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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1908)
Women and Ilniiitrkeeplns;. If there he any one thing more tlirtn nother calculated to try the patience of a faithful housekeeper, it is to dis cover, after dutifully m-complisliiiig a morning's routine work, a rip In the carpet, or a worn place in the rug, grin ning Insinuatingly nl one. with the sug gestion In Its open countenance of the truth of the wiylng Hint woman's vork In never done. I have long wondered, and ant still t n loss to decide (having tried both methods), which Is the happier woman, he who at onee pies and mends the rip. or dams the hole, of she who Mils her shawl over her head and runs Into a neighbor's to gossip till time to get dinner. One thing is certain, the wom an who doesn't let the rip a fl eet her conscience will keep a smooth complex ion longer, and the question is, will her husband he more disgusted by eatcnlng his foot in the rip, or with the wrinkles she brings upon her fact by persistent application to the petty duties that waste the heart and wear the body? It Is a fact that men are not given to a warm appreciation of domestic virtues; they take them too much as a matter of course; they do not stop to consider that washing dishes and weeping floors and cooking meals Is work, and work of the very hardest and most trying kind. The average man comes home from his business In the evening expecting to find a nicely cooked, nicely served dinner awaiting him. lie Is ignorant of the many steps, the Infinite care, the Inconvenience of being roasted over the stove, and the countless trials and annoyances that are Incident to the preparation of a meal. He thinks It Is natural to a woman to keep house, and If she does it well she Is only doing what she ought to. hnve frequently noticed that wom en who are not too careful In house keeping have the most devoted litis- bauds. Women who wear themselves nut accomplishing narrow perfections must find In those perfections their own reward, for men will never ap preciate them. The good dinner, the general aspect of comfort, these Impress man deeply but for the rest, he would rather have a pretty and smiling wife than one too earnest !n her household duties. Hence I believe It Is Just as well to put a rug over the ripped place, or set A footstool over it, aud go gossiping, an to get down on all fours and make your hack in'he and ruin your fingers (owing It up. Blessed be the woman whose blood and Judgment are so well co-minglcd that she tlnds time for both mending and gossiping, and does not allow heiM'lf to become hopelessly ad dicted either to the mliiutiu of lions keeping or to the habit of ImlMcrlml liate gadding. Juliet V. Strauss In Chi cago Journal. Getting; to Sleep. If you are troubled with Insomnia noma of the following ideas are worth trying out, as they me certain to at' comnlish what seems Impossible of achievement, wooing sleep successfully A warm hath betorc retiring not a cold one, for the hitter will wake you. Iirlnk a cup of cool, not Iced, water, and this will bring good repose. Sleep with your windows open at the top and bottom, be It ever so small a space, o you can Just feel n breeze on your face. Put In your hath a little bag containing dried clover tops and lawn dor flowers, and as the water cools there will be a delightful odor arising from It. It Is thus medicated and lightly perfunuMl and a sure cure for Insomnia. lint with High Crown. The frame of this hat had a high crowu and narrow turn-down brim. It was covered with dark blue liberty satin, which whs plain under the brim and tucked on top. A wide piece of embroidered velvet was draped around the crown. A pearl buckle was placet! on the right side near the front. A large- bunch of fancy feathers orna ments the left side. When You YUU. When you contemplate a visit try to make It a point to arrive at your des tlnatlon during the daytime. It la oft en difficult to locate a place at ulght and ' embarrassing to the hostess ant) guest. Many women could confess to their great annoyance at receiving a ard stating that a guest would ar rive that day and "please meet me at the truln." Possibly there Is not a va cant room In the house for a guest and hundreds of trains may come In dur ing the day, yet the writer never states what train to meet and the annoyance f preparing meals ami the like makes n guest of this kind anything hut wel come. Some women swoop down upon a hostess, never sending word, but an excuse Is made tlVat she wished to sur prise them. She does. A woman Is a hospitable creature and entertaining Is one of her delights, but she does not want It n comnulsorv affair and she fjrnts time to prepare for it. When vou desire to visit a friend write her relative to