$15  A  Prize  Series.  $15 
HOW  DID  YOU  SUPPORT  YOUR  FAMILY  ?  HOW  CAN  PARENTS 
HELP  THE  DISTRICT  SCHOOL  ?  FANCY  COOKERY  FOR 
THE  FARM  TABLE. 
How  Did  You  Support  Your  Family  ? 
HE  question  as  to  what  a  woman  thrown  upon  her 
own  resources  may  do,  or  can  do,  is  one  of  the  chief 
questions  of  the  day.  Mrs.  Croly  has  just  issued  a  hook 
upon  this  subject,  which  is  receiving-  much  attention, 
and  many  articles  are  being  written  showing  what 
the  writers  would  do  in  certain  supposable  cases.  All 
these  excite  thought  and  are  valuable.  The  It.  N.-Y. 
gave  some  space  to  this  topic  a  few  months  ago,  but  it 
now  wishes  to  take  it  up  in  a  little  different  style. 
“  To  the  victor  belong  the  spoils,”  is  proverbial.  Those 
who  have  succeeded  have  full  right  to  a  hearing  when 
they  tell  how  to  succeed.  Therefore,  we  want  the 
women  who  have  been  thrown  upon  their  own  resources, 
with  no  masculine  help  to  depend  upon  for  their  own 
living,  or  the  support  of  those  dependent  upon  them, 
to  tell  how  they  solved  the  problem. 
How  Can  Parents  Help  the  District  School  ? 
These  articles  are  to  be  written  from  the  teacher’s 
standpoint,  for  she,  if  anybody,  knows  where  parents 
fail  in  their  duty  to  the  school,  and  where  they  might 
be  a  strong  support  to  the  teacher.  Teachers  only,  are 
invited  to  write  on  this  topic.  Some  of  the  questions 
we  would  like  to  have  answered  are  : 
•  Do  parents  commit  the  manners  and  morals  of  the 
child  wholly  to  the  teacher  ?  Is  it  fair  ?  Can  the 
teacher  take  the  place  of  the  parents  ? 
How  far  are  parents  responsible  for  the  teachers’ 
“  government,”  or  lack  thereof  ? 
Dainty  Cookery  for  the  Farm  Table  ? 
There  are  by  far  too  many  homes  in  which  a  few 
standard  recipes  are  used  day  after  day  and  month 
after  month,  until  all  zest  for  food  is  taken  away 
except  from  the  keenest  appetites,  through  the  lack  of 
variety. 
Can  fancy  cookery  obviate  this  ? 
Is  it  practicable  ? 
Must  it  of  necessity  increase  expenses  ? 
Can  the  housewife  afford  time  for  fancy  cookery  ? 
Are  there  simple,  easy  recipes  which  give  good  re¬ 
sults  ? 
These  are  a  few  of  the  points  to  be  treated  under 
this  topic. 
Conditions  which  apply  to  all  these  subjects  : 
1.  The  writer  must  be  of  the  family  of  a  R.  N.-Y. 
subscriber. 
2.  Articles  must  not  exceed  1,000  words. 
3.  Matter  must  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper 
only,  addressed  to  the  Women  and  Home  Department 
of  The  Rural  New-Yorker,  and  marked  “for  the 
competition.” 
4.  Articles  must  be  received  by  March  13,  1892. 
$5. — We  will  give  $5  for  the  best  article  under  each 
of  the  three  heads.  No  manuscript  will  be  returned  ; 
but  in  order  that  all  who  do  the  best  work  may  get 
something,  we  will  pay  SI  for  each  article  used. 
Ideas  count  first  in  deciding  the  value  of  articles  ; 
after  ideas,  grammatical  accuracy,  neatness,  etc. 
Styles  Future  and.  Present. 
ALREADY,  on  the  great  city  counters,  dainty  spring 
fabrics  lie  waiting  for  the  admiration  of  shoppers; 
and,  indeed,  many  women  who  like  to  get  the  spring 
dressmaking  done  in  ample  season,  are  buying  care¬ 
fully.  New  zephyrs,  ginghams  and  chambrays  come 
in  stripes  and  in  small  figures,  while  there  is  a  move¬ 
ment  in  favor  of  plain  goods,  to  be  made  up  with  some 
fancy  trimming  or  finish.  Figured  goods  in  variety 
have  had  a  long  run,  and  it  is  not  strange  if  the  fickle 
popular  fancy  is  ready  for  something  newer. 
