778 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
NOV 23 
exercise ; a soil who loves open-air work is 
condemned to live in towns and labor at a 
desk. The man who would have made an 
excellent painter or designer makes a very 
indifferent and unhappy tradesman, the 
would-be farmer a discontented clerk. We 
may see too, in other homes, a house full of 
women kept idle by the, perhaps altogether 
gentle, though unwise will of the father, 
who does not “ choose” that his daughters 
should go out into the world, and in stifling 
their desires of independence and activity 
is exercising his despotic power as gov¬ 
ernor. 
BREAD-MAKING. 
SWEET FERN. 
YEAST BREAD NO. 1 WITH YEAST. 
HAVE tried many methods of making 
bread, but none can compare with the 
following, either in the quality of the com¬ 
pleted article or in the ease of its prepara¬ 
tion : To make the yeast (which will keep 
for three weeks or more) take a quart of po¬ 
tatoes mashed fine, four table-spoonfuls of 
sugar and two of salt, put in a kettle over 
the fire with two quarts of boiling water, 
add slowly eight table-spoonfuls of flour, 
previously moistened with water, continue 
to stir till well cooked and thick, remove 
from the fire and add two quarts of cold 
water and two yeast cakes. Let stand in 
an earthen jar in a warm place till light, 
which will be in five or six hours. If a 
pint of the yeast is left for the next mak¬ 
ing, using only one yeast cake, it will rise 
in a little over two hours. Do not attempt 
to keep it in an air-tight vessel. The bread 
is made as follows: Take a pint of yeast 
(well stirred) to a loaf of bread, do not 
sponge, but stir in flour till very stiff, then 
knead until it is smooth and will cleave 
from the board ; put in the bread-pan and 
when light—which will be in about two 
hours—form into loaves. These will be 
ready for the oven in a little over an hour. 
If you wish it to be out of the way very 
early, knead the night before and set it in 
a cool place to rise—in the cellar in warm 
weather. 
Yeast bread may be put in a warm place 
to rise, but there should be no direct heat. 
It is a good plan to warm the flour in cold 
weather. 
YEAST BREAD NO. 2 MADE WITHOUT 
SOFT YEAST. 
Put in the bread-pan at noon, about two 
cups of mashed potatoes, (nothing equals 
the Hen is fruit strainer for mashing pota¬ 
toes, it is the same as pressing them 
through a colander) add a little salt and 
sugar, as much cold water as is required—a 
pint to a loaf—and no more than one-half a 
yeast cake, (there is but little choice be¬ 
tween any of the reliable yeast cakes on the 
market, providing they are uot stale) stir 
in enough flour to make a stiff batter, cov¬ 
er and set in a cool place ; it will be light at 
night; add flour and knead quite briskly 
for five minutes; put back in the pan ; set 
in a cool place. In the morning form into 
loaves ; let rise and bake; it will be out of 
the way as early as can be desired. 
BREAD CAKE. 
One tea cupful of bread dough, one cup 
of sugar, three table-spoonfuls of butter or 
lard, two beaten eggs, half a cup of raisins, 
spices to taste, flour enough to make a stiff 
batter, let rise and bake. 
SALT-RISING BREAD. 
Although one may not especially fancy 
“saltrisin’ ,” it makes a change and is to 
be preferred if the flour is poor, as the qual¬ 
ity of the flour when the bread is made in 
this wav does not make nearly so much 
difference as it does in the case of yeast 
bread. The methods of making are too 
numerous to be mentioned: The following 
will be found as reliable as any and itgives 
as good results: put a pinch of salt, sugar 
and soda in a tea-cup, fill one-fourth full of 
very warm water, stir stiff with canaille 
or if that is not to be had. three table-spoon¬ 
fuls of Indian meal and enough flour to 
make it very thick, set the tea-cup in a 
bowl of hot water, put in a warm place, be 
ing careful not to scald. If set at noon, it 
will be light at night. Set it in the cellar 
till morning, or, if set at night it will rise 
to the top of the tea cup by morning if 
kept warm. Before breakfast, pour enough 
hot water into a quart bowl to fill it one- 
fourth full, add a pinch of salt, sugar and 
soda, and flour enough to make a stiff 
batter, and, last, beat in the risiug or 
“emptins” from the tea-cup. Set the 
bowl in a dish of warm water ; the contents 
yyjiJ rise to the toy of th r o t>owi iu about 
three-quarters of an hour; then pour into 
the bread-pan, add sufficient water for the 
number of loaves required; sponge if you 
wish, but it is just as good stirred stiff and 
moulded into loaves, being careful to mix 
it as soft as possible. Set to rise in a warm 
place with no draught , it will be light in 
two hdurs. Do not let it rise as light as 
yeast bread, as it will run over. Bake 
aboflt one-lialf hour. 
