Vhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
423 
C>rT of the scrap book of one of our 
readers conies the following on “Laugh¬ 
ter.” Of course, there are still some dig- 
niCcd and severe people who do not ap¬ 
prove of joy or joking, but, happily, most 
of the wor'd can muster up some sense of 
humor and make an asset out of laughter. 
“Laughter, ’tis the poor man’s plaster; 
Covering up each sad disaster. 
Laughing, he forgets his troubles, 
Which, .though real, seem but bubbles. 
Tiaughter, whether loud or mute. 
Tells the human kind from brute. 
T.aughter, ’tis hope’s living voice. 
Bidding us to make a choice.” 
The papers tell of a society woman of 
Oregon who says she was converted to 
woman suffrage by the woman who did 
her washing. This working woman 
pinned on the wall near her tub a copy 
of the laws submitted to the voters, and, 
as she scrubbed, studied them and thought 
them out. The.v were for her and for her 
children, and she knew what they meant 
far better than the majorit.v of the men. 
We believe that serious working women 
would make a finer use of the ballot than 
any other class of citizens just as soon as 
they realize that it is a weapon for them 
—not as many men seem to consider it, 
a tax or mere privilege. 
'‘Bone Drji!" That is a new expres¬ 
sion in politics, and it refers to absolute 
luohibition. The cause has made aston¬ 
ishing progress this Winter. Indiana has 
joined the ranks and (’ongress has passed 
the most drastic temperance bill yet. 
second only to national prohibition. For¬ 
merly the prohibition laws of many States 
were violated b.v shipments of lipnor for 
“personal use” from “wet” territory. Dr. 
Wiley, in his book, “The Lure of the 
T/ind,” gives a striking description of the 
wa.v farm laborers in a iirohibition county 
in Virginia import liquor from Washing¬ 
ton. Fnder the new law such shipments 
!ir(‘ ju-ohibited—this makes a lu-ohibition 
.^tate “bone dr.v,” Another law prohibits 
the mailing of any i)aper, magazine or cir¬ 
cular containing an.v advertisement of 
liquor into any prohibition State which 
has passed such laws. The object of this 
is to back up the State prohibition laws 
Avith all the power of the Federal govern¬ 
ment—under the theory that a majority of 
the iieojile of a State have a right to de¬ 
cide this temperance question. We be¬ 
lieve, as we have stated before, that there 
is now no possible chance to bold off ulta- 
mate national prohibition. 
* 
“Tiro U'oinrn shoU he (irhulhir/ at the 
mill—the one shall he taken anH the 
other left.” 
Thousands of iireachers have taken 
that text and applied it in various ways. 
It is brought forcibly to us as we see the 
picture herewith. This is from a photo¬ 
graph taken in Syria and shows two na¬ 
tive women “grinding at the mill” just 
as the work was done IhOO years ago. 
V'oman has ever been the breadm.aker 
and the home-keeper. In Syria her 
work has not progressed or developed as 
a rule, while in more modern lands a 
revolution in ■woman’s work has' taken 
place. Fifty years ago. for example, 
farm women in New England did all 
their own baking and made the clothes 
fur their families, 'knit stockings and 
pnahiced a dozen other necessities. The.v 
got to the point where much of this work 
was done for outsiders as a business. 
Now most of this work of ibaking. sew¬ 
ing. and even cooking, has been alisorbed 
by men in town and cit.v—leaving the 
women with little chance to earn cash un¬ 
less they move to the town. This revolution 
in housework is taking man.v a farmer's 
daughter away from the mill. '\Ve would 
like to see some return to the old-time 
way of doing such things that “the other 
Woman” may have a fairer chance. 
Mary Garden, the famous ojiera sing¬ 
er, recently sailed for Spain. Among 
other preparations for a pleasant trip 
she curried 18 quarts of milk. Her plan 
is to “diet” by drinking two (piarts of 
milk each day! That is surely good ad¬ 
vertising for the good old cow and her 
product, but a woman with such a 
thoroughly horticultural name as Garden 
should also belong to* the Apple Con¬ 
sumers' League! She should carry a 
box of Northern ‘Spy apples and eat 
three each day—to accompany the milk. 
