55o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 11 
l Woman and Home j 
From Day to Day. 
OUT IN THE FIELDS. 
The little cares that fretted me, 
I lost them yesterday. 
Among the fields above the sea, 
Among the winds at play, 
Among the lowing of the herds, 
The rustling of the trees, 
Among the singing of the birds, 
The humming of the bees. 
The foolish fears of what might pass, 
I cast them all away 
Among the clover scented grass, 
Among the new mown hay, 
Among the hushing of the corn, 
Where drowsy poppies nod, 
Where ill thoughts die and good are born— 
Out in the fields with God! 
—St. Paul’s. 
* 
When uncertain of the color of cotton 
goods, the dye should be set before 
washing, either with alum or salt. Dis¬ 
solve a pint of salt in four gallons of 
cold water, and soak the material in this 
for an hour. In using alum, add one 
ounce to each half gallon of water. 
* 
Kerosene fills a good many offices in 
domestic economy. It is used to rub 
nickel plate, to polish zinc after it has 
been cleaned with boiling suds; to clean 
grease and rust from iron sinks, follow¬ 
ing this with hot soapsuds; to rub stoves 
stored away for the Summer, and it 
will also clpan paint that has been 
smoked by lamps. 
* 
According to newspaper authority, a 
persistent indulgence in sulphur and 
molasses will render one immune to 
mosquito bites, the mosquitoes disap¬ 
proving of the atmosphere surrounding 
one who uses this old-fashioned remedy. 
A good many juvenile victims will fully 
sympathize with the mosquitoes in their 
distaste for the ill-savored combination. 
♦ 
Old or soiled black lace may be fresh¬ 
ened by washing in rain water, with a 
teaspoonful of borax and a tablespoon¬ 
ful of alcohol added to every pint. White 
lace should be washed in very hot water 
and borax, and, if a cream tint is de¬ 
sired, it should be dipped in weak coffee. 
Fine laces should be wound over a bot¬ 
tle, which has first been covered with 
white washing material, the edge of the 
lace being pulled out and basted down 
on the bottle, and washed on this, being 
allowed to remain on the bottle until 
dry. 
4c 
A friend in Ohio asks how to make 
soap for cleaning carpets. Miss Parloa 
gives the following formula, which is 
thoroughly reliable: 
Dissolve five pounds of soap in three 
quarts of water. Take from the fire and 
add a half pint of ox gall, two ounces each 
of turpentine and benzine, and one gill of 
household ammonia; stir frequently until 
cool, then pour into glass jars and cover 
tightly. When ready to clean carpets or 
other fabrics dissolve some of the soap in 
warm water and proceed as with the 'full¬ 
er's earth mixture used for cleaning car¬ 
pets. Of course, it is understood that the 
carpet or fabric must be brushed free from 
dust before the cleaning begins. 
* 
A diet of uncooked fruit and nuts is 
upheld by a society in England/ called 
the Natural Food Society, and one be¬ 
liever in mis system is a technical in¬ 
structor in New York State, who has 
been living on uncooked food for six 
years. Each meal consists of all sorts 
of fruit in iseason, nuts and milk. He 
eats any vegetable that is palatable 
without cooking, such as celery or other 
salads, but abstains from such starchy 
vegetables as potatoes. His wife shares 
his views, and both are healthy and ro¬ 
bust. Naturally this system revolution¬ 
izes the housework, and it appears to 
agree with the persons described. On 
the other hand, the daughter of a man 
prominent in National politics was re¬ 
cently very dangerously ill with a com¬ 
plication of diseases caused, according 
to the physicians, by persisting in this 
diet for a period of two years. 
* 
A very savory tomato pie may be 
made with cold cooked meat, which is a 
good deal more inviting than many left¬ 
overs. Mince a pound of cold cooked 
meat—beef, veal, mutton or lamb may 
be used—mix with it a dessertspoonful 
of chopped parsley, a teaspoonful of 
minced onion, the grated zest of quarter 
of a large lemon, one-half cupful of 
milk, one beaten egg, one saltspoonful of 
white pepper and one-half teaspoonful 
of salt; form as lightly as possible into 
.small balls. Butter a pie dish and 
sprinkle over a thin layer of bread 
crumbs, lay in a layer of the forcemeat 
balls, cover them with a double layer of 
tomato slices, sprinkle with a quarter 
teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of 
Worcestershire sauce, and a few dashes 
of paprika. Day in another layer of the 
meat balls, cover with a thick layer of 
sliced tomatoes, and the same season¬ 
ings; sprinkle one-half cupful of fine 
breadcrumbs over the top, dot with two 
A HOGSHEAD CHAIR. Fig. 189. 
tablespoonfuls of butter and bake for 
one-half hour in a hot oven. It will 
take eight tomatoes. 
