FROM DAY TO DAY. 
EARLY all those writing their ex¬ 
perience for the school symposium 
suggest that the greatest difficulty in 
home education is keeping regular hours, 
and carrying out an orderly system. 
There is another deficiency, too, that is 
not touched upon, and that is the lack 
of the incentive to study supplied by 
emulation with other members of the 
same class. Two or three eager students 
will often raise the average of the whole 
class. There is the likelihood, too, that 
subjects uninteresting to both pupil and 
mother will be rather slighted in the 
general plan of study. These strictures 
apply more to the home education of 
older children. The younger ones, in 
our opinion, should always receive their 
first instruction from the mother, unless 
there is opportunity to go to a kinder¬ 
garten. 
* 
Among the pretty accessories to dress 
now displayed in the large shops, are 
full vests of lawn or batiste to be worn 
under a blazer or Eton jacket. They are 
in shape like a sleeveless waist button¬ 
ing down the back, the front full, but 
not hanging in a bag, as it did last year. 
The front is shirred at the waist line by 
a draw-string, so that it is easily ironed. 
The stock collar is plain or shirred, often 
finished with a ruching, narrow in the 
front, and deeper in the back. Some of 
the prettiest are of white mull or dotted 
swiss, the front trimmed with rows of 
narrow width lace, either vertical or hori¬ 
zontal. Flowered dimities make very 
pretty vests, especially if lined with a 
bright color, like some of the very smart 
dimity shirt waists. Vests of this style 
make a pretty change with an outing 
suit, looking more dressy than an ordi¬ 
nary shirt waist, and they can be made 
very cheaply. 
* 
These vests recall some of the beauti¬ 
ful shirt waists noted this year. Many 
of the flowered muslins are worn over 
silk under-waists of a contrasting or 
harmonizing color ; others are lined 
throughout with the contrasting silk. 
A shirt waist of washing material with 
a silk lining seems rather an absurdity 
to a woman of frugal habits. These are 
often very elaborately trimmed with 
lace and embroidery. One example 
noted was of twine-colored sheer batiste, 
trimmed with white lace and embroid¬ 
ery, and lined with pale green silk. 
There are, however, plenty of the plain 
shirt waists with stiff collars and cuffs, 
and their popularity is in no wise lessen¬ 
ing. Among the materials for summer 
skirts to be worn with shirt waists, are 
linen homespun, in the same unbleached 
gray or twine-color as the crash skirts 
of last season, but the weave is quite 
distinct. Some are twilled, some woven 
in stripes, and some show basket effects. 
Many wearers of the crash skirts last 
summer complained that they lost shape 
very badly when washed, pulling at the 
seams so much that no effort could pre¬ 
vent them from hanging awry. It re¬ 
mains to be seen whether the new 
weaves are free from this objection, a 
very serious one in a washing skirt. 
A SCHOOL SYMPOSIUM. 
WHEN AND HOW TO START THE CHILD. 
(Concluded from last iveek.) 
School Matters in Washington. 
I believe very little in preparatory 
eduction for a young child, except in 
the matter of training. A child should 
have all the pleasure possible before the 
age of six ; I do not mean extravagant 
pleasures, or allowing the child to have 
its own will in all ways. A child well 
trained at home will cause a teacher no 
trouble in school, and the teacher, whose 
business it is, will soon impart to the child 
the first rudiments of reading and spell¬ 
ing, where it would require many hours 
of time that should be employed in recrea¬ 
tion and rest on the mother’s part. The 
mother who has properly trained her 
child up to the age of six, has wisely 
prepared the way for easy training for 
both the teacher and herself in after 
years. Where there is school nine 
months of the year, it is as well not to 
send a child to school before seven, 
unless it be to the kindergarten, which 
affords the most admirable training for 
young children. 
It is, indeed, a most difficult matter 
for the busy mother to train and edu¬ 
cate her children at home. We were 
compelled to try this plan a few years 
ago, as there was no school in our 
vicinity at the time. In this case, the 
three oldest girls were allowed to study 
in the morning, from nine until ten, 
around the kitchen table, I overseeing 
them while at work. In the afternoon, 
they recited their lessons and had other 
lessons given them for the next day. 
They were taught only reading, spell¬ 
ing, writing and arithmetic. 
