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DETROIT, ISIAY 4, 1886.

riE‘IﬁIlEZ IHIOUSEIHIQLD>anaSuppllemenm.

 

A. FLOWER. FOR THE DEAD.

 

You placed this ﬂower in her hand, you say?

This pure, pale rose in her band of clay?

Methinks, could she lift her sealed eyes,

They would meet your own witi a grieved sur—
prise!

She as b( en your wife for many a year,

When clout‘s hung low and when skies were clear;
At your feet she laid her life’s glad spring,

and her summer’s glorious blossoming.

Her whole heart went with the hand you won;
If its warm love waned as the years went on,
If it chilled in the grasp of an icy spell,

What was the reason? I pray you tell!

You cannot? I can; and beside her bier

My soul must speak and your soul must hear.
If she was not all that she might have been,
Hers was the sorrow, vours the sin.

Whose was the fault that she did not grow
Like a rose in summer? Do you know?
Does a lily grow when its leaves are chilled?
Does it bloom when its root is winter-killed?

For a while when you ﬁrst were wed,

Your love was like sunshine round her shed;
Then a something crept between you two;
You led where she could not follow you.

With a man’s ﬂrm tread you went and came;
You lived for w; alth, for power, for fame;
Shut into her wOman’s work and ways, '
She heard the nation chant your praiv e.

But ah! you had dropped her hand. the while;
What time had you for a kiss, a smile?
You two, with the same roof overhead,
Were as far apart as the sundered dead!

You, in your manhood’s strength and prime;
She, worn and faded before her time.

’Tis a common story. This rose, you say,
You laid in he r pallid hand to—day?

When did you give her a ﬂower before?
Ah, well! what matter when all is o’er?
Yet stay a moment. You’ll wed again,
I mean no reproach; ’tis the way of men.

But [pray you think, when some fairer face

Shines like a star from her wonted place,

That love will starve if it is not fed.

'l‘hat true hearts pray for their daily bread.
—-Julia 0. R. Dorr.

THAT CON UN DRUM.

 

 

Bess’s question, as propounded in the
HOUSEHOLD of March 23rd, has been so
promptly answered, and in such harmony
with my own ideas of the rights of the
case, that I do not feel it incumbent upOn
me to add anything further, though the
subject, if wejtake it from the special lim-
itations with which Bess has so careful-
ly deﬁned it, is a wide one, bearing di-
rectly on home happiness and prosperity;
and one upon which much can be said,
pro at con. Humanity is ever ready to
judge its fellows by its own strength or
weakness. We are all quick enough to

tell what we would do under conditions
which affect others. Yet no one of us
can say with certainty what we would do
did those conditions enter into our own
lives; much less then can we even ap-

prox1mately judge what another
should do under circumstances
and conditions of which we

are necessarily ignor ant. It is the wife’s
duty to make home attractive, yet it is
quite as certainly true that there are not
a few instances where the wife’s best et-
forts could not invest home life with a
charm to hold the husband, because of
his low and vicious tastes. He prefers
the scandal of the corner grocery or the
barroom to any mild' amusement she can
offer at home. Or, without fault on either
side, tastes may be so dissimilar that what
is enjoyable to one is a bore to the other.
Marriage has no magic to reconcile those
who were never congenial; there may be
acceptance of conditions, but no enjoy—
ment therefrom. Mutual concessions
make up the sum of living; such conces-
sions are the foundation of marital hap-
piness, butthe self—surrender should not
be all on one side.

Bess alludes to a subject of which I
have often thought, the disincliuation of
farmers to go out evenings when it in-
volves the necessity of “ hitching up the
team.” I fear I fail somewhat in respect
for the man who holds his horseﬂesh
dearer than the mother of his children.
The impulse which leads a man to refuse
to take his wife out of an evening he ause
he doesn’t feel inclined to make a slight
personal exertion to that end, is conceive
ed in selﬁshness and born in what I am
tempted to name downright hatefulness.
The man who is from home more or less
during, the week, to market, to mill, meet-
ing his fellow men, having a gossip over
the fence with a. passing neighbor, getting
little whiffs from the outside world, does
not comprehend how monotonous the
days have been to his wife, who has per-
haps seen only his face and those of the
children, too young, possibly, to be com-
panions for her, during that time. Al-
most every one will edmit that the great
drawback to farm life is its comparative
isolation; when this is intensiﬁed by the
selﬁshness which prevents the family from
sitisfying the social needs of their na-
tures, simply through what looks sus—
piciously like laziness, and is certainly
wanton disregard of the rights of the
wife—for I hold that one person has no
right through neglect or carelessness to

 

ljustly hers—it is doubly exasperatmg;
still more so because the disobliging
husband holds the “ balance of power,”
and the wife can do nothing but submit.
Quite too many husbands deprive their
families of the privilege of attending
church during at least half the year, al-
leging in excuse that the team has been
t work during the week and must stand
idle in the stable on Sunday“to rest.”
The idea that to travel before a carriage
or light wagon, at a Sunday-go to-meet-
mg pace, 3 distance of three, four or even
ﬁve miles, is anything but healthy exer—
cise for horses that are as carefully work-
ed and fed as are most farmers’ teams, is
simply preposterous. The wife has work-
ed more hours during the week than the
horses, and ten chances to one, harder in
proportion to her strength. Yet if be—
cause of her six days’ labor she should
refuse to prepare the usual meals on Sun-
day, a task more fatiguing to her th in a
few miles‘ travel to a horse, I fancy the
most emphatic believer in “horse heaven ”
would protest. I have my opinion—and
it is not a too ﬂattering one—of those
h-isbands and fathers who allow wife and
daughters to walk two or three miles to
church or Sun day-school, while great
fat, strong horses stand idle in the stable;
however humane to beasts, I know they
are lacking in consideration for the
stronger and prior rights of humanity. I
shall never forget the bitter emphasis of
a little woman, longing for some of life’s
privileges sandwiched among its domestic
cares, who in speaking on this subject
said: “ Oh! horses are worth money.
while women are to be had for the ask—
ing.” The iiijustice, the unkindness of
It, rouse resentment in the heart of many
a faithful wife, who has worked late and
early for her husband’s interests during
the week “for and in consideration of”
her board and clothes, and who is yet of-
ten not permitted the privileges accorded
the hired men in the use of what is her
joint property with her husband.
Social privileges, especially to farmers’ '
wives, mean more to women than to men.
The latter have many opportunities of
outside life not vouchsafed the former.
Men like their wives to be bright, intelli-
gent, socially attractive; yet what possi.
bilities lie in a life passed within the four
walls of the kitchen, with no fresh cur-
rent from the world outside ﬂowing
through its stagnation! There is nothing
in the world so tiring to the spirit as