When bread is taken from the oven, rub 
the crust with a buttered cloth and turn on 
the side, or crust downwards, cover with a 
bread-cloth to steam. Bread keeps sweeter 
in tin than in anything el-e; nothing is 
better for this purpose than a clean, bright 
wash-boiler. 
GOLDEN GRAINS. 
T O be silent, to suffer, to pray, said 
Fenelon, when there is no room for 
outward action, is an acceptable offering to 
God. A disappointment, a contradiction, 
an injury received and endured for God’s 
sake, is of as much value as a long prayer; 
and time is uot lost which is spent in the 
practice of meekness and patience. 
See that your child never leaves any task 
half done or slovenly finished; and there¬ 
fore give not too many tasks, says the 
Christian Union. Thoroughness is the 
corner-stone of success. There is uo place 
in the world now for smatterers, who know 
a little and only a little, of everything 
under the sun. There is always an hon¬ 
orable place for those who can do any kind 
of honest work in the best manner. 
Contentment with one’s opportunities 
aud circumstances as good material and 
tools with which to work is one of the hap¬ 
piest conditions into which a man can 
bring himself; but contentment with what 
one has done and achieved as the full 
measure of his work always marks the end 
of growth. When the energies pause, and 
the worker settles down, he may find com¬ 
fort and ease, but the inspiration of the 
great struggle is no longer with him; his 
real life is finished unless he takes into 
some other field that energy which has se¬ 
cured, him success. Not to rest content 
with the winning of any goal or the doing 
o any work is the duty of every man who 
wishes to get and make the most out of 
life. For the real *joy of living is to be 
found, as the greatest of teachers long ago 
said, not in receiving but in giving. The 
real joy of life lies in the putting forth con¬ 
tinuously of one’s whole strength, lies in the 
consciousness that one’s nature is steadily 
expanding by use. 
Steady work for the love of it, and for 
the satisfaction and peace which it brings, 
never breaks the worker down. On the 
contrary, it so weakens temptations from 
without, and so destroys inferior ambitions 
and desires, that it gives the whole nature 
steadiness and poise. It is the best cure 
for restlessness. The joy of life for strong 
natures lies in a noble activity; a work ad¬ 
equate to the aspirations of the soul; a 
work that brings calm by its magnitude, 
aud by its very demands evokes the best 
and greatest in us. 
One may be better than his reputation, 
or his conduct, but never better than his 
principles. 
Pray for others in such forms, with such 
length, importunity and earnestness, as 
you use for yourself ; and you will find all 
little ill-natured passions die away, your 
heart grow great and generous, delighting 
in the common happiness of others, as you 
used only to delight in your own. 
The sun should not set upon our anger, 
neither should he rise upon our confidence. 
We should freely forgive, but forget rarely. 
I will not be revenged, and this I owe to 
my enemy ; but I will remember, and this 
I owe to myself. 
Every solitary kind action that is done 
the world over, is working briskly in its 
own sphere to restore the balance between 
right and wrong. Kindness has converted 
more sinners than either zeal, eloquence or 
learning; and these three never converted 
any one, unless they were kind also. The 
continual bense which a kind heart has of 
its own need of kiudness keeps it humble. 
Perhaps an act of kindness never dies, but 
extends the invisible undulation of its in¬ 
fluence over the breath of centuries. 
