FROM DAY TO DAY. 
According to an old saying, there are 
three companions with whom a man 
should keep upon good terms ; his wife, 
his conscience and his stomach. As the 
wife is very often the keeper of both 
her husband’s conscience and his diges¬ 
tion, it would appear that the first con¬ 
dition would be likely to include both 
of the others. 
* 
“ I dunno as the prodigal son was so 
very bad after all,” observes a shrewd 
old lady. “When he got home, he didn’t 
have no more to say. If he’d been like 
most folks nowadays, the fust thing 
he’d have done would have been to find 
fault with the way the fatted calf was 
cooked for him.” It is to be feared that 
the worthy woman spoke from personal 
experience. The unsatisfied person, 
whose anticipations are never realized, 
is most trying in the home circle, and 
we very often see the convenience of the 
entire home set aside because such a one 
must be placated by the best that can 
be offered. Unfortunately, it is, very 
often, one of the younger ones who is 
thus hard to please, and the patient 
house-mother or hard-working father 
puts aside his own desires that the criti¬ 
cal one may be pleased. It sometimes 
appears that unselfishness, when carried 
too far, may do as much to destroy the 
peace of a household as its reverse, since 
it permits the growth of undesirable 
qualities in others. 
* 
The stocks to be worn with linen col¬ 
lars this winter appear in many made- 
up forms, as well as those to be tied by 
the wearer. Many of them are made of 
ribbon—No. 18 or No. 20—three yards 
being required. This is cut into two 
pieces of equal length, which are fast¬ 
ened together at the back with a hook 
and eye, or ring covered with buttonhole 
twist. The stock is then put around the 
neck, and tied in front like a four-in- 
hand, being knotted very firmly. The 
stock is then unhooked at the back, and 
the knot caught firmly with a few 
stitches, so that it need not be tied again. 
The ends may be left as long as desired; 
usually, they reach the waist. Some¬ 
times the ends are left plain, but they 
are, also, shirred tightly and trimmed 
with a shirred lace knot. Some of the 
most fashionable stocks are brilliant 
plaids or broad cross-bar stripes. 
* 
Black haircloth remnants from old 
furniture may be made into very satis¬ 
factory bonnet brushes. A strip six 
inches wide should be raveled out at 
either end, leaving a strip 1% inch in 
the middle. The strip should then be 
rolled up very tight, and sewed together, 
the edges of the raveled portions being 
kept even. A piece of ribbon may be 
used to cover the middle. Such a brush 
will remove all the dust from a hat or 
bonnet, without scratching the surface, 
as an ordinary whisk broom will do. The 
hair cloth, raveled out, will also make 
good furniture dusters. 
MACARONI AND ITS USE. 
ACARONI, which forms the prin¬ 
cipal food of many Italians, is 
gradually increasing in use here and, 
when potatoes are scarce and dear, it 
will form a more desirable food in some 
ways than rice. It is, however, entirely 
without pure fat, and for this reason 
the fat should be supplied in the cook¬ 
ing. It is also deficient in protein, its 
chief constituents being the carbohy¬ 
drates or fat-formers, which are now 
regarded chiefly as fuel, it being con¬ 
sidered uncertain whether they are 
really converted into actual fat. We 
see by this that the use of cheese in 
cooking macaroni is not to be defended 
merely on the ground of palatability, 
but also because it contains needed 
elements in which the macaroni is de¬ 
ficient. Good cheese is rich in protein 
and pure fat, while comparatively de¬ 
ficient un carbohydrates, so we are 
balancing the ration when we add it to 
the macaroni. Macaroni is made from 
semola—the fine, hard parts of the 
wheat, ground by millstones after the 
bran has been extracted. This semola 
is placed in a kneading trough that is 
lined with iron and enough boiling 
water mixed with it for kneading pur¬ 
poses. The kneading is done by machin¬ 
ery, two men being generally required 
to propel the millstone that does the 
kneading, while a third man stands near 
the trough to place the paste properly 
under the millstone back and forth, to 
the right and left, as occasion requires. 
The paste, when kneaded to the proper 
consistency, is then placed in an iron 
cylinder having holes in the bottom, 
through which the paste is forced by 
pressure. A man standing near cuts 
the macaroni the proper length as it is 
forced through the holes. It is then 
placed on canes or long, thin horizontal 
poles for drying. 
