1898 
567 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
and pies, as frequently as the masculine 
temper allows, honoring all sorts of 
cereals and fruits with an acknowledged 
place on the hill of fare, all seem steps 
in the line of sensible administration. 
Encouraging the children to acquire a 
liking for everything wholesome, and 
experimenting with all sorts of break¬ 
fast dishes that enlarge the variety be¬ 
yond the monotonous rounds of potato 
and meat, meat and potato, seem good 
avenues for effort. 
As to the third meal of the day, what¬ 
ever helps to make this a contrast in 
Summer to the slippers of cold-weather 
nights, seems worth while. Surely we 
who, rising early, breakfast heartily and 
dine over-abundantly at midday, have 
no need to tempt the appetite with 
relishes and sweets at night. Against 
our bountiful breakfasts, should be, to 
keep the balance evenly set for health, 
a rather abstemious meal at the day’s 
end. When milk is not disliked or found 
ill-suited to the individual, nothing seems 
better chosen than a supper of bread and 
milk ; bread and butter, berries or stewed 
fruit and a glass of milk being a substi¬ 
tute for those who prefer it, or the two 
being alternated for the sake of variety. 
Cookies and simple sorts of cake are, of 
course, not out of place. 
It has become so much the custom to 
make cakes rich and over-sweet with fill¬ 
ings and frostings of various sorts, that 
it seems as though, for the sake of our 
stomachs, the next move should be to 
set rich cakes aside as dainties for birth¬ 
day celebrations, holidays and company. 
If we wear our best dresses every day, 
there’s nothing seems fine for Sunday, 
and to let children lose the pleasure there 
might be in simple treats because every¬ 
day indulgence has made everything 
common, seems a real pity, even though 
no serious question of deranged diges¬ 
tions were at stake. p. t. primrose. 
On the Wing. 
THE WARDS OF THE REPUBLIC. 
NKW YORK STATE SOLDIERS’ AND SAILORS' 
HOME. 
[editorial correspondence.] 
A Veterans’ Resting Place. — We 
may not open a daily paper now with¬ 
out reading some deed of heroism, some 
hairbreadth escape, upon the field of 
battle. It is nearly 40 years since our 
people were stirred by similar scenes, 
and a new crop of heroes is taking the 
place of the old. The men who marched 
and fought in the Sixties, are passing 
away, but there is quite an army of 
them yet, and many of them are cared 
for by the Republic. The main institu¬ 
tion of New York State for the care of 
aged and disabled soldiers and sailors is 
at Rath, Steuben County. This is a 
model institution of its kind, and is a 
village in itself. The beautiful site of 
the Home, and its well-kept surround¬ 
ings, make it a park or show place for 
the town of Bath. 
The Home and Its Surroundings.— 
The entry to the grounds is shaded by 
fine trees, the site being rolling land, 
sloping up to a steep hillside at the rear. 
Well-kept grass and bright flower beds 
add to the attractiveness of the place. 
One meets blue-clad veterans every¬ 
where ; some working, some strolling 
about, and some resting with the apathy 
of tired old age. There are great groups 
of buildings, new and old, and high 
above them, on the sloping hillside, a 
grassy field surrounded by trees, where 
more than 1,100 white headstones stand 
at attention, to mark the resting place 
of those who have answered their last 
roll-call. That quiet cemetery was a sad 
sight to me, suggesting a lonely end 
away from home or kindred ; but as the 
quartermaster observed, with military 
decision, “Where would they be better 
than among their old comrades ? Uncle 
Sam takes care of them living, and lays 
them away decently when dead, and 
that’s more than their own kin is willing 
to do, in a good many cases ! ” 
The Care of the Inmates. —The man¬ 
agement of such an institution as this is 
naturally different from one where the 
wards are young or able-bodied. They 
are all men past middle life—none, I be¬ 
lieve, under 50—many of them partly 
disabled by wounds or sickness. A few 
of them look hale and vigorous, in spite 
of the encroachments of age, but the 
majority seem unfit for any sustained 
effort. The more vigorous among them 
assist in work about the garden, and 
other small occupations, renovate mat¬ 
tresses, and aid in the laundry ; but they 
receive a small fixed sum of wages for 
this work. There is, also, a squad of 50 
detailed to wait at mess in the dining- 
hall, the men taking turns in this work, 
but of course, they are not paid for this. 
