RURAL NEW-YORKER 
797 
WOMAN AND HOME 
The Daisy 
With little white leaves in the grasses, 
Spread wide for the smile of th“ sun, 
It waits till the daylight passes, 
And i.loses them one by one. 
I have asked why it closed at even. 
And I know what it wished to say ; 
There are stars all night in the heaven. 
And I am the star of the day. 
—Sir Rennell Rodd in London Spectator. 
* 
The following is copied from a head¬ 
stone in the public cemehery of our ad¬ 
joining town of Pelham : 
“Think, my friends, when this you see 
IIow my wife hath dealt by me. 
She in some oysters did prepare 
Some poison for my lot and share. 
Them of the same I did partake, 
And nature yielded to its fate. 
Before she my wife became 
Mary Felton was her name. 
Frected by his brother—Win. Bibbs.’’ 
A. F. j. 
Mary Felton would hardly qualify as a 
teacher of domestic science, but we 
should know the true character and 
household accomplishments of Gibbs 
before passing final judgment. At any 
rate the literature of gravestones has im¬ 
proved in brevity and style .since those 
older days. There are, however, too 
many men who write poetry over their 
wife’s grave after giving her the plainest 
prose in life. “More taffy for the living 
and less epitaffy for the dead” is a good 
motto. 
Two months ago we said that the dairy 
counties of New York ought to roll up a 
great vote for woman suffrage this Fall. 
That was because the women showed 
their courage and their public spirit in 
the milk war. It is generally admitted 
that the milk war would have failed had 
it not been for the part the women 
I>layed. With their help the men could 
handle the feed question and several 
others which need the entire family. 
Now comes a correspondent who claims 
that the women of these dairy counties do 
not want to vote, and should not be made 
voters until they express their desire for 
the ballot. We think they want to vote 
now. Are we right? 
Every year we have 50 or more ques¬ 
tions asking advice about taking finan¬ 
cial advantage or repudiating financial 
obligations. Sometimes men or women 
hiive made a clear contract to do a cer¬ 
tain work or deliver certain property. 
We do not refer to cases where our peo¬ 
ple have been duped or victimized. Un¬ 
happily the peojile we refer to are trying 
to take advantage of others. For exam¬ 
ple, in several cases women have signed 
notes and have paid part of the money in 
cash without witnesses or without tak¬ 
ing any receipt. You may find it hard 
to believe it, but there are men who ac¬ 
tually ask advice about compelling such 
women to pay this money twice, because 
they have no receipt! The cases are not 
all as bad as that, but there are some 
who are willing to take advantage of a 
mistake or technicality in order to beat 
their neighbors or associates. In some 
cases they might have a legal chance to 
try it, but The R. N.-Y.’s legal service 
will never be used to help them work the 
scheme. We have told several of the 
worst offenders that if they attempted to 
put their schemes over we would expose 
the game and publish their names. And 
ve would do it! 
* 
This year I was busy trying for the 
Officers’ Re.serve ('orps at Fort INlyer, 
but unfortunately, or fortunately, de¬ 
pending upon the viewpoint, I was finally 
rejected. I had hopes that I might get 
you some subscribers in France, and pos¬ 
sibly later in Germany. It is not un¬ 
likely I may do that for you later, if the 
Russian _ revolution revolves so fast that 
it loses its fly-wheel. a. a. r. 
The R. N.-T. goes everywhere. Re¬ 
cently a woman in Nova Rcotia wrote 
that her nephew, now^ in the trenches, 
“somewhere in France,” -wanted The R. 
N.-Y. to read wdiile the big guns were 
thundering. So the paper will go to him 
there. AYe have several readers in 
Austria and Germany as well as in 
France. A number of letters from our 
Austrian friends have come through to 
us. We rather think those Russians will 
stand firm after all. Those who read his¬ 
tory know how the French Revolution 
was regarded as hopeless by the other 
nations. Yet France came through it, 
and has to-day about the finest national 
character of any nation on earth. 
* 
The trespassing hen makes more 
trouble in the average neighborhood than 
any gos.sip who ever ran at large. Of 
course, that means a big contract for the 
hen. but she can put it over. Those who 
dislike trouble over such matters might 
try the following “remedy.” There is an¬ 
other version of it on page 798. in an old- 
time poem reprinted from “The Business 
Hen.” 
Attach a grain of corn to the end of 
hair about 12 inches long from a horse’s 
tail. I’lace it so the hens will pick this 
corn up and s-wallow it. Of all the exhi¬ 
bitions of gymnastics one ever witnessed 
the one before him will be so ridiculous 
that the people who own the hens will be¬ 
come ashamed and keep them at home. 
