1900 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
455 
A Talk with the Aurlst. 
WHAT THE DOCTOR TELLS THE DEAF MAN. 
“Those ears need blistering,” said my 
friend, a specialist, when he had finished 
blowing vapor up my nose into the inner 
ear. “I wish you would have collodion 
painted on there once more.” 
It is all very well to talk a'bout blis¬ 
tering the ears, but there is no fun a'bout 
it, as I have observed several times. 
However, a deaf man is willing to do 
almost anything to gain even a small 
percentage of hearing, and so in due 
time the collodion was painted over the 
hard, round bone, ju’st back of the ear. 
I was an dbject to behold for several 
days, but the results seem to be a slight 
quickening of hearing, and I went back 
to my physician to talk the matter over 
with him. 
“What good can it do to put a blister 
on the outside of this bone? I do not 
see how it is possible to reach any of 
the parts of the ear in this way.” 
“Here is a section cut through the 
bone of the ear to show you what we 
try to do. You will notice that back of 
the middle ear, the inside of this firm, 
hard bone is full of air spaces, very 
much like a honeycomb, in fact. When 
I blow vapor in through your nose, I 
try to reach these air passages, and 
stimulate or quicken them up. They 
may become clogged or partly filled 
with serum, and thus interfere with res¬ 
onance. The bone is just underneath 
the skin; in fact, there is little between 
the skin and this bone. A small blister 
on the outside acts there about as it 
would on other parts of the body, draw¬ 
ing out the serum and relieving these 
air chambers. It does not always aid 
deafness, although in some cases it is 
very effective, and w r e have been able to 
obtain striking results from this blister¬ 
ing alone, n is probably desirable for 
all partly-deaf people to put these blis¬ 
ters on tne back of the ears frequently.” 
“I really think that blistering has 
quickened my hearing a little.” 
‘Tt certainly does stir up the circula¬ 
tion in drowsy ears, and I believe your 
quickened perception of sound is real 
rather than imaginary.” 
“But now, here is another matter. It 
is a common idea that where one sense 
or faculty is weakened or destroyed, an¬ 
other faculty gains what the first lost. 
For example, we are told that blind peo¬ 
ple are never deaf, the inference being 
that “the strength of the eyes,” as peo¬ 
ple put it, goes to the ears. I do not 
know that it follows that deaf people 
usually have superior eyes, but my ob¬ 
servation is that people with failing 
ears, retain their natural eyesight longer 
than those who are not deaf. What is 
there about that?” 
“Logically there is nothing in the 
theory that deaf people’s eyes are extra 
normal, or that the blind hear with an 
unnatural acuteness. It may be said 
that the special senses are not co-rela¬ 
tive. They are absolutely independent 
of each other.” 
“How then can we account for the 
facts I have mentioned?” 
“Probably in this way: When one 
sense is destroyed, as for instance the 
sense of taste, the nostrils are utilized 
far more than common in determining 
the agreeableness of food, etc.” 
“Do I understand then that we may 
strengthen these senses by exercising 
them in the same way that we would 
strengthen our hand by working it?” 
‘Wlost certainly that is true. All 
senses are quickened, according as they 
are exercised to a healthy degree. That 
explains the remarkable facility with 
which moist deaf people acquire the art 
of lip reading, and also their great 
quickness in seeing or observing things. 
You will see that this does not mean 
that their eyes are unusually strong or 
acute. It means rather that the eyes 
are educated to do uncommon and un¬ 
usual things. One man’s mind may by 
study and practice be made to perceive, 
look into or comprehend things, very 
much more quickly than a man who has 
never been educated in that way. The 
fact of it is that God certainly is good, 
and He rarely permits people to suffer 
the double infliction of blindness and 
deafness. If either class of unfortun¬ 
ates take any comfort or delight in be¬ 
lieving that they are blessed with some 
compensating increase of vision or 
audition, it is a mistake to rob them of 
any heartsease that is to be had in the 
thought.” 
“I should judge from what you say, 
then, that the deaf should always strive 
to hear, even if they feel that they never 
can.” 
“That is exactly right. You and others 
should work your ears for all they are 
worth. Strain to hear every sound you 
can—just as you would do if you were 
blind. Do not let those auditory nerves 
shrivel up from unconscious disuse. 
Talk to yourself, if need be, when alone, 
or listen to any sounds and strive to 
hear them.” 
