768 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
NOV. 30 
fomfstir (Knmumj. 
OOHDUOTED BY EMILY MAPtJ 
THE DREADFUL DISH-WASHING. 
BABY WAGER TOHEB. 
A toung lady who was visiting me a few days 
ago, after commenting upon an artiole in the 
Bubal New-Yorker concerning dish-washing, 
said, “ShallI tell you how I wash dishes ?” 
“Yes.” 
“ Well, as a prelude, I must tell you that I 
think it the most abominable work under the 
sky! The Bmell of the dish water makes me 
sick, and my hands, they are under my face and 
eyes all the time, and I like to have them white 
and lady-lihe-looking; that is one of my vani¬ 
ties. But all this is neither here nor there, for 
Binoe the 4 hard times ’ struck us we have been 
much of the time without servants, and dish¬ 
washing falls to my lot. After a meal is cooked 
I fill all the gravy pans and skillets with water, 
place them on the top of the stove, and put a 
lump of washing soda into each, and by the 
time the meal is well over, these greasy vessels 
have actually cleansed themselves. For washing 
dishes I use a 4 mop’ and wear rubber gloves.” 
44 How much do the gloves cost ?” 
“From SI.25 to SI.50, and they last me 
eighteen monthB.” 
( WHAT GAN BE DONE SITTING DOWN . 
Dish-washing. 
Bread and pastry making. 
Ironing. 
Window cleaning. 
I have been told that the house of Mr. Edison, 
the wonderful inventor, is a museum in its mul¬ 
titude of labor-saving contrivances; but Mr. 
Edison is not the inventor of a high stool for the 
kitchen, which humble piece of furniture, when 
properly introduced into the economy of the 
work, will prove to be & source of salvation to 
many a woman tired to death from being so 
much on her feet. One can do with ease all the 
above-enumerated tasks, which are usually done 
in a standing posture, and the facility in work¬ 
ing while seated upon a stool is, of course, 
greatly increased by practice. With aD ironiug- 
board well adjusted at both ends, and high 
enough so that the knees will pass under it, one 
may do a large ironing, only rising to ohange 
the irons. And if one is too muoh of an invalid 
for that, she can have a small charcoal stove, 
which will heat the irons, placed at her hand. 
With such contrivances,ironing becomes "fancy- 
work,” for a lady may do It in her parlor, with 
ease. The charcoal or kerosene stove is very 
nioe for 44 doing up ” fine and elaborate pieces 
that require muoh time and skill. 
An improvement on the ordinary high stool, 
or low stool, is an adjustable top, connecting 
with the stool top by means of a strong sorew, 
by whioh the Beooud top may be lowered or raised 
at pleasure; in fact, something like a piano- 
stool, only it should have three or four legs and 
oross-pieces for the feet to rest upon. Snch a 
stool is especially convenient in oleaning and 
polishing windows. The reason why very many 
tired women do not sit more at their kitchen 
work is because the ordinary chair is too low, 
and it is impracticable to bring tables and 
shelves down to the level of chairs. But the 
high 8tool and the adjustable stool, make the 1 
thing pleasant and practicable. Try the stools ' 
gets so interested in her work that no thought 
of dinner enters her mind till she hears the 
clock striking. " Why, who could have thought 
it was so late !” and she bustles about, trying to 
do everything in a minute; but there is no time 
for cooking, so cold potatoes, bread and meat- 
remnants of the morning meal—are hnstled 
upon the table. Then she sits down to her 
work as Hal enters—not, however, in the way I 
like to see husbands enter their homeB, with a 
light, quick step, as if sure of comfort and wel¬ 
come. He is annoyed at the looks of things in 
general, and sits down to the cold meal with a 
frown and an impatient word. She explains she 
is in a hurry to finish her work and does not 
feel hungry; so her husband eatB in silenoe. 
He looks up once or twice, but it is not a pleas¬ 
ant pioturej soiled wrapper, frouzy hair, slip¬ 
shod feet, and the room looking as if Btirred np 
with a spoon, and he goes back to hi« work 
without a word. 
