. . If . I /4// I” / L21 DETROIT, SEPTEMBER 5, 1887- THE HOUSEHOLD-"Supplement. THE FARMER‘S B [1 G UIL EMENTS. [Poem read by Mrs. Edson Woodman, of Paw Paw, before the East and West Farmers‘ Club. August 23th .] A "really truly" poem is far beyond me. quite, And only the simplest jingle do I ever try to write Deception in this age we meet on every hand. And shams of every style and size are scattered o’er the land; There’s a cheat in everything we see or hear, I guess. From the glib—tongued agent‘s wares to our very food and dress. All share the curse and bear the blight, so com. mon now a-days, 0f seeming to be what they are not, in ever so many ways; . Nature alone is undefiled with this disgraceful gain By any means, no matter what, to selfish ends attain. As “ Nature‘s noblemen " we farmers and farm- ers” wives Must closely bar and guard the gates that lead unto our lives; And While we keep our own hands clean, watch out with both our eyes That we don‘t get bit with some great scheme, some wonderful new device, That promises fair to do great things, if we'll only just invest A paltry sum that we can spare—the machine will do the rest. But the patent man who comes along with “ rights ” to sell some day, Claims a royalty on the business which we must fight or pay. The great Bohemian swindle, which has only just exploded, Is only one of the burdens with which the farm- er’s back is loaded, And I should’nt wonder if the hedge, this osage orange craze, would add another to the list ere very many days. The lightning rod has many styles, and an agent for each one Calls ‘round some day ‘bout dinner time to tell of wonders done, 0f bare escapes that we have had from such an awful fate That come, to all who fail to buy before it is too late. And there’s so very manyimore—a new way every day—- To get around the farmerQwho is’nt “ posted ”— so they say. “Allis not gold that glitters," and quite fre- quently we find These fellows have an end in view, there is an “axe to grind ;” And the farmer to “ accommodate” too oft the crank has turned, And finds, too late, a thankless task, as well as fingers burned. But thanks to our societies—Grange, Farmers‘ Clubs, and such— We hope that we’ll grow wiser now, and won‘t get beat so much. ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW. “Mary has left us,” said a friend the other evening as we stood chatting over the garden gate in the twilight. “Not for good, I hope,” I replied, knowing how Mary, “the girl,” was regarded in the family. “No, she is coming back in a couple of months, but she was tired, and wanted to visit her home, as it had been three years since she was there, so we let her go. Mamma and I are managing the work; we would rather do it than take a strange girl into the house, even if Mary is gone three months. We miss her very much; she is a household treasure, and so gentle and re- fined in her ways. She is as much of a lady as if she lived on Woodward Avenue and had a million of dollars.” Then my friend went on to say that Mary took with her $500, her savings during six years of service with her present employer and in his sister’s family. She receives three dollars per week. and out of this $156 yearly wage, she has saved an average of over $80 annually. She has dressed neatly, as well as her position demands; no silk dresses or cheap jewelry, and has a suitable wardrobe to take with her to the little Canadian village she calls home. I should like to know if in this city, or any other for that matter, there is a saleswoman in a store, receiving the usual salary of $5 or $6 per week, de- pendent upon her own exertions for a liv- ing, as was this one, who from her salary has saved as much money, or even half as much, in the same time. If there be a bona fide instance, I will say no more about the superior advantages of domestic service over bondage to a counter. For Mary is not a myth, but. a "real live ” girl, whose faithful service has so endeared her to her employ- er’s family that they regard her almost as one of their number. Mary has a brother in Canada who would be glad to have her remain in his house. He has a wife and family, and she would be ex- pected to assist in the housework. He offers her no wages, and she would have to depend upon other sources for clothing and pocket money. In other words, with the kindest possible intentions, he would give her a hired girl’s work without a hired girl's wages. But Mary’s good sense led her to prefer independence and regular wages to a home with neither, so ‘she came to this city, and quietly set about doing the work she was most competent to do. But there is something to be said in re- gard to Mary’s employers. There is, on their