One good thing is it does not harm the 
hen. AV. ii. H. 
SOAIE of the young men Avho should “do 
their bit” in the army are Avorking over¬ 
time trying to escape conscription. Some 
of them get married, thinking in this Avay 
to escape. The Y'ar Department now 
announces that married men mu.st go if 
called. Other young men are trying to 
join the Society of Friends and thus es¬ 
cape. Noav the Quakers announce that 
they will not accept such “slackers,” 
and that they Avill A’olunteer for any 
duty, except actual fighting. One can 
respect young men Avho are either con¬ 
scientiously opposed to fighting or Avho 
have dependent relatives Avho need their 
presence or labor. It is hard to feel any 
sympathy for strong young fellows, not 
actually needed at home, aa’Iio hunt for 
some excuse to evade their Avar service. 
Some of the excuses offered are i-emark- 
able. They make us think of the young 
felloAv Ave kncAV j’ears ago. lie Avas a great 
bluffer—ahvays picking a quarrel Avith 
some smaller or weaker man. At last he 
picked on the Avrong man—a big, husky 
fellow Avho forthwith challenged him to 
pull off his coat. The bluffer gave as an 
excuse that he had promised a Christian 
mother never to strike anyone or fight! 
* 
The following letter reaches us from a 
toAvn in New York State: 
Kindly discontinue my subscription to 
your valuable paper. I have married one 
of your subscribers, and we find one copy 
of a paper sufficient. 
We very cheerfully stand the loss of a 
single subscriber in order to secure a two- 
ply reader, and Ave hope the paper Avill 
continue to enter that family for many 
years to come. There are many localities 
in NeAV Y^ork, Avhere it seems impossible 
to enter any farm home without finding a 
copy of The R. N.-Y. on the table. 
* 
Roadside Selling 
A number of Avomen have asked us 
about the business of “roadside selling.” 
This means putting up a little building or 
stand by the roadside and selling farm 
produce or farm-made goods. It is pos¬ 
sible to dcA'elop a good trade in this Avay, 
but a AA'oman ip Massachusetts gives us 
this objectionable side to it: 
I have read with much interest the ar¬ 
ticles in The R. N.-Y. during the past 
tAvo or three years, on “roadside selling,” 
and have felt that it was a great benefit 
to both producer and consumer. But there 
is a phase of the question Avhich seems to 
haA'e been overlooked and Avhich is 
troubling at least one of the producers, 
and doubtless many others. It is the 
necessity of Sunday Avork and Sunday 
sales; if one Avould retain his customers. 
He says he took it up Avithout an idea 
that he Avould be obliged to keep his 
little booth open on Sunday. He had akso 
Avorked up a parcel post trade, and the 
customers began calling on Sunday Avhen 
riding through the country. He feels that 
refusing to see them or sell on that day 
Avould be the loss of all his trade. Many 
find that .Sunday is their best sales day. 
I am sure you will be interested in this 
side of the question, though as long as 
men and AVOmen care nothing for God ami 
His word, there seems little hope for a 
remedy. e. m. a. 
There are many Avho Avill not folloAV 
this plan of Sunday selling. They folloAV 
their convictions in this, and it is hard 
for them to .see their trade melt aAvay, 
Avhile the neighbor’s farm may be thronged 
all day Sunday Avith buyers. Our expe¬ 
rience has been that Avheu customers re¬ 
alize that no Sunday trading is permitted 
the better class of them Avill respect the 
decision and arrange to buy on Saturday 
or Monday. 
Another Scythe Tree 
I read the sketch of the scythe tree in 
Waterloo, N. Y.,. page 707. There is a 
similar ca.se in the town of Orange, Alass., 
on the road leading from Athol to AVar- 
Avick. This scythe Avas hung in a young 
pine ti'ee, and Avhen the snath dropped off 
from decay it Avas Avired on, Avhen I last 
saw it, about 20 years ago. Perhaps 
some one else Avill Avrite you in regard to 
the present state of it. a. f. Johnson. 
We AA'ould like to hear from some of our 
friends in Orange, Mass., about the tree 
and the man who hung up his scythe. In 
those old days men made quid? decisions. 
That is, they seemed to be quick, Avhen 
really they represented long years of 
study and thought Avhich flashed into ac¬ 
tion Avhen Avar suddenly appeared. AVe 
have seen someAvhere a stirring poem deal¬ 
ing Avith this incident. Gan any reader 
give us a copy? 
* 
Money for Charity 
I read a NeAv A'ork daily jiaper and in 
a recent issue I read an article headed : 
"'rurnips ut .'f5 each.” 
