Practical Suggestions for Mother and Housewife

By MARION MILLS MILLER, Litt D. 

Edited by THEODORE WATERS

Contents

CHAPTER I

THE SINGLE WOMAN

Her Freedom. Culture a desideratum in her choice of work. Daughters asassistants of their fathers. In law. In medicine. As scientific farmers. Preparation for speaking or writing. Steps in the career of ajournalist. The editor. The Advertising writer. The illustrator. Designing book covers. Patterns. 

CHAPTER II

THE SINGLE WOMAN

Teaching. Teaching Women in Society. Parliamentary law. Games. Book-reviewing. Manuscript-reading for publishers. Library work. Teaching music and painting. Home study of professional housework. The unmarried daughter at home. The woman in business. Her relationto her employer. Securing an increase of salary. The woman ofindependent means. Her civic and social duties. 

CHAPTER III

THE WIFE

Nature's intention in marriage. The woman's crime in marrying forsupport. Her blunder in marrying an inefficient man for love. The proper union. Mutual aid of husband and wife. Manipulating a husband. By deceit. By tact. Confidence between man and wife. 

CHAPTER IV

THE HOUSE

Element in choice of a home. The city apartment. Furniture for atemporary home. Couches. Rugs. Book-cases. The suburban and countryhouse. Economic considerations. Buying an old house. Building a new one. Supervising the building. The woman's wishes. 

CHAPTER V

THE HOUSE

Essential parts of a house. Double use of rooms. Utility of piazzas. Landscape gardening. Water supply. Water power. Illumination. Dangersfrom gas. How to read a gas-meter. How to test kerosene. Care of lamps. Use of candles. Making the best of the old house. 

CHAPTER VI

FURNITURE AND DECORATION

The qualities to be sought in furniture. Home-made furniture. Semi-madefurniture. Good furniture as an investment. Furnishing and decoratingthe hall. The staircase. The parlor. Rugs and carpets. Oriental rugs. Floors. Treatment of hardwood. Of other wood. How to stain a floorcovering. 

CHAPTER VII

FURNITURE AND DECORATION

The carpet square. Furniture for the parlor. Parlor decoration. Thepiano. The library. Arrangement of books. The "Den. " The living-room. The dining-room. Bedrooms. How to make a bed. The guest chamber. Window shades and blinds. 

CHAPTER VIII

THE MOTHER

Nursing the child. The mother's diet. Weaning. The nursing bottle. Milk for the baby. The baby's table manners. His bath. Cleansinghis eyes and nose. Relief of colic. Care of the diaper. 

CHAPTER IX

THE MOTHER

The school child. Breakfast, Luncheon, Supper. Aiding the teacherat home. Manual training. Utilizing the collecting mania. Physicalexercise. Intellectual exercise. Forming the bath habit. Teething. Forming the toothbrush habit. Shoes for children. Dress. Hats. 

CHAPTER X

CARE OF THE PERSON

The mother's duty toward herself--Her dress. Etiquette and good manners. The Golden Rule. Pride in personal appearance. The science of beautyculture. Manicuring as a home employment. Recipes for toiletpreparations. Nail-biting. Fragile nails. White spots. Chapped hands. Care of the skin. Facial massage. Recipes for skin lotions. Treatmentof facial blemishes and disorders. Care of the hair. Diseases of thescalp and hair. Gray hair. Care of eyebrows and eyelashes. 

CHAPTER XI

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF COOKING

The prevalence of good receipts for all save meat dishes. Increasedcost of meat makes these desirable. No need to save expense by givingup meat. The "Government Cook Book. " Value of the cuts of meat. 

CHAPTER XII

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF COOKING

Texture and flavor of meat. General methods of cooking meat. Economiesin use of meat. 

CHAPTER XIII

RECIPES FOR MEAT DISHES

Trying out fat. Extending the flavor of meat. Meat stew. Meat dumplings. Meat pies and similar dishes. Meat with starchy materials. Turkishpilaf. Stew from cold roast. Meat with beans. Haricot of mutton. Meatsalads. Meat with eggs. Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. Corned beefhash with poached eggs. Stuffing. Mock duck. Veal or beef birds. Utilizing the cheaper cuts of meat. 

CHAPTER XIV

RECIPES FOR MEAT DISHES

Prolonged cooking at low heat. Stewed shin of beef. Boiled beef withhorseradish sauce. Stuffed heart. Braised beef, pot roast, and beef a lamode. Hungarian goulash. Casserole cookery. Meat cooked with vinegar. Sour beef. Sour beefsteak. Pounded meat. Farmer stew. Spanish beefsteak. Chopped meat. Savory rolls. Developing flavor of meat. Retaining naturalflavors. Round steak on biscuits. Flavor of browned meat or fat. Saltpork with milk gravy. "Salt-fish dinner. " Sauces. Mock venison. 

CHAPTER XV

HOUSEHOLD RECIPES

Various recipes arranged alphabetically. 

INTRODUCTION

What a tribute to the worth of woman are the names by which she isenshrined in common speech! What tender associations halo the names of_wife, mother, sister_ and _daughter!_ It must never be forgottenthat the dearest, most sacred of these names, are, in origin, connectedwith the dignity of service. In early speech the wife, or wife-man (woman)was the "weaver, " whose care it was to clothe the family, as it was thehusband's duty to "feed" it, or to provide the materials of sustenance. The mother or matron was named from the most tender and sacred of humanfunctions, the nursing of the babe; the daughter from her original duty, in the pastoral age, of milking the cows. The lady was so-called from thesocial obligations entailed on the prosperous woman, of "loaf-giving, "or dispensing charity to the less fortunate. As dame, madame, madonna, in the old days of aristocracy, she bore equal rank with the lord andmaster, and carried down to our better democratic age the co-partnershipof civic and family rights and duties. 

Modern science and invention, civic and economic progress, the growthof humanitarian ideas, and the approach to Christian unity, are allcombining to give woman and woman's work a central place in the socialorder. The vast machinery of government, especially in the newactivities of the Agricultural and Labor Departments applied toinvestigations and experiments into the questions of pure food, household economy and employments suited to woman, is now directed morethan ever before to the uplifting of American homes and the assistanceof the homemakers. These researches are at the call of every housewife. However, to save her the bewilderment of selection from so many usefulsuggestions, and the digesting of voluminous directions, the fundamentalprinciples of food and household economy as published by the governmentdepartments, are here presented, with the permission of the respectiveauthorities, together with many other suggestions of utilitariancharacter which may assist the mother and housewife to a greaterfulfillment of her office in the uplift of the home. 

CHAPTER I

THE SINGLE WOMAN

Her Freedom--Culture a Desideratum in Her Choice of Work--Daughtersas Assistants of Their Fathers--In Law--In Medicine--As ScientificFarmers--Preparation for Speaking or Writing--Steps in the Careerof a Journalist--The Editor--The Advertising Writer--TheIllustrator--Designing Book Covers--Patterns. 

 She, keeping green Love's lilies for the one unseen, Counselling but her woman's heart, Chose in all ways the better part. BENJAMIN HATHAWAY--_By the Fireside. _

The question of celibacy is too large and complicated to be herediscussed in its moral and sociological aspects. It is a condition thatconfronts us, must be accepted, and the best made of it. Whether byeconomic compulsion or personal preference, it is a fact that a largenumber of American men remain bachelors, and a corresponding number ofAmerican women content themselves with a life of "single blessedness. "It is a tendency of modern life that marriage be deferred more and moreto a later period of maturity. Accordingly the period of spinsterhood isan important one for consideration. It is a question of individualmental attitude whether the period be viewed by the single woman as apreparation for possible marriage, or as the determining of a permanentcondition of life. In either case the problem before her is to choose, like Mr. Hathaway's heroine, "the better part. "

The single woman has an advantage over her married sister in freedomof choice, of self-improvement, and service to others. Says George Eliotof the wife, "A woman's lot is made for her by the love she accepts. "The "bachelor girl, " on the other hand, has virtually all the libertyof the man whom her name indicates that she emulates. 

To the unmarried woman, especially the one who may subsequently marry, education in the broad sense of self-culture and development is ofprimary importance. The question of being should take precedence overdoing, although not to the exclusion of the latter, for character isbest formed by action. But all her studies, occupations, even herpastimes, should be pursued with the main purpose of making herselfthe ideal woman, such an one as Wordsworth describes, one with:

 "The reason firm, the temperate will, Endurance, foresight, strength and skill; A perfect Woman, nobly planned To warn, to comfort, and command; And yet a Spirit still, and bright With something of angelic light. "

It is an obviously true, and therefore a trite observation, that no one, woman or man, should consider that education (using the term broadly)stopped with graduation from school or college. But the statement thata grown person who has not settled down to some particular life work, such as is often the case with a young unmarried woman, should continueat least one serious _study, _ will not be so generally accepted oracceptable. Yet in no other way may that mental discipline be obtainedwhich is necessary to the mature development of character. Neglect tocultivate the ability to go down to the root of a subject, to observeit in its relations, and to apply it practically, will inevitably leadto superficial consideration of every subject, and even ignorance of thefact that this is superficial consideration. As a practical result, theperson will drift through life rudderless, the sport of circumstance. She will act by impulse and chance, and be continually at a loss howto correct her errors. The shallowness with which women as a class arecharged is due to the fact that, their aim in life for a considerableperiod not having been fixed by marriage or choice of a profession, theydo not substitute some definite interest for such remissness, and soform the habit of intellectual laziness. 

The study which an unmarried and unemployed woman should pursue may beanything worthy of thought, but preferably a practical subject at which, if necessary, the woman is ready to earn her living. Many a family hasbeen saved from financial ruin by a daughter studying the business orthe profession of the father, and, upon his breakdown from ill-health, becoming his right-hand assistant, or, in the case of his death, eventaking his place as the family bread-winner. In these days when farmingis becoming more and more a question of the farmer's management, andless and less of his personal manual labor, a daughter in a farmer'sfamily already supplied with one or more housekeepers may, aslegitimately as a son, study the science of agriculture, or one of itsmany branches, such as poultry-raising or dairying, and with as certaina prospect of success. Ample literature of the most practical andauthoritative nature on every phase of farming may be secured from theDepartment of Agriculture at Washington, and the various Stateuniversities offer special mid-winter courses in agriculture availablefor any one with a common-school education, as well as send lecturersto the farmer's institutes throughout the State. 

To give examples of women who have made notable successes at farmingand its allied industries would be invidious, since there are so manyof them. 

Studies that look to the possibility of the student becoming a teacherare preeminent in the development of mentality. The science ofpsychology is the foundation of the art of pedagogy, and every woman, particularly one who may some day be required to teach, should know theoperations of the mind, how it receives, retains, and may best applyknowledge. An essential companion of this study is physiology, thescience of the nature and functions of the bodily organs, together withits corollary, hygiene, the care of the health. From ancient timespsychology and physiology have been considered as equally associated andof prime importance. "A sound mind in a sound body" is an old Latinproverb. The need of every one to "know himself, " both in mind and body, was taught by the earliest "Wise Men" of Greece. The Roman emperorTiberius said that any one who had reached the age of thirty inignorance of his physical constitution was a fool, a thought that hasbeen modernized, with an unnecessary extension of the age, into theproverb, "At forty a man is either a fool or a physician. "

The study of psychology is a basis for every employment or activitywhich has to deal with enlightenment or persuasion of the public. The person who would like to become a speaker or writer needs to beginwith it rather than with the study of elocution or rhetoric. The firstthing essential for him to know is himself; the second, his hearers orreaders--what is the order of progress in their enlightenment. Evenlogical development of a subject is subsidiary to the practicalpsychological order. Formal logic, the analysis of the process ofreasoning, is a cultural study rather than a practical one, save incriticism both of one's own work and another's. More cultural, and atthe same time more practical, is the study of exact reasoning in theform of some branch of mathematics. Abraham Lincoln, when he "rode thecircuit" as a lawyer, carried with him a geometry, which he studied atevery opportunity. To the mental training which it gave him was due hissuccess not only as a lawyer, but also as a political orator. Every oneof his speeches was as complete a demonstration of its theme as aproposition in Euclid is of its theorem. Lincoln once said that"demonstration" was the greatest word in the language. 

Delineation of character is the chief element of fiction, and hereinliterary aspirants are particularly weak, especially the women, far moreof whom than men try their hand at short stories and novels, and who aregenerally without that preliminary experience in journalism which mostof the male writers have undergone. It is not enough for a novelist to"know life"; he must also know the literary aspect of life, must havethe imaginative power to select and adapt actual experiencesartistically. Young women who write are prone to record things "just asthey happened. " This is a mistake. Aristotle laid down the fundamentalprinciple of creative work in his statement that the purpose of art isto fulfil the incomplete designs of nature--that is, aid nature by usingher speech, yet telling her story the way she ought to have told it butdid not. This is his great doctrine of "poetic justice. "

The writing of children's stories is peculiarly the province of thewoman author, and here, because of her knowledge of the mind of thechild, she is apt to be most successful. The best of stories aboutchildren and for children have been written by school-teachers. Of theseauthors a notable instance was the late Myra Kelly, whose adaptations instory form of her experiences as a teacher to the foreign population ofthe "East Side" of New York will long remain as models of their kind. 

Journalism is a sufficient field in itself for a woman writer in whichto exercise her ability, as well as a preparation for creative literarywork. The natural way to enter it is by becoming the local correspondentof one of the newspapers of the region. In this work good judgment inthe choice of items of news, variety in the manner of stating them, andlogical order in arranging and connecting them should be cultivated. The writing of good, plain English, rather than "smart" journalese shouldbe the aim. Stale, vulgar and incorrect phrases, such as "Sundayed, " and"in our midst, " should be avoided. There are two tests in selecting anews item: (1) Will it interest readers? (2) Ought they to know it?When by these tests an item is proved to be real news that demandspublication, it should be published regardless of a third consideration, which is too often made a primary one: Will it please the personsconcerned? This consideration should have weight only in regard to themanner of its statement. When the news is disagreeable to the partiesconcerned, it should be told with all kindness and charity. Thus thefacts of a crime should be stated, who was arrested for it, etc. ; butthere should be no positive statement of the guilt of the one arresteduntil this has been legally proved. Many a publisher has had to payheavy damages because he has overlooked, or permitted to be published, an unwarranted statement or opinion of a reporter or correspondent. But even though there were no law against libel, the commandment againstbearing false witness holds in ethics. 

The woman at home may also become a contributor to the newspaper. Herfirst articles should be statements of fact on practical subjects, suchas the results of her own or some neighbor's experiments in a householdmatter of general interest, or reminiscences of matters of local historythat happen to be of current interest. Thus when a new church iserected, the history of the old one may be properly told. Here theamateur journalist may practise herself in interviewing people. 

After such a preparation as this, one may confidently enter the activeprofession of journalism as a reporter, preferably upon the paper forwhich she has been writing. Since in entering any profession opportunityfor improvement and advancement in it is the first consideration, theyoung reporter should cheerfully accept the low salary that is paidbeginners. There is no discrimination on account of sex in the newspaperworld. Copy is paid for according to its amount and quality, regardlessof whether it was written by a woman or a man. Women labor here, aselsewhere, under physical disabilities in comparison with men, and yetin compensation they have the advantage over men in their specialadaptation to certain features of newspaper work, such as theinterviewing of women, writing household and fashion articles, etc. There are more chances for this kind of special work in large cities, and here the aspiring newspaper woman may go, when she has proved herability. 

Mrs. Ida Husted Harper, who stands in the front rank of newspaper women, has tersely stated the duties a woman reporter must undertake and thesacrifices she must make, as follows: "The woman who wishes to be anewspaper reporter should ask herself if she is able to toil from eightto fifteen hours of the day, seven days in the week; if she is willingto take whatever assignment may be given; to go wherever sent, toaccomplish what she is delegated to do, at whatever risk, or rebuff, orinconvenience; to brave all kinds of weather; to give up the frivolitiesof dress that women love and confine herself to a plain serviceablesuit; to renounce practically the pleasures of social life; to put herrelations to others on a business basis; to subordinate personal desiresand eliminate the 'ego'; to be careful always to disarm prejudiceagainst and create an impression favorable to women in this occupation;to expect no favors on account of sex; to submit her work to the samestandard by which a man's is judged. "

The salaries earned by women as reporters are, with a few notableexceptions, not large. As low as $8 and $10 a week are paid tobeginners; from $15 to $25 a week is considered a fair salary, and $30 aweek an exceptionally good one for a woman who has not receivedrecognition as a thoroughly experienced reporter. 

It is from the ranks of newspaper women who have gone to the largecities and made a name for themselves as capable reporters that theeditorial staffs of the magazines are recruited. As a rule they obtaintheir introductions by magazine contributions chiefly of specialarticles on subjects in which they have made themselves experts. The salaries of these positions range from $25 a week for assistanteditors to $50 and upward for the heads of departments. 

Book publishers employ women of this class to edit and compile worksupon their specialties. Quite a number of women in New York earn severalthousand dollars a year each at such work, while continuing theirregular editorial labors. 

Many newspaper women drift naturally into advertising writing, whichis well-paid for when cleverly done. Since the goods chiefly advertisedare largely for women, women have the preference as writers ofadvertisements. Then, too, manufacturers and advertising agents pay wellfor ideas useful in promoting the commodities of themselves or theirclients. Here the woman at home may find out whether she has specialability as an advertising writer, by thinking out new and catchy ideasfor the promotion of articles which she sees are widely advertised, and mailing these to the manufacturers. It is well if she have artisticability, so that she may make designs of the ideas, though this is notessential. 

It is the advertising columns of the newspapers and magazines, even morethan the reading matter, which give a demand for work in illustration. To the woman who has talent rather than genius in drawing, illustrationand commercial art afford a far safer field, in respect to remuneration, than the making of oil-paintings and water-colors. If ability in drawingis conjoined with ability in designing and writing advertisements, the earnings are more than doubled. Since payment for the individualdrawing is more customary than employing an artist at a fixed salary, illustrating and the designing of advertisements can be done at home. There are many young girls just out of the art-school who earn from$25 to $50 a week by such "piece-work. "

Akin to this work is the designing of book-covers, for which publisherspay from $15 to $25 each. 

Of a more mechanical nature is making the drawings for commercialcatalogues, and the prices paid are low, $9 a week being the rule forbeginners. Designers of patterns, etc. , for various manufacturersreceive a similar amount at first. They may hope, after several yearsof experience, to rise to $25 a week, or possibly $30 or $35. 

CHAPTER II

THE SINGLE WOMAN

Teaching--Teaching Women in Society--ParliamentaryLaw--Games--Book-reviewing--Manuscript-reading for Publishers--LibraryWork--Teaching Music and Painting--Home Study of ProfessionalHousework--The Unmarried Daughter at Home--The Woman in Business--HerRelation to Her Employer--Securing an Increase of Salary--The Woman ofIndependent Means--Her Civic and Social Duties. 

Teaching is a profession that is particularly the province of theunmarried woman. The best teachers are those who have chosen it as theirlife-work, and have therefore thoroughly prepared themselves for it. A girl who takes a school position merely for the money that there is init, expecting to give it up in a year or so, when she hopes to marry, isinflicting a grievous wrong on the children under her charge. There areother remunerative employments where her lack of serious intention willnot be productive of lasting injury. Lack of preparation for teachinggenerally goes with this lack of intention, doubling the injury. Againstthis the examination for the school certificate is not always asufficient safeguard, since many girls are clever enough to "cram up"sufficiently to pass the examination who have not had the perseverancenecessary to master the subjects they are to teach, not to speak of thatinterest in the broad subject of pedagogy, without which the applicationof its principles in teaching the various branches is certain to beneglected. Enthusiasm in her profession, a whole-hearted interest ineach pupil as an individual personality should characterize everyteacher, for next to the mother, she plays the most important part inthe development of the coming generation. 

There is a general complaint that the salaries of school-teachers aretoo low, measured by the rewards of persons of corresponding ability inother professions. When, however, the certainty of pay and the virtualassurance that the employment is for life if good service is rendered, are considered, together with the respect accorded the teacher by thecommunity and the fact that her work necessarily tends to thecultivation of her mind, the lot of the school-teacher must be reckonedas one of the most favored. Americans are more prone than any otherpeople to spend money on education, and this spirit is ever increasing, so that the school-teacher is more certain than the member of any otherprofession that she will be rewarded worthily in the future. The establishment of the Carnegie pension fund for retired collegeprofessors is an indication of this growing spirit, as well as therecent advance of the salaries of public school teachers in New YorkCity and elsewhere, in recognition of the increase in the cost ofliving. 

To the bright woman who is interested in the study of civics, politicaleconomy, and sociology, there is opportunity to earn a living at homeby organizing classes in these subjects among the club-women of her town. Teachers of parliamentary law are in especial demand. The organizationof a mock congress for parliamentary practise is the most entertainingas well as the most improving play in which women can join. There isalso a demand among women who seek an intellectual element in theirrecreation for instruction in the games of bridge-whist, whist, andchess. Bridge-whist is the most popular, largely because of the desireto win money and valuable prizes at the game. Then, too, a greateramount of time is spent at it than is legitimate for recreation. For moral reasons, therefore, the teaching of it cannot be recommended. Straight whist is also played occasionally for money, but this practise, happily, is rapidly becoming obsolete. Chess, except amongprofessionals, is played purely for sport, and is therefore the bestof games to study. Unfortunately there is very little demand forinstruction in it by women; nevertheless, it is the best of all gamesfor cultivating the analytical power of the mind, a faculty in whichwomen, as a rule, are weak. 

This power may, with equal pleasure and greater profit, be gained bypaying special attention, in the reading of books and magazines, toliterary style and construction. The average reader assimilates only asmall percentage of what he reads. The careful thought which the authorputs into his manner of presentation, no less than into the matter, isappreciated by very few of his readers, and by these only to a limitedextent. Especially is this true of fiction. If one wishes to become anauthor, he should first cultivate this power of criticism, alwaysaccompanying the study by exercises in reconstruction of faults in theauthor read. Thus, wherever a sentence appears awkward in expression, the reader should revise it; wherever there is a seeming error in thelogical development of a subject, or the psychological development ofa fictitious character, he should reconstruct it. Nothing is so helpfulto a writer as self-criticism. Thus Mrs. Humphrey Ward has recentlyconfessed that the happy ending of her "Lady Rose's Daughter" wasan artistic error, false to psychology, her heroine being doomed tounhappiness by her character. After creating his characters, and placingthem in situations where their individuality has proper scope foraction, the author must let them work out their own salvation. A thoroughly artistic work is marked throughout by the quality of"the inevitable, " and for this the reader should always be seeking. There is no surer indication of shallowness than the desire to readonly about pleasant subjects and characters and events. It is akinto the habit of ignoring the existence of everything disagreeable inlife, which Dickens has satirized in his character, Mr. Podsnap. And "Podsnappery" exists among women even more than among men, because of their more sensitive emotional nature. If women are tojoin with men in making the world better, they must not blink at themisery and vice about them, and the evil elements in human natureand society which produce these. To be good and brave is better fora grown woman than to be "sweet" and "innocent, " in the limited senseof these terms. A woman, like a man, should, "see life steadily, and see it whole. "

The foundation of a critical habit in reading has a practical bearing, inasmuch as it is a direct training for the positions of book-reviewerand manuscript reader for magazine and book publishers. Since women readmore than men, the woman's view of a manuscript is often preferred bypublishers. Therefore there are more women than men in the position ofliterary adviser. These are paid salaries ranging from $25 to $50 aweek. Manuscripts are read by the piece for from $3 to $5 each. Bookreviews are paid for at all prices, from the possession of the bookalone to the payment of a cent a word. It is best for the aspiringcritic to practice herself on book reviews first. In these she can withprofit display her power to analyze the artistic construction of books, and so develop her abilities as a manuscript reader. 

The knowledge of books and the ability to digest their contents arenecessary to the making of a library worker, an employment which thegreat increase in libraries, through the benefaction of Andrew Carnegieand others, is offering to thousands of American women. The salaries arelow, but in considering entering upon the work, weight should be givento the opportunities for literary knowledge and culture it affords andits refined surroundings. The making of a descriptive catalogue of thehome library, using the card index system, forms an ideal test for theyoung woman who is uncertain whether she has the taste and abilityrequired in this sort of work. To the student in the home, even thoughshe intends to follow some other vocation, such as teaching or writing, such an inventory of her intellectual store-house will be invaluable. It matters not how small the library is, for "intensive cultivation"is as profitable in mental culture as in agriculture. 

Even such accomplishments as music and painting are most cultural whenpursued as if the intention of the student were to teach them. Knowledgeof technique and of the methods by which its difficulties are overcomeis the foundation of all appreciation of art. The only true connoisseuris the one who can enter into the delight felt by the artist in creatinghis work. Exercise leads to invention. The ancients well said that thecontortions of the sibyl generated her inspiration. Critics have beensneeringly defined as "those who have failed in literature and art, "but this is not true of the greatest critics, who never carried theircreative work to the point of success simply because they had found abetter vocation in criticism before reaching such a point. What a lossto the world it would have been had Ruskin developed into a painter, even a great one, instead of the master interpreter and teacher ofpainting that he did become!

Household employments, such as cooking, needlework, etc. , as vocationsfor the unmarried woman, no less than the married, need only bementioned here, as their appropriateness for the girl at home isobvious, and they are fully discussed elsewhere in this series. Itshould be suggested, however, that the greater leisure of the unmarriedwoman enables her to try experiments in these subjects while the marriedhousewife is too fully occupied by the routine of her duties toundertake them. Indeed, if a woman become a notable cook after marriage, it is often a sign that she is not a notable wife or mother. 

It is an old saying that, "My son's my son till he gets him a wife, But my daughter's my daughter all her life. "

By the common bond of sex, a daughter is her mother's natural companionin sympathy, however separated from her in distance. Therefore, when shelives at home, what a special obligation is there to be her mother'scomfort and dependence! Even though she acquire greater skill inhousehold affairs, she should still resign herself to the subordinateplace of assistant. 

