
 

 

 

 

DETROIT, JAN. 12, 1889.

 

 

THE HOUSEHOLD-"Supplement.

 

 

JOHN ANDERSON M Y .70.

 

John Anderson my 10, John,
When we were ﬁrst acquent;
Your locks were like the raven,
Your bonnie brow was brent;
But now your brow is bald. John,
Your locks are like the snaw;
But blessings on your frosty pow,

John Anderson my 10.

John Anderson myjo, John,
We clam the hill thegither;

And mony a canty day, John,
We’ve had wi' ane anlther:

Now we mann totter down,John,
But hand in hand we’ll go,

.And sleep thegither at the foot,
John Anderson my 10.

W

THE MOTHER IN SOCIETY.

The fact that the maternal element seems
to be comparatively eliminated from certain
strata of society, especially outside of towns
and cities, is decidedly observable. The
mothers are quite too apt to step out of
society and allow themselves to be rep-
resented by their daughters, as soon as the
latter leave off short dresses. Should some
mothers propose to accompany Mademoiselle
to a party or entertainment, the young
woman who runs the house would probably
inquire, in genuine astonishment, “What
do you want to go for? ” and the question
would be-asked, not through any lack of
love or respect, but because it had never
occurred to her that “ mother ” could pos-
sibly care for society or need recreation, as
well as younger people. Of course it is the
mother’s own fault that this is so often
true. The right to represent the family in
social matters is tacitly relinquished by
those to wion it justly belongs, and
“Young America” is never backward in
seizing the abdicated privilege. Yet I
think it true that parents are going into
society with their young people to a greater
extent than they did ten years ago. It is a
healthful sign, an indication that we are
improving in manners and culture, when
men and women mingle in general society
as ballast to the giddiness of youth, and
give it a “tone” of greater thoughtful-
ness and weight.

Somewhat of this change is due un~
doubtedly to the introduction of the more
ceremonious etiquette of foreign countries,
which recognizes the more mature element
as the real leader in social circles, and
relegates to second place the younger, more
unformed and crude, just released from the
schoolroom. And it is possible that Henry
James’ novel, “ Daisy Miller,” and the
storm of comment and criticism it provoked,

 

has had something to do with bringing
about the change. We have all known
“ Daisy Millers,” so far as utter disregard of
conventional proprieties and disposition to
calmly ignore the mother as having any in-
ﬂuence or standing, socially, are concerned.
And Ihave met as many mothers of the
“Mrs. Miller” type; mothers who are all
tender alarm and solicitude over a triﬂing
illness, but who allow their girls to go and
come, make their own engagements and
acquaintances, and accept men’s attentions
with perfect nonchalance and apparent in-
difference. “Mrs. Miller” and “Daisy”
are invited to dinner: Miss Daisy goes alone,
at her leisure, and her mother comes half
an hour later, meekly apologetic to her
daughter and to the company for having
come at all. So the mother who has oc-
casion to enter the parlor where Made-
moiselle is entertaining her “ beau,”
knocks at the door and excuses herself for
the intrusion, deprecating her daughter’s
displeasure! Oh dear no! all the “Daisy
Millers.” and their mothers don’t get into
the books.

It is strange, when we come to think
about it, that a mother will watch over the
physical well-being of her children with the
greatest care and solicitude, thinking no
fatigue, no sacriﬁce of her own comfort too
great for their sake, during childhood and
early youth, superintending their educttion,
training them in manners, only to seeming-
ly abandon them to “ work out their own
salvation” at the most critical period of
life, a time when they need the most care
and guidance, an invisible restraint which
shall dircct and control with tact and good
judgment. How many well brought up
girls have been ruined because their
mothers had no idea of the company they
were keeping? Ho av much Shlill'd and dis-
grace follow this blind trust that “ it’ll all
come out right- ! ”

it does not imply that a mother doubts
prudence, or honor. or truthfulness, or
thinks she needs watching, because she
takes her pretty daughter under her own
protection. But her prrssncs in society
with her silences gossip, is the antidote to
scandal, and is a restraint -greatly needed
sometimes—upon the exuberant spirits of
young people, who are apt to carry their
overﬂow of mirth beyond due bounds.
There is not a young man living whose
opinion is worth an exhausted tea-leaf, who
does not respect a girl more if she is prop-
erly prized and guarded by her natural pro-
tectors. Girls are like apples; the fairest
and sweetest are those which are just out of
reach, not to be won without an eﬂort.

 

Some one has likened a mother and her
girls to a rose surrounded with half-unfold-
ed buds. The simile is beautiful, but “our
girls” are rarely content to he “buds,”
but assume the rights, the demeanor and
attire of the more matronly " roses."

The feeling between motherand daughter
should be one of good fellowship, sympathy,
and mutual interest. The mother must not
forget she was once young, and that
pleasures she may now feel trivial and un-
satisfactory were very real and charming to
her then; and the daughter should feel that
greater age and experience and knowledge
of the werld give weight and signiﬁcance
to her mother’s words, whether of approve.1
or censure. The mother is not to be “a
dragon,” always in the way of her daugh-
ters’ pleasures, and worst of all, always
watching and repressing them. Bat there is
a golden mean between the espionage of the
French, which never lets a girl out of sight
of her mother or chaperon, and the practi-
cal abandonment of the American mother
of the middle class, who permits her six-
teen-year old daughter to make journeys,
to go off on “excursions,” to celebrations
miles away, with young men—often with
those who are Comparative strangers to her
—to return long after midnight. And I
wonder sometimes, when the mother dons
her nightcap and drops into dreamland, if
she gives one thought to the dangers to
which her child may be exposed. The
daily papers chronicle the results of such
trusts betrayed, inthe ruin of many a good
girl; and dear Madam, it may be your girl
next time, conﬁ lent as you are of her virtue
and prudence. You think, and she says. she
can “look out for herself,” yet all around
us girls as pure and prudent are being
caught in the undercurrent and swept down-
ward through juat such careless conﬁdence
as yours and hers. '

Of course in oar country society, social
forms are less rigidly observed. yet here. as
everywhere, a mother’s social standing
must in a measure determine that of her
daughters; the circle to which she is ad-
mitted is that in which they will move; the
invitations she should, or does, receive, are
those that open doors to her girls. They
gain an added value through her; they are
seen to be worth looking after; they will be
treated more respectfully because of her
presence.

