832 
The  RURAL  NEW  -  YORKER 
June  23,  1923 
WOMAN  AND  HOME 
From  Day  to  Day 
The  American  Flag 
"When  Freedom  from  her  mountain-height 
Unfurled  her  standard  to  the  air, 
She  tore  the  azure  robe  of  night, 
And  set  the  stars  of  glory  there. 
Fhe  mingled  with  its  gorgeous  dyes 
The  milky  baldric  of  the  skies 
And  striped  its  pure  celestial  white 
With  streakings  of  the  morning  light. 
Flag  of  the  free  heart’s  hope  and  home! 
By  angel  hands  to  valour  given! 
Tay  stars  have  lit  the  welkin  dome, 
And  all  thy  hues  were  born  in  heaven. 
Forever  float  that  standard  sheet! 
Where  breathes  the  foe,  but  falls  before 
us, 
With  Freedom’s  soil  beneath  our  feet, 
And  Freedom’s  banner  streaming  o’er 
us? 
- JOSEPH  RODMAN  DRAKE  (1795-1820). 
* 
Home  kitchen  curtains  seen  in  a  depart¬ 
ment  store  were  of  cream  sci’im,  having 
cups,  pitchers,  teapots  and  teakettles  out¬ 
lined  across  the  bottom  in  color.  They 
were  very  pretty,  and  would  wash  well. 
Another  pretty  style  for  kitchen  or  a 
plain  dining-room  is  Dutch  curtains  of 
cream  scrim  with  a  band  of  pale  blue 
and  white  check  gingham  across  the  bot¬ 
tom.  The  beauty  of  such  curtains  is  their 
f  reshness,  and  when  they  are  inexpensive 
R  is  a  good  plan  to  make  two  sets,  so  that 
when  soiled  a  fresh  set  can  be  put  up 
without  the  delay  of  laundering. 
One  of  the  earliest  roses  to  bloom  with 
us  is  Conrad  Ferdinand  Meyer,  a  hybrid 
of  the  Rugosa  rose.  This  is  a  very  hardy, 
robust  plant,  with  numerous  stout  thorns; 
the  flower  is  large,  rather  flat,  double,  col¬ 
or  clear  silvery  pink.  The  plant  is  really 
too  vigorous  for  the  rose  bed,  and  is  bet¬ 
ter  treated  as  a  shrub,  or  as  a  hedge 
plant.  It  is  extremely  showy  with  its 
vigorous  foliage  and  large,  fragrant 
blooms.  There  is  abundant  bloom  in 
.Tune  and  occasional  flowers  through  the 
Summer.  The  fruit  is  large  and  showy, 
like  all  Rugosas.  The  Rugosa  roses  are 
so  hardy  that  they  are  especially  advised 
for  cold  climates,  and  there  are  a  number 
of  double  and  semi-double  varieties,  as 
well  as  the  type  forms,  which  are  single. 
One  of  the  early  hybrids  of  Rugosa  was 
Agnes  Emily  Carman,  originated  by  the 
late  editor  of  The  It.  N-Y.,  E.  S.  Carman, 
at  the  old  Rural  Grounds,  and  named 
after  Mrs.  Carman.  This  has  brilliant  red 
flowers,  as  bright  as  Jacqueminot,  grow¬ 
ing  in  clusters,  and  is  very  striking. 
Friendly  Weeds  for  Country  Greens 
From  remote  time  the  dandelion,  that 
we  struggle  so  bravely  each  Spring  to 
eliminate  from  our  lawns,  has  been  used 
as  a  food  'tonic,  or,  in  other  words,  a 
wholesome  Spring  green,  and  it  is  now 
being  cultivated  for  city  markets.  If  you 
live  in  the  open  country  you  can  go  out 
on  a  pleasant  day  and  gather  basketsful. 
It  grows  abundantly  in  fields,  on  the  edge 
of  gardens  and  lawns.  It  may  be  cooked 
like  spinach;  if  you  happen  to  find  some 
extra  big  bunches  growing  in  very  rich 
soil,  you  will  be  able  to  gather  long,  thick, 
basal  leaves,  blanched  an  ivory  white,  like 
endive,  which,  when  crisped  in  cold  water 
and  dressed  with  a  French  dressing, 
makes  an  excellent  salad. 
