THE KU R A. L NEW-YORKER 
December 21, 
Woman and the Home 
From Day to Day. 
OLD CHRISTMAS CAROL. 
Cod rest you, merry gentlemen 
Ivet nothing you dismay. 
For .Fesus Christ our Saviour 
Was born upon this day 
To save us all from Satan’s power 
When we were gone astray. 
O tidings of comfort and joy. 
For Jesus our Saviour was born on 
Christmas Day. 
In Bethlehem in Jewry 
This blessed babe was born, 
And laid within a manger 
Fpon this blessed morn. 
The which bis mother Mary 
Nothing did take in scorn. 
From God our Heavenly Father 
A blessed angel came. 
And unto certain shepherds 
Brought tidings of the same. 
How that in Bethlehem was born 
The Son of God by name. 
Fear not. then said the angel. 
Let nothing you affright, 
This day is born a Saviour 
Of virtue, power and might; 
So frequently to vanquish all 
The friends of Satan quite. 
The shepherds at those tidings 
Rejoiced much in mind. 
And left their flocks a-feeding 
In tempest, storm and wind. 
And went to Bethlehem straightway. 
This blessed babe to find. 
But when to Bethlehem they came, 
Whereat this infant lay. 
They found Him in a manger 
Where oxen feed on hay; 
His mother Mary kneeling 
Unto the Lord did pray. 
Now to the Lord sing praises. 
All you within this plac'», 
And with true love and brotherhood 
Each other now embrace: 
This holy tide of Christmas 
All others doth deface. 
O tidings of comfort and joy, 
For Jesus Christ our Saviour was born 
on Christmas Day. 
—Author Unknown. 
* 
The old carol printed above is 
of English origin; just how old it is 
we do not know, but its wording, even 
in its present form, gives evidence of the 
same simplicity and directness found in 
mediaeval legendary and ballad poetry. 
Perhaps it was first composed by some 
humble ecclesiastic for a morality or 
mystery play of the Middle Ages, and 
then gradually learned orally by coun¬ 
try people, before reading and writing 
had become common accomplishments. 
Our own first acquaintance with it was 
in very early childhood, when it was 
sung by the “waits,” or Christmas min¬ 
strels. No 'Christmas message or ser¬ 
mon can take the place of this quaint 
old verse, or express more fully the 
dominant thought of the season. The 
•only thing we may add to it, to express 
the full spirit of Christmast Past, 
Present and To Come, is Tiny Tim’s 
wish, as transcribed by the great master 
of Christmas mirth and kindness—“God 
bless us, every one!” 
* 
Gray linen collars, hand embroidered 
in black French knots, cost 65 cents 
each, while the cuffs to match cost 85 
cents a pair. They are said to come 
from Paris, and are intended for wear 
in half-mourning. The same idea, car¬ 
ried out in pale pink or blue is also 
very pretty. The gray is not very be¬ 
coming unless the wearer is very rosy 
in complexion and also youthful. 
* 
Table runners and squares of Rus¬ 
sian crash, hand-stenciled in flower de¬ 
signs, carried out with embroidery 
stitches, cost $4 to $6. There are many 
possibilities in stencil work, and we 
know of no other decorative work 
where one can obtain such charming 
results for such small expenditure. Cur¬ 
tains of 10-cent cheesecloth with a sten¬ 
cilled border, can be made very hand¬ 
some, in coloring to suit the room. Of 
course dexterity is obtained with prac¬ 
tice, as with everything else. With 
rough, heavy and dark fabrics oil paints 
are used, but with thin materials, such 
as cheesecloth, we use prepared dyes. 
A table runner or centerpiece of un¬ 
bleached muslin, smooth in quality, is 
very effective when stencilled. 
* 
The Atchison Globe announces that 
it has opened an “experience column,” 
which is intended to be a half-sister to 
a chaperon department. Here is the 
first experience which Country Sister 
gives to her sisters in town: “I weighed 
187 pounds, and no massage, diet, or 
exercise reduced me. Finally, I had a 
happy thought. It was in the Spring of 
the year when I had the thought, and 
I acted upon it by setting 50 turkey 
eggs. They hatched, and since May 
last I have chased turkeys. As a re¬ 
sult, I have reduced my weight 50 
pounds, and expect to make a hundred 
dollars on my turkeys. I suggest it to 
other sisters. There is an anxiety in 
raising turkeys, and an exercise in chas¬ 
ing them that will make a tub of a 
woman look like her sylph-formed 
daughter within 60 days.” 