In no other way can a mother obtain such
knowledge of her children’s associates asin
society, and many an undesirable intimacy
or attachment may be repressed, at the be-
ginning, with tact and judgment. which it
left alone will cause pain and regret. You

 


INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE

4

d

v—

THE HOUSEHOLD.

    

 

stinctlvely to see if the clock has stopped.
I knew a young girl once who had but one
presentable dress, yet, though she wore it
day after day, she was always fresh and
sweet. The secret was that at least twice a
week, when she came home from work, she
slipped on an old garment, took her dress
down into the back yard, shook and brushed
it, hung it on the clothesline and left it
there for the air to sweeten and purify. She
said it always “smelled clean” when she
brought it in again. A farmer once brought
a quantity of butter to market, at a time
when that commodity was scarce and in de-
mand. Bat none'of the dealers wanted his,
greatly to his surprise. They “didn't even
want to look at it,” he complained. They
looked at him and that was enough. His
shabby clothes exhaled such an odor of horse
stable, tobacco and an unclean person that
the inference was inevitable that the butter
made on his premises must partake of the
same fragrance. Had they seen him take
the blankets from his horses and throw them
over the packages of butter, as I did, they
would have had a still greater repugnance
to dealing with him. There are not a few
middle-aged men who would be the better
of a little such attention as “ Mrs. Good-
all,” in “Down the Road to Emersons,”
bestowed upon -her husband, when she
scrubbed his ears and the outlying districts
in their vicinity with the corner of the tow-
el before he was allowed to go to church.
I presume there are not a few who would
get as angry over it as did “ Uncle Hiram.”
Same people seem to have such an antipathy
to water i

 

Evangeline seems to have come near to
the secret of getting on peaceably in a
promiscuous world when she asserts her
abilitytoenjoylife without a conﬁdential
friend. That relationship~intimate friend-
ship—is one of the most diﬂicult to sustain
in its integrity. lﬁrppy the woman whose
heart can hold its own bitterness, whose na-
tureie so well controlled that she needs no
conﬁdent for her Joys or sorrows. Her reli-
cence shall spare her much misapprehension,
much disappointment. Hall the troubles that
some up in families, and between husband
. and wife, are fanned into quarrels through

the telling of little things that ought never
to be put into words for another’s ear.
Half the divorces are due to the ill advised
sympathy and partisanship of those who
call themselves the “best friends” of the
parties. If you want peace at home, be
silent about what happens there. Remem-
ber the old Arab saying: “ Thy friend hath
a friend, and thy friend’s friend hath a
friend.” The world will respect the sanc-
tity of your home only so far as you your-
self respect it by your silence. When you
invite comment by telling outsiders your
woes. you must expect to be ” talked over,”
for asEvangeline reminds us. if you cannot
keep a secret which concerns yourself most
nearly, how can you expect others tohdo so?
Some will say, “Oh, I must have some one
to sympathize with me, it is such a relief to
me.” This is simply profound egotism. It
is saying, "I must have some one to talk
to about myself.” And how many, many

timeosucbpeoplehavetoregret their send» .

dense. How-much trouble-they mahofor

 

themselves and for others. They are
“broken reeds” to lean upon, examples
of Solomon’s "fair women without dis-
cretion.” Bumrx.
——-—oo.—-—--—-

SYSTEMATIZE YOUR WORK.

 

How about my good resolutions to write.
regularly and often to the little paper?
But you all know how much easier it is to
preach instead of practise. However, here
I am again.

I’ve had something on my mind to say
fora number of weeks, but have been too
busy among my Christmas wools. 1 want
to tell El See that 1 actually think I have a
great deal better way of taking care of the
stray bits of wrapping twine that come
into the house, than in a scrap-bag. In a
certain corner of my pantry is what is
known in the family as the “string ball.”
As the bits of string come to hand they are
wound on this ball, which is “bits of string”
to the core. When a piece of string is
wanted for anything there it is, ready to
be had without any loss of time, temper or
patience. For you know string put in
loosely together will tangle in spite of you,
and it is so trying to be obliged to stop and
untangle a piece of string when you are in
a hurry; so I think my string ball is a great
improvement on El See’s scrap bag.

I want to tell you something I did for
Christmas, and which was so pretty and
cost so little that I was quite proud of it: I
happened to have two nice bottles alike in
both shape and size, with glass stoppers;
and I thought 1 would like to cover them
for toilet bottles for a gift. But I had no
stray pieces of satin or plush that would do,
and didn’t care to expend much money on
them, so I bought ﬁve cents’ worth each or‘
pink and blue split zephyr—the palest tints
—and crocheted covers for those bottles,
with a scalloped edge for the top drawn in
with cord and tassols of the same, and you
cannot think how pretty they were. I have

.seen them with a crocheted cover of knit-

ting siik, but that costs so much and was
really no prettier or daintier than the ones
I made. The whole thing represented very
little outlay, as the bottles were not regular
orthodox toilet bottles but Seeley’s vanilla
and lemon bottles, which are to be had‘ at
any grocery. ‘

How much one may accomplish it they
are only systematic! I am beginning to
thinkit is more in system than in the
steam-engine sort of way some persons have
of working. 1 have heard women say:
“Dear me, I just work and work all the
time from morning ’til night and don’t get
anything done.” Probably that woman has
worked on the jump all day, and made
enough movements to have accomplished a
great deal if her work had been systematized.
Ten to one she didn’t know when she arose
in the morning what the day’s work was to"
be: had‘nothing planned.

Work needs to be planned ahead from
day to day, and from week to week. If
we would be more regular and systematic
about our work, wewould get time for a
great deal of outside work and amusement,
which some women think is impossible.

