1502 
WOMAN  AND  HOME 
From  Day  to  Day 
The  Spirit  of  Christmas 
There’s  a  carpet  of  snow  on  the  hillside, 
A  jingle  of  bells  on  the  air. 
There’s  a  cheery  “God  rest  you,  good 
neighbor,” 
^  A  feeling  of  joy — everywhere. 
There’s  a  shower  of  sparks  up  the  chim¬ 
ney, 
A  stocking  or  two  on  its  shelf. 
And  a  feeling  that  somewhere  about  you 
Is  hiding  a  good-natured  elf. 
Or  maybe  you  live  in  the  present, 
Where  every  day’s  crowded  with  strife ; 
You’re  adrift  in  some  far-away  city, 
^  Alone,  without  children  or  wife. 
You’re  poor,  or  you’re  lonely  or  beaten ; 
You  stand  like  a  stranger — apart. 
But  cheer  up  !  Remember  that  Christmas 
Is  yours  if  you’ve  Christ  in  your  heart. 
— ‘George  Mitchell,  in  Judge. 
* 
We  have  been  interested  in  the  annual 
Red  Cross  roll  call,  which  has  been  con¬ 
ducted  in  a  very  businesslike  way.  One 
point  brought  out  during  the  progress  of 
this  work  has  been  interesting,  though 
not  edifying.  Women  volunteers  were 
called  upon  to  conduct  the  house-to-house 
canvass,  and  the  managers,  in  one  subur¬ 
ban  town  of  note,  stated  emphatically 
that  they  wanted  older  women  for  this 
work  ;  they  did  not  want  young  girls  or 
the  younger  women.  They  said  that  the 
young  women  will  not  assume  any  re¬ 
sponsibility,  and  are  not  to  be  depended 
on  where  system  and  thoroughness  are 
necessai*y.  In  previous  years  such  work¬ 
ers  had  caused  much  dissatisfaction.  This 
seems  rather  a  serious  arraignment,  both 
of  home  training  and  of  our  modern  edu¬ 
cational  system.  We  think,  however,  that 
reactions  from  old-fashioned  ideals  have 
made  this  attitude  quite  prevalent,  not 
merely  among  the  young  people  of  the 
“idle  rich”  class,  but  also  among  those 
who  must  look  forward  to  working  for 
their  living.  It  does  not  seem  to  promise 
a  helpful  generation  to  come,  but  life  has 
the  power  of  enforcing  responsibility, 
even  in  the  case  of  those  who  would 
shirk  it. 
* 
One  of  our  friends  has  a  theory  that 
hatred  reacts  physically  upon  the  person 
who  nourishes  it,  and  in  time  causes  ma¬ 
lignant  growths  and  other  serious  bodily 
disorders.  Without  offering  an  opinion 
as  to  this  theory,  we  all  know  that  love 
and  happiness  produce  bright  faces  and 
buoyant  steps,  and  that  no  one  ever  cured 
his  dyspepsia  by  a  course  of  gloom.  How 
much  well-being  ought  to  be  produced  by 
the  cheerful  Christmas  spirit ! 
Gunny-sack  Shopping  Bags 
I  must  tell  you  of  three  Christmas 
gifts  which  I  have  just  finished.  I  found 
some  extra  nice  gunny  sacks  which  I  put 
away  to  be  used  in  an  emergency,  and 
while  waiting  for  a  street  car  in  the  city 
the  other  day  I  saw  a  novel  shopping  bag, 
one  which  can  be  made  by  any  farmer’s 
wife  in  no  time.  This  bag  was  made  of 
gunny  sacking;  when  completed,  meas¬ 
ured  12x15  in.,  with  handles  of  the  same, 
stitched  several  times.  Then  a  design 
was  worked  on  it  in  bright  colored  yarns, 
and  it  is  complete.  I  used  odds  and  ends 
of  yarn  (wroolen)  ;  used  cross-stitch  de¬ 
sign  on  one,  a  raised  design  on  another, 
and  just  plain  running  stitch  and  initial 
on  the  third,  and  not  one  penny’s  worth 
of  outlay,  besides  being  both  useful  and 
pretty.  b.  s.  v. 
