SEPT © 
627 
angel—in a way; his “right hand”; and simi¬ 
lar praise. Yet not oDe of them but is quite 
indignant, even astounded, when a hint is 
given that the respective wife really per¬ 
forms as much labor during the day as they 
do. The idea is “ simply preposterous,” and 
he will tell us this with his slippered feet on 
the “re9t,” placed at just the pi-oper distance 
from his cozy “ sleepy-hollow chair,” the pa¬ 
pers folded to his hand beside his cigar case, 
and all things quite to his mind, as he pre¬ 
pares to enjoy bis evening, while she who ar¬ 
ranges this nightly programme, after a day 
of constant care and toil, must fold her lambs, 
make her preparations for the morning’s 
breakfast, and perhaps attend to other domes¬ 
tic duties, then sit down to the ever well filled 
basket and continue the never-ending line of 
garments to he repaired and stockings to be 
darned. In this era when faithful servants 
are the exception and the really notable house¬ 
wife cannot break their untidy habits and 
careless indifference to her wishes, it becomes 
a necessity to perform her own household 
labor. This being the case we would ask, Why 
does she not receive as great an amount of 
credit as her husband, who, after enjoying her 
well-prepared breakfast, takes a car and is 
pleasantly transferred to his place of business, 
where during the day he no doubt endeavors 
to make “ the worldly goods” with which he 
is to “ endow” his wife. But he receives a 
due mead of justice for what he performs, and 
this is what we ask for our women—apprecia¬ 
tion of their efforts, justice in the division of 
the “reward of merit.” We have selected the 
average middle-das'! man and woman for our 
standard, but as we ascend or descend the 
scale it is the same—the housewife with from 
one to a legion of servants, still desires her 
legitimate rights. Reaching the level where 
are found the “lilies which toil not neither 
do they spin,” gives us the class, %vith leisure 
to attend to the great question of Women’s 
Rights, in all its divisions; while descending, 
we fiud the mechanics’ and laborers’ wives, 
with their multitudinous duties laid out by 
force of necessity, receiving no credit what¬ 
ever. Thus a woman has not only labors to 
which man can produce no corresponding book 
on his side to balance the account, but from 
the beginning and in every grade of existence 
her labors and duties have no parallel. In 
an uncivilized state she is a drudge; in the 
most aesthetically refiDed condition she bears 
the natural burdens inherited from our first 
mother. 
There are cases of ill assorted marriages, 
but they are, we trust, exceptional, and a wide 
experience through mingling. with many 
households, has convinced us that unhappy 
unions are the exception, and married life is 
blest of God and the happiest life when “ it 
may be had.” 
FASHIONABLE FANS. 
Among the many presents given by the 
Duke of Albany, to his bride, was a lace fan 
with sticks of gold. These sticks tapered 
towards the point and became paler in color¬ 
ing. The inlaying of pearl was of floral de¬ 
sign-daffodils and roses—and the design was 
repeated in the lace, where the rose petals 
were detached and fluttered with every move¬ 
ment of the fan. 
To those who visited the Centennial, this de_ 
scription will bring to mind the beautiful laces 
that were there exhibited. The most wonder¬ 
ful thing in design and workmanship we ever 
saw. The roses were as full, and each partic¬ 
ular leaf as separate, as a fresh blown rose 
just gathered; and the lilies of the valley as 
perfectly made as the flowers themselves. We 
stood before this wo iderful product of the 
hands of woman with a feeling akin to wor¬ 
ship. Then we remembered the heartaches 
and yearnings, that were woven into those 
marvelous designs, and while we could not 
but admire the skill there displayed, heartily 
wished it had been proportionately valued in 
dollars and cents. 
But to return to our subject. There was a 
period in the world’s history when the leading 
events of the day were reproduced in fans, 
and were carried by women of fashion. The 
exhibition of the “Society of Decorative Art,’* 
this city, iu March last, exhibited a very fine 
loan collection of fans. Among them were 
many of the American Revolutionary period 
and illustrated some of the chief incidents of 
those times; for example, the surrender of 
Cornwallis at Yorktown, with Gen, Washing¬ 
ton receiving tho sword from an English offi¬ 
cer, and a host of British soldiers in red coats 
leaving the fortress. This idea is French for 
France is the land of fan-making. 
