686 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 8, 1916. 
WOMAN AND HOME 
From Day to Day 
THE LIFE LEDGER. 
Our sufferings we reckon o’er 
With skill minute and formal; 
The cheerful ease that tills the score 
We treat as merely normal. 
Our list of ills how full, how great! 
We mourn our lot should fall so. 
I wonder do we calculate 
Our happinesses also? 
tor, and by saving the lives of the women 
and children who could estimate the hun¬ 
dreds of thousands of lives saved for the 
nation ? 
A Missouri correspondent says: 
We would like to see the establishment 
of a Red Cross rural nursing system, 
where we might feel assured that we 
could obtain a competent rural nurse to 
assist us in caring for our sick, and es¬ 
pecially to help inform the mothers of 
little children how best to care for and 
rear them in order to have them develop 
into strong, sturdy American manhood 
and womanhood. 
Were it not best to keep account 
Of all days if of any? 
Perhaps the dark ones might amount 
To not so very many. 
Men's looks are nigh as often gay 
As sad or even solemn ; 
Itehold; my entry for today 
Is in the happy column. 
—Author Unknown. 
* 
Taut apples baked with honey are 
highly recommended. Peel and core the 
apples, put in a baking dish, and put a 
teaspoonful of butter in the center of 
each. Then pour a cup of strained honey 
over them, and bake carefully. 
Linseed oil soap, sold by paint deal¬ 
ers, is excellent for cleaning stained or 
oiled floors. Matched pine oiled floors 
may be cleaned with the linseed oil soap, 
then when dry rubbed with crude oil, 
and thus kept in good condition. The 
soap treatment is only needed at long in¬ 
tervals. as the occasional oil rubbing will 
keep the floor clean. 
Jjt 
Parents and educators in this city 
have been interested of late in the 
achievements of a girl of 12. who has 
learned to speak eight languages, has all 
sorts of accomplishments, and shows al¬ 
together an amount of knowledge that 
would be creditable to a highly-educated 
adult. Her mother attributes her 
achievements to the system used in edu¬ 
cating her. Some of its principles are: 
Teach all children languages before 
they are 12 years old and teach them by 
ear. 
No grammar. 
Let them learn facts by means of jin¬ 
gles. In this way they remember them 
always. 
Do not force them to learn when they 
are tired. 
Encourage self-expression to its fullest 
extent. 
Teach them in polysyllables, if pos¬ 
sible, in the cradle. Virgil makes the 
best lullaby, as it is rhythmic and the 
child learns it in “chunks.” 
What we need is schools for mothers, 
not schools for children, and if the more 
educated mothers would undertake the 
education of their own children it would 
relieve an immense congestion in the 
schools. It is the normal thing, anyway, 
that mothers should teach their own chil¬ 
dren. The Indian mothers do and it is 
the first law of nature among the ani¬ 
mals. 
The mother of this girl prodigy objects 
strongly to the use of “baby talk,” say¬ 
ing this compels a child to learn his own 
language over again, whereas he should 
become familiar with correct speech m 
his cradle. This system undoubtedly lias 
much to commend it, even though all chil¬ 
dren are not likely to become such prodi¬ 
gies as Winifred Stoner. John Stuart 
Mill learned the Greek alphabet at three, 
was conversant with Euclid at eight, and 
had read Xenophon. Herodotus and other 
Greek authors at nine. In his case, the 
extraordinary promise of youth was 
borne out by the achievements of matur¬ 
ity. It will be intensely interesting to 
follow the future career of the little girl 
who now shows such unusual promise, 
whether it is due to nature or education. 
$ 
We have referred more than once, to 
the need for trained nurses in rural dis¬ 
tricts, and especially to the work that 
might be done by a “neighborhood” or 
township nurse, under the direction of a 
Grange or other organization. This point 
is brought out repeatedly in the Govern¬ 
ment’s report on the “Domestic Needs of 
Farm Women.” A correspondent in 
North Dakota thus expresses the need: 
The greatest need in our community, 
which is situated in prairie country, sub¬ 
jected to terrible blizzards, and with 
roads almost impassable or no roads at 
all, is rural nurs s. Women on home¬ 
steads often die in childbirth and the life 
of the little stranger is often lost also, be¬ 
cause of no doctor and no nurse. If the 
department could find a way to have a 
rural nurse system established it would 
be the best assistance for the women in 
t his locality ever known, where we some¬ 
times have to go 30 or JO miles to a doc¬ 
Many young women qualify, every 
year, as medical missionaries or nurses 
to take up work in foreign countries. It 
looks as though we had a place for a 
good manv missionaries right at home. 
