Oic RURAL N E W-Y O R K E R 
243 
through their letters, for they bring in the 
element of personal courage and faith in 
human nature which modern public life 
sadly needs. The work wliich the farm 
women did during the milk trouble and 
which they are now doing, through corre¬ 
spondence. shows them well worthy of the 
ballot and they will surely have it in 
time! 
The papers report a case in New York 
where a group of Polish women exercised 
their rights very forcibly. Their hus¬ 
bands were ordered to strike by some 
agent of their union, and were prepared 
to do so. The women knew this would 
mean idleness, poverty and suffering for 
their children, and they proceeded to 
strike first. The took hold of^their hus¬ 
bands and marched them back to work. 
If you have ever seen siudi a woman roused 
to the i)oint where she will really fight for 
her children, you will understand how 
those men hustled to their job. Another 
New Y’ork woman found a burglar in her 
house. She attacked him with a rolling 
pin and injured him so seriously that the 
policeman who came to help had to c.all 
an ambulance and a doctor I 
A 
I .V the early days of the Middle West 
a wave of wildcat banking spread over 
the country. Banks were organized on 
the b.isis of land sci-ipt. They fell into 
speculation, and most of them were wiped 
out when their bank notes depreciated in 
value. Farmers took pay for their 
booze or cigarettes, but should want hon¬ 
est, reliable boys who mean business, and 
who could get a paper to that effect from 
their college. I have a big general farm' 
with a few registered Ilolsteins, and 
would do the best I could to show the 
boys the practical side of a common farm. 
Vermont. l. w. .riLT.soN. 
Of course, these students would want 
work during the Summer vacation only. 
They might not fully agree with the far¬ 
mer’s estimate of the value of their ser¬ 
vices. but it w'ould bo a useful part of 
their college course. 
❖ 
The picture given below shows the farm 
kitchen of Mrs. II. K. Bose, in Delaware 
Co., N. Y. 't'he electric flatiron is only 
one of many great electric conveniences 
which the farm can show. It is a pri¬ 
vate electric plant, the generator being 
run by the same g.as engine which oper¬ 
ates the milking machine or pump. At 
the barn this current lights the building, 
gives power for milking and is wired to 
the house, where it gives all the conven¬ 
iences of the city. There are storage bat¬ 
teries so that the engine need not bo 
worked all the time. Many farmers wdio 
are located near a pond or stream use 
water power in place of the engine, and 
with great satisfaction. All thro’ugh the 
country districts and especially where 
there are water powers these plants are 
working in. and no one can estimate the 
comfort and convenience they bring—to 
the women in particular, for this powerful 
force will light and heat and sweep and 
An Electric Kitchen in Delaware Co., New York 
WOMAN AND HOME 
Laughter 
Laughter sort o’ settles breakfast better 
than digestive pills. 
Found it, somehow, in my travels cure 
for every sort of ills; 
When the hired help have riled me with 
their slipshod, careless ways 
An’ I’m bilin’ mad an’ cussin’ an’ my 
temper’s all ablaze. 
If the calf gets me to laughin’ while 
they’re teachin’ him to feed 
Prett.v soon I’m feelin’ better, ’cause 
I’ve found the cure I need. 
Like to start the day with laughter; 
when I’ve had a peaceful night 
An’ can greet the sun all smilin’ that 
day’s goin’ to be all right. 
But there’s nothing goes to suit nu' when 
my system’s full o’ bile. 
Even horses quit their pullin’ when the 
driver doesn’t smile. 
But they’ll buckle to the traces when 
they hear a gbad giddap. 
Just as though they like to labor for a 
cheerful kind o’ chap. 
Laughter keeps me strong an’ healthy. 
You can bet I’m all run down. 
Fit for doctor folks an’ nurses when I 
cannot shake my frown. 
Found in farmin’ laughter’s useful, good 
for sheep an’ cows an’ goats. 
When I’ve laughed my way tliiiough 
Summer, reap the biggest crop of 
oats. 
I.aughter’s good for any 1 usiness. least¬ 
wise so it seems to me— 
Never knew a smilin’ feller but w.as busy 
as could be. 
Sometimes sit an’ think about it, pon¬ 
derin’ on the ways o’ life. 
Wonderin’ why mortals gladly face the 
toil an’ care an’ strife. 
Then I come to this conclusion—take it 
now for what it’s worth— 
It’s the joy of laughter keeps us ploddin’ 
on this stretch of earth. 
Men the fun o’ life are seeking—that’s 
• the reason for the c;ilf 
S|)illin’ mash upon his kt'ejier—men are 
hungry for a laugh. 
—Detroit Free Press. 
Miss .Teannette Bankin of Montana will 
be the first woman to qualify as membei- 
of the House of Bepresentatives. This is 
surely an event in history, but the Home 
Club Bulletin jmints out that iMiss Ban- 
kin is not the first woman in America to 
have a hand in .actual law-making. 
