'» I >. J \ . f^-trv:x. EHEN r x:. ^ ^ CENTf /? p.,^<^v^ f7^ fh-j-j ^ AS v< rx TRADE MARK~=" To b« happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition; the end to which every en- terprite uid labor tends, and o( which every desire prompts the prosecution. — Jahrum, AUDELS HOUSEHOLD HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS A new and unique collection of over 3000 different ways to realize a " home, sweet home " atmosphere. — The helps and receipts are primarily intended to shorten labor and time consumed by the woman in her home, but differs from any other published book, by giving " the man of the household" many practical ideas to make the home com- fortable, and facilitate the necessary duties of the housewife or housekeeper. — The 300-page book contains (besides the helps, receipts and hints for the woman in the home, as to comfort, expedition in fulfilling the duties of the home maker from the cellar to the attic, and the valuable economies practically applied) , thousands of practical receipts, hints and helps in the various branches of household work. — A section occupied by advice and treatment, by home reme- dies, of nearly all the minor ailments common to members of a family is most valuable; improvement of all house- hold articles contained in the home, economical and labor-saving cleansing and polishing, methods in the kitchen and other parts of the home. THREE THOUSAND REFERENCES THEO. AUDEL & CO., PUBLISHERS 72 Fifth Avenue New York Copyright, 1913, by THEO. AUDEL & CO., NEW YORK Printed in U. S. THEGEHV o..wtR INTRODUCTION. Economy of money, labor and time for the housekeeper and her family was the main object of this book. "Time is money" is a truth so trite that attention is hard to attract to its value, yet we believe that there is to be found in this handbook hundreds of ways of doing big and little things about the home that will keep the house- hold pocket book from rapid shrinkage. No self laudatory comparisons with other reference books on household economies are considered, as this collection of practical facts holds a position apart from previously published volumes on this most important subject. The user of Audel's Household Helps, Hints and Receipts must look upon it as an introduction, and also a supplement to all modern cook-books, domestic and medical advisers now on the market. The contents lighten the duties of the cook, nurse, housekeeper (whether "bachelor girl" or wife and mother), the wage earner who needs comforts even if the income is dwarfed, and the "man about the house," who will be able to hit upon numerous valuable wrinkles to assist in his duties when away from the home. The helps and hints are, in all instances, reliable; if an "old timer" should appear, remember that human invention has not, as yet, superseded it by something better; if a selected method does not meet your expectations, try one of the others — you may not have properly applied the first one. The receipts are made up of ingredients usually found in most homes, or easily procured. The medical helps are not to be con- sidered as supplanting the physician in very serious illness, or surgical demands. This is the age of the boiled down book that gives all necessary information, and avoids unnecessary words. The general spread of education has made this condition. The high pressure of life to-day will not permit the seeker after information to devote sufficient time for research into the body of any subject; the result must be handed out in compact form. The book is adapted to all parts of the continent, and we believe it will save any home the price of the book many times over every year that it is in use. TABLE OF MEASURES AND WEIGHTS. 4 saltspoonfuls = 1 teaspoonfiil. 3 teaspoonfuls = 1 tablespoonlul. 4 tablespoonfuls =34 cupful. 2 gills = 1 . " 2 cupfuls = 1 pint. 2 pints = 1 quart. 4 quarts = 1 gallon. 8 " =1 peck. 4 cupfuls flour = 1 pound. 2 " solid butter =1 2 " gran, sugar =1 " 3 " meal =1 1 heaping tablespoonful sugar = 1 ounci-. 1 " " butter = 2 ounces. 1 tablespoonful liquid = J^ ounce. Apothecaries Weight. Ounces. Drams. Scruples. Grains. 1 pound (lb.) = 12 = 96 = 288 =5760 1 ounce (%) = 8 = 24 = 480 1 dram (3) 3 = 60 1 scruple O) or scr, = 20 This system of weights is used in the United States and Great Britain, and employed in dispensing drugs, differing only in its subdivisions from Troy weight. In a physician's^ prescription, s means semi or half, j indicates one; thus ij would indicate two,iij, three, and so forth. %ij indicates two ounces, f^iss, one ounce and a half; /5, fluid ounce, 3* or 3i. one dram, 9i, one scruple, ilf minim or drop, O a pint. INDEX TO HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS PAGE Abdominal Muscles, Exercising in Sick Headache 70 Abort. To, an Attack of Appendicitis 69 Absorbents, Quicklime and Gypsum Good 258 Accidents, First Considerations in 38 Acetanilid, Dangers of Using 70 Acetanilid or Antifebrin Poisoning 128 Acetic Acid, Poisoning by 129 Acidity of Saliva, Cause of Toothache 14 Acids, Value of Fruit 22 Aconite in Diphtheria 102 Aconite, Poisoning by 130 Acute Articular Rheumatism 119 Acute Bronchitis 105 Acute Eczema, Picric Acid in 28 Acute Indigestion 86 Acute Inflammation of the Bladder, Remedy for 82 Acute Rheumatism 120 Adenoids Causing Earache 37 Advanced in Life, Food of the 84 Advantage of Dextrinized and Malt Foods 48 Advantage of Grease to Prevent Rust 214 Advantage of Water Drinking 61 Advantages of Cod Oil 64 Advice About the Eyes 35-36 Advice, Oculist's, About the Eyes 35-36 Advice to the Fleshy Woman 66 Aged Persons, Indolent Bowels in 79 Air and Water Tight Corks 206 Air in Bedrooms 195 Airing Pillows, Blankets, etc 195 Alcohol and Ammonia Restores Rusty Black Stuff 166 Alchool for Bums 73 Alcohol for Cleaning Gold Lace 191 Alcohol for Grass Stains 166 Alcohol for Red Ink Stains 171 Alcohol, Poisoning by 130 Alcohol, Precaution when Using, on Furniture 181 Alcohol, to Allay Craving for 124 Alcohol, to Remove Wax Spots on Silk 172 Alum, Its Uses in the Household 142 Aluminum Paint For Stoves 224 American Hand, the 31 Ammonia and Chloroform, Restoring Color of Clothing with 166 Ammonia, Cleaning Kid Gloves with 185 Ammonia for Rapid Blistering 77 Ammonia in the Bath 4 Ammonia, Poisoning by 130 I INDEX PAGE Ammonia, Restoring Color to Black Stuff with 16(5 Ammohia, Use of in the Kitchen 227 Ammonia, Various Uses for 138 " Anti-Chior", How Used in Bleaching 162 " Anti-Chlor ", Hyposulphite of Soda as a 162 Antidotes to Poisons 127 Antipyrin, Dangers of Using for Headaches 70 Antipyrin, Poisoning by 130 Antiseptic Mouthwash 12 Ants in the Refrigerator 221 Appendicitis, Chills an Indication of 68 Appendicitis, Hot Enemas for 68 Appendicitis, To Abort an Attack of 69 Appendicitis, Treatment of 68 Appetite, Draught to Promote the 84 Appetite of Girls 83 Appetites, Urmatural among Girls 65 Apple Barrels, Newspapers as Lining of 262 Apples and Insomnia 91 Apples and Potatoes, To Keep 262 Application for Black Eye 24 Application for Eczema of the Nipple 124 Applying Beautifier 23 Aquarium Cement 194 Aristos Cough Mixture 108 Arms and Legs, to Develop 38 Arms and Legs, Exercise to Develop 38 Arresting Palpitation of the Heart 68 Arsenic, Poisoning by 130 Arteries, Hardening of the 99 Artificial Ice and Fish 219 Asbestos Mats, Uses for 210 Ash-free Grates 222 Asthma, Menthol Inhalation in 112 Asthma, Remedies for 111-112 Astringent for Wrinkles 30 Astringents Injurious in Bright's Disease 117 Atropine or Belladonna, Poisoning by 130 Autotoxemia as Cause of Headache 70 Awnings, Removing Mildew from 167 Babes, Hot Water for New-born 55 Babies, Hot Water for Digestive Disorders of 54 Baby, Bathing a 41 Baby, Colicky and Hot Water 55 Baby, Four-hour Feeding Intervals of a 42 Baby, Fresh Cow's Milk for Botile 43 Baby, Napkins when Traveling with a 41 Baby, Slight Derangements of 47 Baby's Bonnet, Lining of 47 Babyhood, Cleaning Teeth in 12 Bad EtTects of Turned-down Lamp 216 Badly Burned Enamelware, to Clean 211 Bag for the Laundry 234 Baking Dishes, Removing Stains from 211 Balsam for Coughs and Colds 106 Balsam of Copaiba for Burns 72 Bamboo Furniture, Treatment of 183 Banana Skin as a Shoe Polish 187 Bath, Ammonia in the 4 Bath, Refreshing Odor for the 4 Bathing Young Babies 41 Bathroom, Absolute Cleanliness in 200 II INDEX PACE Bathroom, Bottles in the 200 Bathroom Pipe, Obstruction in the 200 Bathroom, Roachws in the 200 Baths and Toilet Waters 345 Baths, in Cases of Pneumonia 116 Baths, Sulphur 3 Baths, Tepid, their Advantages 3 Bathing, Action of, on Skin 1 Bathing, Advice as to 2 Bathing Children and Cold Water 2 Bathing, Cold Water, acd Pimples 2 Bathing, Don'ts when 12 Bathing, Epsom Salt 2 Bathing, Flesh Reduction by 3 Bathing, for Weak Persons 1 Bathing, Neutral Bath 2 Bathing, Sanitary Value of 3 Bathing, Tepid Bath 2 Bathing the Face 3 Bathing, When to Bathe I Bathroom, Barrel as Clothes Basket in the 2 Bay Rum 5 Bazin's Axerasine 27 Beautifier, Applying at Night 23 Beautiful Kails 32 Bedbug (Cimex), Destroying the 193 Bedbugs and Contagious Diseases 199 Bedbugs and Insect Powders 199 Bedbugs, Extermination of 199 Bedbugs, Exterminating with Fumigants 199 Bedbugs, Killed by Hydro-Cyanic Gas 257 Bedbugs, Not Indicating Neglect 199 Bedclothes, Changing a Patient's 59 Bedclothes, Increasing Warmth of 195 Bedclothes Over the Head 196 Bedroom Closets, Cleaning of 196 Bedrooms, Air in 195 Bedrooms, Fresh Air Inlet in 195 Bedrooms, Woolen Hangings for 195 Beds, Feathers for 198 Bed, Sick Room, Preparing 59 Bed Sores, Prevention and Treatment of 59 Bedstead, Weekly Cleaning of 196 Bed-wetting of Children 41 Beeswax and Oil for Bums 73 Benzine Spray for Moths 159 Bicarbonate of Potassium for Improved Javelle Water 163 Bichloride of Mercury (See Corrosive Sublimate) Bichloride of Mercury and Moths 159 BiUousnees, Relief of 93 Bill of Fare for Canaries 264 Binding Cuts and Wounds 33 Bisulphide of Carbon in Neuralgia 72 Bites and Stings, Treatment of 125-127 Biting the Finger Nails 32 Bitter Medicine, Oil of Cloves for 63 Blackberry and Wine Cordial 95 Black Cotton Gloves, Preventing Crocking of 1S5 Black Crust on Sheet Iron Fr>-ing Pans 211 Black Dresses, To Remove Mud from 106 Black Dye Made Fast in Washable Materials 232 Blackening Eyebrows 21 Black Eye, Application to a 24 III INDEX PACK Black Eye, Improving a 24 Black Hair Dye 21 Black Marble. To Polish 190 Black or Navy Blue Linens, Washing 233 Black Points, Fleshworms, etc 26 Black Sealing Wax, To Make 190 Black Silk, Sponging 173 Black Silk, Gloss Removed from 172 Black Stuff, Restoring Color to 166 Black Walnut, Polish for 189 Black Walnut, Stained Ebony 244 Blacking Overheated Stoves 223 Blacking Rusted Stoves 223 Blacking, Stove, Liquid 222 Bladder, Acute Inflammation of 82 Bladder, Means of Emptying During Parturition 60 Blankets, Best Way to Wash 237 Blankets, Ironing 243 Bleaching Agents as Disinfectants 162 Bleaching by Sunlight 163 Bleaching, Cause of, with Chloride of Lime 162 Bleaching, Chloride of Lime, for Linen and Cotton 163 Bleaching, Chlorine for 161 Bleaching Cloth, with Snow 163 Bleaching Clothes with Buttermilk 163 Bleaching Fabrics 102 Bleaching Feathers with Peroxide of Hydrogen 164 Bleaching Fine Feathers 163 Bleaching Ivory 164 Bleaching Ivory Knife Handles 164 Bleaching, Javelle Water not good for 103 Bleaching Powder Mixture 102 Bleaching Sponges 163 Bleaching Sponges almost Snow-white 163 Bleaching Straw 163 Bleaching Straw Plait 164 Bleaching, Use for " Anti-Chlor" in 102 Bleaching White Clothes with Turpentine 229 Bleeding and Stimulants 110 Bleeding, Cold Water Applications in 38 Bleeding from the Mouth 105 Bleeding from the Nose 40 Bleeding of the Nose, To Arrest Ill Blister, Rapid, of Ammonia 77 Blood Stains, To Remove, from Fabrics 166 Blotches, Bazin's Axerasine for Face 27 Bluing, Hints on Laundry 239 Bluing, Home-made Laundry 236 Bluing. Liquid, Which Never Settles 239 Boards. Cleaning 202 Bobbinet Curtains. Finishing 174 Boiled Milk, Disadvantages of, for a Child 43 Boiling Milk 43 Boiling-over of a Kettle, To Prevent 206 Boiling the Clothes Line 235 Boiling Water to Remove Tea or Coffee Stains 164 Boils. Treatment of 120, 133 Bone. To Dislodge a Fish 65 Books, Easily Made Book-mark for 153 Books. Ink Stains Removed from 152 Books, Match Fumes to Remove Berry Stains from 153 Books, The Injury Caused by Metal Clasps on 153 Books, Their Treatment and Care 152 IV INDEX PACE Books, To Prevent Moulding of 153 Books, Zinc as Protection from Gas Injury to 153 Boots, Cure for Squeaking 187 Boots, To Prevent Water Penetrating 187 Boracic Acid, Cleanser