769 
J909. 
THE rural NEW-YORKER 
Charity Sweetheart’s Letter. 
The movements of t-he Country Life 
Commission and their investigations 
had a peculiar charm for me, and were 
followed with great interest. Some 
people didn't like the plan at all, and 
said it was making us out to be in¬ 
capable of looking after our own af¬ 
fairs, but the result shows that some of 
us needed looking after as regards 
social and sanitary conditions. But the 
work of improvement is with the farm¬ 
ers and their families themselves, for 
no commission can wave a fairy wand 
and say, “Be thou so and so,” with the 
expectation of being obeyed. The chief 
point seems to be concentration, work¬ 
ing together in unity, combining weak 
churches, isolated schools and social 
life, so as to improve the general con¬ 
dition of the farmer. The advent of 
traveling libraries was found to have 
accomplished much good for the intel¬ 
lectual uplift of many communities 
hungering for books, and the rural tele¬ 
phone is a boon in many isolated places. 
But with it all there is something peo- 
p'e resent in this prying into our af¬ 
fairs, even with the very best inten¬ 
tions. I was talking to Aunt Mandy 
Willis the other day and she said: 
“What do you think of these men 
poking into our affairs, as if we were 
paupers and they were the ‘board ? We 
don’t want this kmd of interference in 
our country.” 
“Don’t talk nonsense, Aunt Mandv. 
I said, “it was a good idea of President 
Roosevelt’s to open our eyes to our 
deficiencies, and I do believe it will do 
good if it is only in showing people 
that there are better ways of living 
than the old rut of their forefathers. I 
do hope it will stimulate us toward bet¬ 
ter roads, for they are a disgrace to 
an y civilized community about here. 
The men work at them a good deal, 
hut in a slipshod way that leaves too 
much to the weather and the traffic. 
Holes form that get filled with water, 
that is often allowed to stand there 
from one storm to the next. Then a 
lot of stones are dumped into the ruts 
and that’s the way it goes on year after 
year. It’s public business, Aunt Mandy, 
and we ought to learn that good roads 
add value to the farms as well as com¬ 
fort to the traveler.” 
But she bobbed her head, and looked 
at me with disapproval. “What a 
tongue you are getting, Charity,^ she 
admonished, and then added, “W hy 
don’t you get rid of that cold sore on 
your lip?” I told her it was what was 
left of a very bad cold, and that we had 
all suffered more or less. She recom¬ 
mended an application of baking soda, 
applying as much as would stick. Tt 
soon turns to a little scab and can be 
healed by vaseline. Spirits of camphor 
will reduce a cold sore if. applied at 
once, hut the baking soda is a simple 
remedy always at hand, and if treated 
before the skin breaks it can be cured 
in a day. 
We had a peculiar little experience 
the other day that might have been a 
had accident, and may be a warning to 
others. “Theo” had a bad cold on her 
lungs and a mixture of turpentine and 
olive oil was put upon a bit of flannel 
and placed on her chest. The bottle, 
half full of clear turpentine, was left 
on a high shelf, near the kitchen stove, 
and one day when we were busy iron¬ 
ing and baking there came a sudden ex- 
p’osion, and turpentine and broken 
glass was sprinkled everywhere. For¬ 
tunately, “Theo” had just left the 
kitchen with her mother, and I was in 
the pantry when it happened, but it 
proved to us that there was danger in 
leaving turpentine in an overheated 
room. I lost two pieplant tarts that 
were on the stove shelf, for the frag¬ 
ments of broken glass were so bad in 
them that we did not venture to give 
them to the pigs and poultry. Last 
Spring T tried when stewing pieplant 
to cook it in the oven instead of stew- 
ng. With a little sugar and water in 
the pan, it seems to have a finer flavor, 
and a beautiful color. 