* 
The following recipe for Indian meal 
doughnuts is given by the New York 
Corner Posl 
Tribune. It is said that the meal makes 
the doughnuts more tender than when 
flour only is used: Three-quarters cupful 
milk, one and a quarter cupfuls wheat 
flour, three-quarters cupful sugar, one 
teaspoonful cinnamon, one teaspoonful 
salt, one and a half cupfuls fine white 
corn meal, one-quarter cupful butter, two 
eggs, well beaten ; two teaspoonfuls bak¬ 
ing powder. Put milk and meal into a 
double boiler and heat, together for about 
ten minutes. Add the butter and sugar. 
T 
-Plait Guard 
'Upper Shelf 
''Handle and Shelf 
brace 
-Plate Guard 
~-Lawer Shelf 
r ooden Wheel* 
Side Plan of Wheel Tray. Fig:. IV. 
Sift together the wheat flour, cinnamon, 
baking powder and salt. Add these and 
the eggs to the meal mixture. Roll out 
on a well floured board, cut into desired 
shapes, fry in deep fat and roll in pow¬ 
dered sugar. 
The Wheel Tray. 
In your issue of March 6, Alice Mar¬ 
garet Ashton tells us of a wheeled-tray 
made by the handy man of the family. 
I find them advertised at $12 and more. 
I would like very much to have one; my 
kitchen range and dining table are far 
apart and I have a handy man and a 
manual training teacher for a daughter. 
Han't we have some further description 
of it? What kind of wheels were used, 
how obtained, etc., also size and shape 
nf framework? The Delineator tells us 
that one of man’s chief virtues is lazi¬ 
ness. because he pushes bricks in a wheel¬ 
barrow, while women carry things, going 
often, and adds that there is a line sale 
for wheelbarrows but a very poor one 
for wheel-trays. Can you help us get the 
wheel-trays down to the price of the 
wheelbarrows? We should like too to be 
lazy to that extent. A. I,. H. 
The wheel-tray described on page 35!) 
has interested other housekeepers, and 
the diagrams here given show how ours 
was made. The wheel-tray is made of 
oak, filled and varnished. The wheels in 
this case were turned from wood. The 
piece used as handles extends the whole 
length of the upper shelf as shown in 
figure I, forming a brace for the shelf. 
The lower shelf has a brace at each end 
as shown in figure II. Dimensions are 
as follows: Corner posts, l x /4 inch square 
by 28 inches long; shelf 2()i4x36 inches; 
plate guard 1 M»xlVl inch; wheels five 
inches across; height of tray, 30 inches. 
ALICE MARGARET ASIITON. 
Seen in New York Shops. 
Women who suffer from bunions can 
buy ready-made shoes especially con¬ 
structed to give ease to such afflicted 
feet. They are of soft kid, low heels, 
with extra width over the enlarged joint, 
and cost $5. in sizes 4 to 9, widths D, E, 
and EE. 
Awning striped blouses of handkerchief 
linen have broad stripes of blue or pink 
and white, and flaring collars of white 
pique; the model is perfectly plain with 
long sleeves. They cost $2. 
Kneeling cushions of woven rushes or 
oilcloth are made for the women garden¬ 
er ; they cost 65 cents, while a long- 
handled trowel and small fork, which 
will add much to her comfort cost to¬ 
gether 88 cents. 
Mayonnaise mixers are made like egg- 
beaters having at one side a small tin 
funnel with a screw to regulate the size 
of the orifice at the bottom, so that the 
oil or vinegar may be added drop by drop 
while the beating is going on. 
Potato bakers are made of heavy tinned 
wire; they consist of a narrow rack, 
with a handle of wire that slides under 
it. Sticking up from the rack are 12 
wire points, just far enough apart to ac¬ 
commodate the potatoes, which are stuck 
on them. Thus they can all be drawn 
out of the oven at once, and there is no 
risk of burning the hands or cooling off 
the oven, both of which occur when one 
gropes around for potatoes that persist 
in rolling away into a corner. 
Birthday candles for putting on a cake 
are little ones, about the thickness of the 
tiny pencils that come attached to tally- 
cards. In a variety of colors they cost 
eight cents for a box containing two 
dozen. The holders for them are little 
plaster roses in colors to match, with a 
stout pin at the bottom to stick into the 
cake; they cost a cent apiece. 
