V, 
14 
’Re t^KxSies' SHoro! ilttiwiet Pictorial Some 
jompioLiiiaii. 
HINTS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS. 
Why it should he so I cannot tell, but it certainly 
is a fact, that women are much slower than men to 
adopt labor-saving machinery, and new and improved 
methods of doing their work. They usually take for 
granted things that are opposed to reason, without 
attempting to prove them, simply because they have 
been handed down from the dark ages; and condemn 
new recipes, methods and machinery, because their 
mother and grandmother did before them. If a chem¬ 
ical preparation for making washing easier is recom¬ 
mended, nine women out of ten will say, “ Oh, it rots 
the clothes ! Anything that will take out the dirt will 
injure the clothes; besides is expensive.” Now I 
know, from my own and other people’s experience, 
that many of the washing recipes are good, and many 
of the “ crystals ” sold for that purpose not only save 
the clothes 
from being 
worn, time and labor, hut 
nearly soap enough to pay for the washing. 
Clothes should he brought in just as soon as dry. 
Many cents and dollars, too, are switched out of 
sleeves, and the corners of sheets and tablecloths, by 
leaving them carelessly in the wind. 
“How pretty your new felt hat is! I wish I had 
one; hut I can’t afford it;” said a neighbor to me, 
while she sat and let a large two weeks’ wash flap on 
the line all the afternoon. Women should read more; 
nearly all newspapers, now-a-days, contain helpful 
hints by which they might profit. It is generally sup¬ 
posed that, being horn a woman, she is horn with a 
capacity and love for cooking. That this is a mistake, 
nearly one half of them can testify. They despise it; 
and, as necessity compels them, they year after year 
get up the same old dishes, without caring particu¬ 
larly as to their excellence. If women would buy 
more recipes, and cook a greater variety of dishes, 
they would become more interested; take greater 
pains, and become .better cooks, which would, of itself, 
make them like cooking better. Any woman with a 
particle of the right kind of pride about her, is proud 
of her table, when set with nice cloth, good dishes, 
bright knives, forks, spoons, and well-cooked victuals — 
and Is ashamed to he caught with soiled cloth, rusty- 
looldug dishes, and nothing cooked fit to eat. This 
need never happen if the matter is attended to as it 
should lie. To keep a good supply of table linen, 
always buy new before the old is quite worn out, and 
put the old away in good order, to use in case of emer¬ 
gency. It is not necessary that table linen he fine, 
hut it should he nicely “ done up.” The half-bleached 
is good for every-day wear, and will become white 
after washing a few times. To take out fruit staius, 
before wetting wash out in sweet milk, or hold the 
part stained tightly stretched over a basin, and pour 
boiling water directly upon the stain. Tablecloths 
should he starched and well ironed ; then, when used, 
always folded in the same creases, which will keep 
them looking fresh. In clearing up the table, never 
lay a greasy knife or spoon on the cloth, or set down a 
dish with anything on the bottom that will soil. If 
the family set their cups on the cloth, use cup plates ; 
the same cloth can then he used much longer. Never 
use a cloth with a hole in it; darn with knitting cot¬ 
ton while the holes are small, or if you should neglect 
this, patch with muslin, which will not look so bung¬ 
ling as a piece of the same. Dishes are cheap enough ' 
and last so long that none need use those broken or 
discarded. One such will spoil the look of an other¬ 
wise tempting dinner. Never warm over meat on the 
plate; it ruins the plate, and has by no means a pleas¬ 
ing appearance. Put victuals left over on clean dishes 
before putting them on the table again. 
Butter, if little mussed, can he put on a clean plate, 
hut it is better put away in a crock kept for that pur¬ 
pose, and worked over again. 
Always keep something on hand with which to get 
up a meal on short notice in case of unexpected com¬ 
pany ; you will, by so doing, avoid much annoyance. 
Such things as oysters, canned salmon, lobster and 
sardines, are very handy, and not much more expen¬ 
sive than many other things we use. These, with 
canned fruit, preserves and pickles, which every house¬ 
keeper should have, you must he sure are keeping 
nicely. If you are likely to run short of these last, 
do not use them when you have time to cook; for 
then you can make many nice dishes for dessert 
which will answer in their stead. You will find plenty 
of recipes for these if you will try, which are cheap 
and good. Many can he prepared in the morning 
when you expect company to tea. In preparing- them 
use different spices for flavorings. It cost no more to 
keep a variety than to use one kind for everything. 
There are many little devices for producing variety 
and pretty effects for the table, such as color of jellies, 
blanc-mange, etc. Polk berries will color these a 
beautiful rose, and they will keep in a dry place all 
the winter. 
Make your kitchen, an attractive place. A clean 
floor and well-blacked stove will do much toward 
making it so. Keep a brush with your blacking, so 
as not to soil your hands; brush your stove every 
day, and when you have to wait dinner a few minutes 
give it a few extra touches. Don’t have old tilings 
hanging around the walls week after week; if not 
wanted, put them away. Have your kitchen as handy 
as you can. Many women work, year in and year 
out, with their furniture so arranged as to make them 
take hundreds of extra steps in a day, without taking 
a thought as to how they could arrange it better. There 
are women who do without things really necessary 
in the kitchen all of their lives, which a little energy 
might have, procured. A kitchen cupboard is indis¬ 
pensable, and, if you have none, one can he made of a 
large goods box. Two, one top of the other, is better. 