Then why not put .a little more music 
into the poultry business and carry two 
dozen eggs? A fine baked potato each 
day would give greater evidence of 
wealth and distinction than a set of 
new diamonds I Here may be a useful 
job for women of the “upper ten.” Let 
them make milk and other farm prod¬ 
ucts fashionable ! 
Twexty years ago such an article a.s 
^Irs. Feint wrote for the last magazine 
number would have been read, yet few 
women would have considered it jirac- 
tical. Yet each day brings half a dozen 
or more letters from Avomen Avho Aviint 
to knoAV about that meat canner. In¬ 
stead of depending on a diet of home- 
salted meat for the Winter, thousands 
of farmers uoav have fresh meat—taken 
right from the cans—like the fruits and 
vegetables. This has meant a revolu¬ 
tion in many farm neighborhoods, yet 
there are still thousands of homes Avhere 
canned meat is unknown except as it Is 
bought at the store. Two things ought 
to be put into the creed of every farm 
family—drink more of the farm milk 
and can more home-raised meat. 
TfiE trouble over high cost of eating 
may have struck some farmers, but not 
these who provide, as they should, for 
the home table first. I’rof. W. F. Mas¬ 
sey tells the folloAving stor.v— typical of 
many Maryland farmhouses: 
A da.v or .so ago returning from a 
motor trip into the adjoining county, I 
stopped Avith a farmer friend at noon, 
ami of course must stay to dinner. As 
usual the table Avas loaded. There Avere 
spare ribs and sausages and a big dish 
of fried egg.s, with lots of greens, etc., 
iis “filler.” 1 suAV that farmer eat liber- 
.‘illy of the spare ribs, and sausage, and 
then eat four fried egg.s. Living in the 
open air I suppo.se helps a man eat that 
way, but it Avould .soon kill me. I told 
him that he Avas fortunate to live on 
the farm, for he Avould Iuia’c to be a 
millionaire to set such a table in NeAV 
Ytirk City. 
Such a dinner in a good New York 
restaurant Avould huA’C cost at least .$0 
fiu’ a family of 10. Some of the restaur¬ 
ants have given up serving potatoes. 
You have your choice of rice and 
spaghetti along Avith meat dishes. At 
most restaurants of good reiuitation a 
baked potato costs 15 cents. The receni 
so-called “food riots” did not mean that 
people were starving. The Avomen Avho 
made the disturbance could have bought 
rice and other nourishing foods, but they 
Avanted onions, cabbage and potatoes! 
It Avas not a fight for food as much as 
a demand for fof>d fads! We all have 
such fads! 
* 
The papers tell of a Western woman 
AA'ho is “putting her husband through 
college.” Both realized that the husband 
would be more eflicient and command 
higher Avages if he could have college 
training in his chosen Avork. So, as a 
matter of business, the woman cariled 
on the hou.sehold through her labor, 
Avhile the husband entered college—do¬ 
ing such of the houseAvork as he could. 
Why not? Many a Avoman Avill toil and 
den.v herself that her son may have edu¬ 
cation—Avell knoAviug that the un¬ 
trained youth may disappoint her. Why 
not do the same for her maturer hus¬ 
band? We know of tAVo other cases 
Avhere this very thing Avas done—yet a 
husband must have proA'cd himself Avell 
before a practical Avife Avould “put him 
through college.” 
“ The Lure of the Town ” 
There is great good sense in the fol- 
loAving from “Black and White Bec- 
ord.” 
