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MAKING RESOLUTIONS -
A little editorial talk
about joys and sor
rows, failures and
achievements of the old
year , and hopes and
promises for the new : :
Suggestions for a New
Year’s Eve party:: Also
a few words by a doctor
about “ swearing off ”
4
TANDTNG. as we are, upon the
threshold of another year, many of
us ' vil1 ' iu fancy, so back over the
twelve months tlwt have passed
3Lg3s3jKv||) and smile when we recall the “New
Yenr resolutions” we made a year
“Yes,” a woman will say, “I
made good resolutions last New Year s tny in
tentions were of the very best, but I did
not have the will power to live up to them.
Pray, what is the sense of making new ones?”
Well, forget last year’s good resolutions and
forget the past year entirely. Turn with hope
and confidence to the great new year about to
dawn, and —yes, make new good resolutions, as
many of them as your brain can conjure up. Per
haps you did fail to keep the good Intentions
that made you so happy when you thought them
out, but remember you are very human. Indeed,
if we all were not so very human there would be
absolutely no need of our ever making any kind
of good resolutions.
Many of us will see the old year go with few
regrets. It brought us, perhaps, an extra share
of cares and disappointments, but are we not all
the better and stronger for them, and will not
the lessons they taught us stand us in good stead
during the coming days? Dear friend, let me as
sure you that the difficulties and discouragements
yon surmounted during this still present year will
without question make you a better and braver
woman.
Welcome the new year; and by ail means make
new good resolutions. Every one of us needs to
make them, because as I have said, we are all
man or woman.
In the hearts of most of us is a wonder, a curi
osity, as to what the coming year may bring to
us, whether good fortune or had, sorrow or joy.
How many of us realize that the shaping of our
fortunes during the year to come Is in our hands?
We do not need to depend on souk imaginary
fate to deal us out good luck or bad, as she wall,
it we have the earnestness and the desire to suc
ked.
All Desire Happiness.
But, after all, we want something more out of
the year to come than just material success, wel
<>ome though that may be. Success is not always
attended by happiness, and what we all desire
in reality in 1917 is happiness, no matter what its
source. To be contented and happy, that is the
most we can wish for anyone, including ourselves.
We can find true happiness by making and keep
ing tlie proper kind of Now Year’s resolutions.
The annual period for taking stock of our
pnental, spiritual and material resources finds
most of us about where we were a year ago. We
p re living about the same. We are thinking about
the same thoughts.
We are animated by about the same expecta
tions. When wo are depressed it is because of
the same old fears.
Some have learned something in the dying
year. Some have not. Some hope to learn during
the coming year.
Most of us spend the main portions of our lives
in disappointment over the failure of that which
eve hoped might come to pass, balancing that with
4iur washed-out pleasure that the we st of the
(things we feared did not happen. Some of us
ilack grip upon ourselves.
This annual stock-taking of our mentality
should light the future of the coming year with
|the experience of the year just passed. If it
sloesn’t do that we are not doing the job right.
The extent to which we have learned our les
uons in the old year will be the measure in which
pve mav gauge our expectations for the new year.
Turning the New Leaf.
From time immemorial it lias been tlie custom
pf tlie forehanded good old-fashioned neighbor to
(Square up his accounts, make new resolves, stait
(cutting off certain bad habits, and turn over a
pew leaf.”
This is perfectly reasonable and natural. As the
Calendar marks a new cycle of time, so we in-
§ ! .
2 »
stinctiveiy pause and make ready for a fair new
start in life, even though we know that neither
life nor time lias any pause iu its onward sweep.
It is probuble that there are many more New
Year’s resolutions broken than are kep# strictly
ilirougli tlie year. Even so, there is good value in
the making of them, in spite of what somebody
lias said about the downward loud being paved
with good intentions.
Ih od new resolves are good for us any time,
and a backward glance will not hinder our for
ward march. We cannot make too many efforts
to prune off bad habits und such other (lead wood
as we find in our lives each yeur. All who have no
faults, please stand!
However, it may be that the best New Year’s
resolve we can make this first holiday of 1917 will
he to start the good hubit of beginning new every
;ao r ning.
After all (lie mistakes and disappointments and
business battles that leave us tired and sour and
sick, there comes a new day, so that we can begin
ever again and do better. If we start such a plan,
the coming year and those following it will be
happier new years.
New Year’s Entertaining.
New Year’s eve is an occasion of big celebra
tion all over the country, every man and woman
having a desire to si>eod the old year and wel
come the new with some form of festivity. Iu
the cities tlie hotels and restuurants make a big
feature of this holiday, and each and every one
advertises a special supper, with dancing, etc.
