726 
THE R.UR.AI* NEW-YORKER 
Woman and the Home 
From Day to Day. 
FROM “THE CHURCH PORCH.” 
Lie not; but let thy heart be true to God, 
Thy mouth to it, thy actions to them both: 
Cowards tell lies, and those that fear the 
rod; 
The stormy working soul spits lies and 
froth. 
Dare to be true. Nothing can need a 
lie; 
A fault, which needs it most, grows two 
thereby. 
Fly idleness, which yet thou canst not 
fly 
By dressing, mistressing, and compliment. 
If these take up thy day, the sun will 
cry 
Against: thee; for his light was only lent. 
God gave thy soul brave wings; put not 
those feathers 
Into a bed, to sleep out in all weathers. 
When thou dost purpose aught (within thy 
power) 
Be sure to do it, though it be but small: 
Constancy knits the bones, and makes us 
stour 
When wanton pleasures beckon us to thrall. 
Who breaks his own bond forfeiteth him¬ 
self : 
What nature makes a ship he makes a 
shelf. 
By all means use some time to be alone. 
Salute thyself; see what thy soul doth 
wear. 
Dare to look in thy chest; for ’tis thine 
own. 
And tumble up and down what thou findest 
there. 
Who cannot rest till he good fellows find, 
He breaks up house, turns out of doors 
his mind. 
—George Herbert (1593-1632). 
* 
If the red currant crop is good we 
hope you have not forgotten or-ra-cur, 
one of the most popular recipes we 
have ever printed. It is a rich and de¬ 
licious red currant marmalade; the re¬ 
cipe will be found on page 134 of the 
Rural Cook Book. 
* 
On page 615 we quoted a beautiful 
little scrap of verse, beginning, “These 
are the gifts I ask.” It was a name¬ 
less wanderer, but a good friend in 
Buffalo writes us that the lines are 
from “God of the Open Air,” by Henry 
Van Dyke. It is very easy to lose an 
author’s name, and we come across 
many charming bits of verse without 
any means of identification, but we are 
always glad when we are able to gather 
up these friendless wanderers and sup¬ 
ply their proper parentage. 
* 
Braided linen parasols are among the 
new fancy work. The braiding, which 
is done in linen soutache, is put on four 
segments of the parasol cover, alternat¬ 
ing with the four left plain. The pat¬ 
tern is in pyramidal form, extending up 
to the top, and the edge is finished in 
button-hole stitch. The effect is very 
good. Both soutache and coronation 
braid are much used in fancy work, 
and some very handsome linen waists 
are worked in the braids. Towels of 
fine huckaback, with the ends worked 
in broad borders of Wallachian em¬ 
broidery, are very handsome, and this 
sort of embroidery is not difficult. It 
must, however, be firmly done, espe¬ 
cially on a towel; a good many caie- 
less workers think, so long as they 
get the general effect, it does not mat¬ 
ter how sketchily . they make the 
stitches in the coarser kinds of em¬ 
broidery. It is very instructive to 
study this work as done by experts, 
whose stitches are as even and accur¬ 
ate as those of a machine. 
* 
Here is a vegetarian ragout that is 
well worth trying; Pare or scrape and 
cut into dice equal quantities of young- 
carrots, white turnips and new potatoes, 
boil separately in salted water; also 
boil some green peas. While they are 
cooking make a good brown sauce, al- 
1 lowing one pint for each quart of the 
assorted vegetables. Brown two table¬ 
spoonfuls of butter, add two table¬ 
spoonfuls of flour and brown again. 
Stir in gradually one pint of the water 
in which the peas were cooked three- 
quarters water and one-quarter thin 
strained tomatoes. When smoothly 
thickened season with salt, pepper and 
half-teaspoonful of sugar and a very 
little onion juice. Keep just at the sim¬ 
mering point for 10 minutes. When the 
vegetables are done drain thoroughly, 
mix and add to the juice. Simmer 
gently for 15 minutes; when in the serv¬ 
ing dish sprinkle with chopped parsley. 
This ragout may be varied by the use of 
other vegetables; hard-boiled eggs cut 
in quarters may also be added. 
