646 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 20 
From Day to Day. 
RAGGED ROBIN AND BOUNCING BET. 
By the roadside, rain or shine, 
You’ll find two jolly good friends of mine; 
Sturdier comrades never were yet— 
Ragged Robin and Bouncing Bet. 
O Ragged Robin! your coat of blue 
Lets the sun and the rain come through. 
O Betsy, you tomboy! your frock by night 
Will be in tatters of pink and white. 
Gay little beggars, what do they care? 
They love their life in the sun and air. 
Sturdier rascals never were yet— 
Ragged Robin and Bouncing Bet. 
—Alice Reid in Century Magazine. 
* 
Ip you wish to make everyday bread 
pudding assume a holiday appearance, 
hake it in small custard cups, one for 
each serving. Reserve the whites of 
eggs used for a meringue, put on the top 
ot each cup a spoonful of jelly, and put 
the meringue over this, putting back in 
the oven to brown. 
* 
When sweet cider is at hand, it may 
be used to give additional flavor to an 
apple pie. Warm half a cupful of cider 
and, 10 minutes before the pie is taken 
from the oven, pour the cider into it 
through the hole in the center of top 
crust, using a little funnel of stiff paper 
to prevent splashing. 
* 
Just how far unselfishness should go, 
either in family or social life, is a ques¬ 
tion each person must settle for herself; 
when the efforts of the unselfish one 
merely furnish grounds for the aggres¬ 
sions of others less scrupulous, it is 
surely time to reform. It is often as¬ 
serted that unselfish mothers tend to 
produce selfish children, and it is quite 
true that a mother may be too self- 
denying for the future good of her chil¬ 
dren. If she relieves them of unpleasant 
duties, stints herself to give them lux¬ 
uries she does not share, and places her¬ 
self in the background for the sake of 
their pleasures, she is likely to make 
them regard her self-denial as their 
right. If our spirit of self sacrifice 
causes others to shirk their duties we 
are incurring a grave moral responsi¬ 
bility. We should bear one another’s 
burdens on the cooperative plan. 
* 
Herr is a tested English recipe for 
chutney sauce, used as a substitute for 
the mango chutney of the tropics. It 
is very appetising, and popular with 
those who like a hot catsup. Materials 
required: Eight ounces of tart apples, 
peeled and cored, eight ounces of 
peeled tomatoes, eight ounces brown 
sugar, eight ounces salt, four ounces 
powdered ginger, four ounces red pep¬ 
pers, two ounces shallots (or onion), two 
ounces garlic. Pound all together in a 
mortar (or pass through a chopper set 
to cut fine) and then put all the mate¬ 
rials together in a jar with 2% pints 
good vinegar. Place the jar in a warm 
place, covered for one month, stirring 
with a wooden spoon twice every day. 
At the end of the time pass the chutney 
through a sieve, and bottle, when it is 
ready for use. The intense heat of the 
peppers grows milder with keeping, and 
the chutney improves and becomes 
richer in flavor the longer it is kept. 
* 
Tue full four-looped ribbon bows 
used so much for trimming are usually 
tied at the ribbon counter without extra 
charge, but it is possible to acquire the 
knack one’s self. First of all we must 
remember that we must have new rib¬ 
bon; a perky up-standing bow cannot 
be made from ribbon that has been 
ironed or sponged, after other use. Two 
yards of ribbon are required to make 
Jhe double bow or chou; more if long 
ends are needed. Take the ribbon in 
the middle, pull out one nice long loop, 
twist the ribbon and tie a bow knot. Do 
not pull it tightly, but while it is still 
loose pull through it two other loops, 
making four in all. Take the two other 
loops, and pull them, tightening the 
knot; twist and arrange the loops, con¬ 
tinuing to pull the knot, until you have 
the four loops and two ends firmly held 
together by a hard knot. The whole 
secret of it is this hard knot; it must 
be very tight in the middle, or it does 
not look right. These bows are used for 
waist, neck or hair and, with a little 
modification, for hat trimming also. 
The Rural Patterns 
The girl’s apron shown will be a 
pretty model for school wear. The 
apron is made with front and backs that 
are gathered at the center but plain at 
the sides. Over the shoulders are ar¬ 
ranged bretelles. At the waist is a sash 
of the material that is attached at the 
under-arm seams and bowed at the 
back. The closing is effected invisibly 
at the center back. To cut this apron 
for a girl eight years of age 2*4 yards 
of material 36 inches wide will be re¬ 
quired with one yard of insertion and 
1% yard of edging to trim as illustrated. 
The pattern No. 4164 is cut in sizes for 
girls of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 years of age; 
price 10 cents from this office. 
The box-pleated waist shown is suit¬ 
able either for cotton fabrics or flannel. 
The lining is smoothly fitted by means 
of single darts, shoulder, under-arm 
and center back seams, and extends to 
the waist line only. The waist proper 
consists of fronts and back and is fitted 
by means of shoulder and under-arm 
seams. The back is plain and is drawn 
down in gathers at the waist line; but 
the fronts are laid in box pleats, that 
are stitched flat to yoke depth, and can 
be gathered at the waist line or left 
free to be adjusted to the figure as pre¬ 
ferred. The sleeves are in regulation 
style with straight square cuffs and at 
the neck is a stock collar. The quantity 
of material required for the medium 
size is 3% yards 21 inches wide, 3% 
yards 27 inches wide, three .yards 32 
4164 Girls Apron, 
4 to 1 2 years. 
inches wide or two yards 44 inches wide. 