The thought that she is becoming useless is the chief dread of a womanwho has been a managing worker all her life, and her daughter shouldcarefully avoid bringing this to her mind, indeed, should so act thatthe ageing mother retains the management of the house, even though herlabors diminish. In respect to the direction of children, the elderdaughter should take a hint from the manner in which the school-teachersupplements rather than supplants the mother in her care of the youngpeople, leading to a difference in the kind of regard which these feelfor them. The sister should always consider herself simply as theeldest, most experienced of the children, and so the natural monitorof the group, and, when necessary, the mediator with the parents. 

In a similar fashion the unmarried woman should act toward her neighborswho are wives and mothers. In matters where the interests of childrenand households are of chief concern she should resign the leadership tothe married women, and, after them, to the professional teachers. Religious, social, and civic matters, wherein as a church member and acitizen she is on an equal footing with wives and teachers, afford herample scope for exercising her instinct for leadership. 

Every unmarried woman who lives alone should, whether or not she possessan income, have a vocation. Earnings and wages are not alone good inthemselves, but are an additional gratification, in that they supply aproof that the earner's service is of worth to the world. Some day, whensocial conditions are so adjusted that economic competition is reallyfree, and wealth cannot be obtained save by service, money will be aproper measure of standing in the community. It is all the more a dutynow, both to herself, her class, and to society, that the woman whoworks should contend to the last cent for her part of the wealth that iscreated by the business in which she is engaged. Where her work is equalto a man's, she should contend for wages equal to his; where it isinferior, she should be willing to accept less; where superior, sheshould demand more. In these matters women are apt to be either toocomplaisant or too clamorous. They should first be sure that they arejustified in their claims, and then, if right, be firm in their demands, and, if wrong, be resigned to abandon them. The law of supply and demandacting in the labor market allots wages between workers with naturaljustice--certainly more equitably than the interested opinion eitherof employer or employee. 

It will be seen that the woman in business needs to study thefundamental elements of political economy even more than the housewife. Books and magazines are filled with superficial, obvious advice as tothe way in which women as employees should conduct themselves towardtheir employers and fellow workers, but rarely is there a hint givenof the actual rights and obligations of these relations, upon whichthe proper conduct is based. 

Employment is a business contract between employer and employee, inwhich there is no legal or moral obligation for either party to exceedthe terms. Owing to an over-supply of labor, wages may be exceedinglylow, even down to the starvation point, but for this condition theemployer, if he be not also a monopolist, is not responsible. Indeed, as employer, his presence in the labor market as an element of demandraises the market wage. In fact, it is only by his increasing hisbusiness that he can raise wages. If he pay more to his employees thanhe needs to, or is profitable for him, this increase is not real wages, but a gratuity, something no self-respecting person likes to take. Someother class in society created this condition, and it is this class thatthe low-paid workers should blame, and, as citizens, take measuresagainst, not the employers. Indeed, they should consider these as theirnatural allies in making better economic conditions. 

Accordingly, the woman in business should have sympathy for heremployer, who owing to the prevalent condition of shackled competitionhas troubles of his own. She should aid him by loyal, efficient work, thus, and only thus, establishing a moral claim upon him to recognizeher loyalty in kind. Personal relations, except of this nature, shouldnot be sought by the employee, particularly if she is a woman. Outsideof the office or shop she may meet and treat her employer as a fellowcitizen and member of society, under the common rights of citizenshipand the proper social rules, but in business hours she should obey thestrict ethics of business. Thus she may don what dress she will whenher work is done, adopt all the eccentricities of fashion she pleases, but she should wear with cheerfulness, and even pride, the simple dressprescribed, for good and sufficient reasons, as her working costume. Even when no such regulations are made, her good sense and taste shouldlead her to adopt a modest, practical working dress, simple mode ofarranging the hair, etc. This is always agreeable to customers, and itis by pleasing these she best pleases her employer. 

Stenographers and secretaries have a special obligation to keep sacredthe confidences of their employers. If they find that in so doing theyare made instruments in perpetrating frauds on other business men, or the community in general, they have no right to expose these. Their only proper course is to resign their positions, holding sacred, however, the knowledge gained while acting as employees. It is only whenformally relieved of this obligation by legal compulsion to testify incourt that they may reveal this knowledge. 

While it is the custom of an employer to demand references of theemployee, and not give them for himself, the only safe course for awoman seeking employment is to look into the character of the man forwhom she is to work, and the nature of his business. This she may doindirectly in the case of character, and directly in the case of natureof business. If the employer refuses to impart this, saying, "Your workwill be to do whatever I ask you, " it is a blind, and thereforedangerous contract into which you are entering, and you should withdrawfrom it in time. 

When an employee has proved her efficiency, and has seen that it isproducing an amount of returns to the business of which she is notreceiving her proportionate share, it is her right and duty to ask foran increase in wages. If she fails to receive this, she shouldinvestigate the conditions in the labor market of her class, and guideher action accordingly. If she finds that there is a demand for workersof her ability at the higher wage, she should again proffer her requestto her employer, with a statement of this fact. If he still refuses theincrease, she should resign her position, upon proper notice, and seekemployment elsewhere. 

When the unmarried woman employs herself in free service for the publicgood there will be no need for her to contend for the proper returns, which will be the love and respect of the community, given her in fullmeasure. In comparison with these rewards, the honors of club presidentand society leader, for which many women contend with a rivalry thatsurpasses in bitterness contests for political honors among men, aremean and empty. The words of the Master to His disciples, that he whowould be first among them should be servant to his fellows, should betaken to heart by American women, before whom are opening new and vastopportunities for the display of pride and ambition no less than formodest, faithful service. 

CHAPTER III

THE WIFE

Nature's Intention in Marriage--The Woman's Crime in Marrying forSupport--Her Blunder in Marrying an Inefficient Man for Love--TheProper Union--Mutual Aid of Husband and Wife--Manipulating a Husband--ByDeceit--By Tact--Confidence Between Man and Wife. 

 "Her very soul is in home, and in the discharge of all those quiet virtues of which home is the centre. Her husband will be to her the object of all her care, solicitude and affection. She will see nothing but by him, and through him. If he is a man of sense and virtue, she will sympathize in his sorrows, divert his fatigue, and share his pleasures. If she becomes the property of a churlish or negligent husband, she will suit his taste also, for she will not long survive his unkindness. "--SIR WALTER SCOTT--_Waverley. _

Marriage is the crown of woman's life, a dignity that is all the morehonorable because it is of general expectation and realization. Thereis a presumption that the unmarried woman has missed the central andsignificant reason for her existence, the perpetuation and nurture ofthe race, and that the burden is upon her for compensating society byother services for this lost opportunity. Marriage for a woman meansattainment first and fulfilment after, the reward given in advance oflabor, and therefore entailing a special moral obligation that it bejustified in its fruits. Nature gives the future mother peace of mind, rest from doubt as to career and from responsibility as to breadwinning, in order that she may tranquilly devote herself to her special functionas the maker of the home. 

The fact that in the normal home the wife is relieved from the necessityof earning the living of the home sometimes has the effect of making hercareless about expenditure. The thoughtless wife, and here thoughtlessmeans selfish, assumes that the problem of providing is "up to" thehusband and takes no care to aid him in its solution. If the suggestionof her being a burden to him ever does cross her mind, she is ready toexcuse herself by consolatory sayings such as "Two can live cheaper thanone, " the truth of which, though universal when every wife was aproducer of such things as clothing that are now bought is now the caseonly in agricultural homes, and even there has lost a great deal of itsforce. Men do not marry now, as they once did, for economic reasons, but rather in spite of them, for the higher rewards of love andcompanionship of wife and children, and this the wife should recognizeby giving her husband the things for which he has made his economicsacrifice. In the old days a man who did not marry paid for his libertyby loss of physical comfort and wealth. Thus Hesiod, one of the earliestGreek poets, in his Farmer's Almanac called "Works and Days, " coupledthe marrying of a wife with the purchase of a yoke of oxen and a plowas the first things needful in beginning to farm, and this in despiteof the fact that he was a woman-hater. 

Now it is the woman who is tempted to marry for economic reasons, tobe certain of material support while she exercises herself in thosehousehold avocations and social pleasures which constitute the mainactivities of women. This is a legitimate consideration only when theinterest of the man is also taken into account. Marriage to a man whomshe does not love is a crime for any woman; giving falsely the offeringsof love for material things is harlotry even though legitimated by vowsand ceremonies. 

On the other hand, marriage for love to a man who cannot support her isa sad mistake for a woman who is not able or willing to take the placeof breadwinner, for such a union defeats its own purpose. Therefore, in kindness to the man as well as to herself, such a woman should satisfyherself that he can support her, not necessarily in "the style to whichshe has been accustomed, " but in the style necessary for her to performthe duties of homemaker and mother. Those marriages are the happiestwhere a wife can also enter into sympathy with her husband's businessambitions in particular and ideals of life in general. Here she ispeculiarly his helpmate. He can hire a housekeeper, but not a companionof his bosom. 

A girl properly reared will naturally be drawn to a man complementaryto her in character--not "opposite, " as is so often said. Oppositionimplies antagonism, which would be the ruin of home life. The termcomplementary implies similarity in the main elements of character withadaptable differences. Good qualities, such as strength and delicacy, may complement each other, but not evil and good qualities, such asbrutality and tenderness. As Scott says in the quotation at the headof this chapter, a tender wife may suit the taste of a churlish husband, but only by not long surviving his unkindness. While such opposition maynot result in actual death, it certainly leads to the demise of all thatmakes life worth living. 

A woman should not expect to find a perfect husband. Indeed, her chiefusefulness to him will be in her strengthening his weak points, andcultivating his right inclinations until they are confirmed habits. Yet in this work she should realize the imperfections in herself, andrespond to the similar aid he gives her by his example and suggestions. Mutual aid is the great bond of marriage, as it is of all humanrelations. 

Women, from their weaker condition, have from ages past been trained togain their desires from men by indirection. In the worst form, thisappears as deceit; in the best, as tact. Laying aside the moral aspect, deceit is always unwise in a wife, since, in time, it defeats its ownend. Many a woman thinks that she is deceiving her husband, since shewins her points, when he thoroughly recognizes her machinations, andaccedes to them without contest simply for peace in the household, acquiring a feeling of moral superiority to her which, though it may betolerant, is nevertheless contemptuous. But when she employs lovingtact, especially in the improvement of her husband's habits and traits, even though he realizes it, he is at heart grateful for it, and proudof his wife's superiority in these points. 

In those matters where the characters of husband and wife are strongenough to permit frankness, this should always be employed. In all thegrave problems of life there should be perfect confidence between thepair who have taken the solemn vows of wedlock. Any third party thatenjoys a superior confidence with one of them, whether relative orfriend, even the pastor or family physician, is the man invoked againstin the marriage charge, who "puts them asunder. " Where unhappily thehusband is irreligious and the wife is forced to seek confidential helpand consolation of her spiritual adviser, she should strictly limitthese to religious matters, else she will grow apart from her husband. George Moore, in his collection of stories entitled, "The UntilledField, " presents the propensity of women in Ireland to run to the priestfor guidance on every question, as the chief cause of their domestictragedies. In America the family physician is as apt as the pastor to bemade the recipient of such confidences, with evil results where he isnot wise enough to advise that the husband is the proper person to whomthe wife should go. 

CHAPTER IV

THE HOUSE

Elements in Choice of a Home--The City Apartment--Furniture for aTemporary Home--Couches--Rugs--Bookcases--The Suburban and CountryHouse--Economic Considerations--Buying an Old House--Building a NewOne--Supervising the Building--The Woman's Wishes. 

 Of love, of joy, of peace and plenty: where, Supporting and supported, polished friends And dear relations mingle into bliss. JAMES THOMSON--_The Seasons_

When husband and wife are truly mated, they form a co-partnership in thebuilding of the home. In this work the man, occupied with his business, must leave a large part of the direction, even in material things, to the woman. And these material things are of primary consideration, as they are apt to be in every problem of life. The happiness of homeis immediately and always dependent on the kind of a house used fordwelling and its equipment for utility and comfort. 

The first thing to be considered is the location of the home. The choiceof a good neighborhood, from both social and sanitary viewpoints, isessential. Good neighbors are almost as necessary as good air and gooddrainage. Even before the children have come, it is a limitation on thefunction of a home for husband and wife to be forced to seek social lifeentirely outside the neighborhood. If charity (that is, loving, helpfulassociations) begins at home, it certainly does not stop at thethreshold, or leap therefrom over those nearest us. The best citizensare those who take a human interest in the people of their street, orward, or village, for influence in civic reform is dependent onneighborliness. 

Children are good citizens in this respect by nature. Limited toassociation with children of the neighborhood, they form an affectionfor their playmates, which may lead to good or evil results, as theseplaymates are moral or vicious in their tendencies. Therefore, at theformative period of character children should be guarded from thedebasing influences of improper companions, as well as such institutionsas saloons and low dance-halls which are generally found to be the localcauses of bad neighbors. 

Of course, a neighborhood should be selected where there are good publicschools, churches, and allied institutions for education and culture. It is always a loss to a child in this democratic country to be educatedin a private school, and yet, especially in cities, careful parents areoften compelled to resort to private instruction for their girls andboys because of the lack of refining influences in the public schools. This is why it is often better for families, when the father works inthe city, to live in the suburbs, where, as a rule, the best publicschools are to be found. 

But it may not be feasible to live out of the city, especially in thefirst years of married life, and therefore the home life must begin inan apartment. The same sanitary considerations that obtain in choice ofa neighborhood are essential in the choice of a flat. Good air, light, space, proper plumbing, and general cleanness are to be sought. Owingto the general demand for these advantages, and a limited supply ofthem which is due to economic conditions prevailing in our cities, theyunfortunately require money, therefore, the flat-seeker is compelled todo the best he can with that part of his income which he may safelyappropriate for rent. As a rule, this amount is not more than one-fourthof income. 

When an apartment house has been properly built, and the walls aresettled and the plastering dry, it generally comes up to the standardof comfort and health. Here the latest improvements in plumbing willbe apt to be found, and there will be no danger of vermin. Then, too, a concession is more apt to be made by the landlord, who is anxious tosecure tenants, by remission of a month's or a fortnight's rent, to betaken out after the first month. The landlord of such a house is alsoreadier than the owner of an old one to make decorations, and evenalterations, to suit the taste of the tenant. 

The walls in the kitchen should be painted rather than papered, andother parts of the flat designed primarily for utility. Since light isthe great desideratum, the paint, as a rule, should be light in color, though soft and tinted in tone for restfulness to the eye. Wherewallpaper is used, it should have the same characteristics. Fancifuldesigns should be avoided. Indeed, plain paper forms the best base forartistic color schemes in the decoration of rooms, the variety in whichis best obtained by the choice of furniture and pictures and other wallornaments. 

When there is a prospect that living in apartments will be only atemporary arrangement, the furniture should be chosen with a view to itsadaptability for a house. Thus folding-beds should be avoided, and otherarticles that gain space by complexity, however ingenious. Simplicity isthe quality to be desired. Thus if the exigency of space requires that aliving room by day be converted into a sleeping room, a couch should bebought for it, instead of a folding bed. It will then serve the purposeof a sofa as well as a bed. If it is a box couch, further economy willbe gained by its use as a place to store the bedclothes. But thesimplest of all arrangements is a divan bed, formed of springs andmattress alone, and supported on legs nailed to the corners of thespring-frame. Over it a cover should be thrown during the day, and thepillows in use, if there is not room for them elsewhere, should beslipped into covers harmonious in color with the couch drapery. Sucha reclining and sleeping couch may also be used in bedrooms, althoughan iron or brass bedstead gives an appearance of neatness and personalprivacy that is desirable in such chambers. 

Where there is lack of closet space and lockers, trunks can be utilizedin a flat for storing things. Steamer trunks that can be placed beneaththe beds and couches are therefore the best kind to buy. They can alsobe readily converted into window seats by making pads of cotton battingto fit the tops, and placing over them covers and pillow cushionsharmonious with the decoration of the room. Long flat "wardrobe trunks"are sold, which contain at one end rods for hanging clothes, so that, when stood up on the other end against the wall they serve as wardrobes. They always look, however, like makeshifts, and so are more useful intravelling than in the home. 

Rugs are more desirable than carpets in a city apartment, since they canbe more readily cleaned, and, in case of moving to another flat or ahouse in the suburbs, will be more adaptable to the new situation. 

Bookcases in a temporary home should be of the unit system, where eachshelf is a separate box enabling the books to be moved withoutrepacking, and permitting rearrangement to suit the new situation, orthe acquisition of new books. Where, however, the lower part of wallspace is desired to give room for articles of furniture such as couches, shelves can be built, beginning at four and one-half or five feet abovethe floor. Mr. Edwin Markham, the poet, whose home overflows with books, has greatly economized space by building for them a broad lower shelf, about eighteen inches wide, and, three inches above this, another shelftwelve inches wide, and, three inches above this, a third six incheswide. When these are filled with books the titles of all are exposed, and, by taking out the volume or two immediately in front, a volume onone of the back shelves is readily obtained. Thus, by walking about hisroom, Mr. Markham can look with level eyes for the book he wants, andprocure it without recourse to a chair or stepladder. This plan ofbanking books also lends itself to a decorative arrangement of them. 

Except in matters such as these, where economy is imperative, thefurnishing of a city apartment does not differ essentially from that ofa house, and the reader is therefore referred to the discussion of thisin the following pages. 

The suburban, village, or country home differs from the city apartment, or even city house, in that it has been built without the primaryconsideration of space. It is separated from other houses, even thoughby the narrowest space of green lawn, that gives a house theindividuality and independence without which it is hard for it to gatherthe associations of home. Even when a detached house is found in a city, its architecture is generally hampered by its adaptation to its narrowgrounds. It rarely has that rounded development of character which isas desirable in a home as in a person. 

In selecting a rented home in the suburbs, the cost of the husband'stransportation to and from the city should be added to the rent to keepthis within the proper ratio to income, just as the difference in priceof provisions should be considered in that portion allotted to food. Provisions, even country produce, are often dearer in suburbancommunities than in the city, and less saving can be made by closemarketing, because the farmers and gardeners find it more profitable tosend their produce to the center of greatest demand, and therefore ofreadiest sale, even though it costs more for transportation than to thesmaller markets near by. So suburban grocers and provision men are wontto buy in the city markets, and add the cost of transportation back fromthe city, and an additional profit for the transaction, to the price tothe consumer. 

Owing to the close competition for householders among real-estate men, it is now almost as easy to purchase a suburban home as it is to rentone, and it is therefore advisable to do this. The interest on purchase, and the fixed charges of taxes, insurance, water rent, etc. , should becounted as rent, but a higher percentage of income may be safelyallotted to these than to rent proper, since the purchase is also aninvestment. As a rule, the increase of land value near a growing citywill considerably exceed the diminution in the value of theimprovements. Indeed, owing to the constant advance of cost of buildingmaterial in recent years, there is often enhancement rather thandepreciation in the house value. 

For these economic reasons it is advisable to buy an old house whenits cost is less than the cost of constructing a new one of the samedesirability. The home-seeker, however, should curb his propensity tomake extensive alterations, for, one leading to another, he will findat the end (if he ever reaches it) that he has virtually built a newhouse at a cost greater than he could afford. 

On the other hand, he should avoid those houses built on speculation tosell. In these a showy appearance is gained at the expense of durabilityof construction, and the purchaser will find that he must pay inplumbing, coal bills, and general repairs an amount he had notcalculated upon as interest on the home, for, unless he rebuilds thehouse at ruinous expense, these will be annual charges. 

The most satisfactory way, and the one leading to great enjoyment insatisfying the "nest-building" instinct which possesses newly matedpeople no less than birds, is for the owners themselves to plan andsuperintend the building of the home. There is an infinite variety ofarchitectural plans spread before the homeseeker in books and magazines. An examination of these will be of great value to him in clarifying hishazy ideas, but he should not settle upon any one of them without expertopinion. He should employ a local architect, or at least a builder withpractical architectural ideas, to examine every feature of the planselected as nearest the homeseeker's ideal, and revise it accordingto local conditions, cost and availability of material, etc. Money isalways well spent that relieves one of responsibility, enabling him tosay thereafter, "Well, I did every thing I could to have the thing doneproperly. "

The woman's wish should be paramount in planning the building. The homeis her workshop, and she should have every convenience she requires todo her work properly. Things that appear of minor importance to a man, the architect and builder no less than her husband, are to her mostvital. What pockets are to a man or business woman in clothes, closetsand shelves are to a woman in her house, and yet she usually has tofight for them with the architect as the business woman does for pocketswith her dressmaker. Unless she has worked out the practicability of herideas, however, she will be at a great disadvantage with the experts, and therefore it is wise for her to make herself as familiar as possiblewith the main principles of building and the special details of theimprovements she desires, especially as this knowledge will be of greatuse in seeing that the work is done as ordered. Where she has notacquired this knowledge, and the husband is either incompetent or notfree to undertake this supervision, it is well to employ a contractor, arranging for thorough, satisfactory work, and holding him strictly tothe contract. 

The prime requisite in a house is that it be adapted for home life, bea comfortable place in which to sleep, cook, eat, rest and read, talkand laugh, and play and pray; in a word, in which to do all the work thatenables these necessities and pleasures to be obtained. Next to thecomfort of the family comes that of the outside world. It is desirable, though not essential, that the home contain facilities for entertaining. 

CHAPTER V

THE HOUSE

Essential Parts of a House--Double Use of Rooms--Utility ofPiazzas--Landscape Gardening--Water-supply--Water-power--Illumination--Dangers from Gas--How to Read a Gas-meter--How to Test Kerosene--Care of Lamps--Use of Candles--Making the Best of the Old House. 

The parts that are desirable in a well-ordered house may be enumeratedas follows: Cellar, the kitchen, the storehouse, the pantry, thelaundry, the dining-room, the living or sitting-room, the lavatory, the parlor, the hall, the library, the nursery, the sewing-room, the bedrooms, including guest chamber, the attic, the piazzas. 

Where economy of space must be practiced, storehouse and pantry may becombined, and nursery and sewing-room; and one of the family bedroomsmay be devoted to the use of the occasional guest. The hall may bethrown into the parlor. The parlor may be properly converted into alibrary and music room, although when the father is of retiring literarytastes, he should have a "den" of his own, where he may read and smokein peace. 

The parlor is too often wasted space in a house. As the "best room, "and very often the largest room, it is reserved for reception of guests, weddings, and funerals, and at other times shut up in gloomy grandeurfrom the family, except, perhaps, as the place of banishment for anaughty child. Except when used as a library and music room, it shouldbe one of the smallest in the house, and may, indeed, be entirelydispensed with. The family living-room is not an improper place inwhich to receive a guest, especially one whom it is desired should"feel at home. "

Of the rooms for the family, the nursery is the best to dispense with, the very young children being kept under the mother's oversight in hersewing-room, or the attic, or a loft in an out-building being fitted upfor the elder ones as a play-room. In the case of the loft, it is wellto equip it as a simple gymnasium. 

It is mistaken economy to use the living-room as a dining-room, sincethis interferes with the orderly work of the house, no less than withthe comfort of the family. It may with propriety, however, be made alsothe sewing-room, and, in general, the mother's managerial office. Hereshe should keep her desk and her household account-books, and meet thetradesmen and other business callers. It is also more suited than theparlor for use as a family reading-room and working library. Disorderthat betokens use, such as magazines on the center-table, or of paperson the desk, is here not inappropriate. Indeed, it gives a homelikeappearance even to the social guest. 

China and glassware and silver arranged in proper array in wall closets, cabinets, and sideboards are the most appropriate decorations of thedining-room. It is not at all necessary that there should be pictureson the wall of game, fruit and flowers, or "still life" studies ofvegetables and kitchen utensils. Indeed, these have become so expectedthat a change is quite a relief to a guest, who would welcome even thedeath's head that was the invariable ornament of the Egyptian feasts. Any pictures which are lively and cheerful in suggestion are suitable. Those that have a story to tell or a lesson to point are never out ofplace in a room frequented by children. 

For convenience the table-linen should be kept in drawers or lockersbuilt beneath the shelves containing the china. A butler's pantry isnot an essential when such arrangements as these are made. 

The kitchen, pantry, storeroom, and laundry form, as it were, the"factory" of the house, with the range as the central "engine. "Accordingly they should be planned with respect to each other to savesteps. Fortunately this means also saving expense in construction. Architects have been most ingenious as well as practical in perfectingthese arrangements, and the housebuilder, therefore, needs no advicefrom us. 

It cannot be too much emphasized, however, that the cellar is, from thestandpoints of sanitation and comfort, the most important part of thehouse. There should be no attempt to save expense by limiting its propersize, materials for walls, windows for ventilation, drainage, etc. , for money so saved will inevitably be paid out many times over in coalbills, doctor's fees, and, perhaps, undertaker's bills. A dry cellarmust be secured at all costs, for the air from it permeates the wholehouse. Where this is damp, it leads not alone to disease among theinmates, but to the disintegration of the house itself, through whatis called "dry rot, " but is paradoxically the result of dampness. Edgar Allan Poe, in his weird story, "The Fall of the House of Usher, "has given a mystical interpretation of the dissolution of an old homesteadwhich really has a scientific explanation that might be found in thecellar. 

The proper floor of a cellar is a layer of broken stones in which tiledrains are laid, having outlets into a common drain, and over which alayer of concrete is placed, The walls, of plastered stone, brick, or concrete, should rise above the ground far enough to permit smallwindows, and prevent the admission of surface water from rain or snow. These windows should open from within, upward, and there should be hookson the ceiling to keep them open for ventilation. 

Where a house is heated by a furnace, the style of this should beselected with great care, special regard being had to the economy offuel. The systems of steam-heating, hot-water heating, or hot-airheating have each their merits, depending on the location of the houseand the climate of the region. The cellar can also be used as astoreroom for those things not affected by the heat of the furnace, such as perishable food requiring an ice-box or a cool place, vegetables, especially those with a penetrating odor; apples, canned fruit andgoods, etc. , should be kept here, and barrels of commodities, such asvinegar, that are bought in large quantities. Shelves should be built onthe walls and hooks hung on the rafters to increase the facilities forstorage. Articles hung upon the hooks should be tied in paper bags. It is well to have the cellar ceiled, to keep out the dust of the houseand reduce the risk of fire. Here, of course, is the natural place forthe coal-bin, and, when there are no out-buildings, the man's workshop. The laundry may also be placed in the cellar, and, in stormy weather, the clothes hung there to dry. In the country the cellar is a good placein which to build an ice-vault. 

