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Show i l HELP THE CHRIST CHILD. 1 Let us gather round the yule lopr. While the Christmas chimes ring clear, Pealing out from snowclad belfries, Filling all our hearts with cheer. Watch the golden sparks fly upward, Out Into the crisp night wind, Mingling with the swirling snow spray, Leaving warmth and light behind. Gather closer. Oh, what gladness Fills the earth at Christmas tide. Surely no such thing as sorrow Can 'mid so much joy abide. Ah. alas! if, like the Magi, We should watch the Kuiding lisht. It would lead us to the Christ Child In His crib on Christmas night. In the humblest homes we'd find Him, In the cradles of the poor. Where no warmth or joyous laughter Greet us at the creaking aoor. There, neglected, cold and hungry,' Christ doth suffer, as of yore We, in warmth beside the yule log-He, log-He, in hovels of the poor. Let us give them some smal token In the Christ Child's name, and then Hearken to the Angels' chorus "Peace on earth, good will to men." Noma Thompson. LADY SERVANTS. Changes Regarding Them Taking Place in Polite Society. Not so very many years ago a lady who had to earn her own living by working for other people was regarded as practically no account whatever in polite society. The companion or governess gov-erness and there were few other positions po-sitions open to women in those days was treated kindly and with courtesy, but she was expected to "know her place" and to keep it. no matter what her social position may have been before be-fore the days of her poverty. To some extent, says an English exchange, ex-change, this is true among a certain class of people, but amongst the majority ma-jority the woman of refinement and culture who undertakes the education of our children, whether privately or by appointment at a school, takes, without question, that social position to which she is entitled by birth and up bringing, regardless of her occupation, occupa-tion, an occupation hich is no longer regarded as merely a "situation," but as a profession. Lady milliners and modistes, lady florists and tea room proprietors abound and multiply, while ladies of all ranks take up all manner of business enterprises, superintending every detail de-tail and even personally participating in the work. These women are not com-sidered com-sidered to have lost social "caste," but are respected for their cleverness, the admiration of their friends increasing in some instances in proportion to their capacity for making money. Lately, however, ladies in England have gone a step further, and have taken up domestic service. This is regarded re-garded by many people as of doubtful wisdom, though why the woman who spends her life in performing the duties and doing the work that insures comfort com-fort and contributes so largely to the harmony of the home should be considered consid-ered as inferior to the woman who spends her time in trimming hats and making neck ruffles, which she sells at an impossible figure to other women, a large proportion of whose time and thought is taken up with the question of dress, and nothing but dress, seems incomprehensible. LETTER WRITING. Old Folks at Home Crave For Good, Lon Letters. The age of letter writing is past at least for some of us. Pchool girls write voluminous epistles and so dolovers;but everybody else in these utilitarian days is too busy too much engrossed with daily cares and daily occupations to take time to write a letter of even or- dinary length. And it's such a pity Letters are the most delightful things in the world, and the mailman who brings a coveted epistle is almost looked upon as an angel in disguise. This is especially true of those who are away from home, or of those at home expecting a letter from an absent one. So many adopt the practice of inditing only the scrappiest and most abbreviated abbrevi-ated epistles, even to those they love, epistles that don't contain a. bit of their real selves, nor give any sort of an intelligent or intelligible account of what they are doing, enjoying or suf- i fering. The old folks at home crave for good long letters. It is as the breath of life to them to feel they are in the very presence of their children when they open the weekly epistle that should let them into the' veriest details, but too j often merely skims the surface of ! events. They may not say much: possibly they never complain; but they just ache for sheets of news concerning little lit-tle things as Avell as great, the color of the autumn frock just ordered, the name of the book last read, the im- j pression created by the concert lately attended. Even those who write regularly j one a week or. oftener to their par- ents, do so in such a perfunctory spirit that, but for the satisfaction of know- 1 ing they are alive and gleaning that J they are well, the letters give little sat- ! Jsfaction to their recipients. Yet, how those recipients yearn for more than is given them! "Showing Off" Their Children. Some very well meaning mothers are so oTlivious of the sensitiveness "bf a child that they will speak of his faults in his presence and ask advice about the best way to control him, in the same cool manner that they allude to his attacks of croup and discuss remedies. rem-edies. But anyone who has the insight in-sight to read what is passing in the mind of a little one thus obliged to sit still under torment would be both pitiful and indignant at the situation. Of all things let us avoid exploiting ovfr children either in the way of exhibiting ex-hibiting their perfections or their weaknesses. A certain loyalty is due the child from the parent. If the little one shows himself just as he is to the close confidant of all his moods It is a betrayal of his trust for the mother to repeat his confessions or describe to others what she has learned about him. Ah, that all Ziothers would cultivate cul-tivate in themselves the steady self-poise self-poise and firm will which would enable en-able them to pursue the even tenor of their way with their families, heedless of what other people say or want! A mother needs some of nature's grand indifference. Nothing does it matter to nature that people slander and defame de-fame her, murmur about her change-ableness change-ableness and decry her ways. They may find fault or praise; that which is right is done, and the day comes when the critic's cry is hushed. Florence Flor-ence Hull Winterburn in the Woman's Home Companion. Whistling Is Beneficial. The old adage about whistling