422 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
June 11 
Woman and 
The Home. 
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ 
FROM DAY TO DAY. 
Those women who carp at marriage, 
and declare that only in an independent 
life can they attain their highest de¬ 
velopment, may find much subject for 
thought in the life of Mrs. Gladstone. 
An heiress and a beauty, possessed of 
uncommon mental endowments, she sub¬ 
ordinated herself entirely to her dis¬ 
tinguished husband. Yet this unselfish 
devotion to his needs did not prevent her 
from constant philanthropic efforts, 
which exerted an undoubted influence 
upon national life. In a letter to the 
students of Newnham College, of which 
her daughter is dean, she said that the 
elevation of the moral and spiritual 
natures of those about us is the highest 
duty of this life. She asserted that 
woman’s political influence lies in the 
home ; there alone she leaves her stamp 
upon the destiny of nations. If we are 
ever induced to think that a home-loving, 
essentially feminine woman is an un¬ 
suitable wife for a man in the midst of 
the distractions of a brilliant public 
career, we need only turn to the example 
of the Grand Old Man and his 60 years 
of domestic happiness. 
* 
Last year, many of the thin shirt 
waists had three horizontal inch-wide 
tucks across the front. This year, some 
of the newer styles show these tucks re¬ 
peated until three of them are below the 
arms, giving the effect of the horizontal 
braiding seen on the Winter blouses. 
This is very becoming to a narrow or 
unformed figure. All the thinner shirt 
waists are tucked, and favor seems to be 
bestowed equally upon the style de¬ 
scribed above, bias tucks meeting in a 
point in the middle, and vertical tucks 
from throat to waist. The horizontal 
tucks are pretty if made in groups of 
three, each three-eighths inch wide, sep¬ 
arated by a spacing the width of the 
group. A tucked shirt waist of white 
dimity is cool and dainty, and may be 
made at home very easily, the expense 
being much less than if bought ready¬ 
made. In heavier materials, the tucks 
are less desirable, though often used. 
Plaid or check gingham or madras waists 
are almost invariably made with bias 
front. Some elaborately-made waists 
noted have the front on the bias, with a 
diamond pattern of tiny tucks outlining 
the plaid. Most of the waists are now 
fastened with flat pearl buttons, instead 
of being made for the wearing of studs. 
The studs have such a trick of pulling 
out of the buttonholes that the change 
to adequate buttons is to be commended. 
* 
Styles in washing frocks, either for 
children or their elders, follow the gen¬ 
eral pattern of the heavier materials. 
The deep Spanish flounce, especially 
when deeper at the back than the front, 
is very pretty for a washing skirt. It is 
wiser to gather such a flounce, instead 
of cutting it in the gored shape fitting 
smoothly at the top, because the gored 
flounce may sag out of shape when 
laundered. A pretty waist for such a 
suit is smoothly fitted at the back, but 
slightly bloused in front, having a broad 
sailor collar. The collar is open in a 
large V in front, this space being filled 
with a chemisette of tucks, embroidery, 
or contrasting material, having a close 
stock collar. The sailor collar may be 
edged with a frill, either of embroidery 
or of the same material, which may be 
carried down the front to the waist. 
Plain coat sleeves are used, with this 
gown. If carefully made, this is very 
stylish and becoming, in any pretty 
cotton material. Red cambric with a 
tiny white figure makes up very prettily 
with a chemisette of white piqu6 and a 
white canvas or leather belt. Such a 
suit, made at home, need not cost over 
$2.50, and is pretty enough to wear any¬ 
where. 
* 
A recent writer in The R. N.-Y., giv¬ 
ing suggestions to small fruit growers, 
advises the employment of girls rather 
than boys as berry pickers, on the ground 
that they do not disturb other pickers by 
whistling, swearing or boisterous con¬ 
duct, while they are quicker to learn and 
much more obliging than boys. The 
same qualities described by this fruit 
grower give girls the preference over 
boys in many small handicrafts. Where 
strength and staying power are required, 
boys have the preference ; for this rea¬ 
son, the self-supporting girl should try 
to excel in the qualities that give her an 
advantage. 
AN UP-TO-DATE KITCHEN. 
The kitchen shown in Fig. 185 is com¬ 
plete and up-to-date, particular care 
having been given to the plumbing. 
The especial feature for which the 
picture was chosen is the position of the 
hot-water tank. Instead of standing 
vertically at the left end of the range, 
as usually seen, this boiler is hoisted 
horizontally above the fireplace, where 
it is suspended by iron braces firmly 
pantry, having swinging doors opening 
into the two rooms. The pantry is sup¬ 
plied with molding-board, and all the 
appliances for bread and cake-making, 
so that this is not necessarily done in the 
kitchen. 