The kitchen should, of course, be airy and sunny. The sink should beplaced near a south window, if possible, to prevent freezing of pipes. An iron sink is more cleanly than a wooden one, and cheaper thanporcelain and copper. It should have a platform with room for twodishpans, and a drying shelf, raised at one end to permit drainage. Where economy of space is essential, this shelf may be removable, permitting the use for other things of the table beneath. 

Two other tables are necessary in a proper kitchen equipment, onecovered with zinc for a work-table, set near the range, and the othera plain table set near the dining-room, for the prepared dishes. Thereshould be three lights, lamps in brackets, gas-jets, or electric bulbs, near the sink, range and food-table respectively. The refrigeratorshould be put outside the kitchen, in some such place as a shelteredpart of the back piazza. Commodities such as tea and coffee, notrequiring ice, should be kept in covered jars, preferably earthen, on a dresser or shelf, where the bread-box may also stand. There shouldbe a kitchen closet for the flour-barrel and sugar-box, which should becovered for further protection from dust, flies, dampness, etc. , and forthe canned goods in immediate requisition. 

The stove or range should be selected with reference on the one hand tothe amount of cooking to be done for the family, and on the other to thesaving of fuel. Where there is a water supply, of course there should bea boiler connected with the range. This should be large enough to assurea sufficient supply of hot water for the house. There should be a shelfnear the range for such articles as the pepper-box and salt-box whichare in constant use in cooking, and hooks should be near at hand forhanging up the poker, lid-lifter, and a coarse towel for use in takingpans from the oven. Other shelves and hooks, of course, should be putin for the various utensils necessary in the kitchen. 

The floor of the kitchen should be covered with a good quality oflinoleum. A perforated rubber mat may be placed at the sink, althoughthis is not necessary. In fact, it is a better plan for the woman in thekitchen, as indeed elsewhere, to get rubber heels for her shoes. TheArabs have a proverb that to him who is shod it is as if the whole worldwere covered with leather, and rubber heels similarly cause every floorin the house, whether bare or carpeted, to be equally easy to the feetof the busy housewife. 

The laundry should be supplied with two tubs, an ironing-table, an ironing-board, and a stove for the boiler and the irons. Theironing-board should be supported upon two "horses" of the heightof the table. The table should be supplied with an iron-rest. 

In a well-planned house there should be separate bedrooms for everyinmate except the very small children. It is quite an economy in thecare of the house that each child, at as early an age as possible, should have its own room and be taught to take care of it. Since theroom is designed primarily for sleeping, care should be taken that thebed be placed in such a position that the light falls from behind thesleeper's head. The dresser should be so placed that the light falls onthe face of the occupant of the room when he is looking into the mirror. Even at the expense of space in the bedroom proper, there should be alarge closet in every sleeping-room. The deeper the closet the better, for, by using rods attached to the back of the closet and projectingthrough its width, whereon clothes-hangers may be strung, far more roomwill be obtained for clothes than where hooks and nails are employed. Bythe use of these clothes-hangers, too, suits and dresses may be kept inmuch better order. The top of the closet may be occupied by one broad, high shelf, whereon hats and bonnets may be kept in their properreceptacles. Shoes should be kept in a drawer at the bottom of thecloset, rather than thrown on the floor beneath the dresser. It is amistake to substitute a curtain for the door of the closet, since it isof the first importance to keep the clothing free from dust. 

Shelves are better than closets for the keeping of the bed linen. It isa handy thing to have a separate linen closet in the house, but this isnot essential. The sewing-room of the mother is a suitable place forkeeping the linen. Shelves are preferable to closets for this purpose. There should also be a medicine closet or locker in the mother's roomwhich will be handy in case of sudden illness among the children. 

In view of the importance of sanitation, more thought than is ordinarilyallotted to it should be given to the lavatory. Where there is room tospare, it is best to have the bath separate from the toilet, in order toprevent inconvenience in use. There should be a basin and toilet uponthe ground floor, and a bathroom and toilet upon the sleeping floor. The walls of the lavatory should be tiled, or, if this is too expensive, they should be covered with water-proof paper. All toilet arrangementsshould be systematically kept clean, and the necessary supplies at alltimes provided. 

Piazzas may be made to add no less to the utility than to the beauty andcomfort of the house. A lower back piazza, covered with vines, is theideal place in summer for eating and such heating labors as ironing. When thoroughly secured from intrusion, an upper balcony furnishes thebest of sleeping quarters for one wise and brave enough to scout thesuperstition of the bad effects of night air. Many persons of delicatehealth, even consumptives, have been restored to vigorous strength bysleeping in such a place, not only in summer but throughout the winter, save in beating storms. 

Closely conjoined with forethought for utility in the planning ofa house is forethought for beauty. It is well to have an artisticimagination in visualizing, as it were, the "hominess" of the houseas it will appear after its rawness has been mellowed by time, and itsforms have been endeared by association. This imagination is speciallyessential in the planting of trees, arrangement of flower gardens, the choice of the kind of enclosure, whether hedge or fence, and, in general, all that is known under the name of landscape gardening. 

The housekeeper's work is greatly dependent upon the kind of watersupply available for the house. In cities and towns the kind of supplyis fixed for her, but in the country she is afforded her freedom ofchoice. She has a choice of water from wells or springs, which is moreor less "hard, " that is, impregnated with lime, and water collected fromrain or melting snow. For household purposes rainwater is the moredesirable, and, when properly filtered and kept in clean cisternsprotected from the larvae of mosquitoes and other disease-bearinginsects, it is also the best for drinking purposes. To one accustomedto drinking hard water from a well or spring, rain water is a littleunpalatable, but after he is accustomed to its use he will prefer it. It is always wise to secure an analysis of the drinking water of thehouse, since water reputed pure because of its clearness and coldnessis as apt as any other to be contaminated. Where soft water is notavailable for household use, hard water may be softened by the additionto it of pearline or soda, or by boiling, in the latter case the limein it being precipitated to the bottom of the kettle or boiler. 

When well water is used for drinking some knowledge of the geology ofthe home grounds is essential. Thus, because the top of a well is onhigher ground than the cess-pool is no reason for assuming that thecontents of the latter may not seep into the water, for the inclinationof the strata of the rocks may be in a contrary direction to that ofthe surface of the ground. 

When filters and strainers are used they should be carefully cleaned atregular intervals, since if they are permitted to accumulate impuritiesthey become a source of contamination instead of its remedy. Every oncein a while the housekeeper should take off the strainers from thefaucets and boil them. 

There are many excellent systems for obtaining water power for the housein the country, each of which has its special advantages. The pumping ofwater to a tank at the top of the house by a windmill is that mostcommonly used. This is the cheapest method, but the most unsightly. Small kerosene or hot-air engines may be employed for the power at veryslight cost, and will prove useful for other purposes, such as sawingwood or even operating the sewing-machines. Owing to the many inventionsfor isolated lighting plants by acetylene and other kinds of gas, dwellers in the country have virtually as free a choice of illuminationas the people in towns and cities. 

Great caution is necessary in the use of any form of illuminating gas, since all produce asphyxiation. Accordingly, all gas fixtures of thehouse should be regularly inspected to see that there is no escape ofthe subtile, destructive fluid. The odor of escaping gas which is sounpleasant is really a blessing, in that it informs the householder ofhis danger. A cock that turns completely around and, after extinguishingthe light, permits the escape of the gas, is more dangerous than apoisonous serpent. Yet there may be nothing radically wrong with thisfixture, and the use of the screwdriver may make it as good as new. Gas should never be turned low when there is a draught in the room, nor allowed to burn near hanging draperies. Care should always be takenin turning out a gas-stove or a drop-light to do so at the fixture andnot at the burner. This is not alone safer, but it keeps the rubber tubefrom acquiring a disagreeable odor from the gas that has been left in it. 

Great economy in the consumption of gas may be secured by the use ofWelsbach and other incandescent burners. Where these are not employed, care should be taken to select the most economical kind of gas tips, and to see that when these become impaired by use they are replaced. 

In the large cities there is constant complaint of defective gas-meters, so much so that inspectors have been appointed to correct this abuse. It has been found, however, that many complaints have been unfoundedbecause the housewives were not able properly to read the meter. Directions how to do this will therefore be found useful. A gas-meterhas three dials marking tip to 100, 000 feet, 10, 000 feet, and 1, 000 feetrespectively. The figures on the second dial are arranged in oppositeorder from those on the first and third dials, and this often leads toan error in reckoning. However, there should be no trouble in settingdown the figures indicated by the pointer on each dial. We first setdown the figure indicated upon the first dial in the units place of aperiod of three places, then that indicated upon the second dial in thetens place, and then that indicated upon the third dial in the hundredsplace. To these we add two ciphers, to obtain the number of feet of gasthat has been burned since the meter was set at zero on the three dials. From this number we subtract the total of feet burned at the time whenthe preceding gas bill was rendered. This is generally called on thebill "present state of meter. " The result of the subtraction will bethe amount of gas that has been burned since the last bill was rendered. For example:

 95, 300, amount indicated on dial. 82, 700, amount marked "present state of meter" on preceding gas bill. ------ 12, 600, amount of gas for which current bill is rendered. 

Equal care must be exercised when kerosene is used for illumination, since, while it is not so dangerous directly to life, it is the chiefsource of the destruction of property. Accordingly the nature ofkerosene and the way it illuminates is a profitable subject of study ifwe would prevent destructive fires. Really, we do not burn the oil, butthe gas that arises from the oil when liberated by the burning wick andbecomes incandescent when fed by the oxygen of the air. While kerosenerequires a high temperature for combustion, it is closely related toother products of coal oil, such as naphtha and gasoline, which becomeinflammable at a low heat and are therefore very dangerous. Since thecheap grades of kerosene approach these products in quality, care shouldbe taken to see that it is of high "proof" in order to preventexplosions. The proof required of kerosene differs in various States;that in some is as low as 100 degrees Fahrenheit, that is, thetemperature at which the oil will give off vapors that will ignite. This is too low a proof, for such a degree of temperature is quite commonin the household. It is safe only to use that kerosene which is at least140 degrees proof, for then, even though the oil is spilled, there islittle danger that it will ignite except in the immediate presence offlame. There is no danger at all in soaking wood with this kind of oilin a stove or grate wherein the fire has gone out. 

To test kerosene, put a thermometer into a cup partially filled withcold water, and add boiling water until the mercury stands at 130degrees Fahrenheit. Then take out the thermometer and pour twoteaspoonfuls of kerosene into the cup and pass over it the flame ofa candle. If the oil ignites, it is unsafe. 

In order to prevent the flame from running down into the lamp andcausing an explosion, the wick should be soft, filling the burnercompletely. The highest efficiency in the form of illumination isobtained by round burners, especially those in lamps which admit airto the inside of the wick and so induce the largest possible amountof combustion. Such a lamp produces quite a high degree of heat, andwill answer the purpose of an oil-stove in a small room. 

Contrary to the popular idea, wicks should be carefully trimmed withscissors rather than with a match or other instrument. In extinguishinga lamp one should first turn down the wick and blow across the chimney, never down the chimney. 

Owing to the fact that the wick is constantly bringing up oil bycapillary attraction, whether it is lighted or unlighted, lamps in whichthe wicks have not been cared are kept continually greasy. In fact, a lamp that is greasy or that gives out a bad odor is one that has notbeen properly cared. With due attention, lamps are as clean and handya means of illumination as any other form. 

Candles, that are now used chiefly for decorative purposes, may still bepractically employed for carrying light about the house. The danger froma falling candle carried by a child up to bed is not nearly so great asthat which may result from either spilt oil from a broken lamp or thecutting glass of its chimney. 

To those who live in an old house, all the foregoing advice should provea source of helpfulness in making the best of the old home, rather thanof dissatisfaction with its seeming shortcomings. There are many simple, inexpensive ways of making it conform to the model house. Expense needonly be incurred in sanitary improvement, such as the better drainage ofthe cellar, enabling it to be utilized for purposes which now crowd the"work-rooms" of the home, and the alterations of the windows to permitbetter lighting and ventilation. Very often a room can be made toexchange purposes by a simple transference of furniture, thus saving thehousekeeper steps. A woodhouse can be converted into a summer kitchen, and the old one, during this season, used as a dining-room, though itmay be found even pleasanter to eat out of doors under an arbor or ona wide piazza. A porch may be partitioned off into a laundry, and theattic ceiled and partitioned for use as a bedroom. Very often an oldboxed-off stairway, built in the days when it was thought unseemly toshow a connection with the upper bedrooms, can be relieved of its doorand walls, to the increase of space in the lower room, and of the beautyof its appearance. Indeed, as a rule, there are too many doors in an oldhouse. Some of these can be altered into open arched entrances, makingone large commodious room out of two little inconvenient ones. Unusedout-buildings can be turned into playrooms for the children, and evensleeping quarters. All these are changes that make for the beauty noless than the utility of home, as proved by the fact that many artists, especially those who have studied abroad where old country houses aremore or less of this unconventional character, go into the country andalter in this fashion old and even abandoned houses into houses admiredfor their charming individuality. Illustrations of such "hermitages"frequently appear in the magazines, and may be studied for suggestions. Sometimes the alteration is of the exterior only. The repainting in aproper color, or the simple creosote staining of a weather-beaten house, with the addition of a rustic porch or the breaking of a corner bedroominto a balcony, will sometimes so transform an old house that it looksas if it were a new creation. 

CHAPTER VI

FURNITURE AND DECORATION

The Qualities to Be Sought in Furniture--Home-made Furniture--Semi-madeFurniture--Good Furniture as an Investment--Furnishing and Decoratingthe Hall--The Staircase--The Parlor--Rugs and Carpets--OrientalRugs--Floors--Treatment of Hardwood--Of Other Wood--How to Stain aFloor--Filling as a Floor Covering. 

 Necessity invented stools, Convenience next suggested elbow-chairs, And Luxury the accomplished sofa last. 

 WILLIAM COWPER--_The Task. _

Utility, comfort and elegance are, as Cowper shows, the three successivepurposes for which furniture was designed. And to-day the order ofdevelopment remains also the order of importance. The first things to bedesired in any article of furniture are durability and simpleapplication to its purpose. These being found, a person naturally looksto see if the use of them will contribute to his physical pleasure aswell as his convenience, that the back of a chair is the right heightand curvature to fit his back, and the seat is not so deep as to strainhis legs; that the table or desk is one he can spread his legs under innatural fashion, and rest his elbows upon with ease; in short, that thefurniture conforms to his bodily requirements, as the chair and bed ofthe "wee teenty bear" suited exactly the little old woman of Southey'stale. Last of all, the aesthetic pleasure, the appreciation of beautyby the mind, decides the choice in cases of equal utility and comfort. The artistic considerations are so many that furniture has become a branchof art, like sculpture or painting, with a large literature and historyof its own. 

Since most authorities on the subject largely ignore the questions ofutility and comfort, devoting themselves to the questions of aestheticstyle, it will be useful to our purpose here to confine the discussionto the neglected qualities. As a rule, a durable, useful, andcomfortable article is a beautiful one. At least it has the beautyof "grace, " by which terms the old writers on aesthetics characterizedperfect adaptation to purpose, and the beauty of what they called"homeliness, " or, as we would now say, since this term has beenperverted, of "hominess, " the suggestion of adding to the pleasureof the household. 

The quality of "hominess" is greatly increased in an article offurniture by a frank look or "home-made" appearance. There is no moredelightful occupation for the leisure hours of a man or woman, and nomore useful training for a boy or girl, than the making of simplearticles of home furniture. Really, the first article of furniture whichshould be brought into the house is a well-equipped tool-chest, and thefirst room which should be fitted up is the workshop. A vast amount oflabor will be saved thereby in unpacking, adjusting, repairing, andpolishing the old and the new household articles, so that life in thenew home be begun under the favorable auspices of the great householddeity, the Goddess of Order. When it is further considered that oftensmall repairs made by a carpenter cost more than a new article, thetool-chest will be valued by the family as a most profitable investment. 

If it is not possible to procure the proper materials and tools formaking the entire article, some part of the work, the shaping, andcertainly the staining and polishing, can be done at home. If thevisitor does not recognize the home quality in such an article, the maker does, and will always have a pride and affection for it. 

Many furniture manufacturers give in their catalogues designs ofsemi-made or "knock together" furniture, that is, the parts of tables, chairs, etc. , cut out and planed, which it is intended that thepurchaser put together himself. These, as a rule, are made of goodmaterial befitting the hand workmanship which will be put upon them, and are offered at a considerable reduction from the price asked forready-made furniture of the same material. 

Furniture stains of excellent quality are found in every hardware storeand paint shop, which can easily be applied by the merest amateur. 

It is never wise to buy flimsy furniture, however cheap. As a rule, there is too much furniture in the American home. It is better to getalong with a few good, durable articles, even though a little expensive, than with a profusion of inferior ones. These soon reveal their "cheapand nasty qualities, " are in constant need of repair, and quicklydescend from the place of honor in the parlor to be endured a while inthe living room, then abused in the kitchen, and, finally, burnt asfuel. Good wood and leather, however, are long in becoming shabby, and even then require only a little attention to be restored to goodcondition. When it is considered that in furniture there is virtually nomonopoly of design or invention, and one therefore pays for material andlabor alone, and competition has reduced these to the lowest terms, thepurchaser is certain to get the worth of his money when he pays a higherprice for durable material and honest workmanship. When it is furtherrecalled that our chief heirlooms from the former generations are tablesand chairs and bureaus, it will appear that it is our duty to hand downto our children furniture of similar durability and honest quality. Therefore, money spent for good furniture may be considered as apermanent investment whose returns are comfort and satisfaction inthe present, and loving remembrance in the days to come. 

So often is the artistic beauty of a house destroyed by a bad selectionand arrangement of furniture and choice of inharmonious decorations, that many architects are coming to advise, and even dictate, the styleof everything that goes into the house. Thus Colonial furniture isprescribed for a residence in Colonial style, Mission furniture forMission architecture, etc. There is a corresponding movement amongmakers of artistic furniture to plan houses suited to their particularstyles. Thus "Craftsman" houses and "Craftsman" furniture are designedby the same business interest. 

Since, however, the average American home is something of a compositein architectural design, the housekeeper may be permitted to exerciseher taste in making selections from the infinite variety of stylesof furniture that are offered her by the manufacturers of the country. It is advisable, however, that the furniture in each room be in harmony. 

Let us briefly examine the articles of furniture and styles ofdecoration appropriate for the several rooms. 

The hall, now often the smallest, most ill-considered part of the house, was once its chief glory. In the old days in England, and, indeed, in America, the word was used as synonymous with the mansion, asBracebridge Hall, Haddon Hall, etc. It was the largest apartment, the center of family and social life. Here the inmates and their guestsfeasted and danced and sang. Gradually it was divided off into rooms forspecific purposes, until now in general practice it has narrowed downto a mere vestibule or entrance to the other rooms, with only thosearticles of furniture in it which are useful to the one coming in orgoing out of the house, combination stands with mirror, pins for hangingup hats and overcoats, umbrella holder, a chair or so, or a settee forthe guest awaiting reception, etc. Often the chair or settee is of themost uncomfortable design, conspiring with the narrow quarters to makethe visitor's impression of the house and its inmates a verydisagreeable one. If space is lacking to make the hall a comfortable andpleasing room, it should be abolished, and the visitor, if a social one, taken at once to the parlor, and if a business one, to the living-room. 

Where, however, size permits it, the hall should be made the mostattractive part of the house. Here is the proper place for a"Grandfather's Clock, " a rug or so of artistic design, and a jardiniereholding growing plants or flowers. The wallpaper should be simple anddignified in design, but of cheerful tone. Some shade of red is alwaysappropriate. Remember in choosing decorations that the colors of thespectrum--violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red--run thegamut of emotive influence from depression to exhilaration. Violetand indigo lower the spirits, blue and green hold them in peacefulequilibrium, yellow begins to cheer them, and orange and red excite them. 

However, the color scheme of a hall is largely dependent upon thewood-finish, because of the amount of this shown in the stairs. 

Dark red is a very suitable color for the stair-carpet. The best way tofasten this is by a recent invisible contrivance which goes underneaththe material. Brass rods are ornamental, rather too much so, and carpettacks are provoking, both in putting down and taking up the carpet. 

Where the hall and stairway are wide and room-like, pictures should behung on the walls, interesting in subject and cheerful in decorativetone. The presence of the stairway, especially if this is broken by alanding, permits quite a variety of arrangement. The line of ascentshould be followed only approximately. Remember that it is a fundamentallaw of art always to suggest a set idea, but never to follow it; to havea rule in mind, and then play about it rather than strictly pursue it. Art is free and frolicking. It gambols along the straight path ofutility, following the scent of airy suggestion into outlying fieldsand by-paths, but always keeping the general direction of the path. 

The parlor, when this is not combined with the hall, should be furnishedand decorated according to the chief use the family intend to make ofit. If they are given to formal entertainment, the color scheme may bein "high key, " that is, a combination of white with either gold, rose, or green, any of which forms a bright setting for gay evening costumes. But this decoration is not advisable in the case of the average Americanhome, since it is too fine and frivolous for the reception of neighborsin ordinary dress. A quieter, more dignified color-scheme should beadopted; such as golden brown, with subdued decorations for the wall, and ecru-colored lace curtains for the windows. The floor may be ofhardwood, in which case a few medium-sized Oriental rugs should beplaced on the floor. It is not essential that these "match" thewallpaper, for they are of the nature of artistic household treasures, and so rise autocratically above the necessity of conformity. Where theyare chosen with a view to the color scheme, it is advisable to make themthe means of transition from the hall. If this is decorated in dark red, the rugs leading from it into the parlor may shade off from this intomore golden tones. The design of the rugs should be unobtrusive. Thehomemaker should not feel that Oriental rugs are too expensive forconsideration. Every once in a while their is a glut of them in themarket, owing to an extensive importation, when they can be purchasedat a price which will always insure the owner getting his money backif at any time he wishes to dispose of them. But the purchaser shouldbe certain that the bargains offered are real ones, for rug-stores, like trunk-stores, always seem to be selling out "at a sacrifice. "All Oriental rugs are well made, and, with proper usage, will last forgenerations, even enhancing in value. Therefore, they are always safeinvestments. Oriental rug-dealers repair rugs at a fair price for thetime spent in doing so. 

Since the floor space of a room with rugs in it is about two-thirdsbare, the rugs will often not exceed the cost of a good carpet. 

Hard woods take best a finish in brown or green, that gives an impressof natural texture impossible to secure by paint. Hardwood floors shouldbe polished at least once a week with floor-wax, a simple compound ofbeeswax and turpentine, which can be made at home, or bought at thestores. This is useful for polishing any floor or woodwork. When thefloor is not of hardwood, it may be stained. All varieties of stainsare sold, the most durable, though the most expensive being theold-fashioned oil oak-stain. For the parlor and other floors, andcorridors, stairways, etc. , that do not get much wear, as well as forhardwood work in general, varnishing saves time and labor in cleaning. 

For proper staining, the wood should be thoroughly scrubbed with soapand water; then, when dry, brushed over with hot size. Use concentratedsize, a dry powder, rather than that in jelly form, as it is moreconvenient. It is dissolved and should be applied with a broadpaint-brush. The application should be very rapid to prevent congealingand setting in lumps on the boards; accordingly the bowl containingthe size should be set in boiling water until it is thoroughly liquid, and kept in this condition. The number of coats must depend upon theabsorbent nature of the boards. One coat must be allowed to drythoroughly before another is applied. Over night is a sufficienttime for this. Varnishing also should be done rapidly to preventdust settling on it. It is best done in a warm room, without draughts. Do not use stains ready-mixed with varnish, as these do not last as long, nor look so well as pure stains varnished after application. When theboards are in bad condition they should be first sandpapered. Cracksshould be filled with wedges of wood hammered in and planed smooth. They can also be filled with thin paper torn up, mixed with hot starchand beaten to a pulp. This can be pressed into the cracks with aglazier's knife. The use of putty or plaster of Paris for this purposeis not so satisfactory as these methods. 

For sleeping-rooms and living-rooms, which for sanitary reasons itis advisable to scrub, the stain should be left unvarnished. 

CHAPTER VII

FURNITURE AND DECORATION

The Carpet Square--Furniture for the Parlor--Parlor Decoration--ThePiano--The Library--Arrangement of Books--The "Den"--The Living-room--TheDining-room--Bedrooms--How to Make a Bed--The Guest Chamber--WindowShades and Blinds. 

Housekeepers often prefer carpets to bare floors, and rugs for thereason that they "show the dirt" less. It is for this very reason thatbare floors are best. Dirt is something to remove rather than conceal, and bare floors and rugs are more easily cleaned than carpets. 

Covering the entire floor with plain filling, as a base for rugs, is analternative for either hardwood or stained floors. It should be in thedeeper tone of the color employed as a main part of the room's decoration. 

When carpets are used, those in the hall, parlor, and dining-room shouldnot be fitted into the corners, but a space should intervene betweentheir edges and the walls. This may be filled with wood-carpetry, which, like all devices which suggest continuation of fine material throughunseen parts, gives an air of art and elegance at comparatively littleexpense. Otherwise the floor, if hardwood, should be finished; if ofother wood, stained and varnished. The carpet square is kept in positionwith brass-headed pins sold for the purpose. 

Articles of furniture which are suitable for a parlor used chiefly asa reception room are light side chairs, and a settee, cane-seated withdark frames, or willow chairs, and settee, stained a dark hue, andbrightened up with pretty cushions. These are not dear, so a littleextra expense may be incurred in buying the parlor-table, which shouldbe graceful in design and of rich dark wood, preferably mahogany, or inmahogany finish. A small table, of similar design and finish, shouldserve for afternoon tea, and a pretty desk stand near a window, withwriting materials for the use of guests. There should be a clock uponthe mantelpiece, and a few other articles of vertu, such as a vase orso, a bronze statuette, etc. , all harmonized by the common possessionof artistic elegance. 