Military Discipline in the Home.— 
Naturally it would be impossible to pre¬ 
serve order among so many, all adults of 
fixed habits, without efficient manage¬ 
ment. The routine and government are 
those of a camp ; the superintendent is a 
military officer; the steward is a mili¬ 
tary quartermaster, and certain of the 
men, as a reward for trustworthy char¬ 
acter, are appointed as sergeants, and 
given authority over a certain number 
of the veterans. The inmates are allowed 
perfect liberty, so long as their conduct 
is good ; but they require a pass to leave 
the grounds, and this may be revoked for 
violation of rules. I witnessed the ad¬ 
ministration of justice at headquarters, 
when the officer of the day and the ser¬ 
geants came to make their reports to the 
commanding officer. Several offenders 
were brought forward, who had dis¬ 
turbed the order of the Home in divers 
ways—all white-haired and wholesome- 
looking old men, who acknowledged 
their offenses with a cheerful frankness 
which rather astonished me. Comment¬ 
ing upon this to Major O'Connor, the 
quartermaster, he remarked that any 
untruthful evasion or denial on their 
part would simply add to their punish¬ 
ment, so perfect candor became the part 
of wisdom. Some of the offenders had 
their passes taken from them for a time, 
or, where the previous record was very 
good, the white pass, which allowed 
them liberty for both day and evening, 
was revoked, and a green pass, which 
compels the holder to be within bounds 
by 5 p. m., was substituted. Others there 
were who appeared to be frequent offend¬ 
ers, and these were ordered into snug 
harbor for a stated time. I was curious 
to learn the whereabouts of this mys¬ 
terious snug harbor. I found upon in¬ 
quiry that the law does not permit the 
imprisonment of these veterans, except 
for a few hours, no matter of what 
breach of rules they may be guilty. Some 
punishment is, however, necessary. In 
snug harbor, they have comfortable 
quarters, without any restraint, but they 
are deprived of shoes, hats, and outdoor 
clothes ; consequently, they must stay 
there. 
The Canteen. —When the State au¬ 
thorities decided upon the establishment 
of a canteen at the Home, there was a 
strong outcry against it, for the best 
sentiment of the people is opposed to 
this. But it is only fair to give the other 
side of this view. The inmates of the 
Home are all old men of fixed habits. 
They have no future; their lives, in 
many cases, would seem failures, meas¬ 
ured by worldly eyes, and they have 
nothing more to look forward to. Some 
are quite friendless and alone ; others 
are cast aside by their kindred. Some¬ 
times such loneliness is the result of an 
irregular life, of which the foundations 
were laid in the camp and field. But it 
is obvious that to change the habits of 
such men is impossible, under the rules 
governing the institution. From the 
management of the Home, every incen¬ 
tive is given to total abstinence, both by 
precept and example ; but the men have 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs. Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
perfect liberty outside, and are then un¬ 
controlled. It was felt that the estab¬ 
lishment of a canteen would give some 
control over their drinking, and this ap¬ 
pears to be the case. Perhaps we shall 
not have the same question come up 
with our next crop of veterans ; public 
sentiment has changed greatly since the 
Sixties, and we may now look with re¬ 
spect upon plenty of cold-water soldiers. 
The Home Farm. —There is an exten¬ 
sive farm attached to the Home. As the 
number of inmates varies from 1,100 to 
1,400, a large quantity of supplies is 
needed for their subsistence. By efficient 
management in farm and garden, the 
table supplies are varied to a generous 
extent, while the cost is kept to a moder¬ 
ate figure. The average annual cost per 
capita, for maintenance, is about $133. 
Of this, the State pays one-third, the 
Government two-thirds. As 25 bushels 
many of the men have small pensions, 
and, if not disabled, they have the oppor¬ 
tunity of adding to their pocket money 
by various small chores. The food sup¬ 
plied them, judging from what I saw 
(and tasted), is excellent, varied, and 
well cooked. Uncle Sam takes good care 
of his wards. This home being for the 
men only, a good many are necessarily 
separated from their wives, but at Ox¬ 
ford, N. Y., there is a home for old sol¬ 
diers and their wives. This, however, 
bars men who have contracted recent 
marriages. It is a shameful fact that 
there are women ready to marry these 
poor old battered veterans merely for 
the sake of the pension accruing to a 
soldier’s widow, and it is to shut out 
these harpies that the Oxford home shuts 
out people whose marriage is later than, 
I believe, 1880. E. T. R. 
of potatoes are required for a cooking, 
it will be seen that the consumption of 
farm products is large. A large herd of 
cows is kept, for whose benefit a capa¬ 
cious tub silo has been erected, and a 
quantity of swine are fattened cheaply 
upon the table waste. A great variety 
of vegetables is grown. The diet at the 
Home is very much more liberal than in 
ordinary charitable institutions. The 
sewage is deodorized and disposed of as 
described at the Craig Colony, the liquid, 
after cleansing, flowing through sewage 
beds planted to cabbage. 