Charlock,  herb  Sophia,  or  better  known 
in  most  localities  as  wild  mustard,  spring¬ 
ing  up  everywhere  in  cultivated  fields  and 
gardens,  is  another  wholesome  green,  and 
if  you  cut  the  young  leaves  close  to  the 
ground  before  the  formation  of  the  series 
of  rough  leaves  appear,  they  may  be 
used  as  a  salad,  too.  Early  in  May,  if 
you  live  near  a  marshy  spot  in  Central 
New  York,  and  as  early  as  April  . if  you 
are  in  a  southern  section,  you  will  find 
the  succulent  American  marsh  marigold, 
more  commonly  known  as  the  golden  cow¬ 
slip,  for  your  herb  pot;  gather  it  before 
the  blossoms  open  wide  and  cook  it  like 
spinach,  too.  Some  Southern  cooks  pickle 
the  flower  buds,  and  use  them  as  a  substi¬ 
tute  for  capers. 
Have  you  had  the  pleasure  of  eating 
the  fresh  young  sprouts  of  the  milkweed, 
or  silk  weed  as  it  is  sometimes  called? 
Usually  it  pushes  up  through  the  soil 
in  May;  you  will  find  it  in  orchards, 
along  the  edge  of  gardens,  fences  and 
roadsides.  There  is  an  old-fashioned  wlum 
in  some  localities  that  if  you  cut  the 
tender  shoots  early  in  the  morning,  while 
the  dew  still  clings  to  them,  they  will  bo 
sweeter.  Prepare  the  sprouts  like  aspara¬ 
gus.  and  serve  with  cream  or  bechamel 
sauce,  or  gather  them  after  the  first  two 
or  three  character  leaves  appear,  and 
cook  as  other  greens.  In  Canada’s  early 
days  the  French  emigrants  made  sugar 
from  the  blossoms  and  early  morning 
dew.  and  the  Sioux  Indians  boiled  the 
young  pods  with  their  meat. 
Cress  has  been  used  as  a  salad  from 
time  immemorial.  Persians  and  the  Ro¬ 
mans  used  to  recommend  it  to  be  eaten 
with  vinegar  as  a  remedy  for  the  mental 
deficient ;  hence  the  old  Greek  proverb. 
“Eat  more  cress  and  learn  more  wit.” 
Wild  cress  may  be  found  in  moist  places 
and  near  springs.  If  it  does  not  grow 
wild  in  your  section  of  the  country,  get 
some  seeds  and  plant  them  in  some  wet 
spot  in  April  or  May  and  you  will  have 
fresh,  crisp  cress  nearly  the  year  round. 
If  you  have  hiked  across  country,  climb¬ 
ing  over  slopes  covered  with  the  delicate 
green,  curling  young  fronds  of  the  fern 
brake  or  bracken,  and  not  stopped  to 
gather  some,  you  have  missed  a  treat,  for 
these  tender,  curling  shoots  make  a  de¬ 
licious  green  vegetable,  and  the  roots,  not 
hard  to  dig  in  the  light,  loose  soil  in  which 
they  grow,  are  blanched,  crisp  and  ex¬ 
cellent  eating.  Everywhere  in  Vancouver 
Island  and  some  of  the  Northern  States 
The  Rural  Patterns 
In  ordering  always  give  number  of  pattern 
and  size  desired,  sending  price  with  order 
2110.  0  h  e  m  i  s  e 
with  pointed  ‘  or 
straight  upper  edge, 
34  or  36,  38  or  40, 
42  or  44  bust.  The 
medium  size  will 
require  2%  yds.  of 
material  36  or  44 
in.  wide  for  the 
pointed  top  or  2 
yards  for  garment 
with  straight  upper 
edge.  20  cents. 
9860.  Dress  with 
tunic  for  misses  and 
small  women,  16 
and  18  years.  The 
16-year  size  will  re¬ 
quire  3(4  yds.  of 
material  40  in.  wide, 
3%  yds.  44  for  the 
blouse  and  tunic 
with  2(4  yds.  36, 
40  or  44  extra  for 
skirt.  20  cents. 
