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J2? In Woman’s Realm Edited by Mrs of Thought and Home Mary E Bryan TalKs on Timely Topics I twentieth century people will learn tifu , tulIp tree fl ower (often called the ■ tha t tn nefk thamrht and will . , > SABEL MORELL. says- “One Of the most helpful things to women, who real ly long to rise into larger view of life is study of the lives of the great women of the world. Such a study would reveal to us, as in a mirror, our own weaknesses, our own inherent strength as w-ell. It would show us that these great souls, Deborah, Esther, the good Queen Martia, of London, Distema,, Elizabeth, Joan of Arc and others, do not stand afar off, isolated and separate from durselves We would see that they have had the same sorrows, the same joys, the same difficulties, but, alas! fewer opportunities. We would see how intimate and deep is their lationship to ourselves, to our own time. We would realize that our destiny as was theirs is not mean, but sublime for all of us, as women, belong to one universal family. And such a study leads us to glimpse a true philosophy, until, lit tle by little, almost without knowing it, we would rise into a larger life. ♦ Solitude end Society It takes two for a kiss. Only one for a sigh; Twain Vf twaTn we marry. One by one we die. - Joy is a partnership, Grief weeps alone; Many guests had Cana, -cjj ' Gethsemane had One’ —FREDERICK L. KNOWLES. ♦ Three Soclel Nuisances A woman without tach is a nuisance, you never know what mal-appropriate thing she is going to sav. A tactless per son often wounds feelings without in tending it and persistently rubs one's “fur” the wrong way. A strong-minded woman with vehement likes and dislikes and a yet more vehe ment way of expressing these is another nuisance. She monopolizes the conver-' sation, expresses extreme views as to women's superiority to men. is super cilious to the women and eager te to argue with the men. The would-be professional wit is hard ly to be tolorated. She mistakes rudeness for wit; coarse personality for sharp ness; vulgarity for chic. Her lack of courtesy shocks and annoys ; her tongue - too sharp, her temper too uncertain t- ® r her to have true friends, since to be ' loved Is a consequence of being lovely. Her •mart "spokcns” are always at the dTjllT of others; her "chaff” is 111- toeaj-personalities. She Is In short a the Greatest Woman Of the Last Century? .1*Wfco was the greatest woman of the nineteenth century?" is a question sent us by a Georgia woman's club which ' has had the matter una«f dim<—laa wiih- v,t arriving at. ahjr aaUrfactory ceeciu. *JL, •ra' imt'aay that the womb ot the nineteenth century who repryaeoted tha beat and widest dayetopwnt of her PAeX—who was at once the grandest and the sweetest flower which the stalk of time ha« borne—was Elizabeth Barrett Browning? Her mind was strong in its grasp, her imagination bold, yet pure, and she was k the Woman you might hear Itlng in her brain." wnm bar. hrat. as to mental endow ment* ' ‘■poetry * is conceded to be the no il blest form of literature, and ih this Mrs. • Browning holds a far higher place than any woman who ever lived. "Aurora ‘Leigh." though it may have minor de flects. Is. as Barry Cornwall has said, "a \hundred times over the greatest poem ,’ver written by a woman.” You cannot Arlticlse the poem as you read it. The fetish of burning words sweeps you along .as a torrent: the wealth of imagery daz- ales you; above all, the noble passion, the Uve. earnest human feeling that throbs through It seizes hold of you and makes you forget that it is a work of art. As a woman. Mrs. Browning was a complete expression of all the distinctive ly female attributes in their highest form —love, sympathy, charity, endurance.. All these she Illustrated in her life and in her art. As daughter, sister, wife and friend she was devoted In her attachments, and fwheu. at last, though late, the crown of motherhood was dropped on the brow that long before had been garlanded with laurels, how well she honored it! The poet forgot her fame in the mother. Even her dearest brain-chjjd, "Aurora," was lost sight of while she rocked her "blue-eyed young Florentine" and looked out through the windows of the old pal ace of Casa Guido upon the olive-clad bills of her beloved foster land, Italy, with whose struggle for freedom she so passionately sympathized. H»r devotion to her family was intense. He/ brothers were so dear to her that i lhe best beloved one was taken \ fr</m her by a sudden and terrible acci- dit—drowned in sight of land when he Id Juat left her with a kiss—she was so ken that for months her life was paired of. She was a devoted daugh- to a fond, but whimsical father. Only nca did she disobey him. It was when ■ed her marriage without the reason, save that he loved her tn BBd held her "as too good to be to Btiy man.” glflod to his wishes at first, It almoft. broke her heart. She up the sWeet, late gleam of joy ' id come to her. bringing her back from the threshold of death on I’hich *he had stood so long. But she ould not withstand her lover's plead, united to her own heart's prompt- aud at the age of 37 (though still a woman in looks and heart) commit- st Bet of filial disobedience by (ray with and marrying the “grueiaBs singer of great per girlish hero she had read his lined to her Invalid jfce sonnets which she wrote ./ her marriage descriptive of g«wth of her love for Robert Brown- itand utterly alone in literature as Itatlng with passion, yet pure, as tal and free from the slightest.taint