
 

 

 

 
   
 

 

 

DETROIT, FEBRUARY 8, 1888.

 

 

THE HOUSEHOLD-"Supplement.

 

0 UR 0 WN.
If I had known in the morning
How wearily all the day
The words unkind
Would trouble my mind
I said when I went away;
I had been more careful, darling,
Nor given you needless pain;
But we vex ‘ our own "’
With look and tone
We may never take back again.

For though in the quiet evening
I may give you the kiss of peace,
Yet it might be
That never for me
The pain at the heart should cease,
How many go forth in the morning
That never come home at night i
And hearts have been broken,
By harsh words spoken,
That sorrow can ne‘er set right.

We have careful thought for the stranger

And smiles for the sometime guest,
But oft for “ our own ”
The bitter tone

Though we love “ our own ” the best.

Ah! lips, with curse impatient;

Ah! brow with that look of scorn;
’Twere a cruel fate
Were the night too late

To undo the work of the morn,

_.——...——_._

“WHY WOULD SHE DO IT?”

 

I confess to a feeling of regret when I
read that Miss Alice Freeman, graduate of
Michigan University and late President of
Wellesley College, was about to be married.
It seems a pity when a woman has won
such a'proud place for herself, that she
should resign it to get married. One can
get married almost any day—that’s no trick
at all, but to be president of a college, now
that is distinction! I liked to think of Miss
Freeman as resembling Tennyson’s “ Prin-
cess,” fair and gracious, surrounded by a
galaxy of “ sweet girl graduates ” upon
whom her serene presence should shed a re-
ﬁning, ennobliug radiance. To be sure
she’ll be as sweet and charming as Mrs. as
she was as Miss, but yet with a difference.
Unmarried, she stood as an example of
what a woman might attain for herself; an
independent, useful, happy existence, 3. re-
sponsible place creditably ﬁlled.

Love is more than fame, it would seem;
for all the educational world would know
the president of Wellesley, whereas but a
select coterie would ever hear of the wife of
a professor, even though he hail from Har-
vard. But that’s the way with us women;
we toil and struggle and reach the goal of
our ambition, only to tumble into the arms
of the ﬁrst man who says “come down.”
‘ To be sure we are better for the struggle and

 

its inﬂuences upon our character, better for
the wisdom and the discipline; perhaps hap.
pier for the love and the domesticity, since
they insist woman is the light of home; but
after all, how much work there is for wo.
man that only her free hands and mind can
do. And so I say that after all “ a pity ’tis
tis true ” so able an educator as Miss Free-
man should retire from the position she ﬁll-
ed so ably, even to assume the high duties
of wife. BEATRIX.

LETTERS.

 

Some has said that letter writers, as well
as poets, were born, not made, but in these
days no one need despair of attaining some
degree of proﬁciency in any art, and there
is nothing which gives more pleasure to our-
selves and friends than the ability to write
a “real letter;” one which is not above the
level of our daily life, but reﬂects the sim-
ple duties, trials and thoughts that make
its round. They are the white messengers,
ﬂying over mountain and sea, from heart to
heart, making us feel there is no real ab-
sence from those we love.

Most young peOple shrink from writing a
letter because they feel that it is expected
be a very wise and elaborate affair, and
when another age is reached, another mis-
take occurs, for they come to look upon any
missive containing an address, signature
and stamp as worthy the name of a letter;
whether it contains a single line of interest
to its recipient or not. Who of us has
not watched and wished for these letters
and then laid them down with more dissat-
isfaction than ever. for beyond the fact that
the writer is alive and well we know
nothing. An important item in the train-
ing of a child ought to be that of thinking
about what he writes, and whether it will
be of interest to those who read. The peri-
od of youth and love-making once past; the
most of us drop everything but business
correspondence, and drift away from com-
panionship which has been, and still would
continue to be, a great pleasure and help to
us. Even our dearest friends are neglect-
ed and often brothers and sisters, parents
and children let a long silence fall between
them, just because they are “out of the prac-
tice of writing.” “My boys cannot get over
death of their father” said a friend. “They
seem to miss him more and more.” Those
“boys” were all men who had been away
from home for years, and so accustomed to
absence that I wondered how they could
miss him much; and said so. “Oh yes,”
responded the mother, “But he always
wrote to them every week.”