for Babies' Teeth 12 Borax as a Dentifrice 133 Borax, Brightening Matting with 158 Borax for Rinsing Water 229 Borax for While Silk Stockings 232 Borax, Its Uses in the Household 133 Borax, Perspiring Hands and 33 Borax, Removing Finger Marks on Furniture with 181 Borax, Restoring Black Cashmere with 167 Boric Acid Mouth Wash 11 Boric Acid, Value of, in Poultices 61 Bottle, To Open any 209 Bottle, Using to Finish Lace 175 Bottles and Lamp Chimneys, For Drying 204 Bottles in the Bathroom 200 Bottles, Rinsing 209 Bowel iviassage and Constipation 80 Bowels, To Massage the 81 Brass Cages, Brightening and Cleaning 263 Bread and Vinegar Poultices for Corns 7 Bread and Water Poultice 60 Breakage of Lamp Chimneys, To Prevent 216 Bricks. Reducing Fire in Stove with 224 Brightening and Cleaning Brass Cages 263 Brightening Copper and Brass Vessels 211 Brightening Oil Cloths 218 Bright Grates, Preserving from Rust 225 Bright 's Disease, Treatment of 117 Brittle Nails, Strengthening 32 Broken Plaster Cast, To Mend 193 Broken Skin Chilblains 10 Bronchial Asthma, Remedy for 112 Bronchitis Acute, Symptoms of 105 Bronchitis, Chronic, Banana Juice for 105 Bronchitis, Inhalations for Relieving 106 Bronze Varnish for Boots and Slippers 187 Broom and Brush Holder 161 Broom, To Prevent Dust when Using 161 Brooms, Advantage of Suspending 161 Brooms Preserved by Hot Salt Water 159 Brooms, Renewing Worn 159 Brown Leather, Treatment of 188 Brown Mixture for Coughs 107 Brown "Whitewash" 255 Bruise, Remedy for a 132 Bruises, Cold Water Application to 38 Bruises, Hot Water for 78 Brushing a Coat 178 Brushing and Combing the Scalp 17-18 Brushing Derby Hat 178 Brushing Down Dusty Walls 161 Brushing the Teeth 11 Brushing the Teeth, Necessity of, after Meals 13 Brushing the Teeth, Proper Way of 12 Brushing Wet Silk Hat 178 Brush and Broom Holder 161 Brush for Stencilling 254 Brush Rack 160 Bureau Drawers, Making Run Smoothlv 181 "v INDEX PAGB Burlap as Stove Cleaner 224 Burned Kettle, To Clean a 211 Burner, Five-foot Gas, Described 217 Burning Clothes, Extinguishing 74 Burning Organic Refuse 202 Burning Sulphur in a Large Room 258 Bums, Alcohol a Dressing for 73 Bums, Balsam of Copaiba for 72 Burns, Beeswax and Oil for 73 Bums, Clover Blossom Ointment for 73 Bums, Eggs for Relief of 73 Bums, Kerosense for Soreness of 73 Bums, Oil of Peppermint for 72 Burns and Scalds, Treatment of 72-74 Buttermilk and Sour Milk as Nutritive Agents 45 Buttermilk as a Food 46 Buttermilk, Bleactnng Clothes with 163 Buttermilk, Easily Made 46 Buttermilk, to Remove Mildew with 166 Button in the Nostril, Removal of a 37 Buying Gloves, How to Examine for Wear 184 Cage of Nesting Canaries 263 Cages, Advantages of Sand in 263 Cakemixer, Improvised 207 Caloric Requirement, Daily Amount of 88 Camphor for Colds in the Head 109 Camphor Gum Prevents Rust 166 Camphor, Poisoning by 130 Camphor-Phenol Treatment of Rheumatism 120 Camphorated Oil 122 Camphorated Spirits for Inflammation of Gums 15 Camphor Ice for Chapped Hands 31 Canary Birds, Care of 262-265 Canaries and Small Cages 263 Canaries, Bill of Fare for 204 Canaries, Danger of Draft to 263 Canaries, Drink for Molting 264 Canaries, Green Food for 264 Canaries' Mating Periods 263 Canaries, Net for Catching 265 Canaries, Prohibited Foods for 264 Canaries, Richer Song of Mated > . 263 Canaries, Rules for Bathing 263 Canaries Suffering from Bad Air 263 Canaries, Sulphur a Necessity for 264 Cane-scat Chairs, Washing 181 Candle Grease, Removing from Furniture 181 Candle Grease, To Remove 169 Candy Pans, To Clean 212 Cantharides, Poisoning by 130 Carbolic Acid, Poisoning by 129 Carbon-sulphide as Substitute for Hydro-Cyanic Gas 257 Carbuncles, Injection for 120 Cardialfiia 87 Care and Improvement of Furniture 180 Care of Bathroom Rug 200 Care of Canary Birds 262-265 Care of the Cellar and its Contents 261 Care of Clothes-wringer 235 Care of Dishcloths 213 Care of Furniture 180 Care of Gloves 184 VI INDEX PAGE Care of Gossamer Waterproof 176 Care of Hair and Scalp 16 Care of the Hands 30-33 Care of Kerosene-burning Stoves 216 Care of Man's Wardrobe 178 Care of Pots and Pans 211 Care of Refrigerator 219-220 Care of Rub-board 235 Care of Sediment-Cocks in Kitchen Boilers 207 Care of Shoes and Slippers I>i6 Care of Sinks and Waste Pipes 227 Care of Stoves 222-225 Care of the Eyes 33 Care of the Feet 6 Care of the Teeth 11-13 Care of Washtubs 235 Care of \\ hite Woodwork 181 Careful Use of Cook-ing Utensils 214 Carious Teeth, Creosote for 15 Carpets, Ammonia to Clean 156 Carpet, Binding Rag 156 Carpets, Brightening 154 Carpets, Brightening Dingy 154 Carpets, Care of and Cleaning 153 Carpels, Choosing for Dining Room 153 Carpets, Cleaning with Magnesia 156 Carpets, Cleansed with Ox-gall 155 Carpets, Drying Scrubbed 157 Carpets, Easy Way to Stretch 155 Carpets, Freshening, when Faded 154 Carpets, Killing Moths in 154 Carpets, To Remove Oil from 155 Carpets, Old Matting for Padding 157 Carpels, Remedy for Bugs in 154 Carpets, Removing Grease from 154 Carpets, Salt for Sweeping 154 Carpets, Tea Leaves for Sweeping 154 Carpets, To Clean, with Bran 155 Carpels, Use of Broom when Sweeping 161 Carpets, W hiskbrooin for Brushing 161 Cartridge Paper for Stencils 251 Cashmere, Restoring Black 167 Casks, Empty, to Keep Sweet 261 Caster Supports, To Repair 183 Castile Soap Tooth Cleanser 12 Castor Oil for Corns 7 Castor Oil, How to Take 63 Castor Oil, Palatable 64 Castor Oil, To easily Take 64 Catarrhal Conjunctivitis 34 Catching Fleas (Howard's Method) 260 Cause of Circles Beneath the Eyes 34 Cause of Leanness 68 Cause of Obesity 68 Causes of Constipation 78-79 Causes of Dandruff 19 Causes of Injury to Eyes 36 Causes of Neuralgia, and Treatment 72 Causes of Ollensive Breath 13 Causes of Tooth Decay 12 Caustic Potash or Soda, Poisoning by 131 Cedar Chests as Moth Repellants 159 Cedar Chips Moth Repellant , I59 VII INDEX PAGB Celery as a Cure for Rheumatism 119 Cellars. To Keep Dry 261 Cellars, To Clean Vegetable 262 Celluloid Articles, Mending 193 Celluloid Cement 190 Cement, Celluloid 190 Cement, Cracked Stove Lids 223 Cement for Fastening Tops of Lamps 217 Cement, Hard, for Seams 194 Cement, Ivory 193 Cement, Roof 193 Cement, Rubber 176 Cement to Hold Metal and Glass 193 Cement, Household 193 Cement for Articles which Have to Be Heated 193 Cement for Iron Pots and Pans 194 Cement for Leaks in Chimneys 193 Cement for Stoves 193 Cement for Tortoise Shell 190 Cement for Water Tanks, Aquariums 194 Cement to Mend China 194 Chamois Gloves, Washing 186 Chandeliers, Cleaning 158 Changing a Patient 's Gown 59 Chapped Hands, Camphor Ice for 31 Chapped Hands, Cause of 31 Chapped Lips, Glycerine not for 25 Charcoal and Its Uses 144-145 Charcoal and Sand Filter 201 Charcoal as a Deodorant 258 Charcoal in the Refrigerator 221 Cheap Washing 233 Cherry Laurel Toilet Water 4 Cherry Stain 243 Chewing of Foods 84 Chilblains, Cause of 9-10 Chilblains, Cures for 9-10 Chilblains, Household Remedies for 10 Chilblains, Iodine Treatment of 9 Chilblains, Oil of Sassafras for 10 Chilblains, Treatment for Broken Skin 10 Child, Boiled Milk and the 43 Child, Feeding Two-year-old 41 Child, Treatment of. During Convulsions 49 Children and Starchy Foods 48 Children, Cures for Bed-wetting of 410 Children, Indigestion of 48 Children, Overdressed 47 Children, Physiological Functionsof 50 Children, Prevention of Flat-foot in 40 Children, Rule for Dosage of 63 Children, Sitting and Walking of Young 40 Children, Summer Complaint in 96 Children, Summer Diarrhoeas in 96 Children Under Three Years, Feeding 42 Children's Inflamed Eyes 35 Children's Sleeping Hours 40 Children's Health Affected by Stuffing with Food 13 Child's Shoes, Roughening 187 Chill and Numbness of the Feet 8 Chills a Pneumonia Symptom 113 Chill an Indication in Appendicitis 6.^ Chills, Flannel to Prevent 47 VIII INDEX PAGE China, Cement to Mend 194 Chinchilla Fur, Cleaning 179 Chinese Eyelash Stain 20 Chloral Hydrate, Poisoning by 131 Chlorat« of Potash Lozenges, Caution Regarding 103 Chloride of Lime as Ink Eraser 171 Chorlide of Lime as a Disinfectant 257 Chloride of Lime, Bleachinij Linen and Cottons with 163 Chloride of Lime, Bleaching with 161 Chloride of Lime, for Drains, Sinks, etc 227 Chloride of Lime Not to Be Used with Wool 163 Chloride of Lime, Removing Long-standing Stains with 165 Chloride of Lime, Removing Mildew with 167 Chloride of Lime, Renewing Faded Trimmings with 165 Chloride of Zinc as a Disinfectant 257 Chlorine and Chloride of Lime 162 Chlorine, Bleaching with 161 Chloroform and Ammonia, Restoring Color of Clothing with 106 Chloroform for Earache 37 Chloroform for Hiccoughs 69 Chloroform for Old Paint on Clothing 171 Chloroform, Paint Removed from Silk with 172 Choking, Remedy for 66 Choosing a Refrigerator 222 Chronic Eczema, Heat in Treatment of 2S Chronic Gastric Catarrh, Diet for 97 Chronic Gastric Catarrh, Hot Water in 96 Chronic Gout, Local Treatment of 118 Chronic Sore Mouth 25 Cinders, Dustless Sifting of 224 Cinders, Use of, on Fires 223 Circles Beneath the Eyes, Cause of 34 Citric Acid for Rust and Ink Spots in Woolens 171 Citron Ointment Lip Salve 25 Cleaned Cloth Garments, To Iron ISO Cleaning Baby's Teeth 12 Cleaning Badly Burned Enamelware Utensils 211 Cleaning Bathroom 200 Cleaning Bedroom Closets 196 Cleaning Bedsteads Weekly 196 Cleaning Black Crust on Frying Pans 211 Cleaning Boards 202 Cleaning Burned Kettle 211 Cleaning Candy Pans 212 Cleaning Cane-seats of Chairs 181 Cleaning Carpets with Ammonia 156 Cleaning Carpets with Bran 155 Cleaning Carpets with Magnesia 156 Cleaning Chandeliers 158 Cleaning Chinchilla Fur 179 Cleaning Cloth Garments 180 Cleaning Coat Collars 178 Cleaning Dark Furs 179 Cleaning Delicate Wall Paper 247 Cleaning Discolored Sponges JOI Cleaning DuU Gold 192 Cleaning Enameled Iron Sinks 210 Cleaning French Gold Ornaments 191 Cleaning Gilt Articles 192 Cleaning Gilt Frames. 152, 191 Cleaning Gloves with Benzine 185 Cleaning Gloves with Dry Commeal 184 Cleaning Gloves with Milk 185 IX INDEX PAGE Cleaning Gloves with Spongy Rubber .•..> 185 Cleaning Gold and Silver 191 Cleaning Gold Lace or Embroidery 191 Cleaning Grease Spots from Matting 158 Cleaning Greasy Sink with Paratline Oil 208 Cleaning Hair Brushes 16 Cleaning Inside of Frying Pans 214 Cleaning Ivory 164 Cleaning Jewelry 191 Cleaning Kid Gloves with Ammonia 185 Cleaning Kid (iloves with Stale Bread 185 Cleaning Kid Gloves with Talcum Powder 185 Cleaning Kid Slippers 188 Cleaning Knives 212 Cleaning Lace 174 Cleaning Lamp Chimneys 216 Cleaning Light Furs 179 Cleaning Liquid for Silver 191 Cleaning Mackintosh 177 Cleaning Marble Mantels without Soap 206 Cleaning Mica 222 Cleaning Milk Strainer 212 Cleaning Mink Fur 179 Cleaning Natural Woodwork 182 Cleaning New Linoleum 218 Cleaning Nursery Utensils 42 Cleaning Oxidized Silver 191 Cleaning Paint Brushes 246 Cleaning Rugs and Keeping in Shape 157 Cleaning Rugs with Snow 157 Cleaning Sable Fur 179 Cleaning Shiny Black Silk or Satin 173 Cleaning Silks and Velvets 172 Cleaning Skillets 213 Cleaning Smoke and Dirt from Walls 207 Cleaning Smoked Ceilings 247 Cleaning Spice-mill 202 Cleaning Squirrel and Monkey Fur 179 Cleaning Stains from Mahogany 182 Cleaning Tea-stained Tablecloth 229 Cleaning the Ear 37 Cleaning the Nails 32 Cleaning Tinware, when Hot 214 Cleaning Tinware with Dry Flour 214 Cleaning Vegetable Cellars 262 Cleaning Velvet 173 Cleaning Vinegar Cruet 209 Cleaning Wall Paper 247 Cleaning Waste-pipe of Refrigerator 219 Cleaning White China Silk Waists 173 Cleaning White Flannel Clothing 180 Cleaning White Goat-skin Rug 157 Cleaning White Ostrich Feathers 176 Cleaning White Paint 246 Cleaning White Plumes 176 Cleaning White Zephyr Articles 166 Cleaning Wicker Furniture 182 Cleaning Window, Picture and Looking Glass 205 Cleaning Windows with Newspapers 205 Cleaning Wooden Kitchen Utensils 214 Cleaning Zinc Covered Tables 203 Cleansing Hair 17 Clearing Muddy Water 236 X INDEX PAGE Clearing Sallow Skin 23 Closets, Preventing Mildew in 2U6 Closet, Uncovered Preserves in 206 Cloth, Grease Spots, To Remove 109 Clothing, Removing Tar from 169 Cloth Bags as Moth Preventatives 159 Cloth Garments, Cleaning 180 Cloth Ginnents, Pressing out Wrinkles 180 Cloths, Removing Stains from 166 Clothes, Care Before Putting Away 166 Clothes on Fire 132 Clothes, Protecting from Moths 158 Clothes Bag with Draw-strinRS 2.35 Clothes Pins, Durability of Boiled 235 Clothes-wringer, Repairing the 235 Clothing, Moths Fond of Grease In 169 Clothing, Winter 115 Clover Blossom Ointment 73 Coal Soot Stove Polish 223 Coal-tar Disinfectants 257 Coarse Hands, Cold Cream for 30 Coat