“This is a might.v fine hotel.” re¬ 
marked my comiianiun. 1 looked him in 
the eye, to see if he actually meant it, 
and his expression shoAved me that he 
Avas really sincere. We had not been 
able to get a room Avith bath, and the 
running Avater in our room avus limited 
to the cold-Avater faucet! The wall pa¬ 
per Avas smoky, the carpet Avas of un¬ 
certain cleanliness, the low-j)OAA'.er elec¬ 
tric bulbs gave only a dim light. But 
Ave had running Avater (oA-cn if it Avas 
cold) and electric lights and steam 
heat, and in the more presentable lobby 
beloAV, Avas a S|)acious fireplace in which 
burned a cheerful Avood .blaze; and re¬ 
flecting that my friend ('iijoyed none of 
these advantages in his home on the 
farm, I could understand Avhy the hotel, 
Avith its superior comforts, seemed a 
“mighty fine” place. 
Which is here mentioned as one of the 
possible reasons Avhy it is hard to keep 
the boy on the faian.. 
If any people on earth deserve run¬ 
ning Avater, good light and comfortable 
heat in the hou.se it is the farmer's fam¬ 
ily. These are the things which make 
the children feel that they have a fair 
chance as compared Avith toAvn folks. 
We grant that there are many cases 
Avhere running Avater and .strong light 
are not yet possible, but there are many 
more cases where they are possible and 
yet not utilized. There are springs about 
the house and litrle streams Avhich 
might be harnessed to introduce light 
and power at low taist. We do not ad¬ 
vocate running in debt for such things, 
but wherever they are possible they 
should come alnsnl of other necessitie.s. 
* 
Old Friends 
Please excuse me for not .sending in 
my subscription on time, as I meant to 
do. I am 81 years old, and cannot do as 
I once could. Jly husband did not care 
much for the paper at first, but noAV he is 
anxious to have it. I told him the more 
he re‘’.d it the bettor he Avould like it and 
he has found it Avas so. 
NeAV York. .airs, s.vkaii schoe.v. 
H. N.-Y.—Old friends are the best and 
ahvays Avere—especially those Avhich groAV 
melloAV and ripe along Avith you. One of 
the most beautiful things about our busi¬ 
ness is the fact that so many of these fine, 
elderly people are still Avith us. Many of 
them began taking Mooke’.s Kri£.\r. Neaa'- 
Y'orker from the first number, and they 
knoAV !Mr. Moore personally. They are 
still Avith us and regard us younger fcl- 
loAvs as in tlie old class. After all time is 
the final tost of friendship and quality. 
*. 
Distribution of Personal Property 
Frociuent inquiries are made as to 
Avhat becomes of personal proiierty in 
the event of the death of either hus¬ 
band or AA'ife leaving no Avill and no chil¬ 
dren. And the difficulty is probably due 
to the fact that the distribution is not 
the same in both cases. In Ncav York 
8tate on the death of the husband, if 
there be no children nor legal representa¬ 
tives of them, one-half of the surplus, 
after the payment of debts, goes to the 
Avidow and the other half to the next of kin. 
Then if there be no parent, brother or 
sister, nepheAV or niece (next of kin) 
of the deceased, the Avidow takes the 
Avhole surplus. But if there be a brother 
or sister, nephew or niece, and no de¬ 
scendant or iiarcitt, the AvidoAV takes half 
the surplus and all of the remainder, too. 
if it does not exceed .8‘2,()00; if it ex¬ 
ceeds that sum, she takes in addition to 
her half, tAA-o thousand dollars, and the 
remainder is distributed to the brothers 
and sisters and their represent a tive.s. 
On the other hand, if a married AA'oman 
dies inte.state. leaving no children nor 
represen tatiA'es of them, the husband 
takes all of her personal estate. 
1. AVhat are the legal rights of a 
woman married in I’ennsylvania oA’er 
her hu.sband’s real and personal prop- 
ert.v regardless of any Avill if this prop¬ 
erty is situated in Ncav Jer.sey and Noav 
Y' ork Htate? 2. Is a mortgage owned ou 
propei'ty in NeAv .Tersey held as real or 
personal property ? j. n. f. 
Ncav York. 