A trifle, 'tis true, but many of them oause the 
flame to slumber. She is making a pair of slip¬ 
pers for his birthday. It is kind of her, and he 
appreciates it when she gives them to him ; but 
w r hat man would not rather go without slippers 
than wear them in a tumbled up, disorderly 
room, with an untidy wife for a companion, who 
thinks more of the last magazine stories than of 
her husband’s conversation ? If he should tire 
of all this negligence at last, and seek com¬ 
panionship elsewhere—at the Btore, “ tavern," or 
at a neighbor’s, she would complain of neglect, 
and declare herself misused. The flame would 
deaden; and where’s the blame? She might 
not have been the first to withhold the answer¬ 
ing smile, but mauy, many times a neglected 
wife can lay her heart-aches at her own door; 
and not many men can admire a oareless, 
slovenly woman, whether wife or not. 
A lady may appear as an ornament to society: 
she may have accomplishments, beauty or tal¬ 
ents, while beyond the folds of the curtain which 
ought to shut out all discomfort, she may 
prove an idle, dissatisfied woman, an unloving 
helpmeet, and false friend! Wflat ought 
woman's ambition to be; what more noble 
ought she to be, than to gladden and keep warm 
hearts whioh claim her as their own ? Oh I let 
us keep these things fresh in our minds. They 
are our duties, our rights, whioh should never 
be forgotten; and let us keep our domes bright 
and cheerful, a white Bpot for our loved ones. 
Eva E. E. 
re-heat the lard and pour over the remaining 
Elioes at once. Mabx B. 
Layer Cake. 
Two teacupfuls of granulated sugar, one half 
teacupfnl of batter; one teaoupful of sweet 
milk; three eggs ; three teacupfuls of flour ; 
beat all the ingredients together, reserving a 
little of the flour to add last with a teaspoonful 
of soda and two of oream-of-tartar. Bake in 
layers. 
For Jelly. 
Take the white of one egg; three-fourths of 
a cup of white sugar ; a lump of butter the size 
of a hickory-nut; rub butter and Bug&r together 
and add to the beaten white with any flavoring 
desired ; Bpread between the layers when they 
are slightly warm. 
Will somebody please give a recipe for olean¬ 
ing soiled buckskin gloves ? Mbs. W. 
Ifctos of IJjf $Ueh. 
SCIENTIFIC COOKERY. 
and save your health. 
Christmas gift of one! 
Bryn Mawr, Pa. 
Make your kitchen a 
BEHIND THE CUBTAIN ; 
OR, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE QUESTION. 
Much has been said in these columns concern¬ 
ing over-worked, weary, worn-out women, and 
the assertions are too sadly true to admit of any 
denial to the oft-repeated theme ; but for this 
once let us look at the other side of the ques¬ 
tion. Let us lift the curtain of domestic life 
and see what is beyond. Let us ask ourselves 
if our homes are as bright, our firesides as dear, 
as it is our duty as women to make them; whe¬ 
ther they are homes of our own, or homes of our 
loved ones, where we find a welcome. I know 
of a home,—at least it goes by that name, 
though to my mind “ Home is not merely four 
square walls,”—which lacks, in fact, everything 
that makes a home a place of rest and joy; yet 
there are wealth enough, taste enough, and 
would be love enough if the sacred flame were 
ever replenished by a loving deed or thoughtful 
word. And here let me qaote the words of a 
very dear friend: 44 Little acts of love are like 
adding fuel to a heavy flame, but if withheld, 
the flame is still, blacking over, and the warmth 
is bene it h the surface—sleeping.” How true ! 
and in this way love is sleeping in this house¬ 
hold, and I fear will sleep its life away for 
want of food. 
We will enter first the kitchen ; but we need 
go no farther, for this room will truthfully por¬ 
tray a woman’s domestic qualifications. It 
ought to be neat, surely, for it is nearly noon, 
and there will hardly be time to arrange things 
in order and prepare the mid-day meal iu sea¬ 
son. Yet the wife sits oomposedly Bewiug. It 
is a lovely pattern in silk embroidery, and she 
Cooking is the proper preparation of food for 
human consumption. Theoretically, the gauge 
of cookery Btiould IxUhe healthfulness of its re¬ 
sults ; practically, the standard ts Birnply one of 
individual taste, and that in this oountry, where 
the majority are educated to relish compounds 
indigestible and worthless as hrain and muscle 
producers, is fallible in the extreme. 