 

limit another in a privilege which is

monotony. It makes some people ill-
empered; it sends the thoughts back up-

  
    
  
 
  
 
     
   
 
   
  
    
  
   
 
  
    
 
  
   
   
  
  
  
  
    
  
 
  
     
  
  
 
  
 
  
   
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
   
   
   
   
    
   
  
  
   
    
    
 
  
  
   
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
   
    
 
 
   
 

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2

THE HOUSEHOLD’ -

  

 

 

on self till the resultisa_settled melan—
ch'Bl'y'wh‘ 1'51"; i?1ik‘é‘5”§§11?5‘63“ii1?1§6§e;
it brings insanity in its train. The man
who wants a bright, cheerful, happy
home, a contented wife at its head, must
see to it that into that home life comes
enough of the external world, its amuse—
ments its pleasures, its interests, to en-
liven and vary it. A selﬁsh absorption
in one’s individual work, the fulﬁlling of
the endless round of duties, indoors or
out, is not living, it is merely vegetating.
. BEATRIX.

IN THE \VAY THEY SHOULD
G0.

It seems rather out of joint, that the
most married man the world has ever
known. should be sliding along down the
hill of Time, on the reputation of having,
and of having had no peer, let alone
the idea of a rival in wisdom. But so it
is. And the man who counted his wives
by thousands—for I eschew the distinc—
tion between the two classes of women
who came and went at his call and com-
mand—and his children—well I don’t
suppose he ever undertook the puzzling
task of counting. them—but he instead,
spent his spare time in writing out rules,
precepts and regulations for their govern-
ment, guidance and discipline. Among
the regulations there is none that is more
frequently quoted and consequently
more frequently disgraced than is the
one that suggests the title of this letter.
It is also a truth that goes without say—
ing—that is without saying that Solomon
said it, but of course the inventor of it
wore a Solomonish cast of countenance—
that the children of old maids and old
bachelors are perfect. Now as for those
of ye old bachelor deponent saith not.
She don’t know them. But her testi-
mony goes in on the “yea” side, for those
of the old maid forever. They are per}
feet. Perfect failures! Therefore I
shall not write much about them this
time, but will tell you of a half~day and
evening that I passed recently in the
home of the Clovers. The “Clover
leaves” were quite numerous when we
left them two or three years ago, and
still they come. But when I arrived at
about2 P. 31., every chick and child of
them, dressed in garments neat, with
faces bright and sweet, with the perpetual
baby asleep in his crib—were ready for a
pleasant afternoon.

After a half hour or so their mamma
sent them into the dining room with
“Carrie” to play, and soon we heard
sweet singing and sounds of all such
kittenish play as children enjoy, and
must have to be happy and healthy.
When it was time ‘to get supper, “tea ”
is hardly the proper name for the even—
ing meal in awell-to-do-farmhouse, the
children were left with me in the sittmg
room, with the maternal injunction,
“Now be good and nice children.” Lit—
tle ﬁve year old Kate, with her black
eyes and bright face, soon came with
the Youth’s Companion, open at the
children’s page, and pointing to a story
said “Please read that to us.” I pro—

ceeded with the story and soon had thre

 

litle Clover leaves in my lap, instead of
only the “baby.” Now don’t imagine
that my lap is like the lap of poverty,
big enough to hold all creation, if they
choose to tumble in, but please consider
that these Clover leaves are very dainty
bits of humanity, and there was in con—
sequence lots of room. And how they
did listen to the story, even to the one
year old “baby George,” new and then
either Kate or Grace anticipating the in—
cident of the narrative. When this was
ﬁnished another was pointed out, and
read, and many quaint, wise little rc-
marks were made by the deeply inter—
ested audience. Finally, when the mother
came to announce supper, she told me
that those same stories had been read by
different members of the family at least
half a dozen times to them already, and
that it was the same thing each week in
regard to the contents of the Companion,
which by the way their father says he
has regularly taken and read since he
was a small boy. And Mrs. Clover says:
“It is such ahelp to me with the chil-
dren.”

And besides this there are books and
books for the little ones there, the con-
tents of all being familiar to them.
Why do we not oftener see such a liberal,
well conned supply of youth’s and chil-
dren’s books and periodicals in pros-
perous homes that are alive with grow
ing girls and boys?

“They cost too much!” a loud chorus
replies. But it costs far more to do
without them. “There is plenty of
reading in the house without them!" a
small chorus replies. Yes, but is it wise
to bind tender twigs with cable ropes?

E. L . NYE.

————M§————~

BY THE LAW OF CONTRAREES.

