396 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE S3 
for the work to be done in the early morning 
This will enable the careful housekeeper to 
take up the work just where it was left the 
night before, because every thing will be 
found in its proper place. Time is t.lms 
saved that is required for the regular routine 
of the morning’s work, otherwise the unwashed 
dishes from the supper tabic, the scattered 
fragments of the play house if left till morn¬ 
ing, as is often t be case, will cause a late 
breakfast; and tins, to a hungry family will 
not add to the pleasure or the reputation of 
the housekeeper. A neat tidy kitchen in the 
early morning is of gr eater importance than 
the parlor in the afternoon, as Harry and 
Jessie can wear off the blame for having left 
the horse, dolly, cradle and blocks in that 
sacred apai-tment. 
If order is the first law of nature there is 
no place when that law should be enforced so 
regularly as in the home, lb will be found that 
the labor of the housekeeper will loose much 
of its severity by having the work so arranged 
that tire most urgent may be performed first, 
and every other part be done in regular order. 
There need be no jumbling or massing of the 
different parts of the work, but everything 
should bear the stamp of system and or der so 
that the labor shall not be increased by confu¬ 
sion. All, or nearly all, agree that work should 
be sy eternized; but howt That breakfast 
should take the place of dinner aud dinner 
the place of supper? Nut that, but rather 
breakfast, should be ready at a fixed time 
aud never late; the preliminaries of that,meal 
should be pre-arranged so that there will be 
no long w aiting by those whose labor in the 
field or shop requires promptness. There is 
no more blighting evil in the management of 
the work of the house than irregular and late 
meals. 
Dinner is the important meal of the day 
and ought not to be late—never 1 The morn- ' 
ing work must be done in tune to give quick 
attention to the work of preparing that meal. 
Have a set time to begin this work, as it is 
never safe to delay it for any reason. If hus¬ 
band has neglected a supply, prepare the bal¬ 
ance of the meal (if that be the last resort) 
and let the responsibility be on liim. This 
pail of the work of the day requires a com¬ 
plete system in all parts lest there be failures. 
Procrastinate in nothing that belongs to the 
present. “ Time enough yet,” is not time if 
delay is intended; but has it caused many late 
dinners? Very much can be accomplished in 
the afternoon by having all the work arranged 
so that some tune can be taken for readiug, 
rest or recreation. And when the supper hour 
approaches everything being in readiness, it 
can be prepared promptly and the labor of the 
day be closed as was the other days before it- 
And then 
on her hands, her responsibility would cease. 
Do such mothers—women who seem sensible 
enough in other matters—ever stop to think 
how much suffering they force upon their 
daughters? Children who left the school¬ 
room only six months ago, and ought 
not to leave it for years to come; who know 
nothing about taking hold of the domestic 
machinery unguided. To be sure, they may 
have stood at the kitchen table for yours to 
wash and wipe dishes; hut is tliat all they 
need to know to make good housekeepers, aud 
do they even know how to wash dishes in a 
nice, orderly way? Cooking! they have seen 
mother boil potatoes, fry meat and bake bread. 
Do the girls who are talking of early marriage 
know’ how to do the same by actual practice? 
Can they make bread, take care of milk 
make butter aud attend to all the details be¬ 
longing to the ordinary housekeeper? Added 
to this, do they know anything about the re¬ 
sponsible care of little ones that sooner or 
later step into dwellings that are called homes? 
Aids! no; witness the tears of many' of our 
little girl-wives; also the frowns and harsh 
words, which not infrequently come to oaths, 
from the imloving, disappointed husbands. 
Ignorance on one side, impatience and selfish - 
ness on the other, with the whining of a puny 
infant for preludes and interludes, and w hat 
a dreary, dismal place it must be to call home. 
What wonder that succeeding generations 
from such ancestors, become poor, miserable! 
scrawny specimens of humanity, dwarfish in 
form and still more in iutcliect. It is well when 
children are decoyed into marriuge by thought¬ 
less or scheming parents or guardians, before 
they come to years of discretion, "when, as yet, 
they know not their own minds, that there is 
a law of divorce; whatman has joined together 
let man put asunder. Thus giving each an 
opportunity of seeking his or her happiness in 
a way each is best fitted to enjoy. But a law 
enforced against child-marriage would be 
better for the future welfare of our country 
old-fashioned house-leek in stiff row's all round 
and round the figure, it is carefully executed 
but it is hideous. 