ensuousness. S parity for friendship, Mrs. Ufa and poems furnish ex- Like George Eliot, she did lerself in many and shallow The Inner sanctuary of the spt sacred to a few whom she unshaken loyalty. _ ympathy with all humanity — intense and active in e'xpres- •roven by her "Casa Guido “Cry of the Children” and her “Cry of the Human.” that are a-thrill with love and pity for human suf fering and wrong. The “motif* of “Aurora Leigh’* Is a woman's love for'woman. and her power of reaching forth a brave, clean hand to lift a sister from the mire in which a man's passion had cast her. This rare charity for woman breathes grandly through her sonnet to George Sand, which recognizes (at that time a perilous thing to do) the underlying womanhood of the great but erring French novelist. Nothing more nobly generous in sentiment was ever written than this sonnet, beginning— “Thou large-brained woman and large headed man. Seif-called George Sand, whose soul awed the lions Of thy tumultuous senses moans defi ance.” Women of today owe more to Mrs. Browning than to any other woman of the jjast centuries. While she was un fettered by cliques and not iden tified with any organized reforms; yet, her example and her bold, earnest utterances were widely helpful in clearing a path for women and digni fying their demands for a larger sphere of work and influence. More than any thing ever written, has her magnetic por trayal in “Aurora Leigh,” of an artist,-a working woman, impressed men with tbe> dignity of womens claims to do their share of the worlds work. Better, too, than any speech from a "strong-mind ed” platform are these words of Au rora addressed to men: “If the day's work be scant. Why call it scant, affect no compromise; And in that we have nobly striven, at least, Deal with us nobly, women though we be, And honor us with truth, if not with praise.” Hers also was that pithy apothegm which has been so helpful to women: “Get work! It is better than what you work to get.” Seldom has Christian faith and forti tude through guttering been more sublime ly illustrated than In Elizabeth Brown ing. Like Heine, she was for years con fined to a "mattress grave,” hut unlike the German poet. she. bore her lot bravely and without bitterness. It was a marvel to her friends how cheerful she was; how vigorous the Imagination and keen the sympathy with others that vitalized the poems she wrote lying on her back with no hope given her of final recov ery. "My window does not look on the dear outdoor world,” she wrote. "So I have had ivy planted In a box, and It has covered one side of the window. When the wind btaws the leaves strike against the pane. Then I think of groves and forests. This is not to sound like a la ment. Books and thoughts and faith and d jmestic tenderness can and ought to leave nobody lamenting.” Her religious and Bible poems testify to her faith in God. Her patient endur ance was born of Christian resignation, as shown in her poem, "While My Days Go On:** ' "For use wh'.te*dfs undergone, Thou wiliest, taioweat what Is done; Grief maybe U>y misunderstood, Only-the <*ood discerns the good, I ttj'et Thee while my days go^on. ^ “Through dark and death, through fire and frost, With emptied arms and treasure lost, I trust Thee while my days go on.” Only in her physical development did Mrs. Browning fall in being the. repre sentative of consummate womanhood. Her great soul and brain in a fairylike body brougt to mind Goethe’s simile of an oak planted in a flower pot. But this fragility was not natural. It was due to an accident that nearly took her life when she was just emerging into girlhood. She was a blooming, beau tiful girl when Miss Metford first saw her and likened her to a rich, dark China rose. "A girlish, graceful figure, a most noble brow, large, dark eyes, flexible eye brows and silken lashes touching her damask cheek when she looked down. A profusion of silky dark curls and a look of youth and modesty not to ’ be described. This, with the very simple but graceful and costly dress by which her family are distinguished is an exact portrait of this, wonderful young poet.” At a later period of her life the sculptor Story said of her: -y "To those who loved Mrs. Browning— and to know her was to love i^er—she was singularly attractive. Hers was not the beauty of feature; it was the loftier beauty of expression. He r slight figure seemed hardly large enough to contain the great heart that beat so fervently within and the soul that expanded more and more as one year gave place to an other.” ♦ Three Grains o. Mummy Corn that to use thought and will aright is to control and use our psychic forces in a wav to lengthen and benefit all life. MARIE PERCY. Oriental School, Chicago, Ills. Queries Margaret Holmes asks: “How shall I paint a flower spray on a, gray velvet cushion? and what kind of flower is pret tiest? I understand how to draw, also to paint a little, but there seems to be a secret about palhting on velvet.” The only secret about painting on velvet is the use of turpentine and of a pointed, stubby brush. The design should be clearly drawn or stamped on the. velvet, which should be of good quality. Use the tube paints and a sable brush No. 12, which you must first cut at each side and at the front until it is firm and stubby. Dip it in the turpentine and try it on a piece of old muslin, pressing out some of it. Then dip it In the paint and again press it on the muslin; then proceed to paint your leaf or flower. A pretty and rather novel design is a pink cactus, for which you will need pink-madder, Iemon- yellojy