages on dresses which have full
fronts or _gathered vests, as they are en—
tirely concealed. When used, they are
generally in two sizes, one small and
round, for fastening the dress, the other
size very large, for ornament, and set
three in a row on the front dart, and in
groups of three on the skirt. The cas-
cade drapery described last winter, ' in a
modiﬁed form is a feature of new skirts;
lined withsilk, of the same hue, it ﬁlls
the place of a side panel, but is arranged
with fewer pleats and the centre fold is
raised much higher.

The stores are full of new cotton goods,
in many of which one recognizes old
friends under an alias. The “new de—
parture” is the absence of stiffening by
starch or gum, the goods having a soft
ﬁnish which is very attractive, and makes
them drape beautifully. Crinkle-striped
seersuckers “came in” last season; this
year they are in abundance. They are
in stripes of white and a color, the
colored stripe plain woven; the white is
woven fuller than the colored stripe,
giving the appearance of a narro w. scant
puff of white set between two stripes of
color. They sell at 15c per yard; and are
not intended to be starched or ironed, but
pulled into shape while drying. German
check is a thin, soft goods, creamy white
ground, with threads of blue, black or
brown forming checks upon it; it sells
for 121} cents per yard. Crazy cloth is a
nOVelty,—-a pretty one too—an irregularly
woven cotton goods which has the effect
of woolen material; in “ crazy” patterns,
irregular, zig-zag lines in colors, and
sells for 25 cents. It, too, is not to know
starch or smoothing iron, and is said to

 

wash excellently. In its pristine new-
ness it is certainly very pretty. This
making cotton goods take so much of the
appearance of soft, sleazily-woven wools,
is a new idea and the result is certainly
very taking. Even the new muslins and
lawns are woven and ﬁnished to look
more like woolen bareges than cambrics
or nainsooks.

We are to wear colored straw bonnets
for early spring again, in shapes not dif-
fering much from the coronet styles of
the winter. These coronets are often
covered with ﬁne jet or steel beads strung
on ﬁne wire and arranged as leaves, or
forming a network across it. Even a bit
of jetted lace may serve the purpose.
Some bonnets for young faces will have
these coronets of ﬁne ﬂowers, while
others have a notch or bend in the front
which is ﬁlled in with a saucy bow with
forked ends, or a tiny cluster of ﬂowers.
Ribbons with picot or purled edges are to
be used with ﬂowers for trimming these
bonnets;the ﬂowers in mixed clusters of
several varieties. The artiﬁcial ﬂower-
maker has brought her art to such per-
fection that the most fastidious need not
scruple to wear the dainty clusters 'of
mignonette and h'eliotrope, buttercups
and cowslips, which equal nature in ex-
actness of coloring and perfection of
shape. The trimmings of these b )nnets
consist of two sets of loops, one set long
and extending beyond the crown, while
the second set is short and massed against
the front. The only other adornment is
the blossoms that lend a touch of color,
and the ribbon that crosses the end of the
crown and forms the strings.

The new hats have high crowns and
brims turned down in front and up in the
back, and all the trimming, consisting of
heavy loops of English or China crape in
colors, with aigrettes of feathers or-
clusters of half long ostrich tips, is massed
at the back, and a band or twist of the
crape round the front. Loops and ends
of ribbon are also used. There are also
soft silks in plaids, some having gilt or
silver threads running through them,
which will be used, but the scarfs so
much worn last season are not shown at
all as yet, here.

_...‘____.

CONVERSATIONAL POWERS.

 

It is true that some people have the
gift of talking with ease, and that they
are not embarrassed in the presence of
others; but any person of o 'dinary intel—
ligence may learn to talk brightly and
pleasingly by simply taking pains to learn
how. In the ﬁrst place, try to forget
yourself. Do not fancy when you open
your lips that the lady or gentleman
opposite you on the sofa, or your neigh-
bor at the dinner table, is criticizing or
making fun of you. Well-bred and
kindlyemannered people never do so.
Have in the second place an idea of what
you wish to say. In the third and last
place, be sure to tell your story or give
your opinion in the simplest language you
can command. Never use slang. To be
a good listener is as great an accomplish—
ment as to be a bright talker. A young

 


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THE HOUSEHOLD 3

 

 

lady who listens intelligently and" with
sympathy in her locks, giving now and
then a brief reply or a turn to the talk,
but not trying to lead it, or to be at all
conspicuous, is sure of being popular.
Find out what your friends are interested
in, and help them to talk on their special
subject. Do not worry about the impres-
sion you are making when in society, but
let your great aim be to make the place
where you are as cheerful as possible.

