The Portland daily press., 1892-07-27
THE HOME.
A ROSE JAR.

Journal Gather the rose petals in the
early morning and place them in a cool,
shady place for an hour to dry. Toss
them lightly and then put them in layers
with salt between in a large covered
glass dish. You may add fresh petals to
this every morning. When you have
sufficient quantity let the whole stand
ten days, shaking thoroughly every morn
ing. Now, in the bottom of glass fruit
jar place two ounces of whole allsplce,
crushed, and two ounces of stick CHINA
mon, broken coarsely Fill the jar with
the rose petals and salt. This must now
stand six weeks. or even longer, when it
may be prepared for the permanent jar.
During these six weeks the jar should be
perfectly air tight ;,
Mix together one ounce eacn OF ground
cloves, allspice, cinnamon and mace; one
ounce of orris root, shredded and bruised;
two ounces of lavender flowers. These
are the proportions to be used to one
quart of rose petals. Place this mixture
in alternate layers with the contents OF
the glass fruit jar, in the more ornament
al jar that is to be used permanently. If
you choose you may add a few drops of
the oil of your favorite flower, rose,
geranium or violet, and pour over the
whole one-quarter of pint OF GOOD CO.
logne. This pot-pourri will last Tor
years. From time to time you may add a
little lavender water or any nice perfume:
The fragrant odor from rose jar ,1llled
with leaves and fragrant spices is very
penetrating, and is particularly pleasant
in large drawing-rooms and halls. The
odor is not only refreshing but delightful
as we'll. A rose jar filled with a good
stock should never be allowed to remain
constantly open; if the covers are remov-
ed for an hour at time twice day, your
rooms will become permeated with
sweet, reviving odor, that will be de-
light to all who enter your home.
Now, one word. When you select
your rose jar, the best are those with
double covers without perforations in
either cover. You will find them with
single cover; with a double cover, the
inner one perforated, and with double
cover the outer one perforated; and the
best of all is the one which I have men
toned. My jar is of imported Japanese
ware with such cover, and the Japanese
people may be said to be connoisseurs in
all things that delight the olfactories.
In conclusion, let me say, if you own
rose bush by all means have rose jar.
THE MORNING SPONGE BATH.
Cold water is narcotic, as alcohol is,
writes DR.. Robert Walter, in Laws on
Health. 1t deadens the sensibilities of
the skin and hence prevents the sensation
of cold. 1t relieves the disposition to
chilliness because of the deadened sensi-
bility, and as colds and catarrhs are due
to hyper-sensitiveness of the skin, we
readily see that the cold morning bath
prevents the cold by reducing the SEN
sitiveness.
But the cold morning bath does some
thing more. 1t arouses nervous activity
by calling upon the vital system for in
creased animal heat. The contraction
of the vessels due to the cold is followed
by relaxation of them, explained by
the principal of reaction, and so through
the cold both action and reaction are
established, which frequently give delu-
sive excitements to the victim.
The tepid or warm morning bath is a
great improvement over the cold-water
bath, but even these are not to be COM
mended. Whoever would enjoy the best
of health should take his bath two,
three or four times a week and retire to
bed for rest, thereby allowing nature
to secure the best equilibrium of her
forces and promote the best conditions
of health. To battle and return at once
to duty is loss of power which the
effect can never Justify. Thus the even
ing is to be preferred to the morning
bath, and the warm water rather than
the cold.
But no bath should be taken while the
patient is weary from labor or excite
ment. Rest is then indicated. But if
the tired feeling is due to. chronic or
long -continued conditions, the bath is
not thereby contaminated.
Taking mild bath while one is warm
is not to be condemned if his circulation
is not greatly disturbed and his power
depleted, the one condition being alone
necessary to- successful bathing, VIZ,
power in the organism to respond to new
conditions.
The bath should 'Enever be taken on a
full stomach, nor Immediately before a
meal, as further power is needed for
other purposes under such circumstances.
TO REMOVE STAINS.
1t is now the season when children be-
gin to come in from their play with their
pretty bingham and cambria frocks ap-
parently ruined with ugly green grass
stains, and they ought to be taught to re-
member that their garments should not
be put into the wash in that condition as
the spots can never be taken out after
they are laundered. If little molasses
is rubbed on each stain they will entirely
disappear.
Another equally simple remedy and
very easy to be had is starch paste; that
is, the raw starch powdered and mixed
with water. This spread on any dis
colored places on mattresses or. chintz-
covered furniture and then left to dry
will generally leave the place quite clean
when brushed off. Ii one application is
not sufficient it may be repeated several
times.
Every one knows or aught to know
that ink yields to milk, whereas water
has no effect upon it. and soap is fatal.
In fact soap ''sets," as they call it, near
ly all stains. And children's clothes
should always, therefore, be carefully
examined by an experienced person be-
fore they go to the wash.
The chemical action OF certain sub
stances upon others is very curious, what
is quite efficacious in one case having no