i89o 
257 
Womans Work. 
CHAT BY THE WAY. 
T HERE is DO doubt that a girl who 
never has anything to do with pur¬ 
chasing her own wardrobe in her younger 
days will not knowhow to manage econom¬ 
ically when shei8 grown up. The Woman’s 
Journal says that when a girl is 10 years 
old, she should be given household duties 
to perform according to her size and 
strength, for which a sum of money should 
be paid her weekly. She needs a little 
pocket money, and the knowledge how to 
spend it judiciously, which can so well be 
given by a mother to her little girl. She 
should be required to furnish a part of her 
wardrobe with this money. For instance, 
if she gets 10 cents a week, she should pur¬ 
chase all her stockings, or all her gloves, 
as her mother may decide; and doing this 
under the mother’s supervision, she will 
soon learn to trade with judgment and 
economy. Of course, the mother will see 
that the sum is sufficient to do this, and 
yet leave a trifle for the child to spend as 
she pleases. This will supply a healthy 
stimulus ; it will give her a proper ambition 
and pride in her labor, and the ability to 
use money properly. As she grows older, 
these household duties should be increased, 
with the proportionate increase of money 
paid for the performance of them. We 
know a lady who divides the wages of a 
servant among her three daughters. There 
is a systematic arrangement of their labor, 
which is done with a thoroughness and 
alacrity rarely found either with a hired 
girl or daughter who feels that she has to 
do it with nothing to encourage or stimu¬ 
late her in the work. 
But many otherwise good mothers do 
not have this idea. They buy everything 
in the way of clothes, giving the girls a 
little pocket-money merely for the purchase 
of unnecessary trifles, and then every one 
seems surprised that such a girl, when 
house keeping for herself, does not have any 
idea of the real value of money. Certainly, 
household finance should form part of a 
girl’s education from the beginning; it 
cannot be picked up all at once, as soon as a 
girl dons the wedding ring. A small allow¬ 
ance of pocket-money, without any real 
needs to be supplied, is often anything but 
serviceable to a girl. There should always 
be the understanding that something, 
whether it be charities, traveling expenses, 
gloves, or “ what-not,” is to be procured 
out of that allowance. But the majority 
of the girls we know have no allowance 
whatever, but go to their parents for what¬ 
ever they need, and, as before stated, 
they learn very little of the value of 
money. 
* 
* * 
Really, we hear so much about the right 
way to bring up daughters that it is a 
wonder there are any ignorant or idle or 
ill-tempered young women in the world. 
Only in this, as in everything else, it is likely 
that a large amount of preaching goes with 
a small share of practice. Mrs. Livermore’s 
words on this subject are well worth quot¬ 
ing. She says that all women should have 
an early training commensurate with the 
greatness of the work that they only can 
perform. Ler. our young daughters be 
garnished with accomplishments, if you 
will. Let them have amusements, and 
live and breathe in a sunny, gay atmos¬ 
phere. Encourage them to cultivate that 
habit of looking at the best and brightest 
side of things, which Dr. Johnson has pro¬ 
nounced “ worth a thousand pounds a year.” 
Do not repress their girlish enthusiasm 
over their pursuits or their pleasures. They 
will have need of a large store before they 
are done with life. Give to them the high¬ 
est education demanded by the hunger of 
their souls, and allow them to fit for any 
calling or profession to which they are 
adapted by their tastes and capacities. 
But by no means neglect what Canon 
Kingsley calls their “lower education.” 
Let them have an acquaintance with them¬ 
selves, with their own physiology, and the 
laws controlling it. Let them be trained, 
as far as possible, as if you were sure they 
were to be wives, mothers and housekeep¬ 
ers, even when they receive in addition, 
technical training. But few women reach 
adult life, even when they do not marry, 
without finding themselves so circum¬ 
stanced at times that a domestic training is 
invaluable. Thus will our daughters be 
prepared to do better work in the world, to 
rear nobler children. Trained and self- 
poised, they will not be in bondage to 
ignorance; nor will they by as liable to be- 
THE RURAL pt 
come the dupes or the prey of those human 
sh arks who are ever on the alert to lead 
aBtray unwary girls. 
