1292 
Woman and the Home 
From Day to Day. 
JANUARY FIRST. 
O stern, remorseless Time! 
Another year is added to thy reign; 
Another year hath gone to that far clime 
From whence none come again. 
A year, whose morning bright 
Was ushered in by many happy throngs, 
With feast and dance, and friendship’s 
golden light, 
And mirth, and jest and songs. 
Welcome, thou glad New Year; 
We hid thee hail, while on thy fair young 
brow 
Thou bearest the crown of twelve months 
half with fear— 
We bid thee welcome now. 
May we, with hearts as strong, 
And arms as sure as steel, keep battling on, 
Until the last, unblushing host of wrong 
To its dark grave hath gone. 
May we be true to self, 
True to our God, true to our native land ; 
Nor, for the praise of men, nor pelf, nor 
love. 
Bow to the traitor’s brand. 
Labor, in hope and stx - ength, 
Till those whose necks have bent beneath 
the yoke, 
Shall cry—with one deliverance cry at 
length— 
“How fair the morning broke!” 
—Mary Louisa Chitwood. 
* 
Fried graham muffins are new to us. 
Prepare one pint and a half of graham 
flour, a cup of white flour, a half cupful 
of sugar, a pint of milk, two well beaten 
eggs, a teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoon¬ 
ful of soda and two of cream of tartar 
or two rounded teaspoonfuls of baking 
powder. Stir the ingredients together as 
one would ordinary muffins and fry 
them in deep fat. Drain free from fat 
and serve very hot with tart marmalade 
or spiced fruit—though we like honey 
with any hot biscuits or muffins. 
* 
So many of the hats this season have 
plumes drooping below the brim that a 
hat stand is a necessity. Cretonne cov¬ 
ered ones sell in the stores for about 
50 cents each and up. They consist of a 
square wooden block for a foundation, 
from which rises a wooden rod rather 
smaller than a broomstick, six or seven 
inches long, on the top of this is a 
padded disk on which the crown of the 
hat rests. The whole is covered with 
cretonne or silk, and stands in the bot¬ 
tom of a hat box, or upon a shelf. 
* 
One of the agricultural students at 
Cornell, who is working his way 
through, is reported to be expending an 
average of 85 cents a week on food and 
is gaining weight on it! He says: 
My present diet consislfc of skimmed 
milk, which I buy at two cents a quart; 
buttermilk, three cents a quart; stale 
bread, three cents a loaf; peanut butter, 
ten pounds for .$1.50 (ordinarily 20 cents 
a pound) ; raisins, three pounds for 25 
cents; lentils, 10 cents a pound; raw cab¬ 
bages, onions, peppers, rice, oatmeal and 
what apples I can forage from the agricul¬ 
tural farm. I have special permission, by 
the way, for that foraging, so am not sub¬ 
ject to being caught. So far I have eaten 
no meat—not because I do not like it, but 
because it is too expensive. 
This student does not profess any 
effort to prove any new ideas in diet; 
he adopts this system because economy 
is necessary. As he) appears to keep his 
efficiency and also gains in weight, it is 
evident that his frugal ration does as 
much for him as unattainable tenderloin 
steaks would. 
* 
Among the books we read during the 
past year (and we must confess to an 
omnivorous taste in reading, which ex¬ 
tends all the way from frothy “best 
sellers” to the heaviest forms of “solid 
reading”) were two thin little volumes 
by Arnold Bennett, an author who, after 
years of hard work in England has sud¬ 
denly attained enormous popularity in 
America. These two books are “The 
Feast of St. Friend” and “How to Live 
THE RURAb 
on Twenty-Four Hours a Day.” The 
Feast of St. Friend is of course Christ¬ 
mas, and we are reminded anew that 
with all the conquests of science and 
the wonders of modern life, man is still 
a feeble creature surrounded by vast ele¬ 
mental forces as much beyond his con¬ 
trol as in the days of the cave dwellers 
—dependent, then and now, for all his 
happiness, upon the intangible forces of 
love, sympathy and self-sacrifice. As 
for “Living Upon Twenty-Four Hours a 
Day,” it is an amusing little reminder 
that most of us waste a great deal of 
time, and that our personal efficiency 
would be wonderfully improved if we 
made real use of our minutes, instead of 
squandering them and just “muddling 
along.” Here in New York we often 
see a man rush off a ferryboat as soon 
as it touches the dock, plunge madly 
across the street, dodge motors and 
trucks as though life depended upon his 
speed—and then stand for 15 minutes 
watching safe movers getting some un¬ 
wieldy weight into a fourth story 
window! We do not believe in cutting 
out all pleasures that do not seem to 
give some definite returns, and we 
realize the need of absolute relaxation, 
but it is evident that few of us get full 
returns for our time. Perhaps a good 
resolution for 1913 would be the deter¬ 
mination to work with dilligence, to rest 
with a quiet rfiind, and to take our 
pleasures only where body, mind and 
spirit are strengthened and refreshed. 