1. It Avould not make any particular 
diflerence Avhere the people Avere married, 
but the tAVo governing principles Avould 
be (a) their legal domicile or residence 
at the time of death :ind (b) the situa¬ 
tion' of the real jiroperty. The law of 
the State of domicile or residence go\- 
erns the distribution of personal prop¬ 
erty, Avhile the descent and heirship of 
real estate are exclusively governed by 
the hiAv of the country or State Avithiu 
Avhich it is actually situated. 
In Pennsylvania the AvidoAV of an in¬ 
testate (d.ving without a Avill), if he 
leaves children al.so, take.s one-third of 
the real propert.y in that State for life 
and one-third of the personal property 
absolutely. If there be no children, the 
Avidow is entitled to the real or personal 
estate, or both to the aggregate value of 
.$5,0(K) in addition to the AvidoAv’s exemp¬ 
tion of ,$p00. If the value of the estate 
exceeds fiA'c thousand dollars, the widoAV 
is entitled to such sum of abso¬ 
lutely and in addition one-half the re¬ 
maining real estate for life and one-half 
the remaining personal estate absolutely. 
If he leaA'es no knoAvn heirs she takes 
all in fee. Then if he left real property 
in NeAV Y'ork and New .Tersey, she AVould 
have a life interest in one-third of that. 
2. This is held as per.sonal property. 
A mortgage before foreclosure is com- 
Ipleted is per.sonal assets, and uimn the 
death of the mortgagee ve.sts .in his exe¬ 
cutor or administrator and is distributed 
as personal property. 
* 
Short Hits 
They tell me that a rag covered Avith 
cayenne_ pepper and stuffed in mouse, 
holes Avill drive away these pests from 
cuiiboards and closets. 
Wipe your velvet and plush furniture 
with a chamois cloth Avrung out just as 
dry as possible. 
NeAV tiiiAvare Avill not rust if you Avill 
rub it over with fresh lard and bake in 
the oven before using. 
Cook onions in milk in double boiler 
if you Avant them extra nice. Salt and 
butter Avill prevent the milk from curd¬ 
ling. 
.\fter you peel the above onions, Avash 
your hands in mustard Avater to remove 
the odor. 
If there is anyone in your house too 
sick to sit up to drink, you can use ,n 
stick of maciironi for a tube through 
which they may take liquid until you 
can get the glass tube used for that 
purpose. 
Don’t Cover your fish Avhen fr.ving— 
makes it soft. 
Spread a little flour OA-er .A'our cake 
before putting on the icing. Avhich Avill 
then^ stay Avhere it is put. 
When you want .a cup of tea to be 
extra strong try putting a spoonful of 
sugar in the Avater Avhen you make it. 
This causes the leaA’cs to open better, 
and makes the tea stronger. 
Keep a draAving compas.s in your 
AVork box. It is nice to make cii-cles 
and semi-circles Avith in your fancy 
Avork. 
If you Avant to get the best results 
from lemons, Avarm them a bit before 
squeezing. 
Put Ji feAV drops of castor oil on the 
band of your seAving m.achine Avhen It 
gets too large. The oil Avill tighten it. 
Brush the top crust of your pies Avith 
a litHe milk and .sprinkle Avith granulat¬ 
ed sugar. Result, nice golden crust in 
place of the usual pale, sickly one. 
This is the season for colds Avith ac¬ 
companying coughs. Don’t dose Avith 
patent medicine. Instead, try ,a table¬ 
spoonful of glycerine in a small glass of 
hot milk. It helps that cough immensely, 
and (piiets the irritated nerves. 
Make covers for your mattresses of 
unbleached muslin; Tie ou Avith tapes, 
and Avhen soiled .slip off and Avash. The 
life of the mattress is prolonged, and 
cleauline.ss assured. 
Put an elastic baud in the top of .vour 
petticoat in place of the usual .string. 
ScAV up the placket, and you Avill find 
a comfort and security you never felt 
before. b. h. 