It seems to be a general assumption among 
men that women are born oooks. This is a 
great mistake. Cookery is a science nearly s.ki n 
to chemistry. A chemist must be carefully edu¬ 
cated, yet we place the most foolish Hibernian 
virgins in our kitchens to prepare our food. 
If cookery were reduoed down to accurate 
rules, like ohemistry, any one might make eat¬ 
able dishes; but it is not so. Let the reader ask 
any successful cook how he or she makeB any 
dish, and very likely no explanation will be 
given. “Practice” is probably stated as the 
reason, or 44 experience” or "luck." In most 
cookery-books the same inaccuracy prevails. 
What does a teaspoonful mean—heaped up, or 
level with the rim ? Or a teacupfnl ? What 
Bize of teacup ? Or a pinch ? There is no stand¬ 
ard of measures conscientiously followed; and 
hence a woman will gauge her ingredients by 
the grab with the Bame unquestioning faith she 
reposes in the notion that the distance from the 
end of her nose to the tips of her fingers is just 
one yard. 
The practical solution of the question whether 
people can be taught to oook their food properly 
is yet to be determined. 
Make practical cookery a part of the educa¬ 
tion of every woman; and, above all, let us have 
recipes as aoourate as physioians’ prescriptions. 
Saibey Gamp. 
DOMESTIC EECIFE8. 
Fried Pork-M oaks. 
These are muoh nicer to my taste if sprinkled 
with powdered sage before frying. 
Sausage. 
To twelve pounds of meat allow a teacupfnl 
of salt, two teacupfuls of powdered sage, eight 
teaspoonfuls of black pepper, and a tablespoon¬ 
ful of ginger. Mince finely, pack in jars, and 
pour over hot lard to the depth of an inch. 
Hams. 
S'hese I find convenient kept as follows for 
summer use: After curing cut them into thin 
BliceB as for cooking; trim off the rind and 
place as compactly as possible in stone jars; 
cover with hot lard to the depth of an inch or 
more. 
When wanted for use, Bcrape off the lard, take 
out as much meat m required, but be oareful to 
Monday, Nov. 25th, 1878. 
| POLITICAL. 
There is considerable doubt as yet as to the 
exact numbers of democrats, republicans and 
greenbackers In the next House of Represents 
lives. Later official returns change somewhat 
former estimates, especially in Borne of the 
Southern States. Early reports sent some green¬ 
back republicans or Independents from that 
quarter, but according to recent advices these 
have been generally •' counted out.” There Is a 
world of complaint in republican organa and a 
good deal of It In Independent, newspapers about 
fraud and Intimidation In the Bolld South, es¬ 
pecially In South Carolina, Louisiana and Florida. 
The very peculiar electoral machinery devised by 
the republicans In these States, In spite of a good 
deal of alleged democratic bull-dozing, kept its 
originators in power for a considerable time, 
during which It incurred the bitterest demo¬ 
cratic denunciation as outrageously fraudulent. 
Now, that It has at length fallen Into the hands 
of these same democrats, or been seized upon 
by them, it seems to suit them mightily, while 
it Is execrated by their opponents, who wltb 
their own petard have been hoisted completely 
away from the loaves and fishes. It makes a won¬ 
derful difference, whose ox Is gored—yours or 
your neighbor's 1 Ilia to hoped, however, that 
the southern democrats will at once see that 
with the Keturnlng-Board machinery in their 
own control, the horrors of bull-dozing are really 
unnecessary, and that strong In tuelr numbers, 
Intelligence and principles, they will soon shame 
their opponents by abolishing the political ma¬ 
chinery which has now been Justly denounced 
as fraudulent by all parties. The President de¬ 
clares that all who can be proved guilty of hav¬ 
ing violated tUe electoral laws, shall be rigor¬ 
ously punished, a declaration which, strangely 
enough, makes many democratic and republi¬ 
can organs cry out that he has changed his 
southern policy; the former reproachfully, the 
latter contentedly. His friends, however, claim 
that he never had any policy as regards the South, 
and his non-friends add "or with regard to any¬ 
thing else.” With a slur on his title, however, 
with few IrlendB In either party and with sev¬ 
eral powerful opponents in both, he has had a 
41 hard road to travel,” and It should be acknow¬ 
ledged that he has hitherto managed to get along 
pretty well. 