part. no wish to look upon her as a be- ing of a different social caste, no attempt to “ make her know her place.” The children —there are two, one seven, the other eleven —are taught to respect her wishes in her own domain, the kitchen; and are not al- lowed to tease or annoy her. There is no fretful fault-finding, and yet the work is done according to the mistress’ wishes. The young lady daughter has been known to say, “ Mary, don’t you want to go to prayer meet- ing with me tonight?” and has more than once taken Mary and the children down to the boat for an afternoon on the river. Her room is neatly furnished, her bed acoinfort- able one. Yet she is not introduced to guests, nor does she sit at table with the family, and in neither of these omissions does she find a hardship. Here then is a family which carries its Christian fellowship into all the practical relations of life, saying in effect “We wish of you faithful service, but our obligation does not end with the weekly wage we 13 iy you. As an inmate of our house, even though in a servant’s place, we owe you consideration and kindly inter- est as a fellow being.” There is a great deal to be said on both sides of “ the hired girl problem.” Beyond doubt, the real reason girls who must earn money «will not work in a kitchen lies not in the work itself—for they work harder and have less time in other employments—but because they will not submit to the petty tyranny of some women. No self~respect- ing girl will be considered as less than the dust beneath another woman‘s feet, simply because the latter has money and a home and she has neither. My observation teaches me that the most truly well-bred people rarely find it nprmqsnry to assert themselves by putting down others in order to be reSpected. The social part of the problem need not be a “a rock of offense” if there is only a right understanding of it, and mutual forbearance and charity. One cannot conceive of a happy home where there is a perpetual antagonism between those who serve and those who are served; nor can either party find comfort, serenity or good temper under such conditions. A woman will labor day and night for love’s or duty’s sake without a murmur; she will work like a slave for a drunken husband or helpless children, yet the moment she labors for hire she must dictate the cond1tions of her labor or there is war; conversely, a wo- man will accept the most bungling service when it is proffered for love‘s or duty’s sake, but the moment wages are given she becomes imperious, exacting, unreasonable. For a real good slave-driver—a Legree in 2 THE HOUSEHOLD._ petticoats—commendgme to the woman who does not comprehend that it is due to her own position as mistress to treat servants with consideration, that as superior it is no— blcsse oblige to be courteous to inferiors: and who withal takes satisfaction in being overbearing and insolent to her help, to make them “ know their place.” BEATRIX. —-«o———— INSECTS, BIRDS AND BOOKS. All this summer I have enjoyed frequent rides into the country; and wondered more than once why people who live there all the time do not take more delight in the numer- ous beauties everywhere apparent to careful observers. Perhaps one reason may be that so much time in the country schools is de- voted to reading, writing and arithmetic, and none at all to those really delightful , studies, which help us to appreciate the world in which we live. A very superficial observer may enjoy the brilliant colors of a butterfly or moth, but the insect is much more interesting if you know which of the two it is, and are ac- quainted with its different stages of exis- tence. How many people know the ex- - ceeding beauty of the beetles to be found on every country road during the day? Some of them well deserve to be called the gems of the earth, as humming birds are called the jewels of the air. I think every girl would find her walks in wood or meadow would become much more interesting if she would read a good work on natural history, and then set to work to collect all the rare and curious specimens she can find. A very good way to keep them is to pin them on corks out about a quarter of an inch thick, and an inch or more in diameter, ac— cording to the size of the specimen. Fasten these into cigar boxes with glue, and label them carefully, putting all belonging to the same order together. Always be sure that the chloroform or camphor has quite done its work, before putting the pin through the body of your victim. There were some heart-rending scenes in our class this spring, owing to too great haste on the part of the collector. Birds are of course an almost unending source of delight to the amateur