your desires, wait for her reply, prepare for the appointed day and go on the train you tell her to meet, or telegraph any change. A woman who has no consideration for her hostess Is not deserving of a very cordial welcome. Elaborate braiding Is seen on many of the newest models, both In cloth and velvet, the narrow soutache being the most popular. Hraldlng, combined with 'heavy embroidery, Is particularly effective on broadcloth or velvet. A Jacket showing a decided point at the front la one of the styles seen among the newly arrived linen cos- tunics. It Is a pattern carried over from early wluter which had Its share of popularity among the more dressy Jacket suits. Tiny folds of satin or of taffeta are used to trim semldress costumes and lend themselves admirably to original effects. They may he applied In broad ening designs und also In ser;vruiiue lines and short zlgiags on hems and waistcoats nn.i are also used to frame motifs. With the summer dress will be worn some pretty ribbon sashes. But these ribbons will be wide, ethereal in ap pearance, and tied In four loops at the back. Some of the streamers are also knotted a few inches trom the eud. Tho idea Is to get a ribbon to match the delicate weave of the dress. The smartest dresses worn at pres ent are hose composed of cloth skirt, velvet jacket, braided and fancy or old time waistcoat fastening down the front with small antique buttons. The popularity of gossamer tissues much embroidered Is very evident, the Idea having been borrowed from the East. A simple house wrapper Is made with a square yoke, rolling collar, bishop sleeves and five-gored skirt that Is attached to the waist. While a wrapper, yet It has a Bhlrtwalat flulsh that Is neat. Polka-dot materials that Is, of the small design with bind ings or bands of plain trimming, look neat for such garments. The handsomest and most expensive of the stiff collars have Irish lace In sertion used lu a sort of conventional design. While these collars may be very beautiful, they are less satisfac tory than are the hand-embroidered collars, for the lace will not hold the starch aud constant heavy washing soon tears the fragile material. lu making up a black spangled robe over a ruffle of plaited chiffon It Is a clever idea to connect the two by sew ing to the ruffle at regular Intervals big disks of black velvet. These may le cut out, leaving the edges raw, for they will not fray, and they relieve the dead whiteness of the ruffle In con trast with the black above and make a connecting link between the two ma terials. To Whiten the Skin. After you have washed and dried your fact carefully, apply the following lotion : On quart of water previously DAINTY HOME-MADE NEGLIGEE. boiled and strained, thirty drops of al cohol, one ounce of oxide of zinc, eight grains of bichloride of mercury, twenty drops of glycerin. The most simple way to reduce your flesh Is to avoid all starchy and sweet ened food, all cereals, , vegetables con taining sugar or starch, such as peas, beans, corn, potatoes. Have your bread toasted, sprinkle It with salt Instead of using butter. Milk, I regret to say, If It be pure enough, Is fattening. Skimmed milk, may be drunk. Jlot water Is an excellent substitute for other liquids. Add a little Juice of limes or lemons to It, If you choose. Limit your sleeping hours to seven at the outside. No naps. You must take exercise. The Economical Woman. The woman who must study economy In planning her new spring clothes will find a separate skirt a useful addi tion to her wardrobe. If she carefully studies the latest fashion Teports from abroad she knows that the costume that Is, the skirt and waist made of the same material and sometimes cut In one is much more the vogue than the separate skirt and the shirt waist, j Yet sometimes it is not always conve-1 nlent to have an entire new gown, In which case the separate skirt will prove Invaluable. Hiccough Easily Stopped. This is a most distressing and ob stinate complaint to those in whom it occurs, says the Family Doctor. We do not refer, of course, to tho hiccough attendant upon great pros tration of the system, but to those Instances (very frequent, Indeed) of a simple spasmodic condition of stomach and' esophagus which assails the In dividual without any other symptom of disease, and in the treatment of which antl-spasmodlcs prove Inert. Relief can be obtained by directing the patient to hold the arms straight nbove the head and to keep Inspiring as long as Is feasible, so as to retain the air In the lungs for as long a period as possible. The average weekly wages paid to female laborers of all classes In Ger many is a little over $2.25 each. Out of every 1,000,000 girl babies born 871,206 are alive at the age of 12 months; 30,000 less boys live through the