What a lesson this seemed, and how it

 

showed that affection . and sympathy can
be kept strong through the medium of the
pen.

We all know how often a correspondence
between young people will awaken love.
Why should it not be just as able to keep
awake the old loves and give as much joy
to the parent or grand-parent as to roman-
tic youth?

We leave much behind with our early
years which we might carry with us, even
to old age, if we only thought and willed
it so, and I think that by clinging to our
pen, we keep the key to many pleasures.

“Of all the parables. day by day,

That thrill the heart of this life of mine;
Making strange and beautiful sign

Of gracious meaning in common way—
The very bligthest and dearest thing

Is the sound in the house of the Postman‘s
ring.

THOMAS. A. H. J.

———‘.._—
WASHING.

 

I want to say a few words in regard to
washing, hoping my way may help some
farmers’ wives with this hard work. Wash-
ing in winter is not a pleasant task; in that
season we wash only once in two weeks.
Two years ago I would have been shocked
at the idea of letting my washing go over.
Our family consists of seven persons; we
all wear the red ﬂannel undergarments,
and Ido not want them washed any oftener.
Of course we have a large washing in two
weeks, but manage to get it out of the way
by dinner time.

Iput the white clothes a-soak the day
before; in the morning we wring them out
and pound them well in a hot suds, and put
them on to boil. Let boil ten minutes.
good and hard; then, if any need it, rub
them a little, they will need it only on
hands and much soiled spots. You see I
use a pounding barrel; I like it better than
any washing machine I ever saw. Some
of the best machines may be as good as the
barrel and pounder, but not any better;
then look at the difference in cost. A
neighbor of mine bought a machine on the
installment plan and it took her nearly all
summer to pay for it; then after borrowing
my barrel afew times she concluded she
liked that better than her machine.

I am quite particular about having my
ﬂannels washed as quickly as possible, as it
shrinks them badly to leave them long in
the water. My ﬂannels do not fade or
shrink. I make a good suds before put-
ting the ﬂannels in water, pound them
quickly, take them into warmer water in
the tub and rub them quickly, using very
little, if any soap, then hang right up.
Never use water that has been used in

  


2

 

    

THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

washing other clothes; they will not be so
nice. I wash the ﬂannel last, after the
other washing is done.

I wish readers of the HOUSEHOLD would
try my way; I am sure they would ﬁnd it a
great saving of labor. It always seems a
very hard way to put the dirty clothes in
dry and rub them clean by main strength.
Itry to do my work as easily as I can and
do it well; I think we ought to study to
save ourselves work, then we can have time
to read and get out to see our friends. I
try to enjoy life all I can, and believe we
can manage our work so as to do a great
deal and have no confusion about it. I see
no reason why farmers’ wives cannot enjoy
life as well as any class of people. There
is only one thing 1 begrudge my city sisters
and that is their church privileges and op-
portunities of hearing lectures, etc.

CLABKSTON. AUNT MARY.

W—

WHAT WE THINK.

 

We believe Evangeline a very capable
housekeeper, well ﬁtted for an immense
amount of hard work and much that is su-
perﬂuous. She has her ﬁne qualities, but
like many more of us poor women, is not
infallible.

Now I should say that a mother who
would put off teaching her daughter the
common and simple duties of life, until she
is on the eve of marriage, had neglected
that daughter beyond all forgiveness. It is
like Some teachers’ work; put off and neg-
lect the proper drilling of her pupils till a
few days before examination and then
“cram” the pupils with so much that they
know nothing well. The excuse that
Hetty had always been in school is no rea-
son at all; even though she adds “and the
vacations were mostly taken up with com-
pany and a round of pleasure.”

