Joyful  Through  Love  and  Hope. 
“  "T  T  TJIY  is  it,”  said  a  gentleman  to  me  recently, 
W  “that  women  as  a  general  thing  enjoy  them¬ 
selves  more  than  men  do  ?” 
“  Do  you  really  think  such  is  the  case  ?”  I  queried. 
“  I  not  only  think,  but  I  know  it  from  my  own  per¬ 
sonal  observations,”  was  his  reply. 
I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  are  many 
reasons  for  crediting  the  gentleman’s  assertion.  I 
sent  my  thoughts  out  in  quest  of  the  reason  and  they 
brought  back  the  answer  that  “  it  is  because  woman's 
nature  is  so  largely  imbued  with  love  and  hope,  that 
she  can  enter  into  the  little  joys  of  life  with  a  keener 
zest,  a  livelier  interest  than  man.”  A  little  tea-party 
is  to  her  a  thing  of  pleasure;  she  enjoys  every  moment ; 
each  lady  guest  affords  a  certain  amount  of  entertain¬ 
ment  by  her  mere  presence,  because  she  is  dressed  so¬ 
und  so.  It  would  not  be  in  good  taste  certainly  to 
notice  the  toilets,  but  yet  each  one  would  be  able  to 
tell  what  the  others  wore.  It  is  really  an  art  nowa¬ 
days  to  dress  well,  and  it  behooves  one  to  make  use  of 
her  opportunities  for  studying  this  out.  She  goes 
home  from  the  little  party  full  of  new  ideas.  She  has 
settled  in  her  mind  how  Mary's  new  dress  shall  be 
made.  And  that  little  silk  scarf  which  hung  so  grace¬ 
fully  from  a  corner  of  the  m  intelpiece ;  it  was  so 
bright  and  added  so  much  to  the  looks  of  the  room,  she 
wonders  if  she  could  fashion  something  as  pretty. 
And  who  would  have  thought  of  making  such  soft, 
white,  fluffy  ornaments  of  common  milk-weed  ‘  silk.’ 
The  little  outing  has  filled  her  veins  with  new  life. 
To  her  husband  it  was,  most  likely,  a  bore. 
“  Dove  covers  a  multitude  of  sins,”  it  lends  a  charm 
to  labor,  be  the  task  ever  so  homely.  Woman's  life, 
by  virtue  of  the  duties  which  naturally  fall  to  her  lot, 
is  a  labor  of  love.  She  is  ever  and  always  doing  for 
her  family. 
“What!”  you  exclaim  in  surprise,  “is  it  not  pre¬ 
eminently  the  man,  the  husband,  the  father,  who  wins 
the  bread,  who  supports  the  family  ?”  Certainly  it  is, 
but  he  does  it  indirectly.  The  farmer  raises  corn  to 
feed  hogs  and  cattle  ;  he  tills  the  soil,  plants  grain, 
cultivates  it,  thinks  of  his  work,  watches  the  markets, 
talks  politics  with  his  neighbor — all  the  while  the 
wife  and  mother  is  busy  with  little  plans  for  the  com¬ 
fort  and  welfare  of  the  members  of  her  family.  The 
preparation  of  the  meals  is  not  simply  the  cooking  of 
so  much  food,  but  the  planning  according  to  the 
individual  likes  and  dislikes  for  certain  dishes.  One  is 
fond  of  this,  another  of  that,  and  the  various  dishes 
are  generally  seasoned  with  a  generous  amount  of 
kindly  forethought.  How  rarely,  too,  appears  on  the 
table  a  dish  which  mother  alone  enjoys  !  cShe  does 
not  deem  it  worth  while  to  humor  herself,  unless,  per¬ 
chance,  papa  happens  to  be  absent,  in  which  case  she 
feels  that  she  may  indulge  in  her  own  favorite  stew  or 
soup,  without  imposing  upon  any  one.  She  takes 
pride  in  her  snowy  bread,  and  her  golden  butter, 
because  they  eat  with  such  a  relish. 
Who  can  mend  a  garment  without  thinking  of  the 
wearer  ?  There  is  something  more  put  into  the  darned 
stockings  than  the  stitches  so  neatly  woven  in  and  out. 
Mothers  could  not  darn,  and  darn,  and  darn,  week 
after  week,  without  wearing  deeper  furrows  in  their 
brows,  if  love  did  not  stand  behind  them  always  as  a 
motive  power.  Mother  has  a  little  pink  dress  to  make 
for  baby  Helle  ;  while  the  work  progresses,  mental 
visions  of  little  baby  llelle  already  clothed  in  the  com¬ 
pleted  gown,  dance  before  her  ;  she  smiles  to  think 
how  pretty  her  dark  hair  will  look  against  the  pink — 
and  Lilian,  with  her  golden  curls  would  look  as  well 
in  blue. 