* 
* * 
We hear so much on every hand about 
“ higher education ” for women that it is a 
great pleasure to find one so able advocat¬ 
ing domestic training as well. It is so easy 
now to find new work and new freedom for 
women that a good many reformers lose 
sight of the one woman’s sphere in which 
she need never fear competition or dis¬ 
placement-home. 
• 
♦ * 
A good idea for keeping boiled eggs 
warm on the table is to take almost any 
style of the little Japanese baskets with a 
cover, put a puffy quilted lining inside, and 
then decorate the outside with gilding. It 
may be further ornamented by a queer little 
Japanese chicken on the top. Better than 
an ordinary quilted lining, however, is first 
to generously line the basketwith wadding, 
and then put a covering of silk, olive or some 
other pretty colored stuff over the wadding, 
tacking it down in deep dents. A basket 
like this will keep the eggs warm all 
through breakfast, and may be made very 
ornamental. 
*■ 
* * 
What a blessing is this unselfish, sun¬ 
shiny cheerfulness in the honsehold. And 
let me whisper this to the girls—such a dis¬ 
position will not only add to the comfort 
of the family ; it will keep away wrinkles, 
add new attraction to your expression, and 
increase your charms of person as well as 
mind. An expression of sympathetic cheer¬ 
fulness irradiates the plainest face, and it 
is a charm which increases with age. Just 
try it—but remember that it must begin at 
the heart, and work out. 
EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
ECONOMY AS RELATED TO HEALTH 
AND COMFORT. 
FULLY concur with “ Jean,” (page 54) 
where Dr. Hoskins is taken to task on 
the diet question, for comparing oat-meal 
with pork and beans, and I also agree with 
the Rural’s note following. It seems to 
me the Rural is just the paper to dissemi¬ 
nate such a doctrine for good, among its 
many readers. It is evident that many 
farmers and others would be greatly bene¬ 
fited by the discussion of sound health topics. 
Why not have, at least, a column of such 
literature each week? Much good might 
be accomplished from the standpoint of 
economy and health; farmers know full 
well that nowadays to make ends meet 
economy is required as well as the knowl¬ 
edge of how to raise better crops, and good 
health is especially requisite. The Rural 
has done a vast amount of good to the com¬ 
munity at large, and especially to farmers 
by teaching them better methods of land 
tillage. If it will do as much in the direc¬ 
tion of economical and healthful living, it 
will deserve still greater honors; for who 
would exchange health for wealth? Surely 
none but a miser. It is a wise provision of 
the Creator that the most healthful food 
for mania, as a rule, the most economical. 
For instance, the grains used to feed ani¬ 
mals for slaughter would feed those 
who consume the flesh, more than three 
times as long as the flesh will, and with 
the addition of fruit and vegetables the diet 
would be more healthful, and if properly 
prepared more appetizing. 
I would not discourage the Ladies’ De¬ 
partment from giving many recipes and 
directions for domestic cookery, but I would 
like to see them simplified. When I see re¬ 
commendations for doctoring the good 
natural foods with all sorts of spices, and 
condiments enough to deaden their natural 
flavor, I can only exclaim : “ What a pity I” 
I know the good ladies mean well, and the 
sterner sex, as a rule, in consequence of the 
use of liquors and tobacco, crave such food 
and cannot relish the most simple and 
healthful kind. A case in point: A con¬ 
firmed epicure had a friend who could not 
afford such diet as the former had, but ex¬ 
pressed to him his desire for such living, 
when the epicure retorted: “You might 
have all my dainties, if I had your appetite.” 