Housekeeping cannot be lee rned in
a few months, and in the mean
time make one’s wardrobe and attend
to all other preparations for marriage; it
may sound well to novices,but to an experi-
enced person savors of nonsense—we who
are sober-minded, know Evangeline is
teaching false doctrine and making other
mothers and daughters who read her arti-
cles, to stumble.

J ulia Ward Howe in the February Chau-
tauquan, says: “We must learn by experi-
ence that there is no royal road to any of the
intrinsic goods of life. Only sparing the
child some tears, some pains, we may pre-
pare the way for far more bitter tears and
pangs hereafter.”

If Hetty does not shed most bitter tears
over her ignorance of house-wifery, it will
be because Harry is the most careful of men
to smooth over the rough places for her.

No, we must have different doctrines
from Evangeline’s taught our daughters be-
fore there are fewer divorce suits in our
courts.

Another point I object to very much, is
too elaborate “bills of fare” for any ordin-
ary occasion. Just listen to this: “For
dinner to-day we have roast mutton, sweet
and Irish potatoes, boiled corn, boiled
onions, Estelle pudding and melons. For
supper: rusks, peaches and cream, baked
pears, sliced tomatoes, cold ham, ginger

onade. For breakfast: fried sweet potatoes,
minced ham on toast and poached eggs,
coffee,sngar cookies and soda wafers,grapes
and muskmelons and graham gems.”
Now, if. these are not too absurd for any-
thing as bills of fare for a common table on
a farm, then I am no judge. No wonder
Hetty never had the heart to help if this has
always been her modus operandi! I say it
is worse than a simple error to teach this
mode of housekeeping; it is a positive
sin. Think of the thousands of poor over-
worked house-wives, who would be posi-
tively killed if they accepted her teaching
and attempted to put it into practice!
I actually saw the evil of such teaching
in one family. The mistress of the house
had been perusing the HOUSEHOLD, and
had commented upon Evangeline’s bill of
fare. Monday she set about following her
tuition; amidst the hurry of washing and
mopping. she ﬂew around and prepared
two or three kinds of vegetables, besides
potatoes, and tried to emulate Evangeline
in other respects. Now if all women had
minds of their own such teachings would do
no harm,but we know there are many women
who always want to do just as some one
else does, instead of having a mind to do
what is right and doing it though the heav-
ens fall.

Further, from a hygienic point of view
Evangeline is wrong—even though her
viands are wholesome and not incom-

invites people to eat much more than is
necessary, and even so much that it is posi-
tively hurtful.

with a simple meal.
sauce for life to any woman who has them
to cock for.

well boiled potatoes and a strip

who is blessed with a healthy appetite.”

ﬂing with alcoholic beverages. No!

being—one soul! T.

GREEN OAK.
__—....————-——

A SORROWFUL CASE.

 

friend, a good husband and fither.

the complaint.
me and give me some food; I need it sore! y?”
“Certainly I will, come in and take a seat,”

 

drops and fresh tea-cake, iced tea and lem-

 

  

patible one with another, a great variety

Children’s appetites be-
come perverted even while they are at their
mothers’ table, and they are never satisﬁed
They become a nui-

Miss Parloa says: “A dish of
of
boiled codﬁsh, together with rice or corn-
starch pudding, ought to satisfy anybody

I cannot close without bidding Evange-
line to think of the ether mothers who may
be made to shed bitter tears of sorrow over
the once pure boy who has now lost his
manly and Spiritual beauty, through tri-
Let
me live on bread and water rather than pam-
per my palate at the risk of even one human

Some time ago there came a timid, falter-
ing knock at my door, and on opening it.
I saw a. man whose ﬂushed face, bleared
and staring eyes, and unkempt appearance
generally, told the tale that he had tarried
long at the wine or with some form of the
alcoholic ﬁend. He was a man I had known
and reSpected in earlier and better days,
when he was a good workmm, a genial

“Madam, I have been doing wrong again,”
said he, as he uncertainly lifted his battered
hat, with the instinctive air of a gentleman,
“ but I am hungry and so nervous,” and
his trembling frame attested the truth of
“ Will you please excuse