naturalist. One day I counted eight different Species while driving three miles. When botany and natural history and perhaps geology have been introduced into our district schools, there will be fewer complaints of boys and girls staying at home or going away to school. I was so glad to see by the article from Beatrix that books are not a forbidden sub— ject in the HOUSEHOLD. If “As dull as an American novel” is to become a pro- verb, let us have as an offset, “ As bright as an American story,” the latter class to include Miss Alcott’s books, “ Our Helen,” its sequal, “ The Asbury Twins,” and many others. “Jo’s Boys,” in which the March family bid a final farewell to the public, is quite up to the standard of Miss Alcott’s books. Somehow we never get tired of the fresh, lovable characters she- aresents to us. More than one girl feels as - she had lost an old friend when the cur- ;ain drops on J o and Laurie and the rest. "Rudder Grange,” by the author of “ The Late Mrs. Null,” should be read by every- one who enjoys a good laugh. Mr. Stock- ton has the rare faculty of being funny but not sillv. No one can complain of dulness in any of the new southern stories which are so popular at present. One of these, “ Obliv- ion” by M. G. McClelland, gives so many lovely pictures of life in the mountains of the south. The rough mountaineer Dick is one of the grandest characters of modern fiction. Very different from these strong, enjoyable books are the flat, silly novels of Howells. In fact that author seems to be trying to see how much trash he can palm off on the public as true—to-life descrip- tions. If ever two persons were as unut- terably absurd as the hero and heroine of his new novel, “April Hopes,” they should have been sent to an asylum for idiots. Everyone who lives near the great lakes should read Miss Woolson's “Castle No- where.” It is a collection of sketches, every one good. I have wondered lately why we do not here more about Miss Wool- son. Her books are all popular, but the magazines, usually so quick to tell us of the appearance and personal history of an author, have, at least so far as I have heard, been quite silent about her. I wish more of the ladies of the HOUSE- HOLD would write about their favorite authors and books. To me there is nothing more pleasing than literary gossip. PORT HURON. E. 0. -—----OOO-— TACT. I wonder if this will escape the waste basket? and I also wonder if the ladies who have written such interesting articles for our HOUSEHOLD have ever been as selfishly in- clined as myself? It does not require much effort on the part of the reader to endorse or reject the sentiments that are expressed by others; but it does need a certain amount of energy and tact to write an article for the paper—at least it is so with me. Web- ster defines tact as “ nice perception or skill,” and do we not realize it at times when everything goes wrong and somebody comes to our rescue with cheerful words and helping hands? Did you ever notice the diflerence among your many friends when you meet them? Some are so funereal in everything that you feel dejected and blue in a short time, and imagine yourself almost a nonentity in com- parison to their stiff precision and chill manners. They scan you from head to foot, and you know they are mentally contrast- ing you with themselves. For the time you lay aside your own originality and are drift- ing along, you hardly know where, and mentally asking yourself “ What is the matter? Oh dear, how depressed I do feel!” Then, there are others you meet, with spark- ling eyes, faces shining with love to humani- ty; you grasp the hand and a cordial shake is the result. The whole system thrills with pleasure, you feel invigorated at once and soon are indulging in a first rate chat. The sun seems to shine brighter and your breathing is easier, everything runs smooth- ly. We do enjoy people who understand how to live, and are gifted with the great boon of tact. Some of us find we are obliged to use a little in getting. married, but we need a great deal more afterward. The wife must manage her household with skill, and economy should be one of her pet virtues. It has been said by some one that “A sound economy is a sound understand- ing brought into action,” “calculation realized.” If that is the case, which I think every one will agree looks reasonable, why should we not practice it more in our every day life? Show me the woman who will confront a. wagon load of company with a smile of welcome, when her pantry is rather scantily supplied, as is the case often in country life, and make every one feel at ease, and I will venture to say she has the ability to spread the table with a good wholesome