2032.  One  -  piece 
dress  for  misses  and 
small  women,  16 
and  18  years.  The 
16-year  size  will  re¬ 
quire  3(4  yds.  of 
material  36,  40  or 
44  in.  wide.  £0 
cents. 
9988.  Bathing 
Suit  with  knickers 
for  misses  and 
small  women,  16 
and  18  years.  The 
16-year  size  will  re¬ 
quire  2(4  yds.  of 
material  36,  40  or 
44  in.  wide,  with 
1%  yds.  36,  40  or 
44  extra  for  the 
knickers.  20  cents. 
fern  brakes  are  used  as  a  “pot  herb.” 
The  Indians  love  it.  and  the  roots  are  one 
of  their  special  luxuries. 
There  is  the  common  plantain,  or  hen 
plant,  with  its  broad,  veined  leaves,  grow¬ 
ing  so  humbly  at  your  doorstep,  pushing 
its  way  stubbornly  between  the  stones  of 
the  garden  walk.  As  a  child  I  gathered 
great  handfuls  of  it  for  my  pet  horse ;  he 
never  seemed  to  got  enough.  Few  people 
realize  that  this  unpretentious  little 
plant  can  furnish  the  table  with  a  good, 
wholesome  dish. 
Again,  not  many  take  advantage  of  the 
food  possibilities  in  the  soft,  pretty  leaves 
of  the  velvet  dock,  or  common  mullein, 
that  appears  in  uncultivated  spots  and 
along  roadsides  during  the  Summer. 
There  is  also  sour  dock,  curly  dock,  and 
narrow  dock,  and  the  sorrels,  with  their 
dainty,  fine  leaves,  and  agreeable  acid 
flavor;  these  healthful  weeds  can  be 
transformed  into  tasty  salads,  soups,  and 
purees  throughout  the  Summer.  The 
burdock,  another  member  of  the  dock 
family,  is  an  edible  wayside  weed,  if  used 
before  the  burrs  appear.  The  tender 
shoots,  peeled  or  scraped,  may  be  eaten 
with  salt  like  radishes. 
The  blunt,  leaves  of  corn  salad,  or 
lamb’s  lettuce,  was  used  in  American  gar¬ 
dens  as  long  ago  as  in  1806.  It  is  a 
tempting  dish  when  cooked  and  served 
like  spinach.  Chickweed.  sometimes  called 
starwort  or  stitchwort,  according  to  the 
different  localities  in  which  it  grows, 
springs  up  in  gardens  and  other  culti¬ 
vated  spots.  It  is  a  dainty,  fine-leaf  plant, 
with  star-like  blossoms,  spreading  slender 
vine-like  stems  in  great  profusion  over 
the  ground,  lasting  from  early  .Summer 
until  late  Autumn.  Crisp  it  in  cold  water 
for  a  .salad,  or  cook  it  as  greens.  It  also 
makes  a  pretty  garnish  for  cold  meat 
dishes.  Good  King  Henry,  goosefoot, 
lamb’s  quarters, ^mercury  and  wild  spin¬ 
ach  are  all  members  of  the  Chenopodium 
family,  also  known  by  different  names 
according  to  the  section  in  which  they 
grow.  The  narrow-pointed  leaves  and 
salty  taste  is  the  distinct  characteristic 
of  these  weeds.  People  around  Boston 
are  said  to  be  very  fond  of  them,  prefer¬ 
ring  them  to  the  cultivated  spinach. 
It  is  impossible  to  overlook  the  old- 
fashioned  “pusley,”  often  called  pigweed, 
and  whose  real  name  is  purslane.  In 
some  sections  it  does  not  appear  until  the 
middle  of  the  Summer.  It  is  a  garden 
weed,  readily  entering  loose,  cultivated 
soil,  extending  out  from  one  small  root 
many  long,  ruddy-armed  vines,  that  cover 
the  ground  in  a  persistent  clinging  em¬ 
brace.  When  cooked  as  spinach  or  kale 
it  makes  a  very  useful  green. 
Southerners  love  the  hedge  hyssop ;  it 
comes  to  them  early  in  the  Spring  and 
remains  until  June.  It  can  be  used 
either  as  a  salad  or  a  green,  Sweet  basil 
is  an  herb,  not  a  weed.  It  is  found  in 
Southern  gardens,  and  makes  a  tempting 
addition  to  other  dishes,  especially  soups 
and  salads. 
