©RE’S RURAL 
-YORKER. 
335 
REVIEWING THE CAMPAIGN; 
Or, The Beauties of House-Cleaning. 
BY DORE HAMILTON. 
About this time—almanacs and weather 
however contradictory — Mintwood may 
look out for communications concerning the 
grand yearly cleaning. The worthy P,, like 
the most of the sterner sex, abominates this 
period, for, however cunningly one may 
plan, and however prosperously one’s work 
be carried on, it is almost an impossibility to 
keep everything going smoothly, the com¬ 
fort of the rooms unbroken, the three meals 
as carefully and promptly prepared as in or¬ 
dinary times. 
Theoretical housekeepers say that these 
grand upheavals are useless, and tell us that 
we can avoid them “ by cleaning rooms 
when they need it.” That advice does for 
those who dwell in furnace-heated houses 
and can at any time summon a carpet- 
cleaner to take up, cleanse and put down 
carpets. I shouldn’t at all relish a carpet¬ 
shaking and whitewashing with the mercury 
at zero ! 
But my house-cleaning is ail done, and it’s 
only the middle of April—a state of things 
entirely unknown in my previous experience. 
In March there were a few delightful days, 
and, having nothing particular to do, I put 
closets and bureaus in summer order, as 
nearly as possible, and had two or three 
carpets changed about in the upper rooms. 
The first week in April was as warm as 
June ; my good man had to go away for three 
days, and it must have been foreordained 
that the best help in the world was available 
for my special benefit. These concurring 
circumstances were not to bo withstood, 
and now that Winter is adding so long a 
postscript to his already tiresome message, I 
figuratively hug myself over my luck. 
And I think thankfully of my good angel, 
Mrs. Pike ! Although she complained of 
not being as muscular as of yore, yet I found 
her a marvel of strength, thoroughness and 
speed. Whitewash went on the ceilings be¬ 
fore I supposed she had time to wash them 
off with clear water, which she said was a. 
necessary performance, and she didn’t drop 
lime over everything either. She went to 
the sitting-room to take out the furniture 
and carpets. Before I had finished my 
breakfast dishes the carpet was on the line 
and all the children making a frolio of the 
shaking, while Mrs. Pike was coming in 
from the garden with a dust-pan full of 
fresh earth to sprinkle on the dusty floor, 
which it cleared as if by magic. The walls 
were rubbed with a towel pinned over a 
broom ; the paint was cleaned with a flannel 
cloth and ammonia water; the windows were 
washed inside and out — our long-handled 
brush being “ such a convenience !” The 
books were all taken out of the case, dusted 
and returned to their proper places. Bruce 
and Minnie did this service, which was not 
a slight one. After this room was righted 
and Mrs. P. had moved upon the large bed¬ 
room, she suggested that oiling the furniture 
would be good work for me. (It was a de¬ 
lightful fact that Mrs. P. engineered the 
whole job, and instead of going ahead and 
planning the campaign, I meekly brought 
up the rear ; and I was entirely willing to do 
this ufter a half-hour’s experience of Mrs. 
Pike among my domestic gods.) I demur¬ 
red at the oil, and was laboriously dusting 
the legs and rounds and backs, with scarcely 
perceptible effect, when she again said : 
"Sure, mem, it’s the kerosene ye’re want¬ 
in’ now, in them leetle chinks.” 
Kerosene ! That vile fluid which is yet a 
daily necessity ! 
" It do claiiG things splendid,” continued 
my benefactor. 
" Show me how, then,” said I, with a 
shudder. 
She put down her roll of paper, conjured 
up in a twinkling a soft cotton tswab, actu¬ 
ally took one of my nice, cream-colored 
cooking bowls, and poured out the oil. 
41 Plaze to look at this chair, mem.” 
I looked at a low rocker that is quite a 
favorite with us all, and especially affected 
by the twins, whose scrambling days are not 
yet over. It was a dear old chair ; but I 
must say that it was shabby, from contact 
with sturdy toes, scratching buttons, and 
also with it3 kindred. The swab was dip¬ 
ped, and in two minutes every one of those 
marks had gone; the insinuating oil had. 
found every crevice and demolished the 
dust. Mm. Pike rubbed it with her dry 
flannel and out came the hiddeu grain of the 
walnut, as beautiful as ever. 