for stamens and center t and Zinl- bar green and chrome green for stem and leaves. Another graceful design would be a large, spray of the southern yellow jessamine vine with buds and blooms. This and the superb magnolia and beau- poplar) are our peculiarly American flow ers and should be more prized than they are. Eflie W. asks: “What will take a stain out of a white embroidered dress? It has been set by washing with_j»aap and hot water.” Try a strong solution of chlo- riated soda. This potent chemical will take out stains in all white goods that have been set with washing and will not injure the fabric If rinsed out when it has done its work. M. L. T. asks: “How can 1 stiffen a white lace veil after washing it: also some fine lace?” Wash the veil and tha lace in pure alcohol and dry them be tween two sheets of white, blotting paper. They will look perfectly new and be sufficiently stiff. Mrs. Ellen Ford asks: “Was not Tam many named after an Irish saint? 1 have heard the word all my life, applied to the democratic party in New York, but I don't know wlmt it means and no one I have asked coulif tell me.” The name Tammany owes it origin to a brave and honorable Indian chief of the Dela ware tribe. When he grew old he was content to relinquish the chieftainship to a younger man, which, perhaps, suggest ed to “Boss” Croker the wisdom of let ting another man succeed him, as he has lately done. Miss Nora Carr asks: "What common measure is equal to an ounce?" Two ta blespoonfuls of liquid make an ounce. In butter and sugar one tablespoonful weighs an ounce, and in flower it takes two ta blespoonfuls to make an ounce. These are "rounding" measurements, just as mucli above as below the bowl ot the spoon. Marvin L. says: "Is It true that Benja min Franklih did not believe In the. Chris tian religion? I am president of a boys' club, which we had named The Frank lin, but our minister told us that Frank lin was not a Christian. Is this true? I have always thought he was the Ameri can model man after Washington.” Franklin was a' Unitarian. He belieVed there Is only one God, but that Christ was divinely inspired to give the world the grandest example ot a pure life and the noblest code of morals ever known. When he was over SO years old President Yates, o£ Yale col lege, aaked him concerning his religious belief and his reply was this: "Here is my creed/ I believe in one God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe. X believe that he ought to be worshipd: that the most acceptable service we ren der Him is doing good to His other children; that the soul of man is im mortal. and will be treated with justice in another life, resecting its conduct in 'this." 1 i? S7>e Household ^ How To Be An Ag'reeable Guest Mrs. Lipscomb treats cleverly and charmingly every phase of as important subject. The ideas she advances are unique, and she impresses her conclusions with apt Illustrations. Written far ISK* Sunny South BECOME the coming, speed the parting guest," bears a doubtful meaning; perhaps it originated because so few people knew how to play the role of an agree able guest, that the tired hostess was indeed ready to bid them a godspeed and take chances on the new comer being an improve ment on the dear departed. Since each of us is some times guest and sometimes j host, a few remarks on how to be a good guest may not be amiss. In America the old-fashioned invitation to come and “pay us a good long visit is a thing of the past, owing to the dif ferent construction placed on the good long” by host and guest. The visit too often becomes a visitation. In accept ing an invitation, relieve the mind of the hostess by stating the exact number of days vou will tarry. Carefully avoid arriving £t an incon- vementhour, preferring rather to incom mode yourself than your hostess. Do not, by any means, dispel the good impres sion you have made in your letter. Of ac ceptance by bringing a Saratoga large enough for Gulliver on his traveis Noth- ing is so calculated to overawe thehos- tcSn lis cumbersome alia heavy baggage. It Indicates a siege and recalls the Im pression: "He may stay for a year, irto came for a day.” The relaton of guest and host does not begin until the former has crossed the thresh hold and the moot- ed question as to who is to pay for the baggage is thus settled; the law of hos pitality does not require the hosFlo pay. It Is vulgar to come burdened with bun dles and unpardonable to bring pug, puss or parrot. The invitation is to you and your pets cannot travel on that pass. A great many people think it proper to produce a present for the hostess, which they dig out of their trunk on their ar rival. This smacks of prepayment for lodging and is villainous. Pray you avoid lt The Christmas guest is an exception to this rule. Then should he or she come, like Santa Claus, a gift for all. The serv ants especially Should be remembered. Long mav this custom survive! Never mind about the intrinsic value of the pres ent as Ruskin says, "It is the giving and not the gift.” If your means are small, make some fancy and appropriate ornament for the little folks' Christmas tree. , , In the days gone by, I knew an ideal Christmas guest, old Aunt Lucy, who came once a year through the country in her old canvas-covered wagon, loaded grandfathers's household. She always with gifts for every member of my started at the same' hour and on the same day of each year, reaching our home Just before sunset with her tired mules. I can see her now perched on the front seat looking as stately as an old Indian