Original in GoOD HOUSEKEEPING. WASH CLOTHS. AS AN ELEMENT OF HOUSEHOLD GRACE AND Goodness. O most persons it may seem, that a wash cloth is a very small object to talk about, but it seems to me that a towel is hardly a larger one in the matter of importance. If any one has ever known the luxury of plenty of good, well made wash cloths, she will never give it up. This little article is indicative of neatness. How is a person to get into the various creases and hollows of the body without something besides the hands? Or if she succeeded in applying the soap properly (as she thinks) and thoroughly, how is she going to thoroughly do the rinsing? A man generally scorns a washcloth, but his short hair, his large bowlful of water, and his ability to all but get into the bowl with head and neck, offer some excuse for his scorning. Yet, the other morning I noticed on a man who is usually very neat, and who persistently declines my wash cloths, places in his ears that were not quite clean. I did not wonder, my own would have been no cleaner under the same treatment. pieces. This will give you from a yard of toweling, one dozen wash-cloths a quarter of a yard square. These can be neatly bound with white silesia cut bias, but this mode of finishing does not compare for prettiness or agreeableness with "button-holing" them all round with red working cotton. Get a coarse cotton and put the stitches about one-half dozen to the inch. This is very good fancy work for an evening, or is nice for the little girls to do. If you want to make a unique and most acceptable gift to a busy housewife friend, send her a dozen wash-cloths prepared in this manner. She will be more grateful than for almost any piece of fancy work you could give her I know, for I have tried it. A very important word to say is about boys and wash-cloths. Get them together. It will amply repay you. Teach boys to use them thoroughly, rinse and hang them up properly, and you have made quite a stride in your refinement teachings. It is a "home-y" thing to do, and will carry with it more than appears upon the surface. Again I can say I have tried it and know whereof I speak. Of course, if you teach your boys this, you will not leave your girls without the lesson. A final word about the washing of wash-cloths. Have all that have been used, put into the wash each week. Let them be boiled as the towels are; but do not have them ironed. If they are carefully smoothed and folded they are better than if ironed. My word for it, when you come to put the neat little pile away into your linen drawer you will consciously or unconsciously give it a glance of pride and a pat of satisfaction that will indicate culture. -Juniata Stafford. The corner of the towel-was there ever a more absurd and perverted thing? Does any one ever suppose it was intended to wash with? We scold our Irish cooks if they wipe the glassware with table-napkins, or boil potatoes in the dipper, or use the dish pan for a scrubbing pail; yet, is it any better to use the corner of the towel for a wash-cloth? How it looks when you get through! And how it feels! It is invariably Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEping. soapy, for it cannot be thoroughly rinsed without wetting nearly half the towel. How fast the wetness travels, until you are pretty sure to wet your clothing with the perverted corner, while you are trying to wipe with the other end. To say the very least, it is not a neat way to do, and renders the towel unfit for a second using. Wash-cloths are indicative of refinement. They mean the using of the right thing for the right purpose and that is certainly indicative of education and culture. It is easy to thoroughly wash and thoroughly rinse with a wash-cloth, and the towel can then be used with some degree of comfort and agreeableness. It is surprising how many nice homes, well furnished and nicely appointed in most ways, do not have a supply of washcloths. So true is this, that I never go away to visit for one day or week, or month, without several wash-cloths in my satchel or trunk; and, as I said to a friend a few days ago, "I visit real nice people, too." There is an idea prevalent that any sort of a rag will do for a wash-cloth, an old stocking leg, a salt bag, a piece of gauze underware, an old napkin or piece of towel. These are better than nothing and indicate a reaching towards nicety. But you will find that the people who use these sorts of things are very apt to take pains to provide proper dish cloths and towels. It is strange to me that this is true. There should be a generous supply of wash-cloths, as there should be of towels. Quite as many, I think, of one as of the other are used in my own home, each week, and quite as much stress is laid upon the proper use and care of one as of the other. "Lots" of wash-cloths is the rule. Now, as to the kind: I find that those that can be bought all ready in the large dry goods stores, are