NOTE AND COMMENT. 
Educating children rijrhtly is laying the ax at the 
root of the tree of evil. There is nothing so powerful 
as truth planted in the good ground of untainted, un¬ 
biased minds. For six years the W. C. T. U. has been 
working to get New .Jersey to adopt the law requir¬ 
ing the pupils in the public schools to study the ef¬ 
fects of alcohol and narcotics on the human system. 
The agitation has ended by the bill being passed. 
Indiana is now the only Northern State that has no 
similar law. Ohio has just passed a law allowing 
women to vote in school elections. Women’s efforts 
are being directed into the line of educational reform, 
and this is as it should be. Mothers have the first in¬ 
fluence over children, and it is right that they should 
extend their influence as far beyond the cradle as it 
can be effective. 
2 2 2 
What do you do with your papers? Some months 
ago we published an item to the effect that damp 
newspapers were good to use in sweeping. We didn’t 
mean that you should consign Thk 11. N.-Y. to this 
ignoble end. But there are newspapers whose pages 
are less objectionable when covered by ordinary dirt 
than when the printed page is readable. Every 
neighborhood has some family that can’t afford, or 
thinks it can’t, to take a paper. If they will read, 
lend them your paper. Insist on careful usage and 
prompt return. Books and papers were made to be 
read, and lose none of their real value in reading. 
Put a good book on a shelf and let it stay there, and 
we defeat the end for which it was created. In lend¬ 
ing your paper you may not gain us a subscriber, but 
you gain us a reader and spread our influence. Give 
the leaven a chance to work. 
THE WOMAN’S MONEY. 
B II A K K F O K WIFE OR DAUGHTER. 
'‘How can Ihe farmer's wife or daugh'er best supp'y 
herself with the money needed for her own wmiIs f ’’ 
Part III. 
BllO 111 Ell of the mother had planted a hop field, 
the product of which he wished to gather princi¬ 
pally with home help. The mother decided that the 
three girls nearest of an age might assist in picking. 
In a little over two weeks’ time, these girls came 
home with S18 of their own earning. Besides this, 
each girl had gained in avoirdupois and consequent 
good health and spirits. The two sisters who were 
to enter the Union school needed to turn their ener¬ 
gies to the best account now, for school had opened 
more than a week before their entrance. They applied 
their share of the earnings to the payment of one 
term’s tuition for each. The other sister having pro¬ 
nounced musical ability, it was thought best to use 
her share of the earnings in payment for piano in¬ 
struction. She had already received three terms of 
instruction from her older sister and two terms from 
the music teacher. She made rapid advance in her 
music. The secret of the success of this 14-year oM 
girl was persevering, painstaking effort; for she had 
no more leisure than many girls who think they 
haven’t time to devote to any special purpose. She 
attended the district school, near her home. Each 
morning she assisted her mother in preparing break¬ 
fast, prepared school lunch for two, sometimes for 
more, cleared the dining table, and washed all of the 
dishes for seven or eight in the family, the little 
eight-year-old sister always wiping them. After this, 
she attended to her own room, and prepared herself 
for school. About 3 o’clock each school day, this 
daughter was excused to go home, harnessed her own 
horse, and drove to town for her sisters, thereby sav¬ 
ing room rent in town. After this time came her 
hour for practice, in which she accomplished so much 
for herself. She also kept her own clothing in repair, 
besides assisting in making it. 
In addition to a knowledge of general housework 
and the proper care of her own belongings, this 
mother believes it is her duty to see that each daugh¬ 
ter learns some one thing well enough so that by it 
she may gain a livelihood, if necessary. Very early 
in life she studied their natural tendencies, and seeks 
how she may best develop their natures in the right 
direction, believing that much depends upon giving 
them the right start. When a vacancy in the primary 
department of the Academy was caused by the illness 
of the teacher, the oldest daughter was offered the 
position, which she accepted and filled satisfactorily 
the remainder of the term just opened. She was then 
in her 16th year, and had 40 pupils, under her care, 
some of whom were older than herself. During this 
term’s work, she kept up her recitations in Latin, 
and at the close passed a successful examination with 
her class. The earnings for this term’s work were 
carefully laid aside for college expenses. A short 
time after her ]7lh birthday, she was graduated from 
the Academy with a college entrance diploma. 