The pictures in the parlor should possess evident artistic merit. Thereshould be no suggestion of amateurishness. Family attempts at drawing orpainting, crayon portraits, etc. , all photographs, with the exception ofthose intended as artistic studies, should be excluded from the walls. If good originals by capable artists are not obtainable, fine engravings, etchings, and even colored copies of noted pictures may take their place. 

A few books, well bound and with contents worthy of the binding, shouldlie on the parlor table, with a late magazine or so, for the entertainmentof the waiting guest. There should be fresh flowers arranged in prettybowls to add their impress of cheerfulness and beauty to the room. 

In most American homes the parlor is also the music room. Since a pianoshould be chosen for quality rather than appearance, an instrument ofany finish is allowable in a room, whatever its decorative scheme. Except in a family containing an expert performer, a piano should bechosen for softness and richness of tone, instead of brilliancy. Formost households the old cottage organ is a more practicable instrumentthan the "concert grand" often found in a small parlor, where itspiercing notes, especially in combination with operatic singing, areso confined that tones and overtones, which should assist each other, mingle in jarring confusion. Indeed, when the parlor is large and high, a genuine pipe-organ built in a recess and harmonizing in finish withthe woodwork of the room is not only the finest decoration possible, butthe most appropriate musical instrument. Those families who possess anold-fashioned piano, such as thin and tinkly "square, " are advised tohave it overhauled and refinished by a competent piano-repairer, andpreserved, if only for practice by the children. In case such aninstrument has "overstrung" wires, it can be restored to a tone thatis better than that of the usual upright piano. 

The parlor that is put to family use is usually the best room to fit upfor a library. In this case the form-and-color scheme of furnishing anddecoration should differ entirely from that when the room is used onlyfor the reception of guests. The furniture should be heavier and larger, indicating utility, and its finish, as also that of the walls, floor andwoodwork, in deep shades of the more restful colors of the spectrum. Sage-green is a good color for the parlor-library. The furniture may beof this or even darker hue. There is no better style of furniture forthe library than the Mission, made comfortable by leather cushions. If leather is thought too expensive, there are fair substitutes for it insuch materials as pantasote. But leather should be procured if possible. It looks better and wears longer, and even when shabby keeps itsrespectability. With the Mission furniture may be mingled anold-fashioned upholstered chair or so, such as a large "Sleepy Hollow. "A Morris chair is almost as comfortable as this, and perhaps upholds thedignity of the room a little better, though it does not give the samesuggestion of "hominess. " An old-fashioned sofa, wide-seated, anddesigned to be lain upon, should be placed in the room with its headtoward the light, so that the occupant may read while reclining upon it. In almost every old house there is a horse-hair sofa, either put away inthe attic or even in use, which can be reupholstered to fit thecolor-scheme of the room. 

Books naturally form the chief ornament of the library. It is a mistaketo give them an elaborate casing. The simplest form is the best; theshelves should run up evenly from the floor to a more or less ornamentaland somewhat projecting top, terminating several feet from the ceiling. On this top a bust or so of an author may be appropriately placed, orcopies of an ancient statue, and on the wall above, between the cases ofshelves, may hang a few pictures, not necessarily bookish in suggestion, but reposeful in subject and tone, such as landscapes and marines. 

A writing desk of comfortable size, with its chair, is essential inevery library. It should be as far away as possible from the type ofthe modern business desk, and therefore an old-fashioned article witha sloping top, which, when let down, serves for the writing board, is an ideal form. Manufacturers continue to make these desks for homepurposes. 

The library table should be large and simple. One that is oval in shapeis the best for the family to gather about, and therefore gives the mosthomelike appearance. The illumination of the library should centereither upon this table, if a lamp is used, or above it, if gas orelectric light. The desk should have a side-light of its own. 

Modern library conveniences are presented in so handy and presentableshapes that the room may be perfectly equipped as a literary workshopwithout crowding it, or detracting from its appearance. A dictionaryholder (wooden, not wire), a revolving bookcase for other works ofreference, and a card index of the library may complete the equipment. It will be well to utilize one or more of the drawers of the desk asa file for clippings. These should be kept in stout manila envelopes, slightly less in size than the width and height of the drawer, and withthe names of subjects contained, and arranged in alphabetical order. 

The carpet should be plain in design, and underlaid with padding. Thecurtains should be of heavier and darker stuff than those in the parlor, and easily adjusted to admit the light. 

The library and living room are generally next each other, and so eachmay and should have a fireplace in the common chimney. That of thelibrary should be of severer design; that of the living-room morehomelike. Dutch tiles, with pictures that interest children, arespecially appropriate for the latter. 

Where the father of the family demands a "den" for reading and smoking, this may be a small room on the same general order as the library, butwith an emphasis on comfort. Thus, the sofa should be replaced by a widedivan, which may also serve on occasion as a sleeping-place. The Turkishstyle of furnishing is the customary one; the Japanese style being a fadthat came in with the aesthetic craze, was carried to an uncomfortableexcess, and has gone out of fashion. The most appropriate style for anAmerican house is American Indian. The brilliant and strikingly designedNavajo blankets may be used for both rugs and couch covers, or hung upas wall-ornaments. Moqui basketware serves equally well for usefulpurposes, such as scrap-baskets, and for ornamentation. The pottery ofthe Pueblo Indians, being naive and primitive in design, is much moreintimate and therefore appropriate than the Japanese bric-a-brac whichit replaces. 

The living-room is the heart of the house, and everything in it shouldbe of a nature to collect loving associations. Almost any style offurniture is admissible into it, if only it is comfortable. There shouldbe rocking-chairs, for the woman and the neighbors who drop in to seeher, other chairs stout enough for a man to tip back upon the hind legs, and little chairs, or a little settee by the fireplace, for thechildren. The mother's desk should stand here, plainer than the one inthe library, but of design similar to it; there should be a sofa ascomfortable as the library one, to which the mother should have thefirst right. The paper should be cheerful in its tone and with adefinite design. This will become endeared by association with home tothe children, and the mother should be slow to replace it. The windowdraperies may be home-made, such as of rough-finished silk orembroidered canvas, and the floor covered with a thick rag-carpet, preferably of a nondescript or "hit-and-miss" design. If the housekeeperthinks that this is "hominess" carried to excess, she may cover thefloor with an ingrain carpet, or better, plain filling of a mediumshade, on which a few rag rugs are laid, light in color. Very artisticcarpets and rugs are made out of old carpets and sold at reasonablefigures, and there still remain in some small towns throughout thecountry weavers who weave into carpets the carpet-rags sewn togetherby housewives for the price of their labor alone. 

There is a reason additional to its economy why this practice should notdie out. The tearing up into strips of old garments, and the tacking oftheir ends together with needle and thread is work eminently suited forchildren, and one in which they take great pride, as it gives them ashare in the creation of a useful and beautiful household article. 

The dining-room should be decorated in accordance with the quantity ofdaylight it receives. It should be, if possible, a light room, withpreferably the morning sun. In this case, it is properly furnished anddecorated in dark tones, on the order of the library; if the room isdark, the furniture, wood-finish, and wall-paper should be warm andlight in feeling. The housekeeper has a wide variety of sets of diningtable and chairs to choose from. Whatever she selects should bedistinguished by the quality of dignity. Here is the one room in thehouse where formality is thoroughly in place; it is at table where badmanners are wont most to show themselves among children, and laxity inetiquette among their parents. Just as the exclusive use of the roomfor eating purposes saves labor in housework, so will its dignity indecoration aid in enforcing the mother's teaching of good habits tothe children. 

Here, if anywhere in the house, plain wall-paper should be used, sincethe chief decorations are the china closet, cabinet and sideboard. 

The dining-room ought not to have a fire-place or stove if other meansof heating it are available, since heat, like food, should be equallydistributed to those at table. Preference in seating should be a matterof honor rather than of material advantage. 

Comfort and cleanliness are the qualities which condition the equipmentand decoration of the bed-room. When one considers that a third of aman's life is spent in bed, it will be seen how exceedingly importantis the selection of this article of furniture. The essential parts ofa good bed are spring and mattress, and no expense should be spared herein securing the best. The frame, which though the ornamental part is theleast essential, is a matter of indifferent consideration. There is nobetter kind of a bedstead than an iron or brass one, because ofcleanliness and strength and the ease with which it may be taken apartand put together again. The pillows deserve almost equal considerationwith the mattress. Since the feathers used in stuffing pillows may becleaned, it is economical to see that these are of the best quality. Bed clothing is often selected under the mistaken impression that weightis synonymous with warmth, and heavy quilted comforts are chosen insteadof lighter, woolen blankets. The pure woolen blanket is the idealbed-covering and in various degrees of thickness may serve for all ofthe bed clothes save the sheets, and the light white coverlet, whichis placed over all merely for appearance. 

With increasing attention paid to hygiene, single beds rather thandouble are coming into favor. Even where two people occupy the same roomthey will be more comfortable in different beds. It is a mistake foryoung people and infants to sleep with older people, or for those whoare well and strong with sickly or delicate persons, as there is apt tobe a loss of vitality to the more vigorous party. 

Everything connected with the bed should be regularly and thoroughlysunned and aired. The occupant on rising should throw back thebed-clothes over the foot of the bed, or, indeed, take them off and hangthem over a chair in the sunlight. 

The first thing in making a bed should be to turn the mattress. Thelower sheet is then put on right side up and with the large end at thetop. This is tucked in carefully all around, then the covering sheet isput on with the large end at the top, but the right side under. This istucked in only at the foot in order to permit the bed to be easilyentered. Over these the blankets are placed and folded back at the headunder the fold of the upper sheet. Pillow-shams should never be used, as ornamentation on a bed is not necessary, and if it were a sham isnever an ornament. 

The walls of bedrooms may very properly be painted, as also the floors, to permit scrubbing, especially after the illness of an occupant. If papered, a chintz pattern is preferable; cretonne of similar designshould then be used for furniture slips, etc. The woodwork may be white, with the chairs to match. There should be washable cotton rag-rugs, loosely woven to be grateful to the bare feet, at the bedside and infront of the bureau, dressing-table and doorway. Where space is limited, a combined bureau and dressing-table, or even a chiffonier with amirror, may be used. 

A child's bedroom may very appropriately have a wall-paper of a designintended to interest it, such as representations of animals, scenes fromMother Goose, etc. This is also suitable for the nursery. 

The guest-room has come to be the _chambre de luxe_ of the house, the place in which every conceivable article is introduced that might berequired by the visitor, all being of expensive quality. Probably it isbest to conform to this practice, since it is an expected thing, butmoney spent on the guest-room beyond that necessary to make it simplythe best bedroom in the house, brings smaller returns in usage thananywhere else. The average guest is more pleased with a room such as hesleeps in himself at home, than with one where elegance seems too finefor use. It was a plainsman, who, being lodged in such a room on a visitto civilization, slept on the floor rather than touch the immaculatepillow-shams and bed-cover, which he conceived to be parts of the bedclothing not designed for use. 

The window-shades of a house, since they show without, should be uniformin color, and no attempt be made to suit the individual decoration of aroom to them. The material should be plain Holland, white or buff whenthere are outside blinds, otherwise green or blue. In recent yearsshutters, or outside blinds, have come somewhat into disuse. This is, on the whole, perhaps an improvement, for they are rarely manipulatedwith judgment, being either left open or kept shut for continuous periods. In the latter case they darken rooms which, though unused, would have beenbetter for the admission of sunlight. The reason for this lack ofmanipulation is that they are opened and fastened with difficulty fromthe inside. All the purpose of the outside blinds is served by insideblinds, which are much more easily operated, and lend themselvesadmirably to decoration. One form of these, known as Venetian blinds, consisting of parallel wooden slats, strung on tapes, is coming againinto vogue. They are cheaper than the usual sort of blinds, and are verydurable as well as artistic. After all, however, shades are the mostpractical form of modulating the entrance of light into a house. 

CHAPTER VIII

THE MOTHER

Nursing the Child--The Mother's Diet--Weaning--The Nursing-bottle--Milkfor the Baby--Graduated Approach to Solid Diet--The Baby's TableManners--His Bath--Cleansing His Eyes and Nose--Relief of Colic--Careof the Diaper. 

 But one upon earth is more beautiful and better than the wife--that is the mother. --L. SCHEFER. 

Tennyson says, "The bearing and the training of a child is woman'swisdom. " Herein nature is ever urging her to the proper course. Thus thelove of the newborn infant prompts the mother to feed him with her ownmilk, and this supplies exactly the elements he requires for healthydevelopment. No other milk, however skillfully modulated, no "infant'sfood, " however scientifically prepared, can fully take its place. 

Unless illness prevents her from feeding her own child, or she is of amoody and unhappy disposition, it is the mother's place to give herbreast to the infant. The condition of mind of the mother has a greatdeal to do with the quality of the milk. A despondent and excitabletemperament is often more productive of harm than a low physicalcondition. It is hardly necessary to warn the mother to be carefulof her diet, as this has immediate effect on the quality of the milk. Of course, any drink containing alcohol must be avoided. Tea and coffee, except when taken in weak strength, have also a deleterious effect. Milk, and next to it, cocoa, are the best beverages for the mother. Mothersshould also avoid taking medicine except when positively required. 

There is no need for the mother to vary greatly her solid diet. Shewill naturally select that which is most nutritious and easily digested. Anything that tends to make her costive, such as fruits or greenvegetables, should be partaken of with discrimination. 

The baby should be fed with systematic regularity from the beginning. While a child does not need food for the first day after birth, nevertheless it is well to put it to the breast about six hours afterbirth, since for the first few days after child-birth the breastssecrete a laxative element which acts as a sort of physic upon thechild, clearing its bowels of a black, tarry substance, that fills them. The full supply of normal milk comes after the third day. After thefirst feeding the baby should be put to the breast every four hours forthe first day and after that every two hours, being kept there abouttwenty minutes each time. The mother should be watchful and see thatthe child is awake and is nursing. Even at this early age it can becompelled to learn a good habit. Unless it learns this habit, the motherwill be put to great inconvenience and the baby will suffer because ofthe disarrangement of the systematic feeding. If he is allowed to nurseat his own pleasure, the results will quickly make themselves manifestin the form of colic, leading to wakefulness and bad temper. 

A baby should not remain awake more than four hours in the day on thewhole, and he should be so trained that the eight hours from ten o'clockat night to six in the morning, when his mother is sleeping, should befor him also an uninterrupted period of slumber. 

The baby should be weaned at ten months unless he is unwell at the timeor the weaning comes in the heat of the summer, when there is danger ofhis becoming sickly or peevish. Preparatory to weaning, the baby shouldbe accustomed to the bottle. Provided the bottle holds half a pint orfour glasses, the number of bottles may be increased from one a day atfour months to two or six at eight months. The baby should certainly beweaned by the time it is a year old, as, even though the mothercontinues to have a plentiful supply of milk, this is not suited to hisneeds at this stage of his physical development. By this method ofapproach the act of permanently refusing the breast to the child willnot greatly offend him. After a little crying he will philosophicallyaccept the situation and reconcile himself to the substitute. 

Weaning is rendered easier by selecting a nursing-bottle which has thenipple in the shape of the breast. Care should be taken that the hole inthe nipple is not too large, supplying more milk than the stomach cantake care of as it comes, and so causing stomachic disorder. The nursingbottle should at all times be kept thoroughly clean by rinsing in hotwater and washing in hot soapsuds. The milk for the child's bottleshould, wherever possible, be what is called "certified, " that is, themilk from a herd of cows which have been declared by the properauthorities to be all in good health, and which have been milked undersanitary conditions. This milk is delivered in clean, sealed bottles, preventing the admission of any dirt or deleterious substance from thetime it leaves the dairy till opened. The milk for the baby should notbe purchased from the can. 

Milk that has been sterilized, that is, bottled and put in boiling waterfor an hour, is not so good for the baby as pasteurized milk; that is, milk kept at something less than the boiling point for half an hour, since the higher temperature causes the milk to lose some of thequalities beneficial to the child. 

Since cow's milk differs in its constituents from mother's, having morefat and less sugar, there will be need at first to modify the cow'smilk, weakening and sweetening it somewhat. One good recipe formodifying cows' milk is: One part milk, two parts cream, two partslime-water, three parts sugar water, the sugar water being made byputting two even teaspoonfuls of sugar of milk in a pint of water. 

Condensed milk, which is often used as a substitute for cows' milk, is not nearly so good, since it has lost in the process of condensationone of the most important elements, that which forms bone tissue. Accordingly, babies fed upon condensed milk are apt to be "rickety, "and they lack in general power to resist disease, which is primarilythe mark of a baby fed on mother's milk, and to a slightly lesser degree, one fed upon cows' milk. 

The stomach grows very rapidly during infancy, increasing from acapacity of one ounce soon after birth to eight ounces at the end ofthe year, and this should be taken into account by the increase of theamount supplied it. After the first week, a baby should increase inweight at the rate of one pound a month for the first six months. If he falls behind this rate and remains healthy, more sugar and fatmay be introduced into his milk. If, however, he fails to gain weightand is sickly, the milk should be diluted and modified so as to makeit easier of digestion. 

Every mother should be warned against a common practice of starting theflow of milk from the nipple of the bottle by putting it in her mouth. Gums and teeth are rarely perfectly clean, and so form the favoritelurking place for disease germs, which, though they may not producedisease in the stronger body of the adult, may do so and often do soin the more susceptible physique of the child. 

Just as the child was trained to the bottle while it was still takingthe mother's milk, so it should be taught gradually to eat solids whileit is fed upon the bottle. After the child has been weaned at the tenthmonth, he can be fed occasionally on broths or beef juice as a substitutefor one of the milk feedings. The broth is more of a stimulant than a food, aiding digestion rather than supplying nourishment. 

During the eleventh month, the yolk of a soft boiled egg, mixed withstale bread crumbs, may be added to the diet, together with a littleorange juice or prune jelly. The latter will tend to keep his bowels free. 

After twelve months, the child may be gradually accustomed to eat stalebread, biscuit or toast, broken in milk, thoroughly cooked oatmeal andsimilar cereals, baked potatoes moistened with broth, mashed potatoesmoistened with gravy, and rice pudding. The pudding is made of twotablespoonfuls of clean rice, half a teaspoonful of salt, one-third ofa cupful of sugar in five cups of milk. Bake in buttered pudding dishfrom two to three hours in slow oven, stirring frequently to preventrice from settling. 

At the age of two years and a half the child may be permitted to eatmeat, preferably roast beef or mutton, cooked rare, or minced roastpoultry. 

Even though sugar is a very essential ingredient in the child's diet, it is very unwise to let it have this outside of its regular diet. Purecandy does not hurt the child by impairing its digestion so much as byinterfering with its appetite for plain food. The child should never beallowed to form an inordinate appetite for anything, as this is certainto cause a corresponding deficiency elsewhere in his diet. 

Even worse than the practice of giving candy to very young childrenis that of teaching them to drink tea and coffee. These are purestimulants, supplying no tissue-building element, and taking the placeof nutritious beverages that do, such as milk and cocoa. 

After a child is old enough to be permitted to partake withdiscrimination of the general food of the table, he should be allowedto eat with the family. From the beginning he should be taught tablemanners, the use of knife and fork and napkin, and the subordinationof his wishes to those of older people. 

Next to feeding the baby properly, the most important duty of the motheris to see that it is kept clean. Even in its nursing days, after eachfeeding, she should rinse its mouth out by a weak boracic acid solution, since particles of milk may remain there which may become a source ofinfection. It is well for similar reason to wash her own breasts withthe solution. 

A baby should be bathed regularly at about the same time each day. During the first days of a child's life, he should be sponged in a warmroom, with water at blood heat. In removing the garments, the mothershould roll the infant gently from side to side, rather than lift himbodily. It is well to have a flannel cloth or apron ready to cover thechild when it is being undressed. The baby's face should be washed inclear water, firmly and thoroughly with a damp cloth, and dried bypatting with the towel. Then soap should be added to the water and theother parts of the baby's body washed in it; first, the head, ears andneck, then the arms, one uncovered at a time, then, with the mother'shand reaching under the cover, the back, during which process the babyis laid flat on the stomach, then the stomach, and last, the legs, oneat a time, the baby being kept covered by the flannel as much as theseoperations permit. 

The eyes of infants are prone to inflammation, and therefore requirespecial attention in the way of cleansing. This can be done best by theuse of the boracic solution upon a fresh pledget of cotton. Be carefulnot to use the same piece of cotton for both eyes, and to burn it afteruse. When the nose is stopped with mucous, a similar means can be usedfor cleansing it. 

Every mother should study the individual nature and disposition of herchild, in order to know what to do for it when it cries, for a cry maymean over-feeding as well as under-feeding, colic, or a wet diaper. Colic is often quickly relieved by turning the baby upon his stomach andrubbing his back, or by holding him in front of the fire, or wrappinghim in a heated blanket. In drying the baby his comfort will be greatlyincreased by the use of talcum powder. Of course, soiled diapers shouldnot be put on a child again until they are thoroughly washed. It willsave the mother much trouble if absorbent cotton is placed within thediapers to receive the discharges from the bowels. These should beafterwards burned. 

Too many clothes is bad for a young baby. If his stomach be wellprotected by a flannel band and he is kept from draughts, his otherclothing may be very light, especially in summer. 

CHAPTER IX

THE MOTHER

The School-child--Breakfast--Luncheon--Supper--Aiding the Teacher atHome--Manual Training--Utilizing the Collecting Mania--PhysicalExercise--Intellectual Exercise--Forming the Bath Habit--Teething--Formingthe Toothbrush Habit--Shoes for Children--Dress--Hats. 

When the child reaches the school-age especial care should be taken ofhis diet. He should not be allowed to have meat at breakfast, except alittle bacon with his eggs, one of which may be allowed a school-childwhen young, two when older. Well-cooked cereals, such as oatmeal andcream of wheat, should form the staple article of diet, though these maybe varied by the ready-to-eat breakfast foods, such as corn-flakes. He should always have either sound fresh fruit, or stewed fruit, to eatwith the cereal. His bread should always be toasted. Muffins are betterfor him than pancakes or waffles, which, however, should be allowed himoccasionally as a treat. 

As this kind of a breakfast largely consists of starchy foods, it shouldbe eaten slowly, as starch requires thorough mastication. The practiceof allowing children to lie late in bed, and then gulp their breakfastdown in a minute or so, in order not to be late to school, is mostpernicious. 

The luncheon put up for school-children may consist chiefly ofsandwiches, preferably several small ones of different kinds, ratherthan one or two large ones. Biscuit sandwiches are generally morepalatable to a child than plain bread ones. Besides those made ofcold meat, there should be at least one cheese or one salad-and-nutsandwich, and one jelly sandwich. A hard-boiled egg, preferably onethat has been cooked for some time in water kept under boiling point, will vary this diet. Of course fruit, such as an apple, an orange, ora banana, forms the best dessert. Occasionally cake, gingerbread, sweet biscuit, or a piece of milk chocolate may be put in the basketfor a pleasant surprise. 

The supper of the school-child while young should be a simple one, something on the order of the breakfast. In the early days children werefed at night on hasty pudding, or mush-and-milk, (cornmeal), which isan ideal food when thoroughly prepared, the meal being slowly sprinkledinto the pot, which was stirred constantly all the while. The NorthItalians prepare cornmeal in this fashion; the mush, which they call"polenta, " forms an accompaniment of meat stews, thus affording all theelements of a "perfect ration. " American cooks should employ cornmealfar more than they do. Mush in particular has the advantage possessed byKing Arthur's bag-pudding, what cannot be eaten at night may be served"next morning fried. " While fried food is, as a rule, not good atbreakfast for any save one who has hard manual labor or physicalexercise to perform, an exception may be made of fried mush and friedeggs, because their base is so nutritious that the heated fat can dolittle to impair their digestibility, while it certainly whets theappetite before eating, and pleases the palate when the food is in themouth. It should be borne in mind that those foods which require muchmastication ought especially to be made palatable in order to be chewedthoroughly. Therefore, starchy materials ought to be prepared inappetizing ways; on the other hand, meats, which require lessmastication, may dispense with high seasoning and rich sauces, especially as they have their own natural flavors. 

The mother should closely follow the work of the child at school andaid this in every way at home. She should patiently answer his manyquestions, except when she is convinced that he is not really in searchof information, but is asking them merely for the sake of asking. Wherever the child ought to be able to reason out the answer, the mothershould assist him to do so by asking him guiding questions in turn. Thisis the method that Socrates, the greatest of teachers and philosophers, employed with his pupils, and, indeed, with his own children. It is asuseful in inculcating moral lessons as in teaching facts. When one ofthe sons of Socrates, Lamprocles, came to him complaining that themother, Xanthippe, treated him so hardly that he could not bear it, thephilosopher, by kindly questions, led the boy to acknowledge his greatdebt to her for her care of him in infancy and in sickness, and, byshowing the many things Xanthippe had to try her patience, persuadedhim to bear with her and to give her that love which was her due. 

Where manual training is taught in the schools, the mother should giveevery opportunity to her children to practice it at home. Where it isnot a part of the school course, parents should study to devise homesubstitutes for it, the mother teaching the girls sewing, embroidery, etc. , and the father instructing the boys in carpentry and the like. 

The desire to collect things, which seizes boys and girls at an earlyage, should be turned into useful channels by teachers and parents. Often this valuable instinct is largely wasted, as in the collectingof postage-stamps, the impulse which it gives to geographical andhistorical investigation being grossly perverted--for example a littleisland, that once issued a stamp which is now rare, looming larger inimportance than a great country none of the stamps of which have anyspecial value. 

Every school, or, failing this, every home, should have a museum, not somuch of curiosities as of typical specimens. These may be geological, botanical, faunal or archaeological; the rocks and soils and clays ofthe home country, the flowers of plants and sections of wood of trees;the skins of animals and birds (taxidermy is a fascinating employmentfor the young) eggs and nests (here the child should be taught to be anaturalist and not a vandal), and Indian arrow-heads and stone-axes. 

In this connection it should be suggested that the most valuablecollection of all is a herbarium of the flowers of literature, specimensof which may be found in the home library. That a child is not fond ofreading is testimony that his parents no less than his teachers havefailed in their duty. 