Hue you not heard this remark many

times: "Read! WhyI don‘t look into a .

 

book or paper from one week’s end to the
other!” Now Idon’t think there is any
person who cannot ﬁnd time for acertain
amount of reading each day or week if he
will. -

I know a woman who read the Ghau- ,
tauqua Course while taking care of three
small children, doing all her own house-
work and all her own sewing. After read-
ing the Course she went right to work for .
the seals. But this same woman is one of
the most systematic persons 1 ever knew.
H:r work is planned and made to ﬁt into
each day as it. comes. N at such a ﬁt as we
like in our dresses, but loozely, so there is a.
margin left into which is put the bit of
reading. There is so much in taking care
of the minutes, making each one count.
Have you rung the bell for dinner and no
one comes? How natural it is to stand
and watch the dinner spoiling, or sit do NI)
to wait. in that few minutes perhaps you
could accomplish ten pages of good, solid
reading matter; or dust the sitting room, or
work up the butter, or do some other little
odd job to make room for the ten pages
after dinner. How many times have I
washed up the iron and tin ware while
waiting, thus making a few minutes’ less
on the dish washing after dinner.-

Htve certain days for certain work.
Don’t sometimes wash Monday and some—
times Tuesday or Wednesday, as the case
may be. Systemaiize your work. It all
simmers down to the one word system. The
systematic rerson will be sure to take care

of the minutes. EUPHEMIA.
ALBION.
——-—-—-—-«o——-—
Contributed Recipes.

 

FRIED CAKES —Oneheeping cup sugar: one
cup thick sour hula; three level tablespoon-
fuls lard; two eggs, well beaten; salt, nut-
meg, small teaspoonful soda.

(imam S.§IA1’S.-—0BO cup molasses; one
cup sugar; one cuplard; boilﬂve minutes;
when cool add one tablespooni‘ul vinegar;
half tablespoonful ginger, half teaspooninl
cinnamon, quarter of cloves, one heaping
teaspoonful soda dissolved in six tablespoon-
i‘uls of cold water. Mix quite hard; roll thin:
bake quickly.

Bucrrwenar CAKEB.—Tw0othirds cup yeast;
one pint skim milk; half pint sour butter-
milk; one teaSpoonful salt. Make a batter
that will beat easily, using one-quarter wheat
ﬂour. Stir this up at night, in the morning
add one small teaspooni‘ul soda, dissolved in
warm water. Save a coﬂeecupt‘ul of this
better for next time to use instead of yeast.
Try a small piece of fat pork on a fork to
rub the griddle to keep the cakes from stick-

ing. like. J.
Bonooncnm.

Bucanna'r Panama—To start the cakes,
take a quart of warm water, four cups
buckwheat ﬂour; two tablespoonfuls‘ of yeast,
one teaspoonful salt. Save enough of the
batter every morning for leaven; to this add
a quart of water and four cups of ﬂour.
every day, and stir up the batter in
the morning instead of waiting nu-
tll night. In the morning, when you are
ready to bake your cakes, add a level ta lo»
spoonful of sugar; if the batter is too thick—
as it probably will be—thin with sweet milk.
These cakes, baked on a good bet griddle. ‘
will be tender, digestible“ and “delicious: The“
sweet milk makes them brown‘nicdru .

Posse-Epsom- AW“

 

         

 

 


 

  

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DETROIT, JAN.

12, 1889.

 

THE HOUSEHOLD-"Supplement.

 

JOHN ANDERSON MY J0.

 

John Anderson my 10, John,
When we were ﬁrst acquent;
Your locks were like the raven,
Your bonnie brow was brent;
But now your brow is bald, John,
Your locks are like the snaw;
But blessings on your frosty pow.

John Anderson my 10.

John Anderson myjo, J ohn,
We clam the hill thegither;

And mony a eanty day, John,
We’ve had wi‘ ane anither:

Now we mean totter down,John.
But hand in hand we’ll go,

.And rieep thegither at the foot,
John Anderson my 10.

——-—-—...__

THE MOTHER IN SOCIETY.

The fact that the maternal element seems
to be comparatively eliminated from certain
strata of society, especially outside of towns
and cities, is decidedly observable. The
mothers are quite too apt to step out of
society and allow themselves to be rep-
resented by their daughters, as soon as the
latter leave off short dresses. Should some
mothers propose to accompany Mademoiselle
to a party or entertainment, the young
woman who runs the house would probably
inquire, in genuine astonishment, “What
do you want to go for?” and the question
would beasked, not through any lack of
love or respect, but because it had never
occurred to her that “ mother ” could pos-
sibly care for society or need recreation, as
well as younger people. Of course it is the
mother’s own fault that this is so often
true. The right to represent the family in
social matters is tacitly relinquished by
those to when it justly belongs, and
“Young America” is never backward in
seizing the abdicated privilege. Yet I
think it true that parents are going into
society with their young people to a greater
extent than they did ten years ago. It is a
healthful sign, an indication that we are
improving in manners and culture, when
men and women mingle in general society
as ballast to the giddiness of youth, and
give it a “tone” of greater thoughtful-
ness and weight.

Somewhat of this change is due un~
doubtedly to the introduction of the more
ceremonious etiquette of foreign countries,
which recognizes the more mature element
as the real leader in social circles, and
relegates to second place the younger, more
unformed and crude, just released from the
schoolroom. And it is possible that Henry
James’ novel. “ Daisy Miller,” and the
storm of comment and criticism it provoked,

has had something to do with bringing
about the change. We have all known
“ Daisy Millers,” so far as utter disregard of
conventional proprieties and disposition to
calmly ignore the mother as having any in-
ﬂuence or standing, socially, are concerned.
And I have met as many mothers of the
“Mrs. Miller” type; mothers who are all
tender alarm and solicitnde over a triﬂing
illness, but who allow their girls to go and
come, make their own engagements and
acquaintances, and accept men’s attentions
with perfect nonchalance and apparent in-
difference. “Mrs. Miller” and “Daisy”
are invited to dinner: Miss Daisy goes alone,
at her leisure, and her mother comes half
an hour later, meekly apologetic to her
daughter and to the company for having
come at all. So the mother who has oc-
casion to enter the parlor where Made-
moiselle is entertaining her “ beau,”
knocks at the door and excuses herself for
the intrusion, deprecating her daughter’s
displeasure! Oh dear no! all the “Daisy
Millers” and their mothers don’t get into
the books.

