i89o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
THE NEW GOSPEL OF REFORM. 
HAT the question of the status of 
woman in the near future grows 
daily more absorbing, more insistent, is 
evidenced on all hands. If we take up a 
popular magazine, we find that Miss Wil¬ 
lard, Margaret Sangster, Rose Terry Cooke, 
and others equally prominent, are furnish¬ 
ing strong articles on the question: 
“Should Women Vote ? ” The next peri¬ 
odical that comes to our notice reviews 
Miss Amelia Edwards’s lectures, and says 
that according to that gifted woman, the 
most rabid advocate of woman’s rights, of 
the present day, never claimed as much as 
was given to woman as a matter of course, 
in ancient Egypt, 25 centuries ago. (In 
those days, a wife not only had full control 
of her own means, but her husband’s pos¬ 
sessions were also settled on her forever, 
while he could claim from them board, 
lodgings and funeral expenses only.) 
Another publication gives an account of a 
Convention of Working Girls’ Societies, 
which has come up from a nucleus of 13 
earnest women who met but six years ago 
to discuss possibilities, to a gathering this 
year of several hundred, representing 
thousands of busy girls, making common 
cause for the redress of wrong, for resist¬ 
ing the under current of debasing in¬ 
fluence, and for helping to demonstrate the 
dignity of labor. 
The question of dress would seem to 
many to be a trivial one beside the tre¬ 
mendous earnestness of those other themes, 
yet it begins to look as though this little 
lever might be the one to lift the whole 
seething woman question, in all its rami¬ 
fications, into public tolerance and success¬ 
ful evolution; from the fact that the re¬ 
form in dress seems to promise to be more 
successful, nay, is even now more suc¬ 
cessful than any other. All the wo¬ 
men’s periodicals and even the daily papers 
have lately been giving the history and por¬ 
trait of the despised and rejected apostle of 
reform, who gave the world the dress which 
was itself such a caricature that it could 
scarcely be caricatured—the “Bloomer” 
suit. Side by side, almost with her, we 
find the portrait of the new reformer at the 
other extreme, the admired teacher of the 
“gospel of grace and beauty,” Miss Mabel 
Jenness. The movement which she repre¬ 
sents is called, from her sister, who was 
the more prominent in it at first, the 
“ Jenness-Miller Movement,” although we 
hear of late more of Miss Jenness than of 
Mrs. Jenness-Miller. While “ beauty’s 
daughters,” those who live merely to 
dress, to flirt, and to dance away their 
lives, seem even to be growing more sense¬ 
less, more pampered, more French in their 
dress and in their moral sensibilities, the 
line between them and the army of sensible, 
thoughtful women is being more and more 
sharply drawn. That the new ideas are 
honey-combing the business, and even some 
portions of the social world of women 
is quite apparent. The fashion maga¬ 
zines have been obliged to give way 
to it by furnishing the patterns of the 
divided skirt; Lady Florence This, and 
Lady So-and-So That have furthered it by 
wearing tourist costumes whose skirts 
clear theankles, or in some cases follow the 
Highland kilted style, and reach but to the 
knees ; the devotees of the out-door sports, 
of riding and tennis and bicycling have 
eagerly taken up costumes which allow 
comfort and freedom of motion ; while the 
increasing number of business women find 
that their work demands more convenient 
garb. Yet the chief reason, after all, it is 
said, for the popularity of this new system 
lies in the fact that its teachers are stylish, 
beautiful and wealthy. The shrewd com¬ 
mon-sense of the leader divined in advance 
that this would be the case, and she gave 
herself to the cause of thus leading women 
to the hill of reform along an easy and 
flowery path where they would willingly 
follow. A glance at the pictured gowns of 
the Jenness-Miller system reveals the fact 
that while they conform to all hygienic and 
artistic requirements, they all show the 
most noticeable features of the prevailing 
styles, and are thus not rendered unpleas¬ 
antly conspicuous. 
Miss Jenness nas lectured all over the 
United States in the interests of reform ; 
and when during a late address, she ap¬ 
peared in a tight fitting tailor gown with¬ 
out bustle or corset, the audience of women 
could not believe in the possibility of such 
grace and style with only natural outlines; 
whereat Miss Jenness at once revolved and 
bent the upper portion of her body to con¬ 
vince them of the looseness of the dress, 
and the absence of any bones but her own. 
Uress alone, however, is but a small part 
of this reform. Physical culture is its 
foundation ; and so firm is the belief of 
these ladies in its efficiency for good that 
they assert that daily practice of the move¬ 
ments which they teach will soon change 
one from a state of invalidism to one of 
robust health; from weakness and angu¬ 
larity to vitality and roundness and bloom. 