 

After all, what easy work it is to bring
up children! How many foolish cares
and anxieties I have borne because of
ignorance! I have always supposed it I
would have my children grow up pure
and noble, I must teach them to-shun all
manner of evil, but now I am told if I
would only bring the evil home to them,
it would shield them fromharm. In other
words, if my son desires to play enchre,
if I wonld not have him a gambler
I must teach him to play the cards myself.
Now I suppose it is on the same princi-
ple that if he has acquired a taste for
strong drink I should buy his liquors for
him, or perhaps have a barrel of cider in
the cellar where he can freely help him
self, only saying to him, “My son, you
must not go into the places where these
things are sold, I will provide the evil for
you myself ;” or if he fancies fast horses,
if I would have him escape the dangers
of the race course, I must buy a couple
of racers and speed them with him my-
self, then he will tire of the sport and all
danger will be over. Then there is my
daughter, whom Ihave taught to beware
of the society of fast young gentlemen
and ladies, when it seems that I should'
have introduced them to her at home,
saying, “Daughter, you may associate
with these people in my house, but you

 

must notgo to their houses, or recognize

them upon the street.” Or if she is in-
clined to be rude and unladylike in man-
ner, I must indulge her propensity at
home, expecting her to be polite and re—
ﬁned in society. To what heights of
wisdom shall we ﬁnally attain?

If spirits, as we are told, are permitted
to revisit the earth, with what regret
must poor old King Solomon look back
to the time when he wrote such maxims
as these: “Train up a child in the way
that he should go, and when he is old he
will not depart from it,” and “Foolishness
is bound in the heart of a child, but the
rod of correction shall drive it far from
him;” but he will be pleased to learn that
we of the nineteenth century have found
out that they should read something like
this: “Train up achild in the way he
should not go, and it will be a shield and
safeguard to him, so that when he is old
he will do right, because he is tired of the
wrong way ;” and “Foolishness is bound
in the heart of a child, but you must not
use the rod, for if you do he will be angry
and all the worse afterward.” FAITH.

___._‘.._—————
FOR THE GIRLS.

Most girls like dainty belongings, and
there is no better test of one’s idea of
daintiness and delicacy than her taste in
perfumes. Too much of any perfume, no
matter how ﬁne, is bad; the odor should
never be perceptible otherwise than in
delicate, intangible, evanescent whiffs,
a fragrance which never obtrudes itself
but is suggested rather than more coarsely
perceptible. Musk, an animal perfume,
is a gross odor, too overpowering to be
agreeable, and positively repulsive to
many. The scent somehow seems as—
'sociated with a fat, middle aged, over—
dreased, not too clean woman. The plan
adopted by many ladies is to choose some
favorite odOr, as violet, rose, heliotrope,
verbena—which is more objectionable, as
it suggests Scotch snuff—and always use
it and it alone. By using scent sachets
among one’s belongings, in time a faint,
subtle perfume clings to them, and seems
to become part of the personality of the
wearer. Young ladies now use bureau
sachets, which are made of silesia, or
if one chooses to go to the expense, of
thin silk, cut to ﬁt the bottom of a drawer,
and completely covering it. Between two
thicknesses of silesia put a thin layer of
cotton thickly sprinkly sprinkled with
orris root, or any sachet powder perferred.
Tack the silesia together at intervals.
Similar sachets are made to ﬁt the bot—
toms of gloves, collar and handkerchief
boxes.

Peacocks’ feathers are so beautiful that
they tempt us to save them, and make us
wish to use them in decorations. We
may decorate a mantle lambrequin in the
following manner: Take twice the
length of the mantle in strips of olive
green felt, cut the desired depth. Fringe
the lower edge by cutting into lines as far
apart as the ruling in a sheet of com-
mercial note paper and the depth of the
sheet. Fold the felt into box pleats an
eighth of a yard broad, alternating with

 

     

plain spaces of the same width as the box

 


 

HOL’SEI—IOLD i"

{I

 

 

pleat. On every plain space baste a
feather, cutting it off where the fringe
begins, so that the “eye” forms the
principal decoration, then tack the
lambrequin to the shelf. Cut a piece of
felt large enough to cover the shelf and
fall over the edge in a narrower fringe
cut as described. This makes asimple
but very effective and stylish adornment.

If you have an oval mirror, hang it ﬂat
against the wall, the longest line of the
oval being horizontal, and surround it
entirely with the eyes of peacocks’
feathers, not lapping, but each showing
distinctly. The beautiful tints form a
lovely background.

If you have a ﬁreplace, a pretty screen
for summer use as a ﬁreboard is made by
cutting two pieces of pasteboard the size
of the opening, and covering one side of
each with peacock blue cambric. Trim
the feathery fringe from some of the
white stems; these are to form the handle
of the screen, and eight or ten will be
needed; if this handle is not strong
enough, make another. to place directly
back of it. Sew the eyes of the feathers
to the outer edge of one of the paste-
board pieces. letting half project beyond
the rim; then sew on another row, letting
each eye be plainly visible; not crowding;
and so on to the centre. Sew the other
piece of cambric covered pasteboard to
this fora back; and fasten the handle
ﬁrmly in place; add a bow of peacock
blue ribbon over the joining. This makes
acharming substitute for the usual dull
“ﬁreboard.” or the asparagus boughs, or
even the box of growing ferns sometimes
recommended for use in the empty ﬁre-

place. B.
H’—
CRAZES IN GENERAL—TOOTH-
PlCKS IN PARTICULAR.

It is time for the spring “ craze ” of
house and yard cleaning, in addition to
all the other crazes. Now I- dislike crazes
of all kinds, and I dislike to clean house,
and often think, when we have ﬁnished
cleaning and have put the last curtain up
and the last freshly “ done up ” pillow
Shams over the pillows,|“ There, how nice
and clean every thing is, I wish the
house would always keep so, and not
have to be torn up again;” but time rolls
on, and ere one is aware of it the year is
past and it is time for the yearly cleaning
(I take up my carpets but once a year un-
less for some unexpected circumstance.)
In the fall we clean the wood-work and
windows, but this is only one of the
“ sweeping days.” By the way, right
here, I wish to say to E. L. Nye, though
you disdain to put gloves upon your “ lily
white hands” in sweeping, I think those
girls or women who do are very sensible.
It will in a great measure save those hard
calluses on the inside of the hands. I like
to see nice hands, and if by management
and care, girls “ in particular,” can keep
them nice and soft while doing housework,
I think they should, even if they use the
“ ﬁve—cent mop ” to wash dishes, provided
they wash them clean. Many girls who
play the piano and do fancy work are the
only help their mothers have; and they

 

are help, too, do not “ shirk " out of
sweeping, washing, mopping, or washing
dishes. The disagreeable dirty work is
done cheerfully by them to “save mother,”
and if by any means they can keep their
hands nice, so they are not ashamed of
them when practicing or doing a delicate
piece of embroidery. or in company, they
should be encouraged and commended.