first year. The possession of $15,000 left to her hy a relative so unhinged the mind of a young woman named Bell of Sterk stroom, Cape Colony, that she commit ted suicide. The medal presented to Grace Darl ing for her heroism In saving nine lives from the wreck of a Forfarshire steamer In 1S38 will shortly be sold at auction In London. Miss Mlra L. Dock, who Is one of the vice presidents of the State Federa tion of Pennsylvania Women, has the unique bouor of being the only woman on the forestry commission of Penn sylvania. Ohio stands second in the numbei of clubs In the general federation and seventh In the club membership among the States represented In the general federation, with 305 club and 12,500 clubwomen eurolled. Miss Martha E. Johnson, of Laconia, X. H., has the somewhat unusual honor and artiess ringing laughter he appro rtr her sex of being a tax collector. clated jle admired Tope, too; but She does it well, too, and her first an- whUe Emitting Milton's greatness, mial report Is so satisfactory that sh ( tn0ught him "such a bore that no one is to be reappointed. ' could read him." It la not surprising, One of the most fearless adventurer therefore, that Thackeray never rt- In the world Is Miss Lavinla Rudberg, who, under the auspices of Yale Unl- vorsity, was sent up Into the wilds of j the Qulnault Indian reservation to tak the physical measurements of the Indians, LONDON FOB A QUIET LIFE. Cowi, Kln-hUns-alea and Fowl Makt Country Too Kolar. There Is only one spot on earth whert the Jaded spirit, weary of the rush ami noise and hustle of modern life, can find true peace and perfect quiet. It Is known as London Town. What with cows, dogs, poultry, motor cars and nightingales the country nowadays Is such an uproarious pandemonium that U UV 111 IIIUU Vt U U1U1IV1IDV .mu live there in comfort, says the London Daily News. Such were the arguments which Dr. Robinson, town clerk of Shoredlteh, ad vanced when G. S. D. Murray conclud ed his inquiry on behalf of the charity commissioners into the application of the Ironmongers' company to remove their almshouses from Klngsland road, Shoreditch. It has been suggested, Dr. Robinson said, that the old ladles In the alms houses were disturbed by the noise In the district, but probably the site was always noisy. The coaches going to York In the old days made quite as much noise as any London county coun cil tram car did to-day. If the old la- dlea thought they were going to escape nolge b -pmovw to the country they would be bitterly disappointed. He lived In the country himself and he was often awakened at 1 o'clock In the morning by the passing of an old wheezing, croaking motor car belong ing to his majesty's postoflice. If peo ple wanted to know what dust and noise and stink meant, let them go Into the country, where there was no po lice commissioner to stop motor omni buses from carrying on their infernal traffic. To take only one night of his life, there was a corncrake rasping outside his door till 10 o'clock. Then he was awakened by a nightingale a bird which made music for a quarter of an hour, but became troublesome when It sung for two hours. When that ceased a cow began bellowing and then a dog heard the local policeman walking down the street and barked for an hour. At dawn tie birds began again. London was the one place where peo ple could get rest from such noises. There are forty-flve medical socie ties In New York City. "American butter" is the name given in Syria to oleomargarine. An Iowa man has invented a ma chine for paraffining butter tubs and boxes. The estimated value of dairy prod ucts for 1!)07 was $800,000,000, and that of poultry $000,000,000. Bears are liable to taxation in some Japanese villages. The origin of this curious custom Is unknown. The paper cops used on milk bottles are made at the rate of 000,000 a day, and one man operates five machines. Imports Into Canada In 1907 (esti mated) from the United States will amount to $105,000,000, against only $78,000,000 from Great Britain. Canada's government revenue from all sources this year will be more than $100,000,000. In the first seven months the customs receipts Increased $0,500, 000. A few days ago David PIngree, of Salem, Mass., bought several hundred thousand acres of the "wild lands" of Maine, thereby becoming possessor of a tract of land larger than the entire State of Rhode Island. It Is the best hunting ground in the eastern part of the United States. A cosmopolitan citizen says that the foreigners, artists, philanthropists, edi tors, scientists and sociologists who go to New York City to study America are likely to be led into all sorts of errors If they confine their studies and observations to the metropolis, for New York City is less typical of America than any other part of the