Women’s  Interests  Small  and  Great. 
A  Kingly  Visitor. — It  is  announced  as  “  quite  prob¬ 
able”  that  the  baby  king  Alphonse  XIII,  now  six  years 
old,  with  his  mother,  Queen  Christina,  may  visit  Amer¬ 
ica  during  the  progress  of  the  Columbian  Exposition. 
Foreign  royalty  as  a'  whole  seems  very  graciously  dis¬ 
posed  toward  our  modest  effort,  and  doubtless  not  one 
will  be  welcomed  more  heartily  than  the  young  Span¬ 
ish  monarch  and  his  most  estimable  mother.  Is  it  not 
suggestive,  that,  when  we  wish  to  pay  the  highest 
tribute  to  the  crowned  queen,  we  should  call  her  a 
“truly  estimable  woman?”  How  often  has  this  phrase 
been  applied  to  Victoria  ! 
Saving  Labor. — “Whatever  lessens  the  burden  of 
household  labor  I  consider  a  good  investment,”  says 
one  housekeeper.  But  that  mischievous  old  proverb 
that  our  stronger  grandmothers  found  so  terse  and 
valuable,  viz.,  “  a  penny  saved  is  two-pence  earned,” 
even  yet  blinds  our  eyes  too  often  to  the  real  common- 
sense  of  the  conclusion  first  noted.  We  hope  farm  liv¬ 
ing  will  ere  long  reach  a  plane  where  economy  in 
household  labor  will  be  admitted  by  common  consent 
to  be  the  true  economy. 
Great  Food  Exposition. — New  York  is  preparing 
for  a  food  exposition  before  which  all  previous  efforts 
in  this  line  pale  into  insignificance.  This  will  be  held 
in  October  next,  in  the  great  Madison  Square  Garden. 
Miss  Parloa  will  have  entire  charge  of  the  cooking 
lessons,  lecturing  every  afternoon.  The  superinten¬ 
dent  of  the  Dairy  Department  has  issued  a  premium 
list  for  farm  and  dairy  products.  Any  one  interested 
may  obtain  forms  of  application  for  entries  before 
September  15,  from  James  Cheesman,  Huds  n  and 
Franklin  streets,  New  York.  We  do  not  know  where- 
unto  this  will  grow,  but  think  it  bids  fair  to  be  of 
considerable  interest  to  our  readers,  especially  those 
nearest  New  York. 
Woman  Suffrage  in  New  York. — We  have  been 
favored  during  the  last  year  in  having  a  contributor 
in  our  State  capital  and  connected  by  marriage,  if  we 
may  so  express  it,  with  the  State  Legislature.  This 
friend  sent  us  a  full  history  of  the  movement  for 
woman  suffrage  during  the  last  session  ;  but,  although 
it  bristled  with  interesting  information,  it  was  neces¬ 
sarily  long,  and  we  were  compelled  to  forego  publish¬ 
ing  it.  Reference  was  made  in  this  article  to  the  pas¬ 
sage  of  a  bill  allowing  women  to  vote  for  school  com¬ 
missioners  ;  and  to  the  fact  that  the  farmer  members 
of  the  legislative  body  opposed  the  bill  allowing  work¬ 
ing  women  to  vote  because  it  would  give  their  hired 
girls  privileges  from  which  their  wives  would  be  de¬ 
barred  ;  also  to  the  language  of  one  legislator  which 
was  so  vile  that  it  was  ordered  expunged  from  the 
record  ;  at  the  time,  the  press  was  almost  unanimous 
in  its  rebuke  of  this  man. 
The.  Real  Issue  Stated. — Side  by  side  with  the 
above,  we  desire  to  place  the  ideas  put  forth  by  Har¬ 
per's  Weekly  on  this  question.  They  touch  it  in  such 
a  serious  way  as  to  make  it  appear  that  men  are  for 
the  first  time  beginning  to  consider  woman  suffrage  as 
an  actual  and  threatening  possibility  : 
The  argument  that  voting  Is  a  natural  right,  however,  lu  a  danger¬ 
ous  basis  of  the  claim  of  suffrage,  because,  If  the  community  may  re¬ 
strict  the  right  at  all  In  the  Interest  of  the  community,  It  may  restrict 
the  right  to  the  degree  which  It  thinks  necessary  to  secure  that  inter¬ 
est.  A  law  providing  for  equal  suffrage  will  be  passed  whenever  the 
present  electorate  Is  convinced  that  such  a  law  Is  desirable  for  the 
common  welfare.  The  common  remark  that  women  will  vote  when¬ 
ever  they  prove  that  they  wish  to  vote  Is  foolish,  because  that  can 
never  be  done.  They  will  vote  whenever  men  think  that  the  common 
Interest  will  be  promoted  by  their  voting. 