Surely that would give us a good start 
towards living on 24 hours a day. 
* 
The recent country life conference at 
the North Dakota Agricultural College 
suggests that people out there are 
actually doing what the country life 
commission talked about; they are de¬ 
veloping the higher side of country life 
upon their own initiative. All sorts of 
plans were discussed regarding an en¬ 
larged usefulness for the public school 
—as an art gallery, a recreation center, 
a community fair building, etc. And 
since we are always hearing that the 
lack of social pleasures tends to cause 
unhappiness and stagnation in many 
farm communities, it was a pleasure to 
hear the festivities planned for “Coun¬ 
try School Day,” which included a 
concert by country musicians, and an 
amateur play presented by farmers. An¬ 
other day devoted to country churches 
and civic improvement, a country church 
social was given in the evening, pre¬ 
ceded by a country orchestra concert, a 
moving picture show, and a humorous 
lecture. We have always believed that 
the most permanent form of rural up¬ 
lift will come from country dwellers 
themselves, rather than from outsiders, 
and it is evident that the North Dakota 
College is blazing an enduring trail. 
Uses for Wall Paper. 
“Jest ’fore Christmas Pm as saving 
as can be.” A short time ago I saw in 
the attic a quantity of left-over wall 
paper, my little son’s room needed paper¬ 
ing, but there was not enough of any 
two kinds. Mother came to my rescue 
with paper from her attic. I selected the 
cream and light tan backs, then pasted 
their stars and roses and things to the 
wall. The room is a little cream room 
now, with over-all boys running around 
the top. The children had great fun 
coloring those boys, they were made 
from wall paper, colored, then pasted on 
the wall. We are going to make some 
blue birds soon to put around the 
window. 
Wall paper makes very pretty folders 
for old music; paint the title in gold or 
silver across the front. 
Pretty waste paper boxes can be 
made from old suit boxes cut in fancy 
shapes, covered with wall paper, then 
tied with bright colored tape. 
A friend mounts pictures on wall 
NEW-YORKER 
paper pasted on card board. A string of 
hearts made of wall paper fastened to¬ 
gether with ribbon with little photos on 
each heart is pretty. 
Little candy boxes can be made by 
the children, make a pattern of a box 
with a cover, on card board, paste the 
wall paper on, cut out, fold box into 
shape, lace together with colored string 
or ribbon. h. s. 
The Rural Patterns. 
When ordering patterns always give 
number of pattern and measurements 
desired. 
The first group shows several pat¬ 
terns that will be interesting to the 
mother of boys. 6599, boy’s baseball 
suit, 8 to 14 years—With short, long or 
convertible sleeves. 6490, boy’s Indian 
suit, 4 to 12 years. 6424, boy’s soldier or 
rough rider suit, 6 to 12 years. 5739, 
men’s pajamas, 34 to 44 breast. 6268 
boy’s overalls, 4 to 8 years. 
The second group includes 7635, fancy 
blouse with Robespierre collar, 34 to 40 
bust. 7621, combination corset cover and 
four gored skirt for misses and small 
robe or wrapper, small 34 or 36, medium 
38 or 40, large 42 or 44 bust. 7604, girl’s 
women, 14, 16 and 18 years. 7639, bath 
fancy revers and collar. 7623, plain two- 
piece and fancy sleeves, small 34 or 36, 
medium 38 or 40, large 42 or 44 bust. 
Price of each pattern 10 cents. 