Since the elections there has been a good deal 
of speculation as to who will be the candidates 
for the Presidency In 1880 . It seems generally 
acknowledged that Tliden has been 44 ciphered ” 
out or the race, and that Bayard, Thurman and 
Hendricks are the most likely democratic cham¬ 
pions. Among the republicans, Grant is un¬ 
doubtedly the favorite ol the bulk of the party 
all over the country, but there Is against him a 
small but vigorous minority. Conkllng and 
Blaine come next, the former highly respected 
everywhere, and the latter extremely popular in 
most places. The latest saying is that Grant or 
conkllng could carry New York, and tnatNew 
York must be carried to secure a chance of repub¬ 
lican victory. Butler, It seems, la by no means 
dead yet; In fact, the old man la reported ex¬ 
tremely lively, and already preparing to capture 
the governorship of Massachusetts at the next 
election, preparatory to becoming the candidate 
of Borne party or faction for the presidency. 
Kearney haa started for home without having 
hung a single 4, leecherou8" bondholder or done 
any of the other terrible things he threatened on 
his arrival. He says he isgolng to make things hot 
for John Chinaman on the Pacific Slope, and as 
Ah Sin has few friends there and many foes 
he may not fall In his efforts as ludicrously as he 
did East. Many of the 44 slimy editors ” seem 
disposed to kick the fellow towards the setting 
sun, forgetting tnat shoe-leather has little effect 
upon brass, and Kearney must be brass all over. 
Though the greenbackers tailed In electing many 
representatives either to the State or national 
legislatures, yet, for a brand-new party, they cast 
a pretty big vote here and there. In Pennsylva¬ 
nia It ran up to si.ooo, and It Is claimed to have 
been bo.ooo in this state. 
experienced observers expect to see a reaction 
and a great rise very soon. 
A stringent tramp law has been passed by the 
Legislature of Vermont. A party havebeen down 
the Mississippi, scooping up lmprisloned fish from 
pools and setting them back Into the river. About 
3,000,000 fish have had their lives preserved there¬ 
by. Gov. Uartranft of Pennsylvania has decided 
In accordance with the opinion of the attorney- 
general, to issue a warrant for the execution, De¬ 
cember 18, of the notorious Molllc Maguire, John 
Kehoe, and five others of the assassins. The mur¬ 
der for which Kehoe suffers was committed away 
back In 1862, but ever since he haa been the 
leader of all the our,rages committed In the 
Pennsylvania coal regions. At Philadelphia, 
Thomas H. Powers, of Dho drug manufacturing 
house of Powers & Welghtman, died Wednesday 
morning, leaving properly worth *10,000,000. The 
January half-yearly Interest to be paid to foreign 
holders of United States 6 per cents of all classes, 
wUi probably fall below $4,500,000. Eight or nine 
years ago this interest was about $ 27 , 000,000 on 
$900,000,000. 
The number of State hanks in tho country Is 853 , 
wltb an aggregate capital of $124,347,262 and de¬ 
posits of $2X9,483,625; savings banks with capital 
23,having an aggregrte capital of $3,237,342, de¬ 
posits $26,179,969; savlugB banks without capital 
668, with deposits,of $803,299,346; private bankers 
2,866, capital $77,798,228, deposits $183,832,965 : 
wh ole number of State banks, savings banks and 
private bankers4,400, capital $205,380,000, deposits 
$1,242,790,000; national banks 2,056. capital $- 170 ,- 
390.000, deposits $077,160,000; total number of 
banks and private bankers In the country 6 , 456 , 
aggregate capital $676,776,000, deposits $l,9ie 954 - 
000 . 
The Joint commission appointed at the last ses¬ 
sion of Congress to examine into the question of 
transferring the Indian bureau to the War De¬ 
partment have completed their labors, and will 
meet at Washington In a few days to prepare 
their report. The committee report will prob¬ 
ably be a majority and minority affair, with the 
weight of testlmong against the proposed 
change. 