In  other  words,  women  will  vote  if  the  men  will  let 
them,  when  the  men  will  let  them,  or  never.  Possible 
right  or  justice  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter. 
Ice  Cream  in  Perfection. — But  we  wonder  how 
many  have  a  full  sense  of  the  advantages  which 
accrue  to  farm  dwellers  in  the  matter  of  ice  cream. 
Yearly  the  demand  for  this  favorite  dainty  increases. 
Stations  where  it  is  sold  multiply.  On  hot  days  the  city 
streets  are  full  of  venders  who  sell  cheap  cream  in 
tiny  glass  dishes  at  a  penny  a  lick,  or  in  penny  dabs 
on  browm  paper  to  the  newsboys,  boot-blacks  and 
street  gamins.  Nothing  else  seems  so  satisfying,  and 
nowhere  can  ice  cream  be  found  in  such  perfection  as 
on  the  farm.  The  demand  for  cheap  creams  has 
driven  eggs  largely  out  of  use ;  cream  more  or  less 
diluted  being  the  standby.  The  modern  creams  are 
possibly  more  healthful,  but  they  cannot  be  so  delic¬ 
ious.  With  cheap  freezers  that  will  turn  out  the 
luscious  product  in  a  brief  time ;  with  milk  and  eggs 
and  cream  at  hand  so  that  any  desired  degree  of  ex¬ 
pense  and  richness  may  be  indulged  in,  where  should 
we  find  this  popular  delicacy  if  not  upon  the  farm  table? 
Here  and  There. 
I  HAD  hoped  to  hear  more  from  the  women,  who 
have  been  successful  in  their  struggle  for  bread 
and  butter  for  themselves  and  families.  But  possibly 
many  of  them  felt  themselves  debarred,  as  did  I.  By 
an  overwhelming  downpour  of  misfortunes  I  was  de¬ 
prived  of  my  husband  by  death,  of  my  home  and  prop¬ 
erty  by  a  cyclone,  and  of  crops  and  stock  by  drought, 
all  in  the  space  of  a  few  short  months.  But  recitals 
of  experience  from  the  successful  ones  only  were 
asked  for,  and  although  we  have  managed  to  live,  and 
have  replaced  some  of  our  improvements,  and  paid 
some  debts,  yet  we  have  not  been  able  to  lift  the 
mortgage  from  our  home,  and  the  probabilities  are 
that  we  shall  lose  it.  You  observe  that  I  say  we.  Al¬ 
though  I  have  stood  at  the  helm,  yet  my  children  have 
worked  like  heroes.  There  was  yet  another  reason  why 
I  did  not  enter  the  contest  on  this  subject — I  could  not 
have  told  a  truthful  story  of  my  experience  without 
telling  a  very  sad  one;  and  I  have  never  known  sorrow 
to  be  made  lighter  by  being  dragged  before  the  pub¬ 
lic.  If  there  are  any  of  the  sisterhood  who  are  bowed 
down  with  grief,  any  who  are  passing  sleepless 
nights  in  fear  of  being  deprived  of  their  homes,  any 
who  are  wondering  where  the  next  meal  may  come 
from,  and  wherewithal  they  shall  be  clothed,  to  them 
I  would  say,  be  of  good  cheer.  There  are  no  days  so 
dark  that  they  might  not  be  darker;  no  burden 
is  so  heavy  that  there  will  not  be  strength  given  to 
bear  it.  There  is  One  who  keeps  watch  over  all.  Be 
brave  and  faithful  in  all  things,  and  trust  Him  for  the 
rest. 
I  wonder  if  those  who  have  received  a  full  share  of 
this  world's  goods  and  who  are  wondering  what  they 
shall  do  with  the  unfashionable  and  partly-worn 
clothing,  too  good  to  go  to  the  rag-bag,  and  yet  not 
quite  good  enough  to  wear,  know  how  much  comfort 
can  be  packed  into  one  small  barrel,  and  brought  out 
again  in  new  styles  and  make  by  the  deft  fingers  of 
some  hard-pressed  sister,  even  in  the  immediate  neigh¬ 
borhood.  Don’t  go  and  ask  her  if  she  is  in  need  of 
them,  and  would  accept  them,  etc.  Nothing  stings 
like  a  patronizing  air  of  pity  ;  but  pack  up  and  send 
them  to  her.  If  she  don’t  know  where  they  came 
from,  so  much  the  better.  And  then,  there  is  that 
pile  of  books  and  magazines,  stored  away  perhaps  in 
the  attic.  I  often  think  of  a  paragraph  in  the  Farm 
Journal,  written,  I  think,  by  Rose  Terry  Cooke.  She 
was  illustrating  the  text :  “To  him  that  hath  shall  be 
given,”  and  spoke  of  the  days  when  she  hungered  for 
books  and  was  not  able  to  satisfy  her  craving,  while 
now  that  she  had  won  a  name,  and  was  abundantly 
able  to  purchase  them  herself,  they  came  pouring  in 
from  every  side,  without  money  and  without  price. 