There is no better rule for flower planting 
upon lawn or in garden than that of following 
nature in her beautiful ways of planting shrubs 
aud flowers. There is a marked tendency in 
art to return to natural methods. This w'as 
plainly seen in the water-color exhibition last 
week. The pictures of Mrs. (ireaforex of New 
York, showing the Hollyhock, Trumpet 
Honeysuckle and Jonquil in masses where 
some blooms w ere in shade, some indistinct 
from the mass of blooms, aud not as usually 
painted every leaf and flower standing sharply 
forth in finished relief. 
When we ean live in every' way closer to 
nature we shall begin to find our Millennium. 
Amelie V. Petit. 
comes out right, and from being an untrained 
and unskilled cook in every particular she has 
become, within a few’ months’ time, really' 
excellent, requiring very' few manual illustra¬ 
tions from her mistress. She spends many a 
leisure half-hour studying these books, and 
the benefit she has derived from them is very 
great and worth ten times the cost of them, 
I think. My' experience has led me to believe 
that it is wisdom in a high degree to furnish 
all hired help t.habean read and have intelli¬ 
gence with literature bearing directly upon 
their w'ork. It adds new interest to it, leads 
them to think, to plan, and to experiment. To 
always be preparing food in one way, or being 
constrained to do everything in the same way 
forever, because of a lack of knowing other 
methods, is tiresome and very uninteresting. 
It is as shortr-sighted and foolish to attempt to 
keep house in “these days” without good 
printed directions for the work of the kitchen 
and dining-room ns to “farm” without an 
agricultural journal or to garden without the 
best works on horticulture. 1 am fully of the 
opinion that “ two heads are letter than one." 
It may lie remembered that I have hitherto 
upon one or tw r o occasions alluded to my' ex¬ 
periments and ill-success in canning tomatoes, 
bast Fall my tomatoes were of inferior qual¬ 
ity. I filled 12 dark-green beer-bottles, hav¬ 
ing patent, stopples,and put them in the cellar. 
The contents of every one came out perfect— 
much better than they went in. I afterward 
filled 12 quart, jars of colored glass, manufac¬ 
tured expressly’ for tomatoes by Whitney 
Brothers, of Philadelphia, and placed them in 
the cellar. Every one of these, with one ex¬ 
ception — which possibly was imperfectly 
sealed—came out delicious. As I never had 
such excellent “luck” with tomatoes before— 
always losing fully' one-half when put in the 
ordinary uncolored glass jars—I am forced to 
believe that the action of light upon the fruit 
is very' great iudeed. The Whitney jars are 
simply the Mason jars in colored glass—an 
amber tint. If more darkly colored they 
would lie even better I think. I tried to in¬ 
fluence these manufacturers last year—with¬ 
out avail I fear—to make very dark jars with 
long necks, not over an inch or an iuch-and- 
a-quarter in diameter, which I am sure would 
be the exact kind of a jar for tomatoes. 
A quantity of iodine was spilled a few days 
ago upon a fine garment and a sheet, quite to 
my dismay, as 1 had no idea that the stains 
could he removed. However, I washed the 
spots at once in cold water and laid the fabrics 
on the grass in a hot sun. Seeing some sour 
milk about the kitchen I poured a quantity on 
the spots, and after an hour examined the 
effect: the spots had nearly disappeared, and 
another application of milk completed the 
bleaching effectually. Whether this treatment 
would succeed with old stains of iodine I do 
not know. It might be tried. 
I called at a neighbor’s the other day to see 
a tulip-lied in full bloom—a bed in which 
there are are over a thousand bulbs. The 
double tulips are not liked because of their 
ragged appearance. The bulbs are lifted after 
blooming, packed in sand, and replanted in the 
Fall. The owner of the tulips imports his 
bulbs direct from Holiaud. 
A LIVING TABLEAU. 
Several y r ears ago when a light-hearted 
school girl I was sent to n distant city to at¬ 
tend school. Myself and three others occupied 
for a study an airy upper room in our boai d- 
ing house, from whose windows we had a view 
of varied city life. On an opposite street be¬ 
tween two tall blocks stood a small homely 
cottage looking as if it had been overlooked 
in the march of improvements. This small 
dwelling drew our attention because it seemed 
so out of place. It appeared to be occupied by 
quite an aged couple but there was also a 
child of three or four years who often came 
out and played about the door but always in 
a subdued way, and never venturing far away. 