* 
We admire neat housekeepers, but it 
is quite possible to carry neatness to 
the vanishing point, where it ceases to 
be a virtue and becomes an aggravation. 
An anecdote in the Youth’s Companion 
tellis about such a housewife: 
“It’s a good thing to be neat,” said Mr. 
Willowby to his wife, “but I believe Sister 
Jane goes a little too far; I really think she 
does.” 
“What has she done now?” asked Mrs. 
Willowby. 
“Well,” said her husband, slowly, “I went 
there this morning, and what should I see 
but a white cloth fluttering from the bell- 
handle. I thought at first something had 
happened to one of the children. But when 
I got close I saw that the bell was covered 
by the cloth, and there was just a kirn, 
bow fluttering. When I got inside I' asked 
Jane what under the canopy she’d tied the 
bell in that kind of a rigging for, and she 
said: 
“ ‘Well, Amos Willowby, if you must 
know, I’ve got that bell all polished up for 
to-night, when the minister’s coming to 
tea, and if you think I’m going to have it 
all dulled over before night, you’re very 
much mistaken! And I’m making a cover 
that will just fit on it, and after this I’m 
going to keep it covered every day till well 
along in the afternoon, when I’m liable to 
have callers!’ ” 
A Veranda Chair. 
The ordinary barrel chair is a most 
disappointing contrivance, but Fig. 189 
^hows a veranda or porch chair made 
from a stout hogshead, which is strong, 
not unattractive, and very comfortable 
in the protection it affords against 
drafts. The seat is put at a comfortable 
height, and cushions fill the back, an¬ 
other cushion covering the seat. The 
chair may be painted any desired color, 
and varnished. The illustration is re¬ 
produced from the New York Tribune. 
The Sunshine Makers. 
THE INTERNATIONAL SUNSHINE SOCIETY, 
AND WHAT IT DOES. 
Have you had a kindness shown? 
Pass it on. 
’Twas not given for you alone— 
Pass it on. 
Let it travel down the years, 
Let it wipe another’s tears, 
Till in Heaven the deed appears. 
Pass it on. 
How It Began. —During the holidays, 
several years ago, a busy New York 
newspaper woman, whose cheery nature 
makes her hosts of friends, was the re¬ 
cipient of many cards conveying the 
season’s greetings. She surprised some 
of the donors by stating that she would 
have enjoyed the gifts more if the givers 
had not written their names upon them. 
This assertion horrified her listeners, by 
the suggestion that the pretty gifts 
might be given away. Further discus¬ 
sion, however, brought out the fact that 
in most cases these cards lie about until 
soiled or discolored, and are then thrown 
away, without having given a single ray 
of sunshine to anyone except the first 
recipient. On the other hand, the jour¬ 
nalist thus told the story of one pretty 
10-cent card that came to her: 
It had an exquisite little poem on it, and 
1 enjoyed it so much that I thought at once 
of an old uncle who would appreciate It, 
and forwarded it to him. He, as I thought 
he would, did enjoy it, and so much that 
he immediately recalled another old friend 
to whom it would appeal with special force. 
So he copied the poem and sent the card 
on. This recipient found the sentiment so 
sweet that she, too, felt called upon to pass 
It on, and before the seven days’ holiday 
was over the card had carried its Christ¬ 
mas message to six different people. Of 
course, this is an exception, but still it is 
an example of the infinite possibilities of 
a gift if accepted in the true spirit and then 
passed on, giving each one the double de¬ 
light of receiving and giving. 
The result of this little sermon was 
that a new set of cards was given to the 
sunshiny woman who delivered it, and 
she immediately sent them out again. 
The thanks received were so inspiring 
that an item was published concerning 
them, and the ensuing correspondence 
resulted in a club for the exchange of 
friendly greetings. The membership 
grew so large that a club badge and the 
motto “Good Cheer” were selected, and 
the name “Shut-In” given to the society. 