not only too thick and rather large, but are quite expensive. Much the best way is to buy white or unbleached Turkish toweling, of a quality that costs fifty or sixty cents a yard, and cut each yard into three lengthwise strips, and each strip into four THE A. B. O. BALL. A was the Artist who went to the ball, C was the Countess faultless in face, D was the Dance she accomplished with grace, E was the Emerald bright in her hair, F was the Father who watched her with care, I were the Jellies passed round with the wine. L was the Love that the Baronet felt. O were the Oranges lusciously sweet, R were the Roses that bloomed for them all. S was the Supper where all went in pairs, X the hour given for opening the ball. Y the Young maidens coy in their glances, Original in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. SARATOGA CHIPS. There are but three manufacturers of Saratoga chips in this country, and none are made abroad. The potatoes are peeled and sliced by machinery, then washed and dried between muslin cloths. The starch that is in them would turn brown in frying or boiling in hot grease; so the starch is removed by some secret process, and then the bath of hot grease curls them crisply and gives them the delicious flavor that has made them famous. A few minutes in a hot oven makes them as crisp as though they were just fried. They do not come from Saratoga, though many of them go there. THE COZY CORNER. [In this corner we propose to have pleasant gossip with our readers and correspondents, in passing matters of household interest, and that it may be made an instructive and profitable Household Exchange, we invite correspondence of inquiry and information on all subjects of general interest and value to the Homes of the World.]-GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. We have several contributions for our "Cozy Corner" department, every way worthy of publication, which do not appear for the reason that the names and addresses of the writers are not given. Only such contributions will be printed in any department of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING as are accompanied by the name and address of the writer.-Editor of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. DOUGHNUTS-NOT CRULLERS. Editor of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING: Will some one send to GOOD HOUSEKEEPING a reliable recipe for "good old fashioned New England doughnuts" (not crullers), and confer a favor on A CONSTANT Reader. KNOXVILLE, TENN. BENZINE FOR MOTHS. Editor of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING: A communication under the above heading by I. L. C., Cairo, Ill., in your issue of November 12, needs criticising intensely. Benzine is one of the most dangerous of the petroleum products. It is so volatile that its vapors, on being exposed to the atmosphere, will take fire like gunpowder when exposed by a burning lamp or candle. Every policy of fire insurance expressly prohibits its being kept or used in any building which may be insured, and if so kept or used, voids the policy, unless its being so kept or used is expressly written in the policy. WARNING. SKANEATELES, N. Y. VEGETARIAN BILL OF FARE, Editor of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING: You have given your readers many excellent Bills of Fare, from time to time, and I have almost always found them practical and reliable. I have in my possession, and venture to send you, a copy of a Bill of Fare, which may well be put down as being “Original," as it tabooes entirely fish, flesh and fowl of every kind. It was prepared for the first anniversary of "The Vegetarian Society," held in Philadelphia on the seventeenth of June last, on which occasion there was a picnic in Fairmount Park, one hundred and twenty-five persons partaking of the following Under this sky so blue and fair, We ask on this food before us As it's from Thy bounteous source No creatures with their upturned eyes As it is free from dying cries PARKER HOUSE ROLLS. Editor of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING: If Mrs. E. C. C. will try the following recipe for making "Parker House Rolls," I think she will be satisfied with the result. One quart of flour, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of butter, rubbed into the flour, one-half cupful of yeast, one pint of warm milk; stir this up at night, and put it in a warm place to rise. In the morning stir in flour enough to make it knead without sticking and then set it to rise again. When it is well risen make it out into rolls, put them into the tin in which they are to be baked and let them be in a moderately warm place until tea time; then, if they are not risen sufficiently, put them nearer the fire for a few moments, until they are light, then bake in a quick oven. NEW LEBANON, N. Y. M. S. P. CAN A HUSBAND OPEN HIS WIFE'S LETTERS ? That would depend, many would say, upon what kind of a husband