Above all, the parents should see that their boys and girls havefacilities for that physical culture which is necessary for health andproper development. Those exercises which are both recreative and usefulare preferable. Gardening may be made a delight instead of a hardship, if the child is allowed to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Let him sellthe vegetables he raises to the family, and, if there is an excess, to the neighbors, for pocket money. He will enjoy purchasing his ownclothing even more than using the money solely for his pleasures. 

Healthful sports should be encouraged, and games, such as chess, thatdevelops the intellect. There are many card games, such as "Authors, "that impart useful instruction in literature, history, natural science, business, etc. Playing these in the home is a good thing no less forparent than child. Many a mother has acquired a well-rounded cultureafter her marriage through her determination to "keep ahead of thechildren" in their studies and intellectual activities. 

The child should be early accustomed to take cold baths, and then runabout naked in a room under the impulse given by the tingling glow ofreaction. If a play is made of the bath the habit will be formed forlife, and in this way, one of the mother's chief struggles, to make thechildren clean themselves, will be abolished. It is natural for a childto get dirty, and therefore it should be made as habitual an impulsefor them to get clean again. 

Of all such habits, keeping the teeth clean is most important. Children's teeth are a chief source of anxiety to the mother evenbefore they make their appearance. 

Troubles in teething are generally due to innutritious and illy-digestedfood. Sometimes, however, when the food is all right, the teeth willstill have difficulty in coming through the gums. Whenever the motherobserves that her crying child refuses to bring its gums together onanything, she should examine them, and, if they are swollen, have themlanced. 

The "milk-teeth, " even though they are temporary, should be looked aftercarefully, as their decay will often spread to the coming permanentteeth. Besides, they should be preserved as long as possible, and inthe best condition, to aid in mastication. Accordingly, young childrenshould be taught regularly to rinse out their mouths and to usea tooth-brush and tooth-powder. 

A child should run barefoot as much as conditions and climate permit. When it wears shoes, these should conform as much as possible to theshape of the foot. With such footwear, the active child may form forlife the habit of a natural gait, especially if parents will point outthe beauty and advantages of this, and praise the men and women of theiracquaintance who possess it. It is about the time when a girl islearning _Virgil_ in the High School that she is tempted by vanityand the desire to be "like the other girls" to put on French heels. Then it is that the teacher or mother should quote to her the line ofthe _Aeneid_ about Venus:

 "The true goddess is shown by her gait, "

and save her from an irreparable folly. 

If mothers will remember that children are not dolls, and that mothersare not children to take pleasure in bedecking them, they will need noadvice about dressing their little ones. There is only one rule for herto follow: She should consult the comfort and health of the child, and, as far as consistent with these, the convenience to herself. It may be"cute" to dress a child like a miniature man or woman, but it is cruelto the child. There is no reason for distinguishing sex by dress inyoung children. "Jumpers" form the best dress for either a little boyor little girl in which to play. Even when they are older and a skirtdistinguishes the girl, bloomers or knickerbockers of the same materialbeneath, approach the ideal of dress for comfort, health and decencymore nearly than white petticoat and drawers. Indeed, the skirt is bestwhen it is a part of a blouse, which is also a suitable dress for a boy. A child should never be tortured with a large or stiff hat. The heads ofchildren come up to the middles of men and women, and such a hat will becrushed in a crowd, and its poor little wearer placed in mortal terror. Indeed, children should be allowed to go bareheaded as much as possible, and, when they wear hats, have these simple in shape and soft inmaterial. The plain cap is the best head covering for a boy. The girl'smay be a little more ornamental, especially in color. The universalseizure by the sex upon the boy's "Tam o'Shanter" as peculiarly suitedfor a play and school-hat, is therefore right and proper. For a moreshowy style, lingerie hats are justified. But the most beautiful andappropriate form of the "best hat" for a little girl is one of uniformmaterial, straw, cloth or felt, with simple crown, and wide, and more orless soft brim, ornamented by a ribbon alone. The addition of a singleflower may be permitted, though this is like the admission of thecamel's nose into the tent, --it may lead to the entrance of thehump--the monstrosity of the modern woman's bonnet, which of late yearshas by terms imitated a flower garden, a vegetable garden, an orchard, and, finally, with the Chanticler fad, a poultry-yard. 

The knickerbocker and the short skirt are aesthetic, that iseye-pleasing, because they mark a natural division of the body at theknee. There is an artistic justification, therefore, in mothers keepingtheir sons out of "long pants" as long as possible, and in fathers (forit is they who are the chief objectors) in opposing their daughters'desire to don the dust-sweeping skirt that marks attainment towomanhood. Here, however, it is proper that the wishes of the youngergeneration triumph. It is a social instinct to conform to the customof one's fellows, and the children have reached "the age of consent" inmatters of fashion. Their fathers and mothers may lend their influenceto abolish foolish customs, or to modify them in the direction ofwisdom, but it is best that this be in their capacity as citizens, and not as parents. 

CHAPTER X

CARE OF THE PERSON

The Mother's Duty Toward Herself--Her Dress--Etiquette and GoodManners--The Golden Rule--Pride in Personal Appearance--The Scienceof Beauty Culture--Manicuring as a Home Employment--Recipes for ToiletPreparations--Nail-biting--Fragile Nails--White Spots--ChappedHands--Care of the Skin--Facial Massage--Recipes for SkinLotions--Treatment of Facial Blemishes and Disorders--Care of theHair--Diseases of the Scalp and Hair--Gray Hair--Care of Eyebrowsand Eyelashes. 

 Certainly this is a duty, not a sin. "Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness. "--JOHN WESLEY--_On Dress. _

In all her multitudinous concerns the housekeeper should not forget herduties toward herself. Many a mother in looking out that her childrenare a credit to the family in dress and manners and care of theirpersons, gives up all thought of standing as an exemplar of these thingsamong the ladies of the community. This is a sacrifice of self that isnot commendable, since it defeats its purpose. The mother should alwaysbe herself an illustration of the lessons she teaches, else they willnot be seriously considered. 

It is impossible here to give more than a few general suggestions asto the dress and millinery of the mother. She should have a variety ofsimple house-dresses, suited to her various duties, and these should bekept as neat as possible. Each should be made for its purpose, notconverted to it from one of her fine dresses. Nothing gives animpression of slatternliness more than the wearing about the houseof a frayed and soiled garment "that has seen better days. "

The best dresses and hats of a woman, even one who goes little "intosociety, " should also be sufficient in number and varied in styleto suit the changing seasons of the year, and the widely differingoccasions for use which occur in every station of life. The purchaseof several good articles of attire rather than one or two is economicalin the end. There is not only the obvious mathematical reason that, if one dress wears a year, four dresses must be bought in four years, whether this is done simultaneously or successively, but there is thephysical reason that a dress, like a person, that has regular periodsof rest, becomes restored in quality. Accordingly, all dresses shouldbe laid very carefully away when not in use, and the proper means takento refresh them. 

Unfortunately the arbitrary and senseless changes in fashion renderthis practice hard to follow. No woman likes to look out of style. However, by a little cleverness garments and hats may be adapted tothe prevailing mode (although the arbiters of fashion, in the interestsof manufacturers, try by violent changes of style to render thisimpracticable). These adaptations may not be in the height of fashion, but they will be in good form and taste. Indeed, it is never good tasteto follow extremes of style. The well-known lines of Pope on the subjecthold true in every age:

 ".... In fashions the rule will hold, Alike fantastic if too new or old; Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside. "

Some of the best-dressed women in artistic and musical circles designtheir clothes wholly to suit their personal appearance, with suchsuccess that their independence of the prevailing mode of large or smallhats or sleeves, striped or checked fabrics, etc. , wins universaladmiration. 

Remember that a dress or a hat is never a "creation" in itself. Thewearer must always be considered. Short, stout women should avoidhorizontal stripes or lines of ornamentation that call attention tobreadth, and should choose those perpendicular stripes and lines whichtend to give an impression of height and slenderness. A hat lining maybe used to put rosiness into a pale face, and a color may be selectedfor a dress which will neutralize too much redness in the skin. Butthese are matters of common knowledge to all women. The trouble is, thatin their desire to be "in style, " many women forget, or evendeliberately ignore these fundamental principles of art in dress. Fondness for a particular color, as a color, causes many women to wearit, regardless of its relation to their complexion; and there have beenwomen of mystical mind who, believing that each quality of soul had itscorrespondent in a particular hue, wore those colors which they thoughtwere significant of their chief traits of character--with weird results, as you may imagine. 

It is unnecessary, in this book of "practical suggestions, " to discussin detail the question of etiquette, which may be defined as "theprevailing fashion in social intercourse. " Styles in visiting cardschange from year to year, and the social usages of one city differ fromanother. If it is required to know these, the latest special work onetiquette should be procured. 

The general principles of good manners, however, which lie at the basisof etiquette, just as good morals form the foundation of law, althoughthere are discrepancies in both cases, may appropriately be presentedhere, though briefly. 

Good manners and good morals alike follow the Golden Rule: "Whatsoeverye would that others should do to you, do ye even so to them. " Egotismand selfishness are the bane of both. True politeness consists inconsidering the pleasure of others as a thing in itself, without regardto your own advantage. If an attention is paid, a gift given, a servicerendered, these should be done solely for the recipient's happiness, not with a view to his making a return in kind, possibly with interest. It is good manners to call on people who will be pleased to see you;not on those whom you wish to see, but to whom you and your affairs areof no concern. A first visit to a newcomer in town is right and proper. A stranger is presumed to be desirous of making friends, but the firstcall ought to indicate whether or not he and you have that community ofinterest which is essential to friendship. If you are the newcomer, itis your duty to show your appreciation of the attention by returningfirst calls, but you should so act that your hosts will feel free tocontinue the acquaintance if it will be agreeable to them, ordiscontinue it if it is not. Indeed, in every situation you should givethe other party this choice. Friendship is one of the most valuableforms of social energy, and it should carefully be conserved. Yet morethan any other form it is wasted, because of a false regard for socialconventions. At how many calls are both parties bored! How manypersons--women in particular, who have not the man's freedom inselecting associates--continue in the treadmill round of an uncongenialsocial circle! To escape from this may require the special exercise ofwill, and the incurring of criticism, but these ought to be assumed. However, in most cases, a woman may gradually escape from thedistasteful circle and form new and more congenial friends withoutremark. 

After the brightening effects on mind and spirits of social intercoursecomes the advantage of toning up the personal appearance. A decentself-respect in dress should always be flavored with a touch of pride, for this is an excellent preservative. To have a proper pride, theremust be the incentive of the presence of other people whose admirationwe may win. Pride in dress is naturally conjoined with the care of theperson. There is an excellent term for this, which, though borrowed fromthe stable, carries with it only sweet and wholesome suggestions. It is"well-groomed. " A well-groomed woman is not only a well-gowned woman, but one who, like a favorite mare, is always spick and span in herperson, and happy in her quiet consciousness of it. And every woman, whether she possesses a maid or not, indeed, whether she has fine gownsor not, may win the admiration of all her associates by her "grooming. "

CHAPTER XI

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF COOKING

The Prevalence of Good Recipes for All Save Meat Dishes--Increased Costof Meat Makes These Desirable--No Need to Save Expense by Giving UpMeat--The "Government Cook Book"--Value of Meat as Food--RelativeValues and Prices of the Cuts of Meat. 

 We may live without poetry, music and art; We may live without conscience, and live without heart; We may live without friends; we may live without books; But civilized man cannot live without cooks. ("OWEN MEREDITH")--_Lucile_. 

All the other duties of the housewife are subsidiary to the greatsubject of preparing food for the household. The care of the home, thecare of health, etc. , all either bear upon this work or require abilityto perform it. 

With decks cleared for action, therefore, we will proceed to discuss thefundamental principles of cookery, the application of which, in the formof specific recipes, will follow in a separate chapter. 

In the limited space which can be here devoted to the subject, itwill be assumed that the housewife is a cook, and can follow plaindirections, and that she is familiar with the methods of preparing theordinary meals that are universal throughout the country. It will bealso taken for granted that she has one or more general cook bookscontaining a wide variety of recipes for the making of bread in itsvarious forms, cakes, pies, omelettes, salads, desserts, etc. , and thediscussion will be confined to meats, wherein, owing to advancingprices, new economical methods of preparation are coming into practice, based upon a scientific knowledge of food values. 

Vegetarianism and fruitarianism are being adopted by many households, less as a matter of principle than as a recourse from what areconsidered the present prohibitive prices of meats. Now the proper wayto solve a problem is not to evade it, but to face it and conquer it, and this is eminently true of the meat problem. Granted that theproportion of family income devoted to food cannot be increased, it isa fact that, by an intelligent study of the food value of the differentkinds of meat, and of economic ways of preparing them, the expense ofliving may be maintained at the former rate, if not, indeed, materiallylessened, with a great increase in both the nutritive value and thepalatability of the family meals. 

The "new nationalism" of America, which, after all, is only the turningto newer needs of the old nationalism that gave homesteads to the peopleand supplied them with improved methods of agriculture, is rightlytaking the lead in the scientific education of the housekeeper inthis household economy. 

With special regard to the requirements of the people in these days ofrising prices, especially of meats, the United States Department ofAgriculture has issued a booklet, prepared by C. F. Langworthy, Ph. D. , and Caroline L. Hunt, A. B. , experts in nutrition connected with theDepartment, which gives authoritative information about the cheaper cutsof meat and the preparation of inexpensive meat dishes. This has becomegenerally known as "The Government Cook Book. " By the permission of theDepartment we here present portions of the information it contains, together with those recipes which best illustrate the principles of meatcookery for the home table. 

VALUE OF MEAT AS FOOD

Considering the fact that meat forms such an important part of the diet, and the further fact that the price of meat, as of other foods, hasadvanced in recent years, it is natural for housekeepers to seek moreeconomical methods of preparing meat for the table, and to turn theirthoughts toward the less expensive cuts and ask what economy is involvedin their use, how they may be prepared, and whether the less expensivedishes are as nutritious and as thoroughly and easily digested as thecostlier ones. 

The value of meat as food depends chiefly on the presence of two classesof nutrients, (1) protein or nitrogenous compounds, and (2) fat. Themineral matter it contains, particularly the phosphorus compounds, isalso of much importance, though it is small in quantity. Protein isessential for the construction and maintenance of the body, and bothprotein and fat yield energy for muscular power and for keeping up thetemperature of the body. Fat is especially important as a source ofenergy. It is possible to combine the fat and protein of animal foodsso as to meet the requirements of the body with such materials only, andthis is done in the Arctic regions, where vegetable food is lacking; butin general it is considered that diet is better and more wholesome when, in addition to animal foods, such as meat, which is rich in proteins andfats, it contains vegetable foods, which are richest in sugar, starch, and other carbohydrates. Both animal and vegetable foods supply themineral substances which are essential to body growth and development. 

The difference between the various cuts of meat consists chiefly inamount of fat and consequently in the fuel value to the body. So far asthe proteins are concerned, i. E. , the substances which build and repairthe important tissues of the body, very little difference is found. 

This general uniformity in proportion of protein makes it easy for thehousekeeper who does not wish to enter into the complexities of foodvalues to make sure that her family is getting enough of this nutrient. From the investigations carried on in the Office of Experiment Stationsthe conclusion has been drawn that of the total amount of protein neededevery day, which is usually estimated to be 100 grams or 3-1/2 ounces, one-half or 50 grams is taken in the form of animal food, which ofcourse includes milk, eggs, poultry, fish, etc. , as well as meat. Theremainder is taken in the form of bread and other cereal foods and beansand other vegetables. The portion of cooked meat which may be referredto as an ordinary "helping, " 3 to 5 ounces (equivalent to 3-1/2 to 5-1/2ounces of raw meat), may be considered to contain some 19 to 29 grams ofprotein, or approximately half of the amount which is ordinarily securedfrom animal food. An egg or a glass of milk contains about 8 grams more, so the housekeeper who gives each adult member of her family a helpingof meat each day and eggs, milk, or cheese, together with the puddingsor other dishes which contain eggs and milk, can feel sure that she issupplying sufficient protein, for the remainder necessary will besupplied by bread, cereals, and other vegetable food. 

The nutrition investigations of the Office of Experiment Stations showalso that there is practically no difference between the various cutsof meat or the meats from different animals with respect to either thethoroughness or the ease with which they are digested. Therefore, thosewho wish to use the cheaper cuts need not feel that in so doing theirfamilies are less well nourished than by the more expensive meats. 

RELATIVE VALUES AND PRICES OF THE CUTS OF MEAT

The relative retail prices of the various cuts usually bear a directrelation to the favor with which they are regarded by the majority ofpersons, the juicy tender cuts of good flavor selling for the higherprices. When porterhouse steak sells for 25 cents a pound, it may beassumed that in town or village markets round steak would ordinarilysell for about 15 cents, and chuck ribs, one of the best cuts of theforequarter, for 10 cents. This makes it appear that the chuck ribsare less than half as expensive as porterhouse steak and two-thirds asexpensive as the round. But apparent economy is not always real economy, and in this case the bones in the three cuts should be taken intoaccount. Of the chuck ribs, more than one-half is bone or othermaterials usually classed under the head of "waste" or "refuse. "Of the round, one-twelfth is waste, and of the porterhouse one-eighth. In buying the chuck, then, the housewife gets, at the prices assumed, less than one-half pound of food for 10 cents, making the net priceof the edible portion 22 cents a pound; in buying round, she getseleven-twelfths of a pound for 15 cents, making the net value about 16-1/2cents; in buying porterhouse, she gets seven-eighths of a pound for25 cents, making the net value about 28-1/2 cents a pound. The relativeprices, therefore, of the edible portions are 22, 16-1/2, and 28-1/2cents; or to put it in a different way, a dollar at the prices assumedwill buy 4-1/2 pounds of solid meat from the cut, known as chuck, 6pounds of such meat from the round, and only 3-1/2 pounds of such meatfrom the porterhouse. To this should be added the fact that because ofthe way in which porterhouse is usually cooked no nutriment is obtainedfrom the bone, while by the long slow process by which the cheaper cuts, except when they are broiled or fried, are prepared the gelatin, fat, and flavoring material of the bone are extracted. The bones of meatsthat are cooked in water, therefore, are in a sense not all refuse, for they contain some food which may be secured by proper cookery. 

It is true, of course, that the bones of the steaks may be used for soupmaking, and that the nourishment may thus be utilized, but this must bedone by a separate process from that of cooking the steak itself. 

TEXTURE AND FLAVOR OF MEAT

Although meats vary greatly in the amount of fat which they contain andto a much less degree in their protein content, the chief difference tobe noted between the cheaper and more expensive cuts is not so much intheir nutritive value as in their texture and flavor. All muscleconsists of tiny fibers which are tender in young animals and in thoseparts of older animals in which there has been little muscular strain. Under the backbone in the hind quarter is the place from which thetenderest meat comes. This is usually called the tenderloin. Sometimesin beef and also in pork it is taken out whole and sometimes it is leftto be cut up with the rest of the loin. In old animals, and in thoseparts of the body where there has been much muscular action, the neckand the legs for example, the muscle fibers are tough and hard. Butthere is another point which is of even greater importance than this. The fibers of all muscle are bound together in bundles and in groupsof bundles by a thin membrane which is known as connective tissue. Thismembrane, if heated in water or steam, is converted into gelatin. Theprocess goes quickly if the meat is young and tender; more slowly if itis tough. Connective tissue is also soluble in acetic acid, that acid towhich the sourness of vinegar is due. For this reason it is possible tomake meat more tender by soaking it in vinegar or in vinegar and water, the proportions of the two depending on the strength of the vinegar. Sour beef or "sauer fleisch, " as it is known to Germans, is a palatabledish of this sort. Since vinegar is a preservative this suggests amethod by which a surplus of beef may be kept for several days and thenconverted into a palatable dish. 

Flavor in meat depends mainly on certain nitrogenous substances whichare called extractives because they can be dissolved out or "extracted"by soaking the meat in cold water. The quality of the extractives andthe resulting flavor of the meat vary with the condition of the animaland in different parts of its body. They are usually considered betterdeveloped in older than in very young animals. Many persons supposeextractives or the flavor they cause are best in the most expensive cutsof meat; in reality, cuts on the side of beef are often of better flavorthan tender cuts, but owing to the difficulty of mastication this factis frequently not detected. The extractives have little or no nutritivevalue in themselves, but they are of great importance in causing thesecretion of digestive juices at the proper time, in the right amount, and of the right chemical character. It is this quality which justifiesthe taking of soup at the beginning of a meal and the giving of broths, meat extracts, and similar preparations to invalids and weak persons. These foods have little nutritive material in themselves, but they aregreat aids to the digestion of other foods. 

The amount of the extractives which will be brought out into the waterwhen meat is boiled depends upon the size of the pieces into which themeat is cut and on the length of time they are soaked in cold waterbefore being heated. A good way to hinder the escape of the flavoringmatter is to sear the surface of the meat quickly by heating it in fat, or the same end may be attained by plunging it into boiling water. Suchsolubility is taken advantage of in making beef tea at home and in themanufacture of meat extract, the extracted material being finallyconcentrated by evaporating the water. 

GENERAL METHODS OF COOKING MEAT

The advantages of variety in the methods of preparing and serving are tobe considered even more seriously in the cooking of the cheaper cutsthan in the cooking of the more expensive ones, and yet even in thisconnection it is a mistake to lose sight of the fact that, though thereis a great variety of dishes, the processes involved are few in number. 

An experienced teacher of cooking, a woman who has made very valuablecontributions to the art of cookery by showing that most of the numerousprocesses outlined and elaborately described in the cook books can beclassified under a very few heads, says that she tries "to reduce thecooking of meat to its lowest terms and teach only three ways ofcooking. The first is the application of intense heat to keep in thejuices. This is suitable only for portions of clear meat where thefibers are tender. By the second method the meats are put in cold waterand cooked at a low temperature. This is suitable for bone, gristle, and the toughest portions of the meat which for this purpose shouldbe divided into small bits. The third is a combination of these twoprocesses and consists of searing and then stewing the meat. This issuitable for halfway cuts, i. E. , those that are neither tender nor verytough. " The many varieties of meat dishes are usually only a matter offlavor and garnish. 

In other words, of the three processes the first is the short method;it aims to keep all the juices within the meat. The second is a very longmethod employed for the purpose of getting all or most of the juicesout. The third is a combination of the two not so long as the second andyet requiring so much time that there is danger of the meat beingrendered tasteless unless certain precautions are taken, such as searingin hot fat or plunging into boiling water. 

There is a wide difference between exterior and interior cuts of meatwith respect to tenderness induced by cooking. When beef flank is cookedby boiling for two hours, the toughness of the fibers greatly increasesduring the first half hour of the cooking period, and then diminishes sothat at the end of the cooking period the meat is found to be in aboutthe same condition with respect to toughness or tenderness of the fibersas at the beginning. On the other hand, in case of the tenderloin, thereis a decrease in toughness of the fibers throughout the cooking periodwhich is particularly marked in the first few minutes of cooking, and atthe end of the cooking period the meat fibers are only half as tough asbefore cooking. 

CHAPTER XII

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF COOKING

Texture and Flavor of Meat--General Methods of Cooking Meat--Economiesin Use of Meat. 

A good idea of the changes which take place while meat is being cookedcan be obtained by examining a piece of flesh which has been "cooked topieces, " as the saying goes. In this the muscular fibers may be seencompletely separated one from another, showing that the connectivetissue has been destroyed. It is also evident that the fibers themselvesare of different texture from those in the raw meat. In preparing meatfor the table it is usual to stop short of the point of disintegration, but while the long process of cooking is going on the connective tissueis gradually softening and the fibers are gradually changing in texture. The former is the thing to be especially desired, but the latter is not. For this reason it is necessary to keep the temperature below theboiling point and as low as is consistent with thorough cooking, forcooks seem agreed, as the result of experience shows, that slow gentlecooking results in better texture than is the case when meat is boiledrapidly. This is the philosophy that lies back of the simmering process. 

Losses of elements vary considerably with the method of cookingemployed, being of course greatest where small pieces of meat aresubjected to prolonged cooking. The chief loss in weight when meat iscooked is due to the driving off of water. When beef is cooked by panbroiling--that is, searing in a hot, greased pan, a common cookingprocess--no great loss of nutrition results, particularly if the fat andother substances adhering to the pan are utilized in the preparation ofgravy. When beef is cooked by boiling, there is a loss of 3 to 20 percent. Of material present, though this is not an actual loss if thebroth is utilized for soup or in some similar way. Even in the case ofmeat which is used for the preparation of beef tea or broth, the lossesof nutritive material are apparently small though much of the flavoringmatter has been removed. The amount of fat found in broth variesdirectly with the amount originally present in the meat; the fatter themeat the greater the quantity of fat in the broth. The loss of waterin cooking varies inversely with the fatness of the meat; that is, the fatter the meat the smaller the shrinkage due to loss of water. In cooked meat the loss of various constituents is inversely proportionalto the size of the cut. In other words, the smaller the piece of meatthe greater the percentage of loss. Loss also appears to be dependentsomewhat upon the length of time the cooking is continued. When piecesof meat weighing 1-1/2 to 5 pounds are cooked in water somewhat underthe boiling point there appears to be little difference in the amount ofmaterial found in broth whether the meat is placed in cold water or hotwater at the beginning of the cooking period. When meat is roasted inthe oven the amount of material removed is somewhat affected by thecharacter of the roasting pan and similar factors, thus the total lossin weight is naturally greater in an open than in a closed pan as theopen pan offers more opportunity for the evaporation of water. Judgingfrom the average results of a considerable number of tests, it appearsthat a roast weighing 6 pounds raw should weigh 5 pounds after cooking, or in other words the loss is about one-sixth of the original weight. This means that if the raw meat costs 20 cents per pound the cookedwould represent an increase of 4 cents a pound on the original cost;but this increase would, of course, be lessened if all the drippingsand gravy are utilized. 

