678 
THE RURAL'NEW-YORKER. 
September 23 
Woman and Home 
From Day to Day. 
MR. JOSH SIMPKINS ON ETIQUETTE. 
HE REBELS. 
I’ve studied up on etiquette, 
Read every book that I could get, 
And yet 
There isn’t one in all the lot 
That tells a feller it is not 
De rigger to eat pie 
For breakfast, hence why shouldn’t I? 
And furthermore, I cannot find 
In all the books I call to mind 
A single line 
That gives a reason worth a whoop 
Against a second plate of soup 
When fellers dine. 
And as for eating Marrowfats 
Without a spoon, I think that that’s 
A fool¬ 
ish sort of rule. 
When I eat pease 
I’ll do as I darn please! 
And what is more, till I’m a snob 
I’ll eat my corn straight off the cob; 
And sparrergrass I’ll eat as I 
Have always done in days gone by— 
A sort of dangling from the sky; 
A sort of gift from Heaven come, 
Held ’twixt my finger and my thumb. 
And as for those peculiar things 
Called finger-bowls, I vow, by jings! 
I will not use ’em as they say 
The bon-tons uses ’em to-day. 
If my hands ain’t both good and clean, 
The pump is where it’s always been; 
And far as ever I could see, 
It’s plenty good enough for me. 
I don’t stand much on etiquette, 
But yet 
I’m too polite to wash my paws 
At table, spite of social laws. 
—Harper’s Bazar. 
* 
When we are told that any article is 
sterilized, we imagine, naturally, that it 
has been scientifically cleansed, so as to 
be free from dirt or disease germs. The 
word suggests that it is actually pure 
and wholesome from a hygienic stand¬ 
point. In view of this, what a villain¬ 
ous deception it is to describe deviled 
butter as sterilized! We think it more 
than possible that tnere are many house¬ 
keepers who would be the more inclined 
to buy butter sold under this descrip¬ 
tion, with the idea that the “sterilizing” 
was adopted for the purpose of insuring 
a thoroughly wholesome food. 
* 
One of the fabrics now used in all 
sorts of trimmings and accessories is 
“mercerized” cotton, which appears in 
the stores under a variety of different 
names. It is cotton treated by some 
process which gives it the gloss and tex¬ 
ture of silk, the imitation really bearing 
a striking similarity to the real thing. 
Neckties, stock collars and frillings are 
made of it; it is also used for petticoats, 
dress linings and shirt waists. It is sold 
under many different names, and ap¬ 
pears to be giving general satisfaction. 
The demand for some silky-looking lin¬ 
ing fabric, which would be inexpensive, 
yet more durable than silk, which usual¬ 
ly cuts badly in a skirt lining, has cre¬ 
ated an ample field for materials of 
this sort. 
* 
We are sending the children back to 
school now, and a good many tired 
mothers, all over the country, are not 
at all sorry to see their children tied 
down again to regular hours and regu¬ 
lar duties. It is rather hard, during 
vacation, to strike a happy mean be¬ 
tween over-strictness and too great 
freedom. We know that children need 
plenty of liberty and exercise, if they 
are to build up strong constitutions for 
future work, but the relaxation of all 
discipline through the holidays only 
makes school-days the more irksome 
when they come. Children on a farm 
really have an advantage in this par¬ 
ticular, for there are usually regular 
chores which give them some responsi¬ 
bility, but the town or village child is 
very likely to run wild all through 
vacation. The young children in the 
second or third grade lose a great deal 
of the little they have acquired during 
the vacation, if there is no attempt to 
keep up a familiarity with the school 
books. We do not mean that regular 
lessons should be insisted upon, but 
there should be enough of the elements 
of the three R’s to prevent the child 
from losing all he had gained. This 
would save a great deal of discourage¬ 
ment when school begins again. 
* 
Every one knows some person who 
was “born contrary”—one of those un¬ 
happy mortals to whom the whole world 
seems out of joint. Such a person rarely 
goes to the extreme, however, of old 
Uncle Jerry, as described in the Youth’s 
Companion; 
“I think my Uncle Jerry,” said Aunt Me- 
hitable, "was thecontrariest man I ever see. 
I remember of his pickin’ up a hot p’tater 
once when we was eatin’ dinner, an’ there 
wasn’t no company at the house, nuther. 
An’ what do you s’pose he done with it?” 
“Threw it at somebody?” conjectured one 
of the listeners. 
“No. He held it in his hand till it blis¬ 
tered him.” 
“What did he do that for?” 
“’Cause anybody else would ’a’ dropped 
it!” 
* 
While quite willing to acknowledge 
that carrots are among the most whole¬ 
some of vegetables, we have never cared 
much for them, as ordinarily cooked. 
