1482 
<Iht RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
WOMAN AND HOME 
From Day to Day 
Constant Christmas 
Oh. never failing splendor, 
Oh. never silent song! 
Still keep the green earth tender, 
■Still keep the gray earth strong. 
Still keep the brave earth dreaming 
Of deeds that shall be done, 
While children’s lives come streaming 
Like sunbeams from the sun ! 
Oh. angels, sweet and splendid. 
Throng in our hearts and sing 
The wonders which attended 
The coming of the King. 
—PHILLIPS 15 KOOKS. 
>k 
One of our readers, Mrs. J. J. Dunlap 
of New Jersey, asks if we will not speak 
a word for the Needlework Guild. In 
her own rural community—a small town 
—the work has been so successful that 
she feels other rural women would be 
glad to help in it. The work of the 
Needlework Guild is the securing of new 
garments or household linen for “hospi¬ 
tals, homes and other charities.” There 
are no dues, though now money donations 
are accepted. The following information 
is reprinted from an article given in the 
Ladies’ Home Journal in 1907: 
The Needlework Guild owes its origin 
to an English woman of the nobility, 
who was foster-mother to hundreds of 
orphans in an institution which she had 
founded, and who conceived this unique 
and practical way of providing for her 
wards. In 1885, a lady traveling in Eng¬ 
land learned of this charity, which had 
then grown to great strength, and brought 
the idea home to Philadelphia. Her niece, 
the founder of the American organization, 
interested a few young women of her ac¬ 
quaintance, and from this little band the 
work has grown, until now there is a 
national body governing the branches 
throughout the United States, and con¬ 
stantly working to extend its usefulness 
by forming new branches. 
There are 450 branches in 37 States. 
Each branch controls its own work. A 
town has the. simple organization of pres¬ 
ident, vice-president, secretary and treas¬ 
urer, and under them work directors deal¬ 
ing with at least 10 members, who each 
contribute annually two or more new 
articles of wearing apparel or household 
linen. Stress is laid on the word “new.” 
There are many suitable agencies to han¬ 
dle partly-worn garments, but the Guild, 
by its charter, cannot accept them. 
There is an annual collection, and the 
clothing is distributed according to the 
votes of the directors. In a city, where 
the work is larger, there are section pres¬ 
idents. each having directors under her; 
otherwise the general working principle 
is the same. The organization is non¬ 
sectarian. and men, women and children 
may join. 
For financial support, the Guild re¬ 
quires that each director shall have one 
“money-member.” This insures a volun¬ 
tary gift of any amount, and offers a 
place where the men can fit in splendidly. 
There are no fees, fines or dues. 
The Guild needs afford good work for 
members who can knit stockings, socks, 
bed-shoes, knee-caps, jerseys, comforters, 
hoods, crossovers, shawls-and mittens. 
For the young and old it yields pleasant 
employment for the porch and by the 
Winter fireside. 
Ask at the hospital or some other char¬ 
ity in your town whether the Needlework 
Guild would be useful in its work, and 
you will learn how this need will be 
pressed home to you. You can help the 
Guild individually and through your club 
and various other societies. In the Dor¬ 
cas of a certain Friends’ Meeting in a 
large city, the workers cut the garments, 
pay poor women to make them, and then 
donate these articles to the Guild. 
Will you think about this?—and if 
there is no branch in your town or city, 
write to the National Office of The 
Needlework Guild of America, 804 
Colonial Trust Building. Philadelphia. 
Pa., and all information will be cheer¬ 
fully sent to you. 
The National Office states that the 
work has continued to grow, until now. 
in 1920. there were over 400.000 membei's 
in the United States, with strong branches 
in widely separated foreign countries. 
In 1909. the affiliation with the Gen¬ 
eral Federation of Women’s Clubs was 
effected. The Needlework Guild of Amer¬ 
ica is also a member of the National 
Council of Social Work and the National 
Council of Women of the United States. 
In 1917 the Camp Fire Girls became 
affiliated with The Needlework Guild of 
America. 
The by-laws provide that in times of 
local, national or international disaster, 
special collections may be called to help 
in such emergency. In this connection 
valuable assistance was rendered at the 
time of the Johnstown and Dayton floods, 
the San Francisco earthquake and fire, 
the Spanish-American War, and in many 
local casualties. 
At the outbreak of the war in Europe 
in 1914 workrooms were established in 
Lyons. France, under the Lyons Branch. 
Later the War Relief Department was 
opened in New York, and has since oper¬ 
ated in the interest of the Allied coun¬ 
tries. 
As in all great enterprises, the pioneer 
days were full of work and anxiety. An 
The Rural Patterns 
In ordering always give number of pattern 
and size desired, sending price with order 
2018. Top Coat with convertible collar, 
3(1 to 40 bust. The medium size will re¬ 
quire yards of' material 30 in. wide, 5 
yards 44, 4 y 3 yards 54. 20 cents. 
