JULY 29 
507 
While standing in a depot a few days since, 
waiting for a train to carry us to the sea 
shore, we saw a lady dressed in the most ex¬ 
quisite taste and we will endeavor to describe it. 
The skirt was satin, trimmed across the back 
with a box-plaited flounce of moird antique 
and a sash of the same, while the entire front 
was worked heavily with jets. It was made 
on heavy thread net, and embroidered in the 
most elaborate style with cut beads and 
bugles. This being laid on the satin front, ami 
of course covering it entirely. The sides of 
the overskirt was trimmed with thereat Span¬ 
ish lace, worth al>out $10 per yard, which was 
put on m two full rows. The same kind of 
lace trimmed the sleeves, which with the en¬ 
tire waist, was of moire, a black satin jetted 
hat with three long black plumes, black kid 
gloves nearly to the elbow, and black satin 
parasol, completed, this in our judgment, the 
most elegant street costume that has met our 
eyes this season. 
Summer white dresses with skirts and 
paniers of China crape have the entire skirt 
covered with lace flounces. The Bretonue 
lace is used for these, and each flounce falls a 
little over that beneath it, forming a cloud of 
lace very light and charmingly effective. 
This cut of a garden chair we present, to 
show how prettily, one having the original 
covering worn out or becoming too faded to 
be used in the sitting room any longer, can be 
made. Get scarlet all wool Java canvas, and 
work either in floss or worsted, some hand¬ 
some design; flowers if one prefers, though we 
think a stripe the prettiest; having fringe 
and tassels to match either the color of canvas 
or the leading shades used in the work. 
SOME ONE “TO TAKE STEPS." 
The help a child from eight to sixteen years 
of age can render iu saving one steps, is almost 
incalculable to a woman who requires such 
assistance, and what farmerine does not? 
Now that I have struck that much complained 
of word. I’ve something to say in its favor. I 
first saw lb in the Rural, several years ago, 
when the word farmeress was being used in 
the newspapers to designate womau-farmer. 
and I thought farmerine an excellent word, 
and I still am of that opinion. The coiner of 
it evidently understood something of the 
German language, aud the German custom of 
giving to married women the rank and title of 
their husbands, no matter what the profession 
or trade may be If a man is a doctor, his 
wife is “Frau Doctorin.” If he is a Bauer 
(countryman) the wife is Bauerin,” and so on 
through the whole category of business. It 
obviates the necessity of saying the “wife of ” 
so and so. Farmerine is a lady-like word, 
pleasant in construction both to the eye and 
ear, comprehensive and rarely pronounced. 
The French in speakiug of Madame Gr6vy 
never say, “the wife of the President,” but 
Madame la Presidente, the “e” being the 
feminine termination. It is much more eu¬ 
phonious and direct than the English method. 
It possesses also more individuality aud dignity. 
It is for such reasons I like “farmerine,” and 
if I occasionally make use of it, it will be 
because I like the word, and not that I dis¬ 
regard the prejudices of others. There are 
persons who think “lady” is a much finer 
word than “ woman,” and value or disparage 
words from a variety of reasons I asked for 
an article in a large Chestnut street shop one 
day, and as I left the counter I heard a shop 
girl who called herself a “saleslady,” remark 
contemptuously, “Did you hear her call this 
place a shop?” The girl evidently thought I 
should have said “ establishment,” or used 
some other more imposing name than shop. 
(But to return to our “mutton.”) The Chil 
dren's Aid Society of New York as well as of 
Philadelphia—and presumably of other large 
cities—make it one of their special tasks to 
place homeless, friendless, and uncared for 
children in good country homes. A great 
many boys are seut West, aud find homes in 
Western farm houses. In this way thousands 
of children are rescued from a life of crime 
possibly, and placed under influences where 
they will grow up iuto usefulness; beside, 
proving a real comfort to their protectors. I 
allude to this fact, with which many people 
are familiar, in order to remind them, or in¬ 
form others, through what agency to apply in 
order to offer a home to a boy or girl. I have 
from time to time interested myself somewhat 
in the methods employed by various charitable 
institutions, and in regard to the work bei. g 
done by the Philadelphia Society of organized 
charity, I learn that there is always a large 
supply of boys to be drawn upon to meet the 
requirements of people who wish either to 
adopt, or to take a child to rear. While it is 
not so easy to supply girls. The reason of this 
is, that when families are broken up, there 
are usually relatives or friends to take the 
girls, but leave the boys to shift for themselves. 