BEATRICE. 
THE POWER OF SUNSHINE. 
IRGINIA put on her sun bonnet after dinner, 
determined to go out and have a good cry in 
some place all by herself. She believed that it would 
do her good, that she would feel a thousand times 
better if she let herself go and weep and weep. For 
the heart under the yellow print dress was not as 
light as a feather. Virginia had been cleaning bouse 
and was tired cut, but she didn’t know that was what 
made her “ blue.” She thought she was “ wery, wery 
miserable.” 
On her wey to find a quiet spot, she had to pass the 
chicken coop, and she stopped to let out an old hen 
with a brood of little chickens. The old hen was in a 
contrary mood, of course, and preferred to stay in, so 
Virginia had “ a time” getting that old hen to move 
on and when she finally got her out and slammed the 
chicken coop door, she had forgotten what she came 
out for. There were no tears in her eyes now ; but 
she remembered, and went on down through the 
peach orchard. The trees all looked so lovely with 
their sweet pink blossoms that Virginia thought what 
a pity it was that she should feel so badly herself. 
“ But the trees are certainly beautiful,” she thought, 
and lingered along noticing the different kinds. 
When she came to the lake the rocks were covered 
with blue violets and trailing wild strawberry vines in 
blossom. But she had not come down to pick wild flow¬ 
ers, No, indeed ; she had something far more serious 
on her mind. Finally she found her spot and settled 
herself down comfortably. It was so secluded and so 
sweet! She pulled her old sun bonnet down over her 
face and wept. Not very long, though. Somehow 
the lake, viewed from within the limited lines of her 
bonnet, looked so pretty, and the ripples’ gentle mur¬ 
muring along the shore was very soothing, the birds 
kept up their twittering and singing, and it was so 
warm and nice there in the sunshine ! She wondered 
what she would do if she lived in the city and could 
not go down on the rocks—to weep. Her handker¬ 
chief was a little damp now and she spread it out on 
the moss to dry. 
Then she remembered some advice she had read in 
a letter shown her by a friend, and the end was : 
“ Don’t mope ! Go out and see people. Invite your 
friends to visit you. Do anything on earth but mope.” 
She had told her friend it was splendid advice, to take 
it in big doses—she would feel ever so much better, 
and now—“ Well, why don’t you take it yourself, Vir¬ 
ginia ?” she murmured ruefully. “ Take it, take it!” 
“ And never trouble trouble, till trouble troubles 
you,” came the refrain of an old song and—Virginia 
slept. DOCIA DYKENS. 
ONE OF THE FAMILY. 
T appears to me that there is considerable egotism 
in the hired girl’s demand to be “one of the family.” 
In what other walk in life would the employers con¬ 
sider the question for a moment of being obliged to 
treat their employees as one of the family ? Yet the 
young woman who hires out to do housework, insists 
upon this as her inalienable right It matters not 
whether she be American. French, Datch or Irish, 
whether she be ignorant or educated, refined or vul¬ 
gar, she invariably desires to be treated as one of the 
family. To be sure, good American girls are a scarce 
article, not only because some aspire to higher callings, 
but because there are not enough of them, taken as a 
whole, to do the housework of the nation. Conse¬ 
quently the few who do housework, may have their 
choice of homes and wages, and they are likely to be 
rather independent in their demands. They not only 
desire to be considered one of the family, but they 
really desire something better. They must at all times 
be treated i espectfully and politely ; they must not 
be reproved or corrected in morals or manners ; they 
must be shielded from annoyance, cr any of the dis¬ 
agreeable incidents which invariably arise in daily 
home life. If the noise of the children disturb them, 
the children must be kept out of their way, and any 
particularly disagreeable duty must be performed by 
some member of the family, for no respectable hired 
girl will “ demean herself” by doing dirty work. 