The artistic feeling of the day is shown in 
the exquisite beauty of the painted fan, and 
the larger the size the more stylish. White 
or black satin fans display admirable bunches 
of roses, passion flowers, lilies, and hundreds 
of other flowers, all so true to nature one 
could feel like plucking them. Circular fans 
of marabout are fashionable and costly; some 
are covered with lace and trimmed with 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
flowers, either natural or artificial. There are 
fans having a grotesque element too; for in¬ 
stance, a large black satin fan, lined with old 
gold satin, with a large owl, a huge monkey 
or a parrot painted on it. 
While no costume is complete without a 
handsome fan, and while they bring almost 
fabulous prices because of their elegance, yet 
for our own use on a warm day, with the 
mercury way up among the !10’s—we say it 
boldly, bidding defiance to fashion, we say it 
heartily, haviug a recollection of delicious 
coolness in times past—for our own use, give 
us a good old-fashioned palm leaf. c. c. 
"DO LOOK OUT." 
Sister Belle came running* up stairs ex¬ 
claiming, “ It is just lovely out-doors this 
morning." “Haven’t you looked out yet?” she 
asked. 
No, answered John, and I did not reply at 
all, as I held Carl and gazed into the fire. 
“I guess you have not been up long,” said 
Belle. 
“Oh yes we have,” I answered white I looked 
at John thinking of the ups be had for 
several nights with Fred who had a cold. 
“We have breakfasted, repaired the sitting 
room stove, bathed and dressed Carl fresh for 
the day, besides other things too numerous to 
mention.” 
“Please do look out doors,” said Belle. “It 
is a beautiful morning." John moved away 
from the fire to the window and looked 
through a spot that Sol had just kindly 
cleared from frost) and I gave baby Into her 
arms and looked too. 
Oh for a pen able to portray this wonderful 
work of God: Every tree, bush, branch and 
twig, even the homeliest objects were touched 
and beautified with the pure frost and snow 
and the sunlight like the smile of God over¬ 
spread it until it looked like crystal bedecked 
with diamonds. Think you as I turned back 
to home duties I did them with the same spirit 
as before? No! A thousand times no! 
Every duty I touched that day was beautified 
by the memory of the look at God’s own 
artistic work,and a mother’s duties are many. 
Even my crosses were broken for the 
time, inasmuch as my will was bowed in sub¬ 
mission to the Father’s will. 
In my conversation with a friend that day 
she told me of meeting a gentlemen who said 
“if he thought heaven was as beautiful as the 
earth, at such a time, he would try to be a 
better man." 
Ah ! if God can so glorify this earth for a 
moment, what must be the sublime grandeur 
of our home “over there” that eye hath not 
seen nor ear heard nor the heart of man even 
conceived and where all is pure as God him¬ 
self whose character is love. 
Dear Rural sisters let us not forget to look 
out and look up. Marguerite. 
ABOUT WOMEN. 
Five thousand silk worms, fed on Osage 
Orange leaves, are the property of Mrs. 
Martha Davidson, of Junction City, who 
is having success with them. 
Queen Victoria receives as many as 40 
telegrams daily while at Balmoral, and sees 
them all. She should have a telephone. 
Charlotte Cushman was the only woman 
who ever attempted the role of Cardinal 
Woolsey. 
When Miss Todd became engaged to Abra¬ 
ham Lincoln, she wrote to a daughter of Gov¬ 
ernor Wickliffe of Kentucky: "I mean to 
make him President of the United States. 
As I always told you, I will yet be the Pres¬ 
ident’s wife." 
Domestic Cconoim^ 
CONDUCTED B\ EMILY MAPLE. 
THE " MUCHNESS ” OF IT. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
“Well, what was the party like?” 
“Oh, it was all eat ,” 
I asked the question of some of the mem¬ 
bers of our family who had been spending the 
evening at a garden party given by a near 
neighbor. Looking at the house from our 
“safe distance,” it looked like a scene in fairy 
land—“Lights ’mong the trees when the bright 
lamps were gleaming” and the sound of music 
and laughterwas borne upon the air. But the 
tone of the participant in these gayeties had 
an unsatisfied ring, and 1 did not at all wonder, 
knowing the circumstances. For weeks the 
hostess had talked and prepared. It was 
“ham,” “tongue,” “chicken,” “lamb,” “sal¬ 
ads,” till I was weary of the very sound of the 
intended entertainment. And when it came 
to the evening all interest seemed to center 
on the cold collation set out, while, not satis¬ 
fied with that, there was a continued passing 
of cake and fruit, and nick-nacks all the 
evening. 