The amount of money, labor and worry 
that could be saved the gentler sex in a 
year by simplifying the cookery of an or¬ 
dinary family should be sufficient to in¬ 
duce some to practice a little self-denial in 
order to test the difference; but I know 
from experience how difficult it is to get 
out of old ruts, and I know also the plea¬ 
sure and snli-faeflrn that arise from the 
conquest of former bad habits, which were 
considered essential to happiness. H. M. K. 
HW-YORKER. 
A SPOOL OF COTTON. 
O you always use linen thread for 
sewing on patches, Belle ? ” asked 
the bride of a few weeks, of her sister-in- 
law. 
“ I generally do; why ?” was the answer. 
“I thought you must, for each of the 
patches I have just taken off (and of course 
you put them on) the sleeves of this old 
coat of my husband was firmly sewed on 
with strong linen thread, and the stitches 
seemed to say: ‘ Look out! we are war¬ 
ranted not to rip; ’ and even a small place 
I find darned with the same black linen 
thread.” 
“ I presume you did, Mary. What should 
I use better, pray ? ” 
“To be sure you could not use any¬ 
thing stronger, my dear; but ‘Out West,’ 
we use black cotton No. 10 for all 
patching and it also darns nicely. I 
believe that, if you once tried it, you 
would use it too, in place of so much linen 
thread. It is very strong and I like it 
much better for sewing (when it will an¬ 
swer) than linen. Besides, it is just half 
as expensive, and with a husband and two 
such active boys as yours to mend for, the 
use of cotton instead of linen would be 
quite an item in the family economy dur¬ 
ing the year; would it not ? ” 
“It would,indeed” answered our practi¬ 
cal sister, Belle. “I shall take care to pro¬ 
vide myself with a spool at the earliest oppor¬ 
tunity.” Taking down her little memoran¬ 
da book (hanging with pencil attached on a 
convenient nail in her dining-room), she 
added to the list of articles already in it: 
“ One spool black cotton No. 10.” 
The cotton proved entirely satisfactory 
for mending big and little rents, darning 
and putting on patches. Sister Belle would 
think her spool basket ill-furnished indeed 
now, without its presence there. A year 
or two later, having occasion to spend some 
time with another sister, she took up my 
“ spool of No. 10” one day as we were sew¬ 
ing together, and filled her needle to work 
button-holes in an every-day wrapper. 
“Why!” she exclaimed, presently, (reach¬ 
ing over to refill her needle.) “Thisis the 
very nicest cotton I ever used for button¬ 
holes; how long have you used it and why 
did I never hear of it before ? ” 
And for answer I told her the story I 
have keen telling you. • E. H. s. 
Washingtonville, N. Y. 
An Economical Layer Cake. 
A cake recipe which, though not rich, 
turns out more for the materials than any 
other I have ever used, is as follows: Thor¬ 
oughly sift two tea-spoonfuls of baking 
powder with four cups of flour. Beat one 
cup of butter with two cups of sugar until 
foaming ; add three well-beaten eggs and 
one cup of milk, or water; add these ingre¬ 
dients to the flour, and mix thoroughly but 
lightly. This makes four layers, so thick 
that two are enough for a moderate cake, if 
plenty of filling is used. Figs chopped and 
boiled with one cupful of water and one- 
half cupful of sugar until thick and smooth, 
make a filling that tickles the masculine 
palate. L. H. 
Potato Salad: Cheap But Good. 
“Mrs. Economy” gives a very excellent 
recipe for potato salad—one that need not 
be despised on any table, even when there 
is company to tea, but there is a cheaper 
one which I thiuk she should have given, in 
justice to her name. It is relished quite as 
well for a change, when the spring days 
come on. It consists simply of finely-sliced 
or chopped cold potatoes, with a little 
minced onion, over which has been poured 
a cup of boiling vinegar with a lump of 
butter dissolved in it. Prepared just after 
dinner, and set in a cold place, it will be 
very welcome on the supper table. L. 