country. The linen industry Is the greatest manufacturine industry Ireland dos- 1 sesses. There is luvested in It some- Besses, tnln "Ke ntieeu iuiu a uhii million pounds, and It gives employment to 70,000 people. It Is a matter for much uneasiness that year after year for a considerable time has marked a decline in the area under flax in Ireland. Northern Whig. Few people will have hnd the cour age to sit down thirteen at table for the greetings of a new year. But flve-and-flfty years ago Lord Roberts was one of thirteen who sat down to dinner on New Year's day at Teshawar. Eleven years later though most of them had been through the Indian mutiny and half of them had been wounded they were all alive. And Lord Roberts Is still very much alive. London Chron icle. ' , Thackeray's Poeta. Thackeray's favorite poets were Goldsmith and the "sweet lyric Bing ers," Prior, whom he thought the easi est, the richest, the most charmingly humorous of Enellsta lyrical noets. and the force 0f whose simple melody ayed the "big bow-wow sina poetry. of When your ship comes in, if you art tike most people,' Instead of being .thankful, you will find -fsjjjf r4tb captain for the dslar. C . Convenient Harrow. After working several years among stones, stumps, grubs and young or chards, I learned I needed a special harrow for the work. - I - could find none to suit me ; so studied and planned and made one last spring, which does even better coon harbow. than I expected. The cut will to some extent explain how it is made. I made mine of oak timber 2 inches by 34 Indies, 4 feet long and 6 feet 3 Inches wide. It is composed of a middle section and two wings, the latter fastened to the mid dle section by Inch bolts 8 inches long, on which the wings fold very easily. The teeth are scattered over the harrow so that they are 9 inches or more apart, and yet cut every 3 Inches, and are placed In the harrow sloping back, about 20 to 25 degrees from a perpendicular. They cut Just as well and do not catch as If placed in per pendicular, and are easier on man and team. I have heddles to the middle section of mine, and a rope from each heddle to the outside corner of each wing, so as to lift It conveniently and quickly. I can pass readily between trees or stumps less than 3 feet apart It is Just the thing for orchards and rough ground, while on clean smooth ground It works Just as well as any other smoothing harrow. A. J. Um hqltz. . ' Cheese Under Falae Color. According to a recent consular re port about 2,000 Imported empty Ca membert cheese boxes, bearing the names of well-known French cheeses, were Imported at New York on one steamer recently. Duty had to be paid on the printed matter on their 2,000 labels and another duty on the Import ed boxes. According to a New York trade Journal, these boxes are distrib uted In New York State, filled and sold In this country, and represented as being made abroad. It Is said that many dealers claim that their domestic cheeses when put up in the Imported boxes, can not be told from the import ed brands except by experts. When Tree Are Blown Over. Should excessive winds blow the top of a tree out of shape, which often oc curs, cut it oujj, leaving a nearly erect southwest branch to become the new central stem. Shallow, loosely planted trees sometimes blow over. They may be put back by excavating on the op posite side and pushing the tree back, tamping the earth as firmly as possible on the side toward which It leaned Care should be taken not to wrench the roots loose In this operation. Cutting- Back Trees. In highly interesting experiments at the Woburn (England) experimental fruit farm in cutting back apple trees when planted the ultimate result was found to be that trees not cut back un til the end of the first year continued to form wood in subsequent years, and the crop borne by them during the first ten years was only one-third of that borne by those which were cut back when planted. ' A Balanced Ration. In the ration-fed farm animals either alfalfa or clover should be given to balance the corn. Either one of these legumes will likewise be needed to "balance" the effects of corn on the soil. Considerable plant food, espe daily nitrogen, Is removed from the soil by corn, while alfalfa or clover gathers a great deal of nitrogen from the air and places it back In the soli. When Horaea Are in Condition. A bright, clear eye, a brilliant coat. high spirit and mettle, are good signs of perfect condition in the horse. T this might be added sufficient flesh thor oughly to" "round him out' but' no enough to Interfere In the slightest de- gree with his natural action, which on wo account must De impeded. " Pruning. In trimming trees the wound ma or cutting "off a limb close to t trunk will soon heal over, while the wouud made by cutting off the limb two or three Inches from the tinnb leads to decay and sometimes causes the ultimate loss of the tree Itself. Sawduat aa Fuel. Sawdust is turned into transportable fuel In Germany by a very simple pro cess. It is heated under high steam pressure until the resinous Ingredients become sticky, when it Is pressed Into bricks. Qelck-Growlaa; Seed. A turnip seed increases Its own Weight fifteen times In a minute. On peat grounds turnips have been found to. Increase by growth times the relgbt or their seed each day they stood upon the soli Value of Himii. 