The pattern No. 4180 is cut in sizes for 
a 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40-inch bust mea¬ 
sure; price 10 cents from this office. 
Women’s Work at the Fairs. 
What is the object of a fair, agricul¬ 
tural or otherwise? Aside from its so¬ 
cial features it is obviously of use only 
so far as it serves as an object lesson in 
the achieving of excellence. Those who 
have learned or evolved new methods 
of economically and satisfactorily reach¬ 
ing results in accomplishing the neces¬ 
sary work of the world, place such re¬ 
sults on exhibition that others may be 
inspired to strive for equal excellence. 
It has been shown that an exhibit of ex¬ 
ceptionally good work in any depart¬ 
ment inevitably has this effect. Those 
who know how are willing to offer 
models and suggestions to others not so 
well informed, and the advantages en¬ 
joyed by the few are thus passed along 
to the many. If women whose house¬ 
hold and domestic duties prevent their 
gaining ideas of effective methods 
through travel or study realized the 
great educational benefits afforded by 
the fair, its usefulness could be greatly 
increased. It should not be an opportu¬ 
nity for “city women” to display useless 
fancy work, nor should it be narrowed 
down to a chance for the farmers’ wives 
to exhibit the results of their industry 
for their own glorification. Rightly used 
4180 Box Plaited Shirt Waist, 
32 to 40 bust. 
and rightly managed the fair can be 
made of inestimable benefit to those who 
go to learn and are willing to be taught. 
But an educational institution can 
never do entirely effective work so long 
as it confines its efforts to mere exhibi¬ 
tions of the finished product. What is 
needed is the practical demonstration of 
the process as well. Economy of method 
should be recognized as valuable no less 
than perfection of achievement. If, in¬ 
stead of offering a premium to the best 
bread maker for a sample of her skill, 
she should be substantially rewarded 
for imparting that skill to others, the 
dissemination of valuable knowledge 
would lie greatly increased. A woman 
who excelled in any domestic art, as 
shown by preliminary examinations of 
her work, might reap a substantial re¬ 
ward by illustrating the process a few 
hours daily at her State fair. We all 
know the fascination the “native vil¬ 
lages” have for us at our great exposi¬ 
tions, the charm of seeing the people at 
work making the beautiful articles we 
would scarcely glance at if displayed in 
their finished condition. Even in the 
great cities a thoroughfare can soon be 
blocked by interested crowds watching 
a craftsman making biscuits or candy, 
or turning griddle cakes. If in addi¬ 
tion to demonstrating her successful 
method of working, the demonstrator 
could arrange with the manufacturer of 
the cook stove or the baking powder or 
the flour she found satisfactory, to share 
with him the benefits of her advertising 
of his wares, her profits would be con¬ 
siderably and legitimately increased. 
The same principle could be carried out 
wherever it was found practicable, to 
show processes as well as samples, in 
every department of domestic work. I 
had the pleasure of meeting a farmer’s 
wife who had so systematized her meth¬ 
ods that she could and did make a pair 
of trousers after clearing away the din¬ 
ner dishes and before starting the six 
o'clock suppei*. Necessity for quick 
work had enabled her to utilize every 
moment and every movement. As i 
watched her unroll the cloth, spread it 
out on the table, arrange her pattern so 
that scarcely an inch of material was 
wasted, cut, stitch, press, it did not 
seem as if any great haste was exer¬ 
cised. Yet at half-past five that after¬ 
noon the garment ready for wear was 
hung up on the clothes press. The point 
to be noted was, not that this woman 
was exceptionally quick in her motions, 
but that a quick intelligence had guided 
her in the management of her work. 
Observation of the process, not verbal 
instruction, could alone impart the 
secret. 
Thus could the skillful share then- 
proficiency with others, even in those 
departments where all possessed some 
knowledge. Nor need “fancy work” be 
neglected or despised. The making of 
pretty articles for home use or even for 
sale is both pleasant and profitable if 
care is exercised in learning how to do 
work that is in demand, rather than the 
abandoned methods of the past whose 
results are worthless. A skillful em¬ 
broiderer might show to all interested 
how she did the work. A china painter 
might illustrate simple tinting and out¬ 
line work, and the water colorist might 
“wash in” some simple and suggestive 
bits as guides to others who lacked only 
a knowledge of the technique of the art 
to start them in a delightful occupation. 
Let the premiums be generous, but let. 
them be awarded to the workers who 
are willing to illustrate their methods 
as well as to display their ability. Such 
a plan would go far towards obviating 
the objection so frequently urged, that 
favoritism was at the base of premium 
awards. Originality would receive its 
proper reward, and interest in all useful 
and pleasing arts would be increased. It 
is for the women themselves to secure 
this improvement in the management 
of their agricultural fairs. 
eixa ir. COOPER. 
I put my name 
on my lamp- 
chimneys. I’m 
not ashamed of 
them. 
Macbeth, 
If you’ll send your address, I’ll send you 
the Index to Lamps and their Chimneys, to 
tell you what number to get for your lamp. 
Macbeth, Pittsburgh. 
Some watchmakers 
harp on Railroad Watches. 
More than twenty 
Elgin Watches 
have been sold for every mile of rail¬ 
way trackage in the world. Sold by 
every jeweler in the land; guaranteed 
by the world’s greatest watch works. 
ELGIN NATIONAL WATCH CO. 
Elgin, Illinois. 