Brushing 178 Coat Folding for Traveling 178 Coat, Hanging a 178 Cocoa Butter to Develop Arms and Legs 38 Cod-liver Oil, Fifty-per-ccnt. Emulsion of 64 Cod-liver Oil, To Disguise Taste of 62 Cod Oil, its Advantages 64 Coffee and Rheumatism 1 19 Coffee, Some Uses for 142 Cold Cream 24 Cold Feet 8 Cold on the Chest, Onions for a 107 Cold Sore, Treatment of a 78 Cold Water, Applications in Sunstroke 70 Cold Wells not Always Pure 52 Colds and Coughs, Syrup for 107 Colds, Camphor for 109 Colic and Flatulence 82 Colic, Remedy for 81, 82 Collar, Overcoat, Stains Removed from 178 Collars, Ironing 240 Collars, Rule for Ironing 241-242 Cologne Water (Ordinary) , To Make 4 Cologne Water (First Quality) 6 Color, Preser\-ing, When Washing Calico 231 Color. To Set, in Delicate Cambrics 232 Color, To Set, in Wash Materials 231 Colored Hosiery, To Prevent Fading of 232 Coloring Kitchen Walls 246 Colors, Applying Stencil 254 Color Changing, To Prevent, When Washing 231 Colors, To Set 231 Combing Invalid's Hair 18 Combing and Brushing the Scalp 17 Combs, Washing 16 Comedones, Fleshworms, etc 26 Comforts, Keeping Clean 197 Comforts, Tacking 197 Common Accidents, Useful Remedies for 132 Complexion, Hot Water for 54 Complexion Masks 24 Conditions for Raising Infants 46 XI INDEX PAGE Conjunctivitis, Catarrhal 34 Constipated Children and Teething 48 Constipated, Foods to be Avoided by the 79 Constipation and Bowel Massage 80 Constipation, Causes of 78-79 Constipation, Child's Bed-wetting Caused by 41 Constipation, Curing 78 Constipation, Diet and 80 Constipation, Enema for 79 Constipation, Food for Relieving 79 Constipation, Milk as a Cause of 4.5 Constipation, Remedy for Obstinate 79 Contagious Diseases and Bedbugs 199 Contagiousness of Conjunctivitis 34 Contagiousness of Dandruff 19 Contagiousness of Pneumonia 115 Convenience in the Kitchen 206 Convenience of Paper Pad in the Kitchen 203 Convulsions, Slight and Serious 49 Convulsions, Teething 49 Convulsions, Treatment of Child during 49 Cooking Utensils, Careful Use of 214 Copper and Brass Kettles, To Brighten 211 Copperas as a Disinfectant 257 Cordial for Diarrhoea 95 Corks, Air- and Water-tight 206 Corns, Bread Poultices for 7 Corns, Iodine for 8 Corns, Relieving Painful 7 Corns, To Get Rid of 7 Corns, Treatment of Soft 7 Corns, Use of the Knife for 7 Corrosive Sublimate, Poisoning by 131 Cosmetic Gloves for the Hands 33 Cosmetics of the Kitchen Garden 24 Cotton Batting Sofa Pillows 196 Cotton Batting, Use in Dusting Walls 161 Cough, Brown Mixture for a 107 Cough, Cure for a 106 Cough Cures 106-107 Cough Mixture 108 Cough, Quick Relief for a 108 Cough, Remedy for a' 106-107 Coughs and Colds, Balsam for 106 Coughs, Horseradish for 1 07 Counter-irritation over Chest 104 Counterpanes, Utilizing Worn, as Rushers 196 Court Plaster, Liquid 39 Covering, Ironing-boards 242 Cow's Milk and Milk Sugar 46 Cow's Milk as Infant Food 46 Cow's Milk for Bottle Baby 43 Cow's Milk and Sugar for Infants 43 Cow's Milk, Salted, and Lime Water for Infants 43 Cracking Nuts with the Teeth 11 Cracks in Furniture, Filling Unsightly 182 Cracks in Plaster, Filling 24S Cracks in Plastering, To Mend 193 Cramps, Bed Raising cure for P] Cramps in the Leg, Treatment of 90 Cramps, Relief of 91 Cramps, Hot Water for 55 Cranberry Treatment of Erysipelas 123 XII INDEX PAGE Crape, To Freshen 167 Craving for Alcohol, To Allay the 124 Creaking Bed Slats, Doing Away with 196 Creamy or Yellow Tinted Starch 240 Creosote Applied to Carious Teeth 15 Creosote, Poisoning by 131 Crimping the Hair 20 Croup, Hot Water for Relief of 53 Croup, Remedy for 109 Cruelty of Exposing Children 48 Crying Infants and Pain 47 Cucumber Juice for Sunbtim 23 Cucumber Milk 27 Cure for a Cough 106 Cure for Drunkenness 124 Cure for Dysentery 96 Cure for a Felon Ipl Cure for Hives 123 Cure for Indigestion of Children 48 Cure for Liver Spots 22 Cure for Prickly Heat 123 Cure for Rheumatism 119 Cure for Ringworm 122 Cure of Hysteria 53 Cure of Sciatica by Freezing 121 Curing Constipation 78 Curing Hiccoughs 69 Curing Offensive Breath 13 Curing a Soft Com 7 Curing a Toothache Effectually 14 CurUng Feathers 176 Curling Fluid for the Hair 20 Curling, To Prevent Rug Edges from 156 Curtains, Muslin, To Place on Rod 189 Cushions of Milk Weed Pods 195 Cut Glass. Washing 209 Cuts, Flour a Remedy for 78 Cuts and Wounds, Binding 38 Cutting Stencils 251 Cyanide Gas a Deadly Poison 2G0 DaUy Caloric Requirement 88 Daily Care of Lamps 215 Daily Quantity of Water Needed . 51 Damaged Caster Supports, Repairing 183 Damp Beds, To Test for 196 Damp Cellars, Removing Smells from 262 Dandruff 19 Dandruff Believed to be Contagious 19 Dandruff, Its Causes 19 Dandruff, Listerine for 20 Dandruff of Brows and Lashes 21 Dandruff, To Prevent 19 Dandruff, Two Kinds of 19 Danger of Nursing Bottles with Glass Tubes 42 Danger of Poisons Left in Bottles 127 Danger of Purgatives 81 Danger of Using Acetanilid for Headaches 70 Danger of Using Headache Powders 70 Danger of Using Old Tinctures 113 Dangers of a Scratch 39 Dark Mahogany Stain 244 Dark Wash Goods, Starching of 239 XIII INDEX PAGE Death Rate of Pulmonary Consumption 108 Deep Dishpan in Dish Washing 213 Dentition More Severe in Winter 15 Dentition, Painful 15 Dents in Wood, To Remove 181 Deodorants, Charcoal as a 250 Destroying Bedbugs 198 Develop, Arms and Legs, To 38 Dextrinized and Malt Foods, Advantages of 48 Diabetes, Treatment of 118 Diarrhea, Blackberry and Wine Cordial for 95 Diarrhea, Hot Lemonade in 95 Diarrhea, Infantile 95 Diarrhea Mixture (Loomis') 95 Diarrhea, Orange Peel Tea for 95 Diarrhea, Treatment of Summer 94 Diet and Constipation 80 Diet and Hardening of the Arteries 99-100 Diet for Excess of Fat 67 Diet in Nervous Dyspepsia 85 Difficulty of Curing Neuralgia 71 DigestibiUty of Milk 44 Digestion, Minerals as an Aid to 52 Dining Table Hushers 196 Diphtheria Bacillus and Milk 101 Diphtheria, its Causes and Contagiousness. 100 Diphtheria, Treatment of 101-102 Disease Germs in Water 52 Diseases Nesting in Tooth Cavities 13 Dishcloths of Mosquito Netting 213 Dish Drainer 212 Dishes, How to Wash 211 Dish Washing, Advantage of Deep Dishpan 123 Disguising Taste of Cod-liver OiL 62 Disinfectant, Chloride of Zinc as a. 257 Disinfectant, Copperas as a 257 Disinfectant, Fire the True 258 Disinfectant, Pine Tar Burning as a 256 Disinfectants, Bleaching Agents as 162 Disinfectants, Coal-tar 257 Disinfectants in the House 256-260 Disinfecting the Telephone Mouthpiece 258 Disinfecting the Toilet Bowl 201 Disinfection, Sulphur 258 Dr. Johnson's Diet for Excess of Fat 67 Doctors, and Food for Dyspeptics 84 Dr. Unna's Prescription for Comedones 26 Dogs and Cats Causes of Fleas in the House 261 Don'ts for the Sick Room 55-58 Dosage for Children, Rule of 63 Douche for Inflamed Vagina 48 Douche for Leucorrhea and Inflamed Vagina 48 Down Pillows, Making 197 Draft, Danger of, to Canaries 263 Drafts, Screen for Preventing 198 Draining Board, Zinc Covering for 203 Draught to Promote the Appetite 84 Dreaming, To Prevent 91 Dresser Drawers that Run Hard 32 Dressing Wounds by Compresses 39 Dress Shields, Washing Soiled 233 Dried Paint, Removing, from Clothing 171 Drinking Hot Water 54 XIV INDEX PAGE Drinking Water before Retiring 51 Driving Ants from Refrigerator 221 Dropping Medicine into l^e Eye 36 Drugging in Nervous Dyspepsia 85 Drugs, Danger of. Used for Headache 70 Drunkards Predisposed to Pneumonia 114 Drunkenness, Cure for 124 Dry Flour for Cleaning 214 Drying Bottles and Lamp Chimneys 204 Drying Lace Curtains 175 Drying White and Colored Clothes 230 Drying Scrubbed Carpets 157 Drying Scrubbed Rugs 157 Dull Gold Cleaning 192 Durability of Boiled Clothes-pins 235 Dusting in General 215 Dusting, Use of Round Paint Brush for 161 Dusting Walls, Using Cotton Batting for 161 Dustless Sweeping 159 Dusty Walls, To Brush Down 161 Dyeing Gloves 186 Dyeing Gloves Black 186 Dyeing Gloves Brown 186 Dyeing Gloves Fancy Shades. 186 Dyeing Gloves Gray 186 Dyes, To Make Fast 231 Dysentery, Cure for 96 Dysentery, Eggs as a Remedy for 96 Dyspepsia, and Quick Eating 83 Dyspepsia, Study of Each Case 84 Ear, Cleaning the 37 Earache, Adenoids Causing 37 Earache, Chloroform for , 37 Earache, Liniment for 37 Earache, Remedies for 37 Earthenware, Cracks in. To Remove 206 Easing Pinching Shoes 188 Easily Emptied Laundry Bag 235 Easily Made Buttermilk 46 Easy Turning of Mattresses 197 Ebony Stain 244 Eczema of the Nipple, Application for 124 Eczema, Success in the Treatment of 28 Eczema, Treatment of 28 Edge To ok. Accidents from 38 Eggsifor Bums 73 Eggs for Dysentery 96 Eggs for Hoarseness 103 Eiderdown Comforters, Renewing 197 Embroidered Pieces, Ironing 24 1 Embroideries, Washing 231 Embroidery in Crewels or Silk, To Wash 234 Empty Casks, To Keep Sweet 261 Emulsion of Cod-liver Oil 64 Enema 81 Enema for Constipation 79 Enemas, Hot, for Appendicitis 68 Enemas, Judicious tJse of 80 Enemata, Glycerine in 80 Enameled Iron Sinks, To Clean 210 Enamelware Utensils, To Clean Badly Burned 211 Eradicator for Grease Spots 169 XV INDEX PAGE Erysipelas, Cranberry Treatment of 123 Excess of Fat , Diet for 67 Excessive Moisture of Hands and Feet 9 Extinguishing Burning Clothes 74 Extinguishing a Fire Immediately 222 Extinguishing Flames of Kerosene 217 Extinguishing Lamps 217 Eye, Eye-Drops into the 34 Eye, Something in the 35-36 Eyes, Advice about the 35-36 Eyes, Causes of Injury to the 36 Eyes, Children's Inflamed 35 Eyes, Oculist's Advice about the 35-36 Eyes, Petit's Salve for the 35 Eyes, Potatoes for Inflamed 33 Eyes, Tired 34 Eyebrows, Blackening the 21 Eyebrows, Dandruff of 21 Eyebrows, Improving Thin and Small 20 Eyebrows, Pomade for 21 Eyelash Stain (Chinese) 20 Eyelids Indicating Strain of the Eye 34 Fabrics. To Bleach 162 Face Lotions and Pastes 22-24 Face Wash, Tea as a 22 Fading, To Prevent Colored Hosiery from 232 Fading, To Prevent Red Napkins from 231 Fainting Persons, Treatment of 68 False Kettle Bottom 208 Farmers and Pneumonia 115 Fastening Shade on a Roller 189 Fastening Shoe Buttons 188 Fastening 'Window Shades Easily 189 Fat Habit to be Feared 66 Fat, Dr. Johnson's Diet for Excess of 67 Fat, Uses of Accumulated 227 Fatigue, Quick Relief from 8 Feather Beds and Sunshine 196 Feather Pillows, Removing Unpleasant Smells from 196 Feathers, Bleaching Fine 163 Feathers, Bleaching with Peroxide of Hydrogen 164 Feathers for Beds 198 Feathers, To Make Pillows of Chicken 198 Feathers. To Curl 176 Feathers, Transferring to Pillows 197 Feeding Baby at Four-hour Intervals 42 Feeding, Difficulty of 47 Feeding, Two-year-old Child 41 Feet, Care of the 6 Feet, Dressing the 6 Feet, Moisture of the 9 Feet, Nails of the 6 Feet, Perspiring 9 Felon. Cure for a 121 Felon , Hot Water Cure for a 65 Filling for Open Cracks In Floors 194 Filter, Quick 204 Filtering Boiled Water 52 Filtering Rain Water 201 Finger Marks on Furniture, To Remove 181-182 Finishing Silk 243 Fire Extinguisher 75 XVI INDEX PACK Fire Extinguishing Immediately 222 Fire-irons, Preserving from Rust 22.5 Fireplace, Advantage of a 98 Fire, the True Disinfectant 258 Fish and Artificial Ice 219 Fish Bone, To Dislodge a 65 Fistula, Remedy for 83 Fitting Footwear. Time for 187 Fixing Blue Shades when Washing 231 Fixing Dyes, Sa.lt and Vinegar for 232 Five-foot Gas Burner 217 Flannel Clothing. Cleaning White ISO Flannel, Shrinking 238 Flannel to I'revent Chills 47 Flannels a:id the Use of Soap 237 Flannels, To Remove Stains from 107 Flannels. To Whiten 238 Flapping of Window Shades 189 Flat-foot, Prevention of, in Children 40 Flat-foot, Prophylaxis of 40 Flatirons, Advantages of Heavy 242 Flatirons, Tempering Old 242 Flatulence and Colic 82 Flatulent Dyspepsia, Remedy for 84 Flaxseed, To Remove Something from Eye 35 Fleas. Catching, in Barns 261 Fleas, Catching with Water and Oil 261 Fleas, Causes of, and Destruction 261 Fleshworms, Black Points, etc 26 Fleshy Woman, Advice to a 66 Floor Coverings, Denim for Nursery Floors 154 Floor Staining 243 Floors, Improving Stained 244 Floors. Slate. To Polish 158 Floors, Staining Parlor 244 Floors, To Polish 245 Floors, Varnishing 243 Floors, Wax Polishing 245 Florida Water 4 Flour, a Remedy for Cuts 78 Flour Paste 248 Flour Paste in Whitewash 256 Flour Paste, Soft 248 Fluid for Laundry 228 Flowera of Magnesia Clean White Zephyr Articles 166 Folding Coat for Traveling 178 Folding Trousers 178 Food. Advantage of Chewing 84 Food and Ice in the Refrigerator 219 Food, Buttermilk as a 46 Food Fakers and Frauds 84 Food of the Aged 84 Food of the Growing Child 84 Food to be Avoided by Nervous Dyspeptic 85 Food, Water as a 51 Foods for Children under Three Years 42 Foods Poor in Starch and Sugar 66 Foods for Relieving Constipation 79 Foods the Constipated Must Avoid 79 Foods to be Avoided in Rheumatism 119 Foot Trouble, Physician to be Consulted for 40 Formaldehyde Moth Repellant 159 Formula for Reducing Flesh 67 XVII INDEX PAFE Frayed Shirts, Mending 177 Freckles, Horseradish for 27 Freckles, Removing 27-23 Freckles, Treatment with Lactic Acid 27 Freezing Linen, Mistake in 230 French Gold Ornaments, Cleaning 191 French Rouge 24 Fresh Air Cure for Nervousness 89 Fresh Air for the Complexion 22 Fresh Air Inlet in Bedrooms 195 Fresh Air in the House 98-99 Fresh Cow's Milk for Bottle Baby 43 Freshening Black Kid Gloves 185 Freshening Marred and Crushed Furs 179 Freshening Rusty Black Lace 175 Freshening Veils smd Crape 167 Fresh Lime to Dry a Cellar 262 Friction as Remedy for Sprains. 