CHARITY SWEETHEART. 
have the same feeling did they but al¬ 
low themselves to admit it. With some 
it has really prejudiced them against the 
guest in any guise. Now here it is in 
plain words: They too often do not 
inform us of their intended visit. They 
think “She lives on a big farm, raises 
plenty to eat, why bother to write and 
ask if it suits? She may think we 
want her to go to a lot of trouble.” 
That has been my experience all of my 
married life, with guests, Winter and 
Summer, from city or from country. 
And I rebel, not against their coming, 
but against their manner of coming. 
It is late in the Summer now, but I 
know of six persons who will visit me 
before the first of October, but I do 
not know when, in what numbers, nor 
for what time. My guest chamber has 
had a chance to make me several dol¬ 
lars, had I known positively at what 
times it could be spared. I have had 
guests arrive for a stay when 1 had all 
my plans made for a little flit myself. 
I have had children sent to me toy a rel¬ 
ative for several weeks’ stay. Now, I 
did not* mind doing for them; they 
were really not a bother, although I 
had a large home family, no help and 
another guest, and had to wash and 
iron for those children. Afterwards I 
learned that the parents were having a 
delightful trip in the West, while their 
children were in the country, and I had 
once heard the mother say that they 
could afford to take that trip if it were 
not for boarding the children away 
during their absence. 
Now, if I had been consulted about 
the time of their stay, I would have 
picked out a time when my other friend 
was not visiting me, and while I did 
not have two extra harvesters to cook 
for. Once when T was not well and 
without help, I could'not keep up with 
my work, nor cook for the usual day 
men. But when my accumulated tasks 
seemed hopeless to overcome, the mail 
brought word that in 30 minutes some 
relatives, a family of five, would arrive 
for a four days’ stay. There was noth¬ 
ing to do but for my husband to stop 
his work and “fall to.” I was very 
glad to see them, and had always 
wanted them to visit me, but how 
much more thoughtful it would have 
been if they had written to ask if their 
coming at that time suited me. 
When my baby was six weeks old 
she was ill," and I was not far from it. 
In the midst of it, my young helper 
heard of a nice place in the town that 
she could secure, if she went at once. 
She went. I attended to the little one 
and did the best I could with my work. 
The tears were never far away. In the 
succeeding two weeks I entertained 10 
persons, some for one or two days, 
one boy for the whole time; and not 
one party wrote that they were coming, 
nor told me how long they intended to 
stay. It was just “jolly” to “run in” 
on us, and they felt they must "stop 
off” and see that baby. 
I want it understood that I delight 
in visitors, and my reason for wanting 
to know when they wi.l arrive is not 
that I may fuss and flurry all over the 
house, but that I may arrange my work, 
differently, if need be, that I may be 
at home, or may have a chance to ask 
them to postpone their visit a little 
while, if there be sickness in the house. 
The family circle is very precious and 
I love my friends too well to upset 
their plans in too sudden a way, or to 
add to their work at any time when 
it would not please them. If any one 
of you think to make anyone a visit, 
just be courteous enough and wise 
enough to write and ask if it suits the 
mistress and master of the house. They 
always esteem that kind of a guest very 
highly._ L - s - 
“Let me explain,” she said, with a 
laugh. “When I was named Aunt 
Laura gave me five dollars, and mother 
put it in the savings bank for me. 
After that mamma gave me the same 
amount each birthday, and it was dis¬ 
posed of in the same manner. Do you 
realize that in 21 years it has amounted 
to over one hundred and sixty dollars? 
I can tell you it has helped us out quite 
wonderfully, for Jack needs every dol¬ 
lar he has for his business just now. 
Of course, you know money has never 
been really plentiful with us, and some¬ 
times my five dollars meant fewer toys 
or a simpler hat, but I am so glad 
mother had the good sense to persist! 