9939. Dress In one-sided effect, 34 to 42 
bust. The medium size will require 5% 
yards of material 30 in. wide, 4>j yards 44 
or 54. 20 cents. 
organization without a clause providing 
for definite sums of money to be collected 
for its support must needs experience 
days of “work and anxiety.” For many 
years the by-laws of “the Needlework 
Guild” had no money clause at all. just 
the requirement of two or more new arti¬ 
cles of wearing apparel or household 
linen, but litter, as the organization grew, 
provision for a donation of money—no 
amount specified—was added, for finan¬ 
cial support w;is necessary for Guild ex¬ 
tension ns well .-is for an office and a paid 
executive. 
The Needlework Guild of America is 
the only national organization in the 
world the specific duty of which is to 
collect annually a stock of new garments 
and household linen, from which is given 
grants according lo the desires of the 
directors, to meet the great need of “hos¬ 
pitals, homes and other charities.” 
The English founder of the work was 
Lady Wolverton. The Duchess of Teck. 
mother of the present Queen of England, 
was deeply interested in it. and both 
Queen Mary and her daughter are ae 
tively identified with the Guild. There 
are many cases where hospital patients, 
especially victims of accidents, have no 
wearable clothes in which to leave the 
institution when discharged. The Needle¬ 
work Guild takes care of such cases, and 
there are many similar emergencies for 
which no other institution can provide. 
Many women who have been sewing for 
the Red Gross during the war would find 
this an opportunity for their benevolence. 
Certainly it is a charity that appeals 
especially to the Christmas spirit. We 
hope that many of our readers will be 
able to help the needy and unfortunate 
through branches of the Needlework 
Guild. 
Books for the Boys and Girls 
It is the right of every child to be 
brought up in an atmosphere of books and 
magazines. Nothing else can make up to 
the child the loss of this very important 
factor in its education. The taste for the 
good in literature is developed very early 
in life. T am inclined to believe the child 
has an inherent taste for the good in the 
world of books. 
There were many things we did not 
have back in my girlhood home, but al¬ 
ways. always, there were books—the very 
best in literature—and magazines a-plen¬ 
ty-—the best of that world, I no. And nov¬ 
as I look back I am inclined to think that 
most of my education T received from the 
books 1 browsed among when a child. 
And that is one thing that we farm 
parents can have for our children. A 
water system costs an awful lot of money, 
and a farm lighting plant takes a young 
fortune, and—but why go through the 
list? There are so many tilings we all 
want, and wait patiently and hopefully 
year after year to possess, but there is no 
excuse for not having books and maga¬ 
zines. Their cosr is within the reach 
of nil. 
Very young the child appreciates the 
rhythm of poecry—long before lie under¬ 
stands the words. Mother Goose has a 
strong appeal for the child of this age, 
and is real 1 torn lure to him. 
Then come Stevenson. Field. Guest, 
Cook and Rilev. They talk as from the 
heart of a child, and what they say 
reaches the heart of the child. 
Some one has said that the real test of 
juvenile literature is whether or not the 
adult enjoys it. too. There are some 
poems and stories that I read and rend— 
countless times—to the children. They 
do not tire of them, and neither do T, 
Then again there are some that T can 
hardly stand to think of reading a second 
time. 
My own little lad—not yet three—asks 
over and over again for “The Raggedy 
Man.” “Little Orphan Annie” and “The 
Runaway Boy” (Riley). And he remem¬ 
bers what is read to him. too. and compre¬ 
hends in a degree what it is all about. 
TTo quotes couplets and stanzas to him¬ 
self as he is going to sleep or at his play. 
The cihet day he sagely remarked that ie 
“guessed he would not go to school when 
he got big ’nough—lie’d just be a raggedy 
man”—and bis eyes snapped as if ho 
really saw the joke! 
Beatrice Potter’s stories are fine for 
the very young. Peter Rabbit has an 
especial apneal. “The Three Bears,” 
“The Three Kittens” and “Ilenny Penny” 
are true classics for the child under six. 
Kate Douglas Wiggin's “The Story 
Hour” and “The Posy Ring” are both 
splendid and so is Elizabeth Harrison’s 
“In Stor.vland.” 
Three nicely bound volumes of stories by 
the following contain stories for the chil¬ 
dren from three to eight: “Worth While 
Stories for Every Day.” by Lawton P>. 
Evans; “Toll Me Another Story.” bv 
Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, and “Tn the 
Child’s World.” by Emilie Poulsson. 
And then there is the beloved .Toel 
Chandler Harris, with his inimitable Fa¬ 
de Remus stories, which cause the child’s 
eyes to grow big with interest and also 
cause an occasional chuckle. 
We decided to bnv a book for each of 
the children at hirthdavs and at Christ¬ 
mas. We are still bolding to the custom, 
and already the children have quite a nice 
little library of their very own. And how 
they do prize their books—daughter espe¬ 
cially! Last Wintei we read aloud her 
Christmas book. “Five Little Peppers.” 
and her birthday book. “Pollyanua.” 
Those books were too old for baby, but 
December 24, 1921 
we will read them later for him. Of 
course we never could do so extravagant 
a thing as to go to the store and buy a 
complete set of Miss Alcott’s books, but 
we began with daughter when she was a 
baby, getting a volume for birthdays and 
at Christmas, and lo! she has the com¬ 
plete set now. 