When  neighbor  women  spend  an  afternoon  together, 
the  children  are  sure  to  receive  a  goodly  share  of  the 
discussion:  different  ways  of  managing  them,  their  var¬ 
ious  temperaments,  idiosyncrasies,  progress  in  school, 
etc.  It  is  a  topic  which  never  wears  out,  and  one 
upon  which  every  mother  feels  more  or  less  at  home, 
according  to  her  years  of  experience.  Is  it  not  rather 
the  exception  than  the  rule  for  fathers  to  enter  into 
such  discussions  ?  A  little  incident  which  happened 
perhaps  20  years  ago  comes  to  mind,  which  seems 
quite  apropos. 
I  was  teaching  a  little  country  school ;  I  thought 
(and  still  think)  that  the  parents  and  directors  should 
manifest  some  interest  in  the  school  which  their  chil¬ 
dren  attended,  by  at  least  an  occasional  visit. 
One  day  a  new  pump  was  put  in  the  well  at  the 
school-house.  The  directors  came  and  gave  the  pump 
their  individual  inspection.  I  remarked  to  them  that 
a  new  pump  seemed  of  more  interest  to  them  than  the 
progress  of  their  children.  “  Oh,  well,  children  are 
so  common  we  can  see  them  any  day,  but  a  new  pump 
is  a  little  uncommon,  out  of  the  usual  line  !  ”  A  mother 
would  not  have  observed  the  new  pump  had  she  hap¬ 
pened  by,  but  she  would  have  seen  every  child. 
And  so,  tired  mothers,  as  the  days  go  by,  when  life’s 
burdens  seem  unfairly  portioned,  think  of  the  rose 
which  is  all  the  more  fragrant,  fresher,  sweeter,  after 
bending  under  its  burden  of  dew. 
The  burdens  which  must  be  borne  ;  the  time,  pa¬ 
tience,  energy,  sacrifice  required  for  the  building  of  a 
home  for  the  rearing  of  a  family  are  balanced  by  an 
elasticity  of  nature,  which  is  crowned  with  a  spirit  of 
endurance  and  the  blessedness  of  hope. 
MKS.  W.  A.  KELLERM  AN. 
Simple  Cooling  Drinks. 
PERHAPS  the  most  simple  and  most  nourishing  of 
these  are  based  upon  oatmeal.  Doubtless  no 
taste  accustomed  to  heavily-spiced  foods,  liquors, 
etc.,  would  find  them  agreeable;  yet,  when  ice-cold 
they  are  decidedly  palatable,  and  may  be  drunk  more 
freely  than  water  or  lemonade. 
Plain  Oatmeal  Drink. — Boil  four  ounces  of  oat¬ 
meal  in  three  quarts  of  water  for  half  an  hour ;  add 
one  scant  ounce  of  sugar,  strain,  and  make  very  cold. 
It  may  be  used  thus,  but  the  majority  of  tastes  will 
like  it  better  if  flavored  with  lemon  or  raspberry  juice. 
Or  a  quart  of  milk  may  be  added,  instead  of  the  fruit 
flavor. 
Stokos. — Place  in  an  earthen  vessel  four  ounces  of 
best  oatmeal,  a  half  cupful  of  white  sugar,  and  the 
juice,  with  a  portion  of  the  grated  yellow  rind,  of  one 
lemon.  Mix  with  a  small  quantity  of  warm  water  ; 
then  pour  over  it  nearly  a  gallon  of  boiling  water. 
Stir  well,  and  set  on  ice,  or  where  it  will  get  as  cold 
as  possible  before  using. 
Fruit  Juices. — These  grow  in  favor  yearly.  The 
least  storage  room  is  required  for  those  prepared  a 
year  in  advance,  when  they  are  put  into  the  form  of 
rather  thin,  sour  jellies.  These  may  be  melted  and 
thinned  a  little  before  using  ;  otherwise  they  do  not 
dissolve  readily  in  cold  water.  Sour  apples,  any  of 
the  berries,  grapes,  or  even  rhubarb,  may  furnish  a 
foundation  flavoring  for  these  drinks.  One  family 
thus  found  a  pleasant  use  for  some  green-grape-and- 
blackberry  jelly  that  proved  too  sour  to  be  palatable 
on  the  table.  It  was  liked  about  as  well  as  lemonade. 
Ripe-grape  syrup  is  especially  nice,  and  is  of  medici¬ 
nal  value  in  correcting  feverish  or  bilious  tendencies. 
An  acid,  a  flavor,  and  ice  to  cool,  are  the  general 
requisites  for  a  summer  drink. 