 
 

and quickly food was placed before him.
He ate eagerly, but a small amount suf-
ﬁced. The weakened stomach could bea
but little. Suddenly he lifted his hand
above his head, and bringing them together
with a wringing motion he exclaimed, “ Oh
my God, how can I bear this degradation
and yet I have brought it on myself! Ohlf
madam, you knew me when the world
looked bright to me, when friends were
around me, and when the future seemed to
offer me every delight. I had a dear wife
and sweet babe:. I had a happy home
with pleasant surroundings; I worked with
a merry heart for my loved ones, and we
were supremely happy. I loved fun and
jolly company, and often spent my even-
ings in the bar-room or saloon with good fel-
lows, drinking and telling stories, having a
good time, but going home early and sober,
At least, Icould walk and talk straight.
and was sure all was well. I could drink
or I could let it alone, I said, and thought
so, but alas, a time came when I found 1
could not. I tried to stop, but oh, the folly!
I would keep entirely away for atime, but
the terrible craving in my stomach would at.
times overwhelm me, temptation was on
every side, and ﬁght as I would, in a mo-
ment of weakness appetite would triumph,
and I would grovel in the dust again. You
remember, madam, that at last my wife left,
me, taking the two children with her. She
has gone to her rest, and one of the little
ones too, but I never hurt them, never struck
them; true, I never did that, but oh the
shame, neglect and degradation!

“Do you think that I do not feel the
shame? Do you think that l willingly lose
my manhood and bring shame, trouble and
want on my loved ones and friends! Oh,
no, no, no! How often Ihave thought I
will reform; how often 1 have tried and
have kept upright for months, working and
ﬁghting my propensities, until I have
hoped I was conqueror, when I would get a
sight or smell of the poison, and in a mo-
ment I was powerless, and would go raging
foradrink. How I have suffered; how 1
have prayed my Maker to help to overcome
my besetting sin! how I have wrixhed un-
der the lash of desire! how I have struggled

and battled and failed.
“1 have been jeered at, mocked, tempt-

ed, advised, helped, encouraged, condemned,
abandoned and despised. I am grateful for
the kindness shown me, and the good
advice given, though I am incapable of
showing it by my acts. I have fallen to
the lowest deeps, have deceived my best
friends, lied to them and stolen from them
to get the means to gratify my debased and
depraved appetite. Yet,” and the tears
coursed in torrents down his cheeks, “I
can never forget what i was, nor what I am.
0'1 the torture of conscience, the terrible
torture of fully real‘zing the fact that I,
once so pure, honest and proud, am now
only a poor, lost drunkard. Bat, madam,
pity me, I know I am myself only to blame.
I have only gratitude for kindness, with
no desire to excuse myself by accusing
others of leading or persuading me to this.
It is I only who am to blame, and I only
must meet the fearful reckoning.
“ But, madam, when you see a poo

drunkard, pity him for his weakness, hi
Only one thing more

 

misery and despair.

 

 


 

 

 

THE HOUSEHOLD.

    

 

8

 

a

 

madam, tell it everywhere, tell it loudly,
make it known that there is no safety for
any who tamper with evil. Tell it to the
young, you will be lost if you touch it. Let
it alone. Oh if every drop could be de-
stroyed, there would be hope for even me.
Thank you kindly, madam. Good by.”

INGLESIDE. A. L. L.
———-¢ov———

A BRIGHT SHINE.

I have just been reading Beatrix's letter
on “ Good Advice.” I wish girls could
have the good sense to understand and ap-
preciate every word of that letter, and then
apply some of the “ will ” force that
Florence, of Saline, tells of ; how much bet-
ter off the gills of the present, and the
women of the future would be!

This life was not given us for amusement
only, or to do what we like best, 'cr those
things most congenial, but to do what we
can to make others happy, to relieve those
about us who are overburdened with labor
or cares; and that is really the only way to
be happy.