ECONOMIES IN USE OF MEAT

The expense for meat in the home may be reduced in several ways, andeach housekeeper can best judge which to use in her own case. From acareful consideration of the subject it appears that the varioussuggestions which have been made on the subject may be grouped under thefollowing general heads: Economy in selection and purchase so as to takeadvantage of varying market conditions; purchasing meat in wholesalequantities for home use; serving smaller portions of meat than usual orusing meat less frequently; careful attention to the use of meat, bone, fat, and small portions commonly trimmed off and thrown away and theutilization of left-over portions of cooked meat; and the use of theless expensive kinds. 

The choice of cuts should correspond to the needs of the family and thepreferences of its members. Careful consideration of market conditionsis also useful, not only to make sure that the meat is handled andmarketed in a sanitary way, but also to take advantage of any favorablechange in price which may be due, for instance, to a large local supplyof some particular kind or cut of meat. In towns where there isopportunity for choice, it may sometimes be found more satisfactory notto give all the family trade to one butcher; by going to various marketsbefore buying the housekeeper is in a better position to hear ofvariations in prices and so be in a position to get the best values. Ordering by telephone or from the butcher's boy at the door may be lesseconomical than going to market in person as the range of choice andprices is of course more obvious when the purchaser sees the goods andhas a chance to observe market conditions. Each housekeeper must decidefor herself whether or not the greater convenience compensates for thesmaller range of choice which such ordering from description entails. No matter what the cut, whether expensive or cheap, it can not be utilizedto the best advantage unless it is well cooked. A cheap cut of meat, wellcooked, is always preferable to a dear one spoiled in the preparation. 

There is sometimes an advantage in using canned meat and meat products, and, if they are of good quality, such products are wholesome andpalatable. 

That economy is furthered by careful serving at table is obvious. Ifmore meat is given at each serving than the person wishes or habituallyeats the table waste is unduly increased. Economy in all such points isimportant and not beneath the dignity of the family. 

In many American families meat is eaten two or three times a day; insuch cases the simplest way of reducing the meat bill would very likelybe to cut down the amount used, either by serving it less often or byusing less at a time. Deficiency of protein need not be feared when onegood meat dish a day is served, especially if such nitrogenous materialsas eggs, milk, cheese, and beans are used instead. In localities wherefish can be obtained fresh and cheap, it might well be more frequentlysubstituted for meat for the sake of variety as well as economy. Ingenious cooks have many ways of "extending the flavor" of meat, thatis, of combining a small quantity with other materials to make a largedish, as in meat pies, stews, and similar dishes. 

By buying in large quantities under certain conditions it may bepossible to procure meat at better prices than those which ordinarilyprevail in the retail market. The whole side or quarter of an animal canfrequently be obtained at noticeably less cost per pound than when it isbought by cut, and can be used to advantage when the housekeeperunderstands the art and has proper storage facilities and a good-sizedfamily. When a hind quarter of mutton, for example, comes from themarket the flank (on which the meat is thin and, as good housekeepersbelieve, likely to spoil more easily than some other cuts) should becooked immediately, or, if preferred, it may be covered with a thinlayer of fat (rendered suet) which can be easily removed when the timefor cooking comes. The flank, together with the rib bone, ordinarilymakes a gallon of good Scotch broth. The remainder of the hind quartermay be used for roast or chops. The whole pig carcass has always beenused by families living on the farms where the animals are slaughtered, and in village homes; town housekeepers not infrequently buy pigs wholeand "put down" the meat. An animal six months old and weighing about onehundred pounds would be suitable for this purpose. The hams and thinpieces of belly meat may be pickled and smoked. The thick pieces ofbelly meat, packed in a two-gallon jar and covered with salt or brine, will make a supply of fat pork to cook with beans and other vegetables. The tenderloin makes good roasts, the head and feet may go into headcheese or scrapple, and the trimmings and other scraps of lean meatserve for a few pounds of home-made sausage. In some large families itis found profitable to "corn" a fore quarter of beef for spring andsummer use. Formerly it was a common farm practice to dry beef, but nowit seems to be more usual to purchase beef which has been dried in largeestablishments. The general use of refrigerators and ice chests in homesat the present time has had a great influence on the length of time meatmay be kept and so upon the amount a housewife may buy at a time withadvantage. 

In the percentage of fat present in different kinds and cuts of meat, agreater difference exists than in the percentage of proteids. The lowestpercentage of fat is 8. 1 per cent. In the shank of beef; the highest is32 per cent. In pork chops. The highest priced cuts, loin and ribs ofbeef, contain 20 to 25 per cent. If the fat of the meat is not eaten atthe table, and is not utilized otherwise, a pecuniary loss results. Ifbutter is the fat used in making crusts for meat pies, and in preparingthe cheaper cuts, there is little economy involved; the fats from othermeat should therefore be saved, as they may be used in place of butterin such cases, as well as in preparing many other foods. The fat fromsausage or from the soup kettle, or from a pot roast, which is savorybecause it has been cooked with vegetables, is particularly acceptable. Sometimes savory vegetables, onion, or sweet herbs are added to fat whenit is tried out to give it flavor. 

Almost any meat bones can be used in soup making, and if the meat is notall removed from them the soup is better. But some bones, especially therib bones, if they have a little meat left on them, can be grilled orroasted into very palatable dishes. The "sparerib" of southern cooks ismade of the rib bones from a roast of pork, and makes a favorite dishwhen well browned. The braised ribs of beef often served in high-classrestaurants are made from the bones cut from rib roasts. In thisconnection it may be noted that many of the dishes popular in goodhotels are made of portions of meat such as are frequently thrown awayin private houses, but which with proper cooking and seasoning makeattractive dishes and give most acceptable variety to the menu. An oldrecipe for "broiled bones" directs that the bone (beef ribs or sirloinbones on which the meat is not left too thick in any part) be sprinkledwith salt and pepper (Cayenne), and broiled over a clear fire untilbrowned. Another example of the use of bones is boiled marrow bone. Thebones are cut in convenient lengths, the ends covered with a littlepiece of dough over which a floured cloth is tied, and cooked in boilingwater for two hours. After removing the cloth and dough, the bones areplaced upright on toast and served. Prepared as above, the bones mayalso be baked in a deep dish. Marrow is sometimes removed from bonesafter cooking, seasoned, and served on toast. 

Trimmings from meat may be utilized in various "made dishes, " or theycan always be put to good use in the soup kettle. It is surprising howmany economies may be practiced in such ways and also in the table useof left-over portions of cooked meat if attention is given to thematter. Many of the following recipes involve the use of suchleft-overs. Others will suggest themselves or may be found in all theusual cookery books. 

CHAPTER XIII

RECIPES FOR MEAT DISHES

Trying out Fat--Extending the Flavor of Meat--Meat Stew--MeatDumplings--Meat Pies and Similar Dishes--Meat with StarchyMaterials--Turkish Pilaf--Stew from Cold Roast--Meat with Beans--Haricotof Mutton--Meat Salads--Meat with Eggs--Roast Beef with YorkshirePudding--Corned Beef Hash with Poached Eggs--Stuffing--Mock Duck--Vealor Beef Birds--Utilizing the Cheaper Cuts of Meat. 

 "To be a good cook means the knowledge of all fruits, herbs, balms and spices, and of all that is healing and sweet in fields and groves, savory in meats. It means carefulness, inventiveness, watchfulness, willingness, and readiness of appliance. It means the economy of your great-grandmother and the science of modern chemistry; it means much tasting and no wasting; it means English thoroughness, French art, and Arabian hospitality; it means, in fine, that you are to be perfectly and always ladies (loaf-givers), and are to see that everybody has something nice to eat. "--JOHN RUSKIN. 

RECIPES

(In these directions a _level_ spoonful or _level_ cupful iscalled for. )

TRYING OUT FAT

A double boiler is the best utensil to use in trying out small portionsof fat. There is no danger of burning the fat, and the odor is much lessnoticeable than if it is heated in a dish set directly over the fire. 

Common household methods of extending the meat flavor through aconsiderable quantity of material which would otherwise be lacking indistinctive taste are to serve the meat with dumplings, generally in thedish with it, to combine the meat with crusts, as in meat pies or meatrolls, or to serve the meat on toast and biscuits. Borders of rice, hominy, or mashed potatoes are examples of the same principles appliedin different ways. By serving some preparation of flour, rice, hominy, or other food rich in starch with the meat we get a dish which in itselfapproaches nearer to the balanced ration than meat alone and one inwhich the meat flavor is extended through a large amount of thematerial. 

MEAT STEW

 5 pounds of a cheaper cut of beef. 4 cups of potatoes cut into small pieces. 2/3 cup each of turnips and carrots cut into 1/2-inch cubes. 1/2 onion, chopped. 1/4 cup of flour. Salt and pepper. 

Cut the meat into small pieces, removing the fat; try out the fat andbrown the meat in it. When well browned, cover with boiling water, boilfor five minutes and then cook in a lower temperature until the meat isdone. If tender, this will require about three hours on the stove orfive hours in the fireless cooker. Add carrots, turnips, onions, pepper, and salt during the last hour of cooking, and the potatoes fifteenminutes before serving. Thicken with the flour diluted with cold water. Serve with dumplings (see below). If this dish is made in the firelesscooker, the mixture must be reheated when the vegetables are put in. Such a stew may also be made of mutton. If veal or pork is used thevegetables may be omitted or simply a little onion used. Sometimes forvariety the browning of the meat is dispensed with. When white meat, such as chicken, veal, or fresh pork is used, the gravy is often maderich with cream or milk thickened with flour. The numerous minoradditions which may be introduced give the great variety of such stewsfound in cookbooks. 

MEAT DUMPLINGS

 2 cups flour. 4 teaspoonfuls baking powder. 2/3 cup milk or a little more if needed. 1/2 teaspoonful salt. 2 teaspoonfuls butter. 

Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Work in the butter with the tips offingers, add milk gradually, roll out to a thickness of one-half inch, and cut with biscuit cutter. In some countries it is customary to seasonthe dumplings themselves with herbs, etc. , or to stuff them with breadcrumbs fried in butter, instead of depending upon the gravy to seasonthem. 

A good way to cook dumplings is to put them in a buttered steamer over akettle of hot water. They should cook from twelve to fifteen minutes. Ifit is necessary to cook them with the stew, enough liquid should beremoved so that they may be placed upon the meat and vegetables. 

Sometimes the dough is baked and served as biscuits over which the stewis poured. If the stew is made with chicken or veal it is generallytermed a fricassee. 

MEAT PIES AND SIMILAR DISHES

Meat pies represent another method of combining flour with meat. Theyare ordinarily baked in a fairly deep dish the sides of which may or maynot be lined with dough. The cooked meat, cut into small pieces, is putinto the dish, sometimes with small pieces of vegetables, a gravy ispoured over the meat, the dish is covered with a layer of dough, andthen baked. Most commonly the dough is like that used for soda orcream-of-tartar biscuit, but sometimes shortened pastry dough, such asis made for pies, is used. This is especially the case in the fancyindividual dishes usually called patties. Occasionally the pie iscovered with a potato crust in which case the meat is put directly intothe dish without lining the latter. Stewed beef, veal, and chicken areprobably most frequently used in pies, but any kind of meat may be used, or several kinds in combination. Pork pies are favorite dishes in manyrural regions, especially at hog-killing time, and when well made areexcellent. 

If pies are made from raw meat and vegetables longer cooking is neededthan otherwise, and in such cases it is well to cover the dish with aplate, cook until the pie is nearly done, then remove the plate, add thecrust, and return to the oven until the crust is lightly browned. Manycooks insist on piercing holes in the top crust of a meat pie directlyit is taken from the oven. 

MEAT AND TOMATO PIE

This dish presents an excellent way of using up small quantities ofeither cold beef or cold mutton. If fresh tomatoes are used, peel andslice them; if canned, drain off the liquid. Place a layer of tomato ina baking dish, then a layer of sliced meat, and over the two dredgeflour, pepper, and salt; repeat until the dish is nearly full, then putin an extra layer of tomato and cover the whole with a layer of pastryor of bread or cracker crumbs. When the quantity of meat is small, itmay be "helped out" by boiled potatoes or other suitable vegetables. A few oysters or mushrooms improve the flavor, especially when beef isused. The pie will need to be baked from half an hour to an hour, according to its size and the heat of the oven. 

MEAT WITH STARCHY MATERIALS

Macaroni cooked with chopped ham, hash made of meat and potatoes or meatand rice, meat croquettes--made of meat and some starchy materials likebread crumbs, cracker dust, or rice--are other familiar examples of meatcombined with starchy materials. Pilaf, a dish very common in the Orientand well known in the United States, is of this character and easilymade. When there is soup or soup stock on hand it can be well used inthe pilaf. 

TURKISH PILAF

 1/2 cup of rice. 3/4 cup of tomatoes stewed and strained. 1 cup stock or broth. 3 tablespoonfuls of butter. 

Cook the rice and tomatoes with the stock in a double boiler until therice is tender, removing the cover after the rice is cooked if there istoo much liquid. Add the butter and stir it in with a fork to preventthe rice from being broken. A little catsup or Chili sauce with waterenough to make three-quarters of a cup may be substituted for thetomatoes. This may be served as a border with meat, or served separatelyin the place of a vegetable, or may make the main dish at a meal, as itis savory and reasonably nutritious. 

STEW FROM COLD ROAST

This dish provides a good way of using up the remnants of a roast, either of beef or mutton, The meat should be freed from fat, gristle, and bones, cut into small pieces, slightly salted, and put into a kettlewith water enough to nearly cover it. It should simmer until almostready to break in pieces, when onions and raw potatoes, peeled andquartered, should be added. A little soup stock may also be added ifavailable. Cook until the potatoes are done, then thicken the liquor orgravy with flour. The stew may be attractively served on slices of crisptoast. 

MEAT WITH BEANS

Dry beans are very rich in protein, the percentage being fully as largeas that in meat. Dry beans and other similar legumes are usually cookedin water, which they absorb, and so are diluted before serving; on theother hand, meats by the ordinary methods of cooking are usuallydeprived of some of the water originally present--facts which are oftenoverlooked in discussing the matter. Nevertheless, when beans are servedwith meat the dish is almost as rich in protein as if it consistedentirely of meat. 

Pork and beans is such a well-known dish that recipes are not needed. Some cooks use a piece of corned mutton or a piece of corned beef inplace of salt or corned pork or bacon or use butter or olive oil inpreparing this dish. 

In the Southern States, where cowpeas are a common crop, they are cookedin the same way as dried beans. Cowpeas baked with salt pork or baconmake an excellent dish resembling pork and beans, but of distinctiveflavor. Cowpeas boiled with ham or with bacon are also well-known andpalatable dishes. 

HARICOT OF MUTTON

 2 tablespoonfuls of chopped onions. 2 tablespoonfuls of butter or drippings. 2 cups of water, and salt and pepper. 1-1/2 pounds of lean mutton or lamb cut into 2-inch pieces. 

Fry the onions in the butter, add the meat, and brown; cover with waterand cook until the meat is tender. Serve with a border of Lima beans, seasoned with salt, pepper, butter, and a little chopped parsley. Fresh, canned, dried, or evaporated Lima beans may be used in making this dish. 

MEAT SALADS

Whether meat salads are economical or not depends upon the way in whichthe materials are utilized. If in chicken salad, for example, only thewhite meat of chickens especially bought for the purpose and only theinside stems of expensive celery are used, it can hardly be cheaper thanplain chicken. But, if portions of meat left over from a previousserving are mixed with celery grown at home, they certainly make aneconomical dish, and one very acceptable to most persons. Cold roastpork or tender veal--in fact, any white meat can be utilized in the sameway. Apples cut into cubes may be substituted for part of the celery;many cooks consider that with the apple the salad takes the dressingbetter than with the celery alone. Many also prefer to marinate (i. E. , mix with a little oil and vinegar) the meat and celery or celery andapples before putting in the final dressing, which may be eithermayonnaise or a good boiled dressing. 

MEAT WITH EGGS

Occasionally eggs are combined with meat, making very nutritious dishes. Whether this is an economy or not of course depends on the comparativecost of eggs and meat. 

In general, it may be said that eggs are cheaper food than meat when adozen costs less than 1-1/2 pounds of meat; for a dozen eggs weigh about1-1/2 pounds and the proportions of protein and fat which they containare not far different from the proportions of these nutrients in theaverage cut of meat. When eggs are 30 cents a dozen they comparefavorably with a round of beef at 20 cents a pound. 

Such common dishes as ham and eggs, bacon or salt pork and eggs, andomelette with minced ham or other meat are familiar to all cooks. 

ROAST BEEF WITH YORKSHIRE PUDDING

The beef is roasted as usual and the pudding made as follows:

 3 eggs. 1 pint milk. 1 cupful flour. 1 teaspoonful salt. 

Beat the eggs until very light, then add the milk. Pour the mixture overthe flour, add the salt, and beat well. Bake in hissing hot gem pans orin an ordinary baking pan for forty-five minutes, and baste withdrippings from the beef. If gem pans are used they should be placed on adripping pan to protect the floor of the oven from the fat. Many cooksprefer to bake Yorkshire pudding in the pan with the meat; in this casethe roast should be placed on a rack and the pudding batter poured onthe pan under it. 

CORNED-BEEF HASH WITH POACHED EGGS

A dish popular with many persons is corned-beef hash with poached eggson top of the hash. A slice of toast is sometimes used under the hash. This suggests a way of utilizing the small amount of corned-beef hashwhich would otherwise be insufficient for a meal. 

Housekeepers occasionally use up odd bits of other meat in a similarway, chopping and seasoning them and then warming and serving inindividual baking cups with a poached or shirred egg on each. 

STUFFING

Another popular way to extend the flavor of meat over a large amount offood is by the use of stuffing. As it is impossible to introduce muchstuffing into some pieces of meat even if the meat is cut to make apocket for it, it is often well to prepare more than can be put into themeat and to cook the remainder in the pan beside the meat. Some cookscover the extra stuffing with buttered paper while it is cooking andbaste it at intervals. 

MOCK DUCK

Mock duck is made by placing on a round steak a stuffing of bread crumbswell seasoned with chopped onions, butter, chopped suet or dripping, salt, pepper, and a little sage, if the flavor is relished. The steak isthen rolled around the stuffing and tied with a string in severalplaces. If the steak seems tough, the roll is steamed or stewed untiltender before roasting in the oven until brown. Or it may be cooked in acasserole or other covered dish, in which case a cupful or more of wateror soup-stock should be poured around the meat. Mock duck is excellentserved with currant or other acid jelly. 

VEAL OR BEEF BIRDS

A popular dish known as veal or beef birds or by a variety of specialnames is made by taking small pieces of meat, each just large enough foran individual serving, and preparing them in the same way as the mockduck is prepared. 

Sometimes variety is introduced by seasoning the stuffing with choppedolives or tomato. Many cooks prepare their "birds" by browning in alittle fat, then adding a little water, covering closely and simmeringuntil tender. 

UTILIZING THE CHEAPER CUTS OF MEAT

When the housekeeper attempts to reduce her meat bill by using the lessexpensive cuts, she commonly has two difficulties to contendwith--toughness and lack of flavor. It has been shown how prolongedcooking softens the connective tissues of the meat. Pounding the meatand chopping it are also employed with tough cuts, as they help to breakthe muscle fibers. As for flavor, the natural flavor of meat even in theleast desirable cuts may be developed by careful cooking, notably bybrowning the surface, and other flavors may be given by the addition ofvegetables and seasoning with condiments of various kinds. 

CHAPTER XIV

RECIPES FOR MEAT DISHES

Prolonged Cooking at Low Heat--Stewed Shin of Beef--Boiled Beef withHorseradish Sauce--Stuffed Heart--Braised Beef, Pot Roast, and Beefa la Mode--Hungarian Goulash--Casserole Cookery--Meat Cooked withVinegar--Sour Beef--Sour Beefsteak--Pounded Meat--Farmer Stew--SpanishBeefsteak--Chopped Meat--Savory Rolls--Developing Flavor ofMeat--Retaining Natural Flavor--Round Steak on Biscuits--Flavorof Browned Meat or Fat--Salt Pork with Milk Gravy--"Salt-FishDinner"--Sauces--Mock Venison. 

PROLONGED COOKING AT LOW HEAT

Meat may be cooked in water in a number of ways without being allowed toreach the boiling point. With the ordinary kitchen range this isaccomplished by cooking on the cooler part of the stove rather than onthe hottest part, directly over the fire. Experience with a gas stove, particularly if it has a small burner known as a "simmerer, " usuallyenables the cook to maintain temperatures which are high enough tosterilize the meat if it has become accidentally contaminated in any wayand to make it tender without hardening the fibers. The double boilerwould seem to be a neglected utensil for this purpose. Its contents caneasily be kept up to a temperature of 200 degrees F. , and nothing willburn. Another method is by means of the fireless cooker. In this a hightemperature can be maintained for a long time without the application offresh heat. Still another method is by means of a closely covered bakingdish. Earthenware dishes of this kind suitable for serving foods as wellas for cooking are known as casseroles. For cooking purposes a bakingdish covered with a plate or a bean jar covered with a saucer may besubstituted. The Aladdin oven has long been popular for the purpose ofpreserving temperatures which are near the boiling point and yet do notreach it. It is a thoroughly insulated oven which may be heated eitherby a kerosene lamp or a gas jet. 

In this connection directions are given for using some of the toughestand less promising pieces of meat. 

STEWED SHIN OF BEEF

 4 pounds of shin of beef. 1 medium-sized onion. 1 whole clove and a small bay leaf. 1 sprig of parsley. 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of flour. 1 small slice of carrot. 1/2 tablespoonful of salt. 1/2 teaspoonful of pepper. 2 quarts of boiling water. 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of butter or savory drippings. 

Have the butcher cut the bone in several pieces. Put all the ingredientsbut the flour and butter into a stewpan and bring to a boil. Set the panwhere the liquid will just simmer for six hours, or after boiling forfive or ten minutes, put all into the fireless cooker for eight or ninehours. With the butter, flour, and one-half cupful of the clear soupfrom which the fat has been removed, snake a brown sauce (see p. 39); tothis add the meat and the marrow removed from the bone. Heat and serve. The remainder of the liquid in which the meat has been cooked may beused for soup. 

BOILED BEEF WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE

Plain boiled beef may also be served with horseradish sauce, and makes apalatable dish. A little chopped parsley sprinkled over the meat whenserved is considered an improvement by many persons. For the sake ofvariety the meat may be browned like pot roast before serving. 

STUFFED HEART

Wash the heart thoroughly inside and out, stuff with the followingmixture, and sew up the opening: One cup broken bread dipped in fat andbrowned in the oven, 1 chopped onion, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cover the heart with water and simmer until tender or boil ten minutesand set in the fireless cooker for six or eight hours. Remove from thewater about one-half hour before serving. Dredge with flour, pepper, andsalt, or sprinkle with crumbs and bake until brown. 

BRAISED BEEF, POT ROAST, AND BEEF A LA MODE

The above names are given to dishes made from the less tender cuts ofmeat They vary little either in composition or method of preparation. Inall cases the meat is browned on the outside to increase the flavor andthen cooked in a small amount of water in a closely covered kettle orother receptable until tender. The flavor of the dish is secured bybrowning the meat and by the addition of the seasoning vegetables. Manyrecipes suggest that the vegetables be removed before serving and theliquid be thickened. As the vegetables are usually extremely wellseasoned by means of the brown fat and the extracts of the meat, itseems unfortunate not to serve them. 

Of course, the kind, quality, and shape of the meat all play their partin the matter. Extra time is needed for meats with a good deal of sinewand tough fibers, such as the tough steaks, shank cuts, etc. ; andnaturally a fillet of beef, or a steak from a prime cut, will take lesstime than a thick piece from the shin. Such dishes require more time andperhaps more skill in their preparation and may involve more expense forfuel than the more costly cuts, which like chops or tender steaks may bequickly cooked, but to the epicure, as well as to the average man, theyare palatable when rightly prepared. 

HUNGARIAN GOULASH

 2 pounds top round of beef. A little flour. 2 ounces salt pork. 2 cups tomatoes. 1 stalk celery. 1 onion. 2 bay leaves. 6 whole cloves. 6 peppercorns. 1 blade mace. 

Cut the beef into 2-inch pieces and sprinkle with flour; fry the saltpork until light brown; add the beef and cook slowly for aboutthirty-five minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover with water and simmerabout two hours; season with salt and pepper or paprika. 

From the vegetables and spices a sauce is made as follows: Cook insufficient water to cover for twenty minutes; then rub through a sieve, and add to some of the stock in which the meat was cooked. Thicken withflour, using 2 tablespoonfuls (moistened with cold water) to each cup ofliquid, and season with salt and paprika. 

Serve the meat on a platter with the sauce poured over it. Potatoes, carrots, and green peppers cooked until tender, and cut into smallpieces or narrow strips, are usually sprinkled over the dish whenserved, and noodles may be arranged in a border upon the platter. 

Goulash is a Hungarian dish which has come to be a favorite in theUnited States. 

CASSEROLE COOKERY

A casserole is a heavy earthenware dish with a cover. A substitute forit can easily be improvised by using any heavy earthenware dish with aheavy plate for the cover. A casserole presentable enough in appearanceto be put on the table serves the double purpose of baking and servingdish. 

A suitable cut of beef or veal, and it may well be one of the cheapercuts, as the long, slow cooking insures tenderness, may be cooked in acasserole. 

Poultry and other meats besides beef or veal can be cooked in thismanner. Chicken cooked in a casserole, which is a favorite and expensivedish in good hotels and restaurants, may be easily prepared in the home, and casserole cookery is to be recommended for a tough chicken. 

The heat must be moderate and the cooking must occupy a long time. Hurried cooking in a casserole is out of the question. If care is takenin this particular, and suitable seasonings are used, few who knowanything of cooking should go astray. 

Chopped meat also may be cooked in a casserole and this utensil isparticularly useful for the purpose, because the food is served in thesame dish in which it is cooked and may easily be kept hot, a pointwhich is important with chopped meats, which usually cool rapidly. 

MEAT COOKED WITH VINEGAR

Dishes of similar sort as regards cooking, but in which vinegar is usedto give flavor as well as to soften the meat and make it tender, are thefollowing:

SOUR BEEF

Take a piece of beef from the rump or the lower round, cover withvinegar or with a half-and-half mixture of vinegar and water, add slicedonion, bay leaves, and a few mixed whole spices and salt Allow to standa week in winter or three or four days in summer; turn once a day andkeep covered. When ready to cook, brown the meat in fat, using anenameled iron pan, strain the liquid over it and cook until tender;thicken the gravy with flour or ginger snaps (which may be broken upfirst), strain it, and pour over the sliced meat. Some cooks add cream. 