It is strange, when we come to think
about it, that a mother will watch over the
physical well-being of her children with the
greatest care and solicitude, thinking no
fatigue, no sacriﬁce of her own comfort too
great for their sake, during childhood and
early youth, superintending their educ tiion,
training them in manners, only to seeming-
ly abandon them to “ work out their own
salvation” at the most critical period of
life, a time when they need the most care
and guidance, an invisible restraint which
shall dircct and control with tact and good
judgment. How many well brought up
girls have been ruined because their
mothers had no idea of the company they
were keeping? How much shame and dis-
grace follow this blind trust that “it’ll all
come out right ! ”

it does not imply that a mother doubts
prudence, or honor, or truthfulness, or
thinks she needs watching, because she
takes her pretty daughter under her own
protection. But her prcsance in society
with her silences gossip, is the antidote to
scandal, and is a restraint -greatly needed
sometimes—upon the exuberant spirits of
young people, who are apt to carry their
overﬂow of mirth beyond due bounds.
There is not a young man living whose
opinion is worth an exhausted tea-leaf, who
does not respect a girl more if she is prop.
erly prized and guarded by her natural pra-
tectors. Girls are like apples: the fairest
and sweetest are those which are just out of

 

reach, not to be won without an effort.

Some one has likened a mother and her
girls to a rose surrounded with half-unfold.
ed buds. The simile is beautiful, but “our
girls” are rarely content to be "buds,”
but assume the rights, the demeanor and
attire of the more matronly “ roses.”

The feeling between mother and daughter
should be one of good fellowship, sympathy,
and mutual interest. The mother must not
forget she was once young, and that
pleasures she may now feel trivial and un-
satisfactory were very real and charming to
her then; and the daughter should feel that
greater age and experience and knowledge
of the werld give weight and signiﬁcance
to her mother’s words, whether of approval
or censure. The mother is not to be "a
dragon,” always in the way of her daugh-
ters’ pleasures, and worst of all, always
watching and repressing them. But there is
a golden mean between the espionage of the
French, which never lets a girl out of sight
of her mother or chaperon, and the practi-
cal abandonment of the American mother
of the middle class, who permits her six—
teen-year old daughter to make journeys.
to go off on “excursions,” to celebrations
miles away, with young men—often with
those who are comparative strangers to her
—to return long after midnight. And I
wonder sometimes, when the mother dons
her nightcap and drops into dreamland, if
she gives one thought to the dangers to
which her child may be exposed. The
daily papers chronicle the results of such
trusts betrayed. in the ruin of many a good
girl; and dear Madam, it may be your girl
next ti i126, contiient as you are of her virtue
and prudence. You think, and she says. she
can “look out for herself,” yet all around
us girls as pure and prudent are being
caught' in the undercurrent and swept down-
ward through just such careless conﬁdence
as yours and here.

Of course in our country society, social
forms are less rigidly observed. yet here. as
everywhere, a mother’s social standing
must in a measure determine that of her
daughters; the circle to which she is ad-
mitted is that in which they will move; the
invitations she should, or does, receive, are
those that open doors to her girls. They
gain an added value through her; they are
seen to be worth looking after; they will be
treated more respectfully because of her
presence.

In no other way can a mother obtain such
knowledge of her children’s associates asin
society, and many an undesirable intimacy
or attachment may be repressed, at the be-
ginning, with tact and judgment, which if

 

left alone will cause pain and regret. You

    


THE HOUSEHOLD.

    

 

cannot drive or force young people of a
certain age and temperament; to attempt to
break off undesirable friendships by harsh
means is often to precipitate what we
would prevent. But at the outset, through
wise means, it may often be done. It is
the mother’s right and privilege to choose
the visitors to her house. But if she
sedulously avoids all possible chance of
meeting her daughters’ friends, how shall
she perform what is expected of her? A
young lady meets in company a man who
seems congenial and whose acquaintance is
desirable. But she feels a natural and
maidenly timidity about expressing a pref-
erence for his society. He, knowing it is a
lady’s privilege to choose her acquaintance,
hesitates to ask permission to call; he may
fear the request may be thought to indicate
a greater interest than he feels. it is the
mother’s place to extend the invitation, and
when he calls, certainly at the ﬁrst visit,
she will be present with her daughter in the
parlor. I knew an instance once, though,
where, this invitation to call being given
by the mother, the young man in question,
who had somehow strayed from his proper
place into good society, remarked to a
chum, conﬁdentially, that “the old lady
asked him up to the house, but she was too
anxious,” he was “ too old to be roped in
that way!”

I would advise every mother to go into
general society enough to know the man-
ners and reputation of the young people her
girls will meet. And don’t make the mis-
take of having them always meet their
young friends at other people’s houses.
Open your own home to them, make them
welcome and see that they have a good
time. To do so may wear out the parlor
carpet and disorder your immaculate house
a little, but never mind that; it is a mere
bagatelle compared to what you will learn
about your children’s associates. Never
mind if you have not everything in your
house as ﬁne as your richer neighbor; just
be jolly and nice yourself, help the visitors
to agood time, and they will not stop to
think of the deﬁciencies.

And do go in and get acquainted with
that young man who ties his horse in front
of your house with such regularity every
other Sunday evening._ Itisasocial obli-
gation, as well as a maternal and a moral
one, that you should do so. It is a difﬁcult
task enough to watch over one’s children
and- delicately inﬂuence their life choice,
without being handicapped by absolute
ignorance of their friend-1. I knew of a
mother once who, though deeply interested
in the wedding trousseau and the house-
keeping outﬁt, confessed she had never

seen her prospective son-in-law a half dozen
times during the year he had “ kept com-
pany ” with her daughter. And I think she
ought to have been ashamed to confess it.
BEATRlX.