MISCKI.LAN HODS. 
San Krancisoo la now suffering the customary 
reaction of a booming season In the stock market. 
Sierra Nevada, which has been the chief specula¬ 
tive stock, has collapsed this week to $< 5 , after 
touching over $200 within the past month, Many 
operators, large and small, have been^uined by 
this break In the market, and the excitement at 
Ban Francisco la very great. The movement Is 
thought to have been engineered by the people 
of the Nevada bank of Ban Francisco, and many 
There Is no doubt that Bitting Bull has got 
over the defiant spirit with which he told Gen. 
Terry a year ago that he Intended to stay where 
he was In British America, and that he now 
longs for his old hunting-grounds on this side of 
the line. Rev. Abbot Martin, the Benedictine 
missionary who visited the famous Sioux In his 
exile some time ago, huB been Interviewed at St. 
Louis, and says that Silting Bull has given him 
the task of making terms with our government. 
Yellow fever still fingers In New Orleans and 
a few other places in the South, though the fatal 
cases are almost invariably old ones or relapses 
Last week there were about 29 deaths In the Cres¬ 
cent City, but it ts very rarely that any new cases 
appear. There have been grave charges made 
about the manner In which the Howard Associa¬ 
tion has disbursed the vast fund which the char¬ 
ity of the North and the world at large has placed 
m their handB. Investigation, however, shows 
that the conduct of the Association has been 
blameless. After the fever began to abate, a no¬ 
tice was given through the press that the funds 
on hand were amply sufficient to meet all de¬ 
mands. The heavy surplus was divided among 
the doctors who had volunteered their services at 
the rate of $35 per day. When the money was 
all expended lu tills way, It was found that 
some debts were still due, and moreover the As¬ 
sociation also wishes to pay local doctors ror their 
services lu the same generous way. Accordingly 
another call has been Issued, begging for money 
to enable them to be thus generous. 
The report or the yellow fever commissioners, 
who have been tnvsstlgaUng the epidemic at the 
South, attributes the origin of the fever to cases 
imported Into New Orleans as early as May 23 . 
The commissioners also comment on the general 
neglect and violation of the laws of health, ne¬ 
glect of drainage, Inattention to deposits of fetid 
matter and refuse, and Inattention to the purity 
of drinking water. 
Tennoasee bondholders have a sorry prospect 
of ever receiving any interest on their invest¬ 
ments or recovering the principal. It’a only oc¬ 
casionally that somo e^Era-honest man talks 
about allowing the creditors of the State 60 cents 
on the dollar; others would favor paying 33 ^ ; 
but the majority prefer to pay nothing. Folks In 
Minnesota also object to pay what they owe. A 
proposition to devote about 600,000 acres of state 
lands to paying off old railroad bonds was voted 
down by an overwhelming majority at the late 
election. Nor is the objection to paying debts 
confined to such large communities exclusively; 
for all over the country there are scattered, here 
and there, counties, towns and villages which 
cither have repudiated their Indebtedness or are 
trying to do bo ; nay more, there are numerous 
individuals In these and other States, 00 unties, 
towns and villages who, by hook or by crook, are 
following closely such public examples. These, 
however, are sometimes so far unfortunate as to 
be placed behind prison bars for their efforts at 
Imitating their Illustrious exemplars. Governor 
Emery or Utah recommends, first, that provision 
be made for the selection of jurors In that Terri¬ 
tory In precisely the same manner as they are 
selected In the States. As matters now stand, 
the peculiar legislation by Congress is so ham¬ 
pered by Territorial legislation as to render con¬ 
viction in certain causes almost lmposslDle. He 
recommends, too, that woman suffrage In the 
Territory of Utah bo abolished, and that polyg¬ 
amy be made by act ol Congress a continuing 
offense, based on cohabitation rather than the 
marriage ceremony, as now provided by United 
States law. Stocku have been comparatively 
qalet at New York, and prices have kept up 
pretty well. The demand for United States 4 per 
cents Is very large, beyond the ability of New 
York dealers to meet, and the price has risen a 
little. Money Is perhaps a little stronger, though 
plenty la to be had on call for 2#4 per cent. Gold 