76 Fruit Acids, Their Value 22 Fruit Jar Covers, Putty for Defective 207 Fruit Stains, Removing, from Linen 165 Fruit Stains, Removing Old 165 Frying Pans, Cleaning Insidea of. 214 Fumigants for Bedbugs 199 Fumigate, How to 259 Fumigation Table, Designating Rooma, Capacity, etc 259 Furnace, To Minimize Dust from a 262 Furniture, Bamboo, Treatment of 183 Furniture, Candle Grease, To Remove from 181 Furniture, Care and Improvement of 180 Furniture. Handy Polish for 190 Furniture, Removing White Spots on 180 Furniture, Rosewood, To Look Well 181 Furniture, Simple Polish for 189 Furniture Coverings, To Prevent being Moth-eaten 159 Furniture, Unsightly Cracks filled in 182 Furniture, Wicker. To Clean 182 Furs, Cleaning Dark 179 Furs, Light, To Clean 179 Furs Marred and Crushed, To Freshen 179 Furs, Protecting from Moths 158 Furs, Repairing 179 Furs Stored in Tar Paper 159 Gall-stones, Rational Treatment of 55-56 Galvanized-iron Pails and Drinking Water 201 Gargle for Husky Throat 103 Garments, Cloth, To Clean 180 Garments, Cloth, To Iron 180 Garments, Ripping Apart before Cleaning 168 Gasoline, Adding Salt to Prevent Stains 166 Gasoline, Advantages when Using on a Broom 161 Gasoline, Coat Collars and 178 Gastric Troubles, Glycerine in 82 Gastro-intcstinal Catarrh 97 Gastric Ulcer, Rest and Diet for 96 Germ Collectors, Sponges as 201 Gilt Articles, Cleaning 192 Gilt Frames, Cleaning 152, 191 Gilt Frames, Cleaning with Hot Alcohol 152 Gilt Frames, Soft Brush for Cleaning 151 Ginghams Not to Be Soaped 234 Girls, Appetite of 83 XVIII INDEX PAGE Girls, Maturity Age of 50 Girls, Mother's Ad\4ce at Maturity of 50 Girls, Unnatural Appetites Among 65 Glass or Porcelain v essels. To Cleanse 209 Glass, To Obscure 205 Glass, Washboard, Advantages of 232 Glass Stoppers, To Loosen 210 Glass Tubes in Nursing Bottles, Danger of 42,45 Glazing Linen 239 Gloss Removed from Black SUk 172 Gloves, Advice as to Selecting 184 Gloves. Black Cotton, To Prevent Crocking 185 Gloves, Buying, How to Examine 184 Gloves, Care of 184 Gloves, Chamois, To Wash 186 Gloves, Cleaning Light 184 Gloves. Cleaning with Stale Bread 185 Gloves, Cosmetic, for the Hands 33 Gloves. Dyeing 186 Gloves, Dyeing Black 186 Gloves, Finding Broken Stitches in 184 Gloves. Milk as a Cleanser of 185 Gloves. Preparing before Dyeing 186 Gloves. Putting on 184 Gloves. Restoring Rusty Black Kid 185 Gloves. Spongy Rubber for Cleaning 185 Gloves, Tests for Good Quality of 184 Gloves, Washing Chamois Leather 150 Glue, Excellent 195 Glue. Marine 195 Glue or Cement Bottles, Greasing Cork for 195 Glue, Resisting the Action of Water 195 Glue, To Strengthen 195 Glycerine and Chapped Lips 25 Glycerine and Castor Oil Leather Preservative 187 Glycerine in Gastric Troubles 82 Glycerine (Transparent) Jolly 26 Glycerine in Enemata 80 Glycerine Removes Stains of Long Standing 165 Glycerine, Shoe Dressing of 186 Goat Skin Rug, Cleaning a White 157 Gold and Silver, Cleaning Articles of 191 Gold Embroidery, Cleaning Tarnished 191 Gold Lace, Cleaning 191 Gold, Simple Test for 192 Gossamer Waterproof. Care of 176 Gout. Relief of 118 Graniteware, Mending with Rivets 194 Grass Stains. Removing with Alcohol 166 Grater for Scraping Kettles 211 Gray Fabrics, Restoring 163 Grease Eradicator 169 Grease on Painted Woodwork, To Remove. 203 Grease Spot, Mixture to Eradicate 169 Greas3 Spot in Matting, To Remove 158 Grease Spots, Removing from Carpets 154 Grease Spots, Removing from Cloth 169 Grease Spots, Remo\'ine from Colored Materials 169 Grease Spots, Several Ways to Remove 170 Grease Stains, Removing from Books 153 Grease. Ways to Get Rid of 215 Grease, V hen Spilling Hot 206 Greased Cork for Glue or Cement Bottles 195 XIX INDEX PAGB Green Color Made Fast in Wash Dresses 2r:2 Green Food for Canaries 2C4 Griddles, Wire-screen 2, 2 Growing Child, Food of the £4 Gunpowder Stains, Removing from Face 23 Hair and Scalp, Care of 16 Hair, Cleansing the 17 Hair, Crimping the 20 Hair, Curling Fluid for the 20 Hair, Cutting Women's 16 Hair, Favorite Hair Dressing 17 Hair, How Women Spoil their 16 Hair, Jaborandi Tonic for the 20 Hair, Loosening at Night 16 Hair, Restorative for Dry 18 Hair, Rosemary for the 17 Hair, Sage Tea for the 17 Hair, Shampoo for Oily 19 Hair, Superfluous 20 Hair, Tea for the 17 Hair Brush, Cleaning 16 Hair Dye, Black 21-22 Hair Dye, Destructiveness of 21 Hair Dye, Walnut 21 Hair Restorer, Cantharides 17 Hair Restorers, Lead in 17 Halls, Staining 245 Hand, American and English 31 Hand as a Suction Pump for Sinks 228 Hand, The Onyx of the 31 Hands, Application for the, after Weekly Washing 30 Hands, Care of the 30-33 Hands, Cold Cream for Coarse 30 Hands, Cosmetic Gloves for the 33 Hands, Lemon for Hard and Homy 30 Hands, Moist, Remedy for 32 Hands, Oil and Honey for Chapped 31 Hands, Ointment to Soften the 33 Hands, Petroleum Jelly for the 30 Hands, Proper Care of the 33 Hands, Salve for the 33 Hands, To Soften Rough 33 Hands, Sweet Cream for the 31 Hands, To Remove Tar from the 33 Hands, To Keep in Condition 31 Hanging Coats 173 Hanging Trousers 178 Hard Brushing of the Scalp 18 Hard Brushes for the Teeth 11 Hard Cement for Seams 194 Hardening of the Arteries 99 Hat, Brushing Derby 17S Hat, Brushing Wet Silk 178 Hat, White Straw, To Remove Stain on 178 Hay Fever, Atropine and Morphine for Ill Hay Fever, Olive Oil and Camphor for Ill Headache, Autotoxemia as Cause of 70 Headache, Copious Nose Secretion as Cause of 70 Headache, Danger of Drugs used for 70 Headache, Exercising Abdominal Muscles in Sick 70 Headache, Head Exercise for Relief of 71 Headache, Hot Water Cure of 53 XX INDEX PAGE Headache, Hot Water for 70 Headache, Muscle Exercise as Cure for a 70 Headache, Sleep a Cure for 71 Head Exercise as a Relief of Headache 71 Health. The Tongue in 65 Heartburn and Water-brash 87 Heartburn, Palliatives for Excessive Pain in 88 Heartburn, Treatment of 87 Heating and Ventilation of Houses 97 Heavy Bed-clothes, To Wash 238 Heel Caps, Saving Heels of Stockings 166 Helps in the Kitchen 201 Hemorrhage after Tooth Extraction 13 Hemorrhoids, Ointment for 83 Hiccough, Specific for 69 Hiccough, To Cure 69 Hiccough. To Stop 69 Hints on Laundry Bluing 237 History of Tooth Cavities 13 Hives, Cure for 123 Hoarseness, Egg for 103 Hoarseness of Public Singers 104 Holder for Brushes and Brooms 161 Holders for Stoves 224 Holders Made from Stockings _ 224 Home Accessories in Obstetric Practice 48 Home, Safety Code for the 74 Home Made Iron Holders 241 Home Made Laundry Bluing 236 Home Made Machine Oil 235 Home Made Skirt Hanger 168 Home Made Soap Shaker 227 Home Made Toilet Waters 4 Horseback Riding and Nervous Dyspepsia 85 Horseradish and Coughs 107 Horseradish for Removing Freckles 27 Hot-air Pipes 98 Hot Bath and Sleeplessness 64 Hot Milk as a Restorative 44 Hot Salted Water for Insomnia 92 Hot Water and Bruises 78 Hot Water as an Excitant 82 Hot Water as Complexion Improver 64 Hot Water and the Colicky Baby 65 Hot Water Bags, Uses for Old 207 Hot Water Bottles. Jugs as 196 Hot Water Cure for a Felon 55 Hot Water Cure for Headache 53 Hot Water Drinking 54 Hot Water for Babies 54 Hot Water for Cramps, Spasms 55 Hot Water for Croup 53 Hot Water for Dishes Containing Dough 212 Hot Water for Headaches 70 Hot Water for Medicinal Purposes 53 Hot Water for New-Bom Babes. 55 Hot Water for Relief of Exhaustion 54 Hot Water for Sprains or Bruises 53 Hot Water for Stomach Trouble 53 Hot Water for Wounds and Sores 54 Hot Water in Chronic Gastric Catarrh 95 Hot Water and Wrinkles on the Face 29 Hot Water Woman's Best Friend 53 XXI INDEX PAGE Hot Weather. Keeping Milk and Cream in 46 Household Cements 193 Houses, Heating and Ventilation of 97 How to Take a Pill 112 Hurriedly Eaten Food 86 Huskiness, Remedies for 104 Husky Throat, Gargle for 103 Hydrochloric Acid, Poisoning by 129 Hydro-Cyanic Acid, Poisoning by 129 Hydro-Cyanic Gas as Substitute for Carbon-Sulphide 257 Hydro-Cyanic Gas Deadly to House Pests 257 Hydro-Cyanic Gas, To Use 257 Hyposulphite of Soda as an "Anti-Chlor" in Bleaching 162 Hysteria, Cure of 53 Ice-Box, Necessity of Well-filled 221 Ice Breaking for Invalids 64 Ice Cream Freezer as Improvised Cakemixer 207 Ice, Proper Placing in Refrigerator 220 Ice-saving Schemes, Absurdity of 219 111 effects of Fish, Vegetables, etc., in Refrigerator 221 Illness and Impure Water 51 Improvement for Scraping Kettles 211 Improvement of Furniture 180 Improving a Black Eye 24 Improving Silks and Velvets 172 Indelible Ink Stains, Removing 172 Indicator for Medicine Taking Time 63 Indigestion, Acute 86 Indigestion from Failing Glands 83 Indigestion, Liability to Acute 87 Indigestion, Remedies for Acute 87 Indigestion, Treatment of Ordinary Forms of 86 Indigestion, Use of Pepsin in 86 Indolent Bowels in Aged Persons 79 Infant Feeding Schedule 42 Infant, Giving Medicine to an 62 Infantile Diarrheas 95 Infants, Conditions for Rearing 48 Infant's Food, Cow's Milk as an .... 46 Individuality of the Baby 47 Inflamed Conditions of Vagina 48 Inflamed Eyes, Children's 35 Inflamed Eyes, Potatoes for 33 Inflammation of the Gums 15 Ingrowing Nail, Cause of 8 Ingrowing Nail, Treating an 6 Injection to Relieve Child's Convulsions 49 Injury, Causes of, to the Eye 36 Injury to the Foot 8 Ink Eraser, Chloride of Lime as an 171 Ink Stains in Carpets, To Remove 155 Ink Stains, Removing from Linen 171 Ink Stains, Removing from Mahogany 182 Ink Stains, Removing Red 171 Insect Powder, Using 206 Insect Powders no Avail Against Bedbugs 199 Insects in the Pot Closet 206 Insomnia, Apples and 91 Insomnia, Hot Salted Water for 92 Insomnia, Cold Water and 92 Internal Piles 83 Intestinal Worms 82 XXII INDEX PAGE Invalids. Cracked Ice for 102 Invalid's Hair, To Comb 18 Iodine and Glycerine Application 121 Iodine as a Corn Cure 8 Iodine Stains, Removing, from Hands. 167 Iodine Stains, Removing, from Linen 167 Iodine Stains, Removing, from Woodwork 182 Iron Holders, Home Made 241 Ironing Blankets 243 Ironing Cleaned Cloth Garments 180 Ironing Collars 240 Ironing Collars, Rule for 241 Ironing Embroidered Pieces 24 1 Ironing Lace 175 Ironing Made Less Troublesome 240 Ironing Napkins 24 1 Ironing, Preparing Napkins for 238 Ironing, Preparing Towels for 238 Ironing, Removing Scorching from 241 Ironing, Rules for Facilitating 241-242 Ironing Starched Things 240 Ironing Tablecloths 249 Ironing-Boards, Covering 242 Iron Pots and Pans, To Mend 194 Iron-rust Spots, To Remove 173 Irons, Keeping Clear and Smooth 242 Irons Smoothed Without Using Wax 242 Ivory Bleaching 164 Ivory Cement 193 Ivory Cleaning 164 Ivory, To Polish 190 Ivory Knife Handles, to Bleach 164 Jaborandi Tonic for the Hair 20 Jars and Cans, To Sweeten, for Use 207 Jaundice, Cure for 93 Jaundice, Treatment of 92 avelle Water, An Improved 163 Javelle Water, Bicarbonate of Potassium in 163 Javelle Water Not Good for Bleaching 163 Jelly, Glycerine, Transparent 26 Jewelry, Cleaning 191 Jugs as Hot Water Bottles 196 Keeping Apples and Potatoes 262 Keeping Irons Clear and Smooth 242 Kerosene and White Spots in Refrigerator 221 Kerosene and Linseed Oil to Clean Furniture 151 Kerosene Burning Stoves, Care of 216 Kerosene, Cleaning Natural Woodwork with 182 Kerosene, Cleaning Oiled Furniture with 181 Kerosene, Extinguishing Flames of 217 Kerosene for Soreness of Skin Bums 73 Kerosene, its Varied Uses in the House. 143-144 Kerosene. Lampblack Stains, To Remove. 