This is all very well for those who do not have
to count the pennies when seeking pleasure, for
entertainment on New Year’s eve comes high.
Everyone wants to be amused, to greet the incom
ing twelve months with jollity and song,
and the consequence is that the restaurants de
mand and get high prices for entertainment on
that occasion.
There are no end of enjoyable ways of enter
taining in one’s own home on New Year’s
eve, and the woman who wishes to give pleasure
to the family and friends on this occasion can
do so at very little expense. All she needs is to
ask a jolly crowd, to think out a clever scheme
of table decoration, to arrange some forms of
amusement and all will be well.
The woman who lias fairly large rooms in her
house will do well to select dancing as the chief
fora? of entertainment for tlie evening. Dancing
lias lost none of its fascination for tlie majority
of folks, and if it is made the big feature of the
party it is safe to say that most of the guests
will he well pleased. A small dance need not lie
an expensive affair. If you have a phonograph
all is well; if not surely you have some friend
from whom you cun borrow an instrument for
tlie evening. Dancing to a phonograph is just as
good fun as dancing to an orchestra, provided
one’s partner is skillful at treading the “light
fantastic.’’
When giving a New Year’s eve parly where
dancing is to lie (lie chief attraction of tlie eve
ning it is a good idea to qsk one’s guests to come
10 the affair masked. This will lend mystery and
excitement to the party and there will be great
fun when tlie guests unmask as tlie hour strikes
twelve and the new year is ushered in to the
time of many happy voices wishing each other
“Happy New Year.”
After tlie usual felicitations are over, supper
shouid lie served. This may be simple or elab
orate, just as the hostess desires.
As for table decorations, a pretty centerpiece
is to have a star made from a brilliant red poin
sottia. In tlie middle of tlie star place a tall
candlestick with a long white candle for tlie new
year. Each point of tlie star should lie marked
by a low candlestick holding a shorter white
candle. At the left of eacli plate have a spray of
poinsettla. A pretty way to serve ice cream on
this occasion would be to have it molded in the
form of a candle and candlestick, the candle to
he the vanilla cream ar.d the candlestick to be
of pistachio green. A tiny wax taper may be in
serted at the top of each “candle” and lighted
just as all are brought in.
A simple supper menu for New Year’s eve
might consist of hot bouillon (a thin soup) served
in <ups so that it is easy to hand around, chicken
salad, sandwiches, ice cream, cake and coffee.
The supper should be of the buffet order, the
men guests helping the girls to the food they re
quire. On this way the need of extra help is
dispensed with and no additional expense is in
curred on this score.
THE DOUGLAS ENTERPRISE, DOUGLAS, GEORGIA.
For those who d<» not care for dancing, cards,
either bridge, “rum,” fantun or some other popu
lar game, will do to pass the hours before twelve.
Doctor Smith Talks.
Drinks, smokes and candy are not tlie only
tilings to swear off on New Year’s day. There
are plenty of others, aud for most of us the others
are much more important, as fortunately tlie
readers of this department are not victims of
rum and tobacco.
New Year resolutions, however, should not con
sist entirely of “swear offs.” Too many “don'ts”
are not advisable. “Do” is much better tliun
"don’t.” Positive resolves ure better than nega
tive ones. If you “swear un" enougli good habits
it will not be necessary to “swear off” any imd
ones. In other words, positive or constructive
policies are better than negative or destructive
ones. This applies to health just as much as to
anything else in life. So, don't think you can “get
by” simply by swearing off on one or two of your
pet vices. Not at all. Your New Year resolu
tions, to be of any real value, must be construc
tive. You must decide not only to quit some
things, but to begin some things, also.
Good resolves und swear offs may be grouped
in pairs, and to advantage, it seems to me. Let’s
try it that way for a change.
I will take good care of my body.
I will not abuse it.
Hold Up Your Right Hand.
This first pair of resolves pretty simple,
but if you think a minute you will see that it in
cludes a multitude of lliings. It actually is the
whole thing in a nutshell. If you swear tills par
ticular pair of swears, and keep your oath, yon
will have health and happiness all tlie year, and
your bill at tlie doctor’s and the drug store will
iie so small that you can have an extra new dress
instead. Let's see what it does include.
1 will have “house cleaning” in the house I
live in.
I will not procrastinate in instituting prepar
edness against disease.
This means that, you will have flic dentist go
over your teetli with absolute regularity once or
twice a year, but it also means that you have
sense enough to know that the rest of your body
is at least as important as your teetli and that
you will have your doctor examine you from head
to foot and fix up anything that needs it before
any symptoms appear, which would simply mean
that llio process had gone on so far that correc
tion would lie much more difficult if not impos
sible. This would include an examination of the
urine and tlie blood pressure, both of which
should be investigated once every year iu the
case of every person over forty years of age.