We came to watch for his appearance and to 
call him Little Jimmie and became quite at¬ 
tached to him, although we never saw him 
nearer than across the street. This silent friend¬ 
ship lasted several months, when one morning 
we missed the little fellow from his usual play¬ 
ground in front of the door. But we watched 
and wondered in vain. After three or four 
days, we saw a hearse stop before the door of 
the small house, aud a little coffin was brought 
out and placed in it. The two old people came 
tottering after seemingly heart-broken. We 
surmised that they were the grandparents of 
the little one who was being borae away to 
his last resting place. Our hearts were filled 
with sympathy for the afflicted ones, and wo 
too shed silent tears at the death of Little 
Jimmie. For many a day we talked of the 
tableau of Life ami Death that had been 
enacted before our eyes, although we never 
knew the name of the little one, or of those 
who during his short life had loved and eared 
for him. Memory still often now brings to us 
thoughts of the quaint little child to whose 
quiet ways we had become so strangely at¬ 
tached. B. C. D. 
There is perhaps no part of a lady’s dress 
more dillicult to make, giving a stylish effect, 
than the sleeves; we show cuts of two ways 
“ thou shalt eat the labor of thine 
hands: happy shalt thou lie and it.shall be well 
with thee.” 
Domestic Cconom^ 
ABOUT MARRIED CHILDREN. 
CONDUCTED BY EMIJ-Y MAPLE. 
MAY MAPLE. 
CONCERNING LIQUIDS FOR COOKING 
—MY TOMATO EXPERIMENTS— 
TO REMOVE IODINE STAINS— 
A TULIP BED. 
“What a poor, miserable little thing it is! 
I declare it doesn’t look as though it ever would 
be worth raising,” said Mrs. M. of a small 
bundle of humanity that had recently come 
into the neighborhood. 
Pool' miserable little thing to be sure. But 
if I pitied the crying, fretful baby, how much 
more did I pity the mother, who was also poor 
and miserable. Only a school girl of very 
diminutive size, who had scarcely picked her 
fifteenth birthday from the tree of life, ere she 
took upon herself the responsibilities of wife¬ 
hood. Here she was thus early in life, not yet 
17, witli the burden of a mature matron thrust 
upon her tiny shoulders; with no previous 
training for the lifework before her, no 
knowledge of hygienic principles to assist her 
m caring for herself or the little responsibility 
now in her arms. The wax doll so recently 
put away with other toys, was about as capa¬ 
ble of caring for the living, breathing baby 
the little mother folded to her heart, as was she. 
From her earliest childhood she hail been 
taught to think only of beaux and balls; to 
read sensational stories of love and murder; 
to dress in the extreme of fashion as far as her 
father’s limited means would allow. And 
when a silly moth, with no more sense than 
morals, fluttered about in apparent fondness, 
her own mother hastened to make fast the 
meshes tliat should make them oue. It mat¬ 
tered not, whether the youthful pair were con¬ 
genial or whether the would-be-lover was a 
person with good moral principles, or quite 
the reverse. “Would the law of kindness be 
written on his heart for the little daughter 
she was thrusting out of the home nest, away 
from a mother’s love aud a father’s indulgent 
but protecting care?”—was a question she 
seemed never to ask herself. Any true love 
in the case never for an instant seemed to ex¬ 
cite a single thought for consideration. If 
only the title of “Mi-s.” was attached to her 
name, aud she did not have an “old maid” left 
MARY WAGER-FISHER, 
of making them. Our best modistes tell us 
that this part of the dress is being more fully 
trimmed, especially muslins, grenadines aud 
such styles of goods. The puff at the top is 
not becoming: to every figure, but is a change 
for those who can wear them. 
AUNT MABBY’S HOUSEHOLD TALKS 
No. 2. 
