The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-06-09
So Certain, Safe and Reliable that No
Other Medicine Can Take lts Place
CAMPING OUT.
The Camp Near Home. How to Make a
Camp Comfortable. The Outfit for Camp
Housekeeping. Women's Camping Out
Dress. Camp Occupations.

Dress. Camp Occupations.
By CHRISTINE TERHUNE HERRICK,
| Author of "Cradle and Nursery" "First Aid
to the Young Housekeepers," "Housekeep-
ing Made Easy" "What to Eat, - "In City
Tents" Etc.
copyright, 1904, by Christine Terhune Herrick.l
The fresh air fashion has ceased to
| be fad. Everywhere people are learn
| ing the value of life in the open air
and are proving for themselves what
even a few weeks of roughing out of
doors will do. The complete change of
| habit aids the fresh air to get in its
good work and it is not necessary for
! the tired toiler to take long and costly
! trip in order to make total variety in
the habits of daily life. Farmers wives
| have found out that there is benefit to
! be derived from leaving home for few
days and camping down at some place
few miles from the farm. Busy city
workers who cannot afford to take
themselves and their families to dis
| tant rural spots have discovered that a
tent or a cabin within short ride of
town, near enough for the business
men to go back and forth to work on
| their wheels, is not to be despiSed as a
means of getting the change that every
one should have in the course of the
year.
Perhaps men have more of the native
wood dweller in their composition than
women, but they never seem to have
much difficulty in adapting themselves
to the lack of home convelfiences and
comforts during a camping out period.
Possibly this is because they have less
of the work of the purveying to do.
Children, too, enjoy this sort of life
and are never happier than when en-
during some small privation that makes
them feel that they are leading truly
wild existence.
The average woman does not take
! quite SO kindly to the unconventional
/ camp life,-for obvious reasons. She
| is usually more a creature of habits
/ than the man and she takes her pleas
ures in an orthodox fashion. Yet it is
a good thing for her to be shaken out
of her accustomed round once in a
while and even if she does not become
so enthusiastic over camping out as do
her children and husband she can hard
| ly fail TO get real benefit from it.
There are many ways in which the
camp may be made comfortable for the
seekers for health and change who can
not indulge themselves in the luxuries
of those Adirondack campers who sup
ply their rustic dwellings with brass
beds and porcelain tubs. That sort of
thing is not camping at all, in the real
sense of the word, much as it may APP
peal to the lovers of the flesh pots. The
day has gone by when camp must of
necessity be tent. \ tent has its adj
vantages, but it also possesses draw
| backs. In hot weather it is very hot,
even although it cools quickly at nightr
In wet weather it is not always waite.
proof, and is chilly Men and boys are
usually satisfied with 1t, but woman
owns to preference for some kind of
a shanty or shack when she goes camp
ing Whether it be under canvas or
beneath a more substantial roof, the
main thing to make sure of in planning
for camp is that the beds shall be
comfortable.
Happily fair bed is easily achieved.
A camp cot,-two lengths of wood with
breadth of canvas between and fold
ing legs beneath. -makeS bed not to
be despised, especially when rug or
quilt or comfortable is laid upon it,
Such a bed as this can be shifted from
place to place, but the same result may
be achieved with less bother of trans
portation by driving into the ground
four posts, corresponding with the four
corners of the bed, fastening strips
from one of these to the other so as to
form a hollow square and to these
strips securing stout canvas. If one is
within reach of eyergreens in abund-
ance, cross strips of wood may be fast
ened to the lengthwise strips of the bed
frame and boughS of spruce or balsam
or hemlock arranged on these for a
mattress. The old style of making a
to be desired. In wet weather, even
with ditch cut around the tent, some
dampneSs was sure to make itself felt.
Likewise crawling things found it very
easy to get into the green mattress.
The coverings for such a bed should
be dark nkets,-blankets are warmer
and lighter than comfortableS,- and
there should be enough of them. Cold
nights are not unknown even in sum-
mer and if one lies awake and shivers
during the dark hours there is not much
good won from the camping out expert
ment. Let no woman be- deluded into
believing she can be really comfortable
sleeping on rubber pillow. This may
do for a foundation, but for genuine
comfort she will need pillow Of feath-
ers or down.
When a man camper wishes to wash
he takes plunge in the nearest body
of water. A woman must plead for a
wash basin. If she can afford herself
the luxury of a rubber tub she is in
great luck. Some sort of a rude wash
stand can readily be contrived for her
in the corner of her tent or of her cabin
and there may be a rope put up or pegs
on which she can hang the few clothes
she takes with her in camping.
Her wardrobe should be small and
sensible. Of course she will wear a
short skirt of some wooden stuff, thin
flannel shirtwaists, as being easily done
up, soft stocks, instead Of laundried
collars, knickers, rather than elaborate
underwear, stout boots and soft hat.
/ "Frills'' of any sort are out of place in
camp.-unless it be one of the luxu-
rious establishments to which l have
already referred.
In the regular hunting camps where
there are guides, these take charge of