786 
October 29 , 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
From Day to Day. 
TIIE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT. 
It was six men o£ Indostan, 
To learning much inclined, 
They went to see the elephant 
(Though all of them were blind), 
That each by observation 
Might satisfy his mind. 
The first approached the elephant, 
And, happening to fall 
Against his broad and stifrdy side. 
At once began to bawl; 
“God bless me! but the elephant 
Is very like a wall.” 
The second, feeling of the tusk, 
Cried, “Ho ! what have we here, 
So very round and smooth and sharp? 
To me ’t is mighty clear 
This wonder of an elephant 
Is very like a spear!” 
The third approached the animal, 
And, happening to take 
The squirming trunk within his hands, 
Thus boldly up and spake: 
“I see,” quoth he, “the elephant 
Is very like a snake 1” 
The fourth reached out his eager hand 
And felt abojut the knee, 
“What most this wondrous beast is like 
Is mighty plain,” quoth he; 
“ ’Tis clear enough the elephant 
Is very like a tree!” 
The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, 
Said “E’en the blindest man 
Can tell what this resembles most; 
Deny the fact who can, 
This marvel of an elephant 
Is very like a fan 1” 
The sixth no sooner had begun 
About the beast to grope, 
Than seizing on the swinging tail, 
That fell within his scope, 
“I see,” quoTh he, “the elephant 
Is very like a rope!” 
And so these men of Indostan 
Disputed loud and long, 
Each in his own opinion 
Exceeding stiff and strong, 
Though each was partly ip the right, 
And all were in the wrong! 
MORAL: 
So oft in theologic wars, 
The disputants, I ween, 
Rail on in utter ignorance 
Of what each other mean, 
And prate about an elephant 
Not one of them has seen ! 
—John Godfrey Saxe (181G-18S7). 
* 
We find an old toothbrush the best tool 
for rubbing out spots with naphtha or 
gasoline. It is handier than a piece of 
cloth, and less likely to leave a mark. 
* 
A housekeeper who makes her own 
comfortables or bed puffs first covers the 
cotton with mosquito netting, tying as 
near together as usual. Over this the 
regular cover is put, tying once in six 
inches. The outside can thus be readily 
removed for washing, the filling being 
well sunned and aired, without wetting. 
* 
Golden cream toast is a desirable break¬ 
fast dish. Cut slices of stale bread into 
diamonds and toast t.o a pale brown, dry¬ 
ing slightly in the oven before browning. 
Make a rich white sauce of a pint of 
milk, three tablespoonfuls of butter, two 
tablespoonfuls of flour, half a teaspoon¬ 
ful of salt, a dusting of mace and a light 
dusting of pepper. Cook until smooth, 
add the grated yolks of three hard-boiled 
eggs and pour over the toasted bread. 
* 
Among women’s heavy shoes an admir¬ 
able model for Winter wear is made of 
soft, heavy calf, lined throughout with 
undyed kid. This not only gives addi¬ 
tional warmth, but makes the shoe easy 
to slip on and off. The inner sole is of 
felted wool, with a cork lining; common 
sense heels. These, shoes are made on a 
Stylish last and cost $5 a pair. One can 
buy a good serviceable calf shoe for $3 
to $4 a pair, and every woman should 
include such footgear in her Winter 
wardrobe. Another stylish Winter boot 
has vamp of enamel with box calf upper, 
stout extension sole and common sense 
heel. It is quite masculine in appearance, 
the upper part of the lacing passing under 
hooks instead of through eyelets. These 
can be bought as low as $3, or as high as 
$7. These heavy boots should of course 
be confined to outdoor wear. It is always 
restful to change the shoes on coming in¬ 
doors. 
* 
If the sewing machine seems gummed 
and runs hard, oil every place with kero¬ 
sene, and run rapidly for a few minutes. 
Then wipe off the bearings, oil with good 
machine oil, and it will be found to run 
easily. One is often unconsciously care¬ 
less with a sewing machine; it is a deli¬ 
cately adjusted tool, and should be treat¬ 
ed with respect. Cover it closely when 
not in use; do not expose it by an open 
window on a wet or foggy day, and see 
that it is properly cleaned. 
* 
Here is an honest confession from an 
Oregon farmer who tried to keep house 
while his wife and family went off hop¬ 
picking: 
The hardest of the cookin’ is to make 
bread; I’ve tried to get the holes into it like 
Ilauner does, but somehow I ain’t got on to it 
yet. I tried stickin’ it with a fork, but when 
1 get it baked there ain’t any holes left. I 
reckon they sort of evaporate in the oven. 
The last few times I've just took some cream, 
good and thick, and stirred flour into it and 
baked it that way. It does pretty well with 
a little salt. 
* 
A good many people still imagine that 
if they spell the word out in the presence 
of young children, instead of pronounc¬ 
ing it in the ordinary way, they are free 
from the proverbial danger of little 
pitchers. With the phonetic teaching of 
reading, however, times are changed, and 
one may fall into the same trouble as the 
following incident relates: Two women 
were recently calling on a new neighbor 
and while awaiting her appearance a little 
girl came into the room, evidently bent 
upon the rescue of a doll recently aban¬ 
doned there. Naturally she was viewed 
with some curiosity and one of the call¬ 
ers, secure in the child’s obviously tender 
age, spelled a low-voiced comment: 
“Not very p-r-e-t-t-y.” 
To her horror the small maiden paused 
on the threshold and, fixing a contempt¬ 
uous eye upon the culprit, remarked, with 
lofty composure: 
“No, not very p-r-e-t-t-y, but rather 
s-m-a-r-t!” 
* 
Readers familiar with the delightful 
books of travel written by Isabella L. 