Gingkradk. — The  principle  just  laid  down  appears 
in  this  formula,  which  consists  of  adding  to  a  glass  of 
cold  water,  vinegar  and  ginger  to  taste,  with  a  trifle 
of  sugar.  To  some  this  will  not  appeal  at  all,  and 
probably  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  on  the  score  of 
healthfulness.  But  it  is  cheap,  and  those  who  like 
the  flavor  of  ginger  will  find  it  palatable. 
Lemonade. — After  all,  the  popularity  of  this  well- 
known  beverage  remains  unassailed  ;  and,  as  lemons 
are  so  wonderfully  cheap,  except  where  the  price  is 
affected  by  high  transportation  rates  or  distance  from 
the  centers  of  trade,  it  may  well  be  used  freely.  A  de¬ 
lightful  method  of  making  it  consists  in  adding  to  the 
juice  and  pulp,  freed  entirely  from  seeds,  sugar  in  the 
proportion  of  a  small  half  teacupful  to  the  juice  from 
one  large  lemon.  To  this  add  a  grating  of  the  yellow 
peel  and  a  very  little  water,  and  let  the  mixture  stand 
one  or  two  hours  or  longer  before  diluting  for  use. 
The  raw  taste  of  the  sugar  thus  disappears,  and  the 
smooth  lemon  flavor  permeates  the  whole  beverage. 
A  lemonade  which  tastes  of  the  water,  the  sugar  or 
the  bitter  peel  is  not  worthy  of  the  name. 
Mental  Struggles  of  Number  Six. 
CONCLUDING  to  try  to  write  that  half  column  of 
“available  matter,”  I  selected  for  my  first  sub¬ 
ject  “  my  experience.”  Then  I  remembered  that  one 
of  the  conditions  was  that  it  must  not  be  stale;  which 
caused  me  to  call  a  halt.  While  in  this  dilemma  I  be¬ 
thought  me  that  it  could  not  possibly  be  more  so  than 
the  adage,  “  Let  your  head  save  your  heels,”  which  I 
have  heard  from  time  immemorial  and  is  so  often  re¬ 
peated  in  the  Woman’s  Department,  whereat  I  decided 
to  take  for  my  subject  “My  experience  with  the  adage 
‘  Let  your  head  save  your  heels.’”  But  before  I  had 
fairly  warmed  to  my  subject  I  had  reached  the  200  word 
limit,  and  I  was  so  incensed  that  I  was  minded  to  take 
at  least  100  of  the  words  allowed  to  scold  the  editor, 
and  for  no  good  reason,  for  if  she  had  said,  “  the  ar¬ 
ticle  must  consist  at  least  of  200  words”  many  of  us 
would  rise  up  in  arms  and  say,  “  Oh,  dear;  that  just 
shuts  me  out;  I  can’t  write  long  articles  but  I  might 
write  something  short  and  to  the  point.”  What  in¬ 
consistent  mortals  we  are  any  way!  With  a  mental 
reservation  I  inclose  the  paragraph  and  hope  it  may 
prove  “available  matter.” 
I  should  like  to  give  my  experience  with  dainty 
cooking  for  farmers  an  airing,  but  can’t  do  it  with  no 
200  words.  No,  madame  !  No  !  Perhaps  I  will  write 
up  an  article  on  that  subject,  sign  my  name  Queen 
Victoria  and  send  it  to  England  to  Minister  Lincoln  to 
be  're-mailed  to  America  directed  to  some  paper  or 
magazine  that  employs  only  “high-flown”  authors  to 
write  for  it.  How  eagerly  every  word  of  it  would  be 
devoured,  for  there  is  something  in  a  name.  But 
there !  a  woman  never  could  keep  a  secret  since  Eve 
ate  the  apple,  then  went  and  told  Adam  all  about  it. 
And  as  I  have  told  The  R  N.-Y.  my  secret  there  is  an 
end  to  that  scheme  ;  as  I  would  very  likely  be  found 
out,  arrested,  “extry-dieted  ;”  then  tried  for  forgery 
or  high  treason. 
I  am  not  going  to  close  now  by  saying  (like  those 
very  modest  writers)  “I  am  a  constant  reader  of  your 
highly  valuable  paper”  (which  I  am)  and  could  not 
posibly  do  without  it,  (for  I  could — aside — I  should  hate 
to  though).  “  This  is  the  first  time  that  I  have  ever 
written  for  your  good,  and  grand  paper  (more  sweet¬ 
meats)  and  if  the  inclosed  paragraph  escapes  the  waste 
basket ;  will  write  again.”  But  I  shall  be  tempted  to 
write  again  and  give  the  editor  a  piece  of  my  m’nd  if 
she  don’t  publish  it ;  (the  paragraph)  after  I  have  had 
such  a  time  keeping  within  the  200  word  limit.  Come 
to  think,  what  would  be  the  use  of  it  ? 
