144 
August, 1891- 
/ ORGHRRD fer% GARDEN A 
a doll to dress; a scrap book to fill. These, 
and a score of other things which will sug- 
gest themselves according to the surround- 
ings, will serve to keep boys and girls inter- 
| ested, happy, and well. 
Conducted by Martha Clark Rankin’, 
Gloversville, N. T. 
The Children in August. 
— CURING this month, chil- 
dren need especial care 
as they are peculiarly 
liable to digestive dif- 
ficulties; and, even if 
they keep well, they 
are made fretful and 
irritable by the heat. 
The clothing should be plain and com- 
fortable. giving the child perfect freedom 
of motion. The safest plan is to have wool- 
en underclothing of the lightest possible 
weight. Then the child is prepared for the 
sudden changes of temperature which are so 
common, and is far less liable to take cold 
when sitting in a draught or 
on coming into a cool room 
when in a prespiration. In 
case only cotton is worn in the 
hottest weather, the mother 
must insist on changing the 
Underclothing as soon as there 
is a fall of temperature, al- 
though the child cannot be ex- 
pected to understand why the 
addition of an outside garment 
will not be just as effective. 
The food should be simple, __ 
not heating in character, and 
taken only at meal time. An 
abundance of ripe fruit will 
agree with most children, but 
they must not be allowed to eat 
that which is over or under 
ripe. 
Perhaps the most important 
factor in the health of children 
is sleep; and, though it seems much less 
necessary in August than in December, yet 
its importance is really just as great. Anap 
in the heat of the day is excellent for those 
children who find it possible to forget them- 
selves so long; but for the majority, sleep 
comes only with the darkness of night. 
They should have nothing exciting just be- 
fore bed-time, and punishment should nev- 
er be inflicted at this hour. 
For the school-children, vacation in Au- 
gust has lost its novelty, and the various 
sports and recreations which were so de- 
lightful at its beginning have grown stale 
and tiresome. Boys and girls of all ages 
frequently ask the same question: “What 
shall I do?” Nothing is more conducive to 
health and good spirits than iust enough 
occupation of the right sort. The wise 
mother will so plan for her children that 
they shall always have something to do — 
a garden to care for; chickens of their own 
to raise: a box of tools with which to learn 
the rudiments of carpentry; a collection of 
butterflies, insects, or plants; a kite to make; 
Improvised Wardrobes. 
In a certain Connecticut village there is a 
house which contains sixty closets. The 
original owner planned it to suit his wife 
who had a passion for storing away her 
possessions as they accumulated; but it has 
been the despair of all other occupants. It 
is doubtful if another such house could 
be found; for where there is one with too 
much storage room, there are a hundred 
with too little. 
A lady was recently asked how she liked 
the new house into which she had just 
moved: “It’s very pleasant,” was the reply, 
“but it isn’t convenient. Actually, there is 
only one closet on the second floor and no 
attic or store room of any kind. I’ve had 
to devise all sorts of ways to hide away my 
Improvised Wardrobe. Fig. 459. 
clothing and other belongings.” 
The results of the “devising” were so suc- 
cessful that we have given our readers il- 
lustrations of two of the wardrobes. There 
are so many people suffering from a lack of 
closet room that we know suggestions of 
this kind will be widely appreciated. 
In one room, in which there was a long 
space between two doors, a carpenter fitted 
what may be called a wardrobe, although 
the casual observer would tell you that it 
is a book-case. One end is finished with 
shelves which are filled with books; the rest 
of the space lias shelves only at the top and 
bottom, while an abundance of hooks make 
hanging-room for a surprising amount of 
clothing. Pretty curtains hang in front and 
left partly open, reveal an attractive array 
of books without disclosing any secrets; 
and, with the handsome bric-a-brac on top 
the whole affair is an ornament to the room. 
An unoccupied corner of another room 
was made useful by fitting in a triangle of 
wood at a sufficient height to admit of hang- 
ing clothing underneath. Of course there 
are handsome curtains in front, and a stat- 
uette on top, and the wardrobe is not only 
an immense convenience but a thing of 
beauty as well. In a summer cottage,- a 
rustic wardrobe of this style is very pretty 
when a branch of white birch, alder, or oth- 
er pretty wood is used for the top. 
A little ingenuity is an immense help to a 
housekeeper whose home is small or badly 
planned. 
Domestic Science in Colleges. 
A great many parents are intending to 
give their daughters a college education. 
Some of these girls will begin their new 
life next month, others will wait until next 
year or later. 
The decision as to the particular college 
to which a girl shall be sent is often a mat- 
ter of chance. Some friend has graduated 
at Vassar, therefore that college is selected 
by one. Another girl has relatives in Bos- 
ton and it would be so nice to be near them, 
consequently Wellesley is decided upon. A 
third has visited Northampton and Amherst, 
is charmed with the location of 
Smith, and decides at once that 
"it shall be her college; while a 
fcurth can give no better rea- 
son for her choice than the fact 
that the Bryn Mawr girls wear 
a cap and gown. 
As all of these colleges are 
first class and nearly equal in 
rank, it may seem to some that 
it makes no difference which 
one is decided upon. And yet 
as the choice of a college has 
an important influence on one’s 
whole later life, it should not 
be made carelessly. Each col- 
lege has its strong points; each 
has some points of advantage 
i over every other. Either the 
parents or the daughter ought 
to know what advantages are 
most important for her, and 
the decision should be made with reference 
to these needs. 
It is pleasant to note that “Domestic 
Science” is now recognized as of sufficient 
importance to merit a place in the col- 
lege curriculum. Wellesley has taken the 
lead in this respect and now instructs her 
seniors in the chemistry of food and nu- 
trition, in testing sanitary plumbing, as 
to the proper sanitary conditions of a house, 
and kindred matters. This departure will 
deprive the objectors to colleges for women 
of one of their strongest arguments. 
Blackberries. 
Almost the only fruit which is not laxa- 
tive in its nature, the blackberry comes just 
at the time when the system needs it, and 
should be used very freely. The wild ber- 
ries, at their best, are much sweeter anrl 
nicer than any of the cultivated varieties. 
They are delicious in milk, or served with 
sugar and cream. 
A blackberry pie which can be enjoyed 
even by a dyspeptic is made as follows: 