You can paint it yourself. Then paint all of your 
shelves, and your whole kitchen if it needs it, and your 
porches. A little paint will brighten things up amaz¬ 
ingly, and will save a great amount, of scrubbing, and 
is much easier done. Mixing and applying paint is 
not so difficult as most people think. Chemical paint,, 
of any -color, can now he procured, ready for use. 
Any body can apply it. To mix paint, use white 
lead, boiled liuseed oil, and a little benzine or patent 
dryer; the more of this you use the sooner the paint 
will dry. Colors can he found at the druggists, mixed 
in oil, and put up in small cans. 
Put down your carpets so that the wear will come 
on the widths lengthwise. Then, when they become 
thin, the seams can be ripped, and the thin widths put, 
next the wall. Allowance should he made for this 
when making the carpet; cutting the widths all the 
same length, and turning those which need to be 
shorter. A double strip of strong cotton cloth should 
he hasted along the under side of the edges, to 
keep the tacks from tearing the carpet. Carpet ravel- 
ings of different colors should he saved to mend them 
with. Where it is necessary to put on a patch, select 
one of as .near the color of the carpet as possible, 
and put it on straightway of the stripes, or the way 
it is woven. You will get tired of contemplating a 
crooked patch before next house-cleaning time. Clean 
all spots of the carpet before putting down. This is 
easily done by procuring a piece of clean, smooth 
board; slip it under one spot at a time, and wash with 
soap, hot water and a cloth. A piece of oil-cloth, two 
yards square, is much better for the sitting-room than 
the usual size. The carpet will wear so much longer, 
and will not get so full of dust, as the oil-cloth can 
he cleaned every day, and, besides, is something like 
charity—will cover a multitude of holes when neces¬ 
sary. Oil-cloths, when not in use, should he well 
scrubbed, then varnished, and put away in a clean 
place. 
Nothing helps the looks of things, when cleaning 
house, as much as a bottle of varnish. Old scratched 
furniture, not fit to he seen, can he made to look as 
well as new by its help. Picture and looking-glass 
frames, hooks with leather backs, the clock, and num¬ 
berless other tilings, are improved by an application of 
it. Fifty cents worth of varnish, with turpentine 
enough to make it thin, will make your house shine 
from top to bottom. 
Glue is another article which is very cheap, and 
should always he kept on hand. The common brown 
is best, and should he made fresh when wanted for use. 
Many articles of furniture are spoiled which might he 
saved if mended in time. 
Many persons, living in old-fashioned houses, would 
like to have their windows lengthened. This can he 
done in appearance, if curtains are used. Make them 
with a standing ruffle, or puffed at the top, and fas¬ 
ten on to a strip of hoard as long as the window is 
w r ide. Nail this to the wall as high up as you want it, 
using a stout nail in each end. The shades can also be 
attached to the strip, under the curtains. 
Don’t hang pictures (or anything else) lop sided, 
nor hang some lower than others. It is torture to 
some people to sit in a room so arranged, especially if 
they are sick. Pictures can he hung in groups and 
pleasing forms,hut there should he some order about it. 
Receptacles for soiled clothing are often necessary in 
bedrooms. A box, three feet high and the same length, 
and about a foot wide, made with a lid, and papered 
like the room, does not look badly. 
This article will not he complete, I suppose, unless 
I say something about footstools, ottomans, &c., cov¬ 
ered with chintz. Now I am not an advocate of chintz, 
although I am of stools and ottomans. They are pret¬ 
tier made of some nice plain woolen goods, like merino, 
and I have seen some made of striped material which 
were very pretty. Have your box made with the top 
extending over three-quarters of an inch, pad with 
the wadding out of an old coat, cover smoothly, and 
where the top cover joins the sides tack on a bias 
fold with tin tacks with star heads, or carriage tacks. 
It is wiser to use parts of old dresses for these than to 
wear in the kitchen, where they soon become too much 
soiled for anything, and use the price of the chintz to 
buy a new calico. Aunt Minerva. 
Potato Salad.—Boil some new potatoes, and let 
them'get cold; then cut them in slices, and arrange 
them neatly, in some sort of a pattern, or a dish, with 
hard-boiled eggs cut into quarters, slices of beet-root 
stamped out into shapes, and olive stones. The dish 
should be slightly rubbed with a shallot. Make a. 
sauce witli two parts oil and one terragon vinegar: 
pepper and salt, some capers, chervil, parsley, and a 
few leaves of thyme, all finely minced; heat the sauce 
well together, pour over the salad and serve. 
Toothache Drops.—One ounce of alcohol, two 
drachms of cayenne, one ounce of kerosene oil; let it 
stand twenty-four hours after mixing. It cures the 
worst ease of toothache. 