___._..o.————-

11., of Litchﬁeld, says she considers the
FABMER a very useful and instructive
paper, and the HOUSEHOLD a luxury every
family should enjoy. She thinks Evange-
line’s letters very interesting; and says:
“ 1 hope her husband, like .«ine, does not
set up ‘ mother’ as a model ccok. Thanks

to my experience in that line, my husband
has never had
cooking.”

occasion to com plrin of poor

FANCY WORK.

 

Very pretty ornaments for a room are

made by gilding the little wooden plates

groct rs use for butter. Make four or ﬁve

rose3 out of paper. I had two pink, two

lemon and a white rose, with some green

moss. Another pretty bunch is made with

one red rose, one white, and a tea rose and

bud; but the ﬁrst combination is the pret-

tier. To fasten the roses on the plates

make holes in the center of the plate with

a needle and run the wires through and

fasten. I painted two green maple leaves

on one plate that were very pretty. Did
you ever take a door knob, ﬁll the hole
with putty, paint it any color and any
design you like for a paper weight? Or a
small smooth stone makes a nice one.

I make my own handkerchiefs. Take
India linen; you can get it ﬁne enough for
twenty to thirty cents a yard—a yard will
make four and sometimes more, accord-
ing to the size—draw four or ﬁve threads
twice as far from the edge of the cloth as
you want the hem wide, haste the edge of
the cloth close to where the threads are
pulled out and then you are all ready
to hemstitch. Embroider a letter in the
corner. use white embroidery silk, or for a
change use the colors, but the silk is the
best. One that 1 made had three squares of
white in one corner, the center one was
larger than the others, you can put adiffer-
ent border on if you wish. I saw one that
had a cream border on the white, and I
assure you, you could not tell it from those
bought at the store. Use No. 80 or No. 100
thread to work them with. When done
they will have cost from ﬁve to ten cents
each. and will be ﬁner than you can get for
ﬁfteen cents. To hemstitch. take four
or ﬁve threads on your needle and throw
your thread around the same as you do
when working a button hole, do not pull the
thread too tight, then take astitch in the
hem. I hope 1 have made this plain, for I
do like nice handkerchiefs.

I want to know how to grow pansies
successfully. Iliave tried it three or four
years but do not have nice ones.

When we roast turkeys we allow twenty
minutes to the pound and twenty minutes
extra. Basie often and they will be tender,
juicy and delicious; we always boil the
liver, gizzard and heart, chop ﬁne and mix
with the dressing to help season it.

1 want to make a scarf or shawl to wear
around my head in cold weather, out of
cream colored, Saxony or Shetland yarn.
Which will be best, and what kind of stitch
shall I use? GRACE L.

_.___——...———

SAVING EGGS IN COOKING.
Not long ago E. L. Nye wrote an article
in which she spoke of having made the dis-
covery that a tablespoonful of ﬂour was
equal to an egg in making pumpkin pies.
There are many ways of saving eggs be-
sides the one she speaks of, and for the
beneﬁt of those who buy I will give a few
recipes which I think will prove satisfac-
tory. [The recipes will be found on the
4th page.—'—ED]
It needs some practice to get the frosting

too thick or too thin. But when made
right it equals the best frosting made with
eggs. It can be used for ﬁlling layer cakes,
and a nice cake is made by baking the fruit
cake given, in layers, with the frosting be-
tween. I have not a good recipe for layer
cake without eggs. if any of. the readers
have one please send it to the HOUSEHOLD.
There are various other good thin gs to be
made without eggs. Rice pudding is just
as nice made without eggs as with, also
ginger snaps, graham gems and mufﬁns.
But up to date I have found no way of
making an omelet without eggs.

One thing more: 1 use a cheese cloth
bag, large enough to hold the coffee (a heap-
ing tablespoonful for each member of the
family). with plenty of room to allow for it
to swell, pleat up the top and fasten with a
pin. Drop it into the coffee pot, cover with
boiling water and set on the back of the
stove to steep about ﬁfteen minutes. When
you pour your coffee it will be clear as
amber, with no trouble with the grounds,
which will sometimes bother even with an
egg. And when you come to clean the
coffee pot, simply unpiu and empty the bag,
turn inside out, rinse and shake it well,
stick the pin in again and it is ready to use
next time. And the coffee pot is so much
easier to clean, no sticky grounds fast to
the bottom as they are when an egg is used.
One trial will be sufﬁcient to make the bag,
a necessity.

We have not moved into our library
building yet. twill write and tell you all
about it when we are settled.

Fmsr. ELLA R. WOOD.

HOW TO COOK DRIED FRUIT.

The California Fruit Grower tells house»
keepers how to cook dried fruits, and we
commend tine prooesa as being the correct
one. it makes a great difference in the
ﬂavor and palatabiii‘» y of such fruit if we
cook it with reference to retaining these
qualities. Try this, if it is not already a
part of your household creed:

“It may seem like a broad, sweeping
assertion when we state that nine out of
every ten persons who undertake to cook
dried fruit make a positive failure. The
usual method followed is a very poor one,
that of selecting the fruit to be eaten at
lunch, dinner or tea, two or three hours
prior to using it, rinsing it in a little water,
then placing it in water and allowing it t
remain to soak for two or three hours only,
then pouring off the water in which the
fruit was soaked and applying fresh water,
putting it on the stove and cooking it thor—
oughly. Such a manipulation as this is cal-
culated to produce the poorest possible re-
sult, if it does not actually ruin the fruit.
Many people consider dried fruits hardly
worthy of their time and attention from the
fact that after repeated trials they ﬁnd so
little of value—the fruit having lost its
original ﬂavor, is tasteless and not at all
palatable. if "the following method for
cooking dried fruits is followed, a directly
opposite result will be realized. Select the
fruit that you intend to use, rinse it thor-
oughly in clean, clear water, then place the
fruit to soak in an earthen di-zh, with suf-

 

 

without eggs just rightr It may be a little

ﬁcient water to cover it. from ten to ﬁfteen.