Among many Indian tribes the women sat 
in the highest councils and took a lead¬ 
ing part in import.ant debates. The gov¬ 
ernment or leadership usually descended* 
through the female line. Among the 
strong Iro(iuois nation the matrons de¬ 
cided many imi)ortant (|uestions, and this 
nation w.as tin* sri-ongt'st and most endur¬ 
ing of all the trilx'S. Several cases arc' 
la'ported where women ruled as (]ueens 
among the Indians, 'riius the laal women 
S(‘t an example which their whit(‘ sisters 
.•ir<> following. 
* 
The late .Tt)sei)h E. Wing had an ex¬ 
perience in Uruguay which shows how 
human nature is the same everywhere. 
He Wiis asked to sj)eak to a gathering 
of farmers—through an interpreter. He 
had found good, warm buildings for the 
sheep and cattle, but the country school- 
house was *a mere shed. So he touched 
up the old sore and tender spot of rural 
education. “Tell me,’’ he said, “is it 
fair to give the she(']> a betteT* house 
than you give the children and th« 
teacher?’’ Those farmers were very 
angry until one of the leading men got 
up and thanked Mr. Wing. This man 
had long wanted to say the same thing, 
but hardly dared to until Wing, a 
stranger, came in from the outside and 
.started the thought. 
* 
It is the universal opinion at Albany 
—and every other congreg.-ition of politi¬ 
cians—that the stronge.st and most im¬ 
pressive letters on farm legislation (•ome 
from women ! Thousands of iiuni are writ¬ 
ing and their letters are strong, but the 
farm women put into their letters that 
touch ^of human nature or that scorn or 
hatred of deception or evasion which ap¬ 
peals to public men as genuine. Why 
should it not be so? The women who 
make the home and take more than their 
shai’e of work and i‘esi)onsibilit.v know 
what farm life needs and they can see 
clearly what i)ublic men ought to do. The 
men know more about “politics” and this 
knowledge may make them timid or hope¬ 
less or cynical, but the women see only 
the right and the wrong of it, and they 
go at the subject without any faltering or 
apology ! They are doing a world of good 
crops in these, cheap bank notes, and 
often lost all they had without knowing 
anything about it. There is a story of 
one fai-mer and his wife who had .$000 iu 
these bank notes tucked away iu the clock 
for s:ife keeping. The Methodist preacher 
came on his rounds and stopped at the 
lonely cabin. The farmer wanted to help 
out the church, and he offered one of the 
bank notes. 
“The b.-ink is bust(‘d !’’ said the 
preacher. 
For two months the farmer and his 
wife thought they had $500 when it was 
only a colhudion of colored papers. I'he 
wife stai'tt'd to cry, but the farmer said: 
“'Wi'll, w<‘’ve got the bab.v anyway, and 
wlnm he grows up_ perhaps the banks 
won’t bu.st!” 
’I'hose people were young and strong 
and they were conquering the wilder¬ 
ness. They could afford to be h(^peful. We 
li.ave been i)assing through a long p<'riod 
of financial hardship for many farmers, 
but now we think the skies are brighten¬ 
ing, and that farmers are on the way to 
a fairer show. When it does come the 
women must have their share—for tliey 
have fairly earned it. 
We have given the facts as we find 
them about the college student and a job 
at i)ractical farm work. Most farmers 
do not want this sort of help, and frankly 
say so. Here, however, is a Vermont 
farmer who takes a different view: 
* 
I notice iu a i-eceut i.ssue that .vou have 
letters from college students who want 
practical farm work this Summer. I 
could use two or possibly four such, if 
they ai’c willing to work at whatever 
iKH’ds doing, for what their labor is actu- 
:illy worth. I would not tolerate either 
bake or wash and iron, as desired. iMay 
the day quickly come when fai'ining will 
become so prosperous that such conven¬ 
iences will enter every farm house. 
Now comes a public request to dignify 
common labor. We are all a.sked to raise 
the character of kitchen and domestic 
work so that girls and women will go into 
it. Thus it will be no longer the hired 
girl but the “kitchen lady,” or the range 
queen. No matter what bluff is put up 
regarding the name, washing dishes or 
.scrubbing floors will remain hard work 
until machinery and chemistry comes in 
to help. We are not likely to give it dig¬ 
nity by talking about it. The dignity is 
giv(Mi by th(' thought and the motive of 
the worker. 
A Letter from Home 
Of course, good pap<“r. we are going to 
renew our subscription, and wish to ai>olo- 
gize for not sending in the money S(M>ner. 
I have just been reading the last coi)y, 
which came last night. It is the best 
ever. I think so much of the “Hope 
Farm” page. This week it is splendid, 
and the “Pastoral Parson,” too. I 
usually have tears in my eyes before I g< r 
through reading it. Where the little boy 
received the sled touched me, for I have a 
little boy, too, and my heart goes out to 
all others, especial.v those less fortunate. 
