1004 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 6, 
Woman and the Home 
From Day to Day 
THE SECRET OF THE LORD. 
God sometimes shuts the door and shuts 
us in. 
That He may speak, perchance through 
grief or pain, 
And softly, heart to heart, above the din, 
May tell some precious thought to us 
again. 
God sometimes shuts the door and keeps 
us still, 
That so our feverish haste, or deep 
unrest, 
Beneath His gentle touch may quiet, till 
He whispers what our weary hearts 
love best. 
God sometimes shuts the door, and 
though shut in, 
If ’tis His hand shall we not wait and 
see? 
If worry lies without, and toil and sin, 
God’s Word may wait within for you 
and me. 
—Author Unknown. 
* 
Just now we are having solemn stud¬ 
ies of the country church, accompanied 
by a wealth of statistics which woujd 
seem to show a decided decline in rural 
religious feeling. If we are saddened by 
such figures, let us remember that the 
widow’s mite would show up very badly 
in tabulated statistics, although St. Luke 
records it as being greater than all the 
gifts of the rich men. 
* 
Fob spiced blackberries, which are 
very sprightly in flavor, use six pounds 
of berries, 4% pounds of granulated 
sugar, three-quarters of a pint of vine¬ 
gar, one tablespoonful of ground cloves, 
one tablespoonful of ground cinnamon, a 
saltspoonful of salt and a pinch of pep¬ 
per. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, 
add the fruit and spices, and cook one 
hour. Put in jelly glasses and seal with 
paraffin when cold. Blackberries mixed 
with rhubarb make a rich preserve. Use 
six pounds of blackberries, four pounds 
of rhubarb and 10 pounds of sugar. Boil 
slowly for three-quarters of an hour, 
skimming and stirring frequently; put 
in glasses and seal when cold. 
* 
Recent questions about the so-called 
buffalo moth remind us that the Ohio 
Experiment Station has sent out a great 
deal of useful information in Bulletin 
253, “Insect Pests of the Household.” 
Among the insects discussed, with ad¬ 
vice as to control methods, are flies, mos¬ 
quitoes, roaches, fleas, bedbugs, bacon 
beetles, ants, termites, grain beetles, and 
a variety of others. It is rather sad to 
find the cheerful “cricket on the hearth” 
described as a nuisance, but occasional 
experience shows that this insect some¬ 
times attacks clothing voraciously, es¬ 
pecially if it is damp, doing a great deal 
of damage. However, crickets may be 
poisoned by Paris green on a bait of 
green vegetables, and they rarely become 
a serious nuisance. We think house¬ 
keepers are much less tolerant of insect 
infestation than they used to be, for 
while neat women formerly resented the 
presence of the creatures themselves, it 
required latter-day science to show us 
the long train of diseases and dangers 
that accompanied them. 
* 
Several of our correspondents have 
referred to the lack of interest parents 
often show toward the teacher of a coun¬ 
try school. This has not been our ex¬ 
perience, as in cases coming under our 
observation the teachers received much 
kindness and many courtesies, and were 
frequently entertained by the parents of 
pupils. Still, it is evident that this is 
not always the case, since the opposite 
side is so often dwelt upon. If this has 
been the case in your own neighborhood, 
it should receive consideration from all 
interested. No teacher can do her best 
in a place where there is no public inter¬ 
est in her work, and a negligent or ineffi¬ 
cient teacher finds a ready excuse for 
her indifference under such conditions. 
An active “school club,” formed by the 
women and girls of a neighborhood, would 
give an opportunity for study of school 
conditions combined with pleasant so¬ 
cial intercourse. Many a school diffi¬ 
culty that, unchecked, may cause bad 
feeling through a whole neighborhood, 
could be settled in its incipiency by such 
an organization. Then the teacher often 
has annoyances that she would be glad to 
discuss with the mothers, while feeling 
unahle to bring them before a school 
board. Much good may come from a 
neighborhood school club, not only to 
school and teacher, but also in the broad¬ 
ening interests it will give to the women 
who organize it. 