We dislike them stewed with peas in a 
pasty sauce, and we loathe them mashed 
with potatoes, but we discover that, 
when fried, they are acceptable even to 
those who do not care much for them. 
For serving in this way, while they are 
still young, they should be washed, but 
not scraped, and boiled until tender, in 
salted water. When cooked, if the car¬ 
rots, are dipped in cold water for a mo¬ 
ment, the skin may be rubbed off very 
readily. It would be necessary, how¬ 
ever, to scrape old carrots in Winter, 
as the skin cannot be removed readily 
in this way. They are then cut into 
strips, and fried in hot fat until brown. 
A little finely-chopped parsley may be 
sprinkled over them when dished. 
* 
We are prone to regard this age as 
one peculiarly skeptical, and far re¬ 
moved from any strong religious feel¬ 
ing. Yet the reverse of this is often 
shown, until we are persuaded, as one 
well-known critic declared last year, 
that the whole world is now entering 
upon a great revival of religious faith. 
The popular feeling in this line is shown 
by the enormous sales of Rev. C. M. 
Sheldon’s book, “In His Steps.” The 
Kansas pastor wrote with the idea of 
showing how an earnest Christian may 
live up to his profession of faith, in the 
midst of the exactions of a working life. 
The book had an enormous sale through¬ 
out the West, ana gradually moved east¬ 
ward, until, during the month of August, 
it was offered all over New York in a 
five-cent edition. It was both odd and 
pathetic to see the poor, shabbily-clad 
street venders who were calling out 
“Sheldon’s great book, ‘In His Steps,’ 
only five cents.” In England the book 
has had equally great sales. Viewed 
solely as literature, this cannot in any 
way be regarded as a great book, but 
there is a human touch about it which, 
combined with its religious feeling, has 
caused it to appeal, in some subtle way, 
to the sympathies of people who differ 
widely in many apparently essential 
points. Many of its readers are people 
who own frankly to but little religious 
belief, but who find inspiration to better 
things in its pages. Whether we agree 
entirely with the views presented or not, 
we must own that Mr. Sheldon’s unpre¬ 
tentious little book has exerted a strong 
influence for good, and has shown that 
there is a widespread interest in re¬ 
ligious faith, among all classes of 
people. 
* 
The American Kitchen Magazine tells 
of a young husband who is not now so 
ready as heretofore to complain because 
his food is not always just “like mother 
used to make.” On one occasion he had 
made a number of unfavorable com¬ 
ments, finally finding fault with the 
biscuits. 
“Laura,” he fretfully remarked, “it’s 
strange you can’t make biscuit like 
those mother made.” 
She flushed slightly, and was silent for 
a little while. 
“George,” she finally said, “of what 
disease did your father die?” 
“Chronic indigestion,” said George. 
“Was it the kind that mother made?” 
asked Laura. 
“Gimme another biscuit,” said George. 
* 
Bui.lnose and Sweet Spanish peppers 
give a relish to both salads and cooked 
dishes at this season. The hot peppers 
must be eaten cautiously, if one is un¬ 
accustomed to them, although, when 
the seeds and white membrane within 
are removed, the fiery taste is much 
modified. We like the Bullnose and 
Sweet Spanish together, with the seeds 
removed, sliced with tomato salad. Pop¬ 
ular report credits them with remedial 
powers in cases of malaria. Where the 
hot peppers are entirely too tropical for 
one’s palate, sufficient flavor may be ob¬ 
tained by rubbing the salad dish with a 
slice of the pepper. As a rule, the large 
peppers are not so blisteringly fiery as 
are some of the small sorts, such as the 
Cayenne, Birdseye, or Chili Red, but the 
Bullnose is quite capable of impressing 
a novice with the idea that he has swal¬ 
lowed a torchlight procession. The 
large peppers are cooked in a variety of 
ways; they are especially nice stuffed 
and baked. For this purpose, the seeds 
are removed, and the peppers boiled for 
five minutes; they are then drained, 
and filled with chopped meat, boiled 
rice, or bread dressing, after which they 
are put in a baking pan with a little 
gravy or stock, to keep them from be¬ 
coming too dry, and are cooked in the 
oven. 