She is doing the same for my little 
sister, and I am interested in watching 
what it is going to do for her. Of 
course, we always had some toys for 
Christmas, but we were never over¬ 
loaded with them, and we cultivated 
much ingenuity in making games and 
toys for ourselves. The desire to make 
my birthday money possible one year 
when father had had hard luck led me 
to experiment at ‘making over’ some 
things I had, and I am now capable 
of doing all my sewing, which is quite 
an economy 
“The cousin who has always been my 
dearest friend was showered with gifts 
of toys and finery from a child, but 
she is" now making herself and her hus¬ 
band miserable because she fancies I 
have more than she for the new home. 
She forgets mother’s contriving and my 
self-denial, for I naturally wanted just 
as long a feather for my hat and just 
as gay a ribbon as she had. until 
mother patiently convinced me of their 
uniniportance. I see now that I am 
much ahead of her, for not only have 
I the money that might have been spent 
uselessly, but I have a contentment that 
is worth even more to me. 
“Aunt Laura believes with mamma 
that part of a child’s gifts should be of 
lasting value, but she has always given 
some' article, in preference to money, 
thinking it would give more pleasure 
Nettie now has a collection of odd 
pieces of silver, china and furniture 
that have cost more and are not as de¬ 
sirable as if bought at one time and 
with some idea of unity, and she has 
wholly lost the interest on her money. 
I think mother’s way best, after all, and 
T wish more mothers would try this 
plan. I am sure the money could be 
saved far easier than they thuik.” 
AI.TCE M. ASHTDM. 
Sour Milk Griddle Cakes—Mix and 
sift two and one-half cupfuls of sifted 
flour, one-half teaspoonful of salt, one 
teaspoonful of soda, add to them two 
cupfuls of sour milk and one egg well 
beaten. Drop by spoonfuls on a greased, 
hot griddle. When puffed full of bub¬ 
bles and cooked on edges, turn and 
cook the other side. Serve with but¬ 
ter and maple syrup. Sweet milk may 
be substituted, in which case use two 
level teaspoon fills of baking powder to 
mix with the flour and omit the soda. 
Hominy Cakes.—Fresh boiled hominy, 
or that which has been set aside cold 
may be used. If the latter, break it into 
grains as lightly as possible with a fork 
and heat it in an inside steaming pail, 
as first cooked, only not putting water 
on it. For a pint, or a little less, take 
two eggs and one tablespoonful of but¬ 
ter. Stir the yolks in the. hominy (when 
cooled slightly), fold in the beaten 
whites and drop in spoonfuls on tin 
plates well buttered. Add one saltspoon 
of salt if the hominy is not well salted. 
Very light and delicious. 
The Rights of a Hostess. 
In one way. Summer is the time we 
would rather our guests would come. 
We would have more time to do for 
them and to be with them in the Win¬ 
ter, but our guests, especially those 
from the city, are apt to pity us in 
the Winter time. “It is so hard, and so 
lonely.” and I am one of those farmer's 
wives who do not want to be pitied. 
Then, in the Summer we can supply 
our table so much easier and better, 
and so the favor goes to the Summer 
gue c t. We do want them, and delight 
in doing for them and give them of the 
cheer of our home. Nevertheless, I 
have a plaint to make on this very sub¬ 
ject. I am sure that many other women 
The Birthday Gift. 
There was mutual satisfaction when 
my cousin brought his inexperienced 
little bride to live in the house next our 
own; we were already very fond of 
each other. I rendered all the outside 
help I could, but was not to see the lit¬ 
tle home-nest until in its completeness. 
“There isn’t much to see,” she said, 
half apologetically, when I made my 
first call, “for you know we must begin 
very carefully. But you cannot realize 
what a help my birthday money has 
been!” And she began indicating the 
articles that had been made possible 
through its possession. 
“I do not think I quite understand,” 
I interrupted in amazement, after she 
had mentioned things that must have 
amounted to one hundred dollars, at 
least, “what your birthday money is; 
who gave it to you?” 
“My mother,” she said. I must have 
looked my astonishment, for her peo¬ 
ple were certainly not in a financial po¬ 
sition to give one hundred-dollar birth 
day gifts to their daughter. 
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