SOUR BEEFSTEAK

Round steak may be cooked in water in which there is a little vinegar, or if the time is sufficient, it may be soaked for a few hours invinegar and water and then cooked in a casserole or in some similar way. 

POUNDED MEAT

Pounding meat before cooking is an old-fashioned method of making ittender, but while it has the advantage of breaking down the toughtissues it has the disadvantage of being likely to drive out the juicesand with them the flavor. A very good way of escaping this difficulty ispounding flour into the meat; this catches and retains the juices. Beloware given the recipes for two palatable dishes in which this is done:

FARMER STEW

Pound flour into both sides of a round steak, using as much as the meatwill take up. This may be done with a meat pounder or with the edge of aheavy plate. Fry in drippings, butter, or other fat, in a Scotch bowl, or if more convenient in an ordinary iron kettle or a frying pan; thenadd water enough to cover it. Cover the dish very tightly so that thesteam cannot escape and allow the meat to simmer for two hours or untilit is tender. One advantage of this dish is that ordinarily it is readyto serve when the meat is done as the gravy is already thickened. However, if a large amount of fat is used in the frying, the gravy maynot be thick enough and must be blended with flour. 

SPANISH BEEFSTEAK

Take a piece of round steak weighing two pounds and about an inch thick;pound until thin, season with salt and Cayenne pepper, cover with alayer of bacon or salt pork, cut into thin slices, roll and tie with acord. Pour around it half a cupful of milk and half a cupful of water. Place in a covered baking dish and cook two hours, basting occasionally. 

CHOPPED MEAT

Chopping meat is one of the principal methods of making tough andinexpensive meat tender, i. E. , dividing it finely and thus cutting theconnective tissue into small bits. Such meats have another advantage inthat they may be cooked quickly and economically. 

Chopped raw meat of almost any kind can be very quickly made into asavory dish by cooking it with water or with water and milk for a shorttime, then thickening with butter and flour, and adding differentseasonings as relished, either pepper and salt alone, or onion juice, celery, or tomato. Such a dish may be made to "go further" by serving iton toast or with a border of rice or in some similar combination. 

SAVORY ROLLS

Savory rolls in great variety are made out of chopped meat either withor without egg. The variety is secured by the flavoring materials usedand by the sauces with which the baked rolls are served. A few recipeswill be given below. While these definite directions are given it shouldbe remembered that a few general principles borne in mind make recipesunnecessary and make it possible to utilize whatever may happen to be onhand. Appetizing rolls are made with beef and pork mixed. The proportionvaries from two parts of beef and one of pork to two of pork and one ofbeef. The rolls are always improved by laying thin slices of salt porkor bacon over them, which keep the surface moistened with fat during theroasting. These slices should be scored on the edge, so that they willnot curl up in cooking. The necessity for the salt pork is greater whenthe chopped meat is chiefly beef than when it is largely pork or veal. Bread crumbs or bread moistened in water can always be added, as ithelps to make the dish go farther. When onions, green peppers, or othervegetables are used, they should always be thoroughly cooked in fatbefore being put in the roll, for usually they do not cook sufficientlyin the length of time it takes to cook the meat. Sausage makes a goodaddition to the roll, but it is usually cheaper to use unseasoned porkmeat with the addition of a little sage. 

DEVELOPING FLAVOR OF MEAT

The typical meat flavors are very palatable to most persons, even whenthey are constantly tasted, and consequently the better cuts of meat inwhich they are well developed can be cooked and served without attentionbeing paid especially to flavor. Careful cooking aids in developing thenatural flavor of some of the cheaper cuts, and such a result is to besought wherever it is possible. Browning also brings out flavorsagreeable to most palates. Aside from these two ways of increasing theflavor of the meat itself there are countless ways of adding flavor tootherwise rather tasteless meats. The flavors may be added in preparingthe meat for cooking, as in various seasoned dishes already described, or they may be supplied to cook meat in the form of sauces. 

RETAINING NATURAL FLAVOR

As has already been pointed out, it is extremely difficult to retain theflavor-giving extractives in a piece of meat so tough as to requireprolonged cooking. It is sometimes partially accomplished by firstsearing the exterior of the meat and thus preventing the escape of thejuices. Another device, illustrated by the following recipe, is to letthem escape into the gravy which is served with the meat itself. Asimilar principle is applied when roasts are basted with their ownjuice. 

ROUND STEAK ON BISCUITS

Cut round steak into pieces about one-half inch square, cover with waterand cook it at a temperature just below the boiling point until it istender, or boil for five minutes, and while still hot put into thefireless cooker and leave it for five hours. Thicken the gravy withflour mixed with water, allowing two level tablespoonfuls to a cup ofwater. Pour the meat and gravy over split baking-powder biscuits sobaked that they have a large amount of crust. 

FLAVOR OF BROWNED MEAT OR FAT

Next to the unchanged flavor of the meat itself comes the flavor whichis secured by browning the meat with fat. The outside slices of roastmeat have this browned flavor in marked degree. Except in the case ofroasts, browning for flavor is usually accomplished by heating the meatin a frying pan in fat which has been tried out of pork or in suet orbutter. Care should be taken that the fat is not scorched. The chiefreason for the bad opinion in which fried food is held by many is thatit almost always means eating burned fat. When fat is heated too high itsplits up into fatty acids and glycerin, and from the glycerin is formeda substance (acrolein) which has a very irritating effect upon themucous membrane. All will recall that the fumes of scorched fat make theeyes water. It is not surprising that such a substance, if taken intothe stomach, should cause digestive disturbance. Fat in itself is a veryvaluable food, and the objection to fried foods because they may be fatseems illogical. If they supply burned fat there is a good reason forsuspicion. Many housekeepers cook bacon in the oven on a wire broilerover a pan and believe it more wholesome than fried bacon. The reason, of course, is that thus cooked in the oven there is less chance for thebacon becoming impregnated with burned fat. Where fried salt pork ismuch used good cooks know that it must not be cooked over a very hotfire, even if they have never heard of the chemistry of burned fat. Therecipe for bean-pot roast and other similar recipes may be varied bybrowning the meat or part of it before covering with water. This resultsin keeping some of the natural flavoring within the meat itself andallowing less to go into the gravy. The flavor of veal can be verygreatly improved in this way. 

The following old-fashioned dishes made with pork owe their savorinesschiefly to the flavor of browned fat or meat:

SALT PORK WITH MILK GRAVY

Cut salt or cured pork into thin slices. If very salt, cover with hotwater and allow it to stand for ten minutes. Score the rind of theslices and fry slowly until they are a golden brown. Make a milk gravyby heating flour in the fat that has been tried out, allowing twotablespoonfuls of fat and two tablespoonfuls of flour to each cup ofmilk. This is a good way to use skim milk, which is as rich in proteinas whole milk. The pork and milk gravy served with boiled or bakedpotatoes makes a cheap and simple meal, but one that most people likevery much. Bacon is often used in place of salt pork in making thisdish. 

"SALT-FISH DINNER"

 1/2 pound salt pork. 1 pound codfish. 2 cups of milk (skim milk will do). 4 tablespoonfuls flour. A speck of salt. 

Cut the codfish into strips, soak in lukewarm water and then cook inwater until tender, but do not allow the water to come to the boilingpoint except for a very short time as prolonged boiling may make ittough. Cut the pork into one-fourth inch slices and cut several gashesin each piece. Fry very slowly until golden brown, and remove, pouringoff the fat. Out of four tablespoonfuls of the fat, the flour, and themilk make a white sauce. Dish up the codfish with pieces of pork aroundit and serve with boiled potatoes and beets. Some persons serve thepork, and the fat from it, in a gravy boat so it can be added asrelished. 

SAUCES

The art of preparing savory gravies and sauces is more important inconnection with the serving of the cheaper meats than in connection withthe cooking of the more expensive. 

There are a few general principles underlying the making of all saucesor gravies whether the liquid used is water, milk, stock, tomato juice, or some combination of these. For ordinary gravy 2 level tablespoonfulsof flour or 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of cornstarch or arrow root issufficient to thicken a cupful of liquid. This is true excepting when, as in the recipe on page 23 the flour is browned. In this case aboutone-half tablespoonful more should be allowed, for browned flour doesnot thicken so well as unbrowned. The fat used may be butter or thedrippings from the meat, the allowance being 2 tablespoonfuls to a cupof liquid. 

The easiest way to mix the ingredients is to heat the fat, add theflour, and cook until the mixture ceases to bubble, and then to add theliquid. This is a quick method and by using it there is little danger ofgetting a lumpy gravy. Many persons, however, think it is not awholesome method and prefer the old-fashioned one of thickening thegravy by means of flour mixed with a little cold water. The lattermethod is, of course, not practicable for brown gravies. 

The good flavor of browned flour is often overlooked. If flour is cookedin fat until it is a dark brown color a distinctive and very agreeableflavor is obtained. This flavor combines very well with that of currantjelly, and a little jelly added to a brown gravy is a great improvement. The flavor of this should not be combined with that of onions or otherhighly flavored vegetables. A recipe for a dish which is made with brownsauce follows:

MOCK VENISON

Cut cold mutton into thin slices and heat in a brown sauce, madeaccording to the following proportions:

 2 tablespoonfuls butter. 2 tablespoonfuls flour. 1 tablespoonful of bottled meat sauce (whichever is preferred). 1 tablespoonful red-currant jelly. 1 cupful water or stock. 

Brown the flour in the butter, add the water or stock slowly, and keepstirring. Then add the jelly and meat sauce and let the mixture boil upwell. 

CHAPTER XV

HOUSEHOLD RECIPES. 

(Arranged Alphabetically)

 "The woman's work for her own home is to secure its order, comfort, and loveliness. "--JOHN RUSKIN--_Sesame and Lilies_. 

The following recipes are tried and approved ones, useful forhousecleaning, laundry work, etc. In a number of instances they giveinstruction in the making of commodities, such as soap, which areusually purchased in the stores, but which, if made at home will costless money, and be of better quality. They are arranged alphabeticallyfor ease of reference:

ANTS--TO GET RID OF

Wash the shelves with salt and water; sprinkle salt in their paths. Tokeep them out of safes, set the legs of the safe on tin cups; keep thecups filled with water. 

BARRELS--TO CLEAN

The ordinary way of washing a barrel is with boiling water, and whencool examining it with a light inside. If there be any sour or mustysmell, however, lime must be used to remove it. Break the lime intolumps, and put it in the cask dry (it will take from 3 to 4 lbs. Foreach cask), then pour in as many gallons of boiling water as there arepounds of lime, and bung. Roll the cask about now and then, and after afew hours wash it out, steam it, and let it cool. 

BED-BUGS--TO KILL

For bed-bugs nothing is so good as the white of eggs and quicksilver. A thimbleful of quicksilver to the white of each egg; heat until wellmixed; apply with a feather. 

FEATHER-BEDS--TO CLEANSE WITHOUT EMPTYING

On a hot, clear summer day, lay the bed upon a scaffold; wash it wellwith soap-suds upon both sides, rubbing it hard with a stiff brush; pourseveral gallons of hot water upon the bed slowly, and let it dripthrough. Rinse with clear water; remove it to a dry part of the scaffoldto dry; beat, and turn it two or three times during the day. Sun untilperfectly dry. The feathers may be emptied in barrels, washed insoap-suds, and rinsed; then spread in an unoccupied room and dried, orput in bags made of thin sleazy cloth, and kept in the sun until dry. The quality of feathers can be much improved by attention of this kind. 

CLOTHES--TO BLEACH

Dissolve a handful of refined borax in ten gallons of water; boil theclothes in it. To whiten brown cloth, boil in weak lye, and expose dayand night to the sun and night air; keep the clothes well sprinkled. 

BOOKS--TO KEEP MICE FROM

Sprinkle a little Cayenne pepper in the cracks at the back of theshelves of the bookcase. 

BOARDS--TO SCOUR

Mix in a saucer three parts of fine sand and one part of lime; dip thescrubbing-brush into this and use it instead of soap. This will removegrease and whiten the boards, while at the same time it will destroy allinsects. The boards should be well rinsed with clean water. If they arevery greasy, they should be well covered over in places with a coatingof fuller's earth moistened with boiling water, which should be left on24 hours before they are scoured as above directed. In washing boardsnever rub crosswise, but always with the grain. 

BOOKS--TO PRESERVE FROM DAMP

A few drops of strong perfumed oil, sprinkled in the bookcase willpreserve books from damp and mildew. 

BOOKS--TO CLEAN

Books may be cleaned with a little dry bread crumbled up and rubbedgently, but firmly, over with the open hand. Cloth covers may be washedwith a sponge dipped in a mixture made from the white of an egg beatento a stiff froth and afterwards allowed to settle. To clean grease marksfrom books, dampen the marks with a little benzine, place a piece ofblotting-paper on each side of the page, and pass a hot iron over thetop. 

BRASS--TO CLEAN

Dissolve 1 oz. Of oxalic acid in one pint of soft water. Rub it on thebrass with a piece of flannel, and polish with another dry piece. Thissolution should be kept in a bottle labelled "poison, " and the bottlewell shaken before it is used, which should be only occasionally, for ina general way the Brass should be cleaned with pulverized rottenstone, mixed into a liquid state with oil of turpentine. Rub this on with apiece of soft leather, leave for a few minutes; then wipe it off with asoft cloth. Brass treated generally with the latter, and occasionallywith the former mode of cleaning will look most beautiful. A very goodgeneral polish for brass may be made of 1/2 a lb. Of rottenstone and 1oz. Of oxalic acid, with as much water as will make it into a stiffpaste. Set this paste on a plate in a cool oven to dry, pound it veryfine, and apply a little of the powder, moistened with sweet oil, to thebrass with a piece of leather, polishing with another leather or an oldsilk handkerchief. This powder should also be labelled "poison. "

BRITANNIA METAL--TO CLEAN

Articles made of what is usually called Britannia metal may be kept inorder by the frequent use of the following composition: 1/2 a lb. Offinely-powdered whiting, a wineglass of sweet oil, a tablespoonful ofsoft soap, and 1/2 an oz. Of yellow soap melted in water. Add to thesein mixing sufficient spirits--gin or spirits of wine--to make thecompound the consistency of cream. This cream should be applied with asponge or soft flannel, wiped off with soft linen rags, and the articlewell polished with a leather; or they may be cleaned with only oil andsoap in the following manner: Rub the articles with sweet oil on a pieceof woolen cloth; then wash well with strong soap-and-water; rub themdry, and polish with a soft leather and whiting. The polish thus givenwill last for a long time. 

BRUSHES--TO WASH

Dissolve a piece of soda in some hot water, allowing a piece the size ofa walnut to a quart of water. Put the water into a basin, and, aftercombing out the hair from the brushes, dip them, bristles downward, intothe water and out again, keeping the backs and handles as free from thewater as possible. Repeat this until the bristles look clean; then rinsethe brushes in a little cold water; shake them well, and wipe thehandles and backs with a towel, but not the bristles, and set thebrushes to dry in the sun, or near the fire; but take care not to putthem too close to it. Wiping the bristles of a brush makes them soft, asdoes also the use of soap. 

CARPETS--TO CLEAN

Shake the carpet well; tack it down, and wash it upon the floor; thefloor should be very clean; use cold soap suds; to three gallons addhalf a tumbler of beef-gall; this will prevent the colors from fading. Should there be grease spots, apply a mixture of beef-gall, fuller's-earth, and water enough to form a paste; put this on beforetacking the carpet down. Use tacks inserted in small leather caps. Carpets in bedrooms and stair-carpets may be kept clean by being brushedwith a soft hairbrush frequently, and, as occasion requires, being takenup and shaken. Larger carpets should be swept carefully with awhisk-brush or hand-brush of hair, which is far better, especially inthe case of fine-piled carpets. Thick carpets, as Axminster and Turkey, should always be brushed one way. 

CARPETS--TO LAY

This can hardly be well done without the aid of a proper carpet-fork orstretcher. Work the carpet the length way of the material, which oughtto be made up the length way of the room. Nail sides as you go along, until you are quite sure that the carpet is fully stretched, and thatthere is no fold anywhere in the length of it. 

STAIR-CARPET--TO CLEAN

Make stair-carpet longer than necessary, and change it so that it willnot cover the steps in the same way each time of putting down. Movedabout in this way, the carpet will last much longer. Clean the rods withoxalic acid. They should be kept bright. 

CHIMNEY ON FIRE

Close all doors and windows tightly, and hold a wet blanket in front ofthe fire to prevent any draught going up the chimney. 

CHINA OR GLASS--TO WASH

Wash in plenty of hot soap suds; have two vessels, and in one rinse inhot water. Turn upon waiters, and let the articles drip before beingwiped. Use linen towels for wiping. 

CHINA AND GLASS--CEMENT FOR

Dissolve 1 oz. Of gum-mastic in a quantity of highly-rectified spiritsof wine; then soften 1 oz. Of isinglass in warm water, and, finally, dissolve it in alcohol, till it forms a thick jelly. Mix the isinglassand gum-mastic together, adding 1/4 of an oz. Of finely-powderedgum-ammoniac; put the whole into an earthen vessel and in a warm place, till they are thoroughly incorporated together; pour it into a smallbottle, and cork it down for use. 

In using it, dissolve a small piece of the cement in a silver teaspoonover a lighted candle. The broken pieces of glass or china being warmed, and touched with the now liquid cement, join the parts neatly together, and hold them in their places till the cement has set; then wipe awaythe cement adhering to the edge of the joint, and leave it for twelvehours without touching it; the joint will be as strong as the chinaitself, and if neatly done, it will show no joining. It is essentialthat neither of the pieces be wetted either with hot or cold water. 

CLOTHES--CARE OF

Woolen dresses may be laid out on a table and brushed all over; but ingeneral, even in woolen fabrics, the lightness of the tissues rendersbrushing unsuitable to dresses, and it is better to remove the dust fromthe folds by beating them lightly with a handkerchief or thin cloth. Silk dresses should never be brushed, but rubbed with a piece of merinoor other soft material, of a similar color to the silk, kept for thepurpose. Summer dresses of muslin, and other light materials, simplyrequire shaking; but if the muslin be tumbled, it must be ironedafterwards. 

If feathers have suffered from damp, they should be held near the firefor a few minutes, and restored to their natural state by the hand or asoft brush, or re-curled with a blunt knife, dipped in very hot water. Furs and feathers not in constant use should be wrapped up in linenwashed in lye. From May to September they are subject to being made thedepository of moth-eggs. 

CLOTHES--TO BRUSH

Fine clothes require to be brushed lightly, and with a rather softbrush, except where mud is to be removed, when a hard one is necessary;previously beat the clothes lightly to dislodge the dirt. Lay thegarment on a table, and brush in the direction of the nap. Havingbrushed it properly, turn the sleeves back to the collar, so that thefolds may come at the elbow-joints; next turn the lapels or sides backover the folded sleeves; then lay the skirts over level with the collar, so that the crease may fall about the center, and double only half overthe other, so that the fold comes in the center of the back. 

CLOTHES--TO REMOVE SPOTS AND STAINS FROM

To remove grease-spots from cotton or woolen materials, absorbentpastes, and even common soap, are used, applied to the spot when dry. When the colors are not fast, place a layer of fuller's-earth orpulverized potter's clay over the spot, and press with a very hot iron. For silks, moires and plain or brocaded satins, pour two drops ofrectified spirits of wine over the spot, cover with a linen cloth, andpress with a hot iron, changing the linen instantly. The spot will looktarnished, for a portion of the grease still remains; this will beremoved entirely by a little sulphuric ether, dropped on the spot, and avery little rubbing. If neatly done, no perceptible mark or circle willremain; nor will the lustre of the richest silk be changed, the union ofthe two liquids operating with no injurious effects from rubbing. Eau-de-Cologne will also remove grease from cloth and silk. Fruit-spotsare removed from white and fast-colored cottons by the use of chlorideof soda. Commence by cold-soaping the article, then touch the spot witha hair-pencil or feather dipped in the chloride, and dip immediatelyinto cold water, to prevent the texture of the article being injured. Fresh ink-spots are removed by a few drops of hot water being poured onimmediately after applying the chloride of soda. By the same process, iron-mould in linen or calico may be removed, dipping immediately incold water to prevent injury to the fabric. Wax dropped on a shawl, table-cover, or cloth dress, is easily discharged by applying spirits ofwine; syrups or preserved fruits, by washing in lukewarm water with adry cloth, and pressing the spot between two folds of clean linen. 

CRAPE--TO RENOVATE

Place a little water in a tea-kettle and let it boil until there isplenty of steam from the spout; then, holding the crape with both hands, pass it to and fro several times through the steam, and it will be cleanand look nearly equal to new. 

COMBS--TO CLEAN

If it can be avoided, never wash combs, as the water often makes theteeth split, and the tortoise-shell or horn of which they are made, rough. Small brushes, manufactured purposely for cleaning combs, may bepurchased at a trifling cost; the comb should be well brushed, andafterwards wiped with a cloth or towel. 

CUPBOARDS, DAMP--TO DRY

Leave a quantity of quicklime in the cupboard for a few days, and themoisture will be entirely absorbed. 

EGGS--TO PACK

Put into a butter firkin a thick layer of coarse dry salt, then a layerof eggs, with the small end down, another layer of salt, then eggs, andso on until the firkin is full. Cover and keep in a dry place. Theseeggs will keep put up in this way almost any length of time. 

COAL-FIRE--TO LIGHT

Clear out all ash from the grate and lay a few cinders or small piecesof coal at the bottom in open order; over this a few pieces of paper, and over that again eight or ten pieces of dry wood; over the wood, acourse of moderate-sized pieces of coal, taking care to leave hollowspaces between for air at the center; and taking care to lay the wholewell back in the grate, so that the smoke may go up the chimney, and notinto the room. This done, fire the paper with a match from below, and, if properly laid, it will soon burn up; the stream of flame from thewood and paper soon communicating to the coal and cinders, providedthere is plenty of air at the center. 

Another method of lighting a fire is sometimes practiced with advantage, the fire lighting from the top and burning down, in place of beinglighted and burning up from below. This is arranged by laying the coalsat the bottom, mixed with a few good-sized cinders, and the wood at thetop, with another layer of coals and some paper over it; the paper islighted in the usual way, and soon burns down to a good fire, with someeconomy of fuel, it is said. 

FEATHERS--TO CLEAN

Cover the feathers with a paste made of pipe-clay, and water, rubbingthem one way only. When quite dry, shake off all the powder and curlwith a knife. 

FLANNEL--TO WASH

Never rub soap upon it; make suds by dissolving the soap in warm water;rinse in warm water. Very cold or hot water will shrink flannel. Shakethem out several minutes before hanging to dry. Blankets are washed inthe same way. 

FLEAS--TO DRIVE AWAY

Use pennyroyal or walnut leaves. Scatter them profusely in all infestedplaces. 

FLIES--TO DESTROY

A mixture of cream, sugar, and ground black pepper, in equal quantities, placed in saucers in a room infested with flies will destroy them. If asmall quantity, say the equivalent of a teaspoonful of carbolic acid bepoured on a hot shovel, it will drive the flies from the room. Butscreens should be used to prevent their entrance. 

STEEL-FORKS--TO CLEAN

Have a small box filled with clean sand; mix with it a third thequantity of soft soap; clean the forks by sticking in the sand andwithdrawing them rapidly, repeating the process until they are bright. 

CUT-FLOWERS--TO PRESERVE

A bouquet of freshly-cut flowers may be preserved alive for a long timeby placing them in a glass or vase with fresh water, in which a littlecharcoal has been steeped, or a small piece of camphor dissolved. Thevase should be set upon a plate or dish, and covered with a bell glass, around the edges of which, when it comes in contact with the plate, alittle water should be poured to exclude the air. To revive cut flowers, plunge the stems into boiling water, and by the time the water is cold, the flowers will have revived. Then cut the ends of the stems afresh, and place in fresh cold water. 

FRUIT STAINS--TO REMOVE

Pour hot water on the spots; wet with ammonia or oxalic acid--ateaspoonful to a teacup of water. 

FRUIT-TREES--TO PREVENT DEPREDATIONS OF

To preserve apple and other fruit trees from the depredations ofrabbits, etc. , and the ravages of insects, apply soft soap to the trunkand branches in March and September. 

FURNITURE GLOSS--GERMAN

Cut 1/4 of a lb. Of yellow wax into small pieces and melt it in anearthen vessel, with 1 oz. Of black rosin, pounded very fine. Stir ingradually, while these two ingredients are quite warm, 2 ozs. Of oil ofturpentine. Keep this composition well covered for use in a tin orearthen pot. A little of this gloss should be spread on a piece ofcoarse woolen cloth, and the furniture well rubbed with it; afterward itshould be polished with a fine cloth. 

FURNITURE POLISH

One pint of linseed oil, one wineglass of alcohol. Mix well together. Apply to the furniture with a fine rag. Rub dry with a soft cottoncloth, and polish with a silk cloth. Furniture is improved by washing itoccasionally with soap-suds. Wipe dry, and rub over with very littlelinseed oil upon a clean sponge or flannel. Wipe polished furniture withsilk. Separate dusting-cloths and brushes should be kept for highlypolished furniture. When sweeping carpets and dusting walls always coverthe furniture until the particles of dust floating in the air settle, then remove the covers, and wipe with a silk or soft cotton cloth, FURNITURE STAINS--TO REMOVE

Rub stains on furniture with cold-drawn linseed oil; then rub withalcohol. Remove ink stains with oxalic acid and water; wash off withmilk. A hot iron held over stains upon furniture will sometimes removethem. 

FURS--TO CLEAN

Moisten some bran with hot water; rub the fur with it, and dry with aflannel. Then rub with a piece of muslin and some dry bran. 

GAS--TO DETECT A LEAK

Never take a light into the room or look for the leak with a light. Soapand water mixed, and applied with a brush to the pipe will commence tobubble if there is a leak. Send for the plumber at once. 