Any  of  the  sorrels,  cress,  purslane  or 
pigweed,  plantain,  lamb’s  quarters,  milk¬ 
weed  and  fern  'brake  are  particularly  nice 
used  in  cream  soups  and  purees.  Gather 
when  young  and  tender,  look  them  over 
carefully,  rejecting  all  that  seem  the  least 
bit  matured,  then  crisp  in  cold  water, 
drain  and  cook  in  just  enough  plain  boil¬ 
ing  water  to  cover  them,  and  press  all 
through  the  colander.  In  the  meantime 
prepare  a  thin  white  sauce  ;  there  should 
be  an  equal  amount  of  sauce  and  green, 
season  with  salt,  pepper,  melted  butter 
and  a  dash  of  mace  or  nutmeg,  and  add 
the  puree,  reheat,  and  serve. 
Dandelion,  milkweed  and  cress  may  be 
cooked  as  spinach  or  asparagus,  l’lungo 
them  into  cold  water,  drain,  then  cook, 
uncovered,  in  plenty  of  water,  to  which  a 
little  salt  or  a  speck  of  soda  has  been 
added,  turn  into  a  colander  and  press  un¬ 
til  dry.  Season,  add  a  little  melted  butter 
and  a  dash  of  lemon  juice  or  vinegar, 
mound  on  a  hot  dish,  and  serve  with 
slices  of  hard-boiled  eggs,  or  lemon  cut 
in  quarters.  Toast  points  may  be  used, 
too,  as  a  garnish.  Some  prefer  their 
weeds  cooked  with  a  little  salt  pork,  cut 
into  dice,  and  browned  a  little  before  add¬ 
ing  to  the  greens,  or  a  small  ham  bone 
partly  cooked  before  the  greens  are  put 
in.  Again,  some  may  be  cooked  very  ten¬ 
der,  chopped  fine  or  rubbed  through  a 
coarse  sieve,  and  served  on  slices  of  but¬ 
tered  toast  with  a  well-seasoned  white 
sauce,  or  bechamel  sauce.  Weed  salads, 
like  the  cultivated  ones,  are  best  when 
served  simply  with  salt  or  a  French  dress¬ 
ing.  ROSAMOND  LAMPMAN. 
Why  Should  Farmers  Attend  Church? 
Upon  this  subject  “Mother  Bee.”  in  an 
article  in  The  R.  N.-Y.,  quotes  “a 
thoughtful  man”  as  saying :  “Why  should 
they?  When  the  minister  makes  a  call 
he  always  calls  on  the  ladies  in  the  parlor, 
while  the  man  is  on  the  other  side  of  the 
farm.”  She  also  tells  of  a  young  man 
who  was  not  greeted  at  church,  even  by 
those  who  knew  him.  Complaints  of  this 
sort  deserve  consideration,  though  we 
should  not  regard  them  as  valid  excuses 
for  not  acknowledging  our  relation  and 
obligation  to  our  Creator  tw  joining  in 
public  worship.  To  do  so  must  always 
remain  a  duty,  no  matter  what  attitude 
our  fellow-men  take  toward  us.  It  is 
also  a  privilege.  We  need  “the  assembling 
of  ourselves  together.”  which  is  enjoined, 
and  if  in  a  right  spirit,  are  sure  to  find 
help  in  the  Scripture  reading,  music  or 
sermon ;  usually  in  all,  and  not  less  in 
the  sacred  associations  and  opportunity 
for  quiet  meditation  and  prayer.  In  re¬ 
spect  to  an  unsatisfactory  sermon — well, 
our  very  fowls,  when  fed  a  mixture  of 
wheat,  chaff  and  dust,  are  wise  enough  to 
pick  out  every  useful  grain  and  ignore 
the  rest.  A  pastor  is  not  himself  the  ob¬ 
ject  of  worship,  and  even  though  he 
should  be  only  “a  doorkeeper  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord.”  he  at  least  keeps  it  open. 