Winter  in  the  Country 
Our  reasons  for  dreading  the  coming 
Winter  are  brought  forcibly  to  mind  dur¬ 
ing  damp,  foggy,  Fall  days.  Nature  looks 
so  cold  and  dreary  that  we  find  ourselves 
thinking  only  of  Winter  in  connection 
with  pneumonia,  grippe,  chapped  hands, 
cold  feet,  blizzards,  impassable  roads,  and 
the  endless  stoking  of  stoves  and  furnaces 
As  the  climate  of  New  York  State  will 
probably  continue  to  be  just  what  it  has 
been  for  centuries,  and  as  comparatively 
few  of  us  can  join  the  caravans  that  are 
daily  leaving  for  Florida  and  California, 
‘let  us  count  our  blessings  and  try  to  look 
forward  with  pleasure  to  the  Winter  sea¬ 
son. 
When  we  begin  to  feel  sorry  for  our¬ 
selves  the  surest  cure  is  to  find  someone 
who  is  worse  off  than  we  are.  and  try  to 
do  something  to  help  them.  This  is  easy 
to  do  in  any  neighborhood,  but  as  it  is 
human  nature  to  be  more  interested  in 
charitable  work  that  is  far  away,  I 
should  advise  those  who  are  dreading  the 
isolation  and  cold  of  a  Winter  on  the 
New  lrork  hill  farms  to  read  some  of  Dr. 
Wilfred  T.  Grenfell’s  books  on  the  life 
of  the  people  of  Dabrador,  and  help  him 
in  his  work  in  any  way  they  can.  They 
7ht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
will  then  consider  their  own  lot  quite 
comfortable  and  pleasant  in  comparison. 
As  for  the  question  of  health  in  Win¬ 
ter,  statistics  show  that  the  cold  weather 
acts  as  a  tonic  and  bracer,  and  that  peo¬ 
ple  who  live-  in  a  climate  that  is  alter¬ 
nately  hot  and  cold  live  longer  than  those 
in  a  climate  that  is.  hot  all  the  time. 
Nearly  everyone  gains  in  weight  in  Win¬ 
ter,  children  grow  faster  in  Winter  than 
Summer,  and  in  the  cure  of  tuberculosis 
it  is  said  that  one  Winter  is  equal  to  two 
Summers.  Now  that  everyone  eats  fresh 
vegetables  and  fruit  in  Winter,  and  sleep 
with  their  windows  open,  they  no  longer 
have  to  be  dosed  with  sulphur  and  mo¬ 
lasses  as  they  did  in  our  grandmother's 
day.  But  in  spite  of  all  this  we  do  have 
epidemics  of  cold  and  grippe  and  occa¬ 
sionally  pneumonia.  With  proper  cloth¬ 
ing  and  reasonable  care  a  child  seldom 
gets  a  cold  from  exposure,  but  they  do 
take  colds  from  other  people,  even  when 
in  the  best  of  health  and  condition.  How 
to  remedy  this  is  a  serious  question.  In 
the  first  place,  everyone  should  be  made 
to  realize  the  seriousness  of  colds,  and 
treat  them  as  they  are,  a  serious  and  con¬ 
tagious  disease,  and  do  everything  in 
their  power  to  keep  from  spreading  them. 
Where  is  there  a  better  place  to  begin 
such  a  campaign  than  in  our  own  little 
country  schools?  Every  child  or  teacher 
should  remain  awrny  from  school  for  the 
first  three  days  that  they  are  suffering 
with  a  cold.  This  would  usually  mean 
that  their  own  cold  would  be  cured  and 
every  other  child  in  the  school,  and  conse¬ 
quently  their  families,  would  not  be  ex¬ 
posed  to  it.  It  is  my  opinion  that  this  is 
a  strong  point  against  the  consolidation 
of  schools  for  young  children ;  it  increases 
the  chances  of  their  getting  colds,  grippe 
and  children’s  diseases. 