“But I find in common with many 
deaf people, that hearing may be quick¬ 
ened perceptibly by closing the nostrils 
with me fingers, and in this way forcing 
the air back into me ears. This gives a 
feeling as though air had been blown 
back against the ears, and there is a 
perceptible increase in the ability to 
hear.” 
“All that is very true, and yet it is 
the worst thing positively that a deaf 
person can do. It forces mucous matter 
back through the passages into the ears, 
where it dries and obstructs them, and 
in the end makes a far worse condition 
than before. Yet more, the air thus 
forced into the ears i's the waste air 
from the lungs—carbonic acid gas and 
impurities—which is a menace to the 
healthy condition of these delicate struc¬ 
tures. We frequently hear people tell 
how they improved their hearing in this 
way, for a while, with the usual sad 
sequel. The blister and the inflation of 
the ear through the nose can overcome 
this accumulation of mucous only in 
part, and this bad habit should never be 
practiced under any circumstances.” 
A dessert that will be suitable for the 
children’s tea, as well as for dinner, is 
California snow. Soak a teacupful of 
tapioca in just water enough to be ab¬ 
sorbed. Cook in two cupfuls of milk; if 
too thick, add another half-cupful. 
Shortly before it is done add a half-cup¬ 
ful of sugar and a saltspoonful of salt. 
It should be white and creamy. Season 
delicately with any preferred flavoring. 
Serve in flat sauce dishes and place a 
halved pear (canned) on each dish, and 
fill the cavity of the pear with a spoon¬ 
ful of whipped cream. 
An old-fashioned recipe for raised 
cake is following: Two cupfuls light 
sponge, one cupful sugar, one-half cup¬ 
ful butter, two well-beaten eggs, one 
cupful stoned raisins, floured, half a nut 
meg, grated, one-half teaspoonful soda 
dissolved in a little water. Make into a 
loaf or loaves, and when light bake in 
rather slow oven, as it scorches easily. 
If desired, cover it with a milk icing, for 
which use 10 teaspoonfuls sweet milk, 
iy 2 cupful sugar. Boil six minutes, take 
from stove and stir until quite white, 
flavor, spread quickly with a knife dip¬ 
ped in cola water. 
Dainty little cakes known as “moon¬ 
shines,” “nothings,” or “trifles” are 
made as follows: To one egg beaten add 
a pinch of salt and stir in flour enough 
to make a stiff dough. Roll thin as 
paper, cut with good-sized cake cutter 
and fry in boiling fat, as doughnuts. 
Mix sugar and spice, and sift over them 
While hot. They will blister and assume 
various shapes in cooking. If you drop 
them into the fat sidewise they will fold 
and curve. Then siit only sugar over 
them and call them “fairy shells.” This 
is a very ota recipe. 
Rural Recipes. 
“I long,” said the new gathered Lettuce, 
‘‘To meet our illustrious guest.” 
Cried the Caster, “Such haste 
Is in very bad taste: 
First see that you’re properly dressed.” 
—Child Verse. 
Bran jelly is a wholesome food which 
may take the place of other cereals. 
Cover two cupfuls of bran with cold 
water, let settle; then pour off all the 
water, and add three cupfuls of boiling 
water and stir well; place on the stove 
and boil slowly for two hours; then 
strain, return to fire, let come to the 
boiling point, add one teaspoonful salt; 
then pour into a mold and let cool. You 
will have a delicate jelly, and very 
wholesome. The siftings from graham 
or whole-wheat flour can be used for 
this jelly. 
Here is a most excellent fish chowder: 
Two pound's of fresh cod or any white 
fish, a quarter-pound bacon, four large 
potatoes, one small onion, half a can 
tomatoes, one quart milk, butter the size 
of a walnut, and a teaspoonful of flour 
for thickening. Pick the fish to pieces, 
removing all bone and skin; peel pota¬ 
toes and cut into dice; cut the bacon in 
small pieces; rub the butter and flour to 
a cream. On the bottom of a granite 
kettle spread half of the potatoes in a 
layer, then half of fish, then sprinkle in 
the onions minced fine, then the bacon, 
then half the tomatoes. Then a shake 
of salt and pepper; add the rest of the 
fish, potatoes, tomatoes and more salt 
and pepper, using in all one teaspoonful 
salt and one-half teaspoonful pepper. 
