How are the wood and water problems 
this winter, since we had so thorough a 
discussion of man's work and woman's 
work last year ? Has any one reformed ? 
Or are things running just as they were, 
with, perhaps, a little more grumbling 
on account of hard times ? 
* 
It is very much against our wishes to 
present only one side of a subject. But, 
since the young ladies have not put in a 
plea for themselves on the beau ques¬ 
tion, they must not think that the Chief 
Cook shows partiality in permitting only 
the elders to express themselves on the 
question. It would be of interest to all, 
if the younger readers would add their 
opinions to this discussion, both girls 
and boys. The Chief Cook must remain 
neutral regarding this question until 
later, but will suggest to those who may 
wish to continue the discussion, another 
view of the situation: Why do we follow 
in the time-beaten path, and consider 
only the woman side of a condition which 
calls for reform ? What shall we do with 
the beardless boys who make themselves 
beaux to the schoolgirls ? 
THE BEAU QUESTION. 
SHALL SHOUT SKIHTS “ KEEP COMPANY ?” 
Prohibition Wins in This Contest. 
Is it sensible, proper, or in any way com¬ 
mendable, for young girls from 14 to 17 
years of age, to have the constant com¬ 
pany of young men ? 
It Shortens Girlhood. 
S it sensible ? At that age, girls are 
busiest with school work ; all their 
time and strength are required to keep 
up with their classes. When they have 
“constant company of young men,” it 
means late hours, undue excitement, 
and an utter unfitness for the realities of 
life. I verily believe that one cause of 
“ nervous prostration,” so common among 
American women, is the lack of sleep 
aud quiet ways during these formative 
years. 
Is it proper ? If ever young America 
needs a guardian in the shape of an older 
person, it is at this age. Nothing would 
better please those of us who have been 
annoyed at church, lecture or other 
public place, by the silly, rude ways of 
young girls and their beaux, than to see 
them accompanied by their parents, al¬ 
lowing others to enjoy what is often 
utterly spoiled to us now. Then, too, at 
this age, young girls will permit liberties 
from young men, the memory of which, 
even if no real harm is done, will rob 
modesty of its bloom. 
Is it commendable ? The entering of 
society so young, certainly makes our 
girls pass£e very early. I can recall many 
examples of those who had the “con¬ 
stant company of young men” when be¬ 
tween 14 and 17, who have faded and 
withered so that now, when they ought 
to be in their prime, they are “ on the 
shelf;” not brilliant and attractive as 
they should be with the advantages they 
ought to have improved, but literally 
worn out with too much “sparking.” 
Mothers, keep your daughters young 
till past 17. Teach them to be proud of 
their father’s escort if they attend an 
evening lecture or concert; let them 
take his arm and be entertaining to him, 
and no young man could be prouder of 
his fair charge. Are not we older ones 
partly to blame that our daughters are 
so eager for beaux ? From early infancy, 
they are laughed at, and teased about 
the boys. Would it not be better to call 
their mates of the other sex, friends, 
and teach them to entertain their friends 
in the presence of the rest of the family ? 
A young man once made the remark, 
“ When I call on a certain young lady, 
if the family are sitting on the porch, 
they all scatter at my approach. 1 wish 
they wouldn’t, for the parents are in¬ 
telligent people, and I enjoy meeting 
them.” 
It is not necessary to make nuns of 
the young girls, but until they reach 
years of discretion, their intercourse 
with young men should be under the 
personal supervision of the mother. 
Many a young life has been wrecked be¬ 
cause of too much liberty. 
MOLLIE WIGGINS. 
Girlhood Has Other Joys. 
I would answer deeidedly in the nega¬ 
tive. My reasons for this are numerous 
and obvious. Constant company is gen¬ 
erally the forerunner of marriage, and 
no g-irl is prepared for this important 
change in her life at the age mentioned. 
“But,” say the girls, “we do not wish 
to marry, we just want a good time.” 
This is natural. It is every girl’s right 
to desire and get all the happiness, in a 
worthy way, which she can in life ; but 
it is a mistaken idea that young girls 
can secure happiness only by constant 
company. The girl who begins so young 
to fritter away her thoughts and affec¬ 
tions on various suitors, will sooner or 
later face the fact that she has given 
time and thought to very shallow things 
—time which should have been spent in 
study and a careful Observation of the 
world and its ways. 