Separate linen skirts are semi-made, 
like the cloth ones, and are thus easily 
adjusted to individual requirements. 
They are made 24 to 30 inches waist 
measure, length 39 to 42 inches. At a 
recent sale they were offered in plain and 
fancy linens, fine box pleats, for $2.65; 
large box pleats, which are very stylish 
$3.15. Separate “sport” skirts, which 
are excellent for country wear, come in 
plaid English worsteds in prices from 
$9.75 to $14.50. Some are plain skirts 
buttoned down the front, others box-pleat¬ 
ed. These separate skirts are very prac¬ 
tical, and save the skirt of n jacket suit, 
which should never be worn separately, 
because of the extra wear involved. A 
serge Norfolk jacket or loose coat of cor¬ 
duroy is often worn with these skirts. 
Homespun rag rugs with Dresden bor¬ 
ders have the centers of hit-or-miss in 
soft harmonizing colors, while the border 
is a floral pattern of indistinct outline 
on white. They are especially pretty in 
gray, fawn and green tones. They have 
been offered lately at sales at decided re¬ 
ductions, but regular prices are about as 
follows: 8ize 36x72 inches. $1.50; 6x9 
feet. $5; 7 ft. 6 in.xlO feet, $7.75; 9x12 
feet, $7.50. What are called Sparta wool 
art rugs have a center of solid color with 
a simple border in excellent taste; they 
were recently seen at the following 
prices: 6x9 feet, $7.65; 7 ft. 6 in.xlO ft. 
6 in., $11.75; 9x12 feet, $15; 12x15 feet, 
$27. 
How Grandmother Helped. 
If there is in your family a grand¬ 
mother or some member of the household 
past what she may perhaps call her 
“working days,” she may be interested 
in Grandmother Andrews’ last Summer’s 
experience. 
Mrs. Andrews was having an unusually 
hard time to got along. Her husband 
had carefully invested for her what he 
had hoped would keep her and those in 
her care comfortably, at least, though 
plainly. Rut soon after his death, the 
investment proved, fter all, a failure, 
and she found that the taking of Summer 
boarders seemed the only feasible plan by 
which to earn a living. She was trying 
to keep the children in school till each 
should be graduated. By working before 
Victrola IV 
$15 
Other styles 
$25 to $250. 
It’s easy to 
learn the new 
steps with the 
music of the 
Victrola. 
The Fox Trot, Castle 
Polka, and all the other 
new dances—played loud 
and clear and in perfect 
time. 
Hear the latest dance num- 
at any Victor deal¬ 
er’s. Write to us for 
catalogs. 
Victor Talking 
Company 
Camden, N. J. 
Berliner Gramophone Co , 
Montreal, Canadian Distributors, 
All 
BIG 
Wires 
One Penny Fora 
DOLLAR-SAVING Book 
Gives valuable fence 
facts —shows how to get 
better quality at sensa¬ 
tional direct-from-fac- 
tory prices. 
EMPIRE FENCE 
is guaranteed to show the 
iggest saving on highest quality fence. 
Freight prepaid. All Big No 9 wires. 
Open-Hearth steel, heavily galvanized, rust 
proof, pig tight, stock strong. Just a penny 
postal brings Free J3ook— NOW. 
BOND STEEL POST CO., £3 Maumee St., Adrien, Mich. 
Over 150 styles for 
every purpose—hogs 
sheep, poultry, rabbits, horses 
cattle. Also lawn fence and gates. 
Hi CENTS PER ROD UP. ALL DOUBLE GALVANIZED 
Write now for new catalog end sample to test. 
The Brawl Fence & Wirt Cl. Dent. S» CleveluN. Ohle 
Pay Two Prices forFences? 
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WW'IIW'jMII 
Buv direct from our factory. Hundreds of exclusive 
styles. Wire and Ornamental Iron guaranteed 
Fences for every purpose; Gates.etc. ,0w*Write for 
Free Catalog, First Order and Early Buyers’ Offer! 
WARD MFG. CO. 137 Ward St.. Decatur, IntL 
We Have 
Sp 
>ecial 
ng 
Ini 
teresti 
T< 
*rms 
lo 
Agents 
at this time. Takes 
but a little of your 
spare time and is 
worth the effort— 
Send postal to 
Department “M” 
The 
Rural New-Yorker 
333 West 3 0th Street 
New Yorfy dtp 