The folloAving is a sample. AA’hat is it 
all about? AA'hat is a “hot dog?” AVhere 
does all this money come from? AA’e 
country AA’omen are being told by orators 
and “.statesmen” that Ave are very impor¬ 
tant this year, and that our men folks 
are still more important, but “$5 for a 
turiHp I” Does that cure any high cost 
of living? AIRS. j. 
“Mrs. .Tohn Purroy Alitchel came early, 
bringing a huge basket of potatoe.s, toma¬ 
toes, cucumbers, spinach, onions and other 
valuables. No one Avas allowed to enter 
the roped-off enclosure Avho didn’t pay at 
least one potato, and many, like Mrs. 
Mitchel, did much -better than that. Mrs. 
Mitchel put in a gay hour, dancing sev¬ 
eral rounds, treating Airs. Marcus M. 
Marks to a hot dog and eating one her¬ 
self. . . , Alarie Dressier, Avho Avore 
a becoming calico apron with large 
pockets. Avas assisted by her husband, 
.lames IT. Dalton, Avho put the vegetables 
up in artistic packages, and by numerous 
liretty actresses. 
It seems that the AA^omen’s League for 
National Service has started out to raise 
.$100,000, so they held a “county fair.” 
A’arious actresses and society AA’omen as¬ 
sisted, and one of them actually sold a 
turnip for $5. Most likely some one groAvn 
over rich selling munitions or speculatiA’e 
food paid the money. A “hot dog” is a 
hot frankfurter sausage. The favorite Avay 
of eating one is to split a roll or biscuit 
and put the hot sausage and a little sauer¬ 
kraut inside of it like a sandAvich. 
“Where does all this money come from?” 
Originally out of farming, mining, lum¬ 
bering or fishing—90 per cent, of it is dug 
out of the soil. In the last analysis it is 
the 0.5 cents of the nation’s dollar taken 
out of the pocketbook and “flashed” in 
the face of the public. 
An “ Iceless Refrigerator” 
Since Ave haA’e mentioned this home¬ 
made cooler there have been a number of 
(luestions about it. It is really a cloth- 
covered box—the cloth being kept moist. 
The evaporation of the Avater cools the 
air inside of the box on the Avell-known 
principle that evaporation is a cooling 
process. The government gives the fol- 
loAving plan for making such a cooler: 
This refrigerator consists of a Avooden 
frame covered Avith canton flannel, bur¬ 
lap or heavy duck. It is desirable that 
the frame be screened, although this is not 
necessary. AA'icks, made of the same ma¬ 
terial as the covering, resting in a pan 
of Avater on top of the cooler, conduct the 
Avater over the sides and ends of the pan 
and alloAV it to seep doAvn the sides of 
the box. The evaporation from this 
moistened covering causes a lower tem¬ 
perature inside. On dry, hot days a tem¬ 
perature of 50 degrees has been knoAvn to 
be obtained in the cooler. This is the 
Avay to build it: 
Make a screened case .31/^ feet high with 
the other dimensions 12 by 15 inches. If 
a .solid top is used, simply place the water 
pan on this. OtherAvise fit the pan closely 
into the opening of the top frame and 
support it by one-inch cleats fastened to 
the inside of the frame. Place tAvo mov¬ 
able shelves in the frame, 12 to 15 inches 
apart. I’se a biscuit pan 12 by 14 inches 
on the top to hold the Avater, and where 
the refrigerator is to be used indoors have 
the Avhole thing standing in a large pan to 
catch any drip. The pans and case may 
be painted Avhite, alloAved to dry, and then 
enameled. A covering of white canton 
flannel should be m le to fit the R'ame. 
Have the smooth side out and button the 
covering on the frame with buggy or au¬ 
tomobile curtain hooks and eyes, arranged 
so that the door may be opened without 
unfastening these hooks. This can easily 
be done by putting one roAV of hooks on 
the edge of the door near the latch and the 
other just opposite the opening Avith the 
hem on each side extended far enough to 
cover the crack at the edge of the door, so 
as to keep out the Avarm_, outside air and 
retain the cooled air. This dress or cover¬ 
ing Avill have to be hooked around the top 
edge also. Tavo double strips one-half the 
Avidth of each side should be sewed on 
the top of each side covering, and alloAA’ed 
to extend over about 2i/^ or three inches 
in the pan of Avater. The bottom of the 
covering should extend into the lower 
pan. 
Place the refrigerator in a shady place 
where air will circulate around it freely. 
The Farm Surgeon and the Soldier Under Operation 