princess in her red and yellow calico frock, with holly berries strupg and 'hung in festoons around her bronze neck. “Blow your horns, shoot off your fire crackers. Christmas and Aunt Lucy have By MRS LAMAR LIPSCOMB ing the family interchanged their pres ents. but some how the giving and tak ing lacked the charm which Aunt Lucy brought with her humble gifts, the intrin sic value of which was small, but every Mrs. Lamar Lipscomb In the Woman's Department of The Sunny South for February 1 one of Mrs. Bryan's editorials was "The Romance of a Peachtree," giving two instance* of the germination of seeds after many years. This leads me to recount a story which I feel sure is authentic. Three or four years ago the mummy of an Egyptian of royal blood was found, and in the inner wrappings of the. body among amulets, sacred scarabael, wrens' heads and other ornaments was “a little urn containing three grains of corn, not wheat, but a corn resembling maize, ..though of a different color and shape from ordinary corn. The inscriptions on the outer case, on the papyrus rolls, con taining the chapters from "The Book of the Dead,” necessary to insure the safe passage, of the soul of the royal woman through the Hall of Osiris, before the forty-two assessors of the underworld all showed the body to have been over 2,000 years old. Of course it lay entombed, away from air, light and extremes of heat and cold till the modem explorer brought it to light. In this case It was a missionary from Illinois who brought the seeds to this country. They were planted in Elgin 111*, where two grains germinated. The stalks grew to an un usual height, while the ear, from which the kernels in my possession grew, were 20 inches long. There Is every reason to believe the story: the missionary Is a woman of irreproachable character and it is an undoubted fact that she. brought the trinkets and the eeeda with her to this country, where they grew. To one who believes that life is a ne.ver- ending cycle; that there is as long a history for us behind the cradle as there is beyond the grave, no story of the preservation of life Is incredible. It is only because we shut our eyes and ears to the book natue continually bolds open before us and seek too much for phenom ena that we miss the wondefiful message and benefits that in our haste and incred- uplity we entirely overlook. Qtch day re veals wonderful inventions showing how mind controls inanimate matter and eventually w* hurrying. come. We children would crowd up at the back of the wagon, each crying: “What did you brijig me. Aunt Lucy; what did you bring me?” “Hush, honey; be easy, help old Aunt Lucy out with her truck. I come to spend more'n a week, so I fetched my bode.” First came a hamper: in this was a cali co quUt. a pair of knitted white yarn mit tens, a bottle of eiderherrv wine, reed whistles, some long handle gourds and a tin snutf box full of resin and sweet gum. a dozen or more com shucks filled with molasses candy. Next came a box, which lopked as if it was covered with rawhide. In this was her “bode.” Meal from her own grist, a couple of hams, a dressed fat gobler and some duck and guinea keat eggs. In an old feed sack were hickory nutsf walnuts and chinquapins. One Christmas I remember a huge pump kin she brought. It was llterarly as bie as Cinderella's, for once I was dragged around the lot in half of it by a black and tan team of children. The next morn- present seemed consecrat^ri because we knew it represented .hour^* v , thought for us. |apln£\ WW all went down toL,.-, -S-gate to •ay goodby. I will 'nevcff^'^^Ve pic- tnresquenesss of the a>sifiPwaved bar hand, saying "Goodby, chilluns, good- by; God Mesa you; tfcailky. thanky. every body. Aunt Lacy win come again next year, but ef she don’t you may know, honey, she is spending her Christmas up yonder.” When old Uncle Jerry came for .her af ter the holidays more than one tear rolled down a childish oheek. We all stood by the gate and watched her old wagon ladened with our gifts to her. grow smaller and smaller in the distance, un til it faded into nothingness. Then we turned back to the .house with sad hearts, for we knew that Christmas and Aunt Lucy had gone! Taste the glass of wine or the proffered mint julip and do not create a temperance discussion by a refusal (tihe heavens will not fall), sustain yourself by the authority of St. Paul. Retire early the first night whether you feel tired or not. The host will bless you! Find out from some one the meal hours and endeavor to be prompt at the table. The hostess would much prefer to send up your breakfast or dinner than have you late to it. Tardiness turns the time-table of the house topsy-turvy, to everybody’s dis comfort, causing a complete domestic wreck. If vou do not eat oat meal or fruit for the first course, go through the form of it at least. The first night of your arrival do not complain of sickness or fatigue, though vou may have mal aux chevepu. Do not tell a blood curdling story of how you es caped accident or death en route. Do not croak like a raven, but chirp of some pleasant occurrence. At the first opportunity find something to praise about the Jiome-a painting, a bit of china, an old piece of mahogany, a family portrait, grandfather’s clock, or something of the Lares et Penates of the household. Do not overpraise, for flat tery. like paint, peels off when too thickly spread. The French say a guest and a fish af ter three da^g are poison. A week is a long visit: ten days extra long, and none but the most intimate friends and rela tives Rhould