“If I got up to dance” said one, “I had a 
plate of gingerbread thrust before my gaze. 
If I was intent in conversation, some one was 
sure to say‘Apples?’ or ‘Ginger ale?’ It was 
a feast in the practical sense of Ihe word and 
there were some who appreciated it no doubt. 
But how much better if it had been plainer, 
simpler fare, and if the hostess had been in¬ 
tent on giving us some of her brilliant talk, 
or had paid more attention os to whether the 
guests were properly suited to each other and 
able to enjoy it socially. But she never got 
her head above the cake basket.” 
How true, I thought, this is of social gather¬ 
ings. We do not go for what we expect to 
eat, nor do we wish to feel that we have been 
the cause of such trouble of preparation. 
Bub it is for the pleasure of mutual inter¬ 
course, to get new ideas, to learn what others 
think on familiar topics, and, oh! mine hostess, 
do not belittle me by supposing that such a 
superabundance of food is my necessity. 
HOUSEHOLD NOTES. 
A Revolution in Washing; Canning Pears; 
Fried Squash; Beauty of Hebron Pota¬ 
toes ; Rural Seed Distribution; Children's 
Diseases. 
MARY WAGER-FISHER. 
A lady who has been visiting me tells me 
of her method in washing. She invested some 
time ago a couple of dollars in a copper (or 
galvanized) Bteamer, which is shaped some¬ 
thing like a horse shoe, with a pipe running up 
from one side, which forces the steam, through 
the clothes. It is an article invented and made 
for the purpose, but she was unable to give 
me its name. When wash day comes around, 
this steamer is put empty in the bottom of the 
wash-boiler. The soiled linen and clothing 
are soaped where most soiled and put in the 
boiler, and then cold water is added—enough 
to cover the clothes. After a good “ boil,” the 
clothes are thoroughly rinsed in warm water 
first, before being blued, no rubbing is re¬ 
quired; there is comparatively little outlay of 
strength, and an immense saving Is wrought 
by the absence of rubbing, as one can well 
understand. My friend first saw the “steamer” 
in a private house in New York, and then 
hunted “high and low ” in hardware shops to 
find one for herself: she is thoroughly delighted 
with it, and as she has a family of nine or ten, 
her washings are large. Perhaps the modest 
inventor of this “ steamer” will be moved to 
advertise it in this paper, and thereby receive 
great reward. 
In canning pears, some housekeepers put 
two or more peach pits in each quart jar, as 
the flavor is found to be agreeable. In can¬ 
ning peaches, 1 find two pits are enough for 
each can—more yields too stroug a taste of 
acid. I have heard Anaximander say that 
German housewives pack Lima beans in salt, 
and have them nice and “fresh” in Winter. 
Summer squash, pared, cut in slices, dipped 
in whipped egg and then covered with bread 
or cracker crumbs, an i fried in smoking hot 
lard, is very nice and toothsome—almost as 
much so as fried oysters. When you steam 
and mash turnips, try putting in a spoonful 
of granulated sugar. 
Our Beauty of Hebrcn potatoes are delicious, 
large and early and in every way to be com¬ 
mended. The seed, in the shape of two pota¬ 
toes, was sent me four or five years ago by 
the Rural and is one of several contributions 
from the journal for which we have abundant 
and frequent reason to be grateful and grati¬ 
fied. Its free Seed Distributions are, as the 
boys say, a “great institution,” and the paper, 
all in all, is of far greater value to its fortu¬ 
nate subscribers than anything director in¬ 
direct that they may gain from the Bureau of 
Agriculture, good as that much-belabored in¬ 
stitution may be. In the one case the benefit 
conferred is direct, sure, and practical and, 
what is more, valuable . I find nothing that 
the Ru ral sends out commonplace, or worth¬ 
less, and to improve and to introduce varieties 
in our cereals, vegetables, fruits and flowers, 
is an extremely commendable business, to my 
miud, and worthy of very pronounced praise. 