Some  of  the  latest  fashion  plates  show  combination 
spring  gowns  made  of  plain  gingham  with  “Normandy- 
plaited  ”  gingham  of  the  same  shade.  This  last  looks 
as  though  it  were  tucked  lengthwise;  in  one  suit,  it 
forms  a  blouse  waist  and  sleeves,  and  a  flounce  a  foot 
deep  around  the  foot  of  the  skirt,  the  tuckings  all  run¬ 
ning  lengthwise.  Collar,  cuffs  and  a  band  at  the  top 
of  the  flounce  are  formed  of  a  heavy  lace  edging,  re¬ 
sembling  Point  de  gene,  (turned  upward  from  the 
flounce).  Skirts  will  also  be  trimmed  flatly  at  the  hem 
with  a  band  of  lace  or  embroidery  set  on  with  the 
scalloped  edge  uppermost. 
India  silks  are  still  in  favor.  Their  lightness  and 
daintiness  make  them  hard  to  give  up;  people  wonder 
how  they  existed  without  them  at  La  Mode's  command 
for  so  long  a  time.  Some  charming  inodes  show  white, 
ivory,  or  other  delicate  tintings  in  the  ground,  a  de¬ 
cided  contrast  to  former  styles  appearing  in  the  small¬ 
ness  of  the  figures.  Carnations,  bits  of  golden-rod, 
tiny  lilies,  daisies,  etc.,  are  among  the  new  designs, 
there  being  much  ground  to  little  figure.  This,  too,  no 
doubt  prefigures  the  coming  of  plain  goods.  India 
twill,  however,  is  likely  to  be  more  popular  than  the 
straight  weaves.  Straight  skirts,  a  full  waist  gathered 
to  a  yoke,  puffed  sleeves  and  a  contrasting  velvet 
corselet  or  girdle,  with  removable  cuffs  of  velvet,  are 
features  of  the  styles  in  these  materials,  for  young 
ladies.  Gathered  ruffles  at  the  wrist  also  bid  fair  to  be 
popular. 
The  flounced  waist  of  last  year  appears  to  some  ex¬ 
tent,  and  the  paniers  which  are  its  logical  sequence  are 
shown  in  some  patterns.  Whether  they  will  be  popu¬ 
lar  remains  to  be  seen.  If  not  the  coming  season,  very 
likely  following  ones  will  see  the  revival  of  these, 
which  were  a  favorite  style  of  drapery  during  so  long  a 
time. 
At  the  present  time,  more  Bedford  cord  gowns  are 
seen  on  the  streets  than  of  any  other  material.  These 
are  now  shown,  both  plain  and  embroidered,  and  the 
fancy  for  them  will  no  doubt  last  through  the  spring. 
Cheap  imitations  of  this  weave  are  sold  as  low  as  20 
cents  a  yard  for  double  width  ;  of  course  these  goods 
are  half  cotton. 
About  the  only  wrap  patterns  shown  at  present  are 
the  half-long  cape  and  the  three-quarter  coat.  The 
coat  with  hip  pieces  had  such  an  immense  run  this  past 
season  that  it  is  not  likely  to  appear  among  the  new 
things ;  everybody  is  tired  of  seeing  it. 
Waistcoats,  jabots,  etc.,  of  chiffon  and  other  dainty 
and  delicate  materials  are  very  much  to  the  fore.  Wide 
surah  bows  for  the  neck  obtain  with  the  turned  down 
collar,  and  collarettes  are  shown  in  several  styles.  A 
plain  collarette  consists  merely  of  a  band  of  2%-inch 
ribbon,  turned  down  at  the  upper  edge  to  the  width  of 
1%-inch,  and  fastened  at  the  left  under  a  full  rosette 
of  the  same  ;  another,  somewhat  more  elaborate,  con¬ 
sists  of  two  bands  of  ribbon  a  trifle  narrower,  each 
with  upper  edge  turned  over,  and  the  one  laid  upon 
the  other  ;  this  band  is  folded  at  the  middle  and  sewed 
to  a  point  in  front,  after  which  a  fall  of  finger-wide 
lace  is  gathered  and  sewed  to  the  lower  edge.  On  this 
lace  in  front  are  set  one  or  two  small  bows,  and  the 
back  is  fastened  under  a  rosette. 