remain beyond the latter time. Host, hostess and domestics at the end of a week are fretted and overworked. Twenty-one menus have been planned and served. Tile general schedule of the house hold has been changed. The host Is late for his office, and if in the city a good part of his time has been used in showing you {he town and introducing you at the club. As a rule servants are incompetent and extra labors during the visit must fail on the hostess, who retires at night to ran sack her wearied brain for the next day’s nrogramme. If in the city, rfhe takes you to the theater, oerhans to a poor vaude ville, do. not abuse the pefomance. Do not keep your hostess on the rack for somehlng to do to amuse you. nor be an ever-present shadow at her side, but in heaven's name, give her a few hours breathing spell in her boudoir! This con stant being together is a tax on one s wits and unless you are extremely clever after the first day the conversation will flag, povided your fund of gossip and scandal has been exhaused. Though the hostess be worth a million, she is at the mercy of her servants. In all households the power behind the throne is the cook. When she is cross, obdurate or pouty, the general peace is. broken. This may sometimes be the fault of the guest. Let the cook know you have not come to spend the summer or winter. Praise her dishes. Look over vour rjbbons and laces and give her some bagatelle. This not infrequently pleases when money falls. I was at a house party the past summer in the mountains, and my hostess had engaged for the season an excellent cook, the fame of whose dishes reached the ears of a neighboring inn keeper. He sent an envoy into her back gate to ca jole her away. She was about to accept Ihis offer, so the housemaid told me in confidence. At breakfast the next morning my hos tess bore a troubled look. My bon mots fell flat; my stories were not heard. A thought struck me. I met Aunt Ra chel in the garden. She looked wistfully at the lilac waist I wore, which she had before admired. I said: "Aunt Rachel, they tel-1 me you are going over to the inn?” “Well,” she drawled, “I don't know, honey; I does a might of fuss class cook ing here and some of dem guests can't 'predate my 'ziety to please ’em and at de inn dey tells me dey puts de 'preda tion in yo' han'.” I grabbed the hint and highly praised her Sally Lunn and stuffed peppers. I gave her the waist and promised to send the skirt, provided she would not leave my hostess until her cottage was dosed. She stayed! Judicious tipping in private houses rare ly comes amiss. Keep the help in a good humor. A pleasant look to them, a word of praise, may lighten the day’s burden. Hospitality ip fast dying out. It seems as if those, best fitted to entertain are most lrtith to open their doors. I asked a friend of mine, a woman of wealth and well equipped in every way, why she did not entertain. She replied, solemnly and honestly: "I am afraid; I have seen too many disastrous, results. Besides, I find so few people know how to play the role of guest. They pry. they peep, they pump the ser vants and the children. They gossip! They make excursions to the kitchen, the stable, the basement and see more in an hour than I in a year. - The lowest and most vulgar sin that can 1 be committed is to steal the secrets from the sacred hearth and air them to the Srorld. When democrats visit republicans, or Methodists visit Episcopalians, it is well to avoid political and religious discussions. At any rate, the guest does not take the Initiative in conversation, this being the sole perogative of the host. Do not boast of your home, your horses or your help. Contribute the talents God gave you to brighten the home you visit. If you play, sing or read well, do so. If you are not acccompllshed in either one of these arts, try something else. One of the most de lightful guests I ever knev^ was a very handsome girl who visited with me a wealthy family in the east. Her family, having lost their fortune, she had but taw opportunities. She could neither play, sing nor recite, bqt could do many other things just as commendable. When we reached there we found the lawn dotted with Japanese lanterns, and preparations briskly going on for an en tertainment given in our honor. Our hos tess seemed nervous, fretted, outdone. The coachman had returned without her hairdresser, Mme. Louise had sent her garden bonnet home a sight and the ca terer's mother had died, and she could not get her salad. That day my friend became a -heroine. She dressed our hostess' hair most becomingly, retrlmmed the bonnet like a Parisienne, rolled up her sleeves and made a delicious chicken salad for the invited guests. I san'g my songs and drummed on my guitar* told my best stories—but alas!. Rosalie had won the hostess’ heart. It was she. not I. who "paid her board.” Now and then I hear from this model guest. 