Probably few are ready to agree with 
them in the assertion that “ physical 
degeneracy and inadequacy are as deplor¬ 
able as mental incapacity,” but an editorial 
note in their magazine saying “ It is 
always worth the time ana trouble taken, 
for thoughtful men and women to look into 
any new movement which enlists the 
active sympathy and support of numbers 
of people,” should strike a responsive chord 
in every nature, and may well be remem¬ 
bered and practiced before passing judg¬ 
ment upon them and their self-devoted 
work for the sex. 
It is stated that Miss Jenness will show 
her consistency and illustrate the practica¬ 
bility of some of the reforms she preaches, 
by riding, at a not far distant day, in 
Central Park, clad in the divided skirt cos¬ 
tume, and seated on her horse in the ap¬ 
proved masculine fashion. Will it not take 
a woman with the courage of her convic¬ 
tions to do this P 
CONCERNING STRAWBERRIES. 
S. A. LITTLE. 
ETWEEN you and me, my friends, I 
truly think that the woman ’ who 
cooks a strawberry has committed a sin 
not easily pardoned. But the majority of 
the human race do not share my feeling, so 
I will mention a few of the many ways in 
which the beautiful fruit is tortured to 
suit appetites which are not satisfied with 
a simple dressing of cream and sugar. 
Strawberry Ice. —One quart of berries 
washed, one quart of water, and a-quarter 
of a pound of sugar, and tartaric acid to the 
amount of two or three grains of coffee; mix 
and freeze. 
Iced strawberries are especially pretty 
for luncheon. Dip large, ripe berries in 
well beaten white of egg, then in powdered 
sugar, repeating the process until the icing 
is thick enough to suit your fancy. 
Strawberry custard is made by putting 
a quart of ripe fresh sugared strawberries 
in a deep dish and covering them with some 
rich boiled custard. Just before sending 
them to the table spread a meringue on the 
top made from the whites of three well 
beaten eggs, and half a cup of pink pulver¬ 
ized sugar. 
Strawberry pie may be made by baking 
a sheli of nice pastry in a quick oven. 
While hot, glaze with white of egg and re¬ 
turn to the oven for a minute. When cold 
fill with large, sweet strawberries, and give 
them a generous covering of whipped 
cream which has been previously sweetened. 
Serve at once. 
Preserved Strawberries.— Place the 
berries in an earthen dish with an equal 
weight of granulated sugar. Let them 
stand until the juice starts, then put them 
into a preserving kettle and boil rapidly 
for 20 minutes. Preserves may be kept in 
glasses like jelly, but one is much safer to 
put them in self-sealing cans, where they 
will keep for years. 
Strawberry Ice-cream.— Take three 
pints of rich cream, 12 ounces of pulverized 
sugar and two eggs. Mix and cook in a 
farina kettle until it thickens. When cold, 
put it into the freezer; when frozen quite 
stiff, but not solid, add one quart of straw¬ 
berries which have been mashed and 
sweetened to taste. Give the freezer a few 
more turns to mix the mass thoroughly 
and leave it to harden. 
Strawberry Rolls.— Make a dough as 
for biscuit. Roll it out thin and cut it 
into four-inch squares. Put a spoonful of 
sweetened strawberries on each piece. Wet 
the edges, pinch together and lay in a 
floured dripping-pan, bake or steam, and 
serve with the following sauce : 
Strawberry Sauce.— Half a cup of but¬ 
ter, one cup of sugar, the beaten white of 
one egg and one cup of strawberries, mash¬ 
ed and strained. Beat the butter and sugar 
together, add the egg and fruit and set over 
the hot tea kettle till just luke warm. 
Send to the table at once. 
Strawberry short-cake is the most de¬ 
licious of the many preparations, because 
the fruit is not cooked. Make a soft dough 
from four cups of flour, three tea-spoonfuls 
of baking-powder, a piece of butter the size 
of an egg, and two cups of sweet milk. 
Sift flour and baking powder together and 
rub the butter into the mixture; then add 
the milk and a little salt, and beat until 
well mixed. Turn out upon a well-floured 
molding board, sprinkle a little flour on 
top and roll out: cut with a biscuit cutter 
and bake in square tins. When done tear 
the biscuits apart and open them in the 
same way, butter them liberally and put a 
thick filling of sugared berries between the 
halves. Serve with plenty of cream and 
sugar. 
. Strawberry Jelly.— Select highly- 
colored fruit and warm it over a kettle of 
hot water till the juice starts freely. Put it 
into a cheese cloth bag and drain out all 
the juice but do not squeeze. If not per¬ 
fectly clear strain through a jelly bag made 
from coarse flannel. Boil the juice 15 min¬ 
utes, then add one pound of granulated 
sugar for each pint of juice, and boil 10 
minutes longer. Pour into jelly glasses 
and when cold cover with brandied paper 
fitted closely on the jelly. Cover the glass 
with paper which has been dipped in white 
of egg. Hold the paper firmly over the top 
of the glass and clip it around the edges so 
it will fit nicely and admit no air. My ex¬ 
perience has been that jelly keeps better in 
the pantry than in the cellar. When there 
is an excess of juice, as there often is in 
cooking fruit, it is wise to strain it and can 
it, as it is welcome as an adjunct in making 
pudding sauces or mince pies, and in sum¬ 
mer a little added to ice water makes a 
pleasant drink. 