But one cun get almost any kind of a boy 
and for light work in the house, or garden, a 
boy is fully as good as a girl. Of course, in 
taking either, one assumes a serious responsi* 
bility, and the affair should not bo undertaken 
at all, unless one is ready to do a reul work of 
charity, and to do his, or her, full duty to the 
child. To take a child simply for the sake of 
having some one to “drudge,” is abominable. 
To rear a child to industrious and intelligent 
habits, is one thing, and a good thing; but 
with the work their must be some play, and 
all the time, care and healthful provision. 
But a fairly good child will compensate for 
all the labor and expense conferred upon it, 
and the steps it will save a tired woman are 
someti nes of more use than any other sort of 
help could be. I have also been assured that 
children who have not been inmates of 
“Homes” or Institutions for children, are 
much to be preferred to those who have. I 
came home from the city one day, and as l 
rehearsed to Aneximander the sort of boys the 
Children’s Aid Society was desirous of finding 
homes for, he quite insisted upon it that I 
should bring one or two directly to our own 
house, and particularly a four year old mag 
nificient boy, bright, beautiful, and musical. 
The child has since found a home in Massa¬ 
chusetts. Our own boy is live, and as both 
boys are of the “ Boss” sort, I did not think it 
advisable to bring about a collision. The 
society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 
Children furnish the Aid Society with many 
children to dispose of—children of all sorts, 
sizes and colors, and the way some children 
are maltreated is incredible. I found a very 
pretty little girl at the Society’s rooms one day 
—a child of German parents—mother dead— 
who had been nearly killed by her stepmother 
at various times, the diabolical person having 
been in the habit of seizing upon anything, 
the stove handle, or poker, and beatiug the 
child for the most trivial thing. The poor 
girl—less than ten years of age, walkod as if 
she expected a cudgel to come down upon her 
head every moment, she had splendid dark 
eyes like Adeline Patti, and she said she could 
sing. I took her into a shop, bought a hat for 
her head, and brought her home with me, 
where she still remains, as lovely and gentle a 
child in disposition as I have ever known, aud 
extremely intelligent. Whatever happens, she 
is not likely to fall under the hammer of that 
stepmother again, although there are scars on 
her body which she will carry throughout 
life. And alas! there are mothers, who beat 
their children in as inhuman a manner as did 
this stepmother the child Anita. But in cities 
at least, a child has some means of defense, in 
seeking the protection of the Society of Pre 
vention of Cruelty to Children. My brave 
little girl did not know of such a society, but 
she ran into the street and told a policeman 
what cruelty she suffered, which led to the 
stepmothers arrest, when the whole history 
came out, the little girl being led to tell in 
court all that her stepmother had done to h r. 
So in giv ing a home to a child in need of one, 
aside from the help and comfort you may 
yourself receive from it, you may do at the 
same time the most blessed charity. 
M. W-F. 
-- 
CHEERFUL PEOPLE. 
“It looks like a different world.” exclaimed 
a young girl, as she looked out upon the clear 
blue sky and the green fields bathed in golden 
sunlight. And truly the scene was quite a 
contrast to the gloomy clouds and drearily 
falling rain that had made the morning so 
monotonous. 
Some persons we meet are like tbi3 somber 
morning; they dim the brightness of social en¬ 
joyment as with a murky cloud. They are 
constantly finding fault with some neighbors, 
criticising their friends and complaining of 
their own circumstances. Place a child in 
the care of such people and it will grow to be 
a sullen man. The best elements of its nature 
will never be developed, for as the brilliant 
sunlight hrings to view the bright green of 
verdant fields, and paints with gorgeous hues 
the Summer flowers, so a hopeful, sunny dis¬ 
position will flourish only iu a sunny atmos¬ 
phere. A person who is habitually cheerful, 
who hopes where others despair and smiles 
where some would frown, has an enduring 
shield against melancholy. I have a neigh¬ 
bor—a widow with two children, who toils 
hard to earn a livelihood, and yet she is far 
happier, apparently, than many who possess 
abundant wealth aud leisure. She whistles 
and sings from morning till night and her 
sowing and laundry work is noted for its thor¬ 
oughness aud neatness. Do you think she 
would work so swiftly aud so well if she went 
to her tasks with a sober face and made the 
day wretched for all around her by gloomy 
complainings? Farmer’s wives should be 
careful to devote themselves to society aud 
self culture sufficiently to lighten and bj ighten 
the oft-repeated duties of kitchen, poultry- 
yard ami dairy. Glean pleasant fancies 
from our best authors aud cultivate that well- 
spring of good cheer—a cheerful disposition. 
Emma Cosand Stout. 
Domestic tl'conoimj 
CONDUCTED BV EMILY MAPLE 
THINGS OF THE HOUSE. 