A  third  style,  more  becoming,  but  needing  more  rib¬ 
bon  is  made  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  the  lace 
boa.  A  band  of  11^-inch  ribbon  is  folded  narrower 
toward  the  front ;  this  is  the  foundation.  Two-inch 
ribbon  is  gathered  and  sewed  to  this  in  jabot  or  cascade 
style,  making  a  full  ruff,  somewhat  narrower  at  the 
front  where  it  is  tied  by  a  bow  of  the  foundation  ribbon. 
A  fancy  for  gauze  accessories  to  the  toilet  prevails, 
the  delicate  material  appearing  in  both  fans  and  hand¬ 
kerchiefs. 
Take  Tilings  Easy. 
OUR  sitting  room  has  been  swept  and  dusted  thort 
oughly  to-day,  and  it  was  six  weeks  since  a 
broom  had  touched  it.  We  use  it,  too,  all  the  time.  I 
tidy  it  up  three  times  a  day,  taking  about  three  min¬ 
utes  each  time,  and  three  minutes  each  morning  to 
take  off  only  the  dust  that  shows.  I  am  so  habituated 
to  picking  up  the  scraps  and  depositing  them  in  the 
waste-paper  basket,  that  it  is  not  counted.  Once  in 
two  weeks  I  spend  20  minutes  for  extra  dusting,  and 
use  a  whisk  and  dust-pan  to  brush  up  scraps  not  ‘  ‘  pick- 
up-able.  ”  When  the  ‘ 4  thorough  ”  day  comes,  everything 
possible  is  taken  out  of  the  room  into  the  open  air — 
upholstered  furniture,  table  scarfs  and  bric-a-brac. 
This  turning  out  of  stuff,  away  from  the  dust,  seems 
to  keep  fancy  work  fresh  for  a  longer  time  ;  the  furni¬ 
ture  all  comes  in  with  a  fine,  fresh,  open-air  smell, 
which  is  especially  delightful  in  winter. 
The  carpeted  bed-rooms  are  also  treated  in  the  same 
way  and  at  the  same  interval,  and  so  is  the  front  hall. 
The  doors  of  bed-rooms  should  be  shut  every  morning 
when  making  beds  or  dusting,  to  keep  the  dust  out  of 
he  hall.  Every  room  should  have  its  doors  shut  and 
its  windows  open,  while  being  swept.  When  dusting, 
have  six  or  eight  dusters,  and,  as  each  gets  full  of  dust,- 
put  it  on  one  side  and  shake  all  together  ;  this,  in  very 
cold  weather,  when  one  has  to  have  the  windows  shut, 
and  has  to  open  one  every  time  to  shake  the  duster,  is 
quite  a  saving.  I  also  like  to  have  the  dusters  slightly 
damp,  as  this  prevents  the  dust  from  flying  back  again. 
The  dining  room  is  swept  and  dusted  thoroughly 
only  once  a  week ;  after  every  meal  the  crumbs  are 
swept  up  with  whisk  and  dust-pan,  and  the  room  is 
touched  up  with  a  duster  every  other  day. 
With  us,  flannels  are  worn  altogether  in  winter  and 
no  cotton  undergarments.  After  one  week’s  wear, 
flannels  can  be  shaken  out  and  aired  during  the 
sunny  part  of  a  winter’s  day  ;  by  this  means  each  suit 
will  last  for  three  weeks,  instead  of  one  or  two.  One 
flannel  night  dress  does  nicely  for  a  person  who  is  par¬ 
ticular  about  bathing,  and  it  needs  only  to  be  washed 
in  the  middle  of  winter  and  at  the  end,  when  taken  off 
for  good.  It  will  dry  in  one  day  if  hung  by  the  stove. 
Each  week  it  should  be  well  shaken  and  hung  out  to 
air  for  a  day. 
In  summer,  have  underclothing  of  the  plainest 
description,  and  iron  only  collars,  petticoats,  children's 
drawers  and  handkerchiefs.  House  linen  is  healthier, 
if  not  as  nice,  when  unironed. 
Have  the  kitchen  tables  painted  next  time  a  man  is 
round  the  house  with  brush  and  paint,  and  if  there  is 
only  one  pair  of  hands,  do  not  blacken  the  kitchen 
stove,  nor  polish  the  copper  or  tin  utensils.  4  4  Excel¬ 
sior,”  as  applied  to  the  housework,  is  not  the  proper 
motto  in  these  days  of  ambitious  housewives,  but — 
44  Take  it  easy.”  o.  A.  H.  R. 
Interesting  Young  Girls  in  Social 
Purity  Work. 