GLASS--TO WASH

Great care is required in washing glasses. Two perfectly clean bowls arenecessary--one for moderately hot and another for cold water. Wash theglasses well in the first, rinse them in the second, and turn them downon a linen cloth folded two or three times, to drain for a few minutes. When sufficiently drained, wipe with a cloth and polish with a finerone, doing so tenderly and carefully. 

Decanters and water-jugs require very tender treatment in cleaning. Fillabout two-thirds with hot but not boiling water, and put in a few piecesof well-soaked brown paper; leave them thus for two or three hours; thenshake the water up and down in the decanters; empty this out, rinse themwell with clean, cold water, and put them in a rack to drain. When dry, polish them outside and inside, as far as possible, with a fine cloth. Fine shot or pieces of charcoal placed in a decanter with warm water andshaken for some time, will also remove stains. When this is noteffective, fill the bottle with finely chopped potato skins. Cork tight, and let the bottle stand for three days. Empty and rinse thoroughly. 

GLASS STOPPER--TO REMOVE

Wrap a hot cloth around the neck of the bottle, thus expanding it, or, if this is not effective, pour a little salad oil round the stopper, andplace the bottle near the fire, then tap the stopper with a woodeninstrument. The heat will cause the oil to work round the stopper, andit should be easily removed. 

GREASE--TO REMOVE FROM A STONE HEARTH

Lay plenty of hot ashes; wash off (after the grease is out) with strongsoap suds. 

HARNESS BLACKING--FOR PRESERVING THE LEATHER

Melt four ounces of mutton suet with twelve ounces of beeswax; addtwelve ounces of sugar-candy, four ounces of soft soap dissolved inwater, and two ounces of indigo, finely powdered. When melted and wellmixed, add one-half pint of turpentine. Lay the blacking on the harnesswith a sponge, and polish off with a brush. 

FELT-HATS--TO RENOVATE

Mix equal quantities of benzine and water, and after well brushing thehat, apply the mixture with a sponge. 

HERBS--TO DRY

The right way in drying herbs for your kitchen and possible medicinaluse is to gather them as soon as they begin to open their flowers, andto lay them on some netting in a dry shed or room where the air will getat them on all sides. Be sure they are dry and not moist when you cut orpick them, and free them from dirt and decayed leaves. After they areentirely dried out, put them in paper bags upon which you have writtenthe name of the herb and the date of tying it up. Hang them where theair is dry and there is no chance of their moulding. 

SAVORY HERBS--TO POWDER

Strip the leaves from the stalks, pound, sift out the coarse pieces, putthe powder in bottles, and cork tight. Label with exactness everybottle. If, for the convenience of instant use in gravies, soups, etc. , you wish different herbs mixed, pound the leaves together when you makethem into powders. Celery seed, dried lemon-peel, and other spicy thingscan thus be combined and ready for the moment's call. 

ICE VAULT--TO MAKE

Dig a pit eight or ten feet square, and as deep in the cellar. Lay adouble wall with brick; fill between with pulverized charcoal; cover thebottom also double with the same or tan-bark. If the pit is filled withice, or nearly so, cover six inches with tan-bark; but if only a smallquantity is in it, wrap well in a blanket, and over the opening in thepit lay a double bag of charcoal. 

INK--TO REMOVE FROM LINEN

Scald in hot tallow. Let it cool; then wash in warm suds. Sometimesthese stains can be removed by wetting the place in very sour buttermilkor lemon juice; rub salt over, and bleach in the sun. 

INSECTS--TO KEEP AWAY

The common elder is a great safeguard against the devastations ofinsects. Scatter it around cucumber and squash-vines. Place it on thebranches of plum and other fruit-trees subject to the ravages ofinsects. 

IRONS--TO REMOVE RUST FROM

Scour with dry salt and beeswax. 

JAPANNED WARE--TO CLEAN

Japanned tea-trays should not be washed in hot water if greasy, a littleflour rubbed on with a bit of soft linen will give them a new look; ifthere are scratches, rub over a little olive oil. 

JEWELRY--TO CLEAN

Jewels are generally wrapped up in cotton wool and kept in their cases;but they tarnish from exposure to the air and require cleaning. This isdone by preparing clean soap-suds from fine toilet-soap. Dip any articleof gold, silver, gilt or precious stones into this lye, and dry bybrushing with a brush of soft hair, or a fine sponge; afterwards polishwith a piece of fine cloth, and lastly, with a soft leather. 

Gold or silver ornaments, and in general all articles of jewelry, may bedressed by dipping them in spirits of wine warmed in a shallow kettle, placed over a slow fire or hot plate. Silver ornaments should be kept infine arrowroot, and completely covered with it. 

KNIVES--TO CLEAN

Cover a small heavy table on block by tacking over it very tight softleather or buckskin; pour over half the leather melted suet. Spread overthis very fine pulverized bath brick; rub the knives (making rapidstrokes) over this. Polish on the other side. Keep steel wrapped inbuckskin. Knives should be cleaned every day they are used, and keptsharp. The handles of knives should never be immersed in water, as, after a time, if treated in this way, the blades will loosen and thehandles discolor. The blades should be put in a jug or vessel kept forthe purpose, filled with hot soda water. This should be done as soonafter the knives are used as possible, as stain and rust quickly sinkinto steel. 

KNIVES--TO KEEP

Knives not in use will soon spoil. They are best kept in a box in whichsifted quicklime has been placed, deep enough to admit of the bladesbeing completely plunged into it. The lime must not touch the handles, which should be occasionally exposed to the air, to keep them fromturning yellow. 

BLACK LACE--TO REVIVE

Make some black tea, about the strength usual for drinking, and strainit off the leaves. Pour enough tea into a basin to cover the material, then squeeze the lace several times, but do not rub it. Dip itfrequently into the tea, which will at length assume a dirty appearance. Have ready some weak gum-water and press the lace gently through it;then clap it for a quarter of an hour; after which, pin it to a towel inany shape which you wish it to take. When nearly dry, cover it withanother towel and iron it with a cool iron. The lace, if previouslysound and discolored only, will, after this process, look as good asnew. 

LAMPS--TO TRIM

In trimming lamps, let the wick be cut evenly all round; as, if lefthigher in one place than it is in another, it will cause it to smoke andburn badly. The lamp should then be filled with oil from a feeder andafterward well wiped with a cloth or rag. Small sticks, covered withwash-leather pads, are the best things to use for cleaning the inside ofthe chimney, and a clean duster for polishing the outside. Chimneysshould not be washed. The globe of a lamp should be occasionally washedin warm soap-and-water, then well rinsed in cold water, and either wipeddry or left to drain. 

LEATHER--TO CLEAN

For fawn or yellow-colored leather, take a quart of skimmed milk, pourinto it one ounce of sulphuric acid, and, when cold, add four ounces ofhydrochloric acid, shaking the bottle gently until it ceases to emitwhite vapors; separate the coagulated from the liquid part, by strainingthrough a sieve, and store it away till required. Clean the leather witha weak solution of oxalic acid, washing it off immediately, and when dryapply the composition with a sponge. 

TABLE LINEN--CARE OF

Table-cloths, towels and napkins should be kept faultlessly white;table-cloths and napkins starched; if the latter are fringed, whip thefringe until straight. After using a table-cloth, lay it in the samefolds; put it in a close place where dust will not reach it, and lay aheavy weight upon it. 

Napkins may be used the second time, if they are so marked that eachperson gets the napkin previously used. 

LINEN--TO GLAZE

The gloss, or enamel, as it is sometimes called, is produced mainly byfriction with a warm iron, and may be put on linen by almost any person. The linen to be glazed receives as much strong starch as it is possibleto charge it with, then it is dried. To each pound of starch a piece ofsperm or white wax, about the size of a walnut, is usually added. Whenready to be ironed, the linen is laid upon the table and moistened verylightly on the surface with a clean wet cloth. It is then ironed in theusual way with a flatiron, and is ready for the glossing operation. Forthis purpose a peculiar heavy flatiron, rounded at the bottom, as brightas a mirror, is used. It is pressed firmly upon the linen and rubbedwith much force, and this frictional action puts on the gloss. "Elbowgrease" is the principal secret connected with the art of glossinglinen. 

MACKINTOSH--TO REPAIR

Shred finely some pure india-rubber, and dissolve it in naphtha to theconsistency of a stiff paste. Apply the cement to each side of the partto be joined, and leave a cold iron upon it until dry. 

LINEN--TO REMOVE IRON MOULD FROM

Oxalic acid and hot water will remove iron-mould; so also will commonsorrel, bruised in a mortar and rubbed on the spots. In both cases thelinen should be well washed after the remedy has been applied, either inclear water or a strong solution of cream of tartar and water. Repeat ifnecessary, and dry in the sun. 

MAHOGANY--TO TAKE OUT MARKS FROM

The whitest stain, left on a mahogany table by a jug of boiling water, or a very hot dish, may be removed by rubbing in oil, and afterwardpouring a little spirits of wine on the spot and rubbing with a softcloth. 

MARBLE--TO CLEAN

Wash with soda, water, and beef-gall. Or mix together one partblue-stone, three parts whiting, one part soda, and three parts softsoap; boil together ten minutes; stir constantly. Spread this over themarble; let it lie half an hour; wash it off with soap-suds; wipe drywith flannel. Repeat if necessary. Stains that cannot be removed in anyother way may be tried with oxalic acid water; but this should be usedcarefully, and not allowed to remain long at a time. 

MATTING--TO WASH

Use salt in the water, and wipe dry. 

MILDEW--TO REMOVE

When the clothes are washed and ready to boil, pin jimson weed leavesupon the place. Put a handful of the leaves on the bottom of the kettle;lay the stained part next to them. Green tomatoes and salt, sourbuttermilk, lemon juice, soap and chalk, are all good; expose to thesun. 

Another way: Two ounces of chloride of lime; pour on it a quarter ofboiling water; add three quarts of cold water. Steep the cloth in ittwelve hours. 

MIRRORS--TO CLEAN

Remove, with a damp sponge, fly stains and other soils (the sponge maybe clamped with water or spirits of wine). After this dust the surfacewith the finest sifted whiting or powder-blue, and polish it with a silkhandkerchief or soft cloth. Snuff of candle, if quite free from grease, is an excellent polish for the looking-glass. 

MOTHS--TO PREVENT THEM GETTING INTO CARPETS, ETC. 

Strew camphor under a carpet; pack with woolen goods. If moths are in acarpet, lay over it a cotton or linen cloth, and iron with a hot iron. Oil all cracks in storerooms, closets, safes, with turpentine, or amixture of alcohol and corrosive sublimate; this drives off vermin. 

Place pieces of camphor, cedar-wood, Russia leather, tobacco-leaves, boy-myrtle, or anything else strongly aromatic, in the drawers or boxeswhere furs or other things to be preserved from moths are kept, and theywill never take harm. 

OIL-CLOTH OR LINOLEUM--TO WASH

Take equal parts of skimmed milk and water; wipe dry; never use soap. Varnish oil-cloths once a year. After being varnished, they should beperfectly dry before being used. 

PAINT--TO CLEAN

Dirty paint should never be wiped with a cloth, but the dust should beloosened with a pair of bellows, and then removed with a dusting-brush. If very dirty, wash the paint lightly with a sponge or soft flanneldipped in weak soda-and-water, or in pearl-ash and water. The sponge orflannel must be used nearly dry, and the portion of paint gone over mustimmediately be rinsed with a flannel and clean water; both soda andpearl-ash, if suffered to remain on, will injure the paint. Theoperation of washing should, therefore, be done as quickly as possible, and two persons should be employed; one to follow and dry the paint withsoft rags, as soon as the other has scoured off the dirt and washed awaythe soda. No scrubbing-brush should ever be used on paint. 

PAINT--TO DISPERSE THE SMELL OF

Place some sulphuric acid in a basin of water and let it stand in theroom where the paint is. Change the water daily. 

PAINT--TO REMOVE FROM CLOTHING

Rub immediately with a rough rag wetted with turpentine. 

OIL PAINTINGS--TO CLEAN

Rub a freshly cut slice of potato damped in cold water over the picture. Wipe off the lather with a soft, damp sponge, and then finish withluke-warm water, and dry, and polish with a piece of soft silk that hasbeen washed. 

PAPER HANGING--TO MAKE PASTE FOR

Mix flour and water to the consistency of cream, and boil. A few clovesadded in the boiling will prevent the paste going sour. 

PEARS--TO KEEP FOR WINTER USE

Lay the pears on a shelf in a dry, cool place. Set them stems up and sofar apart that they do not touch one another. Allow the air to movefreely in the room in which they lie. Layers of paper or of straw make asoft bed, but the less the pear touches the shelf or resting-place thebetter for its keeping. 

PICTURE FRAMES--TO KEEP FLIES FROM

Brush them over with water in which onions have been boiled. 

GILT PICTURE FRAMES--TO BRIGHTEN

Take sufficient sulphur to give a golden tinge to about one and one-halfpints of water, and in this boil four or five bruised onions. Strain offthe liquid when cold, and with it wash with a soft brush any gildingwhich requires restoring, and when dry it will come out as bright as newwork. Frames may also be brightened in the following manner: Beat up thewhite of eggs with soda, in the proportion of three ounces of eggs toone ounce of soda. Blow off as much dust as possible from the frames, and paint them over with a soft brush dipped in the mixture. They willimmediately come out fresh and bright. 

RATS--TO DESTROY

Set traps and put a few drops of rhodium inside; they are fond of it. Cats are, however, the most reliable rat-traps. There is no difficultyin poisoning rats, but they often die in the walls, and create adreadful odor, hard to get rid of. When poisoning is attempted, removeor cover all water vessels, even the well or cistern. 

RIBBONS--TO WASH

If there are grease spots, rub the yolk of an egg upon them, on thewrong side; let it dry. Lay it upon a clean cloth, and wash upon eachside with a sponge; press on the wrong side. If very much soiled, washin bran-water; add to the water in which it is rinsed a little muriateof tin to set red, oil of vitriol for green, blue, maroon, and brightyellow. 

RUST--TO PRESERVE FROM

Make a strong paste of fresh lime and water, and with a fine brush smearit as thickly as possible over all the polished surface requiringpreservation. By this simple means, all the grates and fire-irons in anempty house may be kept for months free from harm, without further careor attention. 

RUST--TO REMOVE FROM POLISHED STEEL

Rub the spots with soft animal fat; lay the articles by; wrap in thickpaper two days; clean off the grease with flannel; rub the spots wellwith fine rotten-stone and sweet oil; polish with powdered emery andsoft leather, or with magnesia or fine chalk. 

RUST--TO REMOVE FROM IRON UTENSILS

Rub sweet oil upon them. Let it remain two days; cover withfinely-powdered lime; rub this off with leather in a few hours. Repeatif necessary. 

To prevent their rusting when not in use: Mix half a pound of lime witha quart of warm water; add sweet oil until it looks like cream. Rub thearticle with this; when dry, wrap in paper or put over another coat. Seealso IRONS. 

RUST AND INK STAINS--TO REMOVE

Put half an ounce of oxalic acid in a pint of water. Dip the stain inthe water, and apply the acid as often as necessary. Wash very soon, inhalf an hour at least, or the cloth will be injured by the acid. Preserve in bottle marked "Poison. " This also cleans brass beautifully. 

RUSTED SCREWS--TO LOOSEN

[Transcriber's Note: Above title is as-presented in the original. ]

Boil scorched articles in milk and turpentine, half a pound of soap, half a gallon of milk. Lay in the sun. 

RUSTED SCREWS--TO LOOSEN

Pour a small quantity of paraffin round the top of the screw. Whensufficient time has been allowed for the oil to sink in, the screw canbe easily removed. 

SEALING-WAX FOR BOTTLES, JARS, ETC. 

Three-fourths rosin, one-fourth beeswax; melt. Or use half a pound ofrosin, the same quantity of red sealing-wax, and a half an ounce ofbeeswax; melt, and as it froths up, stir it with a tallow candle. Usenew corks; trim (after driving them in securely) even with the bottle, and dip the necks in this cement. 

SHIRTS--TO IRON

Use for ironing shirts a bosom-board, made of seasoned wood a foot wide, one and a half long, and an inch thick; cover it well by tacking oververy tight two or three folds of flannel, according to the thickness ofthe flannel. Cover it lastly with Canton flannel; this must be drawnover very tight, and tacked well to prevent folds when in use. Makeslips of fine white cotton cloth; put a clean one on every week. Ashirt-board must be made in the same way for ironing dresses; five feetlong, tapering from two feet at one end to a foot and a half at theother, the large end should be round. A clean slip should be upon itwhenever used. A similar but smaller board should be kept for ironinggentlemen's summer pants. Keep fluting and crimping irons, a small ironfor ruffles, and a polishing-iron. 

RUSSET SHOES--TO POLISH

Remove stains with lemon juice, and polish with beeswax dissolved inturpentine. 

SHOES--TO PREVENT FROM CRACKING

Saturate a piece of flannel in boiled linseed oil and rub it well overthe soles and round the edges of the shoes, then stand them, solesupward, to dry. 

SILK--TO RENOVATE

Sponge faded silks with warm water and soap; then rub them with a drycloth on a flat board; afterward iron them on the inside with asmoothing-iron. Old black silks may be improved by sponging withspirits. In this case, the ironing may be done on the right side, thinpaper being spread over to prevent glazing. 

SILK AND SATIN--TO CLEAN

Pin the breadths on a soft blanket; then take some stale breadcrumbs, and mix with them a little powder-blue. Rub this thoroughly andcarefully over the whole surface with the hand or a piece of cleanlinen; shake it off and wipe with soft cloths. Satin may be brushed theway of the nap with a clean, soft, hair-brush. 

SILK--TO TAKE STAINS FROM

Mix two ounces of essence of lemon and one ounce of turpentine. Greaseand other spots in silks are to be rubbed gently with a linen rag dippedin this mixture. 

SILKS--TO WASH

For a dress to be washed, the seams of a skirt do not require to beripped apart, though it must be removed from the band at the waist, andthe lining taken from the bottom. Trimmings or drapings, where there aredeep folds, the bottom of which is very difficult to reach, should beundone, so as to remain flat. A black silk dress, without beingpreviously washed, may be refreshed by being soaked during twenty-fourhours in soft, clear water, clearness in the water being indispensable. If dirty the black dress may be previously washed. When very old andrusty, a pint of alcohol should be mixed with each gallon of water. Thisaddition is an improvement under any circumstances, whether the silk bepreviously washed or not. After soaking, the dress should be hung up todrain dry without being wrung. The mode of washing silks is this: Thearticle should be laid upon a clean, smooth table. A flannel just wettedwith lukewarm water should be well soaped, and the surface of the silkrubbed one way with it, care being taken that this rubbing is quiteeven. When the dirt has disappeared, the soap must be washed off with asponge and plenty of cold water, of which the sponge must be made toimbibe as much as possible. As soon as one side is finished, the othermust be washed precisely in the same manner. Let it be understood thatnot more of either surface must be done at a time than can be spreadperfectly flat upon the table, and the hand can conveniently reach;likewise the soap must be quite sponged off one portion before thesoaped flannel is applied to another portion. Silks, when washed, shouldalways be dried in the shade, on a linen horse, and alone. If black ordark blue, they will be improved if they are placed on a table when dry, and well sponged with alcohol. 

SILVER--TO POLISH

Boil soft rags for five minutes (nothing is better for the purpose thanthe tops of old cotton stockings) in a mixture of new milk and ammonia. As soon as they are taken out, wring them for a moment in cold water, and dry before the fire. With these rags rub the silver briskly as soonas it has been well washed and dried after daily use. A most beautifuldeep polish will be produced, and the silver will require nothing morethan merely to be dusted with a leather or a dry, soft cloth before itis again put on the table. 

SILVER--TO CLEAN

Wash in hot soap suds (use the silver soap if convenient); then cleanwith a paste of whiting and water, or whiting and alcohol. Polish withbuckskin. If silver was always washed in hot suds, rinsed well, andwiped dry, it would seldom need anything else. 

SILVER--TO REMOVE STAINS FROM

Steep the silver in lye four hours; then cover thick with whiting wetwith vinegar; let this dry; rub with dry whiting; and polish with drywheat bran. Egg-stains may be removed from silver by rubbing with tablesalt. 

SOAK CLOTHES FOR WASHING--TO

Take a gallon of water, one pound of sal soda, and one pound of soap;boil one hour, then add one tablespoonful of spirits of turpentine. Putthe clothes to soak over night; next morning soap them well with themixture. Boil well one hour; rinse in three waters; add a little bluingto the last water. 

SOFT SOAP--TO MAKE

The ashes should be of hardwood (hickory is best), and kept dry. Whenput in the hopper, mix a bushel of unslacked lime with ten bushels ofashes; put in a layer of ashes; then one slight sprinkling of lime; weteach layer with water (rain water is best). A layer of straw should beput upon the bottom of the hopper before the ashes are put in. Anopening in the side or bottom for the lye to drip through, and a troughor vessel under to receive the lye. When the lye is strong enough tobear up an egg, so as to show the size of a dime above the surface, itis ready for making soap; until it is, pour it back into the hopper, andlet it drip through again. Add water to the ashes in such quantities asmay be needed. Have the vessel very clean in which the soap is to bemade. Rub the pot over with corn meal after washing it, and if it is atall discolored, rub it over with more until the vessel is perfectlyclean. Melt three pounds of clean grease; add to it a gallon of weaklye, a piece of alum the size of a walnut. Let this stew until wellmixed. If strong lye is put to the grease, at first it will not mix wellwith the grease. In an hour add three gallons of strong hot lye; boilbriskly, and stir frequently; stir one way. After it has boiled severalhours, cool a spoonful upon a plate; if it does not jelly, add a littlewater; if this causes it to jelly, then add water to the kettle. Stirquickly while the water is poured in until it ropes on the stick. As tothe quantity of water required to make it jelly, judgment must be used;the quantity will depend upon circumstances. It will be well to takesome in a bowl, and notice what proportion of water is used to producethis effect. 

To harden it: Add a quart of salt to this quantity of soap; let it boilquick ten minutes; let it cool. Next day cut it out. This is now readyfor washing purposes. 

BROWN TAR SOAP--TO MAKE

Take eight gallons of soft soap, two quarts of salt, and one pound ofrosin, pulverized; mix, and boil half an hour. Turn it in a tub to cool. 

SOAP-POTASH--TO MAKE

Six pounds of potash, five pounds of grease, and a quarter of a pound ofpowdered rosin; mix all well in a pot, and, when warm, pour on tengallons of boiling water. Boil until thick enough. 

SOAP FOR CLEANING SILVER, ETC. --TO MAKE

One bar of turpentine soap, three table-spoonfuls of spirits ofturpentine, half a tumbler of water. Let it boil ten minutes. Add sixtablespoonfuls of ammonia. Make a suds of this, and wash silver with it. 

SPERMACETI--TO REMOVE

Scrape it off; put brown paper on the spot and press with hot iron. 

ACID STAINS--TO REMOVE

Apply ammonia to neutralize the acid; after which apply chloroform. Thiswill remove paints from garments when benzine has failed. 

STARCH--TO PREPARE

Wet two tablespoonfuls of starch to a smooth paste with cold water; pourto it a pint of boiling water; put it on the fire; let it boil, stirringfrequently until it looks transparent; this will probably require halfan hour. Add a piece of spermaceti as large as half a nutmeg, or as muchsalt, or loaf sugar--this will prevent the starch from sticking to theiron. 

STARCH--COLD-WATER

Mix the starch to a smooth cream with cold water, then add boraxdissolved in boiling water in the proportion of a dessertspoonful to ateacupful of starch. 

MUSLINS--TO STARCH

Add to the starch for fine muslins a little white gum Arabic. Keep abottle of it ready for use. Dissolve two ounces in a pint of hot water;bottle it; use as may be required, adding it to the starch. Muslins, calicoes, etc. , should never be stiffer than when new. Rice-water andisinglass stiffen very thin muslins better than starch. 

TAR AND PITCH--TO REMOVE

Grease the place with lard or sweet oil. Let it remain a day and night;then wash in suds. If silk or worsted, rub the stain with alcohol. 

Paraffin will remove tar from the hands. 

UMBRELLAS--CARE OF

An umbrella should not be folded up when it is wet. Let it stand withhandle downwards, so that the wet can run off the ends of the ribs, instead of running towards the ferrule and rusting that part of theumbrella. 

VELVET--TO RENEW

Hold the velvet, pile downwards, over boiling water, in which ammonia isdissolved, double the velvet (pile inwards) and fold it lightlytogether. 

WALL-PAPER--TO CLEAN

Tie cotton upon a long stick; brush the walls well with this. Whensoiled, turn it, or rub the walls with stale loaf bread. Split the loaf, and turn the soft part to the wall. 

WHITEWASH--TO MAKE

Put half a bushel of unslacked lime in a barrel; cover it with hotwater; stir occasionally, and keep the vessel well covered. Whenslacked, strain into another barrel through a sieve. Put a pound of gluein a glue-pot; melt it over a slow fire until dissolved. Soak the gluein cold water before putting the pot over the fire. Dissolve a peck ofsalt in boiling water. Make a thin paste of three pounds of ground riceboiled half an hour. Stir to this half a pound of Spanish whiting. Nowadd the rice paste to the lime; stir it in well; then the glue; mixwell; cover the barrel, and let it stand twenty-four hours. When readyto use, it should be put on hot. It makes a durable wash for outsidewalls, planks, etc. , and may be colored. Spanish brown will make it redor pink, according to the quantity used. A delicate tinge of this isvery pretty for inside walls. Lampblack in small quantities will makeslate color. Finely pulverized clay mixed with Spanish brown, makeslilac. Yellow chrome or yellow ochre makes yellow. Green must not beused; lime destroys the color, and makes the whitewash peel. 

WINDOWS--TO WASH

Wash well with soap suds; rinse with warm water; rub dry with linen; andfinish by polishing with soft dry paper. A fine polish is given towindow-glass by brushing it over with a paste of whiting. Let it dry;rub off with paper or cloth, and with a clean, dry brush, remove everyparticle of the whiting from the corners. Once a year will be altogethersufficient for this.