How I have digressed from my subject!
This morning after we had ﬁnished wash-
ing Ihad the premonitory symptoms of
the “spring craze,” and started out to
clean the yard. I was working away
“ lustily "‘ when it seemed to me that
Beatrix stood by me and whispered loud—
ly: “You are one of the negligent con—
tributors, take your pen and write quick’
1y, before the symptoms develop into a
fever of cleaning, which cannot be ar-
rested for two full weeks at least.” I put
down my rake and thought I would say
a few words to that " horrid man,” “An
Editor.” I fully approve of what Althea
has said. I think it only an absurd fash~
10!! to place a glass hat of wooden tooth—
picks upon the table; but what is consid-
ered fashionable, many people follow like
a ﬂock of sheep if one who is considered
authority leads. I know many cultivated
people give them a place upon their
tables, and I attended a church social a
short time ago where the committee were
careful to place them on each table, but
in face of all this evidence of the correct—
ness of the custom, I cannot look upon it
as reﬁned, and shall persist in keeping
them from my table and be an “odd one.”
with Althea. I am quite sure “ An Ed—
tor” has ﬁne teeth, and is not ashamed to
show them. If every one around a table
had only ﬁne teeth to dbplay, then the
custom might be pardoned; but the ones
most likely to use a toothpick at table
are those who exhibit broken or decayed
teeth, or vacancies where teeth have been.
Now, Mr. E’litor, do you consider it po—
lite to see one, two or three guest's as soon
as they have ﬁnished a meal, and before
others have ﬁnished, take tooth-picks and
commence picking their teeth, even it'
they do remember to hold a napkin over
the mouth, which all do not remember or
care to do? I think if I were obliged
to use a tooth-pick while eating, as some
claim they are, I would ask to be excused,
and would retire where I would not of-
fend others at the table, and remove the
obstacle which had caused me annoyance,
then I would return and ﬁnish the meal
Without further attention to my ' teeth,
until I could retire to my room and use a
brush.

I am inclined to think if it was the
“craze,” some people would furnish toe-
nail parers, and expect their guests to
use them. I think it would be about as
agreeable a sight to me as picking teeth.

An Editor " wishes the independent
ﬂock, who care for their own cleanliness
and comfort rather than the whines of
fashion or the earplugs of critics, to in-
crease.” Amen to that; but let it be in
privacy of their own rooms, with tooth—
brush and water, rather than at table in
public with tooth-picks.

OLD SCHOOL TEACHER.
Trans“.

 

SOCIETY 1N MEuPHIs.

 

Spring has come with a bound, not step
by step. I am walking up and down the
streets in the shadow of maples in full
leaf. The grass in well-kept yards has
tender blades, ﬂowers from the green-
houses adorn the borders; earth looks
young again, but somehow there is no
sparkle in the air. I know now it is the
atmosphere produces the prevalent lan-
guor of manner and slow steps. I, too, am
infected. My limbs feel heavy; I prefer
lying down to sitting up.

,Last week we took a lOng ride in the
suburbs. As very little grain is grown
here, and the heat of the long summers
thoroughly cooks the grass, the ﬁelds do
not present the verdant picture of N orth-
ern States at this season. Memphis ex-
tends over a wide area. There are many
large, beautiful residences and scores of
daintily pretty cottages dotted along all
the new streets, but to my vision they are
always marred by the presence of a dusky
face sure to be visible at some window.
The colored race as we ﬁnd them here are
so coarse, so ignorant, so awfully stupid,
that one comes to feel sympathy for them
only as we do for beasts.

There are no large parks or rural re-
treats if we except Elmwood Cemetery,
which appears to be a favorite resort for
many persons, from the mournful fact
that pestilence has shadowed almost every
family in Memphis, and they go there
with pansies and loving thoughts, to deck
the graves of the departed.

The churches are well sustained. We-
have been attending what is known as the
Strangers’ Church, presided over by a
minister of the Talmage order, who is
quite popular. His Sunday evening talks
are delivered to large congregations.
Going out in the evening without a male
escort, white or black, is, however, a
daring breach of established female eti-
quette. There are many handsome ladies
who dress extravagantly in most excellent
taste. I‘heir garments ﬁt exquisitely, and
they are certainly excelled nowhere in the
artistic application of cosmetics. I was
a long time discovering that their com—
plexions would not wash; kept dreaming
that the climate and the moon would re“
store the bloom of youth to my neck and
face.

While there is no outspoken contempt
for labor, there is an evident undercur—
rent of aversion to peeple who come here
in the capacity of employes. Unhappily
there is no middle class, so that it is a sort
of pioneer life to impecunious Yankees.
We cannot assimilate with the “poor

white trash,” consequently must suffer
spasmodic attacks of homesickness.

I trust my opinions, formed from a nar-
row experience, may not discourage any
one contemplating removing to the South.
It is unquestionably in the ascending
scale, but Northern people will ﬁnd the
Southern people different in their manners
and customs, all of which oecomes more
apparent after a few months’ residence.
We all know that time and patience ad-
just everything, even habits of thought
are moulded to the surroundings.

“ The heart aye’s the part aye
That makes us right or wrong,"

DAFFODILLY.
Manure, Tenn

 


 

2

THE HOUSEHOLD’ .