ONE  OF  TUE  SISTERHOOD. 
The  Eye  and  the  Palate. 
A  GOOD  old-fashioned  cook  used  to  have  for  her 
motto  “  The  eye  governs  the  palate,  ”  and  it  is 
true  to  a  certain  extent.  What  is  more  attractive  to 
a  hungry  person  than  a  dish  of  dropped  eggs,  care¬ 
fully  handled,  cooked  in  boiling-hot  water,  carefully 
lifted  out,  seasoned  with  a  dash  of  salt  and  pepper, 
with  bits  of  butter  here  and  there  ;  and  what  a  con¬ 
trast  such  a  dish  offers  to  the  same  thing  when  the 
yolks  are  broken  and  mixed  with  the  whites,  by  being 
carelessly  thrown  into  fast-boiling  water. 
In  the  matter  of  health,  more  depends  on  the  way 
pies  are  made  than  on  having  them  on  the  bill  of  fare. 
An  apple  pie  with  an  underdone  crust,  no  flavoring 
or  too  much,  which  when  eaten  makes  one  ponder 
over  his  sins  and  shortcoming’s,  is  an  entirely  differ¬ 
ent  thing  from  one  carefully  made  and  baked  to  a 
turn. 
There  is  an  idea  prevalent  with  some  that  anything 
very  tastefully  cooked  is  necessarily  expensive  ;  but 
it  is  cheaper  to  have  cookery  that  pleases  the  eye  be¬ 
cause  it  is  partaken  of  with  greater  relish  and  there 
is  less  waste.  To  keep  poor  bread  is  the  very  worst 
economy  that  a  family  can  practice,  so  much  of  it  is 
thrown  to  the  fowls  or  fed  to  the  pigs.  To  use  up 
poor  bread  after  the  pieces  have  become  dry  will  ex¬ 
haust  the  skill  of  the  best  cook;  and  if  the  bread  is 
inferior,  the  left- overs  will  accumulate.  It  is  cheaper 
to  cook  with  the  best  grade  of  flour.  Turkeys  and 
chickens  ought  often  to  make  an  appearance  on  the  farm 
table ;  the  chickens  may  be  cooked  in  such  number¬ 
less  ways — baked,  fried,  in  a  pie  or  as  a  potpie  with  a 
crust — that  they  furnish  a  cheap  and  wholesome 
article  of  diet,  and  one  always  acceptable  to  the  family. 
If  the  housewife  has  a  proper  ideal  of  a  home,  she 
will  consider  it  a  duty  to  take  time  to  make  her  home 
as  nearly  perfect  as  her  strength  and  means  will  per¬ 
mit  ;  and  as  far  as  practicable  to  arrange  her  table 
and  cookery  in  an  artistic  way.  Surely  the  word  ap¬ 
plies  here  as  well  as  to  the  decorations  of  the  parlor. 
Good  cooks  do  not  as  a  rule  use  more  material  than 
any  others;  it  is  the  ability  with  which  the  means 
used  are  combined  which  makes  the  cooking  a  success. 
Some  women  have  that  enviable  faculty  and  are  gener¬ 
ally  noted  for  it ;  everything  they  cook  is  first-class. 
It  often  seems  a  gift,  an  instinct ;  but  it  may  also  be 
acquired  by  practice  and  observation. 
There  is  something  behind  all  these  weary  working 
days,  which  the  burdened  mother  does  not  always 
realize  ;  the  house  life  makes  such  a  lasting  impress 
on  the  minds  of  the  children.  Boys  who  grow  up  in 
homes  where  the  graces  of  life  are  a  matter  of  course, 
where  they  are  treated  with  kindness  and  considera¬ 
tion  ;  where  their  little  likes  and  dislikes  about  their 
food  are  remembered,  and  their  surroundings  are  made 
pleasant,  will  be  better  men  for  it  afterwards,  and  in 
time  to  come  will  have  similar  homes  if  their  efforts 
can  win  such  for  their  families.  And  girls,  too,  uncon¬ 
sciously  copy  “mother’s  ways,”  believing  no  others 
were  ever  quite  so  good.  aunt  rachel. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clever  Watch  the  Trend 
of  the  Times. 
SPEAKING  of  reforms,  Mathilde,  I  met  two  of 
them  on  the  street  to-day.” 
“  You  met  two  reforms?  I  do  not  understand  how. 