Bird Bishop will regret to hear of her 
recent death. After many years of ad¬ 
venturous life, during which it is no ex¬ 
aggeration to say that she faced death 
in a thousand forms, she died quietly at 
home, living past three score years and 
ten. Mrs. Bishop, who was better known 
in this country as Miss Isabella L. Bird, 
the name she bore before her marriage 
to Dr. John Bishop in 1881, was regarded 
as one of the most daring women travel¬ 
ers who ever lived. She was born in 
Yorkshire on Oct. 15, 1S32. At the age 
of 22 she began to travel. She spent 
eight years traveling in the interior of 
Asia, rode 1,000 miles in Morocco, and 
made extensive journeys through Si¬ 
beria. She was connected with philan¬ 
thropic work in. various forms, especially 
in the medical mission field, and built 
five hospitals and an orphan asylum in 
the Far East. Mrs. Bishop wrote several 
books of travel, her best-known work be¬ 
ing “Unbeaten Tracks in Japan,” which 
was published in 1S80. She was the first 
woman to be elected a Fellow of the 
Royal Geographical Society, and was also 
an honorary member of the Oriental So¬ 
ciety of Peking. 
The Rural Patterns. 
A Norfolk coat of the new style, which 
would make an attractive suit with a 
walking skirt, is shown in No. 4845. The 
coat is made with fronts, that are cut in 
two portions each, back, side-backs and 
under-arm gores, the plaits being separate 
and applied over the seams, while the 
yoke is arranged over all. The sleeves 
are in one piece each and are laid in box 
4845 Norfolk Coat, 32 to 40 bust. 
plaits which are stitched for a portion of 
their length, their fullness forming puffs 
below, and are gathered into bands over 
which the cuffs are arranged. The belt 
is slipped under the plaits and closed at 
the center front. The quantity of material 
required for the medium size is 6J4 yards 
27 inches wide, 4 yards 44 inches wide or 
3/4 yards 52 inches wide. The pattern 
4845 is cut in sizes for a 32, 34, 36, 38 
and 40 inch bust measure; price 10 cents. 
Fitted coats with vest fronts are among 
the newest and smartest shown and are 
very generally becoming. No. 4860 in¬ 
cludes also the new sleeves, which are 
full at the shoulders, and a novel roll¬ 
over collar that is extended down the 
fronts. As illustrated the material is 
wood brown broadcloth with the vest of 
white cloth and the trimmings of velvet, 
but all suiting materials and all materials 
in vogue for coats of the sort are equally 
4860 Coat with Vest Front, 
32 to 40 bust. 
appropriate. The coat is made .with 
fronts, that are cut in two portions each, 
backs, side-backs and under-arm gores, 
the vest being separate and attached un¬ 
der the fronts on indicated lines. The 
sleeves are made in two portions each 
and are finished with roll-over cuffs at 
the wrists. The collar and revers finish 
the neck and front edges and are rolled 
over on to coat. The quantity of material 
required for the medium size is 354 yards 
27 inches wide, 2% yards 44 inches wide 
or 1 % yards 52 inches wide, with J4 yards 
of any width for vest. The pattern 4860 
is cut in sizes for a 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 
inch bust measure; price ten cents. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 8. 
The dealer who 
sells lamp-chim¬ 
neys to last, is 
either a shrewd 
or an honest man. 
Macbeth. 
How to take care of lamps, including the 
getting of right-shape chimneys, is in my 
Index; sent free. 
Macbeth, Pittsburgh. 
Banner Lye 
is easy to use 
No other lye is packed so safely and conven¬ 
iently, or Is «o economical—not a bit wasted. 
No other lye or soap cleans and disinfects so 
easily and thoroughly as Banner Lye. It is not 
Old-style lye. Odorless and colorless; the greatest 
cleanser and disinfectant the world has ever 
known. Use it for cleaning your kitchen, cellar, 
sinks, dairy, milk-pans and bottles, for softening 
water, and the labor of washing and cleaning 
will be cut in half. 
Makes pure soap 
and saves money besides. A 10-centcanof Banner 
Lye, 5)4 pounds of kitchen grease, ten minutes’ 
easy work (no boiling or large kettles), and you 
have 10 pounds of best hard soap or 20 gallons of 
soft soap. 
Banner Lye is sold by your grocer or druggists. 
Write to us for free booklet “ Uses of Banner Lye.” 
TliePennChemiealWorks Philadelphia,USA 
TELEPHONES 
AND LINK MATERIAL FOR 
FARMERS' LINES 
so simple you can build your own line. 
Instruction book and price list free. The 
Williams Telephone & Supply Co. 
77 Central Ave., Cleveland, O. 
^ SAVE K 2 your FUEL 
UlGKU BY USING THE 
ROCHESTER RADIATOR 
Fits any Stove or Furnace. Price from $2 to 
$12. Write for booklet on heating homes. 
ROCHESTER RADIATOR CO. 
39 Furnace St., Rochester, N. Y. 
ROYALTY PAID andMusicalComposltions ’ we 
-ON- 
& .... i>„ 
arrange & popularize, Address 
PIONEER PUB. CO., 
Learn Telegraphy and R, R. Accounting. 
$50 to $100 per month salary. Endorsed by all rail¬ 
roads. Write for catalog. Morse School of Tele¬ 
graphy, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Elmira, N. Y. 
IPS*' 
$S§ 
CUOTHlHcl 
THE 
HIGHEST STANDARD 
OP QUALITY 
FOR MORE THAN 
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.souitsr DEmtic nuimiytmmt. 
■J§ &- 
Did you get up with a headache? 
Bad taste in your mouth? Not much appetite for breakfast? 
Tongue coated ? Then you have too much bile in your system. 
Wake up your liver and get rid of some of this bile. Ayer’s 
Pills! Ayer’s Pills! Sold for over sixty years. Lowell, Mass. 