I will keep clean inside and out.
I will avoid dirt.
This means not only the daily bath, but it
means the flushing of the inside of the body so as
to keep the sewers working. It means the drink
ing of about a gallon of fluid per day. It also
means keeping tlie teeth scrupulously neat,
cleansing them morning, noon and night, so that
they will not infect every single mouthful of food
you swallow. What is the use of pure-food laws
if you save a choice selection of germs between
your teetli so as to spread them on tlie food which
Uncle Sam certifies is “pure.”
It also means sufficient exercise to maintain
bodily activity, so that circulation will keep tilings
dean inside and prevent stagnation. It also means
plenty of fresh air, so that (he oxygen will oxi
date, or burn up, all (lie debris and tlie poisons
and the toxins which are being formed in every
body nil the time as tlie result of eating and of
living.
Keep Smiling.
T will cultivate good cheer.
I will avoid anger, bate and moroseness.
It doesn’t hurt to smile. Remember that. It
isn't hard work. It doesn’t cost anything. It
isn't simply for others that one should smile. It
helps one’s seif even more than others. Sing!
Whistle! Laugh ! These things do not cost any
thing, either, and they Help a great deal. We
doctors know that if we can get a patient to
laugh and sing it is pretty sure that he is on the
metid and on it good and strong. We also know
that anger, hate, sulks, pessimism and all such
horrid tilings are actually destructive. Thin is
not Christian Science or any oilier sectarianism,
hut just plain common sense backed up by the
latest laboratory experiments. All these mental
conditions cause tlie formation of actually poison
ous chemicals in the body and at the same time
hinder the activities of normal health processes.
FATTENING CRATES TO FINISH CHICKENS
The best way to finish chickens is
by crate fattening. Only strong, vig
orous chickens that have obtained their
growth should be put in the crates.
Birds weighing from four to six
pounds are best. The object of crate
fattening is to plump out the breast
und body so that the bird will have
an attractive appearance when dressed.
Cockerels should be crate fed from
two to three weeks. As soon as they
lose their keen appetites they should
be taken out and killed. Good cocker
els that weigh four pounds when put
in the crates should gain one pound
per bird in two weeks’ feeding.
Construction of Crates.
Fattening crates are usually made
7 feet 6 inches long, 20 inches high und
18 inches wide. The crate is divided
into throe comportments, each holding
from four to five birds, according to
the size of the chickens. The crate Is
made of slats, except the ends and.
SPACE IN COMPARTMENTS FOR FIVE FOWLS.
partitions between the compartments
which are solid wood ; those on the top,
bottom and back running lengthwise
of the coop, while those of the front
run tip and down. The slats are usual
ly 1 Yt inches wide, aud % inches thick.
Those in front are placed 3 inches
apart to allow the chickens to put their
heads through for feevliiig. The slats
on the bottom are placed 1% inches
apart, so as to admit of the droppings
passing through to the ground.
There is a small V-shaped trough ar
ranged in front of the coop for feed
ing und watering tlie chickens. This
trough is from 3 to 4 inches deep and
is generally made of %-lnch lumber.
Rations for Fattening.
It is difficult to give a rutiou for fat
tening chickens that meets the require
ment of every individual. Oats, finely
GUARD AGAINST ROUP
Season at Hand for Dread Dis
ease of Poultry Flock.
Attacks Fowls at Time of Low Vitality
at Close of Long Period of Egg
Production—Effective Anti
septic Is Given.
(By C. S. ANDERSON, Colorado Agricul
tural College, I*'ort Collins.)
Fully 75 per cent of the farmers
and poultrynien of this country calm
ly submit to an annual invasion of
roup, or some closely allied respira
tory disease, into their flock. This
disease is second to white diarrhea
in its mortality.
Roup is always most prevalent in
the fall, attacking the birds at a time
of lowest body vitality, at the close of
a long season of egg production,
or during the molting period. The
sharp, chilly nights of late fall and
occasional damp, rainy days are also
conducive to the disease, for it fre
quently finds conditions made more
favorable for its development by colds
and exposure.
Roup is an infectious disease. While
comfortable houses, freedom from
drafts, plenty of exercise and whole
some food will go a long way toward
prevention, it is not sufficient. One
of the chief means of communication
of the disease germs is through the
drinking water.