So, Henpecked Husband, you see how
much happier you will be if you get up and
build the ﬁres, and bring the water, besides
getting up such an appetite for your break-
fast that I think wheat would advance a
fraction of a cent a bushel, “if there were
enough like you;” what a good thing that
would be, to the board of trade if no one else.

I am of the opinion “Henpecked Hus-
band” is a bit of a fraud, and is trying to
stir up a quarrel in the HOUSEHOLD, but
you see, the ladies are all too amiable, or
have too much of more importance to do.

E. R. S., of Paw Paw, says chocolate is
as cheap as coffee. Chocolate with us is
ﬁfty cents per pound; Java coffee can be
bought for thirty-ﬁve cents per pound; one
ounce of chocolate will make two cups; one
ounce of coffee will make three cups of good
coffee, and to my taste chocolate needs
double as much sugar as coffee.

Beatrix says, “Tell us how you do some
things.” It has been suggested by my
friends that I tell the HOUSEHOLD how I
care for, or take care of my stoves. I tried
washing my cook stove, not in the kettle
that my vegetables were cooked in, as I
have seen people do, but took the wash
basin; well, of all the nasty things that
basin and cloth and my hands were about
the nastiest. I thought it was because my
stove was not used to being washed. I
tried it the next morningand the next, then
threw the rag in the ﬁre, cleaned the basin
again, and my hands, which were as hard
to clean as after blacking the stove, and my
stove was a thing of beauty no more. I
then went back to the old way of blacking
it, and since I have learned my present
way, I consider it very little trouble to keep
it nice. After the stoves are thoroughly
blacked; every morning when ready to
clean my stoves, I take my dish with part
of a cake of blacking in, and turn in about
three tableSpoonfuls of water, toucu my
brush in the water, (I use an paint brush)
then rub it on the blacking to get just
enough on it, and then black the top where
the blacking burns Off, and rub any place
where there is a Spot that will not run off
with the polishing cloth, touch no other
place with the brush, but rub over the

    

whole stove with the polishing cloth, giving
as much or as little time to this as you

choose. When the range has been gone
over with the polishing cloth alone, go to
the sitting room stove, and rub over that; it
is but a triﬂe more than wiping off the
dust, and yet the stove grows brighter and
brighter; the more it is rubbed the more it
shines. Except where the ﬁre comes in
contact, it needs no blacking only what
comes from the polishing cloth. In cold
weather we have such-a hot fire in the
morningthat the top burns red, then the
blacking must be put on when the stove is
hot, if too cool the blacking will not strike,
and if too hot it will roll off; a little practice
will soon show how to do it just right. I
use the same cloth to wipe off the nickel
plate. I have a large woolen cloth fora
polishing cloth, usually a sleeve from an old
woolen coat; it must be folded up so the
whole can be controlled under the hand;
no ends must ﬂy to ﬁll the room with
blacking dust. One can be as neat about
cleaning stoves as about any other work.
Do not try to polish the top, only nuke it
as black as possible with the brush. Twice
a year I take the nickel plates off and wash
in soap and hot soft water.

I wonder if any of the HUSEHOLD
ladies have read Amelia Barr’s stories; they
are above par in every respect; those that I
have read are “Jan Vedder’s Wife,” “ The
Daughter of Fife,” and “A Border Shep-
herdess.” Edna Lyall is also a new writer
to me, her books are about as good as those
just named. I have read “ Won by Walt-
ing,” “Donovan” and “We Two.” Those
of you who like a well written story try
either of them. I have read “ Prisoners of
Poverty,” by Helen Campbell; I never
read anything that made me feel sostrongly
the desire to do some home missionary
work; but alas! it is like trying to grasp the
side of a rock so large you can not see over
it; she also wrote a very good story, “Mrs.
Henderson’s Income,” showing h)w one
woman gave her time and money for and
to the poor.

“El See” seems like an old acquaint-
ance, her name was a. familiar one in an-
other HOUSEHOLD. On the strength of
that acquaintance, I will tender my sincere
sympathy. I have had sorrows. but I have
some one left to sympathize with me, and
prevent me from feeling that I am left
alone. “Alone!” what a sad word!