The members of the family are expected to bear and 
forbear with each other. Hasty words or impatient 
acts must be forgiven and forgotten. The daughter of 
the home expects to be corrected and, possibly, unduly 
blamed when things are at “ sixes and sevens,” as 
they occasionally are in the best regulated families. 
The mother may be exacting or indulgent at different 
times, and the daughter may exercise her privilege of 
being cross or altogether lovable, according to the 
laws of human nature ; for members of families do not 
always wear gloves in their everyday life. Bat the 
hired girl wishes it to be understood that, while she 
desires the privileges of a member of the family, she 
must be handled with gloves or she will give notice, 
for she will not work where the mistress finds fault 
and treats her as a servant. Webster defines servant 
as “ one who serves, etc.” According to his definition, 
we are all servants in a greater or lesser degree. 
The first duty of a soldier is to obey, and the higher 
his rank, the more strict is his observance of his 
duties. The common foot soldier may grumble at 
orders, but the captain or lieutenant is proud to obey 
the commands of his superiors. It seems to me that 
this principle is true of society in general. The lower 
a person is in intellect or manners, the more jealous 
he or she is of being treated as an equal or companion; 
while those who are really companionable wait to be 
sought and do not desire to be on familiar terms with 
every one. Such do not have to demand to be one of 
the family, they only have to prove themselves worthy 
in order to be acknowledged as equals. Of course, 
while the world stands, there will be vulgar mistresses 
who know of no other way of proving their superiority 
than by being insolent and domineering toward their 
help. But good girls are not obliged to remain in 
such families, and it is quite as vulgar for them lo be 
exacting, impudent and too independent and intrusive 
while working for wages in a private family. The 
idea that an intelligent girl who helps do housework, 
stands lower in the social scale than a girl working in 
shop, factory, or store is false. Those girls do not desire 
to be treated by their employer aa one of the family. 
They have not been educated up to that idea, and are 
generally satisfied with associates which a respectable 
hired girl would scorn. Possibly this is why the 
domestic “walk in life” is not overcrowded. 
I think the reports of teachers slightly misleading. 
It is not an easy or healthy calling, as has been 
proved, the average term of work being only 10 years. 
Those who quoted $40 per month for six hours, five 
days in the week, neglected to- mention the hours 
after school spent in writing, making out reports and 
preparing for the next day. Teachers are also advised 
to call on the children and parents at their homes, to 
prepare special programmes for holidays such as 
Washington’s Birthday, Arbor Day, etc., and to enter¬ 
tain the public of the district. Various other duties 
are also expected. When one subtracts $20 from $40, 
for board, washing and car fare, and $10 for dress¬ 
making bills and other necessaries, I think the hired 
girl’s bank account would grow faster than the 
teacher’s. The plea that a teacher is able to enjoy 
better society is amusing. Possibly her education may 
fit her for it, but after a day’s work in the school¬ 
room, the prospect of being critically examined by the 
parents of her pupils, is not alluring, although they 
may be ready to receive her on terms of equality. 
Consequently the average teacher, unless endowed 
with a superabundance of strength of body and 
nerves, enjoys very little society, excepting during 
her two months’ summer vacation. She would much 
rather be free to rest or enjoy a little outdoor exercise 
after her day’s work is done than to be treated as 
“one of the family,” especially if her non-favorites 
belong to the family. As Mrs. Josiah Allen says, 
there are “draw-backs” to being “ one of the family.” 
AI.1CE E. FINNEY. 
A cream-of-tartar baking powder. 
Highest of all in leavening strength.— 
Latest U. S. Oovernment Food Report. 
Royal Baking Powder Co., 
106 Wall St., N. Y. 