he is, answers Charles Dudley Warner. But it cannot be put aside in that flippant manner, for it is a legal right that is in question, and it has recently been decided in a Paris tribunal that the husband has the right to open the letters addressed to his wife. In this country the tendency, notwithstanding the French decision, is away from the common law suspicion and tyranny toward a higher trust in an enlarged freedom. And it is certain that the rights cannot all be on one side and the duties on the other. If the husband legally may compel his wife to show him her letters, the courts will before long grant the same privilege to the wife. But, without pressing this point, we hold strongly to the sacredness of correspondence. The letters one receives are in one sense not his own. They contain the confessions of another soul, the confidences of another mind, that would be rudely treated if given any sort of publicity. And while husband and wife are one to each other, they are two in the eyes of other people, and it may well happen that a friend will desire to impart something to a discreet woman which she would not intrust to the babbling husband of that woman. Every life must have its own privacy and its own place of retirement. The letter is of all things the most personal and intimate thing. Its bloom is gone when another eye sees it before the one for which it was intended. Its aroma all escapes when it is first opened by another person. One might as well wear second-hand clothing as get a second-hand letter. Here, then, is a sacred right that ought to be respected, and can be respected without any injury to domestic life. The habit in some families for the members of it to show each other's letters is a most disenchanting one. It is just in the family, between persons most intimate, that these delicacies of consideration for the privacy of each ought to be most respected. No one can estimate probably how much of the refinement, of the delicacy of feeling, has been lost to the world by the introduction of the postal card. Anything written on a postal card has no personality; it is banal, and has as little power of charming any one who receives it as an advertisement in the newspaper. It is not simply the cheapness of the communication that is vulgar, but the publicity of it. One may have perhaps only a cent's worth of affection to send, but it seems worth much more when enclosed in an envelope. We have no doubt, then, that on general principles the French decision is a mistake, and that it tends rather to vulgarize than to retain the purity and delicacy of the marriage relation. TO BOIL a pudding in a bag, dip the bag (which should be made of thick cotton or linen) in hot water, and rub the inside with flour before putting in the pudding; when done, dip the bag in cold water, and the pudding will turn out easily. Always put a plate on the bottom of the kettle to keep the pudding from burning. QUIET HOURS WITH THE QUICK WITTED. FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE HOUSEHOLD AND THE CHILDREN OF A LARGER GROWTH AS WELL. [Contributions for this department are always in order, the only proviso being that everything submitted shall be fresh and entertaining.] 83.-CHARADE, My first in Webster you may see The Latin for s-a-l-t. My second seek for at your leisure, The printers use it as a measure. My first and second, joined, express An old New England town-now guess. 84.-THROWING LIGHT. This consists in using words of similar pronunciation, but with different meanings, mixing the meanings in description. For example, pain (suffering), pane (of glass), Paine (Tom Paine), etc. I am grand, imposing and stately, and yet am disagreeable, and am imvariably thrown away. I am the center of life and yet am absolutely worthless. If I were to pass the house every one would rush to the windows to see me, but I am invisible and difficult to locate. I was born in France and brought from there to this country. Napoleon made me famous, and yet he is thought by many to have been utterly without me, and he has doubtless thrown me away many times. An orchard is full of me, but if I were to go through an orchard I would be invisible to myself. I am animal and vegetable. Preceded by a consonant I am musical, joined by us I am noisy. I am very large, but am so small that I can be easily held between the fingers. Finally, I am part of a famous inscription over an honored grave in Italy. F. H. -(5) -(6), When I spoke of furnishing our parlor, I realized that our means would only allow us to go—(1) and no further; this—(2) cquently made me feel that I was not- -(3) to indulge in many luxuries. I asked my husband how much money I might expend, but he gave an e- −(4) ive answer, saying, "when you havefurniture out, I will pay for it. Ride down town in thedressed plainly, don't go- -(7) silk, but looking—(8) and neat.’ I did so, and the salesman, a- -(9) ged young man, said " keep—(10) walnut furniture." I said, "this(11) rep is pretty." He replied, "It—(12) asionally been admired." I told him my parlor was so large I could drive a——(13), and would need lots of furniture. "I can—(14) ly supply you," he replied. I asked if (15) him the dimensions would expedite making up the carpets? He said it would. we My maids were a couple of good(16) one of whom could wash (17) very nicely, and she did up my-(18) for me. 87.-ENIGMA. My whole is composed of 20 letters. My 3, 18, 12, 13 is to destroy. I My 1 is one of the seven dominical letters in the Julian calendar. My 6, 20, 12, 18, 19, 8, 14, 17, 14 is an appellation of Christ. My 4, 2, 10, 15, 14 is one of the tribes of Israel. My 16, 7, 14, 8, 5, 20 is an ancient city "beyond the Nile." My 9, 10, 18, 5, 11, 14 is where the tower of Babel was built. My 6, 1, 5, 18, 15, 13 is a devout man of the Old Testament times. My whole is one of Christ's promises as recorded in St. John's gospel. 88.-DIAMOND PALENDROME. L. A WOMAN'S WEEK. Stupid, dismal Monday! How little it has to recommend it. Eclipsed by the radiance of a yesterday, whose brightness it can never dim, duty again pulls on the reins that were slackened for a brief time, and the race of life begins anew. "Blue Monday" it is the world over; the housewife begins the domestic routine all over again; the holiday attire and the Sunday literature are alike put away; the dust and the cigar ashes are wiped up; there is a suggestion of steam and suds in the air, and dinner becomes an affair of secondary importance. The daughter of the house re-arranges the chairs in the parlor, puts away the sacred music and the photograph album, picks up a few stray hair-pins in the vicinity of the sofa, dreams a little, puts fresh water on the flowers, and watches for the postman. Anon there is an odor of wood violets, ozone, clean linen in the air; the clothes-line becomes an armor-bearer of cleanliness; it flaunts its banners of godliness in the breeze, and satisfaction reigns in the heart of the laundress. As Monday begins the busy week, it is fraught, perhaps, with good resolutions, with intentions of thrift and industry. It is a forerunner of lodge night. The clean linen is folded down for the morrow, the lodge member rolls home, graveyards yawn, and Monday is no more. Tuesday bears hard upon the good resolutions of yesterday. The domestic machinery is now in capital running order, there is an odor of fresh bread in the culinary department, the kitchen floor has no blots upon its character, the bars are draped in glossy linen, the housemaid looks contented and tidy,―time and activity have made smooth the wheels. Tuesday is a good day. The future lends an inspiration. The week is yet in its infancy, and how much may not be done? Tuesday's time is the cradle of hope. Wednesday is the day of days-the rainbow of the week-about it lingers the chime of wedding bells. The week is in its prime— in its bloom of maturity. Wednesday suggests clean table linen, fresh-cut flowers, thrift, fragrance, contentment and clubs. The church aid society, the social and literary circles convene, foreign missions receive a substantial lift; the children at home become soiled, and alone are neglected. Thursday follows so closely at the heels of Wednesday as to be clad in some of its waning glory. The wedding is over; the flowers are faded; some of the stitches in the web of good resolutions have been dropped; the cook has an afternoon out. Odious, doleful Friday! Hangman's day, sweeping day, with small excuse for being. A grim reality; a dismal necessity; a harbinger of ill-luck. Sans Friday and civilization would come to a standstill, cobwebs and criminals would multiply and increase, and all be dust, riot and chaos. Friday brings a relaxation of energies, the broom and the duster unearth treasures, the pincushion receives re-enforcements, and the fish-vender announces his wares. Saturday is a busy encouraging time; it anticipates a day of fasting and prayer. It promises rest to the Christian and the sinner, and brings it, indeed, to the Israelites. The minister adds the finishing touches to his sermon; the choir meets to practice and disagree; the children have a holiday, and wrestle with their Sunday school lessons; the day closes with soap and water conflicts. Peaceful, holy, happy Sabbath day! Even the sun rises leisurely, and the trees wave and nod reverentially, and cast sweeping shadows o'er the roadway; all nature has been swept and dusted, and the birds and the grasshoppers sing, "Holy, holy! holy!', The chime of the early church bells and the voice of the newspaper boy alike lull you to prolonged slumber; the weary breadwinner, who has toiled and struggled and existed, becomes a very king, whose crownless head rests the more easily in the passing moments-in the atmosphere of a Sabbath morning. The children are clad in all the perfection of their usual Sabbath-breaking attire; the buttons have been renewed, the stocking supporters re-inforced and the heels of their shoes blackened for the week's campaign. The sun smiles through the stained glass windows and reflects a royal purple light o'er the excerpt, "as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." The cook goes to early church and looks up the advertisements for a new place. All the world thanks God for the day of rest. It makes life worth living; wasted energies revive and hope takes new life; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth and rested the seventh day.