dinner, and her guests depart, with the feeling that it is a good place to visit? She has the tact to submit cheer- fully to circumstances she could not con- trol, and proceed accordingly. I remember alaughable incident that I read of alady who was found in that pitiable condition; she excused herself as soon as possible, went into the kitchen and kicked every in- animate thing that she came to until she was satisfied; then she set about thinking and made up her mind she would never mend the matter that way; her only course was to make the best of it and have a good time. We often see people who are indeed what the world would call poor, who dress neat- ly and in a very becoming manner; every article of their apparel is daintily arranged. You cannot imagine how Mrs. Blank can manage to keep herself and family looking so well upon their slender income. Is it extravagance? Oh no! nobody thinks for a moment they are living beyond their means. The cloak she has worn four or five winters looks nearly as good as new; the old cash- mere has been renovated, the last year’s hat retouched, and now with a pair of new shoes and gloves her suit is complete; you enter her house and chrything betokens comfort; the rooms are decorated with pictures and ornaments; trifling in them- selves, but each adds a beauty of its own; every piece of furniture is placed to show off at the best advantage; the draperies are of cheap material, but taste and skill are combined, and with a very small outlay of money, the home is made very attractive. We are impressed with the idea if that the husband is not happy it is his own fault. Brunefille remarked about the difference in the two sisters. I believe Lu has the tact to spread sunshine around her, and derive a great amount of pleasure from life. It is a lamentable fact that too many women are willing to bind themselves at home, and drudge almost constantly, for the sake of getting rich, or with the idea they are better housekeepers in the end. I live in the country and how I do enjoy it after living in the city a number of years. I laughed heartily when Iread the trials of Beatrix in house-hunting (I hope she will pardon me for enjoying the story of her adventures), but it is such a. rare treat to be the mistress of a neat little cottage of your own, with pleasant surroundings, enabling one to gaze upon the works of nature and breathe pure air every day. The people in our neigh- borhood are real live, wide-awake farmers, F‘ h C'r‘J‘” .’#_H THE HOUSEHOLD. 23 willing to mix intellectual recreation with their work. Every winter we haVe a course of lectures; some of the speakers are as able as the State of Michgan alt‘ords. In sum- mer we have preaching and sabbath schools in the country school houses, also camp meetings in beautiful groves, and no end of socials and picnics. The Farmers’ Picnic at Pleasant Lake was largely attended, and (with few exceptions) was regarded as a. successful one. We had the pleasure of listening to a fine practical speech from our ‘ farmer governor, Mr. Luce, and I must say I was proud of him as he stood there before us, a representative of what an intelligent tiller Of the soil may and can become. The time has gone by when the farmer is looked upon as a clodhopper. AUNT POLLr. Masox. ————«.—-—.—_ PLEASANT CONVERSE. If so small a thing as plenty of “ copy” can make our Beatrix happy surely she ought not to be left miSerable, for all the HOUSEHOLD readers are her debtors, and I, for one, feel that it is almost selfish to re- ceive so many good things without trying to help a little in return. But doing all the farm house work and caring for the sick member of the family leaves little leisure for letter writing. The letter “In a. Book Store” was, to me, more interesting than its interesting predecessors and I’ve read it several times; not from lack of reading but because I appreciated it. Inasmuch as it’s the proper thing to read Haggard now- a-days I am trying to read “King Solomon’s Mines.” A friend sent it to me, but from a hasty sketch I thought it too Munchausen- like for my present state of mind, and had laid it aside for future reference. What a satisfaction it is when reading the book re- views to understand to what they have re— ference, and as no less than four of my twelve weeklies have contained sketches of the book above mentioned, I decided that it must be worth reading. It was E. L. Nye, I think, who condemn- ed.the kerosene stove, because everything was blackened with the smoke thereof; but the new one, over which I boiled water for tea and cooked eggs to-night, must be an improvement, for the new tin ware used had not the smell or stain of smoke aboutit, and a flat-iron set directly