A  great  man  (?)  once  said  :  “  What  is  the  use  of  try¬ 
ing  to  fight  an  editor  in  his  own  paper  ?  He  has  the 
paper  3G5  days  in  the  year,  and  you  can’t  have  it  a 
single  day  unless  he  has  a  mind  to  let  you.” 
“  NUMBER  SIX.” 
The  Real  Need. 
S  we  read  in  different  papers  the  articles  describ¬ 
ing  the  preparation  of  various  fancy  dishes,  it 
would  seem  that  the  writers  thought  farmers’  wives 
needed  a  knowledge  of  as  many  ways  of  cooking  every 
article  of  food  as  could  be  devised,  and  every  combina¬ 
tion  of  materials  that  could  possibly  be  made  palat¬ 
able.  Most  of  these  recipes  require  a  great  deal  of 
time,  patience,  attention  to  details  and  considerable 
practice  before  they  can  be  made  successfully.  The 
busy  country  housekeeper  has  neither  time  nor  strength 
for  the  long  beating  and  stirring,  heating,  cooling  and 
fussing.  These  are  too  tiresome,  too  wearing  on  the 
nerves ;  and  the  results  are  not  worth  the  labor. 
In  a  recent  number  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  Hol¬ 
lister  Sage,  speaking  of  the  unhealthfulness  of  “pound 
for  pound”  preserves,  says  that  raw  turnips  and  pota¬ 
toes  can  be  made  into  the  most  delicious  preserves  by 
this  method.  I  don’t  think  that  any  housekeeper  would 
make  preserves  of  potatoes  or  turnips,  but  it  sounds 
as  sensible  as  many  of  the  recipes  for  fancy  cookery. 
Quite  often  I  see  recipes  calling  for  wine,  cider  ox- 
brandy.  In  this  enlightened  age  do  women  need  to 
be  told  that  when  they  use  intoxicants  in  food,  or 
allow  a  cider  bai-rel  to  be  kept  in  the  farmhouse  cel¬ 
lar,  they  are  giving  their  sons  the  first  lesson  in 
drunkenness  ? 
Most  such  dishes  as  the  above  are  unhealthful,  es- 
specially  those  that  are  made  vex-y  sweet,  and  we  do 
not  need  them.  What  farmers’  families  do  need  is  a 
greater  abundance  and  variety  of  fruit  and  vegetables, 
for  winter  as  well  as  for  summer  ;  less  meat,  especi¬ 
ally  pork,  and  an  even  distribution  of  the  supply  of 
beef  and  poultx-y  throughout  the  year.  And  what  the 
farmer’s  wife  needs  is  more  time,  not  for  fancy  work, 
but  for  rest  and  the  impi-ovement  of  the  mind.  Good 
papers,  (with  The  Rural  at  the  head  of  the  list)  good 
books  and  music  should  have  a  sure  place,  and,  if  every 
member  of  the  household  appreciated  them  as  a  means 
of  education  and  refinement,  the  gossips  of  the  neigh¬ 
borhood  would  receive  less  encouragement,  and  the 
long  winter  evenings  would  be  all  too  short. 
A  COUNTRY  GIRL. 
*  *  * 
Character  Creater  Than  Circumstance. — In 
this  issue,  one  tells  a  pitiful  tale  of  a  man's  inhuman 
treatment  of  the  woman  whom  the  law  has  placed  in 
his  power.  But  is  it  not  plain  that  in  all  these  cases, 
it  is  not  the  law,  not  the  farm  life  not  cii-cumstances 
alone,  but  character,  the  people  themselves,  who  are 
responsible  ?  In  the  case  cited  in  this  issue,  the  man 
is  brutal,  and  our  friend  calls  the  woman  “poor  and 
mean-spirited.”  This  largely  explains  the  whole  mat¬ 
ter.  We  dare  not  blame  her  ;  the  circumstances  of 
her  birth  were  against  her  ;  for  in  none  but  English- 
speaking  nations  is  woman  allowed  to  be  in  any  wise 
the  equal  of  man,  with  rights  of  her  own.  Is  not  the 
real  solution  of  all  these  instances  of  wrong  among 
us  to  so  educate  and  in  every  possible  way  in  the  line 
of  chai-acter  that  the  sti-ong  will  not  attempt  to 
wrong  the  weak,  nor  the  weak  submit  to  be  wronged  ? 
In  the  fact  that  this  is  possible  lies  the  chief  glory  of 
our  free  country- 