In  the  Winter  there  is  no  gardening  to 
do,  no  canning,  no  flies  to  kill,  no  extra 
men  to  board,  so  we  should  be  able  to  de¬ 
vote  more  time  to  our  children,  to  read 
to  them,  to  encourage  them  in  their 
school  work,  to  teach  them  a  little  astron¬ 
omy,  music,  sewing  or  carpenter  work.  I 
believe  that  our  own  little  gii’ls  will  re¬ 
member  the  hours  between  supper  and 
bedtime  as  the  happiest  time  of  their 
childhood,  for  mother  always  stacked  up 
the  supper  dishes  (I  can  see  many  careful 
housewives  shaking  their  heads  in  dis¬ 
may)  and  played  games  with  Daddy  and 
them  until  bedtime.  Of  course  it  would 
have  been  fine  for  all  to  help  do  the 
dishes  together,  but  the  time  between  sup¬ 
per  and  bedtime  at  7  :30  is  all  too  short, 
and  games  or  bedtime  story  and  prayers 
are  much  more  important  than  dishes; 
besides,  the  little  gilds  helped  mother  do 
them  in  the  morning  while  Daddy  cared 
for  the  stock  at  the  barn.  And  do  not  be 
afraid  to  join  your  children  in  skating, 
coasting  and  skiing.  A  friend  whose 
children  adore  her  always  tries  every¬ 
thing  they  do  at  least  once,  and  although 
she  is  growing  stout  with  the  years,  and 
gets  a  bit  out  of  breath,  she  is  known  as 
a  good  sport  by  all  the  children  in  the 
neighborhood. 
If  your  are  lonely,  find  something  out¬ 
side  of  your  routine  work  to  do  at  once. 
Have  a  hobby,  and  change  it  often  enough 
to  make  it  interesting ;  it  doesn’t  matter 
much  whether  it  is  music  or  French  or 
braiding  rag  rugs  or  knitting  sweaters, 
if  you  enjoy  doing  it.  The  youngest- 
looking  middle-aged  woman  I  know  has 
had  a  new  hobby  every  year  since  I  can 
remember.  As  a  child  I  bravely  followed 
her  through  bicycle  riding  in  appropriate 
costume  (my  bicycle  consisted  of  a  vivid 
imagination  and  two  barrel  hoops  nailed 
to  a  narrow  board),  then  came  stamp 
collecting,  butterfly  collecting,  horseback 
riding,  watereolor  painting,  oil  painting, 
china  painting  and  interior  decoration. 
She  is  still  following  more  up-to-date 
hobbies,  but  when  I  became  a  farmer’s 
wife  I  no  longer  tried  to  keep  up  with 
her,  so  have  grown  gray-haired  in  conse¬ 
quence,  and  she.  who  is  many  years  my 
senior,  looks  as  young  as  she  did  25  years 
ago. 
Plants  are  a  hobby  with  many  country 
women ;  they  are  carefully  looked  over 
every  day  and  tucked  in  at  night  when  it 
is  very  cold.  Everyone,  whether  they  are 
successful  with  plants  or  not,  should  have 
several  bowls  of  Narcissus,  daffodils  and 
hyacinths  to  force  at  different  intervals 
during  the  Winter,  and  do  not  neglect  lo 
gather  some  bittersweet  vines  to  help 
make  the  living  room  cheerful.  We  have 
found  that  the  little  blue  Ilepatiea  flow¬ 
ers  are  a  joy  when  blooming  in  a  low 
bowl  on  the  dining  room  table  in  early 
Spring.  This  year  we  took  some  up  in 
the  Fall  and  will  see  if  they  can  be  made 
to  bloom  as  early  as  January  or  Febru¬ 
ary 
For  the  woman  who  delights  in  needle¬ 
work  there  are  many  .beautiful  things  to 
be  made  for  her  friends,  home  and  her¬ 
self,  and  even  those  who  do  not  like  to 
sew  become  fascinated  with  the  simple 
designs  that  are  so  effective  and  yet  take 
so  little  time  to  make.  It  is  well  to  plan 
to  replenish  the  supply  of  towels,  linens 
and  bedding  every  Winter,  and  there  is 
always  some  room  that  needs  new  cur¬ 
tains  or  cushions. 