RHOD A.
BATTLE CREEK.

____...__
AN EASTER PARTY.

“It takes but little to please a child,”
has passed into a proverb, and so the fol-
lowing story of a pleasant child’s party
given the Saturday before Easter in 1885,
may tempt some mother to duplicate the
entertainment at the coming Easter tide,
for the sake of giving happiness to her
own and other children.

The invitations were sent out a week
in advance, and were home-made. From
white cardboard were cut egg-shaped
pieces; two of these were tied together at
one end by a little bow of bright ribbon,
the ribbon being passed through holes
cut for the purpose. On one outer side
the address was written, on the inside
the formula of invitation, and on the
back “ Easter ” with the date. As amuse—
ment at the party, six eggs were provided
for each child, which were decorated in
as many ways as possible. All the eggs
were then hidden in two or three rooms
of the house, which could be thor-
oughly ransacked by bright eyes and
nimble ﬁngers. Each tried to ﬁnd as
many as possible, and when all were found
they were divided into as many piles as
there were children, and a numbered slip
of paper placed on each, and slips bearing
corresponding numbers drawn from a
box by the children. After all the slips
were drawn, each child was given the
pile of eggs having the number corres-
ponding to the slip drawn. Little tarle-
ton bags, one for each guest, and marked
with their names, were provided to hold
the eggs. This “ egg hunt” always
proved a great frolic for the little people.

When supper was ready, two bags of
eggs were brought out, one for the boys,
the other for the girls, and the boys drew
from one and the girls from the other,
each boy taking for his partner the girl
who held the egg matching his. A little
procession was formed, and the little
host led the way to the supper room. .

The supper was not elaborate, but cal-
culated to please those for whom it was
intended. At each plate was laid an egg—
shaped Easter card. The rolls, cakes and
cookies were as near egg-shape as the
unstable nature of dough would permit.
The ice-cream was served from egg-shap-
ed moulds. If one of the large plaster of
paris eggs can be procured and ﬁlled with
bop—bons, it will prove a pretty surprise;
otherwise ingenious ﬁngers can make
one of pasteboard, which when opened
will prove full of sweets.

The most labor is the coloring of the
eggs. It requires some ingenuity to color

so many in different ways. Some may

 

be colored all over with Diamond dyes;
and others may be plaided or mottled
with various colors by drawing on them
with a bit of tallow before dyeing. Scrap
book pictures can be used. Cut sprays
from bright calicoes, bind them on the
egg by sewing a bit of thin muslin around
it, and after boiling the design will be
transferred to the egg. Stars, moons and
crescents of gilt paper fastened on with
mucilage give variety. Some can be
covered with gold paint. If one can
paint, even unskillfully, the eggs can be
decorated with sprays of ﬂowers, tiny
birds, or simply painted in bands and
lines of color. Prepare a few egg-shells
by draining out the contents, let them
get thoroughly dry, ﬁll with small candies,
paste a bit of paper over the hole in the
shell, and brush over with dye. Arrange
them in a nest of moss in a little basket,
and you have a very pretty ornament for
the table. And the children’s delight at
this novel party is so genuine and so
pleasant to see, that the fatigue and worry
of preparation is forgotten speedily.
——-...——_-_

IN THE BEDROOM.