Silence is not golden when it falls frosti¬ 
ly upon the little ones, ignoring their ef¬ 
forts to please, and showing them practi¬ 
cally that they are of small account in the 
eyes of their parents and teachers. What a 
pity it is that we are bo chary of praise 
when praise is so often the oil which causes 
the household machinery to work without 
friction ? It is so easy for some of us to 
blame, so hard to utter the generous ap¬ 
proval. 
Who that knows what life is can expect 
to be perfectly happy? Go, clad in an 
armor that will enable you to defy the as¬ 
saults of envy; carry your sun with you, 
and have your world within yourself 
where you are both law-giver and judge.... 
Be to yourself forever true; know for 
the rest, God cares for you . 
There are profound sorrows which re¬ 
main stored in our souls, and which we al¬ 
ways find there when we are melancholy... 
Domestic Cccmonu| 
CONDUCTED BY MRS. AGNES E. M. CARMAN. 
Shut every door that leads to prosperous 
life, 
He still hath hope who hath a helpful 
wife. 
I liken woman to that modest flower 
Which bends its head before the gentle 
shower, 
But when the forest by the storm is lain 
Looks brightly up to beautify the plain. 
—C. E. Banks in Youth’s Companion. 
If you give because you feel that you 
must, don't do it. The gifts that carry 
with them thoughtful kindness, friend¬ 
ship, love, are the ones most appreciated. 
“GOOD-WILL” SUGGESTIONS. 
BELLE’S CHRISTMAS GIVING : INEXPENSIVE 
BUT USEFUL. 
I N our household, money has been a 
“ skurser ” article than usual. Mother 
said when she saw how “cramped” we 
should be after getting our winter “ must- 
haves, ” that we really could not make 
any Christmas presents this year, as times 
were so close. But Belle went to work 
when the first cold snap came, saying that 
Christmas comes only once a year, and 
that she meant to make a few presents 
any way. For a dear, invalid friend she 
cut 20 pieces of cream, blue, rose and gray 
paper-cambric the size of a page of sheet- 
music, pinked the edges neatly, then pasted 
upon these leaves comforting texts, bright 
bits of poems, and a few dainty pictures, 
birds and (lowers, finishing with a ribbon 
loop to hang up by. 
Another friend who has a beautiful home 
and everything she“ fancies,” was brought 
back to the scenes of her childhood when 
Belle’s present was received—a vase covered 
with gray moss and scarlet bitter sweet 
berries. The vase was only a brown stone 
jar, and a cracked one, but the gray moss 
was thickly glued over it, and the bright 
berries, with a few sprays of pressed fern 
tastefully arranged, made a gift not to be 
despised, though it cost nothing but a lit¬ 
tle work. 
For a young girl who toiled for bread in 
a crowded city, and had little to cheer her, 
an old-fashioned butter bowl, (a cracked 
one which mother had laid aside) was filled 
with paper cut fine, then over the fiat top 
prepared green and gray moss was gummed, 
and the outside of the bowl was covered with 
pine cones, twigs and tufts of gray moss. 
Then a cross was made from two laths, 
wound with the gray and green moss, 
pine twigs and bitter sweet berries, and 
suspended or hung directly over the bowl 
of moss. Bunches of bitter-sweet berries, 
with snow-white shells were sprinkled 
thickly over the moss. 
For a young house-keeper who had never 
learned to cook, a “cook book,” containing 
only well-tested andoriginal recipes, suited 
to the purse, and culinary skill of the often 
discouraged young woman, who never 
imagined “getting enough for Richard to 
eat,” would prove such a task. The leaves 
were cut from a stiff yellow wrapping paper 
and folded at the top so that the “ book ” 
might be hung over the kitchen table and 
easily handled. There were more recipes 
telling just how to make palatable dishes 
from leavings, than faucy pastries, and 
Arie Belle said she felt more than compen¬ 
sated when a good neighbor, and a “ man,” 
too, said “ Brown’s wife seems to do better 
now, with the provisions he carries in. 1 
don’t have to walk over cold vegetables, 
bread, and scraps of meat, as I come up 
the alley-way next their houae. I used to 
think when I’d see good bread and meat 
thrown out, no wonder Brown never had 
a good suit of clothes. My wife always 
said she was a good little woman, anxious 
to learn.” 