To have delicious and wholesome food that is 
so in and of itself without the addition of con¬ 
diments, is a great comfort to housekeepers, 
and I, for one, am often stirred in spirit to 
express my feelings in regard to the generosity 
of the Rural New-Yokker. But as I was 
early imbued with the doctrine that “praise 
to the face, is open disgrace” I go along 
tongue-tied in regard to a good many things 
for which I feel very keenly that L ought to 
say “thank you” most heartily and what I 
have now said, has been said “ on the sly ” 
and with the semi-conviction that I might 
better have held my tongue. 
To turn to another topic, and conclude; do 
not be deluded by the current notion that 
your children must have all the diseases inci¬ 
dent to childhood. If you are wise with the 
best wisdom, you will shield them from every 
sort of disease that you can. There is no 
more necessity in a child having whooping 
cough, measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc., 
than in having small pox, scarlet fever and 
diphtheria. The whole life of a child is often 
injured by one of those maladies, and to ex¬ 
pose a child to any of them, under the sup¬ 
position that it is better for it to have those 
diseases “young,” is a proceeding that would 
be wicked if it were not ignorant. 
CARNATIONS. 
E. K. BUCK. 
We are never weary of admiring our bed 
of Rural carnations. Every visitor exclaims 
over them, “I never saw such a mass of beau¬ 
tiful carnations in my life! There is such a 
variety not only in size and color but also 
in fragrance.” And then all beg me to be 
sure and remember them when I am gather¬ 
ing the seed. I always say to them “If you 
would subscribed for the Rural, you wouldn’t 
have to be beggers for carnations that you 
say ‘are so much nicer than you can get at 
the seedsman, and you would have many 
other nice things besides.’ We certainly have 
found great pleasure in watching the growth 
of the different plants and seeds the Rural 
so kindly has furnished us. In fact, the gifts 
have been so various that they are converting 
our humble grounds into a minature experi¬ 
ment station that may some time rival the 
government station at Geneva. Who knows? 
CARPET RAG RUGS. 
MRS. A. E. S. 
In making rugs of carpet-rag 3 I prefer 
crocheting to knitting. The work looks bet¬ 
ter, is easier done and the rug can be made as 
wide as wanted without the necessity 
sewing strips together as with the knitted 
ones. I have lately covered the floor of a pas¬ 
sage-way not quite three feet wide with rugs 
made in this way. A strip of grey eight 
inches wide alternated with a “fancy stripe” 
nearly as wide again of various colors having 
a’center of bright “hit or miss.” I change the 
color at the edges, use a wooden needle made 
for the purpose, and made the stich without 
putting the rag over the needle. 
EAR TRUMPET. 
I will give a description of an ear trumpet 
for the benefit of those who, like myself, are 
partially deaf. Provide three sheets of 
pasteboard. Roll a sheet so that one end will 
be as large as possible, and the other end one 
and a half inch in diameter. Secure with 
needle and thread. Make a handle for the 
underside like a door-handle, sewing it on. 
Fashion another sheet in the same way. At¬ 
tach both of the small ends to a strip six 
inches wide and long enough so that when put 
over the head the small ends will come just 
forward of the ears when the trumpets are 
held up in position. I cannot hear a clock tick 
when my face is within the door of the clock, 
but with the aid of this trumpet can hear it 
tick six feet away. I cannot hear a common 
conversation but with the trumpet can hear 
my wife read without extra exertion on her 
part. E. F. EDSON. 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
CHOW-CHOW. 
Mrs. E. Me., asks for directions for the 
above. 
Ans.— Half a bushel of green tomatoes, one 
dozen medium-sized onions, one dozen green 
peppers with the seeds taken out, and one 
small bead of cabbage. Sprinkle over a pint of 
salt, mix, and let stand until morning. Drain, 
cover with mild vinegar and cook slowly one 
hour. Again drain and pack in jars or crocks. 
Put into your kettle one pound of brown 
sugar, four tablespoonfuls of white mustard 
seed, two of ground doves, two of ground 
cinnamon, half a teacupful of ground mus¬ 
tard, a pint of grated horseradish, and two 
quarts of strong vinegar. Boil half an hour 
and pour over the pickle. Cover tightly and 
keep iu a cool place. 
HorifordN Acid Phosphate 
As a Cooling Drink. 
Dr. M. H. Henry, New York, says: “ It pos 
sesses claims as a beverage beyond anything I 
know of in the form of medicine, and in rieiv 
ous diseases I know of no preparation to equal 
it.” — Adv. 