In January, 1896, the name was changed 
to Sunshine Society, there being already 
a shut-in society. Now the 'Society is 
international, and the international 
president is Mrs. Cynthia Westover 
Alden, the journalist whose Christmas 
greetings were the cause of its inception. 
The Society’s Objects. —The whole 
object of the Society is to distribute 
sunshine wherever possible, especially 
among those who are shut in by ill 
health or isolated surroundings. Its 
active members are those desirous of 
brightening other lives by thought, word 
or deed, especially those living far from 
cities, who are thus shut out from muen 
communication with others. It will be 
seen that the Sunshine Society should 
appeal especially to women and girls in 
rural homes, who often feel that they 
are not only cut off from (social sym¬ 
pathies, but also from the chance of 
brightening other lives. With the Sun- 
shiners as an intermediary, all this is 
changed, and some lonely girl ’way up 
in the piny woods of Maine may bring 
new happiness into the life of an equally 
lonely rancher’s daughter in New Mex¬ 
ico or Washington. The club motto is, 
as previously stated, “Good Cheer,” the 
floral emblem the cheerful Yellow daisy, 
or coreopsis, and the club song “Scatter 
Sunshine.” 
Duties and Dues. —The membership 
dues consist merely of some kindly act 
or suggestion that will bring “sunshine” 
to tne members of the Society. The ex¬ 
change of books, papers or pictures; 
ideas that may be used in the sick-room; 
work that may be done by a shut-in; 
fancy work; holiday suggestions, and a 
general exchange of ideas useful to the 
members. Ten members in one locality 
constitute a branch, and a president is 
then appointed. The work done in send¬ 
ing articles from the headquarters by 
mail or express, and similar expenses, is 
supported entirely by voluntary contri¬ 
butions from members. As stated above, 
membership dues are paid in kindly 
deeds, but monetary aid can always be 
applied usefully. It is not in any or¬ 
dinary sense a charitable society; its 
Charity, like that of the Revised Ver¬ 
sion, takes the form of love. 
How It Grows. —This Society, which 
started from the kindly thought of one 
woman, has grown to astonishing di¬ 
mensions. Every State in the Union is 
represented, and there are branches in 
India, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the 
Bahamas, and France. The headquar¬ 
ters of the International Sunshine So¬ 
ciety are at 96 Fifth Avenue, New York, 
and its officers are: President-General, 
Mrs. Cynthia Westover Alden; secre¬ 
tary, Mrs. Hans S. Beattie; treasurer, 
Mrs. Mary Fisk Park. Each State hav¬ 
ing 10 branches has State president and 
officers, Mrs. M. M. Painter being secre¬ 
tary for this State. A very pretty little 
badge is made for the Sunshiners, which 
may be obtained from headquarters. 
What It Means. —Just think how 
much we may add to the sum total of 
happiness by the determination to give 
all the sunshine possible to others! It 
is a gift which, like the widow’s cruse, 
will not fail so long as we seek to im¬ 
part it to those in need, and it gladdens 
giver as well as receiver. It means 
much to isolated rural homes, where the 
wives and daughters often feel out of 
touch with the sympathies of others. 
The effort to gladden others may be sin¬ 
gularly far-reaching; its final results be¬ 
yond our knowledge. “How far that 
tiny candle throws its beams! So shines 
a good deed in a naughty world.” 
A rational nature admits of nothing 
that is not serviceable to the rest of 
mankind.—Marcus Antoninus. 
To discover truth is the best happiness 
of an individual; to communicate it, the 
greatest blessing he cam bestow upon 
society.—Townsend. 
When the ancients said a work well 
begun was half done they meant to ex¬ 
press the importance of always endeav¬ 
oring to make a good beginning.—Poly¬ 
bius. 
Every spirit builds a house, and be¬ 
yond its house a world, and beyond its 
world a heaven. As when the Summer 
comes from the South and snow banks 
melt, and the face of the earth becomes 
green before it, so shall the advancing 
spirit create its ornaments along its 
path and carry with it the beauty it 
visits and the song which enchants it. 
It shall draw beautiful faces, warm 
hearts, wise discourse and heroic acts 
around its way until evil is no more 
seen.—Emerson. 
UICA 
JL * JBeakes short roads. 
AXLE 
JL dHknd light loads. 
(|RE ASE 
^k^Pood for everything 
that runs on wheels. 
Sold Everywhere. 
Made toy STANDARD OH. CO. 