8he is ever a bright spirit at house parties. In the town, out of town, in the mountains, by the seas. I confes' I quite envy those in her cheerful present^. If there werd \'(»re like her. no one would "speed ths’f.arting guest.” OOD morning, dear friends. It is a sunshiny morning, but cold a la Klondike. What a grim parting (?) embrace old winter is giv ing us. Spring must be "coming this way.” but as yet we feel no touch of her breath. None of you are gardening this morning, I am sure, unless it be those who Uve— "Where the birds have no sorrow in their song, 'o winter in their year." But, despite the cold, our Household is bright and cheerful. I did not know there was such a quaint old-world-looking vil lage In Texas as this of Glen Rose, which our new member. Elys Morris, graphically describes. But Texas is a wonderful stale —every kind or climate, scenery, people and social conditions is comprised within its wide borders. With the whir of a big manufacturing tpwn scarce out of your ears, you come within the shadows of pri meval forests. You partake of a pink tea in a "cultured center,” not a score of miles from a backwoods corner, where an old-fashioned singing school is in prog ress or a "quilting,'’ such as M. R. F., another welcome newcomer, tells us about. Our loyal Tessa rightly enjoins us to do as Rome does when we go to see roy alty enthroned, but I fancy few of us will have an opportunity to put her counsel into practice. I am trying, dear Tessa, to make room for the list of books in the Household library, for which your corre spondents are calling. We will have It in next week, I think. Nannette, your picture of the patroniz ing. affectionate colored maid at the New York hotel is as true to life as it la amusing. X have encountered the type. Mrs. Benham gives a practical turn to our talk today by telling us how to ^aise turkeys. Her information is all the more valuable through her being herself a suc cessful turkey raiser, who knows the sat isfaction of tucking crisp bills in her purse after marketing a wagon load of Che gob bling gentry. I remember that the old black mammy who raised turkeys and chickens for us in my childhood used to bake "turkey bread" in the ashes. There were piles of the round, crustless “ashcakeB" made of unsifted corn meal. She crumbled these into a big pan. then moistened it with milk and mixed it with a quantity of “skellions,” finely cut, and a little cut up red pepper. Mammy Ailaie raised turkeys f<V us by the hundreds—a hardy race they were, being crossed with the Florida wild turkey. Macaria, will you not write and give me your address? I have an explanation to give you. Will the member who men tioned “Uncle Tom's Cabin," the play and book, send her name? Tha page that contained It was missing; Let qo one of our friends feel unwelcome or alighted, but come again, knowing there is never any Intentional neglect, and never any curtailing, save a very little in some in stances. solely because of limited space. The demand of the Dig editor is to "give variety”—and this we try to do. More than once, as in the case of our valued contributor who described "Some wild ani mals of Texas,” a Household letter has been transplanted to The Constitution, of which our paper is the Sunday supple ment, but this will not happen any more. Will not some of you say a comforting word to Annie James. Whose little song today is a sigh of heart-loneliness. I wish you friends would read my edi torial today in answer to a club question: "Who Was the Greatest Woman of the Last Century?” I thought at first of our own Frances Willard, but the question embraced woman in all her relations— daughter, wife, mother, friend, artist—and the one who seemed to me to have filled all these most nobly was Elizabeth Bar rett Browning. What do you think? Let me hear from you. Thanking you for your kind visits and hoping to see you often, 1 am your ever-welcoming MATER. Ike Heart will ask: "May I call you Meb?” Yes, it will sound familiar; my pet name among friends is Mab. ♦ At The Court or St. James hand because this is the custom of their country. It isn't the customs and fo-ms we follow that can un-Americanlze us; it is the spirit in Which we accept these forms and customs and the effect they have on our ideas and socialistic tenden cies. A true, free-spirited American can not be demoralized by "royal honors and favors,” but may accept these with dlgni- fled_ courtesy and conform with American adaptability to the established rules of monarchist court. It is no more for us to kiss the hand of their sovereign than for them to shake the hand of ours. "Honors are easy” in this respect, to use a term employed In the old-fashioned way of playing whist. The rain—it has rained—and the clouds seem surcharged with more. The festive Warrt*. river Is trying Its best to burst its iegh: <ate bounds and get out and play abouV'i bit. The colored population are watching the rising waters with big scared eyes. Still the rain; it rains on; and the white folks fuss at the mud. Just as they will fuss at the dust next summer when the rain refuses to rain. Are peo ple ever satisfied? TESSA WILLINGHAM RODDEY. Sylvan. Ala. ♦ What I Saw in New York Women and the Home Our Old Homestead Our homestead had an ample hearth. Where at night we loved to meet. There my mother’s voice was always kind. And her smile was aiwayq sweet. And there I've sat on my father's knee And watched his thoughtful brow, With my childish "hand on his raven hair— That hair is silver now! But that broad hearth's light! oh, that broad hearth's light! And my father’s look and my mother’s smile, They are dll in my heart tonight. ALICE CAREY. ■* TGHT husbands and wives to be ill-natured judges of what is amiss with one an other? Suppose a wife dis covers that she has married a very mortal man with-in- firmitles of temper and character. has she any more right to treat him with contempt than she would have to condemn him if he should be consump tive and unable to walk a long distance or lift a heavy load? She should be as forbearing to moral infirmities asfto physical ones. Com plaints are unjust, unkind and unwise. Instead of these let us look for remedies, and seek quietly and patiently to apply them. The best , counsel