FEEDING THE FAMILY. 
WHAT PROPORTION OF THE INCOME SHALL 
WE SPEND IN FOOD ? 
We have been much interested in discussions 
concerning the proper proportion of the family 
income to be spent upon the table. All the state¬ 
ments so far published relate to city or suburban 
families, whose conditions are entirely different 
from those of the farm housewife. Do you keep 
an account of your table expenses, and if so, how 
much a week, for each person, would you con¬ 
sider an average expenditure ? What proportion 
of the bill of fare is contributed by the farm or 
poultry yard ? In what directions can you best 
lower the general expenses by buying food ma¬ 
terials in quantity ? In buying such materials, 
do you always consider the nutritive value in 
proportion to the cost ? 
Viewed from the Village. 
No, I do not keep an account of my 
table expenses. They vary little from 
one season to another, and it seems of 
little moment. I think, if one had time 
to keep such accounts properly, it would 
serve several purposes, not the least of 
which would be the ability to know just 
how much is spent for palate instead of 
blood. I live in a suburban village, and 
bolted in place. It is thus entirely out 
of the way, and does not occupy any 
floor space, giving an opportunity to 
clean the space around the range, with¬ 
out knocking the fingers on the boiler 
supports, which usually seem in the 
way. The boiler is jacketed with nar¬ 
row matched boards. 
At the right, is a large dresser, ex¬ 
tending from ceiling to floor, nearly the 
whole width of the kitchen. It contains 
shelves, drawers and closets, sufficient 
to contain all the kitchen necessities. 
At one end of the dresser, is a chute ex¬ 
tending from the bathroom to the 
laundry in the basement, a clothes ham¬ 
per being placed underneath. Soiled 
clothes are thrown down this, thus re¬ 
moving them from the living and sleep¬ 
ing rooms without extra steps. 
The ceiling and walls of this con¬ 
venient kitchen are painted; the floor 
of matched boards is oiled. The sink, 
at the side opposite to the range, has all 
its plumbing open to the light of day. 
The closet under the sink, and the wood¬ 
work around a bath-tub, are both things 
of the past; during their reign, they 
were, undoubtedly, responsible for much 
dirt and disease. This kitchen is separ¬ 
ated from the dining-room by a large 
buy table supplies for a large family. 
It costs us less than $1 a week for each 
person. I think, on a farm, this could 
easily be reduced one-half if wheat, 
pork, milk, poultry, eggs, garden vege¬ 
tables and fruits could be had without a 
cash outlay. When I am a farmer’s wife, 
the grocer who gets my trade must go to 
Klondike for gold. 
From experience, I can say that it 
pays to buy in quantities. One can often 
get 30 per cent off, and if there is a cool, 
dry storeroom, things keep as well there 
as on a grocer’s shelves. A small quan¬ 
tity left in a paper bag is often wasted, 
or if not enough is at hand, a more elab¬ 
orate dish may have to be prepared to 
help out, and all of us know how it is to 
find ourselves out of some ingredients at 
the last moment. 
Whenever possible, it is best to buy 
for cash; merchants are working for 
cash customers. It is best to buy of a 
well-established grocer who has no other 
lines of business. If he has clerks, it is 
well to deal directly with the proprietor, 
for he will soon learn one’s tastes, and 
serve one more expeditiously. Do not 
patronize the storekeeper who resorts to 
special sales, or gives premiums to sell 
his goods. What a woman desires is 
the worth of her money, and no more. 
Most certainly, an article should be 
valued only for its nutritive value. Un¬ 
til we compare food as food with the 
price, we cannot buy judiciously. Baker’s 
bread and similar foods have no right on 
our tables, if we desire health and 
wealth. Whole-wheat-flour bread should 
be the mainstay ; around that should be 
life-giving dishes that will tend only to 
strengthen brain and brawn. J. J. G. 
Illinois. 
Larger Part Homegrown. 
We do not keep an account of our table 
expenses, as we buy but a small percent¬ 
age of our food. We think $2 per week 
would buy all the food consumed by one 
member of our family, if everything was 
purchased. With the exception of sugar, 
tea, coffee, rice, crackers, pepper, spices, 
oatmeal, and some small purchases of 
fresh meat and lemons, we raise our own 
table supplies. Sometimes we find it 
more profitable to buy onions cabbage 
and cauliflower, than to grow them in 
small quantities. Our eggs and poultry 
are eaten when wanted, and form a con- 
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