* 
No other disease causes such a feel¬ 
ing of horrified helplessness as cancer, 
since we look upon it generally as a 
sure precurser of hopeless suffering, 
while the victim is peculiarly liable to 
be led into the hands of some ineffi¬ 
cient or dishonest practitioner. Most 
great medical authorities frankly say 
that the origin of the disease is still a 
mystery. It may be of interest to note 
that Dr. William Seaman Bainbridge, 
first honorary president of the Inter¬ 
national Conference on Cancer held at 
Heidelberg last year, says that the 
hereditary and congenital acquirement 
of cancer are subjects which require 
much study before any definite conclu¬ 
sions can be formulated concerning 
them; that the contagiousness or infec¬ 
tiousness of cancer is far from proved; 
that evidence to support the theory 
of contagion or infection is so incom¬ 
plete and inconclusive that the public 
need not concern itself with it; that the 
public need merely be instructed to 
apply the same precautionary measures 
as should be brought to bear in the care 
of any -ulcer or open wound; that the 
danger of the accidental acquirement of 
cancer is far less than from typhoid 
fever, syphilis or tuberculosis; that in 
the care of ■•ancer cases there is much 
more danger to the attendant of septic 
infection, of blood poisoning from pus 
organisms, than from any possible ac¬ 
quirement of cancer; that the communi¬ 
cation of cancer from man to man is 
so rare, if it really occurs at all, that it 
can practically be disregarded; that in 
cancer, as in all other disease, atten¬ 
tion to diet, exercise and proper hy¬ 
gienic surroundings is of the utmost im¬ 
portance; that cancer is local in its be¬ 
ginning; that, when accessible, it may, 
in its incipiency, be removed by radi¬ 
cal operation so perfectly that the 
chances are overwhelmingly in favor of 
its non-recurrence, and that while other 
methods of treatment may, in some 
cases, offer hope for the cancer victim, 
the evidence is conclusive that surgery, 
for operable cases, affords the surest 
means of cure. While the vital statis¬ 
tics show an increase in the number of 
deaths from cancer, it is said that this 
is probably due to a more accurate 
diagnosis and to a greater consumption 
of animal food. The disease is said to 
be more prevalent among men than 
women, probably due to their greater 
use of stimulants, and their business 
activities. Temperance, moderation, 
fresh air. wholesome exercise, cleanli¬ 
ness, cheerfulness and simplicity of diet 
may not ward off cancer, but apparently 
science has no better preventives to 
give us. _ 
W hatever may lie temporary ap¬ 
plause of men, or the expressions of 
public opinion, it may be asserted with¬ 
out fear of contradiction that no true 
and permanent fame can be founded, 
except in labors which promise the hap¬ 
piness of mankind.—Gluts. Sumner. 
Mrs. Spraker Talks. 
“Pay to tap old shoes? Of course it 
doesn’t—not that way,” and Mrs. Sprak¬ 
er looked down scornfully at my feet. 
“They were not cracked at all when 
I had^it done,” I said. “I thought may¬ 
be the blacking-” 
“Blacking! Fiddlesticks! It’s those 
great heavy taps you had put on. You 
see, by the time you have worn the soles 
through, the uppers are worn- some, 
too, and there are wrinkles in them, so 
when you put on thick taps the uppers 
can’t stand the strain and all those 
wrinkles turn into cracks. It is the old 
story of the new cloth in an old gar¬ 
ment. Then, of course, the shape of the 
sole is changed, and doesn’t feel com¬ 
fortable, and most likely new corns are 
started.” 
“That is so,” I admitted. 
“Of course it is,” said Mrs. Spraker. 
“But what do you do?” I asked. “You 
don’t throw away your shoes as soon as 
the soles are worn out, do you ?” 
“Of course not, dear. I’ll tell you 
what I do. I don’t wait till the soles 
are worn through, but just as soon as 
I find they are wearing a little thin, I 
get some taps cut out of patent colt and 
cement them on.” 
“But what?—where?—how?-” 
Mrs. Spraker smiled at my perplex¬ 
ity. “Patent colt is a kind of patent 
leather, and some parts of the skin are 
too thick to be used in making shoes. 
These waste pieces you can get in most 
shoe factories, in the cutting room, or 
perhaps you can have some acquaintance 
get them for you. You can probably 
get your cobbler to put them on for you, 
but you can do it yourself just as well. 
I always put mine on. I cut out a pa¬ 
per pattern first, and have it a quarter 
of an inch smaller than the sole, as the 
leather spreads in wearing. Be sure and 
have it short enough at the toe, or you 
will be stubbing it. Now you want to 
put them on with some good cement. I 
use rubber cement that has to be put on 
the sole and on the tap. and then al¬ 
lowed to dry over night before they are 
put together. ] have to be careful and 
put the tap on exactly where it is go¬ 
ing to stay the first time, for it isn’t 
like paste, and you can’t take it off and 
try it over again. You want to have 
the shiny side of the leather outside. 