Oh  !  You  mean,  I  suppose,  that  you  met  the  re¬ 
formers.”  ~ 
“  Both — both,  my  dear.  The  reformers  wore  the 
reforms.  I  suppose  this  is  a  fair  sample  of  woman’s 
reform — and  I  must  say  that  if  what  I  saw  to-day  was 
any  criterion,  it  would  be  as  effectual  in  repelling 
admiration  as  your  onion  scheme.” 
“  Don’t  keep  me  on  the  rack.  Do  tell  me  who  or 
what  they  were.” 
“One  of  them  was  the  exhibitor — if  one  may  be 
allowed  to  so  express  it,  of  the  new  ‘mudless,’  or  rainy 
day  costume — and  the  costume.” 
“  But  what  was  so  objectionable  about  it,  Solomon?” 
“Oh!  Nothing,  I  suppose.  After  one  has  seen 
the  fashionable  bathing  suit,  nothing  remains  to  be 
dreaded.” 
“  Did  it  remind  you  of  a  bathing  suit  ?” 
“  It  did  in  one  essential  point ;  the  recoil  from  the 
trail.  But  I  think  its  worst  point  was  the  incongruity 
of  a  gown  made  in  the  latest  style,  and  surmounted  by 
a  hat  from  Madame  LaMode;  trimmed  with  embroidery, 
having  one  of  those  vests  that  you  call  Medusa,  or 
Medura,  or  something  and  finished  out  by  sue li  a  pair 
of  calves  ” 
“  Calves  ?  Oh,  Solomon  !” 
“Certainly,”  replied  Mr.  Clever  calmly,  “  what  else 
could  you  expect  with  dresses  that  had  been  ruthlessly 
cut  short  at  the  knees  ?  Egad  !  I  think  Madam  Amelia 
Bloomer  was  nearer  hitting  the  nail  on  the  head  than 
some  of  these  dress  reformers.  At  least,  one  part  of 
her  dress  didn’t  swear  at  the  rest,  and  the  calves  were 
not  en  evidence .” 
“  But  you  recognize  the  fact  that  the  new  and 
accepted  reform  garments  must  include  beauty,  also, 
my  dear.  Women  insist  upon  that.” 
“  Then  they  are  still  under  bonds  to  the  dressmaking 
fiend,  and  they  haven’t  got  either  beauty  or  fitness. 
Seems  to  me  if  they  could  have  a  rather  short,  full 
skirt  of  some  light-weight  stuff,  and  the  whole  gown 
made  as  simply  as  possible  ;  and  then  wear  trousers 
underneath  if  they  liked,  that  would  show  some  sense. 
But  then,  that’s  only  a  stupid  man’s  idea  !” 
“  Oh,  no  ;  plenty  of  women  have  thought  of  that. 
But  I  wonder  how  Bluefern’s  newest  design  of  a  rainy 
day  costume  would  suit  your  idea  of  fitness,  dear.  I 
saw  his  great  effort  described  the  other  day  in  a  prom¬ 
inent  publication.  It  consisted  of  a  tailor  gown  of  the 
latest  cut,  and  the  absolute  newness  of  the  ‘  design  ’ 
consisted  solely  in  cutting  off  one  inch  from  the  bottom 
of  the  skirt.” 
“  Oh,  come  now,  Mathilde,  you  are  positively  getting 
sarcastic.” 
“  And  men  don’t  like  sarcastic  women?  Certainly 
there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  ;  does  one  ever  like 
the  person  who  shows  up  one’s  little  foibles  so  that 
other  people  can’t  help  seeing  and  laughing  at  them  ? 
But  at  least  I  shall  not  need  to  take  an  onion  to  render 
myself  disagreeable.” 
“  I  beg  that  you  won’t  say  hard  things  of  my  wife, 
Mathilde,”  said  Mr.  Clever  gallantly,  “She  could  never 
be  really  disagreeable.” 
“  How  good  of  you  dear.  You’ve  really  no  idea  how 
much  brighter  I  feel  after  getting  a  breath  from  the 
outside  such  as  you  can  give  me.  But  you  haven’t  told 
me  of  the  other  reform  you  met.” 
“Did  I  not  say  that  the  other  reform  was  merely 
woman  number  two  wearing  reform  gown  number  two? 
Sur  ly  I  meant  to  do  so.  They  are  doubly  effective 
when  they  go  in  pairs.  But  do  not  you  wear  any 
reform  gown,  Mathilde  ;  to  ignore  the  claims  of  both 
beauty  and  sense,  and  then  expect  you  to  believe  the 
evolved  monstrosity  ‘  artistic,’  is  a  libel  upon  your 
sex.”  MYRA  V.  NORYS. 