166 Kerosene to Remove Blood Stains 166 Kerosene to Remove Odor from Tinware 211 Kettle, To Prevent Boiling Over of 206 Kid Gloves, Ammonia for Cleaning 185 Kid Gloves, Cleaning with Talcum Powder 185 Kid Gloves, To Freshen Black 185 Kid Shoes, Cracking, To Prevent 187 Kid Shoes, Restoring Color of 188 XXIII INDEX PAGE Kid Slippers. Cleaning 188 Kitchen, Coloring Walls of 246 Kitchen Convenience 206 Kitchen, Convenience of Paper Pad In the 208 Kitchen-garden Cosmetics 24 Kitchen Helps and Conveniences 201 Kitchen, Lounge in the 201 Kitchen, Removing Match Marks on Walls of 246 Kitchen, Rocking Chair in the 201 Kitchen, Rugs, their Value in the 201 Kitchen, Sash Curtains, to Use in 205 Kitchen, Scales in the 205 Kitchen, Uses for Little Scrubbing Brushes in the 208 Kitchen, Uses for Screw-eyes in the 208 Kitchen, Uses of Ammonia in the 227 Kitchen, Use of Light Wall Paper in 205 Kitchen, Using Insect Powder about the 206 Kitchen, Varied Use of Newspapers in the 204 Kitchen, Ventilation in 201 Kitchen and Dining-room, Advantage of Opening in Wall Between 203 Kitchen Shelves, Painting, and the Size of 203 Kitchen Stove, Advantages of Zinc before 203 Kitchen Tables, Zinc Covering for 203 Knives for Stencil Cutting 252 Lace, Cleaning, with Talcum Powder 175 Lace, Ironing 175 Lace, Not Usually Starched 175 Lace, "Pressing" with a Bottle 175 Lace, Washing, Points about 174 Lace Curtains, Directions for Washing 174 Lace Curtains, Doing up without Stretchers 174 Lace Curtains, Don'ts when Cleaning 175 Lace Curtains, Drying on a Mattress 175 Lace Curtains, Mending 174 Lace Curtains, Shaking before Washing 174 Lace Curtains, Starching 174 Lace Curtains, Stretching 174 Lace Door-panel, Washing 175 Lampblack, Removing from Cloth 166 Lamp Chimneys, Cleaning 215 Lamp Chimneys, For Drying Bottles and 204 Lamp Chimneys, To Prevent Breakage of 216 Lamps, Advantage for Eyes of Student or Worker 215 Lamps, Cement for Fastening Tops of 217 Lamps, Daily Care of 215 Lamps, Extinguishing, Correct Way 217 Lamps, Metal Reservoirs the Safest 217 Lamps, Necessity of Full Reservoir of 21G Lamps, Washing Chimneys of 216 Lamps, Wicks for 215-216 Lamp Wicks, Advantage of Soaking in Vinegar 216 Lamp Wicks, To Relieve Sticking of 210 Lamp Wicks, Requirements of Good 217 Large Fleshy Noses, To Reduce 26 Lash-growing Lotion 21 Laudanum or Paregoric Poisoning 127 Laundering Fine Lingerie Waists 236 Laundering Garment for Immediate Wear 236 Laundering Linen and Denim 234 Laundering Quilts 239 Laundry, Bag for the 86, 234 Laundry, Cleaning Muslin and Scrim 230 XXIV INDEX PAGE Laundry, Fine Clothes, Treatment of 230 Laundry Freezing Linen, Mistake in Allowing 230 Laundry, Knit Wear, to Finish in the 242 Laundry, Mode of Separating Pieces 228 Laundry, Rinsing Black Goods 231 Laundry, Rinsing Towei3 in Cold Weather 230 Laundry, Soaking Clothes 228 Laundry, Stains Removed 229 Laundry, Table Linen, Care of, In the 229 Laundry. To Soften Water 236 Laundry, Treatment of Waists 230 Laundry, Washing Fluid 228 Laundry, Yellowed White Clothes, To Whiten 230 Lavender Water 45 Laying Linoleum 218 Lazy Bowels vs. Paralyzed Bowels 78 Lead Foil in Stencilling 251 Lead in Hair Restorer 17 Lead, Poisoning by Sugar of 131 Leaks about Chimneys 193 Leaky Wash Tubs, To Remedy 235 Leanness and Obesity, Cause of 68 Leanness and Stoutness 66 Leanness, Cause of 68 Leanness, Remedy for 67 Leatner, Chamois Leather Gloves, To Wash 150 Leather Chair-seats, To Revive 149 Leather, Cleaning Buckskin Riding Trousers 149 Leather, Dressing for Black 149 Leather, Moisture to Soften 149 Leather, Neatsfoot Oil for 149 Leather, Restoring Color of 149 Leather, Reviving Leather Chairs and Sofas 149 Leather, Softening 188 Leather, To Clean Wash 150 Left 0\^er Wall-paper, Use for 247 Lemon and Salt for Mildew 106 Lemon Juice, Remov4ng Iron Rust with 201 Lemon Peel for Removing Tar from Hands 33 Lemons, Use of 139-141 Leucorrhea, Douche for 48 Light, Most Pleasant to Work by 36 Lighting Fire in a Stove, Avoiding Smoke when 225 Lime in Whitewash 255 Lime, To Remove, from Iron Pot 211 Lime Water and Milk for Infants 43 Lime Water, Preparation of 41 Linen and Denim, Laundering 234 Linen, Glazing 239 Linen, Remo\'ing Ink Spot from 171 Linen, Removing Fruit Stains from 165 Linen, Removing Rust from 170 Linen, Removing Wine Stains from 170 Linens. To Remove Tea or Coffee Stains from 165 Lingerie Waists. Laundering 236 Liniment, A Good 122 Liniment. A Fine Soap 122 Liniment, A Useful 122 Liniment for Earache 37 Linoleum, Advantage of Varnishing 218 Linoleum and Oil Cloth 218 Linoleum, Cleaning New 218 Linoleum, La>ang 21S XXV INDEX PAGE Linoleum, Secret of Laying 218 Linoleum, Scrubbing an Injury to 218 Linoleum. To Keep Bright 218 Linseed Oil for Scratches on Furniture 181 Linseed Poultice 61 Lip Salve 25 Liquid Bluing which Never Settles 237 Liquid Court Plaster 39 Liquid Powder and Its Use 22 Liquid Stove Blacking 222 Listerine as Dandruff Cure 20 Liver, Remedy for a Torpid 79 Liver Spots, Cure for. 22 Local Treatment of Chronic Gout 118 Lockjaw and Foot Injury 8 Loosen Glass Stoppers, To 210 Loss of Hair, Treatment of 17 Lotion for Perspiring Hands 32 Lotion for the Eyelashes 21 Lotion, Skin 29 Lounge in the Kitchen 201 Lumbago, Cure for 120 Lumbago, Instantaneous Remedy for 120 Lungs, Ascertaining the State of the 113 Machine Oil, Home Made 235 Mackintosh, Cleaning a 177 Mahogany, Cleaning Siained 182 Mahogany, Removing Ink Stains from 182 Mahogany Stain 243 Mailing Tube as Hanger in Bathroom 200 Malt Foods, Advantage of 48 Man's Wardrobe, Care of 178 Marble Mantel, Cleaning 206 Marine Glue 1S5 Marks on Varnished Wood, To Remove 181 Marking Window Screens 202 Masks for the Complexion 24 Massage of Face for Wrinkles 29 Massage the Bowels, To 81 Massaging the Scalp 16 Match M arks, To Remove from Walls 246 Mated Canary Birds 263 Materials for Stencilling 251 Mating Periods of Canaries 263 Matting, Brightening with Borax 158 Matting, Metal Binding of 158 Matting, Preserving 157 Matting, Sweeping Clean 158 Mattings, Washing 157 Mattings as Carpet Padding When Old 157 Mattress, Quilt to Protect 196 Mattresses, Easy Turning of 197 Maturity of Girls 50 Means of Emptying the Bladder 60 Meat Grinder, Uses of a 203 Meat in Coxstaet with Ice 219 Medicine, £,ye Dropping 36 Medicine, Giving to an Infant 62 Medicine, Proper Times to Take 62 Medicines, Removing Bitter Taste of 61-62 Melon Juice for Sunburn 23 Mending Broken Plaster Cast 193 XXVI INDEX PAGB Mending Celluloid Articles 193 Manding Cracks in Plastering 193 Mending Frayed Skirts 177 Mending Graniteware 194 Mending Lace 174 Mending Large Holes In Underwear 177 Mending Leaky Wash-tub 234 Mending Rubbers 176-177 Men's Clothes, Soap Bark as Cleaner of 168 Messes and Left-overs in the Refrigerator 220 Metal and Glass. Cement to Hold Together 193 Metal Lamps the Safest 217 Metals Rusting, To Prevent 225 Method of Breaking Ice for Invalids 64 Methylated Spirt for Cleaning Window, Picture and Looking Glass 205 Mica, Cleaning 222 Mildew, Buttermilk Removes 166 Mildew Removed by Green Tomatoes 166 Mildew, Removing, from Awnings, etc 167 Mildew, Removing, with Chloride of Lime 167 Mildew, Salt and Lemon Juice for 166 Milk a Constipating Medium 45 Milk and Buttermilk as Nutritive Agents 45 Milk and Butter, Covering, in Refrigerator 220 Milk and Cream, Keeping in Hot Weather 46 Milk and Diphtheria Bacillus 101 Milk and Personal Peculiarities 45 Milk as a Cause of Typhoid 46 Milk as a Glove Cleanser 185 Milk as a Shoe Preservative 187 Milk, Boiling 43 Milk, Boiling, and Scurvy 43 Milk, Boiling, During Summer Months 43 Milk, Digestibility of 44 Milk for Sunburn 22 Milk, Home-Made Sterilizer for 45 Milk, Hot, as a Restorative 44 Milk, Making Pleasant for Sick Child 43 Milk, Modified 46 Milk, Pasteurizing 43 Milk, Scalded or Boiled 47 Milk, Seven Ages of 44 Milk, Soothing Effect of Hot 45 Milk Strainer, To Wash 212 Milk Sugar and Cows' Milk 46 Milk Tins, Washing 212 Milk Weed Pods for Cushions 195 Minerals as Aids to Digestion 52 Mink Fur, Cleaning 179 Mirrors, To Polish 205 Mixture to Eradicate Grease Spots 169 Modified Milk 46 Moles, Removing Methods 10 Molting, Drink for Canaries when 264 Morphia and Opium, Poisoning by 131 Mosquito Netting, Excellent Dishcloths 213 Moth Patches, To Remove 10 Moths, Benzine Spray for 159 Moths, Bichlonde of Mercury to Protect from 159 Moths, Cedar Chests as Repellants of 159 Moths, Cedar Chips a Repellant of 159 Moths, Cloth Bags as a Repellant of 159 Moths, Formaldehyde a Repellant of , 159 XXVII INDEX PAGE Moths, Pepper as a Repellant 159 Moths, Preventing Damage by , 158 Moths, Repellants, When Valueless 159 Moths Repelled by Tar Paper 159 Moths, Tobacco a Repellant 159 Mouth Wash, Antiseptic 12 Mouth Wash after Eating 11 Moving Heavy Trunks 245 Mucilage, Convenient 248 Mud, To Remove from Black Dresses 166 Muscle Exercise as Cure for Headache 70 Muscular Rheumatism, Homeopathic Treatment 119 Musical Instruments, To Protect from Dampness 151 Muslin and Scrim, Washing 230 Muslin Curtains, Placing on a Rod 189 Mustard for Corns 7 Mustard Oil for Rheumatism 119 Mustard Plaster for a Child 77 Mustard Plaster, Using a Sponge for a 77 Mustard Poultices, To Make 59-60 Mustard, Quantity for Vomiting 94 Mustard Sponge 77 Nails, Bad Habit to Bite the 32 In ails. Beautiful 32 Nails, Biting the 32 Nails, Cleaning the 32 Nails, Ingrown 32 Nails, Paring the 32 Nails, Strengthening Brittle 32 Nails, To Drive Easily 226 Napkins, Ironing 241 Napkins, Preparing for Ironing 238 Napkins, Quickly Laundered 234 Napkins, When Traveling with a Baby 41 Nap of Cloth, Restoring 167 Naphthaline Balls or Powder for Moths 159 Nasal Hemorrhage Ill Natural Woodwork, Cleaning of 182 " Nerve " Pillows 92 Nerves, Hot Milk for the 45 Nervous Dyspepsia 85 Nervous Dyspepsia, Horseback Riding for 85 Nervous Irritability 89 Nervousness 89 Nervousness, Diet for 90 Nervousness, Fresh Air Cure for 89 Net for Catching Canaries 265 Nettle-rash and Insect Bites 123 Neuralgia and Intemperance 71 Neuralgia and Toothache, Cure of 63 Neuralgia, Bisulphide of Carbon in 72 Neuralgia, Causes of 72 Neuralgia, Common to Women 71 Neuralgia, Difficulty of Curing 71 Neuralgia, Ointment for 72 Neurasthenia 90 Newspapers as Lining of Apple Barrels 262 Newspapers as Stove Cleaner 223 Newspapers, Cleaning Windows with 205 Newspapers, Damp, for Sweeping Carpets 154 Newspapers, Use of, in the Kitchen 204 New Woodwork, Paint Required for , , , 243 XXVIII INDEX PAGE Nickel on Stoves. To Polish 223 Night Light. An Ever-ready 60 Nightmare. Remedy for 92 Nitrate of Silver. Removing Stains of 17 Nitric Acid. Poisoning by 129 Nose, Bleeding from the 40 Nosebleed (See Nasal Hemorrhage) Nose Secretion as Cure of Headache 70 Noses, LarK'e Fleshy, To Reduce 26 Noses. Leaning to One Side 26 Noses, Red. Treatment of 26 Noses. Shiny 26 Nourishment, Value of Sugar as 43 Nursing Bottles. Dr^nger ot Glass Tubes in 42. 45 Nursery Utensils. Cleaning 42 Nutmegs, Medicinal Qualities of 95 Nux Vomica and Strychnine, Poisoning by 131 Oatmeal for the Toilet 3 Obscuring Glass 205 Obstetric Practice, Home Accessories in 48 Obstinate Constipation, Remedy for 79 Obstructions in the Pipes of Bathrooms 200 Oculist's Ad\'ice about the Eyes 35 Odors In a Cask, To Remove 262 Offensive Breath 13 Oil and Water for Catching Fleas 261 OQcloth and Linoleum 218-219 Oilcloths, Brightening 218 Oilcloths, Soap Injurious to 218 Oil of Cloves and Bitter Medicine 63 Oil Paintings in Dark Places 151 Oil Paintings, Lukewarm Suds for Cleaning 151 Oil of Peppermint for Bums . . . , 72 Oil of Sas^ras for Chilblains 10 Oil Stains from Paper, Removing 164 OUjStains, Removing from Paper 170 OirStains on Carpets, To Remove 165 Oily Hair, Shampoo for 19 Oily Skin, Treatment of 28 Ointment, Clover Blossom, for Bums 73 Ointment for Hemorrhoids 83 Ointment, Netiralgic 72 Ointment, Parasiticide 123 Ointment, Spermaceti 77 Ointment to Softrti Hands 30 Old Fashioned Polish 245 Old Furniture. New Appearance, To Cause 181 Old Furniture, Renovating 181 Old Hot-water Bags, Uses for 207 Old Paintings, Oil of Cedar for Backs of 151 Old Rubbers, Use for 177 Ohve Oil to Prevent Lockjaw 8 Onions for Cold on the Chest 107 Open Air Treatment of Pneumonia 116 Open Cracks in Floors, Filling for 194 Opening any Bottle 209 Opening in the Wall, Advantages of, in the Kitchen 203 Orange Peel Tea for Diarrhea . ., 95 Ostrich Feathers. To Clean White 176 Oven. Keeping Stove — Clean 223 Overcoat Collar. Removing Stains from 178 Overdressed Children 47 XXIX INDEX PAGE Overeating and Stoutness of Women 66 Over-heated Houses and Nervousness 90 Over-ripe Fruits, Disadvantage in Refrigerator 220 Oxalic Acid Removes Old Frtiit Stains 1 65 Oxalic Acid, Poisoning by 129 Ox -gall for Cleaning Carpets 155 Oxidized Silver, Cleaning 191 Pails, Wooden, To Prevent Shrinking of 233 Painful Dentition 15 Pain of Toothache, To Alleviate 14 Paint, Amount Required 246 Paint and Painting, Hints on 97 Paint Smell, To Get Rid of 246 Paint, Removing from Silk Goods 172 Paint, Washing with Whiting and Water 202 Paint Brush Handy for Dusting 161 Paint Brushes, Cleaning 246 