I have thought it well when buying 
books to buy ones that the children will 
grow into, so to speak, rather than many 
juvenile books which they will not care 
for later. 
Aong the books which may well be in 
every girl’s library are; “The Birds’ 
Christmas Carol.” by Kate Douglas Wig- 
gin (I still read that little book—and cry 
over it) ; “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” 
by the same author; “Ramona.” by Helen 
Hunt Jackson; "David Copperfield.” by 
Dickens; Laura E. Richards’ books, “The 
Little Princess.” by Burnett ; “Boys and 
Girls Who Became Famous.” by Bolton. 
For the hoys’ library got : “Robinson 
Crusoe.” ‘Scottish Chiefs,” the “Glen¬ 
garry Books” and “The Sky Pilot.” by 
Connor. Every child should read “Black 
Beauty” and “Beautiful Joe.” The boys 
will enjoy “Two Little Confederates,” by 
Page, and “A Boy’s Town.” by Howells. 
Boys like adventure: if they do not get 
it in good books they may get it in 
cheaper books, which are anything but 
good for them. They will find adventure 
in the following: “Hugh Wynne.” by 
Mitchell ; “The Oregon Trail.” by Park- 
man: “Life and Explorations of Nan¬ 
sen." by Bain: “In Wild Africa.” by 
Knox ; “In the Tigris Jungle.” by Cham¬ 
berlain : “Two Years Before the Mast.” 
by Dana ; “Our Heroes of the Nile,” by 
Lee Bacon, and “Boots and Saddles,” by 
Mrs. Custer. 
A young person enjoys the sense of 
ownership, and many times will read 
books of bis very own. especially if they 
are gift books, which lie would not other¬ 
wise read. It is a good thing for a child 
or young person to have his own book¬ 
case in his own room. The books will 
seem closer friends. Our little girl has 
a section of the bookcase for her books, 
and quite frequently she gets her books 
all out and tells me who gave her each 
volume. She arranges them in different 
ways—to see which way looks best. All. 
it is a real world, this world of books, 
and fortunate indeed are (lie children 
who make friends of books. 
And then there are the magazines. 
There are a number of magazines printed 
which are fi"o for the growing boy and 
girl. One of our best-known American 
writers remarked recently that when he 
was a youngster an aunt gave him a sub¬ 
scription to f!f. Nicholas for a Christmas 
gift one year. ITo said that lie decided 
after reading a few numbers that lie was 
going to he an author. And he stead¬ 
fastly adhered to his resolution, and 
studied all through school with that end 
in view. 
Many a child who seemingly does not 
care for reading will become interested in 
a magazine, and thus develop a taste for 
reading. T remember when we were chil¬ 
dren at home that mother read aloud to 
us the continued stories in The Youth's 
Companion. TTow eagerly we would 
watch for the arrival of that paper each 
week when wo were especially interested 
in a serial. We carefully filial away those 
papers and would get out all the numbers 
and re-read the stories. 
It has always seem to me that reading 
is one of the greatest joys of farm life. 
It is the great farm recreation. We do 
not have the movies to attract our chil¬ 
dren more nights than is good for them to 
be out, but we do have the privilege of 
making home the most entertaining spot 
on earth, because we can bring all of the 
world to our children, the best in travel, 
adventure, human interest, and the very 
best thoughts of the wisest men of ail 
ages, light on our library table, which 
should be the center of farm and home 
life—and in the bookcases. 
MAY IT DOVER MUM AW. 
Candy Secrets 
Now that sugar is more plentiful, and 
the price not so high, homemade candies 
can again be indulged in. Making them 
is fun for the makers and joy to the par¬ 
takers. 
When boiling syrups for making candy 
at home, you must bear in mind that va¬ 
rious degrees of heat produce various re¬ 
sults, and that the trick in candy making 
is to remove from the fire at just the 
right time. To ascertain the right degree 
to boil the candy, a candy thermometer is 
the only accurate way of testing to find 
the proper degree of heat. The syrup 
must be removed at once from the fire 
when given degree is reached. 
Stir all candies until the sugar is all 
melted and begins to bo : l. then wipe the 
sides of the kettle to remove any grains of 
unmejted sugar tlyit may be adhering to 
the sides of tin 1 kettle, cover the kettle 
and steam three minutes. Remove cover 
and boil quickly to the given degree. Be 
careful not to bar or move the kettle while 
cooking, or stir any candies while boiling, 
except those containing milk or molasses, 
which must ho stirred constantly. 
Always pour the syrup quickly from 
the kettle; never allow it to drip; and 
do not scrape (he kettle into the batch of 
candy. Fse the scrapings in something 
else or the next batch of candy. Candy 
is best made on clear, cool days. Sugar 
readily absorbs moisture, and may lie 
sticky if made on a rainy day. Make 
your candy several weeks before needed 
and store it in tightly covered tin cans, 
such as coffee or baking powder caus. 
