The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-05

"A pretty table decoration recently
seen was accomplished with pressed
ferns. The cenlterpiece was of growing
ferns. and strewn in careless but arts
tic profusion about the cloth were
pressed specimens of the same green.
The fresh ferns cannot be so well used
for this purpose, as the leaves would
turn and wrinkle The pressed variety
is obtainable at a florists and may be
used more than once if properly put
away in fiat boxes or between the
leaves of book
The fact that the public library may
become prolific source of disease is
being recognized in many foreign cities.
III some of the large centers of Great
Britain municipal action has been
taken in regard to the matter. AT
Edinburgh" says a college record. al
ready a regular service has been organ
lied by which the directors of Libraries
are notified each day of the names and
addresses of all those in the city who
are i'll of contagious diseases. The IL
brarian therefore makes careful search
to find if any of their books have been
loaned in any of the homes specified.
When this is found to be the case the
Health Department seizes upon the
books, which are either disinfected or
destroyed, according to the nature of
the illness. Public chemists in these
cities are busy experimenting with
various processes, hoping that suit
able one may be developed. The diff
Guilty is to find one that is simple. thor
ough. and can be quickly accomplished.
It is not only the serious and omlnous
contagious diseases that may be car
ried in books, but the innumerable skin
affections that exist Discussion of
the matter as pertaining to books en-
phasizes the care needed in the free
textbooks of the public schools. AS
compared with adults children are af-
fected with skin troubles in much
larger proportion.
Beautiful lemonade and punch bowls
are seen in pottery in the shops, one of
the handsomest designs being dark
blue with Poulton decorations Silver
ladies are used with these bowls, the
outfit being extremely effective.
The recipe for particularly deli
cious bouillon that may be relied upon
to be satisfactory for company use
comes from a Southern woman noted
for the good things which appear upon
her table. The soup requires q half
shin of beef, knuckle of veal, one fowl,
one pound of lean beef, one onion, half a
carrot if large or two or three small
ones, two stalks of celery, one large
tomato, or one-half cup of juice from
canned tomatoes. Put on the fire as
early in the morning as possible. the
shin of beef knuckle of veal, and the
fowl covered with cold water, and a
little salt added. When it comes to a
boil skim we'll and draw to the side of
the range to permit it to boil very gem
tly until evening. The next day skim
off the fat and strain. Chop the lean
beef very fine and mix with it the
whites and shells of three eggs and the
vegetables chopped fine These should
all be mixed very thoroughly before
they are added to the stock, which
should be quite jeIlied Return the
whole to the fire and stir until it is
near the boiling point; then draw again
to cooler part of the range, and let it
simmer slowly until it is perfectly clear
1t must not boil up, and should simmer
UP too suddenly, check with a very lit
tie cold water. Finally strain through
Il cheesecloth, adding a little Worces-
tershire sauce, if that flavor is liked,
before straining. When wanted for
use heat slowly and serve very hot,
adding sherry or white wine the very
last thing, in the proportion of a pint
of either to three quarts of the bouil-
l@Al
for straining this or any soup should
never be washed with soap as the soup
will always be affected by this treat
ment.
An animated discussion took place
recently in a women's club precipitated
by the remark of a member that club
women should have the courage to cast
blackball if it seemed to them that
loyalty to the organization demanded
this act. Other members were imme-
diateiy on their feet to protest rehem-
emily, urging that the arrangements
for admission to membership of any
club should be so protected that the
extreme measure of a bIackball could
never be necessary. 1t was avowed by
more than one present that the morti-
case, never be- recovered from. The dis
cussion emphasizes the fact that the
personal element is still far from elm
mated in woman's clubs.
Conscientious mistresses find their ef-
forts constantly thwarted by unrespon-
sive maids. Not long before Christ
mas" relates a housekeeper, II had an
AnnortInifv fbrn,toh tla braaI-,,.~
of friends household, to secure a
waitress whose possession / had long
envied my friend. The waitress who
was with me, however, was fairly COM
petent, and I had no valid reason for
giving her up. It seemed to me that
it was not right to send her off in the
middle of the season, with the proba-
bility that she would be out of employ
ment for some little time. 1 talked the
matter over with my daughter, resist
ing on this ground her strong plea that
the perfect maid should be employed.
I he change was not made, and l saw,
not without a pang of regret, my
friends waitress installed in another
household. For some weeks had been
planning for a houseful of company
through the latter half of January a
fact known to my establishment. I'm
-agine, then, my indignation when the
waitress whom l kept from motives of
justice came to me last week and an
nounced that she would be leaving
when her month was up-a date that is
two days before my friends arrive. /
suggested to her that she would resent
my turning her off in the middle OF the
season for no cause, and as I knew
she had no sufficient reason for leaving