ALBION. M. E. H.

___._...—_.

TOBOGGAN CAPS.

Beatrix says she misses “her girls,” so I
once more write to the HOUSEHOLD to let
her and the readers know that I still read
the little paper with interest. I wonder if
it is too late to tell how we made toboggan
caps to wear to school this winter. We
ripped some old hoods apart and made a
dye by boiling butternut shucks nearly half
a day and after washing the hoods, boiled
them in the dye, airing often. Then we
gathered the bottom and back of the hood
for the top of the caps and made pompous
of the cape. We colored some soiled white
and very light ribbons in adye made by
boiling yellow oak bark and alum, and now

 

have very pretty brown caps tied with yel-

low ribbons, with bow of same and pom-
pons.
Here are directions for a ruche that is
quite a favorite among our school girls:
Material for about ﬁve ruches, one-half
skein white Saxony 'yarn, or any color pre-
ferred) and one ball tinsel. For one ruche
make a chain the required length. First
row, chain 5 treble crochet in 3rd stitch of
chain, *, ch 2, skip 2 stitches, tr. crochet in
next stitch, *, repeat from star to star to
end of the chain. 2nd and 3rd rows same
as ﬁrst. You now have three rows of
squares; to make the ruffle make three
treble crochet in the side of ﬁrst square,
three treble crochet in bottom of ﬁrst
Square, three treble crochet in opposite
side of ﬁrst square, three treble crochet in
top of next square, three treble crochet in
opposite side of second square, and so on to
rid of ruche. Sew the tinsel on to the
edge of the ruffle. I hOpe I have made this
plain, as it makes a cheap and pretty ruche
for school.

I very much wish to hear from Temper-
ance, and Georgiana, of Muir.

OKEMOS. VIOLET.

————.¢._____

HOME TALKS.

N0. XVII.

The summer has. passed all too quickly,
Hetty, I shall miss you more than Ican tell;
for aside from being my “ right hand man ”
you have shown such a willingness and
desire to learn and understand thoroughly,
that it has made the most d'ﬁicult tasks
seem easy, and Ifeel that your new home
will be a home in every respect, for you
will take into it a well balanced head, a
loving and sympathetic heart, and the dis-
cipline of a liberal education.

I have read that it was not only a positive
duty, but an absolute morality to be agree-
able in the family circle, that it is incum-
bent upon every husband and wife to make
a home life instructive and helpful, so
whatever information we can glean from
books and papers and previous study. we
must not retain, but impart to those around
us. A well stored mind is truly a source of
inexhaustible wealth to its owner. This is
well illustrated at meal time, “for then if.
ever witticisms scintillate, the friction of
mind against mind is stimulating, and
a genial ﬂow of spirits results.” One
writer says one should indulge in at least
three hearty laughs during a meal to aid
digestion. I have eaten where the blessing
was invoked in silence, the food partaken
of with hardly a remark ventured by any
one. To my way of thinking the best
cooked food is lacking in something, in
such a case . In a great many homes that is
the only time in the whole day that the en—
tire family are all together, and the hus-
band naturally looks forward to it with
much pleasure. Certainly the wife should
exert herself to make it just as agreeable
and social as lies in her power, than when
he buttons on his coat and goes out in the
cold to his place of business, how pleasant
and bright the memory he carries with him.

Some women think that the way to retain
their husbands’ affections and sympathies
is to constantly complain—the headache, or

 

backache-any thing so they can grumble


S 4

THE HOUSEHOLD.