There  are  many  beauties  of  nature  to 
be  enjoyed  in  the  Winter  season,  if  only 
our  hearts  and  eyes  are  open  to  receive 
December  8,  1923 
them.  The  early  twilights,  the  purple 
hills  at  sunset,  the  violet  glow  next  to  the 
horizon  that  we  never  see  in  Summer,  the 
frosty  moonlight  that  makes  the  whole 
countryside  look  like  a  sparkling  Christ¬ 
mas  card,  the  sunlight  on  the  bare,  glis¬ 
tening  branches  of  the  trees,  and  the 
purity  of  the  snow.  Anf  if  the  days  are 
dark  and  gloomy  outside  it  should  onlv 
fill  one  with  a  spirit  of  thankfulness  for 
a  warm,  cozy  fire,  a  well-filled  storeroom 
of  fruit,  vegetables  and  meat,  and  time 
and  opportunity  to  become  better  ac¬ 
quainted  with  one’s  family,  for  the  pace 
is  all  too  fast  these  days,  even  in  the 
country,  to  encourage  comradeship  in  rhe 
family.  To  me  this  very  feeling  of  isola¬ 
tion  from  the  world  is  a  joy  if  it  does 
not  last  too  long,  for  it  is  an  adventure  to 
be  cast  on  one’s  own  resources  for  enter¬ 
tainment.  and  if  these  resources  consist 
only  of  a  small  library  and  an  old  square 
piano,  the  adventure  may  be  made  just  as 
enjoyable  as  though  they  consisted  of  an 
electric  victrola  and  a  good  radio  outfit, 
for  we  may  be  studying  on  ways  and 
means  to  make  enough  profit  from  the 
next  year’s  crop  to  obtain  the  latter, 
while  we  are  enjoying  the  former.  When 
the  wind  is  blowing  a  gale  and  the  roads 
are  filled  with  snow  is  the  very  best  time 
to  read  the  magazines  for  which  there 
was  no  time  in  the  Summer,  and  to  read 
aloud  from  the  old  favorites  in  the  li¬ 
brary.  and  if  the  crops  did  not  bring 
enough  to  warrant  buying  the  latest  best¬ 
selling  novels  I  am  wondering  if  one  is 
missing  much. 
When  the  weather  makes  it  possible  do 
not  forget  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
neighbors.  You  will  find  many  worth¬ 
while  people  among  them.  It  is  seldom 
that  one  may  not  call  on  their  nearest 
neighbors  if  they  are  content  to  go  with 
horses  and  a  big  sleigh.  In  many  coun¬ 
try  communities  the  Neighborhood  Clubs 
are  doing  much  to  promote  friendliness 
among  people  who  hitherto  had  not  seen 
each  other  except  at  funerals.  The  entire 
family  are  members  and  meet  once  a 
fortnight  at  each  other’s  homes,  all  con¬ 
tributing  to  the  supper  and  entertain¬ 
ment. 
A  discussion  of  the  joys  of  Winter 
would  not  be  complete  without  mention¬ 
ing  the  birds.  It  is  a  very  easy  matter 
to  induce  them  to  come  to  a  shelf  outside 
the  living  room  window  for  nuts  and  suet. 
The  downy  woodpeckers,  nuthatches  and 
chickadees  are  always  present,  and  there 
is  always  the  hope  that  some  really  rare 
bird  may  come.  The  chickadees  are  ab¬ 
solutely  fearless,  and  interesting  snap¬ 
shots  may  be  taken  of  the  children  feed¬ 
ing  them.  Dr.  Allen  of  Cornell  Univer- 
e  trade-mark 
Grandfather  knew— 
HE  knew!  When  grandfather  bought  cloth¬ 
ing,  shoes,  or  rubber  footwear  for  the  fam¬ 
ily  he  demanded  full  value  for  every  penny 
he  invested.  He  worked  hard  for  his  dollar  and 
he  made  it  work  hard  for  him,  in  return. 
Three  generations  ago,  even  as  today,  the  Good¬ 
year  "Gold  Seal”  was  a  guide  for  careful  buyers. 
Grandfather  knew  that  this  label  spelled  "extra¬ 
quality”  —  quality  that  has  never  been  changed. 
He  always  insisted  on  getting  "Gold  Seal”  rub¬ 
bers,  boots,  and  overshoes,  because  he  knew  that 
only  in  this  way  could  he  be  sure  of  long  wear, 
perfect  fit,  and  real  foot-comfort. 
Respect  grandfather’s  judgment.  Be  guided  by 
the  name  that  guided  him.  Ask  for  "Gold  Seal” 
rubber  footwear  by  name  —  and  insist  on  getting 
what  you  ask  for. 
Our  nearest  office  will  take  pleasure  in  acquaint¬ 
ing  you  with  the  “QoldSeal"  dealer  in  your  town. 
GOODYEAR  RUBBER  COMPANY 
General  Offices:  787-9  Broadway,  New  York 
Milwaukee,  Wi3.,  J80-1  E.  Water  St.  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  1103  Washington  Ave; 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  371-7  Sibley  St.  Portland,  Ore.,  61-7  Fonrth  St. 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  807  Baltimore  Ave.  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  539  Mission  St. 
GOLD  SEAL 
[GOODYEAR] 
BOOTS— RUBBERS— OVERSHOES 