Canned Strawberries.— Probably the 
most important recipes for using straw¬ 
berries are those which prolong their sea¬ 
son by canning or preserving. For these 
purposes it is important that the fruit be 
fresh and ripe. It is much wiser to use 
fruit from the second or third picking as it 
is then at its very best. Fruit which does 
not require washing is to be preferred for 
canning or jelly. Great care should be 
taken that the cans be perfect in all partic¬ 
ulars as they must withstand the summer 
before they come to use. Have a lath frame 
made to fit the bottom of the wash boiler. 
Prepare a syrup by boiling one-third of a 
pound of sugar for each pound of fruit, 
with water enough to fill the cans. It is as 
well to have a little more syrup than is 
needed. When it comes to a boil skim it 
and let it cool. Fill the cans with fruit and 
then pour in syrup to the brim. Put on the 
covers and metal rings but not the rubbers. 
Set the cans in the boiler, which must be 
filled with cold water to within two inches 
of the top of the cans. Keep a steady fire 
and when the water boils remove the cans, 
one at a time. Take off the top. If not 
quite full fill it from the reserve syrup 
which must be ready boiling-hot, wipe off 
the top, put on rubber and cover, screw 
down the metal ring, and invert the can 
upon a wet towel which has been folded to 
four thicknesses and laid at the back of the 
table. The work after taking from the 
boiler must be done with great neatness 
and rapidity to insure success. After half 
an hour try the cans and if the rings seem 
loose, screw them down. When cold, wash 
and wipe the cans and if you have no dark 
closet, wrap each in paper to exclude the 
light, as no fruit changes color worse than 
the strawberry. 
Dairymen who own from 60 to 100 cows, 
and who have made butter for 30 years, 
unhesitatingly state that Thatcher’s Orange 
Butter Color possesses a degree of merit 
heretofore, unknown. —A dv. 
COOKING BEEF-STEAK. 
L INA HADLEY, in the R. N.-Y. for 
April 26, tells a story which finds an 
echo in the experience of every cook in the 
land. If beef is tough it is not fit for a steak; 
no amount of pounding will make it tender. 
But there is a possibility of making a ten¬ 
der steak tough by careless handling. I 
have at last learned a practical manner in 
which to make a palatable breakfast dish 
from a tough steak, and one which is so 
easy of digestion that it became the prin¬ 
cipal food of the invalid for whom I first 
saw it prepared. Lay the steak on a board 
and scrape it with a knife until the nu tri- 
tious part has been removed ; salt the mass 
and form it into small pats like sausage. 
Oil the hot frying-pan with nice sweet but¬ 
ter, and put the pats of meat in it. Be 
sure your fire is hot, as they must cook 
quickly. Turn every few seconds and when 
done—but not overdone—remove to a hot 
platter and put a little piece of butter on 
each pat. For those having a poor diges¬ 
tion the pats should be scarcely more than 
heated through and no pepper should be 
used. The steak skeletons which have 
been left after scraping should go to the 
343 
soup kettle; enough stock may be obtained 
from them for a nice howl of gravy. 
S. A. L. 
Put the frying-pan over a hot, lasting 
fire, salt and pepper it as thoroughlv as you 
would both sides of a steak; when the salt 
is browned and smoking, put in the steak, 
in pieces ready to serve, turn when seared 
(here is where your lasting fire tells), turn 
to prevent burning till done to your taste, 
place on a hot platter, put bits of butter 
on each piece and serve immediately. 
I do not say that this is the way to fry 
steak, but it is the best way I know up to 
date. I have never been able to convert 
a poor, raw beef-steak into a good cooked 
steak; but I do know, that a hot lasting 
fire is necessary for successful broiling and 
frying, while a quick flashy fire is worse 
than no fire, for it will ruin the best of 
steaks. 
I have little faith in covering beef-steaks, 
unless of the best cuts, which correspond 
with pork and lamb chops. After these 
steaks have seared over on both sides, I add 
a little butter; and if covered, the cover 
is heated with the pan at the beginning, 
and whenever removed, laid on the stove 
to keep hot. I have never been able to de¬ 
cide whether pounding improved a steak 
or not. It might not add much to a good 
steak, while it could hardly make a poor 
one worse, especially if it were a thick one. 
As to the “butcher,” do let him cook Iris 
steak as he likes it best, and eat as much as 
he can, for if he can’t afford it, who can ? 
In fact, I wish he would eat more steaks 
than he does, that he might have less of 
them to roll up, fasten with strings and 
skewers and call “ a roast." 
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Ittisrellatteousi 
Advertisers treat all correspondents 
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PATENTS 
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