Painted Cages Injurious to Birds 263 Painted Floor, Advantage of 246 Painting Kitchen Shelves 203 Paint Spots on Clothing, To Remove 170 Palatable Castor Oil 64 Palpitation of the Heart 58 Paper Bags as Moth Repellant 159 Paper Bags Protecting Hands when Blacking Stoves 222 Paperhanger's Paste 247 Paper Hanging 247-248 Papering a Kitchen 205 Papering Whitewashed Walls 248 Paper Pad, Convenience of in the Kitchen 208 Paraffine Oil, Cleaning Greasy Sink with 208 Parasiticide Ointment 123 Parents Who Tease Children 40 Paring the Nails 32 Parlor Floor, Staining 244 Paste, Flour 248 Paste, Paperhanger's 247 Paste, Preserving 248 Paste Preserving Patent Leather Gloss 187 Paste, Soft Flour 248 Pasteurizing Milk 43 Patching Wall Paper 247 Patent Leather, Freshening 187 Patent Leather, Paste to Preserve Gloss of 187 Patent Leather, Preserving Paste for 187 Patent Leather, To Prevent Cracking of 187 Patent Leather Shoes, Treatment of 188 Patient, Changing Sheets under 199 Patient's Bed-clothes, Changing 69 Patient's Gown, Changing a 59 Pearl White Liquid 23 Pepper as Moth Repellant 159 Pepsine and Its Uses 86 Perfume the Breath, Wash to 12 Perfumed Powder for Boxes 4 Peroxide of Hydrogen for Bleaching 164 Permanganate of Potash, Bleaching Sponges with 163 Perspiring Feet 9 Perspiring Hands and Borax 33 Perspiring Hands, Lotion for 32 Petit's Eye Salve 35 Petroleum Jelly for the Hands 30 XXX INDEX PAGE Petroleum, Necessary Qualities in 217 Petroleum Products, Poisoning by 131 Petticoat. Silk, To Strengthen 177 Phenacetin, Danger of Using, for Headaches 70 Phosphate of Soda for Sallow Skin • 23 Physician to be Consulted for Foot Trouble 40 Physiological Functions, Telling Children of 50 Piano or Organ, Care of 150 Pianos, Even Temperature Necessary for 151 Pinching Shoes, Easing 188 Picric Acid in Acute Eczema 28 Picture Frames, To Remove Fly Specks from 152 Pictures Hanging against Damp Walls 152 Piles, Suppositories for 83 Piles, White Lead as a Remedy for 83 Pillow Slips, Sizes of 196 Pillows, Chicken Feather, To Make 198 Pillows, Making Down 197 Pillows, To Protect 198 Pillows, Transferring Feathers to 197 Pimples, Cold Baths and 2 Pimples or Blotches, Removal of 25 Pipe, Stove, Keeping Clean 223 Plaster, FiUing Cracks in 248 Plaster for Rhematism 77 Plaster for Sprains 77 Plaster, Mustard, for a Child 77 Plaster, To Set Quickly 248 Plastered Walls, To Insert Screwsln 248 Plumes, Cleaning White 176 Pneumonia and Convalescents 113 Pneumonia, Careful Nursing in 117 Pneumonia Contagiousness of 115 Pneumonia, Crisis in 116 Pneumonia, Danger of 113 Pneumonia, Drunkard Predisposed to 115 Pneumonia, Open Air Treatment of 116 Pneumonia, Treatment of 115-116 Pneumonia, Two Forms of 1 14 Pneumonia, Ways of Contracting 113-114 Pneumonia, Women Predisposed to 127 Poisons, Antidotes to 115 Poisons, Danger of Leaving Around 127 Poison Ivy Poisoning 124-125 Poisoning by Acetanilid or Antif ebrin 128 Poisoning by Acetic Add 129 Poisoning by Aconite 130 Poisoning by Alcohol 130 Poisoning by Ammonia 130 Poisoning by Antipyrin 130 Poisoning by Arsenic 130 Poisoning by Atropine or Belladonna. 130 Poisoning by Cantharides 130 Poisoning by Carbolic Acid 129 Poisoning by Caustic Potash or Soda 131 Poisoning by Chloral Hydrate 131 Poisoning by Corrosive Sublimate 131 Poisoning by Creosote 131 Poisoning by Hydrochloric Acid 129 Poisoning by Hydrocyanic Acid 129 Poisoning by Morphia and Opium 131 Poisoning by Nitric Acid 129 Poisoning by Nux Vomica and Strychnine 131 XXXI INDEX PAGE Poisoning by Oxalic Acid 129 Poisoning by Petroleum Products '. 131 Poisoning, Stomach Pump for 1 28 Poisoning by Sugar of Lead 131 Poisoning by Sulphuric Acid 129 Poisoning by Tobacco 131 Poisoning by Vermin Killers 131 Poisoning by Weed-killer 132 PoUsh Black Marble, To 190 Polish, Coal Soot 223 Polish, Furniture, Simple lo9 Polish, Handy Furniture 190 Polish, High Lustre Stove 223 Polish Ivory, To 190 PoUsh, Old-fashioned 215 Polish, Shoe, Home-made l57 Polish, Stove 222-225 Polish. Tortoise Shell, To 190 Polished Boards and Carpets 2 14 Polishes for Black Wahiut 1S9 Polishing and Cleaning Furniture lol Polishing Floors 2-15 Polishing, Its Difficulty 240 Polishing Mirrors 205 Polishing Nickel on Stoves 223 Polishing Slate Floors 158 Pomade for Eyebrows 21 Potato Poultice for Rheumatism 119 Potatoes for Inflamed Eyes 33 Pots and Pans, Care of 211 Pot Closet, Insects in the 206 Poultice for Boils and Carbuncles 120 Powdered Chalk to Strengthen Glue 195 Powdered Starch to Remove Stain from Linen 165 Powders and Pills, Preparing for a Child 63 Powder, Perfumed, for Boxes 4 Poultices, To Make 59-60 Pregnancy, Vomiting of 93 Preparing a Sick-room Bed . . . 59 Preparing Pov^ders and Pills for a Child 63 Preserves, Uncovered, in Closet 206 Preserving Paste 248 Pressed Glassware, To Shine 209 Pressing Woolen Goods 177 Preventing Clinkers on Stove Linings 226 Preventing Dandruff 19 Preventing Drafts 198 Preventing Flapping of Window Shades 189 Preventing Kid Shoes Cracking 187 Prevention and Treatment of Bed Sores 59 Prickly Heat, Cure for 123 Prickly Heat, Rye Flour for 22 Printed Goods with Black Grounds, Washing 233 Prohibited Foods for Canaries 264 Proper Times to Take Medicines 62 Proper Tooth Brushes for Use 12 Proper Use of Stoves 222-225 Protecting a Mattress 196 Provence Roses and Jasmine Waters 5 Pulmonary Consumption, Yearly Death Rate from 108 Purgatives, Danger of 81 Putty for Defective Fruit Jar Covers 207 Putty, Softening Hard 205 XXXII INDEX PAGE Quick Eating and Dyspepsia 83 Quick Filter. A 204 Suicklime and Gypsum as Absorbents 258 uicklime for Mildew in Closets 206 Ouilts, Laundering 237 Quinine and Influenza 106 Quinsy, Remedy for 105 Rag Carpet, To Bind 156 Rain Water, Necessity for Filtering 201 Red Ink Stains, Removing 171 Reducing Flesh, Formula for 67 Refreshing Odor for the Bath 4 Refrigerator, Care of 219-220 Refrigerator, Charcoal as Odor Absorbent in 221 Refrigerator, Choosing a 222 Refrigerator, Covering Milk and Butter in 220 Refrigerator, Food and Ice in the 219 Refrigerator, 111 Effects of Fish, etc., in the 221 Refrigerator, Kerosene for White Spots in 221 Refrigerator, Placing Ice Properly in a 220 Refrigerator, Renovating an Old 221 Refrigerator, Sewer Gas in a 220 Refrigerator, Ventilation of 220 Refuse, Drying, before Burning in Stove 202 Regimen, etc., for Whooping-cough 110 Registers of Furnace, Mistakes Made when Shaking Fires 161 Relief of Acute Attacks of Gout 118 Relief of Biliousness 93 Relief of Neuralgia and Toothache Pain 53 Relief of Violent Vomiting 93 ReUef of Vomiting of Pregnancy 93 Relieving Itching of Hives 123 Relieving Toothache 14 Remedies for Earache 37 Remedies for Poisoning (See under Poisoning) Remedy for a Bruise 132 Remedy for a Cough 107-108 Remedy for Acute Inflammation of the Bladder 82 Remedy for Asthma 112 Remedy for Bronchial Asthma 112 Remedy for Choking 66 Remedy for Colic 81-S2 Remedy for Croup 109 Remedy for Fistula 83 Remedy for Flatulent Dyspepsia 84 Remedy for Leaky Wash-tubs 235 Remedy for Leanness 67 Remedy for Moist Hands 32 Remedy for Kettle-rash and Insect Bites 123 Remedy for Nightmare 92 Remedy for Obstinate Constipation 79 Remedy for Excessive Perspiration 9 Remedy for Quinsy 105 Remedy for Ringworm 122 Remedy for Scabies 123 Remedy for Sore Throat 104 Remedy for Tapeworm 83 Remedy for Toothache 14 Remedy for Torpid Liver 79 Remedy for Whooping-cough 110 Remedy for Winter Itch 123 Remedy, Instantaneous, for Lumbago 120 XXXIII INDEX PAGE Removing Bitter Taste of Medicine 61-62 RemoNnng Button in the Nostiil 39 Removing Candle Grease from Furniture 181 Removing Clinkers from Stove Linings 225 Remo\Tng Cracks in Earthenware 206 Removing Damp Smell from Cellars 262 Removing Dents in Wood 181 Removing Finger Marks on Furniture 181 Removing Finger Marks on Polished Furniture 182 Removing Freckles 27-28 Removing Grease from Painted Woodwork 203 Removing Gunpowder Stains ^ 23 Removing Ink Stains from Mahogany .' 182 Removing Iodine Stains from Woodwork 182 Removing Iron from " Rusty " Water 52 Removing Kerosene Cdor from Tinware 211 Removing Leather Stains on Stockings 232 Removing Marks on Varnished Wood 181 Removing Moles 10 Removing Mortar and Paint from Windows 246 Remo^^ng M oth Patches 10 Removing Odors in a Cask 262 Removing Old Wall Paper 247 Removing Pimples or Blotches 25 Removing Rust with Lemon Juice 201 Removing Scorch from Garments 242 Removing Something from the Eye 35-36 Removing Stains from Cloths 166 Removing Stains from a Straw Hat 178 Removing Stains from Baking Dishes 211 Removing Unpleasant Smell from Feather Pillows 196 Remaving Varnish 181 Removing Warts 11 Removing White Spots on Furniture 180 Removing White Spots on Varnished Furniture 215 Removing Whitewash Spots 255 Renewing Eiderdown Comforters 197 Renovating an Old Refrigerator 221 Repairing a Torn Stencil 252 Repairing Damaged Caster Supports 183 Repairing Furs 179 Repellants against Moths 159 Requirements of Good Lamp Wicks 217 Resin, To Remove from Cloth 169 Resorcine for Relief of Seasickness 94 Restorative for Dry and Brittle Hair 18 Restoring Color of Kid Shoes 188 Restoring Color to Black Stuff 106 Restoring Faded Gray Fabrics 1(33 Restoring Faded Ribbons 173 Restoring Nap of Cloth 107 Restoring Rusty Black Kids I)i5 Rheumatism, Acute Articular 119 Rheumatism, Acute, Treatment of 120 Rheumatism, Camphor-Phenol Treatment of 120 Rheumatism, Celery as a Cure for 119 Rheumatism, Cure for 119 Rheumatism, Foods to be Avoided In 119 Rheumatism, Green Coffee Cure for 119 Rheumatism, Muscular, Homeopathic Treatment of 119 Rheumatism, Mustard-oil for 119 Rheumatism, Plaster for 77 Rlitumatism, Potato Poultice for 119 XXXIV INDEX PAGE Rheumatism, Treatment of 118-119 Ribbons. Faded, To Restore 173 Ringworm, A Simple Remedy for 122 Ringworm, Cure for 122 Rinsing Bottles 209 Rinsing the Mouth 12 Rinsing White Clothes 229 Rinsing Woolen Lace 175 Rivets for Mending Graniteware 194 Roaches in the Bathroom 200 Roaches Killed by Hydro-Cyanic Gas 257 Rockers, "Tipping Over, " Prevention of 1S2 Rocking Chair in the Kitchen 201 Rolling-pin. Bag for 201 Roof Cement 193 Rosemary for the Hair 17 Rose Potpourri 5 Rose Jar, Collecting for a. 23 Rosewood Furniture, Improving Appearance of ISl Rouge (French) 24 Rough Hands. To Soften 30 Rough Sad Irons, Smoothing 242 Rubber Cement 176 Rubbers, To Mend 176 Rub-board, Care of 235 Rugs, Cleaning and Keeping Shape of 157 Rugs. Drying Scrubbed or Washed 157 Rugs. Handling Large 157 Rugs, How to Shake 166 Rugs in the Kitchen 201 Rugs, Webbing to Prevent Edges Curling of 156 Rule for Dosage of Children 63 Running Ears, Adenoids and 37 Rust, Bright Grates, Preserving from 225 Rust, Removing from Linen 170 Rust, Removing with Lemon Juice 201 Rusting, Preventing Metals 225 Rusting, Sheet-Iron Stoves 225 Rusting, To Keep Window Screens from 202 Rusting, To Prevent Steel from 166 Rusty Black Kid Gloves, To Restore 185 Rusty Black Lace, Freshening 175 Rusty Brown Clothing, Cause of 166 "Rusty" Water, To Purify 52 Rye Flour for Prickly Heat 23 Sable Fur, Cleaning 179 Sachet Powder, Violet 4 Safe Drinking Water 50-52 Safety Code for the Home 74 Sage Tea for the Hair 17 Salicylic Acid for Perspiring Feet 9 Salol as Cure for Sciatica 121 Sallow Skin, Clearing 23 Salt, Adding to Gasoline to Prevent Stains 167 Salt and Lemon Juice for Mildew 166 Salt and Vinegar for Brightening Copper and Brass 211 Salt or Vinegar to Fix Dyes 232 Salt, Uses of in the House 134-136 Salts. Smelling 22 Salt Water for Brooms 159 Salve, Citron Ointment, for the Lips 25 Salve for the Hands 33 XXXV INDEX PAGE Salve, Lip 25 Salve, Petit's Eye 35 Sand, Advantage in Bird Cages of 263 Sandy's Local Application 120 Sash Curtains, Use in Kitchen 205 Saving Pieces of Tablecloth when Cutting 243 Saving Underwear 177 Sawdust to Keep Down Dust when Sweeping laQ Scabies, Remedy for 123 Scalded or Boiled Milk 47 Scalds or Burns, Treatment of 132 Scales in the Kitchen 205 Scalp, Massaging 16 Schedule for Infant Feeding 42 Sciatica, Novel Treatment of 121 Scorch, Removing from Garments 242 Scorching when Ironing, Removing 241 Scratch, Dangers of a 39 Scratches on Furniture, Linseed Oil for ISl Screw-eyes in the Kitchen, Uses for 208 Screws, To Insert in Plastered Walls 24S Screw Tops of Jars, to Work Easily 206 Scrubbing Linoleum and Oilcloth 21S Sealing Wax for Fruit Cans 193 Sealing Wax, to M ake Black 190 Seasickness and Vomiting 93 Seasickness, Resorcine for 94 Seasickness, Worcester Sauce for 94 Sediment-cocks in Kitchen Boilers, Care of 207 Seidlitz Powders, To Make 88 Seven Ages of Milk 44 Severe Colds, Treatment of 109 Sewer Gas in Refrigerator 220 