 

 

on self till the result is Iaisettled melan-
ch"ol'y"‘wh‘i‘6’ﬁ‘i§’ 1ik‘é‘5“;3§1fii’56‘i?‘iif8’if aﬁé;
it brings insanity in its train. The man
who wants a bright, cheerful, happy
home, a contented wife at its head, must
see to it that into that home life comes
enough of the external world, its amuse—
ments its pleasures, its interests, to en-
liven and vary it. A selﬁsh absorption
in one’s individual work, the fulﬁlling of
the endless round of duties, indoors or
out, is not living, it is merely vegetating.
‘ BEATRIX.

_———«.————

IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD
GO.

It seems rather out of joint, that the
most married man the world has ever
known, should be sliding along down the
hill of Time, on the reputation of having,
and of having had no peer, let alone
the idea of a rival in wisdom. But so it
is. And the man who counted his wives
by thousands—for I eschew the distinc-
tion between the two classes of women
who came and went at his call and com-
mend—and his children—well I don’t
suppose he ever undertook the puzzling
task of counting them—but he instead,
spent his spare time in writing out rules,
precepts and regulations for their govern-
ment, guidance and discipline. Among
the regulations there is none that is more
frequently quoted and consequently
more frequently disgraced than is the
one that suggests the title of this letter.
It is also a truth that goes without say-
ing—that is without saying that Solomon
said it, but of course the inventor of it
wore a Solomonish cast of counten ance—
that the children of old maids and old
bachelors are perfect. Now as for those
of ye old bachelor deponent saith not.
She don’t know them. But her testi-
mony goes in on the “yea” side, for those
of the old maid forever. They are per-
fect. Perfect failures! Therefore I
shall not write much about them this
time, but will tell you of a half-day and
evening that I passed recently in the
home of the Clovers. The “Clover
leaves” were quite numerous when we
left them two or three years ago, and
still they come. But when I arrived at
about2P. 31., every chick and child of
them, dressed in garments neat, with
faces bright and sweet, with the perpetual
baby asleep in his crib—were ready for a
pleasant afternoon.

After a half hour or so their mamma
sent them into the dining 'room with
“Carrie” to play, and soon we heard
sweet singing and sounds of all such
kittenish play as children enjoy, and
must have to be happy and healthy.
When it was time 'to get supper, “tea”
is hardly the proper name for the even-
ing meal in awell-to-do-farmhouse, the
children were left with me in the sitting
room, with the maternal injunction,
“Now be good and nice children.” Lit—
tle ﬁve year old Kate, with her black
eyes and bright face, soon came with
the Youth's Companion, open at the
children’s page, and pointing to a story
said “Please read that to us.” I pro-

ceeded with the story and soon had thre

w...__...-..

litle Clover leaves in my lap, instead of
only the “baby.” Now don’t imagine
that my lap is like the lap of poverty,
big enough to hold all creation, if they
choose to tumble in, but please consider
that these Clover leaves are very dainty
bits of humanity, and there was in con—
sequence lots of room. And how they
did listen to the story, even to the one
year old “baby George,” new and then
either Kate or Grace anticipating the in—
cident of the narrative. When this was
ﬁnished another was pointed out, and
read, and many quaint, wise little re-
marks were made by the deeply inter-
ested audience. Finally, when the mother
came to announce supper, she told me
that those same stories had been read by
different members of the family at least
half a dozen times to them already, and
that it was the same thing each week in
regard to the contents of the Companion,
which by the way their father says he
has regularly taken and read since he
was a small boy. And Mrs. Clover says:
“It is such ahelp to me with the chil-
dren.”

And besides this there are books and
books for the little ones there, the con-
tents of all being familiar to them.
Why do we not oftener see such a liberal,
well conned supply of youth’s and chil-
dren’s books and periodicals in pros-
perous homes that are alive with grow
ing girls and boys?

“They cost too much!” aloud chorus
replies. But it costs far more to do
without them. “There is plenty of
reading in the house without them!" a
small chorus replies. Yes, but is it wise
to bind tender twigs with cable ropes?

E. L , NYE.

——«¢—————

BY THE LAW OF CONTRAREES.

 

After all, what easy work it is to bring
up children! How many foolish cares
and anxieties I have borne because of
ignorance! I have always supposed it I
would have my children grow up pure
and noble, I must teach them to-shun all
manner of evil, but now I am told if I
would only bring the evil home to them,
it would shield them from harm. In other
words, if my son desires to play euchre.
if I would not have him a gambler
I must teach him to play the cards myself.
Now I suppose it is on the same princi-
ple that if he has acquired a taste for
strong drink I should buy his liquors for
him, or perhaps have a barrel of cider in
the cellar where he can freely help him
self. only saying to him, “My son, you
must not go into the places where these
things are sold, I will provide the evil for
you myself;” or if he fancies fast horses,
if I would have him escape the dangers
of the race course, I must buy a couple
of racers and speed them with him my-
self, then he will tire of the sport and all
danger will be over. Then there is my
daughter, whom I have taught to beware
of the society of fast young gentlemen
and ladies, when it seems that I should'
have introduced them to her at home,
saying, “Daughter, you may associate

 

with these people in my house, but you
must not go to their houses, or recognize

them upon the street.” Or if she is in-
clined to be rude and unladylike in man-
ner, I must indulge her propensity at
home, expecting her to be polite and re—
ﬁned in society. To what heights of
wisdom shall we ﬁnally attain?

If spirits, as we are told, are permitted
to revisit the earth, with what regret
must poor old King Solomon look back
to the time when he wrote such maxims
as these: “Train up a child in the way
that he should go, and when he is old he
will not depart from it,” and “Foolishness
is bound in the heart of a child, but the
rod of correction shall drive it far from
him;” but he will be pleased to learn that
we of the nineteenth century have found
out that they should read something like
this: “Train up achild in the way he
should not go, and it will be a shield and
safeguard to him, so that when he is old
he will do right, because he is tired of the
wrong way ;” and “Foolishness is bound
in the heart of a child, but you must not
use the rod, for if you do he will be angry
and all the worse afterward.” FAITH.