The sleeping apartments in every
house ought to be as commodious and
ample as any other rooms in the dwelling.
That man who in building a house makes
the bedrooms just big enough for a bed
and a bureau, does not “ comprehend the
situation ” at all. About one-third of the
twenty-four hours is spent in sleep. To
make this sleep refreshing and healthful,
certain conditions are necessary. Food
and air are the essentials by which we
live. It is not until food has been acted
upon by the stomach, absorbed into the
blood, and through its circulation
oxygenized by the air taken into the
lungs, that it begins to nourish and feed
our bodies. The blood leaves the heart
charged with carbonic acid and watery
vapor; it returns oxygenized by pure air
taken into the lungs, a life-giving, healthy
ﬂuid. Twenty-eight pounds of blood
must make this journey from heart to
lungs three times an hour, and thirty-
three hogsheads of fresh air are needed
daily to replace the poisonous carbonic
acid by the element of life, oxygen.
Breathing impure air lessons vitality;
the weak and sickly suffer most from
this cause; and are the most fearful of
fresh air, which they contend is “too
strong” for them. It is the bad air
which is too strong for health. Our
pulses still thrill with horror at the story
of the “ Black Hole ” of Calcutta, a room
twenty feet square, unventilated, into
which were thrust 146 English soldiers,
at dusk of an Indian day. Twenty-three
half dead,nearly crazed wretches survived
that awful night, and not one of them
ever fully recovered. Is not a seven by
nine bedroom, with the window carefully
closed, and adoor opening into a room
where lamps and a ﬁre and several pair
of lungs have pretty thoroughly exhaust—
ed the oxygen of the air during the
evening, aminiature “ Black Hole ” when
two persons retire to it, to breathe over
and over again the air just 'ejected from

 

the lungs? Medical authorities on lung
diseases pronounce insuﬁcient ventilation
the great cause of lung diseases, a more
proliﬁc cause than all others put together.
Sit in a close room a couple of hiurs,
step out into the fresh, pure out door air,
and note the change, how the blood re—
sponds to the quickening impulse. Re—
turn to the room you have just left and
see if your nose does not indicate a dif-
ference in the quality of the air. See how
soon you ﬁnd that feeling of lassitude
creeping over you, that dull oppression
in the head, asense of constriction in
the lungs. The relief for these symptoms
is simply pure air. Think of breathing
air laden with carbonic acid, part of
which has been expelled from the lungs
of another, for eight hours continuously,
and its vltiating inﬂuence upon the blood,
and ventilate your bedrooms. Every win-
dow in a house ought to be so made that
it can be let down from the top. Open
the bedroom windows top and bottom
every day of your life, and let them re—
main open a couple of hours. Let the
sun shine in freely, regardless of fading
the carpet, sunshine is an excellent dis—
infectant. Then, leave the window open
at the top at least one inch even in the
most severe winter weather. The same
width of opening in a window in an
adjoining room will create a current or
circulation of air not sufﬁcient to be
called a draft, that dread of the people
who make invalids of themselves through
ignorance. Or, have a piece of board
made just to ﬁt the width of the window
and a couple of inches thick, raise the
lower sash suﬂiciently to insert this; the
external air will enter through the
aperture between upper and lower sashes,
and no draft be noticeable. Ventilate, no
matter how you do it. Children are dull
and languid in school because of over—
heated, impure air; people sleep through
sermOns in churches for the same cause,
and many a woman -and man too—who
really does not feel as if she had ambi-
tion enough to get out of her own way,
only needs healthful conditions in her
sleeping apartment to sign a new lease of
life and vitality. BEATRIX.
~——-—.—.—.—_—.

TOOTH-PICKS AGAIN.

 

Will you allow a “horrid man" to say
a word in reply to Althea, on the subject
of tooth—picks? Of courseI shall be con-
sidered very “unreﬁned ” in speaking a
word of justiﬁcation for the “ tooth-pick
craze,” but that does not discourage me
at all. Althea says she “ would as lief
dine 1n a dentist’s room, with the dentist
engaged in his practice, or have a clean
spittoon on the table, as to have tooth-
picks there.” Well, every one to her
taste. To my notion the simple dislodge-
ment from the teeth of any particles of
food that may cling to them is not as dis—
gusting as the thought of that food being
left there to decay and rot the teeth and
befoul the breath. The very thing that
sends so many “reﬁned” ladies to the
dentist’s chair, and compels them to hawk
and gulp over the “spittoons,” is their
affected abhorrence of a clean tooth-pick.
It is not necessary to be offensive in the

 


 

a ' THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

use of a tooth- pick. A napkin will shield
the mouth from observation during the
little moment required to use the article,
and it should then be put by as the com—
pany leaves the table. I am constantly
traveling, and though I observe the
bundle of tooth-picks on many well-set
tables, I do not assume to brand the peo-
ple who use them as uncultivated. They
rather strike me as an independent and
sensible ﬂock, caring less for the whines
of fashion and the cirpings of critics than
for their own cleanliness and comforts.
May their tribe increase.