You want to pound the soles with a 
hammer and then you can put the shoes 
on as soon as you want to. For a white 
you will be surprised to find that your 
shoes do not slide on the floor as they 
used to, but stick slightly. This makes 
them specially good to climb over rocks 
with. You will find that your shoes do 
not crack, neither do they squeak, and 
by the feeling you never would know 
that they had been tapped.” 
She showed me a piece of the leather. 
“It is so thin,” I said, “I shouldn’t think 
it would wear as long as you are put¬ 
ting it on.” 
“Perhaps it won’t wear quite as long 
as those you have on, but I wore a pair 
of thick ones four months and gave 
them very hard usage, too. And you 
see, as soon as you wear them through 
you can take them off and put on a new 
pair.” susan brown robbins. 
Athletics For Housekeepers. 
Most people believe that anyone who 
does any kind of active labor does not 
need any physical training. House¬ 
keepers in particular resent any sugges¬ 
tion that they need to practice exer¬ 
cises. But physical labor has a tendency 
to overwork some muscles and under¬ 
work jothers, and the exercises should 
be a means to counteract this inequal¬ 
ity. Housework gives a better all- 
around development than many other 
kinds of work, but we do occasionally 
see housekeepers who are round-shoul¬ 
dered, or who have trouble with their 
stomachs, which is caused in part at 
least by a bad standing position, which 
crowds that long-suffering organ into 
a smaller space than it is entitled to. 
I know that a great many housekeep¬ 
ers work to the limit of their endur¬ 
ance all the time, and they feel, with 
reason, that the suggestion of their 
practicing physical exercises is an in¬ 
sult. Nevertheless, I believe that the 
great majority of housekeepers would 
be benefited by some form of athletic 
exercise. This is not theory but ex¬ 
perience. 
When I began attending gymnasium 
Hasses people said, “I should think you 
would get exercise enough doing your 
work.” T went into it at the first chiefly 
as a diversion, but in* a very short 
time T became greatly interested. In 
the first place it cured a very lame arm 
which had been troubling me for some 
time, and then I began to feel so much 
stronger and better in many ways than 
I had for years, that I became quite 
enthusiastic. One need not spend a 
great deal of time each day, indeed just 
the habit of standing, walking and sit¬ 
ting correctly, which can be practiced 
about one’s work, and takes no extra 
time, will do wonders for one. In most 
cases this correct position is what 
should be worked for, and if 10 minutes 
a day can be given to some suitable 
exercise, it will make it easier to attain 
the desired end. There is, perhaps, noth¬ 
ing better than Indian club swinging 
for strengthening the muscles in the 
upper part of the body. It should he 
practiced in the open air if possible, as 
it makes the breathing more rapid and 
the large quantity of fresh air inhaled 
is very beneficial. There are also free 
hand exercises, the rings, wands, and 
bar, if one is so inclined. When it is 
possible it is well to go to a regular 
instructor and attend gymnasium 
classes, but this is not always practic¬ 
able. The exercises will do much more 
good if they are enjoyed, in fact in¬ 
structors, now, lay great stress on the 
necessity of the spirit of play coming 
into the work. For this reason, where 
it is not possible to attend classes, it is 
a good idea if a few friends *or neigh¬ 
bors can get together and swing clubs 
or do whatever other “stunts” are prac¬ 
ticable, for it is rather stupid to go 
through these exercises alone. It is 
likely to become merely mechanical and 
so loses a great part of its beneficial 
effect. 
It is painful to see so many young 
girls growing round-shouldered. If they 
could realize how much it would im¬ 
prove their appearance they would cer¬ 
tainly try to be straighter. But it is not 
alone appearance, for the habit of 
standing and sitting wrongly crowds 
the internal organs into unnatural posi¬ 
tions where they cannot do their work 
properly. This causes discomfort, the 
reason for which is often not under¬ 
stood. Round-shouldered people are 
told to throw’ their shoulders back, but 
this is not the way to straighten up. 
The chest should be lifted and the 
shoulders left to take care -of them¬ 
selves. Stand so that the ankles, hips 
and shoulders are in line, then lift the 
chest and draw in the abdomen. You 
can fairly feel the muscles drawing into 
their proper places, and there is a most 
pleasing sensation of freedom and 
power. 
One should not begin exercising too 
strenuously, or she will find herself 
very lame. The muscles that have been 
shirking their duty so long will cry out 
against the new work put upon them. 
However, one need not be alarmed by 
lame muscles; they will recover in a day 
or two. Witch hazel well rubbed in 
and continued exercise is the best treat¬ 
ment. If one persists, she will soon 
find that she can do more and more 
without lameness, and she will find out 
what it means to be in such good train¬ 
ing that all her w r ork will seem easy 
to her. susan b. robbins. 
Religion consists in the perception of 
the Infinite under such manifestations 
as are able to influence the moral char¬ 
acter of man.—Prof. Max Muller. 