The following antiseptic is one of
the most effective: In the bottom
of a quart jar put a layer of potas
sium permanganate crystals and add
cold water, always being careful to
keep more crystals than the water will
dissolve. This will constitute your
stock solution, and from this jar add
just enough liquid to give the drink
ing water a deep violet color.
Make it a practice of not allowing
your birds to drink any water with
out this antiseptic, nnd you have taken
a big step in preventing roup.
SPROUTED OATS FOR WINTER
Excellent Feed for Chickens During
Cold Weather—Traps May Be
Placed Near Stove.
Sprouted oats have proved an excel
lent feed for chickens during winter
months. The oats may bo sprouted in
a regular sprouter, in trays by the
kitchen stove, in the cellar, on dirt or
on burlap.
The trick is to soak the oats witli
water, spread them out in the light
and keep them warm and moist until
the blades are from three to six inches
long.
A successful feeder soaks the oats
for 24 hours, spreads them in a shal
low box and place it in the cellar.
Frequently an inch or more of sand
is placed in the bottom of the box up
on which the oats are spreud.
ground, with the hulls sifted out,
should form the greater purt of any
fattening ration. All the grain fed
should bo finely ground, as whole
grain requires too much energy to di
gest and the chickens are likely to get
sick when placed in close confinement
on whole grain. Some grit and char
coal should be fed to the chickens at
least once a week. A very good com
bination Is as follows:
Two parts finely-ground oats.
Two parts finely ground buckwheat.
Two parts finely ground oats.
Add sufficient sour skim milk t*
make a batter, just so it will pour.
Mix food 12 to 24 horn's before feed
ing. Feed night and morning. Bar
ley meal may be substituted for the
corn. These grains produce a firm,
white flesh of superior quality.
How to Feed.
The success of crate fattening de
pends very much on the way iu which
the feeding is done. Regular and ju
dicious feeding must be followed
throughout the whole fattening period.
Starve the birds the first 24 hours.
Then feed sparingly, never ail the birds
will eat, the first week. Feed twice a
day, 12 hours apart. The chickens eat
us well by lantern light as in the day.
The second week feed all the birds will
eat up clean. Food should never he
left before the birds longer than ten
minutes. This is very important. Re
move all food not eaten up readily, or
the chickens will go off their feed. The
crates should be in a secluded spot v
away from other chickens. The blrdft
must be dusted with sulphur or insect
powder when put in the crates to keep
tlie lice in check. If the sulphur is
used too freely it produces a scaly
appearance on the birds when dressed.
SELLING OFF FARM POULTRY
Tendency on Part of Some Farmers to
Market Chickens on Account of
Price of Grain.
With the high price of grain them
is a tendency on the part of many
farmers to sell off their poultry. They
think it will nut pay to feed high
priced grain to hens. Here is Just
where they make a big mistake. Eggs
have gone up in vulue also. Some of
the dealers, however, have not ad
vanced their prices as much as they
should, due partly to the fact that they
still follow old practices in buying and
selling.
It is a mighty good plan to sell off
the surplus cockerels, the late pullets
and hens over two years old. Good,
sound yearling hens that have shown
some capacity for laying and all weil
inuturod pullets should be kept over.
The surplus stock can be sold at »
profit and the better-class fowls will
show larger egg production if given
suitable care.
Farmers who sell off all their fowls,
thinking that they will save a big feed
bill aud be üble to buy young chicks
or hatching eggs next spring, may be
disappointed. They will find a bigger
demand thun usual for hatching eggs
and chicks und as a consequence may
liuve to wait weeks before their orders
are filled.
GEESE ARE SELF-SUPPORTING
Little Grain Occasionally, With Ade
quate Water Supply They Yield
Handsome Profit.
Geese come as near being clear prof
it as any stock raised on the farm.
Geese make their living largely on
grass and ure practically self-support
ing. They do not require a large pas
ture field, but one that produces a good
yield. Add a little grain occasionally
and you will have no trouble raising
geese.
They only require water for drink
ing purposes, same as a hen. They are
louse and mite-proof, are seldom sub
ject to any kind of disease, and hawks
seldom prey upon the young goslings.
Some complain that a goose is a nui
sance; so are hogs if they are not con
fined to their pasture. Large num
bers of geese should be raised every
year.
CARING FOR WATER VESSELS
When Disease of Any Kind Appears in
Flock, Pay Particular Attention
to Drink Dishes.
If any diseases of the head or throat
appear in the flock, even colds, be sure
that the drink dishes are disinfected
every day (scalding with boiling water
will do) and keep a slight film of kero
sene ou the drinking water while the
troubles last.
This will help to prevent the spread
of the troubile from one bird to an
other. . .