AN EDITOR.
Dnrnorr. .
A LITTLE GIRL’S CHOICE OF

BOOKS.

 

In a late number of the Housnrrom),
Beatrix mentions some books for girls to
read. “Eight Cousins ” and “ Rose in
Bloom,” by Louise M. Alcott, and “ Six
Girls,” by Fanny Bell Irving, are good
ones; at least my mother thinks so.
“Tom Brown’s School Days” and “The
Boys of Sixty One,” are interesting for
boys. Ihave taken St. Nicholas ayear
and a half and we all like it very much.
Do any of the readers of the Housnrrom)
believe in reading standard novels? I
wish some one would tell me all about
the elocution school in Detroit. I like the
country better than the city. We live
south of a small lake, and it is just a
pleasant walk to it in the summer. You
can almost always ﬁnd a shady corner in
the yard, and when violets come go to the
woods and get a basket full of them and
place them in the bed you have prepared
for them; next year you will be surprised
to see how large they are, if you have
taken good care of them.

MINNEHAHA.

HF—

Oxnxos.

A YOUNG HOUSEKEEPER’S LET-
TER.

 

Having read the HOUSEHOLD for some
time, and having gained many new ideas
of interest from it, I thought perhaps I
could contribute a recipe which would be
Of value to the young housekeeper like
myself. I always feel grateful to any
friend who has had experience for any
new ideas pertaining to housekeeping,
for indeed it is very perplexing as well as
embarrassing to attempt to do something,
hardly know how to go at it for lack of
experience, and then have it a complete
failure. My husband brought home a
nice roast of beef, and said he would
show me how to cook it. I laughed and
said I would be glad to give up the re-
sponsibility of preparing it. So he took
a dripping-pan, placed the broiler over it;
it ﬁlled the oven nicely with the exception
of the handles, which were too long, so
he bent them up to 'ﬁt. He then placed
the roast on the broiler, seasoned well,
and ﬁlled the pan with water. The heat
of the oven roasted the meat while the
water steamed it, making it juicy ard
giving it a most delicious ﬂavor. He at-
tended to that part of the dinner. I
watched every movement with a very
observing eye, as I was curious to know

 

what the result would be. Dinner was
soon ready. I went to look after the
gravy. It proved to be three or four
pints of the choicest soup. My husband
then ﬂavored it with an onion and other
necessary ingredients for soup. Now,
ladies, please do not give me the credit for
this, but bestow all the praise on my bet-
ter—half; most ladies say “ worser,” but I
say “better” when he helps me with
such hard and perplexing work as cook—
ing. I want to encourage him, and will
admit just here that he understands
cooking better than I do; but I think I
can soon learn, as I hope to be an apt
scholar. We are always glad when it is
time for the HOUSEHOLD to come, as it is
one of our most welcome papers.
MARCELLA.
Kanxasm. ___...____

WANTS SUPPLIED.

 

Here is a cement that may do for the
lady’s aquarium: Dry sand one pint,
ashes two pints,clay,dried and pulverized,
three pints, all to be pulverized and
mixed into a paste with linseed oil. Ap—
ply while soft, and when It becomes hard
water will have no effect upon it.

About M. and her cake, I know it can-
not be the sugar, as I use the same con-
stantly and never have a failure. And
we buy it by the pound, not often in the
same store. Perhaps M. mixes her batter
too thin; that is the only cause I can ﬁnd.

PEARL.
Guam-run. 0

[Pearl furnishes directions for crochet—
ed lace which “ ﬂoored ” the entire staff
of the MICHIGAN FABMEB, including “‘ the
boys.” We would publish, but alas, we
can’t “make head nor tai ” of the in-
StmctionS.—-HOUSEHOLD En]

__ .___,..____

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

 

DID you ever try baking sausages in-
stead Of frying them? Put them in a tin
with a little water; the steam thoroughly
cooks them and they will not be so dry as
when fried. Brown them nicely. This
winter the HOUSEHOLD Editor had the
opportunity of sampling sausages season-
ed with a soupcon of cayenne pepper, and
found them of very piquant and ac-
ceptable ﬂavor. Care must be taken not
to get them too “ warm.”

