Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1889 — THE HOUSEHOLD. [ARTICLE]

THE HOUSEHOLD.

By varnishing an oilcloth semiannually its durability will be indefinitely prolonged. ' Tin and copper kettles will shine il rubbed with a piece of flannel saturated in kerosene. Make starch with soapy water, and you will find it a pleasure to do up your starched goods. 7 When tan-colored glovee go out ol lashion, pale gray-green will take their place. . Straw bonnets for summer are Almost as soft as lace, and held in shape by fine wire. A salve of equal parts efi tar, ta))ow ' and salt will cure the worst case oi felon. j Econominize strength by sitting 1 upon a big stool when wiping dishes or dressing vegetables. A very handsome new summer stuff is China silk with a small raised figure scattered all over it. The printed letters may be removed from flour sacks by soaking them in buttermilk.—Housekeeper. Don’t banish the stoves. A low temperature in June causes more discomfort than in January and many times more ills. A little mason’s bluing, which may be purchased at any drug store, will give a desirable pearl white tint to the whitewash. Bonnet strings are tiny pipings like milliner’s folds, which pass under the chin and end in a rosette just below the left ear. A half-cupful of ammonia to a pail of water will cleanse hard-finished Walls nicely. Change the water when >t becomes foul. Paint on windows can, it is said, l>e removed by meliing some soda in very hot water, and washing them with it, using a soft flannel. Many people take sweet cream in large quantities as a cure for nervous debility. It is said to serve all the purposes of cod liver oil. Tiny cut-glass dishes for bon-bona. olives and small flowers come in sets of four; in shape, the heart, diamond, spade and club of a card suit. White and willow green is an ideal mixture for the wear of fair young girls with roseleaf complexions. The bodice which has one side glittering with jet and the other side | quite plain is more popular than ever. j When potters’ ware is boiled sot the purpose of hardening it, a handful or two of bran should be thrown into the water, and the glazing will never be injured by acids or salt. A pretty fancy seen upon a low, black lace gown was straps of 'fine openwork jet, pussed over and under the arm, and seeming to hold the race folds in place. Mousseline de soie is a favorite fabric for graduating dresses, and will also be used for summer-resort i toilets and bridesmaids’ gowns. Paris modistes use it for parts of youthful bridal dresses over whitesilk slips. Flannel wrung from hot water and applied to the neck and ehest of a child suffering from croup will usually afford relief. The clothes can be heated in a steamer and the discomfort of wringing from hot water avoided. All poultices should be spread between two pieces of old, soft linen, and covered over with a layer of oiled silk. Never let the substance of the poultice come in contact with the skin, or allow it to get cold or hard. 1 | To polish slate floors, use a smooth, ! flat piece of pumice-stone, then polish with rotten-stone. Washing well with soap and water is usually enough to keep the slates clean, but by adopting the above method, not only does the slate become polished, bnt any stains are taken out. An Albany physician who “never knew a case of cancer among Hebrews” thinks their exemption due to abstinence from pork. But they take special precautions against all disease in all meats admitted to their bill of fare. | It is said that if lamp chimneys, j tumblers, or other glass dishes are 1 placed in cold water, with a half cup j of table salt to each quart of water, which is brought slowly to a boil and boiled a half hour, then allowed to , cool in the water, they will resist any sudden changes of temperature without cracking. As an antidote for a consumptive tendency, it is claimed that cream acts like a charm, and serves all the purposes intended to be served by cod liver oil, with much greater certaintly qnd Besides persons inclined/ those yitfi feeble digestion, aged, people *nd those inclined to chill mess and cold j extreinitijes.^yc ;!e?pesi#jy benefitt/i v »t»« j.Boston Transcript: The lamentation is heard almost everywhere that so few , boys graduate from the high school; hot then beys’ time is precious, and

they can not bo well as girls was*e is learning; bo many'thiols that are not so with regard to things of which no cne has any certain knowledge. The high school i# a great institution, but it spreads out its educational Tarnish so thin that the original ignoramus is easily discernible beneath it. Western Steamboat Routes. From a profusely illustrated article on Inland Navigation in the July Con*, tury we quote the following: “It is {►erfectly true that the western steamboat interest has been seriously impaired by competition with the railroads,. and that the number of fast boats has greatly decreased. For the position of steamboat property in the past was peculiar. Large numbers of the boats were owned by the captains or their families, and in case of hard times or a cut rate war with the railroads the boats coukl be siezed for debt and traffio stopped. The competing raiload,. on the other hand, might Im equally in debt, but in the hands of a receiver it weut on doing business while the poor boat owner was tied up with his boat. •‘This is the common and the darker view t.iken of the steamboat interest on our great rivers. To offset this is the fact that the larger rivers are now well lighted, and more lights are added every year. The millions spent on the rivers have wonderfully improved navigation, and there are fewer wrecks than ever before. The slack water navigation, as on the Kanawha and the Monongahela, has greatly extended the season in which boats can run, and has thus extended the earning time of every boat on these waters, i'tie ownership of the boats has also changed, and in place of single ‘tramp’ steamers there are now regular incorpor ted companies owning large fleets of boats and having abundant capital. These companies are enabled to furnish better, cheaper and more regular service, with less danger of ruinous competition with the railroads. Formerly the steamboat service was extravagant and costly in management, while rates were high and profits large. The companies now conduct their business with more economy, and seek to attract business by regular departures and arrivals, more comfortable boats, and better table and stateroom service. The lines now more nearly approach the eastern lines, both in equipment and management, and while the old racing captains, who threw their freight into their furnaces rather than be beaten by a rival boat, are passing away, the new men are real captains of safe and comfortable boats. '1 he romantic days have gone from the rivers forever, but the travel* is safer, and in a w y, more civilized. The last of the famous racing machines, the Natchez, was wrecked only a few months ago. The competiou with the railroads has demanded a wholly different class of boats, and the tourists will comp3l a better passenger service on all the lines in the future. “In the opinion of those cpmpetent to speak on the matter, the , prospects for the passenger traffic on the rivers is far from discour ging. Once all the world had to go by boat or stay at home. Now the larger number tftkf the cars, and in order to retain' an yi traffic at all the boat lines must offer superior inducements in the way of price, comfort, and attendance. This they seemed prepared to do; and it is safe to say that the time will come when many of the river routes of the West will be as popular as the Hudson Riveror Long island Sound, and ft trip on these great waterways will be regarded as quite as important to a right understanding of the .country ai a day on the North River.”