We are quite dissatisfied with the 
present system of country schools in our 
own State. The country schools with 
which we have had to do are ungraded, 
the districts so deeply in debt that first- 
class teachers could not be employed. 
In this State, fine school buildings 
have been built by bonding the districts ; 
as a result, the different counties are 
deeply in debt, and can in many cases 
have only short terms of school each 
year, and also employ cheap teachers. 
MABEL H MONSEY. 
Experience from Wisconsin. 
Surrounded with books, pictures, and 
papers from their earliest recollections, 
our little ones believe that they are full 
of good things which “ going to school ” 
will help them to enjoy, and the words 
“school,” and “study,” and “learn” 
mean the same. The next important 
part of their “ preparatory education ” 
is all their father’s work. He began 
when our first baby was in his third 
year, to take the little fellow with him 
to the postoffice, the village store, the 
gristmill, etc. The other children have 
enjoyed the same favor. This has been 
of such real benefit to them that I often 
think it is a pity that more fathers do 
not give themselves the pleasure of look¬ 
ing at their familiar roads and places 
through the bright eyes of inquiring 
babyhood. They have learned to count, 
have gained some idea of direction and 
local geography, and learned to read, 
spell, and write or print short words 
before going to school. When near the 
schoolhouse, the teacher has allowed 
them to come home at 11 o’clock and 
again at 3, a most excellent practice. 
In Wisconsin, four years is the earliest 
legal school age. I do not believe it is 
right to send a child to school at that 
age. In the first district school I taught, 
was a sweet, patient little boy of four. 
I used to let him sit on the floor in baby 
content, and whittle. If any mother 
thinks of sending her little one to school, 
let her begin to-day. Give the child 
the easiest chair in the house and require 
him to sit there quietly without speak¬ 
ing 13^ hour. After a few trials, I think 
that she will understand how wrong it 
is to send him where he must be quiet 
in justice to the older ones. I feel 
deeply on this subject. The bright little 
boy of my nearest neighbor has been 
seriously, probably permanently, in¬ 
jured by sitting at school where his feet 
could not touch the floor, and by being 
pushed ahead by injudicious teachers. 
We have taught our children at home. 
They studied the text books and recited 
their lessons sometimes while 1 made 
bread, washed dishes, sewed, etc. (I am 
not called a perfect housekeeper.) But 
when their father has heard the lessons, 
they have always reached further, the 
questions have seemed to require larger 
answers, and deeper thought. No “ sys¬ 
tem ” that any “ busy housewife ” may 
undertake can be as successful without 
a husband’s help as with it. 
In our district, all the families except 
two are foreigners. They send their 
children to school very young. As soon 
as they can work well, boys and girls 
alike are kept at home to work, except 
a few weeks in winter. Many of the 
“ graduates ” from our school cannot 
read well in a Second reader, write a let¬ 
ter, or recite one word of history, gram¬ 
mar or geography, and they have very 
little knowledge of arithmetic. The only 
hope of reform lies with the young peo¬ 
ple. The old folks cannot change from 
customs handed down for generations. 
In answering the last question, the 
old saying, “ An ounce of prevention is 
worth a pound of cure,” is applicable. 
In Wisconsin, women hold the office of 
county superintendent of schools, and 
vote for school district officers. The 
more progressive women and men should 
know who are the best teachers in their 
county. They should elect school boards 
who will hire only competent teachers. 
After the teacher comes among them, 
they should treat her kindly, seek her 
acquaintance, prove by actions that they 
consider her calling a noble one, worthy 
of her best efforts, and that they take 
deep interest in all matters pertaining 
to the good of their school. Better yet, 
impress their children by word and deed, 
with the truth that the teacher is with 
them to help them. When parents 
openly advocate a teacher, their children 
do riot usually do otherwise. But, I am 
free to confess that we have many times 
taken our children out of school because 
we were justly “ dissatisfied with the ex¬ 
isting management.” aunt susan. 
Visit the Schools. 
I think that my children all knew the 
alphabet, had some idea of adding small 
numbers, and were able to make a part 
of the letters when they first went to 
school. Some of them could read short 
sentences. The school age with us is 
six years, a good age for children to be¬ 
gin school work. I have not felt that I 
could spare my babies from my home to 
attend the kindergarten, neither have I 
learned, by comparing the school work 
of my children with that of children 
who received kindergarten teaching, 
that they suffered by my decision. 