Abstract  of  a  Lecture  by  Kate  Lindsay.  M.  D. 
EOPLE  must  be  educated  in  regard  to  a  subject  in  or¬ 
der  to  appreciate  it,  and  that  young  girls  may  be  in¬ 
terested  in  this  great  work,  their  mothers  must  rightly 
understand  and  teach  the  laws  of  personal  and  social 
purity.  Unfortunately  the  seventh  commandment, 
which  is  its  corner-stone,  is  universally  tabooed  in  the 
family.  Children  are  taught  that  it  is  wicked  to  lie, 
steal  and  swear,  but  nobody  gives  them  any  practical 
instruction  in  regard  to  the  scope  of  the  seventh 
commandment  in  its  relation  to  their  own  persons, 
speech,  manner  or  thought.  With  so  much  misconcep¬ 
tion  on  this  subject  in  general,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
children  are  not  interested  in  what  their  attention  has 
never  been  called  to  properly. 
The  commandment  is  often  broken  right  before 
young  girls  by  their  seniors  dealing  out  bits  of  scan¬ 
dalous  news  ;  the  newspapers  are  constantly  breaking 
it,  and,  so  far  as  our  boys  are  concerned,  it  is  made  a 
dead  letter.  But  the  great  Law-Giver  did  not  write  a 
one-sided  command,  and  there  is  just  as  much  reason 
why  it  should  not  be  broken  by  one  sex  as  by  the  other, 
and  no  more. 
Girls  should  be  taught  that  they  are  violating  the 
spirit  of  the  seventh  commandment  whenever  they 
gather  in  groups  to  talk  about  indelicate  subjects,  and 
that  they  break  it  in  reading  books  with  passionate 
or  impure  suggestions.  They  must  be  taught  to  keep 
the  mind  pure  and  healthy  by  harboring  only  lovely 
thoughts  and  leaning  only  to  the  things  of  good  report. 
They  must  be  taught  how  much  their  happiness  and 
usefulness  depend  upon  this  ;  how  broad  a  place  it  oc¬ 
cupies  and  how  much  of  suffering  and  sin  comes  from 
violation  of  it  in  any  degree.  They  must  know  some¬ 
thing  of  the  snares  and  pitfalls  spread  for  the  feet  of 
the  unwary  if  they  are  to  see  the  necessity  for  walking 
heedfully. 
If  the  seventh  commandment  had  been  kept  inviolate 
from  the  beginning  we  should  have  had  no  social  pur¬ 
ity  work  to  do  now  ;  and,  more  than  this,  nine-tenths 
of  the  diseases  which  afflict  mankind  at  the  present 
day  would  never  have  existed. 
The  best  commentary  on  the  seventh  commandment 
is  that  given  by  our  Saviour  in  one  of  his  discourses, 
(Matt.  v.  27-32)  and  this  should  always  be  referred  to 
in  our  teaching  of  the  scope  of  the  law  of  purity,  that 
the  young  shall  know  that  its  violation  is  not  confined 
to  overt  acts.  Impress  upon  them  most  strongly  that 
their  weal  depends  upon  obedience  and  that  direct  woe 
will  follow  disobedience.  Then  will  our  girls  be  strong 
to  resist  any  form  of  temptation  along  this  line  and 
our  boys  will  consider  that  they  are  the  guardians  of  the 
honor  of  young  girls,  reported  by  HELEN  manning. 
Ask  your  doctor  what  happens  to  cod- 
liver  oil  when  it  gets  inside  of  you. 
He  will  say  it  is  shaken  and  broken  up 
into  tiny  drops,  becomes  an  emulsion ; 
there  are  other  changes,  but  this  is  the 
first. 
He  will  tell  you  also  that  it  is  economy 
to  take  the  oil  broken  up,  as  it  is  in 
Scott’s  Emulsion,  rather  than  burden 
yourself  with  this  work.  You  skip  the 
taste  too. 
Let  us  send  you  an  interesting  book 
on  careful  living  ;  free. 
Scott  &  Bow.ne,  Chemists,  132  South  5th  Avenue,  New  York. 
Your  druggist  keeps  Scott’s  Emulsion  of  cod-liver  oil— all  druggists 
everywhere  do.  $1. 