to give husband and wife and all who live in close inti macy is to ask them to resolve in the words 1 Shakespeare: “I will chide no breather but myself against whom I know most faults.” \ Our Friends We say “a friend of mine” easily and with little feeling 'of the importance that attaches to the word friend. “Her many friends are delighted at her return.” says the reporter on the society page of the dally paper. “Many friends!” Who among us has many friends—friends who will $tflr,d by us in storm as in sunshine, who will defend our good names, geqtly tell us. of our faults, but be silent about them te others: who are ready with help and comfort in time of trial, and with sympathetic gladness when life is bright? Two women meet at a “pink tea” and are “delighted.” They hold similar views as to dress goods, men and books—per haps they agree on religious ‘Isms” and, behold! scented notes fly back and forth between them signed: “Your dear friend. Mary C„” or “Ever your friend, Agnes.” Try the friendship of these natures which you touch so lightly “en passant." Will they make a sacrifice for you. or you for them? Do they know when you need sympathy and give it from their hearts—unmasked? Do they recognize the best and finest in you and respond to it in kind? If not. beware lest you profane tbe name ot friendship—for it is sacred to those who l know its meaning—and in profaning it you lose the power of its interpretation to yourself. painty Handkerchiefs The handkerchief counters show every variety of these indispensable little ar ticles, from the plain hemstitched" squares of cotton and linen to the expensive lace and embroidered ones, and many of the new designs are handsome. If a .young lady can do hemstitching she can have, real beauties at a very moderate price. The linen chosen for this purpose should be fine and soft in texture, and not too Closely woven. Cut them in squares from 13 to 16 inches in size, according to the depth of the hem desired. Draw out three or four threads, and do the hemstitch ing as evenly as possible. If you wish a Face edge, get enough narrow lace to go around the edge without any {illness ex cept at the corners. They.are easy to make and very fashionable. Others have a lace insertion set In. When this is done. Dear Mater and Household Friends: The Sunny South didn’t come this Saturday afternoon. I was sorely disappointed; must now “meekly wait and murmur not’ until Monday. The Washington Times for Sunday, January 26, came and I enjoyed reading ih it about our Georgia poet. Frank L. Stanton. (Wonder what the L is for?) There are three pictures of him and a long account of his bring "discovered” by Mr. Grady; of his going to Atlanta dnd being Installed as sociate editor, and how surprised all The Constitution people were at his appear ance. so unlike the poet'in fiction. We ail love our "Georgia cracker poet.” I would give much to read the first col umn he wrote for The Constitution after he had searched in all of his pockets for the “stubby pencil." then searched them over again for a knife with which to “point” the pencil, then fell into a “brown study” as how to “head” his col umn, finally deciding on the catchy, ap propriate title, "Just from Georgia.” I think we should have this column trans ferred to our Sunny South, and I wish that Lucian L. Knight, who gives us en tertaining book reviews, would put this column on the literary page for the ben efit of we Household folk. The Washington Times had a lot of “society notes” all about well-known Americans and their dinners and teas and dresses. There was a great deal about "the first young lady of the land,” Miss Alice Roosevelt. who is going to England as the The most amusing person I saw in New Tork was a chambermaid at the hotel where I stopped. She was a Virginia ne gro. She seemed devoted to Southern peo ple. but she had a bad case of “New Yorkites" and put on more airs than Beauty Steele. When she answered our bells, she would say in the most patron izing manner: “Dear, did you want any thing?” making one feel as though one's swellest acquaintance had called and was conferring a favor by her gracious pres ence. “Dear, how do you feel today? Ah! yes. darling, a package, came for you yester day." I wanted some things moved into my room, and she superintended tile oper ation. ordering life porter around. “This way. James; even so. Yos, dear, he shall put them just where you want them." We enjoyed her immensely, but she was so kind and good-natured that w.e simply hu mored her and had our laugh after she bad left us. * * My first Sunday in New York was memorable. There were so many differ ent churchs to attend we just looked at them from the outside, and could not manage to take durselves out of the sun shine Into the gloom of the cathedral or the holy stillness of old Trinity. So. we walked around, as David Harum would say, for “a putty coneld'able spell." and I am sure we saw almost as many new and strapge things as he and Dolly Bfx- bee did on their first venture Gothamward. One building which must call forth ad miration fronTevery thinking person was the Young Woman’s Christian Association at 14 East Sixteenth street. Here work ing girls or business women may stop fori six weeks and know that they will ba» properly taken care of, as it Is like a well organised, almost luxurious home, r I /will not attempt to tell of the won ders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art or of the American Museum of Natural History, or how grand it was to sit In Central park and Just forget everything, but the