 
    

 

 

 


 

 

I

THE

HOUSEHOLD.

3

 

hours before requiring it for use. Then
place it on the back of the stove in the
same water in which it has been soaked,
which contains the ﬂavor and nutrition
soaked out of the fruit, and allow it to
simmer slowly, just coming to a boil oc-
casionally, until it is entirely cooked
through; add sugar as the occasion requires
to make it palatable. It can be served
either hot or cold as you desire; as a rule, if
it is placed one side and allowed to c031
it will be fully as palatable. By this
method you will secure a wholesome and
palatable dish, well ﬂavored and resembiing
in appearance, size, taste and ﬂavor the
original green product, as near as is pos-
sible.”

———«..———-—

SOME MATTERS OF ETIQUETTE.

 

Young people who are just beginning to
go into society, to entertain their friends at
their homes and accept invitations to other
people’s houses, are often puzzfed to‘ know
what “ it is proper,” as they will say, to do
under certain circumstances, not having
had opportunities to learn by observation,
or not being quite conﬁdent that certain
customs which they observe are really quite
sanctioned by etiquette. As a nation, we
are becoming more cultured and reﬁned,
and more ceremonious manners follow, in-
evitably, for good manners are the accom-
paniment of culture. They are a matter of
education, in which practice makes perfect.
A very good person may be rough and un-
couth in manner, and a very bad one a
Turveydrop in deportment, and the un-
thinking often make this an excuse for not
cultivating the social graces. But we, must
remember that good manners are to good-
ness what welds are to thoughts, the visi—
ble expression of internal good will and
amiability, and tell on the mind and
heart as well as on the manners. The
reprobate may mask his inward vile-ness
under the semblance of courtesy, but is it
not better for the wirld and himself tint he
should do so and not be his coarse. un-
principled self both in thought and man-
ner?

Farnler-s’ ions seine-times are piqued
that young ladies prefer the. attentions of
the “town dudes" iothcirs. it is not so
much a matter of soft bonds. or giro tongues
as it is of those polite w.;ys which have
been gained by observation and are prac-
ticed wizh ease born of habit. Gtris are
pleased by the courtesy and thoughtful der-
erence paid them by young men; such
things go along way toward winning their
favor. 1 once saw, on a busy Saturday
afternoon in asmall village. three young
farmers gossiping in front of a store and
calmly looking on while a young lady who
had driven into town alone, was tying am:
blanketing her horse. Not one ot them
moved to assist her; and until a young man
passing chanced to notice her and lifting
his hat stepped into the street and adjusted
the blanket, it did not seem to have oc-
cured to them that here was an opportunity
for their gallantry to come to the front.
They would have offered in excuse, that
they “didn’t know her,” but a gentleman
is permitted to put himself at the service of
a lady at any time or place when he can aid

 

her, though he never saw her before, and
never may see her again. And, granted
further acquaintance, would she not natur-
ally be prepossessed in his favor?

A question or two on a matter of social
etiquette, which I was asked to answer
privately, suggested the possibility that a
few hints as to what is “ proper” on some
occasions, might help a few of the girls.
And at the outset, let me say that the princi-
ple underlying perfect manners is thought-
fulness of others’ comfort, convenience
and feelings. ,

Which should precede on entering a
church, lecture room, parlor, etc., the lady
or gentleman, is a question sometimes de-
bated by the young people. The lady in-
variably enters ﬁrst, following the usher,
and the gentleman follows her. This rule
obtains everywhere. except on those rare
occasions where the house is crowded and
no ushers are provided, when it is permis-
sible for the gentleman to precede that he
may ﬁnd a seat, though even then it is bet—
ter form for him to follow her closely. He
will precede her down stairs, that should
she slip he may save hera fall. The hos-
tess enters her own parlor in advance of a
gentleman, but allows a lady to enter ﬁrst.
It is unmannerly for a gentleman to take
precedence of a lady in leaving a room; he
should open the door, permit her to pass
out, and close it.

Then, in the matter of introductions,
“ Shall I or shall i not rise when i am in-
troduced?” Rise, by all means, but not as
it worked by a spring which pops you out
of your chair as suddenly as a Jack-in-the-
box, nor as deliberately as it you had Spent
your previous life in preparation for this
eve-hf; nut quietly, gracefully. withafev
words of greeting courteously sp short, not
rapped out like a talking machine that goes
by jerks. 0.11‘ abbreviated formula of in-
troduction is in itself e ibarrassing; two
persons are thrown upon the tender mer-
cies of each ollnr by the simple naming
" Mr. S into, lilies Jones.” 111 ninety-nine
cases out of a ilirlldl‘ed they will set-.3: tri-
age in the: weather, and-leave. each other
mutually b lit-J, whereas had the intro-
ducer not pierpitatetl the teze-a-teée. but
liﬁg‘ri‘rii a mun-M to chat and introduce
some topic. 0; lulttri‘cl, or givealitvle in-
sight into the ozhers’ personality, ,tsey
might. hLVC so: on very pleasantly.

it got: lay;- a irit-nel, astrarger, to in-
troiiua-eto c‘her guestr, as he. enters the
room you wil introdrce him g« ru-r-illy,
“Mr. Siblili.lttli€s," he will inclu-ic the
company in a sweeping how, and you Will
then introduce! him more particularly to
several of your trien'ls. who will in turn
intrmiuce him to others. I was present
once at; one, of those stiff little parties
where the cmupuly sat arouual the sides of
the room, and those not seated stood aoout
Icoking anxiously for chairs, when an
PldPHYQBTllibil) in whom I will call Mr. A.,
entered wituastranger who Was visiting
himaud had been included in his invita-
tion. idr. A. slipped his arm through that
of his unhappy guest and made the tour of
the parlors, introducing him to every per‘
son present. The poor victim blushed till
he was the color of boiled lobster; he made
several futile attempts to elude his persecu-

 

tor, but in vain; not until he had made the
grand circuit was he released, when he sube
sided into a chair with the perspiration
literally streaming dons-n his face. embar—
raised, angry, and so nervous that the
evening was entirely spoiled for him. Of
course he could not reed the names of
those to whom he had been inzroduced, and
Iheard afterward that he tolai a friend he
would not undergo that ordeal again for a
ten dollar bill.