As  to  the  sociability  of  pastors,  most 
of  those  whom  I  have  known  in  35  years 
of  church  attendance  have  made  a  prac¬ 
tice  of  going  to  see  the  men  of  the  com¬ 
munity  in  their  fields,  vineyards  or  places 
of  business.  Those  who  did  not  were 
usually  elderly  men,  and  not  able  to  spend 
much  strength  in  walking.  It  would 
sometimes  leave  a  minister  insufficient 
time  for  other  duties  to.  try  to  reach  all 
the  men  “at  the  other  side  of  the  farm.” 
A  faithful  pastor  is  one  of  the  busiest 
men  on  earth.  He  could  probablv  spend 
most  of  his  time  in  his  study  if  he  is  to 
preach  helpfully,  yet  he  could  spend  it 
all  in  pastoral  visitations  without  satisfy¬ 
ing  all  his  people,  or  perhaps  himself. 
Marriages,  illness  and  death  make  special 
demands  upon  him.  and  he  is  expected  to 
take  his  place  in  social  gatherings  and 
meetings  of  public  interest.  Let  anyone 
who  thinks  a  preacher  needs  little  time 
in  which  to  read,  reflect  and  prepare  his 
sermons  try  to  write  just.  one.  compo¬ 
sition.  or  even  a  letter,  which,  in  being 
read  aloud  would  occupy  as  much  time 
as  does,  an  ordinary  sermon.  A  discourse 
to  be  given  without  reading  requires  still 
more  preparation. 
As  Mother  Bee  says,  every  member  of 
a  church  should  welcome  strangers  and 
casual  attendants,  but  most  members  sit 
well  forward  in  the  congregation,  comply¬ 
ing  with  the  request  of  pastors  who  object 
to  seeing  “a  great  gulf”  between  them  and 
their  hearers.  The  man  who  was  not 
greeted  perhaps  occupied  a  rear  seat.  I 
find  that  I  cannot  reach  visitors  who  have 
been  seated  near  the  door  unless  I  disre¬ 
gard  most  . of  my  neighbors  who  surround 
me,  and  without  pausing  to  speak  to  any¬ 
one  except  in  the  briefest  manner,  push 
my  way  down  the  .aisle  past  others  in  a 
manner  actually  discourteous.  Our  pas¬ 
tors  obviate  the  difficulty  by  going  to  the 
door  during  the  last  of  the  singing.  Why 
do  people  leave  church  so  hastily?  If 
visitors  would  linger  a  little  and  give 
everybody  a  chance  to  sneak  to  them, 
then-  experience  might  be  different.  “He 
who  would  have  friends  must  show  him¬ 
self  friendly.”  If  the  social  atmosphere 
of  a  church  seems  cold,  lend  your  genial 
presence  ;  bring  others ;  help  to  fill  those 
chilling,  empty  pews  every  Sunday,  and 
soon  pastor  and  people  will  begin  to  glow 
with  appreciation. 
If  rural  churches  are  considered  merely 
ns  social  centers  and  means  of  diversion, 
they  cannot  compete  with  other  attrac¬ 
tions  ;  yet  as  sources  of  spiritual  help 
and  as  safeguards  of  community  morals, 
they  must  be  preserved  at  any  sacrifice. 
Automobiles  make  it  possible  for  many 
to  attend  distant  churches,  but  when  they 
do  this  the  little  rural  church  which  the' 
have  passed  by  suffers  loss.  A  friend  of 
mine  ivho  is,  as  she  says,  “centrally  lo¬ 
cated,  being  41/,  miles  from  everywhere,” 
writes:  “The  little  church  in  the  valley 
is  closed,  owing  to  Henry  Ford.”  Re¬ 
gretting  this  for  herself  and  others  who" 
feel  the  deprivation,  she  deplores  it  most 
on  account  of  children  in  her  vieinitv.  who 
are  growing  up  without  Sundae  school 
or  (apparently)  any  other  religious  in¬ 
struction  or  influence.  Such  conditions 
are  becoming  alarmingly  common.  In 
churchless  communities  Sunday  inevitably 
comes  to  have  little  distinction  from  other 
days  of  the  week.  As  time  goes  on  law¬ 
lessness  increases,  and  there  is  a  general 
lowering  of  moral  standards. 
