Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-19
SOME HOUSEHOLD HINTS

There is a vast amount Of energy wasted
in the struggle to keep up appearances,
that might better be diverted to some wiser
purpose. Poverty is misfortune, but not a
disgrace, and those who would treat you
disdainfully because of your poverty II 1t
were known, are not the kind of friends
worth holding fast to. 1t is disgraceful to
practice petty economy in the. home Tor the
purpose of appearing we'll before the world.
Women who have 'Seen better days.,
longing to still play their part in the So
ciety world, often starve themselves to the
limit "f endurance for the purpose OF
spending money on dress which will show
to the people they meet that they are quite
as well able to dress as ever. 1t Is such
poor, miserable sham at best that it seems
impossible that sensible people will prac-
tice 1t; yet they do Shop girls, for the
sake of bit of tawdry jewelry, or new
comb or ribbon, eat insufficient food, so as
to be able to save money for the silly
trifle, and thereby lessen their strength
and their value to their employer, finally
ruiz ing their health through slow starva-
ton. Mothers skmp and save in the fam
lily menu and in household help that money
may be given to the girls to make spread
in society, and the result is often sorry
enough; rest for the mother, eternal!y,
through oyerwork, and motherleSS girls,
left to drift, half protected, into unhappy
homes. Young men, in the effort to APP
pear aftuent, waste money that they ought
to save for rainy day. They think 1t
Smart to treat the boys and the swell
thing to send young ladies boxes of expen-
sive candy and high-priced flowers. The
general result Of this attempt to. keep up
al rearances' is disastrous in the extreme
when a turn in political affairs leaves two
or three thousand office holders stranded,
without work. and without dollar laid up
for just such exigepcies. Keeping up ap-
pearances' is one of the most ignoble OF
all shams, and no man, no woman, who
has the slightest particle of honesty left
in them will ever practice it.
Coughs and colds are quite as often the
result of bad air as of cold air. A cold but
badly ventilated room may cause Its occu-
pant to have a very severe cold In the
head, when the same low temperature VIII
not affect him in the least if the room has
the proper ventilation. Most houses are
kept too hot and have not enough moisture
in the air. That is why our women dry
up and get skinny just as they should be
in their prime. If the same attention were
paid to living rooms that is paid to regu-
lating the conservatory, with thermom-
eter in every room and the temperature
never permitted to vary in the winter. the
doctors bills would be materially lowered
in the course of the year:
A mother was recently much puzzled to
know why her six-month-old baby was all
broken out with a rash and fretted and
cried continually. She consulted the fam
ily physician, and learned to her surprise
that the fine red wool shirts that she mad
paid a great deal for because they were
'.medicated red flannel We're poisoning her
babys skin. 1t is so ridiculous in this en-
lightened day to find women who St,il cling
to the idea that red flannel is more healthy
than any other or that indicated flannel
ffny n in
All merit of flannel lies in thu wool, and
not in the coloring: the rurer the wool the
better. But even then some people cannot
wear it without great EdiscomfCrt, and II
you find that it initiates the flesh put the
thinnest of gauze next the skin and tile
flannel over 1t.
80
When you poach eggs always salt the
water slightly and add a. few drops OF vim
eSar. Have the water just at the boiling
point. SO IS to cook the outside of the egg
the instant it touches the water, but never
let the water actually boil while the eggs
are in it, as it Will be sure to spoil the APP
pcarance of the eggs from bringing the
infintesimal settings OF the water to the
surface. where they settle on the eggs. The
white of an egg will draw to it all the
grounds in dish of boiling water.
A good wash to cleanse hard-1nish walls
is made of half a clpful of ammonia to
a bucket of water. You must remember,
however that ammonia In that quantity is
very hard on the hands, and should give
your hands and arms a milk bath soon
you have finished. and at night moisten
them with equal parts of bay rum and
glycerine. BY morning you will scarcely
know that you have been using them
Roughly.
Always remember that a good quality of
food is cheaper in the long run than sec
ond or third rate. Cheap food wastes
through spelling, and when stale is not ap
petizing hence is not eaten when cooked.
For carach.es, that are SO common to
children just now, put few drops of vase
line in a teaspoon and hold 1t over the gas
to heat it. Hold the spoon in the hollow of
your palm for n second. and when it ceases
to burn you pour 1t in the childs ear, max
ing it lie on the other ear. so that the oil
will be retained for a moment or two. Then
put some cotton in the ear. 1t will give al
most instant relief. for the heat is excel
lent and the vaselne loosens up the dry
wax in the ear. Sometimes little babies
have the earache and mothers don't know
how to recognize the ailment. Usually
baby with the earache will cry out sharp
ly at intervals and twist the head uneasIly.
Heat a piece Of flannel quite hot and hold
over the ear, or put your mouth to the
opening of the ear and breathe in it gently
without force; the warm air will soothe,
but you must have a hot flannel ready to
put over it as soon as you cease, for the
cold air will rush in and make it worse
baby use the vaseine.
Women who lament their widening girth
are not generally aware that it comes quite
as much from inaction Of the abdominal
muscles as anything else, and is caused by
the tight corset and no exercise of those
particular muscles. A woman who has
tried about everything ever suggested says
that the only thing that helped her a bit
was abdominal exercise, and she has
duced her waist measure three inches, be-
sides making herself much more active.
Before dressing in the morning, and again
in the evening after removing her clothes,
she lies down flat on her back on the floor,
and with her arms lying lightly by her
side, by muscular action alone, raises her
self to a sitting posture, at the same time
keeping her feet on the floor and never as
ssting herself with her elbows 1t is very
hard to do at first, and until you have
learned the art you can slip your toes I'M
der anything close to the floor that will
not give with your weight and rise that
way. After a time you will harden the
waist muscles till you can rise to sitting
posture by voluntary action. Then fold the
arms across the breast and practice rising
that way. That is the hardest of all. and
you will ache in every bone after such
trial till you get accustomed to it.