* 
The U. S. Department of Agriculture 
recently issued a “notice of judgment” 
regarding some toilet articles seized 
for misbranding under the pure food 
and drugs law. It is quite instructive 
to learn that a much-lauded “skin 
food” consisted of 76.5 per cent of 
vaseline, mixed with fixed oil or fat 
and zinc oxide, colored with pink dye 
and perfumed. A hair tonic, which, ac¬ 
cording to the maker’s description, cures 
and prevents dandruff and all scalp dis¬ 
eases, stops hair falling and overcomes 
any hereditary tendency to baldness 
and grayness, consisted of 15.56 per 
cent of alcohol by weight, 82 per cent 
of water, and small amounts of glycerin, 
perfumed with bergamot oil. A com¬ 
plexion bleach, which “purifies the en¬ 
tire skin, penetrating its remotest re¬ 
cesses, invigorates nerves, muscles and 
ligaments—makes the flesh firm, and 
searches out and expels every impur¬ 
ity,” proved on analysis to be mainly 
a saturated solution of borax in orange 
flower water. Several other articles 
seized were equally misleading, a “cure 
for all gastric troubles,” being mainly 
charcoal, potassium bitartrate and sugar. 
It is rather sad to think of the thou¬ 
sands of women who will cheerfully 
pay from 50 cents to $1.50 for these 
preparations in the hope of increasing 
beauty or health, while fresh air, cold 
water, exercise, careful diet and a 
cheerful habit of mind will unite to do 
more for them than all the nostrums 
that were ever packed in boxes or put 
into bottles in a hundred years! Vase¬ 
line, well rubbed in, is supposed to pro¬ 
mote the growth of hair, so the con¬ 
scientious use of the “•skin food” might 
pave the way for future purchases of 
hair-removing nostrums also. We think 
the Department of Agriculture is not 
likely to run out of employment so 
long as it will keep watch over frauds 
of this class. 
The Bookshelf. 
Pofpea of the Post Office, by Mabel 
Osgood Wright. Many readers, who 
have only known Mrs. Wright as “Bar¬ 
bara” of the “Garden of a Commuter’s 
Wife” will be very glad to renew ac¬ 
quaintance with her under her own 
name, especially when she introduces 
such a delightful heroine as Poppea. 
The story opens during the Civil War, 
when a year-old baby and a still more 
youthful puppy, wrapped together in a 
buffalo robe, are left on the postmas¬ 
ter's porch one icy Winter night. The 
baby is cared for by the lonely and 
childless postmaster, and it is not un¬ 
til Poppea arrives at womanhood that 
it is learned- the baby had been left at 
the wrong door. The postmaster’s en¬ 
ergetic widowed sister Satira, and her 
faithful admirer, ’Lisha Potts, are de¬ 
lightful, as are also the village aristoc¬ 
racy in the persons of two charming 
spinsters. The mystery of Poppea’s 
origin brings a surprising climax, which 
holds interest to the last, while the 
clever delineation of wholesome Amer¬ 
ican life gives the book unusual charm. 
It may be recommended without hesita¬ 
tion as the best work of this author, 
for it strikes a deeper note than de¬ 
lightful “Barbara” and her associates. 
Published by the Macmillan Company, 
New York; price, $1.50. 
The Rural Patterns. 
A satisfactory boy’s shirt waist is - 
shown in No. 6385. The waist is made 
with fronts and back. It is gathered at 
the waist line where there is an applied 
belt to which buttons are attached that 
allow of buttoning the trousers firmly 
into place. The sleeves are finished 
wtih over-laps and with straight cuffs 
and the neck with a neck-band. There 
is a separate turn-over collar. The 
quantity of material required for the 
6J85 Boy’s Shirt Waist. 6 to 12 veart. 
medium size (10 yards) is 3J-4 yards 
24, 2% yards 27 or 1% yards 36 inches 
wide for 10 year size. The pattern 
6385 is cut in sizes for boys of 6, 8, 1.0 
and 12 years of age; price, 10 cents. 
The princesse dress figured shows the 
newer lines, including plaited portions 
at the sides, suggestive of the Dago- 
bert model, which is a long, tight 
cuirass, with plaited skirt. The cos¬ 
tume is made with the front and back 
panels, side-fronts and side-backs 
which are joined to the plaited por¬ 
tions. The epaulettes are shaped and 
arranged over the shoulders and the 
Dutch collar finishes the neck. The 
sleeves are made in sections that are 
6379 Princesse Costume, 34 to 44 bust, 
lapped one over the other and allow of 
effective trimming. The closing is 
made invisibly at the back. The quan¬ 
tity of material required for the me¬ 
dium size is 10 yards 24, 7 yards 32, 
5]/ 2 yards 4 or 5 yards 52 inches wide. 