  
 

 

and slouch around in an old ragged dress,
the house in disorder; there is no use in
talking; the chances are that he will soon
draw comparisons between his wife and a
friend’s w.fe who is always well, and walks
down to the store with him every day. As
Lucile says,
“ The woman who loves should indeed
Be the friend of the man that she loves; she
sl: ouid heed
Not her selﬁsh and often mistaken desires,
But his interest, whose fate her own interest
inspires;
And rather than seek to allure for her sake,
His life down the turbulent, fanciful wake,
Of impossible destinies, use all her art,
That h’s place in the world ﬁnd its place in
her heart."
There are so many that start in married
life with the brighest anticipations, that
seem to have such an afﬁnity, that seem
destined by Nature for each other, who
make ashipwreck of their lives, and the
world looks on and says knowingly, " I told
you so, she’s to blame, don’t know how to
manage and make home the most attrac-
tive place in the world.” There is nothing so
comforting and encouraging to a wife, who
studies the welfare of her husband and
strives earnestly to do the best she can in
her home, as an occasional manifestation
that her efforts are appreciated; a word of
praise or a kiss has a magical effect some-
times. But some men think it would de-
tract from their dignity to do such a thing
as to kiss their wives, though he might have
been quite affectionate while a lover, and
while talkative enough while out among
men can sit a whole evening at home in
silence. The future lies all before us, Hetty
the past has gone beyond recall; all we have
is the present. Get all the pleasure and
the good and comfort and happiness you
can to-day. While we cannot reasonably
expect to ﬁnd perfection on earth, never
lose faith in humanity. There is seldom a
person created but has some good quality,
and if it ever overbalances the bad, why
give him credit for it.

No matter how hurried you may be, never
leave your room mornings without combing
your hair, and putting on a collar and clean
apron; these with a zood print dress and
tidiiy dressed feet will make you presenti-
ble, no matter who comes in; slack slovenly
habits while seemingly the easiest should
never be tolerated, for once begun it is al—
most impossible to overcome them. Always
try to look your best and appear your best,
and it will become second nature; don’t
have spasmodic ﬁts of ﬁxing up and setting
things to rights, be orderly in small things
as well as large. While I believe in a
woman visiting a reasonable amount, lhave
no patience with a “ gad about.” Take for
instance women who go every evening and
afternoon f or six consecutive weeks, perhaps
their pantries will bear inspection, and per-
haps their weekly mending is all done up
good, but the probabilities are that back of
the door the shelves are not in apple pie
order, and the children’s clothes are minus
buttons. So many, Hetty, think their mis-
sion is a long way off, they work so hard to
snatch somebody’s soul from the everlast-
ing ﬁre, that they entirely forget their
immediate household, wherein some mem-
ber may be going entirely wrong; that’s an-
other freak of woman nature, reaching out

and treatment of plants, and I can give

ber to add the county, or they may travel,as

near by. There are many opportunities to
elevate mankind near home, no use in put-
ting down others for what we are guilty of
ourselves, everybody is not lucky enough to
cover up their tracks. We all have short-
comings, so let’s not begrudge our charity,
we all need some. You will always ﬁnd
your mother’s heart beating in unison with
yours, in your happiness or in your sorrows.
Always do as well as you can, as well as
you know how to do, and leave the rest in

higher hands. EVANGELINE.
BATTLE CREEK.

(The End.)
-———-ooo——-———
AMONG THE FLOWERS.

 

I have before me a card requesting me to
give instruction in regard to the treatment
of several varieties of plants which the wri-
ter has failed in bringing foward satisfac-
torily. One is a Freesia, a richly perfumed
and altogether lovely ﬂower, from tiny b'ulbs
which should have been planted in October
if not favored with greenhouse culture, as
they are not hardy and cannot endure chill
or frost as can the hyacinth, tulip, lily,
etc. This has been the trouble with the
bulbs referred to, which should have been in
bloom before this; they were kept too cold
and wet, when they should have given bot-
tom heat. Although I have seen articles
by one ﬂoral writer recommending a cool
cellar for the root development, I still am
sure that like the tuberose they require
warmth, moisture, and rich mellow soil,and
their fragrance and beauty make ample re-
turns for the care given them. Carnations
expected to bloom in winter have given
trouble to another correspondent, who I
think has given too warm a berth to her
pets, hence the “hundreds of green lice.”
Carnations are easily injured by too much
watering. Wash them, both plants and
pots, clean in ammoniated water: give
’good drainage and air in abundance. If
necessary remove a part of the soil and re-
place with rich black mixture of sharp sand,
rotten manure and woods soil, and there is
no reason left for not having those delight-
ful ﬂowers if the varieties are all right.
Such beautiful carnations as I saw at the
ﬂorists’ in Detroit (Mr. Mattison) and
again in East Saginaw,were worth going to
see, and the beautiful roses looked so de-
lightfully summery, I longed for June’s
bright days and odorous breath.