M ARY WAGER-FISHER. 
I am always amused at the recipes I see in 
newspapers that support a household depart 
ment for “keeping house” easily, without 
fatigue, so as to have plenty of leisure, and 
still have everything iu trim order. Every 
woman of experience knows that housekeep¬ 
ing involves a multitude of details beyond the 
heavy work, that eat up nearly all, if not all, 
the spare moments. At all events, this i3 my 
own experience, and I flatter my.-elf with the 
pleasing notiou that 1 am like Katy Scudden, 
in being a “woman of faculty.” The only 
way in which to have rest and leisure is to 
live in a small house, very simply furnished 
and live in every respect in a most simple 
manner, which very few people do Then, 
after you have reduced your housekeeping to 
this low ebb, let everything go. To suppose 
that the women who have a retinue of ser 
vants have more leisure than the woman who 
is her own maid of-all work is a mistake. Some 
of the busiest women I know, have more ser¬ 
vants than members in their families. One 
of my neighbors has a family of three, and 
keeps five servants; another has a family of 
young children and keeps four; another has 
six, another twelve, and one family of three, 
not far away, keep seventeen domestics. Of 
course, the family entertain lurgely, and have 
a fine house and extensive grounds to take 
care of. One of the plagues of a large and 
stylish establishment is the keeping of ac¬ 
counts, and if the mistrass of the house at 
tends to this, she finds it both annoying and 
perplexing. 
Every condition of life has its trials and 
compensations, and there is no doubt but that 
people with a moderate competence, and sim¬ 
ple habits and tastes, enjoy life most. Coach¬ 
men and cooks and gardeners are usually con¬ 
ceited and obstinate, and are the most diffi¬ 
cult of all employes to manage. To provide 
food for such a body of eaters is no small 
care, and it is always more difficult to please 
servants as to food, than it is to please one’s 
guests. I often think of a reply Fanny Fern 
made to her cook, who came to inquire what 
she would have for dinner. Fanny was very 
busy, and went on with her writing as she 
tartly replied, “Cook the cat!” In order to 
accomplish what she had in hand dinner was 
of no account whatever. And so in finding 
leisure for readiog, or study, if you are a 
housekeeper, there are a great many things 
that must be “let go” under the head of un¬ 
important business. And if one live3 on a 
farm, there is no end to the work, and it is 
fortunate that the work is so full of interest 
and charm. 
L never yet planued for a da y of leisure and 
got it. Some unforeseen and unexpected thing 
invariably arose to consume it. Only the 
other day I said to myself, “ To-morrow I 
will spend in the library and straighten up 
my correspondence." Well, when the morn¬ 
ing came, Aneximander wanted me for an 
hour for his “ coachman! ” Then the laundress 
came with complaints about the ironing 
boards, and I had three boards to strip off 
and re dress; then there were strawberries to 
be sent to a sick boy in the neighborhood, aud 
I must pick those—only the choicest ones. Be¬ 
fore that was done, a visitor was announced, 
which consumed another hour, and cutting 
roses for half a dozen vases used up the rest 
of the morning. In the afternoon there were 
as many more unexpected events, and I had 
scarcely more than got into my white frock 
before the ice-man came, and there was the 
iee-eream to make for dinner. The day was 
nearly over, and I had f ound exactly one- 
half hour for reading some magazine papers. 
I sometimes wake up in the night and think 
with terror how life is slipping away—how 
little I am accomplishing, aud sigh that one 
cannot live a thousand j'ears. But then if I 
could I should probably jog on all the same, 
spend my days in sewing up rents, darning 
stockings, contriving for breakfast and dinner, 
fighting rose bugs, and keeping the dining¬ 
room free from flies. How ludicrous it all 
seems! And yet the saintly Emerson said that 
our highest duty i9 that which li“s nearest to 
us. So 1 gaily sew ou Anexinmnder’s buitons, 
and see that the student lamps are tilled and 
trimmed, aud pay the oil man, shut up the 
cat to beep her from eating up the young 
birds, attend to the children’s buttons, “can" 
the fruit, go to Sunday school, beep the cook 
well up to her business, and see that the 
chickens are supplied with fresh water. 
Anent fruit canning, I’m not yet done with 
the tomato question, aud I've an idea for the 
glass-men. More than one-half the tomatoes 
I put up in glass “cans” spoiled, although 
perfectly air tight and kept in a dark, cool 
place. All that I put up in green glass beer 
bottles, with patent stoppers, kept well, and I 
think there must be something in the dark 
glass, and more perhaps in the small surface 
the top of the tomatoes “enjoy” in the neck 
of the bottle. If I were a can manufacturer, 
I would make colored glass cans with a small 
neck especially for tomatoes, and make my 
“ fortune ” thereby. 