For a dear, old “body,” who has her sec¬ 
ond sight, but few good things to read, two 
thin pine boards were sawed just the size 
to hold papers and magazines; on the edges 
meant for the back, gimlet holes were 
bored two inches apart, through which 
the cord might be laced. The boards were 
papered with dark, pretty wall-paper, and 
the front, edges were tied together with a 
bright ribbon. A neighbor kindly gave us 
some copies of magazines to put in our 
“ holder.” 
For a little “chore” girl, who had no 
“ folkfs,” anti lived with an old couple who 
could spare little of their substance, an 
apron was made from a scrim window 
curtain. The holes were cut out, and a 
pretty pattern was chosen, Ann’s face 
beamed with surprise and delight when 
she learned the pretty apron was really for 
her. 
For a young girl who possessed dainty 
tastes, and “roomed,” but worked early 
and late in a factory, two pretty oval mats 
for the “mantel-piece” were made from 
creamy white cotton-batting, (the sheet 
wadding.) Cut the foundation of any de¬ 
sired size, and it may be oval, square, hex¬ 
agon or round, then make a box-plaited 
ruffle two inches wide, button-hole-stitch 
the ruffle to the foundation aud the upper 
edge of the ruffle with any colored zephyr 
desired, scarlet or rose is pretty. The ruf¬ 
fles must stand up around the foundation, 
and one, two or three ruffles may be used. 
They are very cheap and pre'ty. 
For the wife of our pastor, who has a 
cabinet organ, Belle made of shaded yellow 
and of purple zephyr a pair of pansy mats 
for the lamp stands, which were much ad¬ 
mired, and really did look like the real 
“ posies.” 
Crochet plain stitch, blending the shades 
as best you can, little round wheels, the 
size of a large pansy, then sew a ring of 
them around the center, another around 
that, and when the mat is large enough 
stand up the border wheels and sew them 
to the mat. If the wool is nicely shaded 
all the yellow and purple pansies may be 
fairly imitated. 
For a tired, hard-working woman, who 
had about her a growing family, a half- 
dozen napkins made from coarse unbleach¬ 
ed cotton; but neatly hemmed and each 
child’s initial worked with red cotton in 
the corner, were fashioned, though the of¬ 
fering was timidly made, as the cotton 
was only the covering of canvassed hams, 
carefully washed and cleansed. 
“I don’t think Mrs. Clare will mind the 
cheapness of our gift ; she’ll know we’d 
gladly give a better one, if we bad the 
means,” said sister, humbly, as she folded 
up the last napkin marked with a big.I. 
for Johnny. The children were delighted 
with their napkins, while Mrs. Clare, said 
one day : “ Them children will have their 
napkins every meal an’ I’ve come to find it’s 
no savin’ of work not to use ’em, as then 
the table-cloth keeps nice. I used to think 
napkins too nice for any body but the 
“ tippies.” 
“For somebody else, we made a work 
Ducket instead of a basket to hold the 
many damaged stockings, aprons, etc., and 
it was both convenient and looked nice. 
Take one of those large buckets that candy 
or fine-cut tobacco comes in—cost about 10 
cents—wash off the labels and rub smooth 
with sand paper; then paint the bucket 
and the lid any desired color, after first 
screwing some sort of a knob or handle on 
the lid to lift it by. Our bucket was stained 
walnut, then decorated with bright pic¬ 
tures—plums, oranges, apples and peach¬ 
es. Around the lid a border of autumn 
leaves was gummed, and then a coat of 
varnish was given the whole. 
Since then we have seen for a youug 
girl’s room a very beautiful one rubbed 
very smooth and painted a cream-color, 
with a bright vermilion border one inch 
wide at the top. 
Another lady, who used her “ bucket ” for 
lUi.orrUancuu.o 53Ui’cvti,oing. 
When Baby was sick, \vi* gave her Castori.i, 
W hen i>he was a Child, she cried for Cataorla. 
When she became Mlsb. she elung to Caaiorkt, 
When she hud Children, she gave them Cantona 