It requires about 20 minutes to knead 
the dough, and from two to four hours 
to dry—according to the state of the 
atmosphere. It is then placed in damp 
cellars for 24 hours to “rest,” or to pre¬ 
vent its drying too rapidly on the out¬ 
side, as this would leave it damp within 
and make it brittle. After being taken 
from the cellar it is hung in the sun for 
a day and then wrapped in paper and 
packed in boxes. Many people make 
their own macaroni at home, and this is 
made in a slightly different manner. 
A pound of flour is mixed with four or 
five eggs and moistened with hot water. 
This is kneaded thoroughly, then rolled 
out very thin with a rolling-pin, left to 
dry for 15 or 20 minutes and then rolled 
up very tightly and thin slices cut from 
the end. As the slices fall apart they 
form strings of macaroni. Of course 
this macaroni is a little richer than that 
of commerce, as the flour is mixed with 
eggs, but the majority of Italians prefer 
buying the ready made article to taking 
the trouble to prepare it. 
Spaghetti, which is only about one- 
half the size of ordinary macaroni, is 
really nicer, as the macaroni swells so 
much in cooking. Vermicelli, still 
smaller, is used in soups. Whether the 
macaroni is stewed or baked, the pre¬ 
liminary treatment is the same. It is 
put into boiling salted water, and boiled 
for 20 or 30 minutes, until it is thor¬ 
oughly tender. If it is old, it takes 
much longer than usual. It is then care¬ 
fully drained, thrown into cold water 
for 10 minutes, drained again, and is 
ready for dressing with sauce, or baking. 
If boiled slowly, the excess of gluten 
causes the macaroni to stick to the sides 
of the saucepan and burn ; rapid boiling 
obviates this. 
The macaroni commonly served at the 
Italian restaurants in New York, where 
it appears at almost every meal, is usu¬ 
ally boiled in a plain soup-stock, drained, 
and then dressed with tomato sauce, 
slightly flavored with garlic. Grated 
Parmesan cheese is served with it, to be 
used at discretion. Without the to¬ 
mato, it is served with a sauce composed 
of one-half pint milk, one-fourth pound 
of grated cheese, piece of butter the size 
of a walnut, pepper and salt to taste. 
Put the milk in a double boiler ; add the 
butter to it, then the macaroni and 
cheese, stirring it until all is thoroughly 
heated. Add the seasoning just before 
serving. This sauce is sufficient for one- 
fourth pound of spaghetti. The novice 
must remember that all forms of maca¬ 
roni swell very much in cooking. 
Baked macaroni, which is, perhaps, 
the most popular form, is prepared 
as follows : One-fourth pound of mac¬ 
aroni ; one-fourth pound of grated 
cheese; one-half cupful of cream or 
thickened milk ; one tablespoonful of 
butter ; salt and pepper. Boil the maca¬ 
roni, drain, then throw into cold water to 
bianch for 10 minutes, and drain again. 
Rub a bakiDg dish with butter, put in a 
layer of macaroni, then a layer of cheese, 
seasoning with pepper and salt, then 
another layer of macaroni, and so con¬ 
tinue until the dish is full, the last layer 
being macaroni. Cut the butter into 
small bits, and distribute them over the 
top ; add the cream or sauce, and bake 
in a moderately quick oven for 20 min¬ 
utes, or until the top is nicely browned. 
Serve in the dish in which it was baked. 
This dish affords a convenient way of 
using up small portions of cheese. The 
Parmesan cheese, which is used by Ital¬ 
ian cooks, may be purchased, ready 
grated, in sealed bottles. It is very dry, 
but rich and rather sharp, and keeps 
a long time in a dry, cool place. 
THE FAMILY SUPPORTER. 
MONG the changes that have come 
about in these latter progressive 
years is the position taken by daughters 
in the support of their families. Afore¬ 
time, parents looked to their sons for 
support in declining years, to continue 
their business, or in general to be the 
stay, protector, and promoter of the 
family honor and interests. Nowadays, 
one rarely reads a newspaper without 
finding mention made of the daughters 
of men illustrious in various ways, doing 
what, in days gone by, only sons were 
expected to do. It has even come to 
pass—although this is no new thing 
under the sun—that girls, in marrying, 
transmit their own names to be the 
names of the new families. In many 
primitive or aboriginal tribes—perhaps 
in all—the descent passes down through 
the maternal instead of the paternal 
side of the family, which would seem to 
be the natural way. 
The growing, recognized importance 
of women in civic affairs, shows how 
necessary it is for girls to make the most 
of their opportunities. Then, too, they 
have to face the question of self-support. 