Sewer Gas, To Detect 228 Shade, Fastening to Roller 189 Shampoo, Simple 18 Sheet-iron Stoves, Rusting of. Causes and Cure 225 Sheets, Changing under Patient 199 Sheets, Doubling the W^ear of 197 Shine, Pressed Glassware, To 209 Shingles (Herpes Zoster), Treatment of 123 Shiny Noses, Recipe for 26 Shiny Silk or Satin, Cleaning » 173 Shoe Buttons, To Fasten 188 Shoe E>ressing, Glycerine as 186 Shoe Polish, Banana as a 187 Shoe Polish, Home-made 187 Shoe Preservative, Milk as a 187 Shoes and Slippers, Care of 186 Shoes, Child's, To Prevent Falls 187 Shoes, Waterproofing 188 Shrinkage, Wooden Pails, To Prevent 233 Shrinking Flannel 238 Sick Child, Giving Milk to a 43 Sick-room "Don'ts" 56-58 Sifting Ashes and Use of Cinders 223 Sifting Dustless Cinder 224 Silk, Finishing 243 Silk Hat, Brushing a Wet 178 Silk. To Remove Paint from 172 Silk Petticoat, Strengthening a 177 Silk, Remowing Tar from 172 SUk, Sponging Wrinkled 173 XXXVI INDEX PAGE Silks and Velvets, Cleaning and Improving 172 Silver, Liquid for Cleaning 191 Silver, To Keep Bright 191 Silver and Silver Plated Articles 192 Silverware, Discolored 191 Silverware, Washing with Borax 191 Sinks and Waste Pipes, Care of 228 Sinks, Chloride of Lime around 227 Sinks, Hand as a Suction Pump in 228 Sinks, Soda Lye for 228 Sitting and Walking of Young Children 40 Skillets, Clea'ning 213 Skin, Tonic Lotion for the 29 Skins, To Preserve for Rugs or Mats 150 Skirt, Home-made Hanger for 168 Skirt, Wrinkled, To Freshen 167 Skirts, Mending Frayed 177 Slate Floors, Polishing 158 Sleep as Cure of Headache 71 Sleep in Hot Weather §1 Sleep, Harmless ways to Induce 91 Sleeping Hours for Children 40 Sleeplessnes and the Hot Bath 54 Smelling Salts 22 Smoke, Avoiding when Lighting Stove Fire 225 Smoke and Dirt, Cleaning from Walls 207 Smoke, Suffocation from. To Prevent 75 Smoked Ceilings, Cleaning 247 Smoothing Irons without Wax 242 Smoothing Rough Irons 242 Snow as a Rug Cleanser 157 Snow for Bleaching Cloth 163 Snow lor Dustlesa Sweeping 159 Soaking Clothes 228 Soap and Flannels 237 Soap, Cutting Up when Fresh 226 Soap for Grease Spots 169 Soap, Hard, To Make 227 Soap, Injury to Oilcloth by 218 Soap Liniment 122 Soap, Soft 226 Soap, Use and Abuse of 226 Soap, Waste of in Dishpan 227 Soapbark as a Cleaner 168 Soap-shaker, Home-made 227 Soda Lye, Use for Sinks 228 Soda Mint 82 Soda, Washing Windows with 205 Sofa Pillows, Cotton Batting 196 Soft Corns 7 Soft Flour Paste 248 Soft Soap, To Make 228 Soften Leather, To 186 Softening Hard Putty 205 Softening Water for the Laundry , 236 Something in the Eye 35—36 Sore Mouth, Vegetable Foods for 25 Sore Throat, Remedy for a 104 Sore Throat, Steam as a Gargle for 104 Sore Throat, Treatment of 103 Sour Cask, To Sweeten a 262 Specific for Hiccough 69 Speedy Cure for Whooping-cough 110 XXXVH INDEX PAGE Spennaceti Ointment . . • 4 • 77 Spice-MiU. Cleaning of 202 Sponge, Bag for 200 Sponge, Used for Mustard Plaster 77 Sponges as Germ Collectors 201 Sponges, Bleaching almost Snow-white 163 Sponges, Cleaning Discolored 201 Sponges, to Bleach 163 Sponging Black Silk 173 Sponging when Washing Articles 168 Spongy Rubber for Cleaning Gloves 185 Spotted Clothing Cleaned 166 Sprain or Strain, Treatment of a 75-76 Sprains, Friction as a Remedy for 76 Sprains, Plaster for 77 Sprains or Bruises, Hot Water for 53 Sprinkling Clothes, Easy Way of 239 Sprinkling Clothes, Use of Com Broom for 90 Squeaking Boots, To Stop 187 Squirrel and Monkey Fur, Cleaning 179 Stain, Cherry, Imitating Old Mahogany 243 Stain, Chinese Eyelash 20 Stain, Dark Mahogany 244 Stain. Ebony 244 Stain, Perfect Mahogany 243 Stained Floors, Improving 244 Stained Mahogany Wood, To Clean 182 Stained White Straw Hat 178 Staining Black Walnut to Resemble Ebony 244 Staining Floors 243-244 Staining Halls 245 Staining Parlor Floors 244 Stains, Grease Removed from Books 153 Stains, Gunpowder, Removing 23 Stains, Ink on Mahogany, To Remove 182 Stains, Iodine, Removed fcom Hands 167 Stains, Iodine, Removing from Wood 182 Stains, Lampblack, To Remove from Cloth 166 Stains, Leather on Stockings, To Remove 232 Stains on Flannels 167 Stains Removed from Overcoat Collar 178 Stains, Removing from Baking Dishes 211 Stains, Removing from Cloths 166 Stains, Removing from Colored Materials 169 Stains, Removing Iodine from Linen^ 167 Stains, Removing Resin, Tar, Axle Grease 169 Stains, Removing Tea or Coffee 164 Stains, Removing with Tomatoes 33 Stains, Thinning, Importance of 243 Stale Bread for Cleaning Kid Gloves 185 Stair Carpets, Whisk Broom to Brush 161 Starch, Boiled and Soapsuds to Prevent Sticking 239 Starch, Cold Water 240 Starch, Creamy or Yellow Tinted 240 Starch, Straining 239 Starched Things and Ironing 240 Starching and Glazing 239 Starching Dark Wash Goods 239 Starching Lace 175 Starchy Foods and Child's Digestion 48 Steel, To Keep from Tarnishing 166 Stencil Colors, How Applied 254 Stencil, Drawing the Design of a 262 XXXVIII INDEX PAGB Stencil. Repairing a Torn 252 Stencilling 249-253 Stencilling, Brush for 254 Stencilling, Lead Foil used in 251 Stencilling, Materials for 261 Stencilling, Ties in 249 Stencilling, Use of Sponge in 254 Stenciling, Use of the Stile in 255 Stencils, Cutting 251 Stencils, Knives for 252 Stencils on Cartridge Paper 261 Stencils, Varnishing Paper 251 Sterilizer, Home-made Milk 45 Sticking of Lamp Wicks 216 Stiff enmg a Suit 234 Stiffening Linen 240 Stile, Use of in Stencilling 255 Stimulants and Lung Bleeding 1 10 Stings of Insects, Treatment of 125 Stocking Heels, To Save 166 Stomach, Sluggishness of the 87 Stomach Trouble, Hot Water for 53 Stomach, Washing out the 93 Stopping a Stye 33 Stopping Loss of Blood from Wounds 39 Stoutness and Leanness 66 Stove, Avoiding Smoke when Lighting Fire in 225 Stove, Burlap Cleaner of 224 Stove, Cement for Cracked Lids 223 Stove, Coal Soot Polish for 223 Stove Holders from Shirt CuSs 224 Stove, Liquid Blacking for 222 Stove, Newspaper as Cleaner of 223 Stove Pipe, Keeping Clean the 223 Stove Polish 222-225 Stove Polish, To Give High Lustre 223 Stove, Reducing Fire with Bricks in 224 Stove, Use of Small Broom around a 222 Stoves, Aluminum Paint for 224 Stoves, Ash Free Grates of 222 Stoves, Blacking Over-heated 223 Stoves. Care of 222-225 Stoves, Cement for 193 Stoves, Polishing Nickel on 223 Stoves. Proper use of 222-225 Stoves, Blackening Rusted 223 Stoves, Sheet-iron, Rusting of 226 Strain of the Eye 34 Straw. To Bleach 163 Straw Plait. To Bleach 164 Strengthening Silk Petticoats 177 Stretching Lace Curtains 174 Stunned. Treatment of the 132 Stye, Stopping a 33 Substitute for Lost Lid of Tea-kettle 212 Suffocation from Smoke. To Prevent 75 Sugar and Cow's Milk as Infant's Food 43 Sugar, Its Care in the Cupboard. 207 Sugar Solution for Removing Stains. ._ 165 Sugar, Value as Nourishment to a Child 43 Sulphur Bath 3 Sulphur, Burning as a Disinfectant 258 Sulphur, Disinfection by Means of , 258 XXXIX INDEX Sulphur for Canaries 2tj4 Sulphuric Acid, Poisoning byl 129 Summer Complaint in Children 96 Sunburn, Cucumber Juice for 23 Sunburn, Melon Juice for 23 Sunburn, Milk as a Wash for 22 Sunlight for Bleaching Cloth 163 SunUght, White Woodwork and 181 Sunshine and Feather-beds 196 Sunstroke, Cold Water Applications in 70 Sunstroke. Treatment of 132 Superfluous Hair 20 Suppositaries 83 Swallowing a Pin, Remedy for 132 Swallowing Piece of Glass, Remedy for 130 Swallowing Medicines, To Help a Child when 63 Sweaters, Washing 238 Sweeping 159 Sweeping, Advantages of Gasoline when 161 Sweeping Matting 158 Sweet Cream for the Hands 31 Sweet Oil, Removes Foreign Bodies from Eye 35 Sweet Oil, Removes Marks from Furniture 181 Syrup for Colds and Cough 107 Table Desl^atlng Amounts, etc.. When Fumigating 259 Tablecloth, Saving Pieces when Cutting 243 Tablecloths, Ironing 240 Table Covering, Fastening when too long 243 Table Linen Never Sprinkled for Ironing 239 Table M anners, Hmts on Good 137 Tacking Comforts 197 Talcum Powder, Cleaning White Kid Gloves with 185 Talcum Powder for Cleaning Lace 175 Tapeworm Cure 83 Tar, Removing from Silk 172 Tar, Removing from Cloth 169 Tar, Removing from Hands 33 Tar Paper as Moth Repellant 159 Tea as a Face Wash 22 Tea for the Hair 17 Teacups, Washing, To Prevent Breakage 213 Tea-kettle, Substitute Lid for 212 Tea Leaves for Sweeping Carpets 154 Tea or Coffee Stains of Long Standing, To Remove 165 Tea or Coffee Stains, Removing from Linens 165 Tea or Coffee Stains, To Remove from Fabrics 164 Tea-stained Tablecloth, Cleaning 229 Tea Stains, Sugar for Removing 165 Tea Stains to be Removed at once 164 Tear in Rubbers, M ending 176 Teeth, Care of the 11-13 Teeth, Causes of Decay 12 Teeth, Disadvantage of Hard Brushes for the 11 Teething and Constipated Children 48 Teething, Convulsions of Children 49 Telephone Mouthpiece, Disinfecting 268 Tempering Old Flatirons 242 Tender Feet, Cause of 8 Tender Feet and Feeble Health 8 Test for Damp Beds 196 Test for Gold 192 Testing Suspected Water ,.,,,, 61 XL INDEX PAGE Tests, Simple for Water Purity 204 Thick Liquids, To Facilitate Flow in Cold Weather 207 Thin and Small Eyebrows 20 Thinning Stains 243 Tight Shoes Cause of Tender Feet 8 Tinware, Cleaning When Hot 214 "Tipping Over" of Rockers, How to Prevent 182 Tired Eyes 34 To Avoid Cracking Glassware While Washing 209 Tobacco a Moth Repellant 169 Tobacco, Poisoning by 131 To Cleanse Glass or Porcelain Vessels 209 Toilet Bowl, Disinfecting 201 Toilet Waters, Cherry Laurel 4 Toilet Waters, Cologne Water (First Quality) 5 Toilet Waters, Cologne Water (Ordinary) 5 Toilet Waters, Florida 4 Toilet Waters, Home-made 4 Toilet Waters, Lavender 4 Toilet Waters, Provence Roses and Jasmine 5 Toilet Waters, Verbena 4 Toilet Waters, Violet 4 Tomatoes, Green, Removes M ildew 166 Tomatoes, Removing Stains from Hands with 33 Tonic Lotion for the Skin 29 Tongue in Health and Slight Ailments 65 Toothache Caused by Acidity 14 Toothache, Curing 14 Toothache, Reheving 14 Toothache, Remedy for 14 Toothache Wax 14 Tooth Brushee, Their Requirements 12 Tooth Cavities, History of 13 Tooth Cavities, Nesting-places for Various Diseases 13 Tooth Cleaner, Castile Soap 12 Tooth-extraction, Hemorrhage after 13 Tooth Wash 11 Torpid Liver, Remedy for 79 To Set Colors when Washing 231 Tortoise Shell Cement 190 Tortoise Shell, Keeping Bright 164 Tortoise SheU, To PoUsh 190 Transparent Glycerine Jelly 26 Treating Ingrowing Nail 6 Treatment for Warped, Drafty Floors 208 Treatment of Asthma and Allied Conditions 112 Treatment of Boils 133 Treatment of Bright 's Disease 117 Treatment of Bums and Scalds 72-74 Treatment of Cramps in the Leg 90 Treatment of Diabetes 118 Treatment of Diphtheria 101-102 Treatment of Diphtheria (Dr. Blondel's) 102 Treatment of Famting Persons 68 Treatment of Loss of Hair 17 Treatment of Neuralgia 72 Treatment of Oiled Woodwork 190 Treatment of Oily Skin 28 Treatment of Pneumonia 116 Treatment of Poison Ivy Poisoning 124 Treatment of Red Noses 26 Treatment of Sciatica - 121 Treatment of Severe Colds < 109 XLI INDEX PAGB Treatment of Shingles 123 Treatment of Sore Throat » . . . 