__.._...+————
FOR THE GIRLS.

Most girls like dainty belongings, and
there is no better test of one’s idea of
daintiness and delicacy‘ than her taste in
perfumes. Too much of any perfume, no
matter how ﬁne, is bad; the odor should
never be perceptible otherwise than in
delicate, intangible, evanescent whiifs,
a fragrance which never obtrudes itself
but is suggested rather than more coarsely
perceptible. Musk, an animal perfume,
is a gross odor, too overpowering to be
agreeable, and positively repulsive to
many. The scent somehow seems as—
sociated with a fat, middle aged, over—
dressed, not too clean woman. The plan
adopted by many ladies is to choose some
favorite odOr, as violet, rose, heliotrope,
verbena—which is more objectionable, as
it suggests Scotch snuﬁ—and always use
it and it alone. By using scent sachets
among one’s belongings, in time a faint,
subtle perfume clings to them, and seems
to become part of the personality of the
wearer. Young ladies now use bureau
sachets, which are made of Silesia, or
if one chooses to go to the expense, of
thin silk, cut to ﬁt the bottom of a drawer,
and completely covering it. Between two
thicknesses of silesia put a thin layer of
cotton thickly sprinkly sprinkled with
orris root, or any sachet powder perferred.
Tack the silesia together at intervals.
Similar sachets are made to ﬁt the bot—
toms of gloves, collar and handkerchief
boxes.

Peacocks’ feathers are so beautiful that
they tempt us to save them, and make us
wish to use them in decorations. We
may decorate a mantle lambrequin in the
following manner: Take twice the
length of the mantle in strips of olive
green felt, cut the desired depth. Fringe
the lower edge by cutting into lines as far
apart as the ruling in a sheet of com-
mercial note paper and the depth of the
sheet. Fold the felt into box pleats an
eighth of a yard broad, alternating with

 

plain spaces of the same width as the box


TH

 

E HOLISEHOLD

 

 

pleat. On every plain space haste a
feather, cutting it 01f where the fringe
begins, so that the “eye” forms the
principal decoration, then tack the
lambrequin to the shelf. Cut a piece of
felt large enough to cover the shelf and
fall over the edge in a narrower fringe
cut as described. This makes asimple
but very effective and stylish adornment.

If you have an oval mirror, hang it ﬂat
against the wall, the longest line of the
oval being horizontal, and surround it
entirely with the eyes of peacocks’
feathers, not lapping, but each showing
distinctly. The beautiful tints form a
lovely background.

If you have a ﬁreplace, a pretty screen
for summer use as a ﬁreboard is made by
cutting two pieces of pasteboard the size
of the opening, and covering one side of
each with peacock blue cambric. Trim
the feathery fringe from some of the
white stems; these are to form the handle
of the screen, and eight or ten will be
needed; if this handle is not strong
enough. make another, to place directly
back of it. Sew the eyes of the feathers
to the outer edge of one of the paste—
board pieces. letting half project beyond
the rim; then sew on another row, letting
each eye be plainly visible; not crowding;
and so on to the centre. Sew the other
piece of cambric covered pasteboard to
this for a back; and fasten the handle
ﬁrmly in place; add a bow of peacock
blue ribbon over the joining. This makes
acharming substitute for the usual dull
“ﬁreboard,” or the asparagus boughs, or
even the box of growing ferns sometimes
recommended for use in the empty ﬁre-

place. B.
—-———...———
CRAZ ES IN GEN [BRAD—TOOTH-
PICKS IN PARTICULAR.

It is time for the spring “ craze ” of
house and yard cleaning, in addition to
all the other crazes. Now I- dislike crazes
of all kinds, and I dislike to clean house,
and often think, when we have ﬁnished
cleaning and have put the last curtain up
and the last freshly “done up” pillow
Shams over the pillows,|“There, how nice
and clean every thing is, I wish the
house would always keep so, and not
have to be torn up again ;” but time rolls
on, and ere one is aware of it the year is
past and it is time for the yearly cleaning
(I take up my carpets but once a year un-
less for some unexpected circumstance.)
In the fall we clean the wood-work and
windows, but this is only one of the
“ sweeping days.” By the way, right
here, I wish to say to E. L. Nye, though
you disdain to put gloves upon your “ lily
white hands ” in sweeping, I think those
girls or women who do are very sensible.
It will in a great measure save those hard
calluses on the inside of the hands. I like
to see nice hands, and if by management
and care, girls “in particular,” can keep
them nice and soft while doing housework,
I think they should, even if they use the
“ ﬁve-cent mop ” to wash dishes, provided
they wash them clean. Many girls who
play the piano and do fancy work are the

 

only help their mothers have; and they

are help, too, do not “ shirk ” out of
sweeping, washing, mopping. or washing
dishes. The disagreeable dirty work is
done cheerfully by them to “save mother,”
and if by any means they can keep their
hands nice, so they are not ashamed of
them when practicing or doing a delicate
piece of embroidery. or in company, they
should be encouraged and commended.

How I have digressed from my subject!
This morning after we had ﬁnished wash-
ing [had the premonitory symptoms of
the “spring craze,” and started out to
clean the yard. I was working away
“ lustily "' when it seemed to me that
Beatrix stood by me and whispered loud—
ly: “You are one of the negligent con—
tributors, take your pen and write quick-
ly. before the symptoms develop into a
fever of cleaning, which cannot be ar-
rested for two full weeks at least.” I put
down my rake and thought I would say
a few words to that “' horrid man,” “ An
Editor.” I fully approve of what Althea
has said. I think it only an absurd fash—
ion to place a glass hat of wooden tooth—
picks upon the table; but what is consid-
ered fashionable, many people follow like
a ﬂock of sheep if one who is considered
authority leads. I know many cultivated
people give them a place upon their
tables, and I attended a church social a
short time ago where the committee were
careful to place them on each table, but
in face of all this evidence of the correct-
ness of the custom, I cannot look upon it
as reﬁned, and shall persist in keeping
them from my table and be an “odd one,”
with Althea. I am quite sure “An Ed—
tor” has ﬁne teeth, and is not ashamed to
show them. If every one around a table
had only ﬁne teeth to (lb-play, then the
custom might be pardoned; but the ones
most likely to use a tooth-pick at table
are those who exhibit broken or decayed
teeth. or vacancies where teeth have been.
Now, Mr. Editor, do you consider it po-
lite to see one, two or three guests as Soon
as they have ﬁnished a meal, and before
others have ﬁnished, take tooth-picks and
commence picking their teeth, even if
they do remember to hold a napkin over
the month, which all do not remember or
care to do? I think if I were obliged
to use a tooth-pick while eating, as some
claim they are, I would ask to be excused,
and would retire where I would not of-
fend others at the table, and remove the
obstacle which had caused me annoyance,
then I would return and ﬁnish the meal
without further attention to my - teeth,
until I could retire to my room and use a
brush.