girls has received its best blow in the discovery dis-covery made by German and Swedish professors of physical training, that whistling is very beneficial to the health. In fact, they claim that as a strengthener and a prolonger of life it is admirable, especially strengthening strengthen-ing the chest and neck muscles. The practice of whistling should, however, be constant and systematic to produce these good results. Long, deep breathing breath-ing is essential for a good whistler. Drill exercises are given by these foreign for-eign professors in breathing and expelling ex-pelling the air from the lungs while in a recumbent position. Sound Thoughts. Conscience is God's deputy in the soul. Not education, but character, is a man's greatest need and man's greatest great-est safeguard. The best thing to do is to do well whatever God gives us to do. "When we see the mantle of our own guilt on someone else, how quickly we condemn ourselves. If nobody took calumny in and gave It lodging, it would starve and die of itself. An evil intention perverts the best actions and makes them sins. Cast your bread upon the waters, but do not wait until it is too stale for your own use. Nothing can be little upon which the service of God depends. Neglect mending a small fault and it will soon be a great one. Humility is the altar upon which God wishes that we should offer Him our sacrifices. The moment that is flying holds more eternity than all our past, and the future holds none at all. A Man's Disadvantages. He cannot put a puff round his elbow when his sleeves wear through. His friends would smile if he disguised dis-guised a pair of frayed trousers with graceful little shingle flounces. He would likewise be guyed if he sought to cover the ravage of a spark ficm his cigar with an applique of even the finest lace. The poor things must shave every other day at the outside or pose as an anarchist. He has to content himself with somber som-ber colorings or be accused of disturbing disturb-ing the peace. He may not wear flowers or ribbons in his hair, no matter how bald he becomes. be-comes. His heirs .would have a guardian appointed ap-pointed should he take to lace trimmed lingerie. The feathers in his cap are as nothing noth-ing fromA'he decorative standpoint. He may not take unto himself a lace overskirt when his pearl trousers become be-come dingy. He can't edge his coat sleeve with a fail of lace to hide a scarred or maimed hand. A pink veil is out of the question, no matter how muddy his complexion may become. As for covering up the stain made by a careless waiter, with a jabot no! Moral We're glad we're a helpless woman. i Be Swift to Forsive. Since we are grass and like a brief day of years at best, what is the use of so much anxious care, of so much fussing fuss-ing and fretting? What is the good of hoarding money for other people to ruin themselves with when you are dead? What is the good of hating your neighbor? neigh-bor? What is the sense of trying to act a part, of seeming to be other than we4 are? What is the gain of guile or envy or evil speaking? What? I should like to know. For, since you are grass, you shall soon lie down in the grave. God knows you and I do not want our dreams in that sleep of death to be of j hate or malice or evil speaking. Then be swift to forgive. Archbishop Ireland to Young Men. Avoid, as you advance in years, the special temptations that come to young men. I am not going to mention all of them, only one intemperance. As you go through the world and watch your fellow-men. you find the majority of failures in life due to intemperance. This vice of intemperance attacks the weak and the strong, the educated and the ignorant. It is the generous, open-hearted open-hearted men that are the most exposed to this terrible curse. Determine, then, to avoid that temptation. I would advise ad-vise every young man to go forth armed and stop at once. Pledge total abstinence. abstin-ence. A man is absolutely secure with it; without it there is danger. It is all very well for a young man to say: "I will take only one glass;" but will he stop at once? Pledge total abstinence, for there is in it discipline, and discipline disci-pline makes character. The underlying underly-ing principle of character is self-control. If we practice this self-control on one point, we surely shall practice it in everything. Some Household Superstitions. The gifts of a knife cuts friendship: in handling a needle the eye and not the point must be extended. The dropping drop-ping of a dishcloth betokens a visitor, and he or she will be an entire stranger should a cock crow in the doorway. It is unlucky to cut the nails on Friday, although the Arabians, on the con- trary, religiously observe that day for the purpose. If you sing before breakfast break-fast you will cry before supper, and if you stumble upstairs you will not be married during the year. Putting on the left shoe first is regarded as an omen of ill. Augustus Caesar put his left sandal on before his right one, and nearly lost his life the "same day in a mutiny. That had nothing to do with it, of course, and Butler in his "Hudi-bras" "Hudi-bras" scores him for the silly notion. used for frying, and the stale or coarse fat rendered tor. soap greese. Puff taste should be allowed to become be-come very cold before rolling it out. The richer the cake, the slower should be the oven. One pint of liquid equals a pound. One cup of butter equals half a pound. One quart of flour equals a pound. One cupful always means half a pint. One tablespoonful of butter equals two ounces. In directions for measurements given for cooking recipes, one tablespoonful, or teaspoonful, means a rounded spoonful spoon-ful or as much above as in the spoon. The following rules for "time of cooking" should be pasted in a prominent promi-nent place in the kitchen and given frequent reference: Eggs (soft), coffee, clams, oysters, three to five minutes. Green corn, small fish and thin slices of fish, five to ten minutes. Potatoes, macaroni, squash, celery, spinach, cabbage, twenty to thirty minutes. min-utes. Rice, sweetbreads, peas, tomatoes, asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, fifteen to twenty minutes. Young beets, carrots, turnips, onions, parsnips, cauliflower, thirty to forty-five forty-five minutes. String beans, shelled beans, oyster plant, forty-five minutes to one hour. Fowls, mutton, veal, two or three hours; corned beef, smoked tongue, fresh beef, three to four hours, and ham, four to five hours. |