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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 15 
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Woman and | 
The Home. | 
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FROM DAY TO DAY. 
This world at best Is but a bash of pleasure and 
of pain; 
Some days are bright and sunny, and some all 
sloshed with rain. 
And that’s just how it ought to be, for when 
the clouds roll by, 
We’ll know just how to ’preciate the bright and 
smiling sky. 
So learn to take it as it comes, and don’t sweat 
at the pores 
Because the Lord’s opinion don’t coincide with 
yours; 
But always keep rememberin’ when cares your 
path enshroud, 
That God has lots of sunshine to spill behind the 
cloud. —James Whitcomb Riley. 
* 
A masculine correspondent from Kan¬ 
sas speaks a good word for corn-meal 
mush, but rightly says that its nutritive 
value and palatability depend much 
upon the way it is cooked. He makes 
the following suggestions : 
Use shortening as for corn bread. Stir in the 
meal before the water boils, as lumps are much 
more easily avoided. Cook thoroughly, but do 
not make stiff and dry. Add water if necessary. 
Do not make it heavy by piling too much on one 
plate. Eat with sugar or milk and sugar. Per¬ 
sons who have lost many teeth can masticate 
this much easier than bread, and those who are 
afflicted with starch dyspepsia may find that it 
agrees with them much better. 
* 
In one of the English papers, corre¬ 
spondents gave their views, recently, as 
to what class of self-supporting women 
would make the best wives. A great 
diversity of views was given, but the 
most extended evidence was in favor of 
trained nurses. One woman, belonging 
to a family which contained eight nurses, 
seven of whom are married, observes 
that hospital nursing does wonders for 
women. They must have good health 
to begin with, good temper is foremost 
in qualities demanded of them, and they 
see much that teaches them the necessity 
of tact, method and neatness. These 
qualities, accompanied by a nature not 
easily ruffled by trifles, do much toward 
making home happiness. We may all 
admit the value of the qualities de¬ 
scribed, and there is no reason why they 
should be the exclusive property of any 
one class. They may be cultivated in the 
home circle, as well as in the training 
school. 
* 
Tiie Japanese housewife does not have 
the care of an elaborately-arranged bed¬ 
room on her mind. When night comes, 
the bedding is brought out from the 
closet, where it has been put away dur¬ 
ing the day. One or two large, thick 
futons or cushions are spread directly on 
the mats of the bedrooms, and coverings, 
which look like enormous kimonos or 
clothes, are spread over them. Every 
traveler has told of the pillow made of a 
wooden box with a little cylindrical 
cushion on the top, but this kind of pil¬ 
low has gone out of fashion. Softer 
cylindrical pillows, made by stuffing a 
cloth bag with husks of buckwheat, are 
now more commonly used. In the Sum¬ 
mer, it is necessary to have mosquito 
nets, which generally inclose the whole 
room. The thought of the toy-like 
rooms, with floors covered with matting, 
and few places for lodgment of dust, 
seems delightful to a burdened Ameri¬ 
can housewife, though we would all feel 
seriously embarrassed by the sliding 
paper-covered partitions that seem to 
take away all sense of privacy in a 
Japanese house. 
* 
The death of Queen Louise of Den¬ 
mark recalls the title affectionately be¬ 
stowed upon her by her people, that of 
“ Mother-in-law of Europe,” for this 
would seem the only case where the 
name of mother-in-law has been be¬ 
stowed as a complimentary distinction. 
The career of this queen seems almost 
like a fairy tale, for she married a poor 
lieutenant in the army who eked out his 
income by giving drawing lessons, and 
Queen Louise was obliged to be the most 
frugal of housekeepers, to bring up her 
six children with any degree of com¬ 
fort. The daughters made their own 
gowns, trimmed their own hats, and 
helped in the housekeeping, like the 
daughters of any plain American citi¬ 
zen, until Dame Fortune made their 
father a reigning monarch. One daugh¬ 
ter became Empress of Russia, a second 
Princess of Wales and empress prospec¬ 
tive ; the third married the wealthy 
Duke of Cumberland, who is by right 
King of Hanover. The good sense, tact 
and discretion which Queen Louise pos¬ 
sessed in a high degree had much to do 
with the eminent fortunes of her chil¬ 
dren, who repaid her with tender affec¬ 
tion. This queen was beloved and re¬ 
spected for the very qualities which 
every good housemother should possess 
—those qualities whose price is above 
rubies, as Israel’s wise king declared. 
Talent, rank or genius have far less to 
do with the world’s comfort and happi¬ 
ness than the homespun virtues we may 
all attain. 
FOUR FARM DINNERS. 
This is a true account of four real din¬ 
ners, the one most vividly remembered 
first: One cold November morning, 
after an early hurried breakfast, we took 
a 40-mile ride on the cars, and a 14-mile 
carriage ride. When we reached our des¬ 
tination, a comfortable-looking house, on 
one of the most fertile spots in Michi¬ 
gan, it was near noon, and we were 
tired, cold and hungry. After a wel¬ 
come and a good warm by the kitchen 
fire, we were asked to have dinner. 
Everything was spotlessly clean, and 
our hostess had evidently done her best 
on short notice, but the only eatables on 
that table were good bread and a big dish 
of mashed potatoes ! Salt; yes, we had 
salt, but no butter or milk (the cow was 
dry). A cup of tea and brown sugar for 
seasoning finished the dinner, from 
which we got up hungry Our host 
owned his farm, but, apparently, be¬ 
lieved in selling its produce and buying 
as little as possible to take its place. 
Another dinner was taken with a rather 
giddy young couple in the suburbs, who 
get as many good times out of their farm, 
and do as little work, as possible. Here 
we had oyster soup, rather thin—a quart 
had to be diluted pretty well to make it 
go the rounds—crackers, a plate of 
bologna sausage, baker’s bread, grocery 
butter, cheese, and a small mince pie, 
also from the baker. These were wash¬ 
ed down by a brown decoction called 
coffee, by courtesy. 
A Thanksgiving dinner comes to mind 
next. Invitations were out for two 
weeks, “ Dinner at 2 o’clock sharp, so 
the company can get home chore time.” 
We were there on time, but the dinner 
was not, and chaos seemed to reign in 
the kitchen, among the numerous help¬ 
ers of the cook. At sundown we were 
called to dinner; the table glittered 
with china and silver, the turkey looked 
superb; but at the first stroke of the 
carver, blood followed the knife. We 
lost our appetites—raw turkey ! ugh ! 
A mammoth chicken pie came on next, 
and revived our hungry hopes, but alas ! 
the cook had forgotten her baking pow¬ 
der ! However, the chicken was good, 
and the varied assortment of vegetables 
was nicely cooked, cakes and pastry 
abounded, and we didn’t arise hungry, 
although the dinner could scarcely be 
called a success. 
The fourth dinner in the natural course 
of events, ought to have been chronicled 
sooner, for I helped to eat it in a little 
log house in Wisconsin, one June day, in 
my girlhood. We were unexpected guests, 
Mother and I, and were very tired after 
a novel ride over corduroy roads. Dinner 
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