A good many good fathers and good 
husbands are unable to do much more 
than support themselves. Men are not 
superhuman, and the average man, prob¬ 
ably, does not earn much more than 
$365 a year. The bulk of the money 
made and accumulated is the work of 
men, but a great many women find that 
their own particular men lack the faculty 
of being good providers. The ability 
merely to earn money is, by no means, 
the highest faculty of the human mind, 
in fact it isn’t “high” at all, but a cer¬ 
tain amount of money or its equivalent 
is a necessity, and with the varying cir¬ 
cumstances of life, those girls are wise 
who learn all the business they can 
while the sun still shines. 
MARY WAGER-FISHER. 
GERMAN HOUSEKEEPING SCHOOLS. 
HERE are no better housekeepers 
in the world than German women, 
and this appears to be the only country 
in which girls are taught at the expense 
of the State to be careful, economical, 
industrious wives and mothers. Every 
city, town and village has a haushal- 
tungsschule in which German girls are 
drilled in the art and science of house¬ 
keeping, while the boys are learning 
Greek, Latin, mathematics and “the 
military.” The regular course of in¬ 
struction in the haushaltungssehule is : 
1. Cooking, baking, washing, milking, 
dairy work and the care of a vegetable 
garden. 2. Ironing, sewing, mending, 
patching, knitting, dressmaking, etc. 3. 
Domestic economy, mathematics, book¬ 
keeping, accounts, systems of money 
and simple forms of mathematics. 4. 
The fourth grade includes a number of 
studies which may be summed up under 
the head of domestic chemistry ; that is, 
the nutritive value of different kinds of 
foods, the comparative value of different 
kinds of fabrics, and other information 
of a similar character which will enable 
the mother and the wife to expend her 
limited allowance for the support of 
the family to the best advantage. 5. A 
simple course in medicine and pharmacy, 
physiology, hygiene, sanitation, etc. 
There are two courses, in winter and 
in summer. The first begins in November 
and runs about five mon ths, until Easter. 
The second commences two weeks later, 
and continues until harvest time, when 
the girls are needed at home. Pupils 
must be between 14 and 18 years of age, 
and must furnish their own utensils 
and books. There is no fee for tuition, 
but a nominal charge for board. The 
pupils get up at 5 o’clock in the morn¬ 
ing, make their beds, prepare their 
rooms and go to morning prayer. Break¬ 
fast is served at 7, dinner at 12 and sup¬ 
per at 6. Evening prayers are said at 9 
o’clock, and at 10 the lights are out. 
The girls have simple amusements of 
their own arrangement, but are not al¬ 
lowed to enjoy the society of men, ex¬ 
cept on holidays, when their brothers or 
cousins may spend an afternoon with 
them. Neither is any attempt made to 
teach them deportment or other accom¬ 
plishments, except music, although a 
girl may take lessons in art—that is, 
drawing, painting, embroidery, etc., by 
paying an extra fee to the teacher. 
Here is a recipe for keeping peppers 
during the winter: Cut off the tops, 
shake out the seed and drop peppers 
and tops in strong brine for a day and 
night. Drain the brine off and wash 
the peppers in fresh, cold water, after 
which put a layer of them in a large¬ 
mouthed earthenware jar and almost 
cover them with salt. Put on another 
layer, with salt to separate it from still 
another, and keep this up until the jar 
is filled or the peppers give out. Cover 
the top layer of peppers with cabbage 
leaves, placing on them a heavy saucer 
to press the peppers into the brine. 
Cover the jar and keep in a cool place. 
Soak the peppers for a night in cold 
water before using. 
r ■aoAKjm | 
- •TOKHIlt 
IUKAOHTCN * 
A Minister’s Wife 
and 
a Church Debt 
A minister’s wife 
in Buffalo writes: “Our church 
was encumbered with a mortgage. 
The Ladies’ Home Journal seemed 
to offer a chance to accomplish 
something for the work, and I 
took the matter to the Ladies’ Aid 
Society. I proposed that each mem¬ 
ber should enter her subscription, 
and try to secure other names. My 
plan was received enthusiastically. 
In addition to our own members we 
obtained subscriptions from many 
not connected with the church. 
Everywhere we went we talked 
Journal and church mortgage. 
Soon we had subscriptions enough 
to reduce the mortgage consider¬ 
ably, and with very little work.” 
What this one woman did, thou¬ 
sands can do for their church or for 
themselves. Write to 
THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 
PHILADELPHIA 