How They Keep House. —We think it 
isn't very easy to keep house for a family 
of eight or ten. But think of having a 
family of over 1,000 on one's hands! 
There is, of course, a matron of the 
Home, but the responsible provider, who 
must see that there is enough food to go 
around, and that the potatoes are prop¬ 
erly cooked and that the coffee bowls 
are wiped clean, and that the dish towels 
are in order, and a thousand and one 
other things, is the quartermaster. He 
has a great responsibility as buyer of 
supplies, and must keep track of the 
market conditions, to buy to the best ad¬ 
vantage. There are seven barracks occu¬ 
pied as dormitories, and a dining-hall 
capable of seating over 1.000. The laun¬ 
dry washes over 5,000 pieces a week. 
Some of the men like to wash out a few 
things themselves, and for their con¬ 
venience, a small laundry is equipped, 
where they have such liberty. The num¬ 
ber of inmates appears to be on the in¬ 
crease, especially during the Winter. 
Many of the veterans leave the Home 
during the Summer, to visit friends, re¬ 
turning with cold weather. A great 
There is a right chimney for 
every lamp. The Index gives 
you its Number. 
Your dealer should have it. 
Write Macbeth Pittsburgh Pa 
Won’t a live, wideawake, 
pushing, growing Dry 
Goods Store interest you ? 
We're not calling attention to an ex¬ 
periment, but to this business that has a 
record—built, maintained and growing 
by making it pay people to buy here— 
sells millions’ worth annually to people 
all over the United States, depends on 
and gets every bit of its growth by 
merit —choice goods and less prices. 
We want to interest and convince you 
with goods and prices—want them to be 
full proof of the earnest way we do busi¬ 
ness, and how important that way is to 
your pocketbook. 
Send for our illustrated catalogue— 
and for samples of any Silks, Dress 
Goods, or Wash Goods, you're interested 
in—and we think you'll be pleased, and 
be glad to know where to buy to such 
advantage as goods and prices will show 
you can. 
Find out specially about the 50-inch 
choice figured Black Mohairs at 35c.— 
lustrous good and useful any time of year 
—made to sell for not less than 50c. yard. 
Our Mail Order Department makes 
your buying here as satisfactory as if 
you came in person. Samples and cata¬ 
logue sent free. 
Please be sure to address your letters 
exactly this way: 
BOGGS & BUHL, 
Dept. C. Allegheny, Pa. 
1898 
High 
Grade 
BICYCLES 
or Men, Women, Girls 
"cBoys. Complete line. 
All brand new model Is. 
' *75 ‘Oakwood’ for *32.50 
*00 'Arlington* “ *24.50 
loner In Advance. Other, at *15, *17 aad *20 
WRIT* TODAI for SPECIAL 0FF2H. , 7.00 t. *12.50 
Shipped anywhere C.O.D. with privilege to examine. Buy 
direct from manufacturers,gave agents <fc dealers profits 
aarn Bias. Catalogs, rroa. CASH BUYERS* UNION, 
11* W. VaaBnrea Street, H-84S, Chit »**, Ilia. 
$9.50 BUYS A ait\D8 VICTOR iiAcamt 
Adapted to Light And Heavy Work. Reliable and Fine! 
FlnUhad; Guaranteed for 10 Yeara. Write for 40 Page Cal* 
lorn*. Attachment* Free. 80 DAYS FRU TRIAL. Addrwa 
Dtpi.899 f scroll MFU. CO., M&rkrt 
$50 Sewing Machine for $19.50. 
WITH ONE YEAR’S SUBSCRIPTION TO THE R. N.-Y., $20. 
We should he sorry if any reader of The R. N.-Y. in any part of the country 
should pay $40 or $50, or even $25 or $30 for a sewing machine. We would be sorry 
because we can send him just as good a machine as is made for $19.50. The finish 
and appearance and attachments are in 
every way equal to the best machines 
made. We will send it ON TRIAL, freight 
paid, and you may return it at our ex¬ 
pense, if you are not satisfied ; you shall 
be the judge yourself. We shall sell them 
at this price only to subscribers. We have 
sold thousands of these machines to sub¬ 
scribers, and we have never had one re¬ 
turned. Several families in connection 
with The R. N.-Y. have them ; that is why 
we can praise them so highly. 
For $19.50, we will send the machine to 
any subscriber, freight paid to any address 
east of the Rocky Mountains. For $20, we 
include a year’s subscription. After a fair 
trial, we will return the money and pay 
freight both ways, if you are not satisfied. 
We will send it for a club of 10 subscriptions at $1 each, and $15 extra. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New York. 