over the blaze was just as clean, and all this convenience for one dollar. It is invaluable for the sick room, not only for the patient’s food but in warming flannels, making poultices or heat- in g water for a bath. I wonder if C. B. R., of Vicksburg, knows whereof she speaks when writing of “ Our Missing Ones?” I have written just as re- signedly as that, supposing that I realized what I was writing, but I did not. There is “ one above all others ” and, until that one is taken, we cannot understand what death means. When one can, after a few weeks or months, “ take up the burden of life again” and go on as before it is well to talk of resignation; but when the weary years bring no gleam of sunshine because, for them, there is no sun, it is quite another thing. The decision regarding “ Our Happiest Hours,” by Evangeline, is a letter that is worth re-reading, even though we may not agree with her when she says “ there is no love like mother love.” A private letter of condolence says: " I send you my heartfelt sympathy—the sympathy of one who has suffered, but not as you sutfer, for though the tie that binds parent to child be strong and tender, yet still more strong, more tender is the tie which. binds us to our chosen life companion, and its sundering must be beyond comparison with any other bereavement.” The HOUSEHOLD Hints tell 110w to re— move mil lew but can any one give an “antidote" for copperas stain‘.’ From its use as a medicine some sheets and under- clothing are ruined, not as to their durabil- ity, but because no one would hang them out from the wash. By the by, this hang- ing out clothes is quite an index to one’s habits. Yesterday I drove past a yard where a large white washing was on the line, but oh such a conglomeration! Sheets, towels, underwear, table linen, no two of a kind together, and all hung on a “ skew.” My fingers just itched to bring order out of that chaos, andI believe I’d discharge a help as quickly for that as for any one thing. Old Hundred, you’re an old friend, news- paperially—and I agree with you in regard to the nom de plumes, so I remain, as ever, WASHINGTON. EL. SEE. HH— MAKING JELLY. I saw in the HOUSEHOLD not long ago an inquiry about jelly-making which I meant to have responded to before by giving my own method, which I think will prove a help to the inexperienced housekeeper who com- plained her jellv—or was it jam?——was strong and dark colored. I think that gen- erally jelly is boiled too much, making it strong, hard and flavorless. I scald up any kind of fruit, heating it through, and add— ing little or no water, turn it into a stout jelly bag and let it drip through, never squeezing the bag. This juice I heat to the boiling point, skim if necessary, and boil five minutes, then add the sugar, let come to a boil, skim, and turn into the cups. I use nicked teacups, goblets with the stem broken olf, and cheap tumblers for jelly glasses instead of the glasses with covers; I have these otherwise useless dishes and so utilize them. Seal with circles cut from writing paper coven’d with white of eggs, applied while the cups are warm, and set the jelly in the sun to harden. I do not get scared if it is not perfectly stiff even the morning of the day after it was made, and my jellies are always delicate in color, rich in flavor, and “spreadable,” “if I do say it as shouldn’t.” Raspberry jelly does not set as readily as some other kinds, and will .bear longer boiling. A neighbor of mine has any quantity of crab-apples; these make a stiff jellv, of not very strong flavor. When her crabs are ripe she .gets out the red raspberry jelly she made in July and adds three parts of the crab-apple jelly to one of the raspberry, putting it in when the crab-apple jelly is boiling and stirring thor- oughly. It flavors the coarser jelly, and makes it of better consistency, but for any- thing but cake I prefer the pure raspberry jelly. Over-ripe fruit does not make the nicest jelly; the fruit should be fresh. After the juice has done dripping from the jelly bag I take my lard “ squeezers" and press out the juice that remains, add sugar, and make a jelly that is rather “ cloudy” but which the children relish with their bread and butter, or makes a good jelly cake for a home “treat." I do not relish apple jelly; it seems so in- sipid. When I do make it I c'1oose Bald- win apples—because they make a pretty pink colored jelly, and add the juice of a couple of lemons, shaving off the yellow part of the rind to cook with the apples be- fore straining. I dislike very much to hear people talk about “jell” insteady of jelly, and am glad to see our little IIOUsEiIOLD ignores the uncouth abbreviation. Cmrs. NEW VENXcE, O. ———