Fall Dangers to the Babies. 
Mothers have been so cautioned and 
warned about the hot weather dangers 
to little babies that during dog days spe¬ 
cial pains are taken with the food sup¬ 
plies, the clothing and with every detail 
of infant life. It is quite common to 
find mothers who are firm in the belief 
that as soon as dog days are over all 
danger is past, and they begin to relax 
their vigilance. As a matter of fact Fall 
has just as many troubles In store for the 
babies as hot weather, though they are 
of a different nature. 
The first and greatest danger lies in 
the fact that mothers do not realize the 
great differences of temperature of Fall 
days as they should. A young and 
healthy woman rises early and gets 
breakfast in a -warm kitchen, does her 
morning’s work and then gets the baby 
up for his bath and dressing. Perhaps 
by this time the kitchen fire has been al¬ 
lowed to go out until dinner time, and 
the infant is bathed in the chilly room. 
After feeding it is taken to the closed-up 
sitting-room—closed because it keeps out 
dirt and flies—to keep it shut from the 
outer air, and there put down to sleep or 
play while the mother busies herself in 
and out. No doubt she is thinking it is 
a very warm Fall morning, and so it may 
be for her, but a little inactive baby is 
apt to suffer from cold. Then a snuf¬ 
fling cold develops and the mother is at 
a loss to know how the child caught it. 
Many people talk about an “epidemic” of 
Fall colds when it is really an epidemic 
of carelessness. 
Stomach and bowel troubles are nearly 
as numerous in September and October 
as in Summer. When the mother re¬ 
laxed her vigilance and takes the baby 
visiting, or to the county fair, or to re¬ 
unions, kindly old ladies give it all kinds 
of food that is as poison to the poor lit¬ 
tle stomach, and the first thing anybody 
knows a well-developed case of cholera 
infantum is on. A flannel band worn 
over the abdomen is a great thing in 
keeping a baby well in Fall, but a still 
greater thing is a measure of care equiva¬ 
lent to that exercised in hot weather 
about food and excitement and sleep. An 
excited baby handled a great deal on a 
hot afternoon in Fall is almost certain 
to be a sick baby next day. It sounds 
hard, but it is only fair to say that the 
place for a baby in the Fall is at home, 
free from noise and excitement and im¬ 
proper food. Any young woman who 
takes upon herself the cares of a wife 
and mother, and is not willing to sacri¬ 
fice a little for the good of her family, 
is surely a selfish being. Somebody had 
to give time and consideration to her 
bringing up, and she should be willing to 
pay the debt by passing along the good 
work. 
So if the baby is cared for well in dog 
days and the care extends into the late 
Fall and early Winter the mother is al¬ 
most certain to have a healthy baby all 
Winter. The groundwork for health 
must be well laid if the babies are to be 
happy and healthy during the Winter 
storms and changes of temperature, and 
in Summer and Fall is the time to make 
preparations for future health. It pays 
if it does involve extra care and vigi¬ 
lance on the part of the mother. 
HILDA RICHMOND. 
Sugar-Finger Chocolates. 
Mix two cupfuls of sugar, three-quar¬ 
ters of a cupful of milk, one generous 
tablespoonful of butter and three ounces 
of grated chocolate. Place on the fire 
and cook, stirring often, until a little of 
the mixture when dropped in ice water 
will harden. Then stir in one-quarter 
of a cupful of sugar and one tablespoon¬ 
ful of vanilla, and pour into a well- 
buttered pan, having the mixture about 
three-quarters of an inch thick. When 
nearly cold mark it off in bars or squares 
and set in a cool place to harden. These 
chocolates are sugary and brittle and can 
be made in the hottest weather without 
trouble. If an iron kettle be used for 
the boiling it will take about 30 minutes, 
but if a deep graniteware saucepan be 
used it will take nearly an hour to 
cook the mixture. 