“ But,” says an indulgent mother, “my 
mother and grandmother married young, 
lived happily, and early settled down to 
life’s responsibilities.” This may be 
true. We have all, doubtless, known of 
many who married young, and were con¬ 
sidered happy and contented; but I never 
think seriously upon this subject without 
the words of a very lovely wife and 
mother coming to me with startling clear¬ 
ness. Her husband was thoughtful and 
kind ; her children loving and dutiful. 
But once in speaking of her marriage, 
which occured when she was only 17, she 
said, “ I never had any girlhood.” Just 
that one sentence was so wonderfully sig¬ 
nificant, and so freighted with a sense 
of having lost something which was hers 
by right, that it made upon my mind a 
lasting impression. 
Girls, be girls while you may. Woman¬ 
hood with all its powers and its priv¬ 
ileges ; with all its burdens and its cares , 
will come soon enough. Let it come to 
you. Do not hasten to meet it. Girl¬ 
hood is a beautiful season, which, if 
rightly spent, will brighten all your 
after life. Study and plan and help 
mother ; and be kind and loving with 
your companions. 
Mothers, do not push your growing 
girls to the front, and allow yourself to 
sink into the background. Do not lavish 
upon them superfluous and costly cloth¬ 
ing, while you toil and slave and deny 
yourself those comforts and clothes 
which are by right yours as the mistress 
of your home, as the worthy wife of a 
man with whom you have toiled and 
secured a competence, and as the wise 
mother of your children. Do not allow 
yourself to sink into merely a household 
drudge, self-made and valued at your 
own estimate. Make home pleasant and 
cheerful. Adapt yourself to your child¬ 
ren. Allow them to entertain their 
friends at home. Counsel and guide 
them ; but to the question of “ constant 
company” at the age of 14 to 17, answer, 
“ No,” and hold to your decision. 
ELLA F. FLANDERS. 
Timely Parental Interference. 
Much may be said on the subject of 
young people “ keeping company,” and 
it certainly should be said seriously. 
For, although many smile at the expres¬ 
sion, “ keeping company,” the custom is 
just as popular among our young people 
of to-day, as it was 60 or 70 years ago 
when our grandfathers and grandmothers 
“ sat up together,” “ keeping company.’ 
In different classes of society it is accom¬ 
plished in different ways, and the young 
people are not always to blame that these 
are not always the best ways, either. 
It is very seldom that good advice given 
in a kindly manner to young folks is re¬ 
jected ; but far too many parents shirk 
this responsibility, which is plainly their 
duty. Oftentimes, young people drift 
almost unconsciously into the intimacy 
of “ keeping company.” and finally into 
an unhappy and unsuitable marriage, 
simply because their parents or guardians 
are careless about whom they associate 
with, until it is too late to have any in¬ 
fluence with either party. 
It may be a prudish idea of mine, but 
1 think that the happiest and best way 
for young people to make intimate ac¬ 
quaintances is at their own homes under 
the guardianship of parents or friends. 
Parents may invite young people of 
whom they approve, to meet their sons 
and daughters and their young friends at 
their homes, and any young man or 
woman thus invited may take it for 
granted that he will be welcomed as a 
friend as long as he proves worthy, and 
his acquaintance may grow into some¬ 
thing nearer. Thus we may bring the 
young people pleasantly together, in¬ 
stead of leaving them to make haphazard 
acquaintances, meeting in public places 
where there is no opportunity to judge 
of each other’s character. The young 
people will enjoy acquaintances made in 
this way, and, even though the ones 
brought together so pleasantly prove un¬ 
suited for marriage, they will have the 
opportunity of forming pleasant friend¬ 
ships which may prove of inestimable 
value. If daughters are guarded in this 
manner, young men will soon perceive 
that they are worthy of being prized, 
and will respect them much more than 
they would were they thrown upon the 
public market to prove their own value. 
Do not deprive them of young society ; 
but by surrounding them with the best, 
you may have the privilege of selecting 
their intimate acquaintances to a certain 
extent. The best does not always mean 
the wealthy, but those best in morals, 
education, and principles. It is ridiculous 
to say that young people should never 
have their freedom, or be left alone ; yet 
it is best that they should feel that they 
are under parents’ protection. 