When I first knew of your paper I 
thought it was a man’s paper only, but I 
have found out that it isn’t. I believe I 
read it as much as my husband does, and 
sometimes I surprise him by showing I 
have read some of his part of the paper, 
too. The letters from the farm women 
are so friendly; the recipes, tried and 
true, are good, also the many household 
hints and suggestions are helpful. I just 
felt I wanted you to know how we ap¬ 
preciate your paper. One couldn’t help 
but have a broader outlook and keener de¬ 
sire to live for the best things, after read¬ 
ing it. 
I would like to give the following recipe 
for cr.vstallized apples: Place on the 
stove in a saucepa i two cups of brown 
sugar and 114 ciiP fold water. While 
this is coming to the boiling point wash 
and core apples (do not pare them). Put 
them iu the boiling syrup and cover. Keep 
at the boiling point until apples are ten¬ 
der, which doesn’t take very long, so 
watch them closely. Bemove them to a 
dish; coidv the syrup down until quite 
thin, then pour over the apples. They 
are good just as a relish or if desired may 
be used .as dessert with a spoonf 1 of 
whipped cream on top. I helped enter¬ 
tain at an afternoon gathering last week, 
and we served apples with whipped cream 
for dessert. Apples are very ■ .scarce 
around here, so they all considered they 
had quite a treat. A splendid homemade 
lotion, for chapped hands and cracks in 
the fingers, is equal parts of ammonia, bay 
rum and glycerine. It is rather sevei-e at 
first, but it is wonderfuly healing. 
MRS. A. K. ('. 
* 
An Apple-pie Consumers’ League 
The sight of an apple pie that my wife 
has just now removed from the oven has 
put an idea into my head that I want 
to bring to tlu' attention of the men 
who reiul this i)aper. The editor will be 
requested to print this under the he.ading 
“Live Stock and Dairy” or “Market Be- 
ports,” so that the women won’t read it. 
My idea is bound to be popular with the 
men, but I have my doubts as to the 
women. Some good thing.s, you know, 
have to be put over quietly or they don’t 
get by. The big idea is this: Why not 
form an Apple-pie (’onsumers’ I.eague? 
Q’he only qualification for membership 
need be that each member shall .agree to 
call for 'ai)ple pie whenever eating a meal 
away from home, and that he shall talk 
persi.stently at home .about how good an 
apple pie would taste for dinner. Or, 
if he h.as already had it for dinner, about 
how gc)o(l it would taste for supper. 
Those who wish to advance to the 
thirty-third degree in the order can .also 
eat appD pie for breakfast. Apple pie.s, 
of cour.se. c.an’t be made without api)les, 
and the more apples are made into pies, 
the greater the demand for the fruit and 
the stronger the market. The whole idea 
here is to strengthen the market. 
Now not everybody can eat raw ap¬ 
ples, but apple pie is a universal food, 
it contains protein, carbohydrates, ash, 
fiber and .spices. You will readily see 
that it forms a completely balanced ra¬ 
tion in it.self, though cheese may be eat¬ 
en with it if one wishes to increase the 
nitrogen content. Nitrogen is all right 
b>r food, too, when eaten with apple pie. 
Apple pie. in the past, has had but one 
fault. When .made of good, juicy ap¬ 
ples, as it should be, it was bound to 
run over and develop the , undesirable 
flavor of burnt sugar. With that trait 
overcome, apple pie is a.s far beyond 
critici.sm as a hothouse rose. Here then 
comes another great opportunity for the 
Apple-pie (’onsumers’ League. Apjjle i)ie 
can be prevented from running over, and 
it will be iq) to the League to spread the 
new.s. 
Begin at home. I/ct each nnunber 
casually mention to his wife that he 
knows how to keep apple pie from run¬ 
ning over. He will be met, of cour.se, bv 
a slight arching of the eyebrows and 
possibly by a half concealed though 
highly suggestive sniff. But let him not 
be discouraged. He does know, or he 
will after reading this. I got the pointer 
while listening to a group of ladies dis¬ 
cussing a cooking school, but he needn’t 
tell where he got it. For once, he will 
probably be able to show his wifi* that 
he knows .something about cooking that 
she doesn’t. Let him go on to say that, 
after the pie is in the tin, another tin 
of the same size should be inverted over 
it, pressing it down well so as to seal the 
two tins together around the edge. The 
pie is then baked for the usual length 
of time, but, when removed from the 
oven, it will present an unusual appear¬ 
ance. The crust will be of an even and 
delightfully brown color all over and. 
when cut, no part of it will stick to the 
tin. In short, the perfect apple pie will 
appear. Many have tried to attain this 
result by wrapping the- edge of the pie 
in a clean white rag, but no surgical 
dressing can equal an,inverted pie tin 
as a protection from running over and 
sticking. 
There will be other opportunities for 
the activities of the Apple-pie Con.sum- 
ers’ League, but this educational one 
may well come first. If it should be 
thought be.st to employ a secretary, at 
a reasonable salary, I sha’n’t be very 
busy this Winter. m. b. n. 