Boiled Macaroni.—This is very simple, 
but good, and easily prepared. Break a 
cup of macaroni into inch-long pieces, 
and boil until tender in slightly salted 
water. Heat three cups of milk to boil¬ 
ing (adding a pinch of soda as you do 
so.) Drain the cooked macaroni, turn 
it into the scalding milk, add a heaping 
tablespoonful of butter and simmer, 
stirring to prevent scorching, for five 
minutes. Eat hot with hard sauce, fla¬ 
vored with grated nutmeg. 
December 28, 
Cuttings and Cedar Oil; Candied 
Pineapple. 
1. One who claimed to know told me that 
the stems of shrubs to be used as slips 
should be soaked for two or three days 
in water to which had been added oil of 
cedar. 
2. We are interested in home-made candies 
for private sale. Could you contribute us 
any good recipes? How can pieces of pine¬ 
apple or other fruits be candied so as to be 
put with other candies? 
3. How can sweet chocolate be made at 
home? e. w. c. 
1. We have never heard of treating cut¬ 
tings or slips as described, and the treat¬ 
ment sems to us quite absurd. Methods 
of propagation of shrubs vary according 
to their character, some are rooted from 
green wood, some from ripe wood, some 
out-of-doors and some under glass, but 
we do not know of any condition under 
which the aromatic bath described could 
be regarded as advantageous. 
2. A good many excellent candy recipes 
have been printed in The R. N.-Y. from 
time to time, and others will appear in 
the future. The following method is 
used for candying pineapple: 
Peel, slice and weigh the pineapple, 
and allow a pound and a half of granu¬ 
lated sugar to each pound of fruit. Put 
the fruit and sugar together in a granite 
kettle and add just enough water to 
cover the fruit. Boil till the fruit is 
tender, remove and spread on a dish 
while you boil the syrup very thick. 
Now lay the pineapple in the thickened 
syrup, cook for five minutes more, and 
then spread out the fruit on platters till 
dry and candied. 
3. This question is not quite clear to us. 
If the manufacture of chocolate from 
the raw material is meant, it is too com¬ 
plicated for a home process. If it refers 
to the preparation of the bitter chocolate 
into confections this is done by melting 
and adding sugar in the proportion 
desired, as in various icings and candies. 
There are several useful little books on 
home candy making, and a number of 
excellent recipes will be found in Marion 
Harland’s “Complete Cook Book.” 
Uses for Lard Cracklings. 
Corn Bread:—Take two handfuls of 
cracklings (which being interpreted 
means about two-thirds of a cupful 
after they have been reduced by mash¬ 
ing or chopping). Mash very fine with a 
spoon, add one-half cupful of sugar, 
two cups white flour and two and one- 
half cups cornmeal. Rub these ingredi¬ 
ents together with the hands as you 
would mix in the lard for pie crust. 
Now add three cups sweet milk, one 
teaspoon soda and two teaspoonfuls 
cream tartar, or use three cupfuls sour 
milk and a rounding teaspoonful of 
soda. Dissolve the soda in a little hot 
water, add to the milk and stir into the 
mixture, then add two eggs well beaten. 
Pour into a well greased baking tin and 
bake in a quick oven. If you want a 
recipe still more Southern omit the 
white flour and use five cups white corn- 
meal (not granulated) and only two 
tablespoons sugar. 
Cracklings substituted for pork in any 
pork cake recipe will give good results. 
The following is excellent: Chop one 
pound of cracklings very fine and pour 
over this one cupful of boiling water. 
Add two cupfuls sugar, one cupful 
molasses (genuine sorghum if you can 
get it, if not use New Orleans), two 
eggs beaten without separating, five 
cups flour sifted with one teaspoon soda, 
two teaspoonfuls cinnamon, one scant 
teaspoon salt, one teaspoon mace, one- 
half teaspoonful of ground cloves. Beat 
thoroughly and add one pound seeded 
raisins chopped and mixed with two 
tablespoonfuls of flour. This will make 
one large loaf, or two of-medium size. 
Bake in a medium oven until thorough¬ 
ly done. 
Cracklings may be substituted for but¬ 
ter or other fat when warming up 
hashed potatoes. Martha’s niece. 