Parents who leave young people wholly 
to themselves, and then reprimand their 
daughters for allowing young men to re¬ 
main until a late hour, are not wholly 
blameless. I never knew but one young 
lady who had the moral courage to tell 
her would-be lover that it was time for 
him to go home, as her father did not 
approve of her having a young man stay 
after 10 o’clock. Few young girls could 
say that to a friend, even though in 
obedience to their parents’ wishes they 
might desire it, and feel obliged to be 
rude in order to give the young man a 
hint that it was time for him to be going. 
Parents should not require a daughter to 
do either, but out of their boundless love 
and care, should take it upon themselves 
to give the hint, or speak plainly about 
such matters. No gentleman will respect 
a parent less for doing so. A young 
man’s mother or older sister may often 
help him greatly by talking these little 
matters over with him, and he is often 
very thankful for these bits of advice. 
Possibly some parents say, “ I am not 
going to meddle with young folks’ affairs. 
My children must learn by experience, 
and they must choose for themselves.” 
The parents are yet to be found who do 
not meddle with an unwise choice, when 
it is, perhaps, too late. 
ALICE E. FINNEY. 
- WAR COFFEE ." 
OME of the makeshifts and economies 
practiced by our mothers in the 
dark days of the war, are too valuable to 
drop out of our modern cook books and 
cuisines. One of them, at least, should 
be retained for other good qualities than 
economy alone. I mean the “war coffee” 
that was ground in the good old coffee 
grinders, and sipped with real zest from 
the china cups, while the latest war news 
was being read. It was good—it is good 
to-day, too. 
Many people cannot drink coffee, as it 
is injurious to them, and the deprivation 
is a great trial. But this “ make-believe” 
coffee, that tastes so much like the real 
article, has the merit of being harmless 
and delicious — two recommendations 
that go together finely. It is made of 
ground peas, and may have a very little 
real coffee added to give it flavor and 
character, though the peas alone make 
a nourishing, relishing beverage. The 
peas may be roasted and ground to order 
at the large grocery houses in the cities, 
but if one lives too far away to make 
that practicable, the browning and grind¬ 
ing may be quite easily done at home, 
with the advantage of having the work 
done just to suit one’s taste. 
One good way to prepare the “ war 
coffee,” is to take one-third or one-fourth 
Java and the rest ground peas, add an 
egg or an egg-shell, and cover with cold 
water. Allow this to come slowly to 
a boil, then fill the coffee-pot with 
boiling water from the kettle. If the 
egg is used, the coffee settles itself, but 
it never comes amiss to pour iu a few 
drops of cold water just before serving. 
This settles the grounds very success¬ 
fully. Of course, rich cream is the 
proper accompaniment to tea or coffee, 
and no possible substitute can quite take 
its place. Perhaps condensed milk comes 
next to cream, but, in that case, one 
must enjoy having his coffee sweetened, 
as condensed milk is, unfortunately, 
sweet. It must be confessed that the 
flavor and true essence of tea or coffee 
are injured by the addition of sugar, and 
when once one accustoms himself to 
doing without it, he will be quite sui‘e 
never to have any wish for it again. If 
cream and condensed milk are both out 
of reach, milk scalded and used boiling 
hot, does very well, “considering.” 
An amusing incident came to my notice 
awhile ago. A friend went to a grocery 
store and called for gi’ound peas, as her 
physician would not allow coffee pure 
and simple. The clerk shook his head. 
Could he not have them gx-ound for her ? 
No. So the fi-iend turned away. “ I 
can give you a cheap brand of coffee, 
madam,” the clerk said quickly ; where¬ 
upon the lady was righteously wroth. If 
she wanted coffee, she wanted the best, 
of coux-se. She wanted peas. Then the 
clei’k, with a little embarrassed cough, 
explained in a whisper that their cheap¬ 
est coffees were peas ! But that is not 
the “war coffee” to be bought— that xnust 
be freshly x*oasted and ground, and see 
only the inside of a paper bag. 
ANNIE HAMILTON DONNELL. 
ABSOLUTELY PURE 