I am inclined to think if it was the
“craze,” some people would furnish toe-
nail parers, and expect their guests to
use them. I think it would be about as
agreeable a sight to me as picking teeth.

An Editor " wishes the independent
ﬂock, who care for their own cleanliness
and comfort rather than the whines of
fashion or the carpings of critics, to in-
crease.” Amen to that; but let it be in
privacy of their own rooms, with tooth—
brush and water, rather than at table in
public with tooth-picks.

OLD SCHOOL TEACHER.
Trolls“.

 

SOCIETY IN MEHPHIS.

 

Spring has come with a bound, not step
by step. I am walking up and down the
streets in the shadow of maples in full
leaf. The grass in well-kept yards has
tender blades, ﬂowers from the green-
houses adorn the borders; earth looks
young again, but somehow there is no
sparkle in the air. I know now it is the
atmosphere produces the prevalent lan-
guor of manner and slow steps. I, too, am
infected. My limbs feel heavy; I prefer
lying down to sitting up.

.Last week we took a IOng ride in the
suburbs. As very little grain is grown
here, and the heat of the long summers
thoroughly cooks the grass, the ﬁelds do
not present the verdant picture of North—
ern States at this season. Memphis ex-
tends over a wide area. There are many
large, beautiful residences and scores of
daintily pretty cottages dotted along all
the new streets, but to my vision they are
always marred by the presence of a dusky
faee sure to be visible at some window.
The colored race as we ﬁnd them here are
so coarse, so ignorant, so awfully stupid,
that one comes to feel sympathy for them
only as we do for beasts.

There are no large parks or rural re-
treats if we except Elmwood Cemetery,
which appears to be a favorite resort for
many persons, from the mournful fact
that pestilence has shadowed almost every
family in Memphis, and they go there
with pansies and loving thoughts, to deck
the graves of the departed.

The churches are well sustained. We‘

have been attending what is known as the
Strangers’ Church, presided over by a
minister of the Talmage order, who is
quite popular. His Sunday evening talks
are delivered to large congregations.
Going out in the evening without a male
escort, white or black, is, however, a
daring ‘oreacn of established female eti-
quette. There are many handsome ladies
who dress extravagantly in most excellent
taste. I‘heir garments ﬁt exquisitely, and
they are certainly excelled nowhere in the
artistic application of cosmetics. I was
a long time discovering that their com-
plexions would not wash; kept dreaming
that the climate and the moon would re“
store the bloom of youth to my neck and
face.

While there is no outspoken contempt
for labor. there is an evident undercur-
rent of aversion to people who come here
in the capacity of employee. Unhappily
there is no middle class, so that it is a sort
of pioneer life to impecunious Yankees.
We cannot assimilate with the “poor

white trash,” consequently must suﬂfer
spasmodic attacks of homesickness.

I trust my opinions, formed from a nar-
row experience, may not discourage any
one contemplating removing to the South.
It is unquestionably in' the ascending
scale, but Northern people will ﬁnd the
Southern people different in their manners
and customs, allot which becomes more
apparent after a few months’ residence.
We all know that time and patience ad-
just everything. even habits of thought
are moulded to the surroundings.

“ The heart aye’s the part aye
That makes us right or wrong."

DAFFODILLY.
Mnxrms, Tenn

 


 

&

THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

JUST BEYOND OUR REACH.

[Paper read by Mrs. R. D. Palmer before the
Norvell Farmers’ Club, March 27th.]

It is much more satisfactory and
pleasant to always look on the bright
side, and not go moaning and groaning
among our friends. because things in the
future look rather blue, if it is not within
our power to make them any better. A
good many of our misfortunes and
troubles lose their sting at a nearer view,
and when we come to hear them, and we
may even be led to rejoice that they were
no worse. But not so with the bright and
beautiful, and the pleasures of this life.
They look much more beautiful and at-
tractive when we look at them from a
distance, for then we fail to see their im-
perfections; but how we long to grasp
them, when they are just beyond
our reach! How beautiful the ﬂowers
that are beyond our power to
possess. We may have some in our
yard that are just as lovely, but we
become familiar with them and they do
not aw+ken our love for the beautiful,
like the ﬂowers that are just beyond our
reach. With what delight one will work
to obtain a water lily, when it is just out
of reach. The most beautiful and tempt-
ing fruit is almost sure to grow on the
topmost branch; and how delicious and
tempting seem the clusters of grapes that
are just beyond our reach, or perhaps are
growing on our neighbors’ vines; with
what delight children look forward to the
time when they shall grow up to take our
places, and how we older ones puzzle
our brains over the unseen future.

Life at its best is very short. then why
this hurry and rushing onward? We
have no promise of tomorrow; “ only to-
day is thine, wisely improve it.” Some
are dissatisﬁed with self, and are reaching
after some other person’s gifts and
privileges, failing to see that\ they are
only ﬁtted for the little corner that they
are placed in; but I will say, if you wish
for more room, do all you can that is
within your reach, and you will have no
reason to complain of lack of occupa-
tion; for without personal effort, we will
be dwarfs in mind as well as body. Look
not with regret in the past, for it is be—
yond your power to bring it back, but go
forth to meet the future with good reso-
lution. and without fear. And let wis-
dom govern all your acts if you hope to
win success, and show that life need not
be a failure, and it may not be beyond
your reach to become one of earth’s
noblest workers. The greater the
privileges misimproved, the more terrible
the doom.