“ But it smells so, Mrs. Pike 1” 
“ Yees won’t sinse it afther a few minutes ; 
—and do but just luk at yer new fumicher !” 
Sure enough ! I didn't mind it after five 
minutes, and in ten more 1 poured oil into 
my bowl without a morsel of compunction. 
It worked beautifully. • Even if it simply re¬ 
moved the dust from inaccessible corners it 
would be invaluable ; but when it makes all 
kinds of wood look perfectly new, then who 
j can praise it. enough ? I found it just as use¬ 
ful with the iron brackets under shelves, and 
on picture frames, and on the oilcloths, too, 
which it cleared and brightened wonder¬ 
fully, for, 6aid Mrs. P., “It’ll do onything 
a’most.” 
“Will it take out this ink spot, do you 
suppose ?” 1 asked, for my careless Frank 
had added a bright purple blotch to our 
pretty carpet. 
She thought not; but she showed me how 
to take it out with oxalic acid, laying the 
crystals on the spot, pouring boiling water 
on to dissolve them, adding the acid till the 
purple faded out, then rinsing out with 
plenty of water as fast as possible, Two or 
three spots of oil were removed by putting 
on dry whiting, allowing it to remain some 
time, and then brushing it off. 
It is needless to say that 1 engaged this 
capable woman for future cleanings. We 
had beautifully warm weather, or not one of 
my windows should have been taken out. 
Not a single stove has been taken away, for 
it’s against my principles to have my funnily 
shivering in the sitting-room or huddling in 
the kitchen. 
The other night my good P. cast a com¬ 
prehensive look around and said, “ Why in 
the world need you clean house this spring ? 
Everything seems to me to be decent enough. 
But women arc so devoted to ideas ! I sup¬ 
pose you won’t rest till Bkrgh arrests you 
for slaughtering spiders. Just let me know 
when it comes off, for I can go to Dayton 
just as well as not this spring,” 
“Sorry to cut off Dayton,” said I, as I 
threaded my darning needle, “but I don’t 
believe I shall do any house, cleaning this 
spring.” i 
““Good hevings !” he ejaculated, dramati¬ 
cally,”—“ what is this I hear ? Mrs. Hamil¬ 
ton converted to common sense !” 
“ Oh ! that my liege lord had the eyes of a 
discerning man,” T retorted, fiercely ; but 
it’s no use getting out of patience with so 
thoroughly good-tempered a person as my 
Pbilander, so I further held my peace. 
“ IIceo fahula docet,” as the old lesson ran, 
the well-known fact that no woman needs to 
learn afresh. 
ISfliW Jttftmmttioti:. 
DOCTORS AND NURSES. 
The relative importance of doctors and 
nurses is a coming question of vital import¬ 
ance, one that must soon be tried before the 
bar of public opinion. Long ago I had a 
strong conviction in my own mind that 
doctors not only frequently, but iu a major¬ 
ity of cases, get credit or blame that really 
belongs to nurses, or those who control the 
surroundings of patients; that conviction 
grows stronger as years pass, and I see more 
of life and death. 
Lately I catch myself wondering whether 
doctors do or do not see how much more 
depends on constant, intelligent, faithful 
care in the management of patients than on 
the action of any medicine they can pre¬ 
scribe ; hut judging from appearances, I 
should say they really do believe in the pre¬ 
eminent efficiency of medicine. However, 
my present intention is not to discuss the 
curative power of drugs, but to talk about, 
the value of care and nursing ; and I strong¬ 
ly suspect that most honest doctors would, 
if they stood long behind the scenes, get their 
eyes opened and their faith iu their pre¬ 
scriptions modified, perhaps increased, possi¬ 
bly diminished. One thing is pretty sure, 
they would learn thut the doctor may pro¬ 
pose, but nurses and attendants dispose ; in 
other words, the doctor orders, but his 
orders are seldom fully obeyed. 
It would amaze many a learned und 
dignified M. D, if he knew how ir¬ 
regularly his medicines are administered, 
how often they are thrown away, and 
how still more frequently they are supple¬ 
mented with remedies recommended by Uiis 
and the other anxious friend. Moreover, 
the nurse, if there be one, may not be the 
particular ally of the medical man in 
attendance, and when it happens that she is 
pretty sure her favorite doctor would pursue 
a different course from the one ordered, 
why, she is the executive power, and 
matters are quite as likely to go her way as 
the doctor’s. 
