89 
Oic RURAL NEW-YORKER 
.sometimes threaded through straw in a 
geometrical de.sign. Grosgrain ribbon is 
much used in trimming, often in narrow 
widths arranged in geometrical de.sigus. 
Silk materials and braids are in high 
favor for the inew Spring or between- 
seasons hats. There are some close little 
.silk hats having the brim turned up in 
the back, while others turn up flat in 
front like a semi-circular halo. Some of 
the little silk hats are trimmed with sou¬ 
tache braid. 
Dre.ss ACCE.S.SORIE.S. —Trench mufflers 
made of velvet are often worn to match a 
hat, thrown loosely around the neck and 
shoulders. This is simply a scarf the 
size of the knitted mufflers we are all 
making for the soldier.s. .\ hat with a 
crown of burgundy velvet and black brim 
was accompanied by a trench muffler of 
burgundy velvet having the ends finished 
with' black silk fringe. 
Braid is freely used for trimming, m all 
widths, from hercules to soutache. Metal 
braid, or combinations of metal and silk, 
are also used. 
Blouses of polka-dotted handkerchief 
linen are made in plain tailored style. 
Some of the new voile blouses have col¬ 
lars of wa.shing satin. 
Little toques shaped just like the jaun¬ 
ty forage caps worn by British aviators, 
made of khaki cloth, w’ere among the re¬ 
cent military fashions. The same Glen¬ 
garry shape either in khaki or dark color.s 
is worn by girls of eight to 14, often a 
color to match the coat, and is very pretty 
and becoming. 
Gires’ Dres.ses. —The early wash 
dresses show much use of gingham, both 
striped and plaid ; they are u.sually very 
simple in make, some with the new cor¬ 
nucopia pockets, and most of them with 
bloomers to match. This fashion is so 
sensible and comfortable that it is here to 
stay, 'and it effects a wonderful saving in 
the laundiy. Some very attractive wool¬ 
en dresses are of serge combined with 
plaid silk, or of woolen plaid with black 
silk buttons and .soutache braid. A very 
pretty.mo<lel had a pleated skirt and little 
<-oatee of plaid, with a vest and turnover 
<ollar of white i)ique. The vest fastened 
in place with snap fastener.s*, and was 
easily removable for wa.shing. A child’s 
dress of dark serge—especially navy blue 
—is very pretty made in this way, and the 
white pique will give a fresh look to a 
made-over frock. 
Home Notes from Ohio 
T have been a reader of your journal 
for over 15 years, deriving much of gen¬ 
eral information and helpful suggestion 
from its different depai-tments. .May I 
offer a few bits from my own experience, 
hoping you may find them worth.v to be 
passed on to the other readers? 
C’reepeb-Dre.ss. —An easily-made, easil.v- 
ironcd, easily-put-on creei)er dress may be 
made as follows : fine yard and a half of 
gingham <‘ut kimono style with only an 
iinder-.Miin seam. Hem sleeves and run 
tape throiigh hem, tacking in place to pre¬ 
vent lo.sing. Put bias binding around 
neck with tai)e run through it. Hem 
skirt. AVork three bvittonholes in hem in 
front and sew three buttons to hem in 
back. ,Tust beyond buttons and button¬ 
holes work eyelets in 1 em to admit two 
tapes, one to draw in and tie around each 
leg. In buying gingham for children’s 
dresses, rompers, or skirt.s it will be found 
a great economy to ask for either the 
nurses’ gingham or shirting gingham. 
They are a trifle higher in price, but the 
wearing quality, vei-y slight shrinkage and 
better dyes make them a great econom.v in 
the end. The writer has worn one house 
dress of nurses’ gingham for five Summers 
and it is still too good for carpet rags. 
A TIo>rE-M.4nE KiDDif:-roop. — Don’t 
keep the baby sitting in buggy or chair 
all the time. Get a box about 15x:!0 
inches and 20 inches high. Mine has a 
bottom and side covering of blue and 
white rag rugs—neat when in use, and 
easily removed and washed. The close 
sides prevents draughts from striking the 
baby. The height is just right for him 
to rest his elbows and lean on without 
danger of upsetting or falling out. The 
narrow width permits him to hold to both 
sides, pull himself up, learn to walk from 
end to end of the box. In many x’cspects 
we have found the box preferable to a 
larger, screened-iu, ready-made play pen. 
Potato Soup. —We are told in cook¬ 
books, etc., to run th c ked potatoes 
through a colander or wire- strainer prep¬ 
aratory to making soup. A creamier, 
smoother soup may be made as follows: 
Cook potatoes in plenty of water—more 
than enough to cover them. When tender. 
drain off the water into a clean vessel. 
Return potatoes to top of stove, uncov¬ 
ered. shaking them frequently until dry 
and mealy. Then mash, add butter and 
milk, and salt as for mashed potatoes; 
whip w-ell. Now take off these ma.shed 
potatoes and add to the boilings enough 
to make soup as rich as desired. .\n 
onion or celery chopped up and added 
gives a different flavor. A bit of flour 
thickening makes a ci’oam of potato soup. 
Eough mashed potatoes may be left for 
use at the next meal. 