Life  spent  largely  in  “God’s  beautiful 
out  of  doors,”  with  quietude  for  reflection, 
favors  a  realization  of  the  value  of  eternal 
things.  Country  people  lose  a  priceless 
birthright  when  .Sunday  comes  to  mean 
to  them  only  social  intercourse  or  a  pic¬ 
nic  excursion,  and  the  loss  is  not  theirs 
alone.  From  the  country  city  churches 
have  habitually  received  many  of  their 
most  spiritual  and  effective  helpers.  With¬ 
out  such  reinforcement  they  could  hardlv 
niaintain  their  ground.  With  a  diminish¬ 
ing  number  of  rural  churches,  what  of  the 
future? 
Neither  citizens  of  the  best  sort  nor 
prudent  business  men  will  move  into  a 
churchless  community.  Property  values 
there  will  decrease.  Considered"  only  as 
a  matter  of  pecuniary  interest,  it  would 
concern  farmers  to  maintain  the  value  of 
their  property  by  helping  to  keep  open 
the  churches.  This  matter  cannot  justly 
nor  safely  be  left  to  a  few,  nor  can  we 
thrust  our  share  of  the  burden  of  respon¬ 
sibility  upon  others  by  accusing  them  of 
coldness  or  other  shortcomings. 
Money  contributions  alone  will  not  suf¬ 
fice.  It  is  lack  of  attendance  and  of  co¬ 
operation  on  the  part  of  those  who  as¬ 
sume  the  attitude  of  disinterested  critics 
rather  than  lack  of  funds  that  shuts  the 
door  of  “the  little  brown  church  in  the 
vale.” 
Religion  cannot  be  taught  in  our  pub¬ 
lic  schools ;  without  churches  ours  would 
soon  be  a  Godless  nation.  “Why  go  to 
church?”  For  your  own  sake;  for  the 
children’s  sake ;  for  the  community’s 
sake ;  for  Christ’s  sake ;  “for  God  and 
native  land.” 
GRACE  AGNES  TIMMERMAN. 
Favorito  Recipes 
Hot  Water  Sponge  Cake. — Three  eggs, 
beaten  two  minutes,  one  cup  sugar,  beat 
again  thoroughly,  one  cup  flour,  sifted 
with  two  teaspoons  cream  of  tartar,  and 
one  teaspoon  soda,  one-half  cup  hot 
water.  Beat  two  or  three  minutes.  Bake 
in  rather  quick  oven.  No  butter  or  other 
shortening  is  required,  and  when  per¬ 
fectly  made  is  the  best  of  sponge  cake. 
Love  Ties. — One  cup  of  chopped  rais¬ 
ins,  one  cup  sugar  and  one  egg.  juice  and 
slice  very  thinly  one  lemon  and  stir  well. 
Cut  four  or  five  inch  squares  of  pie  crust, 
put  a  generous  spoonful  of  the  filling  in 
the  center,  fold  the  corners  of  the  crust 
to  meet  in  the  center  of  the  top ;  bake. 
Excellent  for  the  lunehbox. 
Fruit  Cookies. — One  and  one-half  cups 
sugar  and  one  cup  butter  (preferably), 
work  to  a  cream,  add  three  well-beaten 
eggs,  iy2  cups  molasses,  one  teaspoon 
soda  dissolved  in  a  little  cold  water,  one 
cup  chopped  raisins,  one  cup  currants, 
one  teaspon  each  of  two  or  three  kinds  of 
spice;  flour  to  roll.  These  keen  in¬ 
definitely,  so  are  nice  for  unexpected  com¬ 
pany  days. 
Soft  Molasses  Cookies.  —  Two  cups 
brown  molasses,  one  cup  brown  sugar,  one 
cup  soft  lard  or  half  "lard  and  half  but¬ 
ter.  one  cup  rich  buttermilk,  one  teaspoon 
each  ginger  and  cinnamon.  Dissolve  two 
even  teaspoons  soda  in  two  tablespoons 
hot  water,  and  mix  all  together  with  flour 
to  make  very  stiff.  Let  stand  and  rise 
(over  night  if  convenient),  roll  rather 
thick.  These  are  children’s  favorite  gin¬ 
ger  cooky,  '  MOTHER  BEE. 