Ah the doctors may carry a lofty head 
over nurses, barely deigning to admit one 
virtue in them and accord them one credit, 
viz., that of being useful automatons to 
carryout their wise hehesta and administer 
their medicines ; but it would be well 
for their own reputation, not to mention the 
public good, if M. D.’s were to acknowledge 
the full importance of the offices to be per¬ 
formed by nurses; and sock to find, instead 
of automatic servitors, intelligent, educated 
coadjutors, who deserve and attain to a 
share of the professional honors.— Science of 
Health. 
-»♦» 
DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF. 
To retain or recover health, persons should 
be relieved from anxiety concerning disease. 
The mind has power over the body. For a 
person to thiuk lie lias a disease will produce 
that disease. This we see effected when the 
mind is intensely concentrated upon the 
disease of another. It Is found in the hospi¬ 
tals that surgeons and physician* who make 
a speciality of certain diseases are liable to 
die of it themselves ; and the mental power is 
sogreat that sometimes people die of diseases 
which they have only in imagination. We 
have seen a person sea-sick in anticipation of 
a voyage before reaching the vessel. We 
have known a person to die of cancer iu the 
stomach, when the}' had no cancer or any 
other mortal disease. A blindfolded man 
slightly pricked in the arm has fainted and 
dhid from believing that he was bleeding to 
death. Therefore well persons, to remain 
well, should be cheerful and happy ; and 
sick persons should have their attention 
diverted as much as possible from them¬ 
selves. It is by their faith that men are 
saved ; and it is by their faith they die. As 
a man thinketh so he is. If he wills not to 
die, he can often live iu spite of disease ; and 
if he has little or no attachment to life he 
will slip away as easily as a child will fall 
asleep. Men live by their souls and not by 
their bodies. Their bodies have no life of 
themselves ; they are only receptacles of 
life, tenements for their souls, and the will 
has much to do iu continuing the physical 
oecupancy or giving it up. 
-«*-*-•- 
SCALDS AND BURNS. 
Hall’s Journal of health gives the follow¬ 
ing advice on the treatment of Scalds and 
Bums :—“ On the instant of the accident, 
plunge the part under cold water. This 
relieves the pain in a second, and allows all 
hands to become composed. T f the part can¬ 
not be kept underwater, cover it over with 
dry flour, on inch deep or more. In many 
iustanees uothing more is needed after the 
flour ; simply let it remain until it falls off, 
when a new skin will be found under. In 
severer cases, while the part injured is under 
water, simmer a leek or two in an earthen 
vessel, with half their bulk of hog’s lard, 
until the leeks are soft, then strain through 
a muslin rag. This makes a greenish colored 
ointment, which, when cool, spread thickly 
on a linen cloth and apply It to the injured 
part. If there are blisters let out the 
water. When the part becomes feverish 
and uncomfortable, renew the ointment, 
and a rapid, painless cure will be the 
result, if the patient, in the meanwhile, lives 
exolusi vely on fruits, coarse bread and other 
light, loosening diet.” 
-- 
A STRANGE CASE. 
About nine months ago a young man of 
St. Paul, Minnesota, was very ill with ty¬ 
phoid fever, and when he recovered, both 
hearing and speech were totally lost. This 
terrible calamnity greatly oppressed him; 
but at length he engaged in the business of 
copying reoords. A short time ago he ex¬ 
perienced a strange pressure in his throat 
and a painful buzzing iu his head. Various 
applications were made, but failed to give 
relief, and the pain became very severe. 
During one of tile spasms of pain a discharge 
of matter from the throat occurred, which 
caused instant relief, and the young man 
was at once able to hear and speak. The 
restoration was so sudden and complete time 
it was with difficulty that he or his friends 
could realize the fact. But it was true ; 
after nine months silence, he was able to talk 
as glibly as ever. 
-♦♦ » - ■ 
When the voice is lost, as is sometimes the 
case, from the effects of cold, a simple, pleas¬ 
ant remedy is furnished by beating up the 
white of one egg, adding to it the juice of 
one lemon, and sweetening with white sugar 
I to the taste. Take a teaspoonful from time 
to time. 