Obedience is the test and proof of love,
and all our strength and enjoyment are
Conditional on this. When we have
neglected a chance for bettering our
fellow man, we may even be led to weep
for blessings lost, but we cannot recall
the past; that is beyond our reach. There
is much advice given to parents on how
to keep the children within the fold, but
not much said about the children’s duty
in helping to make the home pleasant,
that father and mother may enjoy its
pleasures. How many daughters have

 

grown up under the mother’s watchful
care, reﬁned and educated, and are con-
sidered the ladies of the house, doing
only the clean and nice work, for fear
they will soil their hands or dress, while
the mother does all the heavier work and
drudgery! The care of the family proves
too much for her, and at a time when
they least expect it, the mother is through
with this life, and is carried to her last
resting place. The daughter can then see
where she might have spared that motl. er
in many ways, when it is beyond her
reach, but oh, if she could have mother
back, how pleasant she would make the
home for her! How many daughters,
trained in our public schools, might and
ought to be of use to their father in help-
ing him to keep his accounts, and in
many other ways. The father of a large
family, who toils hard all day at farm
labor that his dear ones may be fed,
clothed and educated, should have a nice
cosy place, where he could rest in the
evening, in an easy chair, and enjoy his
weekly paper or some good book. Girls,
help your parents in every possible way,
and make home cheerful; kind words
and deeds do not cost much, and they
never give reason for regrets. Children
should exert as great an inﬂuence on their
parents, as parents do on their 'children;
do not neglect these little acts of kind-
ness until it IS beyond your power to per-
form them.

Some parents who have formed habits
of intemperance, when everything else
has failed, have been reformed by their
children, but those cases are few. How
we should watch over our little ones, that
nothing is thrown in their way to give
them a love for the intoxicating cup, for
it is claimed that some acquire this taste
while yet 1n the nursery, while othei's in—
herit it. Mothers, be careful of your
little ones, and while very young, teach
them principles of total abstinenCe. For
why should they ever be exposed to the
vice that destroys so many of our youth,
and blasts the hopes of fond parents.
Can we say we have done all that we
could, to place that temptation beyond
their reach? Some of our leading pro--
fessional men, who would have been
blessings to society, when they took their
ﬁrst glass never thought of the down-
ward road that they were entering, until
they were going fast down the hill, and
then to reclaim their steps, they ﬁnd
just beyond their reach. And so with a
thousand of the other evils that we give
way to; they become our masters, and We
do not ﬁnd it out until too late, that we
have sold ourselves to a debasing habit.
But if we have atrust in Christ, how
beautiful and wonderful is the working
of that unseen power, that will keep us
from temptation, and lead us up to the
very throne of God; and without Christ
this would be just beyond our reach.
This faith will keep us, though it may be
unseen by our brother man, and we may
be swept on with the grand procession
of human life and events; and may we
not, With this ﬁrm trust in God, let our
lives be such that we may lay hold of
other souls, and draw them in with us as

 

we rush onward to our glorious destina-
tion, that haven of rest; when if we
trusted in our own good works, or our
own strength, it would be jusa beyond
our reach.

--——-———-90

 

HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

AN exchange says that salt thrown up—
on anything that is burning and smoking
on the stove, as when something boils
over, will stop the smoke and odor.

 

IN Italy dried tomatoes are a popular
dish. The-fruit is left on the vines until
mature, then wiped clean and pressed
through stout bags of coarse muslin,
which allows the pulp to pass through
but retains the seeds and skins. The
pulp is then dried on plates. It makes a
delicious soup, and can be cooked as can-
ned tomatoes if properly soaked.

 

THE American Cultivator calls attention
to a common source of “tiredness” in
housekeeping. That journal says:

“By some inscrutable law, evidently as
immovable as those of the Medes and
Persians, every table is made of exactly
the same height, and all women in the
world, whether tall or short. are expected
to work at the table as it is made. To
avoid the evident backache that comes
with a constant stooping posture, the
height of the working-table should be
elongated so that it will be possible to do
all work, such as irouing, mixing doughs
and preparing any kind of food, in a
perfectly upright position. This will do
away with the constant strain on the
muscles across the small of the back,
w‘nich causes so much trouble to the great
army of women workers and wears them
out before their time. It is an easy mat.-
ter to lessen this fatigue; a set ,of blocks
under the legs of the kitchen table, mak-
ing it exactly the height required, is a
simple remedy, and one that can be fur-
nished by the quick-handed father and son
in any house. Then a stool, just the
right height, should be placed beside it,
so the tired worker may sit at the table
whenever the work permits, and give
additional rest to back and limbs.”

This is excellent advice, and our house-

keepers will do well to. heed it.
.__«._—

THE editor takes the liberty to quote a
few lines from a private note from Mrs.
R. D. P., whose essayr appears in this
issue. because it so excellently illustrates
the truth that what we often consider
impossibilities, need but courage to attack
them, to become possibilities. She says
“ Our farmers’ club numbers about forty.
We meet the last Saturday in e sch month,
At each meeting we have one or two
essays read by the ladies. When we ﬁrst

organized four years ago, not one of the .

ladies thought they could write. But
now over half of them take a part in
writing for the club.” 80 too, some who
were very certain they could never, no,
never, write for the HOUSEHOLD are now
numoercd among its most valued con-
tributors.

———-——-¢o¢————-

Contributed Recipes.

GRAHAM CRACKERS.—Half cup sugar; half
cup butter; one cup buttermilk; half cup of
cream; one teaspoonful soda; Graham ﬂour
sufﬁcient to knead very hard, and roll very thin.
Cut in squares. MRS. A. C. G.

Paw PAW .