Bt-ying at AViioeesai.e. — On page 
I.SIS Mrs. A. G. Doren laments tl e inabil¬ 
ity of farmers to buy foodstuffs at whole¬ 
sale prices. I know from experience that 
there are wholesale grocery houses in the 
large cities which do and are glad to sell 
direct to the consumer. Last Winter we 
bought our prunes in 25-lb. boxes from a 
wholesale dealer at less than our local 
grocer paid for them. We buy our coffee, 
roasted, from a wholesale house, in five or 
10-lb. packages. Other articles, as sugar, 
starch, soap, etc., we purchase in qxianti- 
ties. Fortunately we have a local dealer 
in a neighboring small town who, for cash 
payment, is glad to make a great reduc¬ 
tion on anything bought in quantity, and 
we believe in patronizing the home dealer 
whenever it is possible. Cincinnati sure- 
1.V is not the exception. Mrs. Doren and 
others will find wholesale houses in all 
cities willing to sell direct to the con¬ 
sumer if the said consumer will deal in 
a business-like way and in wholesale quan¬ 
tities. 
Making Ciukr Vinegar.— In a recent 
issue you published a (juery as to how to 
make cider turn to vinegar. This was 
answered at length and directions given 
for the use of some special preparation. 
Perhajis stub a treatment would be neces¬ 
sary with certain, varieties of apples. We 
have had vinegar, .strong and of excellent 
flavor, from the cider to which we added 
sweetened water (rain water), about a 
pint to a gallon of hard cider. This has 
never failed to make a fine “mother” in 
two or three months. We have now vine¬ 
gar eight years old which neighbors say 
cannot be equaled in the market. Occa¬ 
sionally a little sweetened watej- is added 
to “feed” the “mother” and prevent vine¬ 
gar from dying. rukaj. oiiioan. 
The Value of Vital Statistics 
We have referred, more than once, to 
the need of care in recording births, a 
matter that has been treated with great 
laxity in many parts of the United States. 
A child whose birth has not been record¬ 
ed may find it very difficult to prove 
identity in later life, especially when not 
baptized in infancy, and thus enrolled in 
a church register, and this may be very 
troublesome where a question of inheri¬ 
tance is involved. The same is true of 
death records, which should be kept by 
the State Bureau of Vital Statistics; 
carelessness on the part of local authori¬ 
ties may result in serious trouble later. 
Here is a case in point: 
A man of British birth died in New 
.Tersey 25 years ago. The recent death 
of a relative in Great Britain makes it 
necessary to send a certificate of his 
death to that country, so that his children 
may participate in the division of this 
inheritance. Where the law is properly 
observed, all that is necessarv in such a 
case is to secure an official blank, which 
usually an undertaker can furnish, fill 
out the form with the proper names and 
date, and send it with a small fee to the 
Bureau of Vital Statistics at the State 
capital. If the date of death is not ac¬ 
curately known, there is an extra fee for 
each additional year searched. In the 
above case, however, the local authorities 
had never made any return of the death, 
and the family could get no official cer¬ 
tificate. The case was complicated fur¬ 
ther b.v the fact that the physician who 
had signed the original death certificate 
wa.s dead himself. However, it was pos¬ 
sible to secure a certificate of burial, 
properly attested, from the parish regis¬ 
ter of an Episcopal church, and this would 
be satisfactory to the British solicitors. 
In default of this, as a last resort, it 
would be possible to secure a certificate 
of interment from the cemetery officials. 
Such a contingency as the above is not 
uncommon, but consider how many com¬ 
plications may be involved! Consider 
the case of a man whose birth and death 
had never been recorded, who was un¬ 
baptized. whose funeral had been con¬ 
ducted at his home by some friendly min¬ 
ister without a regular charge, and who 
had then been buried perhaps in another 
county or State! What official proof 
could his heirs ever offer that he had 
existed and died that would be accepted 
by the law of another country? One 
often hears of associations of “heirs,” 
formed to secure slome great fortune 
abroad left by a remote ancestor. How 
many of them could give names, dates of 
birth, marriage and death of their own 
great-grandparents? Experience shows 
that these mythical fortunes are usually 
a scheme to enrich .some one exploiting 
them, but even where an actual inheri¬ 
tance exists much trouble, anxiety and 
expense are involved where vital statis¬ 
tics are carelessly kept. Most European 
countries are very strict in this particu¬ 
lar. In France, especially, the family 
is essentially the basis of the nation, and 
careful records of birth, marriage and 
death have tended to hold families to¬ 
gether. We have much need for greater 
care in this particular, and rural com- 
inunities especiall.v are likely to overlook 
its importance. Since the future welfare 
of a child may depend on the proper reg¬ 
istry of its bii'th, or on the record of a 
parent’s death, _ the matter of accurate 
vital stati.stics is of especial importance 
to mothers, and indeed to all women. 
Jim, We Got 
To Do Our Bit! 
W I'' farmers can’t 
if we’re laid up 
made twinges, sore m 
such things. 
I don’t take chances. The first 
sign of soreness is a signal for 
me to get busy with this Sloan’s 
Liniment. I i/on’i ruh it in be¬ 
cause it penetrates. Its counter- 
irritant action scatters the con¬ 
gestion and brings instant, 
soothing relief. My whole family 
swears by it. 
And I use it on the live stock, 
work for Uncle Sam 
with stiff joints, rheu- 
uscles, lame back, and 
too, Jim. It sends bruises, lame¬ 
ness, sprains, and all external 
I'.ilments kitin’ sky-high. 
I save money by always buying 
the large size. Six times as much 
asyou get in the small bottle, and 
I’ve got a supply on hand when 
I got to have it. Get a big bottle 
today, Jim, and keep on doing 
your bit faithfully and regularly. 
n 
iS 
'v* 
SLOAN'S 
N S B 
LINIMENT 
Trade Mark reg. In U. S. Pat. Office 
III* %** t »%• (.* «»|IM 
^biJoo/rCJJJlocun^ 