* 
The trial of Captain Dreyfus, with its 
revelations of unspeakable baseness on 
the part of men assumed to be the 
guardians of a nation’s honor, brings 
out in heroic relief the character of the 
prisoner’s wife, and her sublime faith in 
her husband. The New York Times, in 
an eloquent tribute to Mme. Dreyfus, 
points out the fact that her heroism is 
exemplified by many another woman in 
more obscure circumstances. Says the 
Times: 
The swift recognition of what was really 
right in the first overwhelming visitation; 
the readiness to face the seemingly hope¬ 
less task; the patience, courage, intelli¬ 
gence, energy, and fortitude of soul during 
the tedious years of fruitless effort; these 
are qualities which, though they deeply 
move the minds of men, do not surprise 
them. They are the qualities of the wife 
shown on a wide stage with the whole 
world looking on, but the daily life of 
myriads of human beings, generation after 
generation, has prepared us to accept them 
as readily as we deeply honor them. In 
the trials of common experience—in sick¬ 
ness, difficulty, affliction, in the troubles 
that come unjustly, even in the torment of 
actual guilt—the heroic part, unacknowl¬ 
edged, perhaps, but intimately known, is 
the woman’s part. 
We frequently see women shopping in 
the city now, who wear short golf or 
outing skirts. Even one year ago, such 
skirts would have excited unfavorable 
comments; now no one gives them a 
second look. In the country, they have 
acquired an enormous vogue, being no 
longer confined to women who wheel or 
play golf. The shortest of these skirts 
just reach the shoe tops; most of them 
are a little longer than this. Of course, 
bloomers are always worn under them, 
instead of petticoats. The sudden popu¬ 
larity of the short skirt is another ex¬ 
ample of the impossibility of bringing 
reason to bear upon any question of 
clothes. For years, reformers have 
urged us all to wear short skirts, and 
women have banded themselves into 
rainy-day clubs for the same purpose, 
without making any general impression. 
Suddenly the fashionable world took up 
golf, which our Scotch friends have been 
unexcitedly playing for many genera¬ 
tions, and with the game we have ac¬ 
quired two of our most comfortable out¬ 
door garments, the short skirt and the 
warm, snug golf cape. There is little 
doubt that, this Winter, short skirts will 
be worn to a very great extent. The 
only moral to be pointed in connection 
with this change in feminine sentiment 
is that comfort and common sense are 
powerless in effecting any dress reform, 
until fashion comes to their aid. 
Buttermilk Bread; Fruit Soups. 
J. R. C., Michigan.— 1. Can I use butter¬ 
milk in making bread? I have heard of its 
being used, but do not know whether it 
was ordinary yeast bread or not. 2. I have 
seen several references to fruit soups, and 
imagine that they would be a welcome 
change in the Summer. How are they 
made? 
Ans. —1. We have never made butter¬ 
milk bread, but the August issue of 
Table Talk contains the following rec¬ 
ipe, which is, no doubt, what you re¬ 
quire. You will notice that yeast is not 
used: 
“Heat one quart of buttermilk to the 
boiling point, stirring often to prevent 
curdling. Add one tablespoonful of 
sugar, pour into a bowl, sift in one 
quart of flour, and beat until smooth. 
Cover and let stand over night. Next 
morning add to the batter one teaspoon¬ 
ful of baking soda, dissolved in one- 
quarter of a cupful of hot water, two 
tablespoonfuls of melted butter and one 
scant tablespoonful of salt. Beat well, 
then sift in gradually enough flour to 
mix to a soft dough. Turn out on a 
well-floured board, and knead until 
smooth and velvety to the touch. Di¬ 
vide into three loaves, mold, place in 
greased pans, and bake at once in a 
moderate oven.” 
2. Fruit soups are made of almost any 
well-flavored fruit, cooked soft and 
mashed, with a little thickening, sugar 
and spice. They may be eaten either 
warm or cold; may be taken as a first 
course, or used as a drink during the 
meal. Though pleasant as a change, 
they are not very nutritious, and we 
should think that their chief place was 
as a substitute for tea or coffee. Apple 
soup is made as follows, and other fruit 
may be made into soup in the same way: 
Two cupfuls of tart apples, peeled and 
sliced; one cupful of rice. Cook all, 
with a little salt, in one quart of water 
until very soft; then rub through a 
sieve. Add three tablespoonfuls of 
sugar, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, a 
bit of lemon peel, and the yolk of an 
egg, well beaten. Last of all, stir in two 
cupfuls of boiling water and one table¬ 
spoonful of butter. It may be served hot 
or cold, and a spoonful of whipped 
cream may be dropped on the top of 
each cup. This fruit soup may form a 
desirable dish for the children’s supper, 
to be eaten with bread or crackers. But¬ 
termilk soup is another foreign dish one 
rarely hears of here; 'it is made by thick¬ 
ening the buttermilk with one table¬ 
spoonful of flour and one tablespoonful 
of butter to each pint. A little salt is 
added, and the buttermilk is brought 
gradually to a boil, being stirred con¬ 
stantly to prevent curdling, and then 
poured over fried bread. Cooking brings 
out the acid, but once used to the taste, 
buttermilk soup will be found whole¬ 
some and pleasant. It is sometimes 
flavored with cinnamon or thickened 
with a beaten-up egg. 