-Chicago Herald, MINCE PIE. Two pounds of beef; one pound of suet; my heart with tears, For it spoke of my beloved, and the unforgotten years. I thought of the old, old garden, where many a happy night She stood in the summer moonlight, and waved that kerchief white, As she watched in fond confiding, for she knew that it would be A beacon of light to guide me, a signal of love to me. But the moon rose over the meadows; the night grew hushed and still, And methought that my beloved came down from the old sweet hill; Once more her hand was waving, once more that kerchief white Flashed like the wing of an angel out of the silent night. So I keep the little kerchief, with a trust that can ne'er grow cold, For I know that my love is waiting as once in the days of old, And out of the blue bright heaven, there will come in the years to be, Her message of old to call me, her signal of love to me! -Frederic E. Weatherly. THE BOY FOR ME. His cap is old, but his hair is gold, And his face is as clear as the sky; And whoever he meets, on lanes or streets, He looks them straight in the eye With a fearless pride that has naught to hide, Though he bows like a little knight, Quite debonair, to a lady fair, With a smile that is swift as light. Does his mother call? Not a kite or ball, And the teachers depend on the little friend With his lessons learned and his good marks earned, All ready to toe the line. I wonder if you have seen him, too, For a morning kiss from mother and sis, But gentle and strong, and the whole day long, A gentleman, dears, in the coming years, -Unidentified. " "TIRED OUT." "Just tired out," the neighbor said, As the worn hands plucked the sheet Said the watcher at her side, -All The Year Round. THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE Blessings on the hand of woman, Infancy's the tender fountain; Woman, how divine your mission All communications for the Editorial Department should be addressed to the Editor of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, Springfield, Mass. Postage stamps must accompany all contributions sent for editorial consideration, when the writers desire the return of their MSS., if not accepted. The number opposite a subscribers name, on the address label attached to each issue of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, shows to what number the subscription has been paid. This issue of Good HousekEEPING is copyrighted, but our exchanges are invited to extract from its columns-due credit being given-as they may desire, save the contributions of Miss MARIA PARLOA, all rights in these being especially reserved to the writer. The special papers which appear in GOOD HOUSEKEEPING will be written GOOD THINGS IN GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. The Bill of Fare of the present number of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING furnishes a tempting array of good things for the Homes of the World, and variety enough to please the most exacting. The continuation of the "Philosophy of Living," by Hester M. Poole, devotes a Lesson-Chapter to the "Children of the Household," giving some excellent instruction and advice on the care and education of the younger members of the family. Elisabeth Robinson Scovil's "In the Sick Room" tells how to care for the sick, particularly as regards feeding, both in severe illness and in convalescence, and how the dishes should be served. "Once one is One. Letting the Lord take care of the Higher Numbers," is the title of an interesting household story by H. Annette Poole. In "The Good Housekeeper on Her Travels," Marie Gozzaldi expressly for its pages by our selected contributors, and,-with rare exceptions, speaks of many "Little Things Worth Attending To," not only by the entire Table of Contents will be served up from our own larder. Whenever we borrow from a neighbor a bit of this or a bite of that, we shall say where such bit or bite came from, and to whom it belongs. TO ALL NEWSDEALERS. Retail Newsdealers can send their orders for GOOD HOUSEKEEPING to the News Companies from which they procure their regular supplies and have them filled. It will be furnished regularly by the following companies: American News Co., International News Co., National News Co., New York News Co., New York; American News Co., Denver, Kansas City, Omaha and St. Paul: Brooklyn News Co., and Williamsburg News Co., Brooklyn; Baltimore