It is notnecessary to it'ltroduce2 your come
panion to a friend with whom you stop to
speak a moment on the street. "S':reet in-
troductions” are not “good form.” Unless
your friend joins you, the. form better be
omitted.

“When can I speak to a person without
an introduction?” A gentleman may speak
to a lady older than himself if he can be of
service to her, and the mist captions would
not think him impertinent; but he must exu
ercise more discretion in offering assistance-
to a younger lady.

it is not necessary ladies should wait to
be introduced, if they meet under the roof:
of a mutual friend by invitation, though it
is better for the hostess to charge herself
with the duty of introducing her guests; a
man asks his hostess or a mutual friend to
introduce him to the ladies he does not
know.

At parties, the young ladies of the house
are entitled to extra attention from their
guests. It is their duty also to see that
none present are neglected or made- to feel
themselves “ wall flow.r hrs.” They may ex—
cuse themselves from accepting: an invita-
tion to dance and est: the gentleman who
extended ii to dance tell: some one who
has not been invited. in: l ifnaw, in my
puny-going (lay, of 7: young ‘22:”; v. ho con—
eluded himself per‘::er;'_;lly . iii-tamed at such
a request, showing sir. 21;: his rm :1 ignore
ance of good m'uiners.

“Should wedding meant: from the
friends of the gl'Gulil be rev-t to him. or to
the bride? ” To the lr-tit‘r. a‘teys. Silver
should be. rntrked with the ini<5=il of the
bride’s maiden name. All gifts should be
acknowledged by personal note: from the
bride.

“After the announcement of an engage“
ment, who should make the first advances
to a more intimate acquaintance, the family
of the bride prospective, or of the groom?"
The mother of the groom should at once
call upon the young luiy; and it is the cus—
tom for her to invite the young lady and
her family to a dinner, er tom» entertain-
ment in their honor. The relsziwes of the
groom should at once call, and in fire the ra-
ception of the yOung lady into their family
as pleasant and cordial as possible. Sup-
pose you don’t approve the math, ctEqueite
requires every woman to do her duty. And
iii:a»'oui‘i'esy and Linaniiiw: at : use .1 time.
are generally apt to its {;i.i‘l\ﬂ:,i(}ll

“L.
and. intoierwce and

 

ripe-33 i:
"family jug" aft-'r
the) marriage is consummated.
BEATRIX
-——-—«o———-—-

“LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”

 

As Polly says, " I suppose. there is always
room for one more,” so here I am, intro-
ducing myself as “Ruth” because that
means “friend” or “rose,” and then it

 


 

 

4:

THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

 

was R 1th who said, “Thy people shall be
my people and thy Gld my God.”

Then I wonder how many of the masses
who have kept Christmas with high glee
have stopped to think why we hold Christ‘
mas as a. holiday. How many of us, while
we were gratifying our appetites with such
dinners as Beatrix wrote abmt, took into
consideration that we were keeping the an.
niversary of Christ’s nativity, the anniver-
sary of God's unspeakable gift to man?

Polly’s reference to “Bible commands”
brought to my mind that new command
which Christ gave to us, to “love one an-
other as I have loved you.” “ Greater love
hath no man shown than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends.” Christ
laid now his life for us, no man took it
from him. When the cruel spear was drawn
from his side there came forth water and

blood, showing that he died of a broken
heart. This great heart literally burst with

love and pity for you and for me. Ah!
when shall we love one another as Jesus
[loved us? When shall our hearts be ready
to burst with love and pity for our fellow-
men? Then will B.ble comments be eﬂi-
.cacious, and we shall “ be clean.”

Davxsnvno. RU I‘H.

 

«*——-——-—

INQUIRIES ANSWERED.

Bess asks: “I would like to inquire
through the HOUSEHOLD what is the Object
and what the beneﬁt derived, by having the
constitution and bylaws of a literary society
or library association put on record. And
also, is not Christmas celebrated as the
birthday of Christ? 1 had always supposed
so, from my (arliest recollection, but did
not understand. it so in a late article in the
HOUSEHOLD. Perhaps I dil not under-
stand aright.”

In answer to the ﬁrst question, if Bess
means what purpose is sarvrd by recording
the constitution and by-laws of a society in
the books of that society, we would say the
intent is to preserve them for reference,
that the society may not depart from the
Object or purpose for which it was orgauiz ed;
that di=pnted questions may be settled by
authority, and the society be governed by
set rules. The constitution of the United
States gustantees chimes certain “ inalien-
able rights and priv:i~g 5;” so the consti-
tution and by-iaws of a society deﬁne its
scope, the rights and duties of its members,
and is an important requisite to its exis-
:tence. Hence its importance as a matter of
record. But if Bess means to ask why a
literary society or library association should
be incorporated, and the fact of its exis.

dense and purpose made a mitter of record

"in the (nice of the Secretary of State at

, Lansing, it is for the purpose of giving said
organizatien a legal standing and existence;
perpetuity, so that the intent of the origi-
nal founders may not be perverted by their
successors; and also vesting in the associa-
tion the power of collecting debts, enforc-
ing contracts, sueing and being sued, etc.

In regard to the second inquiry, the date

’ of the birth Of Christ is not a matter of
- exact history. The 25th of December is
.. celebrated as the anniversary, but it is not
- pretended that Christ was actually born on
that day. -In the fourth century of the

sme, x

 

Christian era an investigation was made
concerning the date of the Nativity, and
the theologians of that period ﬁxed upon
the 25th of December, the chief evidence
being the tables of the censors in the
archives of Rome. Though the day was
not authentically identiﬁed, it has since
been so observed. Previous to that time,
Christmas was a movable festival, and
celebrated by the churches of the east in
April and May. The observance of the
day was instituted by Pope Telesphorus,
who died A. D. 138. As stated in the
HOUSEHOLD of Dec. 22nd, Pope Julius l.
formally set apart the 25th of December to

be observed as the anniversary.
BE ATRIX.