beauties arefind. My rustic brain could only * ike in » Barits# amount of Gotham aj a time, and I Bad than to alt down and let Its bfinUdansent MtbaMa- Davld Harum’s advice, “Da sale (ha other feller the way he’d■ like t* de jros— and do him fust.” seems to be well know* add practiced in the metropolis. However, New York people were very nice to me. My tribulations (I got into numerous “boxes,” and they wero not box parties at Daly's theater, either) should lie at my own door. Among the grand sights of the city are Riverside park with Grant's tomb near its upper end. The tomb is an imposing structure, but one. imagines that Mrs. Julia Dent Grant must feel rather sol emn and ghastly when she looks down at the vault that has her name engraved upon It. It is the penalty of being great. Riverside park iiea along the verge of the broad and beautiful Hudson from Sev enty-first street to One Hundred and Twenty-seventh, a distance of 3 miles. Rustic, benches line the way where one may rest and enjoy the fine view and pure, moist air, scented by growing grass. A prominent writer says that “Riverside park Is destined to be the fin est and most fashionable residence portion of the city. Elegant homes surrounded by expensive lawns and flower gardens are rising about it, and its situation, over looking the beautiful Hudson and extend ing its ample ways for pleasure riding, driving and walking for 3 miles to the convent in Manhattanville makes it with out a parallel among the famous avenues of the world.” I enjoyed my all too brief visit to New York so thoroughly that I cannot refrain from advising' .the Householders to take a trip to America's metropolis every time in the summer rather than to any summer resort. No matter how swell the resort may be or how aristocratic the people one may meet there. New York affords a far greater variety of entertaining and in structive sights and a better opportunity to study human nature in its various types. One finds here representatives from almost every quarter of the globe and one may say without exaggeration that a visit to New York is almost like taking a trip around the world. In my next letter I hope to tell my im pressions of Buffalo and Niagara. \ NANNETTE. ♦ The Quiltin' at Mis* Slmpson-s a lace insertion ser in. v» uen inis is none. , hA r,ij. an j wi i, h „ the handkerchiefs are hemstitched as be- gue3t °* , KelaB - an p will be presented fore, and a square cut out of the center an inch and a half from the hem air around. Finish the cut edge with very narrow hems put around the small square, and sew the outside hem to it. It t’s necessary to launder handkerchiefs properly if you wish them to retain their beauty. Perhaps a good suds with soap wkrm water, stir in a little powdered [ and wash them between the hands they are clean, rinse them in clear t* which a little blueing has been at court. I am sure ail Americans loyally hope that she will bear the responsibili ties of her trying position with womanly grace and tact both at home and abroad, and will cause Americans to feel glad that they have so fair a representative at the “court of St. James.” It doesn’t detract from our republican ism to be presented at the English court, though many seem to think otherwise. When English persohs of standing come to America they attend our receptions then dip them in very thin boiled ? nd * hake our president s hand, that be- Spread them out on a marble toD- I * nar an established custom of our country. When we go to England we wear court — Iart page — I dress and kneel ind kiss the queen’s “Well, Sallle, you must get up early in the mornln' and stir around so's to get to the quiltin’ in good time,” said ms the night before Mis' Simpson's quiltin'. We allers has a quiltin' every year in our neighborhood, jest as old-time folks used to do. We young folks enjoys it, too; our fingers go over the quilt like light enin’. a thinkin’ about the big supper and dance that comes when the aullt is out. * bright and early next mornln’ we was u, I should say dark and early, for we aller- gets up before light, specially when a quiltin' is on hand. We had breakfast before suntise and the men folks went out to feed the creturs while me and ma milked, fed the pigs and straightened things around. Then we got on our fix- in's for the occasion. Ma says: "Sallie, you must wear your new pink S ercale frock and I'll do honor to Mis' tmpson by wearin' by bombazine what's just been made over.” Well, after so long a time we got ready to start Wa went In our bran new Barnesville buggy as the men folks want a cornin' till near ht to be in time for the dance.' Mis' ipson's ain't but about 4 miles from our house, so we were soon there, and they had done started the quilt, but they were mighty glad to see us. and to have that much mor riiejp on the quilt. We soon got to quiltin' in earnest, didn't take us long to fllnish It. Then Mis' Sipmson bfung in another quilt and when we got through with that one it was purty nigh time fQr the men folks to come with‘the fiddle. Mis' Simpson had been Axin' for that supper for days and days: she allers will have somethin' good when she has a S uitin' and a dance. We Just had a plain inner—friend chicken and the like. Well, we tuk down the quilt to make Mom for the dancers. Me and Joe Davis led the first set. It was the old Virginia reel. Then we wound up njth tucker. It was late when was late when we got ome was late when we got home, but we'd en joyed ourselves so we dodp't care for losin' sleep. We felt refreshed enough af ter havin’ auch a good time. M. B. F.