Hot Water on Cold Mornings. —If 
you dread the cold Winter mornings 
when only the icy water in the water 
pitcher is available in an unheated bed¬ 
room, try this way: Fill a five or 10- 
pound butter jar with boiling water at 
night, wrap a towel around it, placing 
it in another jar a little larger, put on 
the covers and cover the whole with a 
pillow or a quilt. In the morning your 
hot water will be waiting for you. The 
hot water is also a nice place to warm 
the baby’s bottles. Be careful to cover 
the jar tightly after each warming. 
[This is the principle of the fireless 
cooker. Eds.] 
Savory Crackers. — Rutter large 
crackers and lay on each a thin slice 
of cheese, salt slightly, then put in the 
oven until brown. These are good and 
quickly prepared. mrs. v. S. 
Silencing a Banging Door. 
Can any of The R. N.-Y. family tell 
me what will prevent a screen door from 
banging, one that will close properly? 
My boys’ work keeps them out nights' a 
great deal, and my grandchildren keep 
the doors going most of the day. I have 
tried everything I can think or hear of 
without success, and now turn to The 
R. N.-Y. family for help. h. o. n. 
A strip of felt or woolen cloth for the 
door to strike on will usually muffle it, 
without preventing it from shutting 
tightly. It has a better effect when on 
the door frame where the door strikes 
than on the edge of the door itself. If 
the spring is really too strong for the 
door it bangs much more than where 
just enough to spring the door tight. 
Shall I complain against stern Fate’s 
decrees ? 
Cry out that life is dreary and my lot 
Too hard to bear, and weakly pray sur¬ 
cease 
Of each day’s trials that they vex me 
not? 
Nay, let me rise to simple, kindly deeds; 
Let me stretch out my hand in friendly 
love; 
Forgetting self in thoughts of others’ 
needs 
And thus, through service, reach the 
heights above. 
—Grace G. Bostwick. 
Good pickles rally ’round 
the right salt. 
Don’t forget that the ap¬ 
petizing flavor of pickles 
depends on the use of a 
pure salt that is free from 
bitterness. 
Always use Worcester Salt for 
pickles. Its pure, even crystals 
dissolve quickly — your Worcester 
Salt brine is clear, sparkling and 
, genuinely salty. 
WORCESTER 
SALT 
The Salt with the Savor 
Speaking of pickles, have you 
seen the Worcester Cook Book ? 
It’s full of icipes for tasty pickles 
of all kinds. It is free. Send for it. 
For farm and dairy use, Worcester 
Salt is put up in 14-pound muslin 
bags, and in 28- and 56-pound Irish 
linen bags. Good grocers every¬ 
where sell Worcester Salt. Get a bag. 
Write for booklet. “Curine Meats on 
the Faun." Sent free on request. 
WORCESTER SALT COMPANY 
Largest Producers of High-Grade Salt 
in the World 
NEW YORK 
Mrs. Newfarmer: “Come in, Anty 
Drudge—one of my neighbors 
gave me a recipe for soap and 
I’m trying to make it. Did you 
see my chickens? All thirteen 
hatched out, so I drowned 
eleven, because I thought two 
was all the old hen could suckle.” 
Anty Drudge: “Land sakes, 
woman! You’ve got lots to 
learn! There never was a hen 
that couldn’t take care of thir¬ 
teen chickens, and nobody with 
sense makes soap any more. 
They use Fels-Naptha for wash¬ 
ing and everything else. Buy it 
by the box and keep it on hand.” 
Every woman 
can cut her work 
in half by letting 
Fels-Naptha Soap 
do the hard drud¬ 
gery for her. 
Fels-Naptha 
dissolves grease, 
takes out stains 
and does away 
with wash-day 
drudgery. Clothes 
soaped with Fels- 
Naptha and put to 
soak for 30 min¬ 
utes in coolorluke- 
warm water re¬ 
quire no hard rub¬ 
bing and no boil¬ 
ing. Just as good 
for all- kinds of 
housework. 
Full directions 
on the red and 
green wrapper. 
Better buy it by the box or carton. 
* Fels & Co., Philadelphia. 