Cold Storage.— Butter made with 
Thatcher’s Orange Butter Color, and kept 
the past fall and winter in cold storage, is 
reported from all sections to have retained 
its sweetness and flavor as well as its per¬ 
manency and beauty of color beyond com¬ 
pare. Hundreds of dairymen report that 
they have tested this color with the heat of 
the stove and in the sun to 100 degrees, and 
quite a number have held it at the boiling 
point several days successively without in¬ 
jury. The manufacturers possess full and 
complete apparatus for making close and 
careful tests, including one of Buck’s fine 
London microscopes, and they warrant 
this color to stand any temperature be 
tween 50 degees below and 212 degrees 
above zero.— Adv. 
I N the R. N.-Y. for March 15, is a request 
for a recipe for rye and Indian bread. 
It it made in the proportion of one pint of 
rye-meal to two of corn-meal, a pinch of 
salt, and yeast enough to raise it. Mix 
quite soft with warm water. If baked in 
a stove, a slow fire is neceseary after the 
first hour. It should be baked in a brick 
oven if one wants it in perfection, c. A. H. 
gtU.sccUimcau.s §nlvcrtisiing. 
Advertisers treat all correspondents 
well if they mention the Rural New- 
Yorker. 
Each Season 
Has its own peculiar malady; hut with the 
blood maintained in a state of uniform vigor 
and purity, by the use of Ayer’s Sarsaparilla, 
the system readily adapts itself to changed 
conditions. Composed of the best alteratives 
and tonics, and being highly concentrated, 
Ayer’s Sarsaparilla is the most effective and 
economical of all blood medicines. 
“ For some years, at the return of spring, 
I had serious trouble with my kidneys. I 
was unable to sleep nights, and suffered 
greatly with pains in the small of my back. 
I was also afflicted with headache, loss of 
appetite, and indigestion. These symptoms 
were much worse last spring, especially the 
trouble with my back. A friend persuaded 
me to use Ayer’s Sarsaparilla. I began 
taking it, and my troubles all disappeared.” 
—Mrs. Genevra Belanger, 24 Bridge st, 
Springfield, Mass. 
Ayer’s Sarsaparilla 
PREPARED BY 
DR. J. C. AYER & CO., Lowell, Mass. 
Sold by Druggists. $l,six$5. Worth $5 a bottle. 
EPPS’S 
CRATEFI v COMFORTING. 
COCOA 
This is the strongest, cheapest and best 
Butter Color ever made or sold in any mar¬ 
ket. A 25-cent bottle will give the finest 
June tint to 500 lbs. of winter butter. 
Send for circulars and prices if your dealer 
doesn’t keep it. 
THATCHER MFG. CO , Potsdam. IV. Y. 
GOLD MEDAL, PARIS. 1878. 
W. BAKER S CO.’S 
Breakfast Cocoa 
Is absolutely pure and 
i’j Is soluble. 
No Chem icals 
are used in its preparation. It has mure 
than three time* the strength of Cocoa 
mixed with Starch, Arrowroot or Sugar, 
and is therefore far more economical, 
costing Use than one cent a cup. It is 
delicious, nourishing, strengthening, Ka- 
S1I.Y Digested, and admirably adaptec 
for invalids as well as persons in health. 
Sold by Grocers everywhere. 
w. BAKER & CO., Dorchester, Mass- 
“General Advertising Rates of 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
TIMES BUIL DING NEW YORK. 
The following rates are nvariable. All are there- 
fore respectfully informed that any correspondence 
with a view to obtaining different terms will prove 
futile. 
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Yearly orders occupying 10 or more lines 
agate space..25 “ 
Preferred positions. —25 per cent, extra. 
Reading Notices, ending with “Adv.," per 
line, minion leaded.75 cents 
Terms of Subscription. 
The subscription price of the Rurai, New-Yorkeu Is 
Single copy, per year.$2.00 
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Agents will be supplied with canvassing outfit on 
application. 
Entered at the Post-ofUee at New York City, N Y., 
as second class mail matter. 