J’nsuramr Jeprtment. 
IN8URANCE NOTES AND NEWS. 
How is This? —A few days since it was 
announced that the Atlantio Life Insurance 
Company of Albany had arranged to re-in- 
sure the Merchants’ Life Insurance Co. of 
this city. To this course there could be no 
objection, provided the re-insurance was to 
he entire and honestly conducted, which, 
since the Merchants’ has plenty of assets to 
pay the re-insurer well, was supposed to be 
contemplated. Now, it appears, the Supreme 
Court, Brooklyn, has eutertained a motion 
to place the Company ui the hands of a re¬ 
ceiver to be wound up, and has appointed a 
receiver who gives only ISO,000 bonds, though 
he takes possession of nearly six times as 
much of assets. We do not see the necessity 
of winding up a life insurance company mere¬ 
ly because the business has not been and does 
not, promise to be profitable to its stock¬ 
holders, or why the interests of policy hold¬ 
ers should bo sacrificed in order to provide 
for a re-im burse men t of sunken capital. If 
such is the case in this instance, it furnishes 
a sad commentary upon the boasted effect¬ 
iveness of insurance law* to protect the in¬ 
terests of the insured. We shall be glad to 
have onr apprehensions removed by an 
authoritative correction of the report. 
Well Done, A rkansas !—Some years since 
the State of Arkansas thought an insurance 
department necessary lo the protection of 
its citizens, and following a bad example 
created that expensive and useless piece of 
governmental furniture. The latest report 
confesses the folly and does away with it. 
I he plain truth of the matter seems to be 
slowly dawning upon the public intelligence 
that an insurance department exists by the 
permission and for the convenience of the 
companies — that it is utterly useless unless 
strong enough to restrain the reckless and 
punish the dishonest, and that the whole of 
Its complicate and absurd machinery never 
enabled an injured policyholder to get his 
rights and dues out of a company that, elects 
ed to deny them. The policy holders need 
either a great deal more or less protection. 
If the State is bound to interfere for their 
defense, let it ha done effectively or not at all. 
Agents’ Representations a Pcvrt of the 
Contract. —While the courts of this and some 
other States have decided that the policy 
holder is hound to the terms of the contract; 
and that its clauses and conditions limit and 
define the duty and liability of the company, 
a Tennessee court decides differently. In a 
case where it was proven that the agent, had 
promised and represented, as an inducement 
to insure, tha,t the annual dividends would 
be fifty per cent, of the annual premium, a 
promise which was not fulfilled, the court 
decreed the insurance void and that all the 
payments should be returned to the policy 
holder with Interest. This is the law also in 
California, where the promises of the agent 
are held to be conditions of Insurance, and 
as much a part of the policy as any of its 
signed and sealed provisions. A few more 
such decisions are needed to Inform us whose 
agent the life insurance canvasser Is. 
Does not A ppear to Pay. —Insuring Illinois 
property against loss by fire does not prove 
profitable to the companies. The entire 
premiums received from that State for six 
years past amount to thirty-one millions, 
while the losses foot up thirty-nine and a 
half millions. Aside from expenses—assumed 
to be thirty per cent, of premium receipts, or 
nine and a quarter millions—the entire re¬ 
ceipts fell short of the losses eight and a 
quarter millions. If the expenses be Includ¬ 
ed, the price paid by the companies for the 
luxury of Tllinols business nearly equals 
eighteen millions in six years, or three mil¬ 
lions a year. This estimate includes the dis¬ 
astrous year 1871, when the loss was nearly 
twenty-six millions, against only three mil¬ 
lions three hundred and fifty thousand dol¬ 
lars in premiums. 
Does It Pay ?—The commou fate of a ci ip- 
pled insurance company is to be handed over 
to a receiver to be wound up. This appears 
to have about the same effect upon the com¬ 
pany and its claims as hanging has upon a 
man ; in fact, if there is any truth in sta¬ 
tistics, this is the worst possible use to be 
made of a company. There are now per¬ 
haps a hundred companies undergoing this 
sort of slow rot, without, as far as appears, 
grinding out any good to anybody except 
the well-paid receivers themselves. How 
would it do to devise a law that would not 
punish the policy holders and other creditors 
for the sins of managers, but would make the 
right parties amenable ? 