Leaves falling from geraniums and no
bloom is another complaint from an unsuc-
cessful friend. There are numerous reasons
for the sickly conditions of plants, as re-
cent transplanting, too much_water at the
roots and no spraying. Warm rooms are
not required for geraniums, but light and
air, and mellow, moist soil in clean pots are
the requirements for healthy plants. And
one must have winter blooming varieties for
winter blooming, always. Please be more
explicit in regard to the present condition

more accurate answers.

My friend El See has at least one sympa-
thizer, for 1 have suffered loss somewhat
like hers.

In addressing letters to me please remem-

 

along ways for what we might better grasp

  

many have done before, to Trenton.

friend who sorts mail on the cars assures me
that omitting the county in superscribing is
the most common and troublesome fault he
ﬁnds. .

There are some seeds that require a long
time to germinate, as Glaucium, fraxinella,
passion ﬂower, clematis, crispa, geranium,
and others. I will send a package (f each for
a quarter or a mixture of all for ﬁfteen cents;
my list with a package of wild garden mix-.
ture for two stamps. Sow the slow seeds
in February and March and keep warm and

moist. Mas. M. A. FULLER.
FENTON, Gennsan COUNTY.

—-—«.—_
THE POTATO MASHER.

 

The patent potato masher works upon the
same principle as the lemon squeezer. The
perforated bowl or cup is on the lower
handle and the masher on the upper. The
masher adjusts itself to the cup and the
latter can be removed for washing. Two
cups are furnished, a coarse one and a ﬁne
one, They can be bought now for sixty or
seventy-ﬁve cents; the ﬁrst in the market
sold for $1 25 each.

Will some one describe the ideal pancake?
Should it be thick or thin? At hotels they
are always thin, but I supposed it was a
matter of economy to make the batter go as
faras possible. E. R. S.
Paw Paw.

-——-—‘..———_
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.

 

A New England housekeeper last fall
dried ﬁve pumpkins, weighing 75 lbs. in all,
in her patent drier. She pared the pump-
kins and sliced them thinly, as apples are
sliced for pics. They dried in two days
without scorching, and the 75 pounds of
green pumpkin were reduced to six pounds
of dried. When wanted for use it is soaked
over night and then stewed as usual.

 

COFFEE has somewhat appreciated in
price this winter owing, we are told, to a.
short crop. It is economy to make only just
enough for a meal, for warmed-over coffee is,
as the old darkey woman said, “no ’count
nohow.” But if it is to be warmed over for
any purpose, turn it out into an earthen
bowl; never let it stand in tin or metal of
any kind. And do not spoil the fresh cof-
fee by adding it to that; keep it by itself.
Put it on to heat just before it is wanted,
let it just come to a boil, and then serve. It
is as palatable under such conditions as it
can be made.

———-—-QQ.——___.

Contributed Recipes.

 

SCALLOPED Forums-Pare potatoes and
slice themthin. In a tin basin puta layer
of potatoes, sprinkle with salt, pepper, a little
ﬂour and bits of butter, another layer of po-
tatoes and more seasoning until the basin is
full. Fill the basin half full of sweet milk
and bake half an hour.

FRIED PARSNIPS.-Scrape the parsnips and
boil in salted water until tender, slice them
and fry in hot butter, or dip in a batter made
of one beaten egg and a small tablespoonful
of ﬂour.

SMOTHERED CaBBAGE.—After you have
fried the meat—pork or bacon—cut ﬁne a
small head of cabbage and put it into the

frying-pan. Pour on a very little water, salt

it, cover tight and let stand ﬁfteen or twenty
minutes. Mas. H.

 

A

 

Damon.

 

 

 

 