__—_....._—...__

THE BABY.

 

Christine Terhune Herrick, in Harper’s
Bazar, saysa healthy baby is not a laws
nature, but is a child that enters the world
in sound condition, and whose gcod con-
stitution, with good training enables it to
throw Oil the ills that would prostrate a
weaker. organization. It is a baby who
sleeps well, eats well, and digests his food;
and passes through the natural processes
of childh)od-cutting his teeth, learning
to creep, to stand, to walk, with no hin-
drances from inherent debility.

Once in DOSTelSiOD of a healthy baby, in
six cases out Of ten it is the mother’s own
fault if she does not keep it healthy.

That class of parents is unhappily large
who appears to accept a child’s strong con-
scitution merely as a basis for experiments.
The child drops asleep readily, than he is
wakened at any time to be exhibited; does
not catch cold easily. and is therefore
taken out in all weathers and kept out late
evening; has an excellent digestion, and
is permitted to eat anything, and all he
wants of it.

Mrs. Herrick tells of a young mother who
said of her ﬁrst baby, a little girl: “ Baby’s
father insists she shall taste everything he
has on hisplate. She is ayear old now.
but has liked pitatoes and gravy ever since
she was six months old, is so fond of cake
and preserves, and of nearly every sort of
vegetable. I didprofeit when her father
began feeding her pickles and cucumbers
and cabbage with vinegar on them, but she
seemed to like them and I can’t see that it
does her a bit of ham. Don’t you think it
a good plan to accustom babies to eat every
thing? Toen their digestions will get used
to all sorts of food.”

The baby was even then of a pasty com-
plexion, but had pien'y of ﬂash, though it
was ﬁabby and lacked the ﬁrmness the ﬂesh
of a healthy child should have. By the
time this little one was sixteen, she was a
conﬁrmed dyspeptic, with a skin the color
of dirty dough, decayed teeth and intoler-
able breath: and the pirents, who lamented
their daughter’s ill health, utterly failed to
connect cause and chest, saying: “ She
used to be such a healthy baby; she could
eat anything.”

A regular, simple diet is of paramount
importance in keeping a child well. Next
after that comes regular outdoor exercise
and early hours. No wonder babies are
cross and fretful when they are kept up
nights till ten or eleven o’clock. and abnor-

 

mally excited by lights and unusual sur-
roundings. Let them have their frolics in
the daytime, but put them to bed at the
twilight hour.

NO puns should be sp trod to detect the
ﬁrst appearance of indisposition; the work
of checking an incipient disease is simpler
than that of. arresting it after it is under
way. Often everything depends on con-
trolling a. disease in its earliest stages. The
baby has little reserve power, and though
the recuperative ability of children has be-
come a byword, it is unsafe to tax it too
severely.

These are very sensible ideas, and mothers
and babies will be the better for putting
them into practice.

———.—«.__._.

MRS. J.. of Schoolcratt, who kindly fur-
nished us the recipes for last week’s issue,
says, in a note accompanying them: “I
think I have received enough useful infor-
mation in the last few numbers of the
HOUSEHOLD topay for the whole paper a
year. Among the hints that came into
immediate use were, battering a knife to
seed raisins, and how to fasten the legs of
a fowl for baking. Small things to be sure,
but small things make up the weight of
household cares. The recipes I send are
‘tried’ about every week and hope they
will baof use to the. HOUSEHOLD. I con-
sider the best grade of brown sugar, that
which is soft, ﬁne grain, and nearly white,
better for all kinds of cake than any grade
of white sugar.” -

-———«.——_—
Contributed Recipes.

FRUIT CAKE -—One cup sugar: two or sifted
ﬂour; one of buttermilk; quarter cup butter;
one teaspoonful soda; one teaspoonful each
of ground cinnamon and cloves; half tea-
spoonful nutmeg: one cup chopped and
seeded raisins. Add citron if you choose.

DROP GINGER Canes—One cup molasses;
one cup sugar; one cup butter «or half lard
will do); live cups ﬂour; one cup hot water;
one tablespoonful soda; same of ginger; level
teaspocnful alum, dissolved in hot water:
spices to taste. Drip with a spoon in small
cakes, not touching each other, in the drip-
ping pan.

COOKIES WITH ONE Eco—One cup sugar;
half cup butter: half cup sour cream; one
egg; one teaspoonful soda: a little ginger to
EGRSOD.

Faos rino WrrnOU'r Enos -—-'Io one cup of
granulated sugar take ﬁve tablespoonfuls of
milk; boil four minutes withoutstirrlng after
it begins to boil. Take from the stove, set
the dish into one of cold water, and beat un-
til thick and white; ﬂavor and spread before
it sets.

FRIED Castes—Ono pint buttermilk: one
and a half cups sugar; two tablespoonfnls
sour cream; one teaspooni‘ul soda: 8. little
salt and spice to suit the taste; ﬂour sufﬁ-
cient to make a soft dough.

ADAINTY Beeswax—A pint or more, ac-
cording to quantity desired, of sweet milk
thickened with cornstarch to the consistency
of paste. Stir in a generous lump of butter.
and shaved chocolate to color a rich brown.
Turn into cups, and when cold, out with
sweetened cream, ﬂavored with vanilla.

FLINT. ELLA R. WOOD.

BUCKWHEAT CAKns.-—0ne pint warm wav
ter, a pinch of salt. and ﬂour to make a bat-
ter; half cup good yeast. When light add a
little more water and ﬂour and let rise again.
The second or third day add a pint of butter
milk, as much water as you need. and more
ﬂour. Use common buckwheat ﬂour: the
nice roller ﬂour is not good, it does not get as
light as the common ﬂour. M. W.

 