News Co., Baltimore; Central News Co., Philadelphia; Cincinnati News Co., Cincinnati; Cleveland News Co., Cleveland: New England News Co., Boston; Western News Co., Chicago; Pittsburg News Co., Pittsburg; Washington News Co., Washington, D. C.; Newark News Co., Newark; St. Louis News Co., St. Louis; New Orleans News Co., New Orleans; San Francisco News Co., San Francisco; Rhode Island News Co., Providence; Albany News Co., Albany; Northern News Co., Troy; Detroit News Co., Detroit; Montreal News Co. Montreal; Toronto News Co., Toronto and Clifton, Canada. CONTRIBUTORS TO GOOD HOUSEKEEPING WILL PLEASE NOTE NOW AND FOR ALL COMING TIME. That-All contributions for publication will be considered and passed upon at the editor's earliest convenience after being received That-Accepted manuscripts will be printed at such time as the subject matter of each paper may be found pertinent and proper in context with other papers of same issue, to the end that "Variety, which is the spice of life," and an appetizing seasoning as well to our Bills of Fare—may be successfully introducedThat-GOOD HOUSEKEEPING has reached a circulation, both in numbers and circumference, that it makes it a necessity to put "copy" "into the hands of its printers, for each number, four weeks before the date of issue, in order that remote subscribers and newsmen may have their copies in hand and on sale a few days before the publication date— That-Each contribution will be paid for by check bearing even date with the issue of the number in which the contribution is published That-A return of a manuscript does not necessarily imply that it is not meritorious, or that it would not be accepted by publications of a different nature, or an editor of different ideas from our ownThat—A_return of a manuscript with a printed slip announcing its non-appearance on the ground of not being available, or for the reason that the editorial hopper is full and running over, is simply a necessity of circumstance and not a discourtesy in any sense of the term That-To write a letter of explanation with every returned manuscript would require more time than a busy editor has at disposal and would be a ruinous tax upon both time and labor That-Writers who may wish to have their manuscripts returned in case of non-acceptance, must enclose return postage with their communications. All manuscript unaccompanied with return postage, in case of not being retained for use, will be filed away for safe keeping until called for." the good housekeeper, but by any member of the family who may have occasion to travel. If the advice here given is followed, much inconvenience and trouble will be avoided. A. M. Turner tells of the kind and care of plants for "Window Gardening," which is interesting reading at this season of the year, when such gardening only is allowed in many sections of the country. "Dinner Parties-How to Give Them with Taste, Tact, Conventionality and Comfort," is all that its title indicates, giving suggestions for holding a dinner party, including invitations, arrangements, servants, etc. The menu and poetical dinner cards of a party of thirteen are given in full, as the experience of the writer. The second article on "Family Fashions and Fancies," by Helena Rowe, treats of "Luncheons and Five O'clock Teas," with an extended description of the latest things in dress suitable for such occasions. Hester Crawford Dorsey gives her opinion on the "Domestic Service Difficulty," in answer to an article on the same subject, in a late number of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, from "a masculine standpoint." Ruth Hall asks "Why?" and answers her own question in an interesting way. Juniata Stafford puts in a plea for "Wash Cloths" as deserving more attention than they usually receive. Several pretty poems help fill out the pages: "The Falling Snow," "The Long, Long Ago," "Mother Love," "Winter Woods,” “In Florida,” “The A. B. C. Ball." The Cozy Corner, Quiet Hours, Library Leaflets, and Fugitive Verse departments are all full of good reading. We doubt not our readers will agree with one who writes: "GOOD HOUSEKEEPING is so full of that which goes to make people healthy, wealthy and wise, that one must read it from the first word to the last to appreciate it fully.” SANTA CLAUS. Christmas had hardly come, before some matter of fact man who would squeeze all the poetry and imagination out of life, denounced the Santa Claus myth and protested against "deceiving" children with it. He is somewhat like the parent who found his son reading "Ivanhoe," and sternly and reprovingly commanded him to put it away because it was "all a lie." Imagination is now recognized as one of the foundation stones of higher civilization, for it is only by a high development of that faculty that the chemist is able to expand his science or the inventor to conceive of something new. Children are encouraged to read fairy stories and the old |