I suppose every housekeeper has her notion 
concerning fruits, and I have mine. I think 
preserved cherries the most indigestible of all 
preserves and disapprove of them entirely. 
Cannel cherries are excellent, where simply 
stewed; pears and plums, ditto; raspberries 
are full of seeds that clog the bowels, and are 
the least desirable of all fruits. Peaches and 
apples are good in any way whatever. Cur¬ 
rants, fully ripe, delicious for breakfast 
served on their stems; dip in sugar and eat. 
Preserved strawberries are very nice to serve 
with puddings, and custards for Havor and 
sauce. We like the white mulberry best plain. 
I tried cooking the fruit in various ways, but 
I found that nature was not improved upon. 
My neighbor savs her strawberries are de¬ 
voured by the ants. 
PEN THOUGHTS FROM EVERY-DAY 
HOUSE. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
How late the season is! The June roses are 
at their brightest in the midst of July, when 
in many former seasons they were past their 
best blooming. We seem at Every-day 
House to be trying to “catch up,” as the 
children say; and having lost the greater part 
of May with sickness in the family, we feel as 
if, this Summer, we have been defrauded of 
much that we should have enjoyed. How 
like life are these Summers as they pass! —oue 
just gets ready to enjoy them when they are 
over. For in Spring there is much to do and 
as the season advances the weeds continue to 
grow, and fruit picking and preserving take 
up all spare time. Then harvest and the still, 
strange days of later Augu-it, aud in Septem¬ 
ber we are filled with a wild regrot that frost 
must come to make a desert of ou r paradise. 
It is wearisome work storing; I don’t wonder 
the bees get so used to the rest in Winter that 
they sometimes die of inanition; but there 
seems no happy medium. Country life is 
anything but a butterfly existence to those 
who take a practical part in its duties, and 
beside the housework and the garden and the 
dairy this hoarding necessary for a Winter 
supply is a great, drain on a woman’s strength 
and leisure. When will factories be able to 
put up preserves and pickles as good as those 
of our grandmothers, and without extra cost? 
Hasten the happy day! 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
, FRIED TOMATOES. 
Slice ripe tomatoes and dip into well beaten 
eggs which have been seasoned with salt and 
pepper and then into bread or cracker crumbs. 
Have two or more spoonfuls of butter in the 
frying-pan, and when hot put in only as 
many slices as will cover the bottom. Cook 
five minutes, turn, and cook five minutes 
longer. Serve on toast if you please. 
CORN PUDDING. 
Twelve ears of corn, four thoroughly beaten 
eggs, one quart of milk, three tablespoonfuls 
of sugar and salt to taste. Grate the com, 
add the other ingredients and pour into a 
pudding dish. Bake slowly. Mrs. I. J. 
PEACH PUDDING. 
Pare and cut into small pieces a dozen large 
peaches. Strew over three tablespoonfuls of 
powdered sugar and let stand one hour. Make 
a custard as follows: Put a pint-and-a-half of 
new milk on to heat; when hot, add a third 
of a box of gelatine, which has been soaked for 
two hours in half a cupful of milk, four beaten 
eggs aud a small cupful of sugar and cook 
four minutes, stirring constantly. Take off 
and flavor. When partly cooled turn onto 
the peaches (they should be in a deep glass 
dish) and set away in a cold place for several 
hours. If more convenient, make the pudding 
the day before wanted. Mary B. 
TOMATO SAUCE. 
A quart of tomatoes, a slice of onion and 
half a dozen cloves. Cook ten minutes, Put 
into a frying-pan two spoonfuls of butter, 
heat and stir in two spoonfuls of flour. Stir 
until smooth and brown. Add the tomato, 
cook two minutes longer, season with salt and 
pepper and pass through a flue strainer. Ex¬ 
cellent with roast or broiled meat. 
SQUASH GRIDDLE CAKES. 
T wo cupfuls of cooked squash that has been 
passed through a sieve, a scant pint of milk, 
two beaten eggs, two spoonfuls of sugar, a 
pint of sifted flour, a teaspoonful and a half 
of baking-powder aud a little salt. Beat 
together until smooth and light. j. g. 
llorslord’e Acid Phosphate. 
In Seasickness. 
S. 8. PARKER, Wellington, O., says: 
“ While crossiug Lake Erie, I gave it to some 
fellow-passengers who were seasick, and it 
gave immediate relief.”— 