It would be impossible to arrange a 
plan of education that would exactly 
suit all families of children, or all chil¬ 
dren of one family. A child who has 
no desire to learn, may circumvent every 
attempt of the busy house-mother to 
make a student of him, while the child 
who is determined to learn, will advance 
with almost no help. I recall the in¬ 
stance of a boy, who, for three years, 
lived too far from school to attend; he 
was obliged to study, but seldom learned 
a lesson willingly. The offer of prizes 
did not tempt him to do better work. 
His little sister found letters she did not 
know on every piece of paper she picked 
up, and insisted on being given names 
for them. That child made rapid prog¬ 
ress. The mother, as well as the teacher, 
must study the child, and find something 
to appeal to his higher nature. 
The schools of our district are most 
excellent. At present, I have nothing 
but good to say of them. I consider it a 
great mistake that the text-books are 
not bought in quantity and furnished 
the pupils free. Oftentimes the dis¬ 
satisfied parent is one who is least ac¬ 
quainted with the teacher’s work. The 
individual course to be pursued is to 
visit the schools. Become acquainted 
with the teacher and her methods of 
work. Unite your influence with hers. 
In union there is strength, here as else¬ 
where. s. E. H. 
Colorado. 
FOR BABY'S COMFORT. 
COMFORTABLE baby is a peace¬ 
able one. To insure comfort, a 
baby must be kept warm and wear easy 
clothing. It is natural for a baby to 
love to cuddle down into something 
warm and soft, especially when sleepy. 
My experience is that there is nothing 
better than an oblong clothes basket for 
baby’s bed for the first six months of its 
life. Such a one has served as a bed 
night and day for my two babies. During 
the day, it rested on a large square 
stool, being up from floor drafts, and so 
that we could rock it a little when 
necessary. At night, it stood on two 
chairs in front of the bed. It was easily 
carried from one room to another and 
even to the nearest neighbors. The 
basket may be fitted up as daintily as 
one wishes, lined inside with white 
muslin over a layer of wadding, ribbons 
tied on the handles, the outside draped 
with bright cambric, challie or silkaline, 
or the willow may be painted white, 
cream or cherry, or bronzed or gilded. 
The busy farmer’s wife does not find 
much time for fancy decorations, so our 
basket was lined inside and out with 
dark blue chambray-gingham. The out¬ 
side hung down in a sort of ruffle with a 
row of feather-stitching done in pale 
blue along the hem. The inside fittings 
were a pillow and cheesecloth com¬ 
forters. 
These same comforters are soft, pretty 
coverings for baby. I use two yards of 
cream-colored cheesecloth for one, mak¬ 
ing it a yard square, using a layer of 
cotton batting, and tying with pink or 
blue zephyr; featherstitch the edges with 
the zephyr. This is also nice to lay on 
the lap when dressing baby, and one 
mother tells me that she kept her babies 
pinned up in one for the first few weeks. 
After baby was dressed, she would lay 
it cornerwise of the comforter, bringing 
the corners at sides and one at its feet 
together in front, and pinning with a 
safety pin. The upper corner would be 
loose to bring over the head in case of a 
draft. This makes baby into a compact 
bundle, warm and easily handled. This 
should not be done, however, when baby 
is large enough to kick about; then 
there should be nothing to prevent free 
use of the limbs, not even a pinning 
blanket. Have short, light skirts, long, 
loose woolen hose, crocheted bootees, 
knit bands, and you have a comfortable 
baby. maby s. stelson. 
A mixture for removing grease spots, 
particularly from men’s clothing, is 
composed of four parts alcohol to one 
part ammonia and about half as much 
ether as ammonia. Apply the liquid to 
the spots and rub diligently with a 
spoDge and clear water. The alcohol 
and ether dissolve the grease, and the 
ammonia forms a lather of it, which is 
washed out with the water. 
HALL’S 
Vegetable Sicilian 
HAIR RENEWER 
Beautifies and restores Gray 
Hair to its original color and 
vitality; prevents baldness; 
cures itching and dandruff. 
A fine hair dressing. 
R. P. Hall & Co., Props., Nashua, N. H. 
Sold by all Druggists. 