For a young housekeeper—or an old one, 
for that matter—in need of explicit, sensible 
and practical directions how to furnish her 
kitchen, how to market, take care of vege¬ 
tables, conserve fruits, cook all sorts of things, 
make yeast and bread, and, in brief, how to 
prepare everything connected with the family 
table, and company tabic, too, there are two 
books I would recommend to her by the use 
of which she would lie enabled to attend to 
the culinary' department of her household 
with perfect satisfaction. These books are 
Mrs. Whitney’s “Just How,” and Miss Par- 
loa’s New Cook Book. Of the seven cook 
books on my shelf these two are daily con¬ 
sulted, while the others are rarely looked at, 
except on occasions. As regards Marion Har- 
land’s cook books, for which 1 trust 1 have 
sufficient esteem, 1 think my cook one day 
passed a very just criticism: “Murion Har- 
land wants altogether too much wine and rum 
aud whiskey in her dishes! and she, too, a 
minister’s wife! I declare I don’t think much 
of her. Aud even in her plainest dishes she 
always calls for something you haveu’t got. 
Hhe doesn’t seem capable of making uuythiug 
unless she has forty thousand different things 
mixed up with it. I should tliiuk she and 
her family would all have the dyspepsia!” 
If one cun afford to have hnlf-a-flozen cook 
books—including Marion Harlanil’s, which 
contains some valuable directions—it will be 
so much the better, for in no department of 
the housekeeping is there greater need of good 
books bearing upon the business t han in the 
cook-room. 1 never charge my mind any 
more with recipes. If i want anything boiled 
or baked I give my cook Whitney or Parloa 
and tell her to follow directions. Everything 
ANNIE L. JACK 
I WENT over to Aunt Mabby’s to get a spray 
of her lilac, as I had premised her, for the de¬ 
sign of the promised work, and w hen 1 reached 
the gate Mrs. Reuben Rysart was just driving 
away in her buggy. She stopped me a mo¬ 
ment to say that she had not that dollar she 
had promised mo for the “Journal," but hoped 
to have it soon. Aunt Mahby shaded her 
eyes with her hands, watching her as she went 
along the green slope and across to the river 
road. “A real good woman,” she said, “if she 
is my cousin, and she has a good husband and 
children: but still, her shoes pinch too. 
She has just brought me over from there. I 
went early this morning to see Susy, who has 
had a bad cold, and l took her some of my 
cough balsam. IIow do l make it? Dissolve 
red spruce gum in alcohol; make a sirup of 
sugar and water boiled thick; star iu the gum, 
a few dro|is of oil of peppermint and oil of 
cloves. Shake the mixture and set the bottle 
in a [Kit of warm water till it is all mixed and 
dissolved. Well, I took Susy some lemons too, 
for I think there is really nothing better than 
a lemon baked in the oven till quite hot, set 
into a saucer, the top cut off, and as much 
white sugar inserted as it will hold. The juice 
that comes from it is excellent for a sore 
throat. But 1 felt sorry for Mrs. Rysart while 
1 was there, for Reuben is such a strange man 
about money. He is liberal to his wife and 
children, generous in a good cause, a free pro¬ 
vider, but he likes to have the money all go 
through his own hands. Now Mrs. Rysart 
hates store bills; she has tried over aud over 
JUNE FLOWERS. 
Late as has been the time of opening leaves 
and springing flowers, still the trees are decked 
in a soft green, somewhat hazy and evanescent 
in appearance, yet promising the usual Sum¬ 
mer lieauty, and the borders in the Public 
Garden, the Old Granary Cemetery and pri¬ 
vate grounds are radiant with Tulips, Hya¬ 
cinths and other Spring blooms. 
Boston is noted for its fine roses, aud exqui¬ 
site buds and open roses of gyeat size are for 
sale everywhere. Daisies arc receiving the 
attention of florists, aud arc in good demand. 
The fashion for yellow blooms is marked, iu 
every ground they predominate, and they 
bloom in silk and muslin upon the hats of 
maids and matrons Even the homely Cowslip 
is on sale and the Marigold flames in decora¬ 
tive art. Fashion can thus briug into favor 
the common and ugly. 
Every year flowers are more and more 
sought, and roses at the neck aud waist, and 
masses of Violets, Pansies and Arbutus upon 
the bust are constantly worn. It is said the 
Arbutus roots are being destroyed iu the New 
Hampshire hills by careless tearing out of 
reckless flower gatherers 
In arranging flowers upon lawns, more sim¬ 
plicity of forms and less artificial combina¬ 
tions are in favor. Ribbon beds and fanciful 
shapes are not in good taste. The ngliest bed 
of any sort I ever saw is in Mount Auburn 
Cemetery, a sort of immense star set with tli« 