Width of skirt at lower edge 4 yards, 
including plaits. The pattern 6379 is cut 
in sizes for a 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44 
inch bust measure; price, 10 cents. 
Rhubarb and Strawberries. —Five 
cups red rhubarb, washed and cut in 
small pieces, without peeling; five 
cups sugar, three ’ cups water. Stew 
till tender; add two baskets of straw¬ 
berries and scald thoroughly together 
without breaking the berries. Can in 
the usual way in pint cans. This is de¬ 
licious. MRS. J. C. CRAWFORD. 
August 7, 
Churning in an Ice-Cream Freezer. 
Perhaps you would be interested in 
my churn. At the time I read in The 
R. N.-Y. about churning with a Mason 
jar and again with an egg beater, I had 
no cow. When I got my cow I tried 
both ways. I thought it very tiresome, 
shaking a big two-quart Mason jar 
three-quarters full of cream. The egg 
beater method didn't gather the butter 
well, I thought. I had an ice cream 
freezer, and I tried that. I have been 
using it ever since, with satisfaction. 
Mrs. j. c. walker. 
Perpetual Yeast. 
“Your bread is lovely! Will you tell 
me how you make the yeast? I went 
to the cellar for my yeast cake this 
morning and found it puffed out and 
smelling terribly.” 
So said our neighbor, as she ap¬ 
peared at our porch, burdened with two 
small babies, a bucket for milk and the 
anticipation of two ravenous men com¬ 
ing to supper to a breadless house. A 
mile from a store and not very long 
imported from a country, or any way, a 
section of a country where yeast bread 
is never made at home, was it any 
wonder the usually placid expression 
had given place to one which was woe¬ 
begone ? 
“Have you a cool place to keep any¬ 
thing?” I asked. 
“Yes,” she said, ‘if I put a lemon pie 
in the cellar at 6 o’clock it is cold for 
supper.” 
“The success of my yeast depends en¬ 
tirely on keeping it cool between the 
times of using it. That accomplished, 
you can use it for a lifetime without 
getting a fresh starter. You shall have 
the recipe right away.” 
This little incident makes me think 
there may be people still who are de¬ 
pendent on compressed or dry yeast, 
neither of which satisfies the taste of 
the writer’s family. Some years ago 
perpetual yeast was adopted, and it has 
proved entirely satisfactory. If you 
cannot obtain some from a neighbor for 
a starter, take one compressed yeast 
cake, put it into a quart-sized Mason’s 
fruit jar; cover the cake with a pint of 
the water in which the potatoes for din¬ 
ner have been boiled. The water must 
be lukewarm, and when the yeast cake 
has softened it must be well beaten. 
Add half a cup of sugar and beat the 
mixture well again; let it stand over¬ 
night. In the morning it will be foam¬ 
ing. Put rubber and cap on can and 
set away in refrigerator or cold cellar. 
The next day, or any day during the 
week, when you are ready to mix bread, 
bring out the jar, lay aside cap and rub¬ 
ber, and add one pint of lukewarm 
water in which the dinner potatoes were 
boiled, and add half a cup of sugar; 
beat well and set at the back of the 
stove in cold weather, or where the 
mixture will remain lukewarm. If this 
is done about one o’clock it will be 
foaming and ready for use at six or 
seven o’clock. Then take three quarts 
of flour, a small teaspoonful of salt, one 
pint of the yeast (after the foaming top 
has been stirred down), and a scant 
quart of lukewarm water. Knead until 
elastic, cover, set in the usual place for 
raising bread, and before breakfast it 
will be ready for the pans. No shorten 
ing is needed except a little lard rubbed 
over it after kneading. In the morning 
form into three loaves, rub over with 
lard, let rise an hour or so and bake. 
The bread is considered excellent. After 
mixing the bread at night, put' rubber 
and cap on the remaining pint of yeast 
and set in a cool place as before. \\ hen 
ready to mix bread again, proceed as 
above. A - E - F - 
There’s a glory in being right and a splen¬ 
dor in being true 
That is greater than anything else lire cai. 
possibly bring to you ! 
For a man can fight when lies right, ana 
knows that lie knows that he is. 
way that will make every blow tiny 
lie strikes a blow to make victoi> 
his! .. 
greatest greatness there is that me 
world can bring to you 
the glory of being right, and the splen¬ 
dor of being true! 
—Baltimore Sun. 
tn a 
The 