1. Humus Is decaying vegetable mat ter In the soil. 2. It Is the storehouse of nitrogen. the most expensive and the most nec essary of all plant foods. ' 3. It contains the food upon wnicn the soil organisms live, whose func tion is to convert organic nitrogen Into nitrates In order to be available for the use of plants. It materially as sists In decomposing the mineral con stituents of the soil, such as potasn and phosphoric acid, making mem available for the use of plants. 4. It increases the power of the soil to hold water without becoming water-logged. 5. It makes clay soil more open and friable. It serves to compact sandy soil and Increases Its drouth-re sisting power. 0. It orevents wasihlng to a great extent; thereby diminishing the loss of fertility by that cause. 7. Soil filled with humus more read ily admits the air so necessary to all useful plant growth. 8. There aDDears to be a distinct relationship between the amount of hu mus In the soil and the amount of available nitrogen therein. It has been observed that when it is absent from the soil there Is a distinct reduction of the ability of that soli to grow crops. Hence In practice In order to obtain the best crops we have to re sort to barnyard manure rather than the use of concentrated fertilizers. Rural World. . Grading; Applea. Some apple growers have been uslnj the grading board shown In the fig- , ure. A common board or , piece of pasteboard is hung up'fjJefbre the wiper. In this board holes are cut the size of various tiers, such as three, three and one-half and our tier, eta As the apples are wiped they are prop erly tiered. The advantage of this method Is that the packers have the apples practically graded and can do GRADING BOARD. much more work In a day, and after the first half day the wipers can usu ally accomplish fully as much as with the old method.-s-Denver Farm. Nitrate. In purchasing nitrate of soda, the most quickly available source of nitro gen for plants, buyers should steer clear of low grade nitrate. . The more usual adulterants are common salt, and salt . cake " from ' the manufacture of acids, both worthless as fertilizers and containing no plant food. Nitrate of soda now comes in original bags, which now contain about 200 pounds. The old 310-pound bag was very clumsy. Watering the Uorae. A successful horse ralsef says: "I count the swallows ' niy horses take while drinking a pailful. Some take larger swallows than others, but I know them ail. If I am out on the road and come to a trough, I get out and count while my horse drinks, so that he will not take too much at once. I give watei often, and so keep my horses free from bowel trouble caused by overdrinking." Wood Aahea. It is seldom that a farmer can a cumulate a sufficient amount of wood ashes for a large "field, but on farnu where wood is used there Is a limited supply which can be put to good um on the garden or on the young clover. Ashes lire excellent also on all grass lauds and In orchards. They are ap plied broadcast, in any quantity de sired, as many as 100 bushels per acre having been used on certain soils. Maklna; S tramp Land Tillable. A drainage ditch twenty-four and one-quarter miles long that will drain 85,000 acres of Iowa land Is fairly under way in Monona and Harrison Counties. It will cost about $750,000, and will empty into the Missouri River Just a little above the town of Little Slouxv The swamp land reclaimed will make some of the most valuable farm land in the State. - ' Cure for Roup. A recommended roup cure for chick ens Is to take two parts sweet oiL one part gum camphor, one part tur pentine. To each ounce of this mixture add ten grains menthol and one tea spoonful listerlne. Take a small drop syringe or oil can and put this remedy into the roof of the mouth and in tbs nostrils twice a day. Farm Notes. Many brcbardists make a great mis take planting trees too deep. Hogging down corn has a great deal In Its favor, but the hogging process should be finished before heavy snowt conie. ' -; ' The advantage of testing each ear ot seed corn separately is-Jhat nearly al the poor seed can be thrown out II only one ear in each bushel is found ts be imp 4 It will pay to do the test ins ....