Cover with water, let simmer for half an 
hour. Let the milk come to a scald, put 
a pinch of soda into the chowder and 
stir; add the hot milk to the butter and 
flour; stir smooth; then add to the chow¬ 
der; let get very hot, and serve. 
With the Procession. 
Jf thou hast learned a truth which needs 
No school of long experience, that the 
world 
Is full of guilt and misery, and hast seen 
Iinough of all its sorrows, crimes and 
cares, 
To tire thee o l it, enter this wild wood 
And view the Haunts of Nature. The calm 
shade 
Shall bring a kindred calm, and the sweet 
breeze 
That makes the green leaves dance, shall 
waft a balm 
To thy sick heart. 
Burdens become lignt when cheerfully 
borne.—Ovid. 
Children have more need of models 
than of critics.—Joubert. 
Constancy is the complement of otner 
human virtues.—Mazzini. 
If there is any good in yourself, be¬ 
lieve that there is more in others.— 
Thomas a Kempis. 
Oliver Wendell Holmes was once 
asked if it were not true that all disease 
and evil tendencies cou'M be eradicated 
if the doctors were called early enough. 
“Yes,” he replied, “'but early enough 
would commonly be two hundred years 
before one is born.” 
The severest criticism upon illegible 
writing on record was made by an Eng¬ 
lish writer recently, who said: “There 
are a vast number of people who seem 
to take a positive pleasure in signing 
their names—and, for that matter, writ¬ 
ing a whole letter—so that no one can 
read it. Women are, perhaps, the worst 
offenders, but they do not transgress so 
much with regard to their signatures as 
men. Nobody has any business to give 
other people the trouble of having to de¬ 
cipher hieroglyphics; and if only we all 
had the courage to ignore communica¬ 
tions that give trouble to read we might 
at least make folks write clearly, if not 
prettily. Unhappily, handwriting is un¬ 
doubtedly characteristic, and the worst 
writers usually have the loosest minds, 
with the result that illegible letters are 
almost invariably incoherent and un¬ 
grammatical.” 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs.Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
One of the cleverest items of Fashion 
this season is 
wash silks, 
and we’re doing great business with a 
large and varied collection of the best— 
probably nothing like it for extent and 
choiceness elsewhere. 
Selling for waists and for gowns. 
New corded wash silks 
35c., 45c., 50c. yard 
—pretty and cool as can be—clear color¬ 
ings and exqiiisite combinations. 
10,000 yards of good and pretty wash 
goods, including Lawns, Dimities and 
Ginghams— 5c., 8c., lOc. 
If you failed to get a copy of our 
Twentieth Century Lace Curtain Cata¬ 
logue, it’s worth writing for this very 
day. Curtains aud prices that have 
aroused enthusiastic results from all over 
the United States. Nothing like such 
an offering ever known before. 
BOCCS & BUHL, 
Department C, 
ALLEGHENY, PA. 
nnrjP ECZEMA CURE, *1 at druKKists. 25c 
uUL 0 size of us. Coe Cheiu. Co., Cleveland. O. 
THE 
JOSEPHINE 
CURES 
CHILLS AND FEVER, 
Malaria and that Tired Feeling- NEVER 
FAILS. At druggists or $1.50 prepaid to anv 
address in the United States, by express. Address 
THE JOSEPHINE COMPANY, 
Salisbury Mills, Orange Co., N. Y 
A Darning Machine. 
This is the only successful darning 
machine we ever saw. We have tried 
others that were absolutely of no value. 
This one is little short of perfect. It 
enables you to mend underwear, stock¬ 
ings, curtains, table linens, clothing, and 
does an endless variety of art and fancy 
weaving better, easier and quicker than 
by any other way. Full directions ac¬ 
company each machine. When a lady 
has once used this little machine, she 
would not do without it for any con¬ 
sideration. We will send it postpaid for 
$1, or for two new yearly subscriptions 
at SI each. All money returned if not 
satisfied. 
Gold-Shell Rings. 
Most people like a 
nice ring. We show 
three styles. These are 
made by drawing a 
shell of gold over a rod 
of composition metal. 
They are better and 
will wear longer than 
solid gold rings of a 
low carat. The retail 
price would he from 75 
cents to $L We will 
send one of these rings 
postpaid as a reward 
for sending one new subscription at SI. 
Cut a slip of paper the size of finger and 
send for size. 