 

A CORRESPONDENT of an exchange,
who lived in a house built before closets
came in fashion, made a substitute which
she commends to those who are thus
troubled. as being especially valuable in
the sleeping rooms. A long, shallow dry
goods box was procured, and a shelf put
in at top and bottom. It was papered
neatly on the inside with newspapers,
and a row of hooks screwed in just below
the top shelf. The outside was papered
to match the wall paper and a a cretonne'
curtain concealed the interior. Such an
arrangement in a room unprovided with a
closet would be a great aid to neatness
and order, and is worth an eﬁort to at-
tain.

 

MAJOR ALVORD, of Houghton Farm, a
noted dairy authority, believes that the

 

revolving churn has no superior, and
protests against all churns having interior
ﬁxtures designed to beat, froth or grind
the cream.

-—-——-—QOO——_
Useful Recipes.

MEAT Purina—Meat patties make a ser~
viceable way of using any kind of cold meat.
When you make pies use up all your bits of
pastry by making shells—a round of pastry as
large as a mufﬁn-ring, with a thick ring added
at the edge—and bake them, with a piece of
bread in each, to prevent the crust rising up.
They will keep for days, and may be ﬁlled at
tea time with any nicely minced and seasoned
meat, set in the oven for a few minutes, and
served very hot. For a charge, if you have a
little cold mashed potato, spread that lightly
over the meat, put a bit of butter on it, and
brown delicately.

 

COBNED BEER—MISS Juliet Corson’s recipe
for corned beef is as follows: Meat intended
for coming should be rubbed with a mixture of
half an ounce of saltpetre and an ounce of
brown sugar to a pound of salt. Rub the
mixture over the meat several times a day;
keep the meat on an inclined plane, so the
blood and brine can drain from it. For ﬁfty
pounds of meat, take two gallons of cold water,
four pounds of ﬁne rock salt, two ounces of
saltpetre and two pounds of brown sugar, or
half molasses. Add, if you like, two ounces
of unground white pepper, twelve cloves, a
blade of mace, and half a cupful each of
broken leaves of marjoram, thyme and sweet
basil.

THE RIGHT War 'ro FRY Ponx.-Let it be
cut very thin, not much thicker than a buck-
wheat cake. Put it in a pint Of cold water in
a pan, and let it come nearly to a boil, to
freshen it. Pour the water of, dip each slice
into wheat ﬂour, and let it take up all it will
hold on both sides. Fry it golden-brown and
crisp on both sides, turning it over as often as
may be necessary; pour oii the fat, and melt
on each slice a lump of fresh butter.

 

Goon meanest—We do not call for butter
or even lard for our purpose, only good, clear
drippings saved from the meats of the past
few days. These, if not very clear, may be
made so by slicing into them two raw potatoes
and cooking until the potatoes are done. All
the impurities in the drippings will have dis-
appeared. The fat should be cold and white
to use for pie crust . Take one quart sifted
ﬂour (cost six cents), add to it one large tea-
spoonful of salt and one cup of drippings (cost
three cents). Rub well together with the
hands till perfectly smooth and ﬁne. Then
with the left hand pour cold water very slowly
into this, stirring briskly meantime with aknife
in the right hand . Be careful and not get the
ﬂour too moist, but when of a right and some-
what dry consistency to roll out, make into

one mass with the hands, kneading and hand-
ling it as little as possible. This amount is
ample for three pies and has not cost over nine
cents. It will be ﬂaky and tender if made just
right. By careful trying and proper handling
a very presentable and palatable paste is
brought out of very plain materials.

 

 

FLOWER SEEDS FOR 1886»

 

FRESH SEEDS TRUE T0 NAME

ready for the Spring Trade. Mixed packets of
Annual, Perennial. Everlasting or Herb Seeds,
10 cents, three for 25 cents. Order from list in
HOUSEHOLD of February 23rd. Six packets. ex -
cept where rice is named, 25c; 13 for 50c, and30
for $1. Col ections for beginners, 15 varie.ies for
50 cents . Send one cent stamp for rice list.
MRS. M. A. F LLER.
Box 297, Fenton, Mich.

 

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