103 Treatment of Sprain or Strain 75-76 Treatment of Summer Diarrhea 94 Treatment of Summer Diarrheas in Children 96 Treatment of Sunstroke 132 Treatment of the Stunned 132 Treatment, Rational, of Gall-stones 65-56 Trimmings, White, To Wash on a Dress 167 Trousers, Folding 178 Trousers, Hanging 178 Trouble from Over-feeding Infants 47 Trunk, Marking a 245 Trunks, Moving Heavy 245 Try 145-146 Tubes of Refrigerator, Cleaning 219 Turkish Toweling, Advantage of Buying by the Yard 200 Turpentine Cure for Corns 7 Turpentine, Grease Spots in Wool Removed with 173 Turpentine, Numerous uses of in the House 210 Typhoid Fever, Milk as a Cause of 46 Underwear, Mending Large Holes In 177 Unevenly Worn Brooms, Trimming and Using 159 Unsafe Drinking Water 51 Use and Abuse of Soap 226 Use for Old Rubbers 177 Use of Accumulated Fat 227 Useful Remedies for Swallowing Pin or Piece of Glass 132 Uses for Asbestos Mats 210 Uses for Little Scrubbing Brushes in the Kitchen 208 Uses for Screw-eyes in the Kitchen 208 Uses of Meat Grinder 203 Uses of Turpentine in the House 210 Using Left-over Wall Paper 247 Vagina, Inflamed Condition of 48 Varnish for Bronze Boots and Slippers 187 Varnish for Paper Stencils 251 Varnish Remover 32 Varnished Furniture, Removing Finger Marks on 181 Varnished Wood, Removing Marks on 181 Varnishing Floors 243 Varnishing Linoleum, Advantage of 218 Vaseline, Removing Face Powder With 23 Vegetable Foods for Sore Mouth 25 Veils, To Freshen 167 Velvet, Cleaning 173 Velvets, Cleaning and Improving 172 Ventilation, Easy and Effective Mode of 203 Ventilation In the Kitchen 201 Ventilation of Refrigerator 220 Verbena Water 4 Vermin-killers, Poisoning by 131 Vinegar Cruet, To Clean a 209 Vinegar, Lamp-wicks Soaked in 216 Violet Sachet Powder 4 Violet Water, Home-made 4 Vomiting of Pregnancy, Relief of 93 Vomiting, Quantity of Mustard for 94 Vomiting, Violent, Rehef of 93 Walking and Women 66 Wall Paper, Cleaning 247 XLII INDEX PAGE Wall Paper, Cleaning Delicate 247 Wall Paper. Patching 247 Wall Paper, Removing Old 247 Wall Paper, Using Left-over 247 Walnut Hair Dye 21 Wardrobe. Man's. Care of 178 Warm Bath for Tired Feet 9 Warming Bottle 197 Warmth of Bedclothes, Increasing the 195 Warm Water. Advantage of Using on Brooms 161 Warm Water. Removing Something in the Eye with 3t> Warm Water When Sweeping 161 Warped. Drafty Floors, Treatment of 208 Warts, Removing 11 Washboard, Glass. Advantages of 232 Wash Dress. Green Color Made Fast in 232 Wash for the Teeth 11 Wash Lines to Facilitate Wash Hanging 235 Wash to Perfume the Breath 12 Wash Tub. Leaky. To Mend 234 Wash Tubs. Care of 235 Washing Black and Fancy Hosiery 232 Washing Black or Navy Blue Linens and Percales 233 Washing Blankets 237 Washing Chamois Gloves 1S6 Washing, Cheap Labor, Fuel and Time Saving 233 Washing Colored Linens and Muslins without Fading 233 Washing Combs 16 Washijig Cut Glass 209 Washing Dishes 211 Washing Egg from Dishes 212 Washing Embroideries 231 Washing Embroidery in Crewels or Silk 234 Washing Fluid 228 Washing Garments by Sponging 168 Washing Heavy Bed-clothes 238 Washing Lace Door Panel 175 Washing Lamp Chimneys 216 Washing Mattings 157 Washing Milk Tins 212 Washing Muslin and Scrim 230 Washing out the Stomach 93 Washing Paint with Whiting 202 Washing Plain White Toilet Cloths 230 Washing Printed Goods of Black Groimd 233 Washing Silverware with Borax 191 Washing Soiled Dress Shields 233 Washing Sweaters 233 Washing Teacups, to Prevent Breakage 213 Washing Glassware. To Avoid Cracking 209 Washing Trimmings on a Dress 167 Washing White Silk Stockings 232 Washing Woolen Garments Rapidly 238 Waste Pipes and Sinks. Care of 227 Water. Advantage of Drinking 51 Water and Fresh Air 47 Water as a Food 61 Water Best for Rinsing 236 Water, Boihng. for Stains 165 Water-brash and Heartburn 87 Water, Clearing Muddy 236 Water, Cold Applications of in Bleeding 38 W ater. Disease Germs in 52 XLIII INDEX PAGE Water, Drinking, and Galvanized-iron Pails 201 Water-drinking before Retiring 61 Water, Filtering Boiled 52 Water, Filtering Unsafe 51 Water, Hot, for Medicinal Purposes 53 Water, Hot, When not to Drink 62 Water, Quantity needed Daily 51 Water, Removing "Rust " from 52 Water-resisting Glue 195 Water, Safe Drinking 60-52 Water, Simple Tests for 204 Water, Suspended Matter of, and Illness 61 Water, Testing Suspected 51 Waterproofing Shoes 188 Water-tank Cement 194 Wax, Black Sealing, To Make 190 Wax Polishing of Floors 245 Wax, Sealing, for Fruit Cans 193 Wax Spots on Silk, To Remove 172 Weed-killer, Poisoning by 132 Weight on Wash-hne, Use for 236 Well, The Really Perfect 52 Wells, Cold, Not Always Pure 52 Wells, Sort of. To be Avoided 52 Wet Cloths Over Registers when Shaking Fires 161 Whisk Broom for Brushing Carpets 161 White China Silk, Cleaning 173 White Cotton P'abrics, Removing Silver Stains from 172 White Flannel Clothing, Cleaning 180 White Kid Gloves, Talcum Powder to Clean 185 White Lead for Piles 83 White of Egg for Wrinkles 30 White Paint, Cleaning 246 White Plumes, Cleaning 176 White Spots on Furniture 180 White Spots on Varnished Furniture 215 White Toilet Cloths, Washing 230 White Woodwork, Care of 181 White Zephyr Articles, To Clean 166 Whiten Flannels, To 238 Whitewash and Whitewashing 255-256 Whitewash, Brown 2.')5 Whitewash, Drab Colored 256 Whitewash, Flour Paste in 256 Whitewash for Outhouses and Fences 256 Whitewash that Won't Wash off 256 Whitewashed Walls, Papering 248 Whooping-cough, Regimen, etc., for 110 Whooping-cough, Remedy for 110 Whooping-cough, Speedy Cure for 110 Wicker Furniture, Cleaning 182 Wicks for Lamps 215-216 Windows, Cleaning, with Newspapers 205 Windows, Removing Paint from 246 Windows that Stick, To Remedy 205 Windows, Washing with Soda 205 Window Screens, Marking 202 Window Screens, To Keep from Rusting 202 Window Shades 189 Window Shades, Fastening Easily 1.S9 Wine Stains Removed from Linen 170 Winter Clothing 115 Winter, Dentition More Severe in 15 XLIV INDEX PAGE Winter Itch, Application for 123 Wire-screen Griddles 202 Wire Tray as Dish Drainer 212 Woman 's Best Friend 53 Woman's Headgear as Cause of Neuralgia 71 Women and Overeating 66 Women and Walking 66 Women Predisposed to Pneumonia ll* Wooden Kitchen Utensils, To Clean 214 Wooden Pails, To Prevent Shrinkage 233 Woodenware, Care of 205 Woodwork, OUed, Treatment of 190 Wool Yellowed by Chl.iride of Lime 163 Woolen Garments, Rapid Washing of 238 Woolen Goods, Use of Paper when Pressing 177 Woolen Lace, Rinsing 175 Woolen Skirts, Soap Bark as a Cleaner of 168 Worcester Sauce for Seasickness 9^ Worms, To Prevent 82 Worn Brooms, Use for 1^9 Worn-r.ut Shirt Cuffs, Use of 224 Wounds and Sores 38 Wounds and Sores, Hot Water for 54 Wounds, Dressing of 39 Wounds, Extract of Quebracho for 38 Wounds, Stopping Loss of Blood from 39 Woven Underwear, Mending Large Holes in 177 Wrinkled Silk, Improving 173 Wrinkled Skirt, To Freshen 167 Wrinkles around the Mouth, To Obliterate 29 Wrinkles, Astringent for 30 Wrinkles in Cloth, To Remove 180 Wrinkles on the F'ace 29 Wrinkles, Use of Hot Water for 29 Wrinkles, White of Egg and Alum for 30 Wrinkly Skin of the Neck 29 Yellowing of White Woodwork by Sunlight 181 Zinc-covered Tables, Cleaning 203 Zinc Covering for Draining Board 203 Zinc, Covering Kitchen Tables and Shelves with 203 Zinc Placed Before Kitchen Stove 203 XLV PART ONE CARE OF THE SKIN, TEETH, AND HAIR. TOILET PREPARATIONS, BEAUTIFIERS. CARE OF THE HUMAN BODY. PREVENTION OF DISEASE. CARE OF THE HANDS. PERFUMES. HOME NURSING. CARE OF CHILDREN. HOUSEHOLD REMEDIES. HYGIENE. FEEDING. BATHING. CARE IN DIETING. CAUSES OF DISEASE. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS - The Porch Should be Screened." To keep a cut clean until the arrival of relief plnce a clean class, opening down, over it, fasten with a bandage and have the injured person take a reclining position. To prevent a draught from an open window, place a large sheet of cardboard as in the above figure. The incoming air will be deflected and follow along the wall. Sleeping in the open air without chilling the body can be arranged by making a tent-like hood that fits in^the window frame and into which the steeper places his head. The up and down brushing movements with the toothbrush clean the teeth bet- ter than the back and forward movements alone. BATHING Do not bathe when tired. Avoid bathing within two hours after a meal. Avoid bathing when the body is cooling after perspiration. In fatigue, a very hot bath lasting only half a minute is good. Avoid chilling the body by sitting or standing undressed on the banks or in boats after having been in the water. Avoid remaining too long in the water; leave the water imme- diately there is the slightest feeling of chilliness. The vigorous and strong may bathe early in the morning on an empty stomach. Any excess in the use of the Russian or Turkish bath is to be avoided, especially where there is a tendency to heart disease. Aromatic odors are to a degree disinfectant, and all agreeable perfumes have a more or less soothing effect upon the nervous system. The use of all baths favors a free action of the skin, and as a mat- ter of course when the skin is absolutely clean the complexion is improved. The use of aromatic waters, oils, and perfumes in the bath is desirable from a sanitary point of view as well as a matter of physical luxury. Take a daily veater bath, not only for cleanliness, but for skin gymnastics. A cold bath is better for this purpose than a hot bath. A short hot followed by a short cold bath is still better. For a weak person when bathing, especially in summer, a gill of ammonia in a small tub of water, or some rock salt, is a wonderful invigorator, almost as good as a sea bath. 1 2 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS The young and those who are weak had better bathe two or three hours after a meal; the best time for such is from two to three hours after breakfast. Those who are subject to attacks of giddiness or faintness, and those who suffer from palpitation and other sense of discomfort at the heart, should not bathe without first consulting their medical adviser. A neutral bath, beginning at 96 or 98 degrees, dropping not more than 5 degrees, and continued fifteen minutes or more, is an excellent means of resting the nerves. The tepid bath is the best adapted to the purposes of cleanli- ness and healthful exercise. To delicate females and young children, it is of primary importance. Where soiled clothes have to be kept in the bathroom, a small barrel painted inside and out, with holes in the sides for ventilation, is better than a basket. Anyone troubled with pimples should avoid bathing in cold water. Take plenty of hot baths, and give the eruptions a chance to come out on the body, if they must come out at all. Wash the face in hot water, wiping it very gently. Avoid bathing altogether in the open air, if, after having been a short time in the water, it causes a sense of chilliness, with numb- ness of the hands and feet. Bathe when the body is warm, provided no time is lost in getting into the water. Leave the water immediately if the slightest feeling of chilliness is observed. Persons whose hands and feet have a feeling of numb- ness and cold, after being in the water a short time, should not bathe in the open air. An Epsom salts bath is said to be good for women who are nervous and have kidney troubles. Dissolve two pounds of Epsom salts in a bath tub of water, and stay in the bath fifteen or twenty minutes. The water should be warm, but not hot. Take a good rest after the bath. This bath is also considered a beautifier. Nothing can be more absurd than the common practice of mothers and nurses in washing children, no matter how sickly or unwell, with cold water, under the idea of bracing up the constitution; whereas the use of tepid water alone is not only the most agreeable, but the most proper fluid to excite the energies of the system in young children. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 3 The sanitary value of baths is acknowledged, so that here it is only necessary to remind the reader that different forms of the bath produce different effects, the cold bath being tonic, and requiring sufficient vigor to insure reaction from the first shock it occasions, the relaxing effect of the warm bath making it necessary to guard against taking cold after it. The tepid bath is attended with several advantages; the surface of the skin is by it freed from that scaly matter, which always collects more or less on the healthiest person; the pores of the skin thus being free, the natural perspiration is promoted, the limbs are ren- dered supple, and any stiffness, which may have been produced by exertion or fatigue, is removed. Such immersion has been found to allay thirst — a proof that water is absorbed and enters the body through the skin. To wash the face thoroughly, dip it down into a basin of tepid water, then soap the hands a little and rub all over the skin of the face with a gentle friction. Dip the face in water a second time and dry with a thick, soft towel, rubbing gently until the skin glows. If fleshworms disfigure the nose, rub this part especially thoroughly, and when all is dry put a little vaseline on the hand and go all over the face, rubbing it well into the pores. Wipe again and dust over with baby powder. Thus treated, no face will ever chap in the roughest wind. Baths, to achieve much in the way of flesh reduction, must be persisted in and taken very frequently, often too frequently for the general health. The Turkish and Roman baths are what are recommended. The Turkish bath should be given, so as to make the perspiration very free. This is what is supposed to carry off the fat. In my opinion, while the baths will keep down the fiesh and will reduce it somewhat, they cannot accomplish much unless taken too often and continued too long to be compatible with health. To keep the skin healthy and to remove the outer layers of the skin, soak in a hot bath, or take a cabinet bath or Turkish bath once a week; but these taken only once a week will do little in the way of flesh reduction. BATHS AND TOILET WATERS Use oatmeal instead of soap for toilet purposes. Sulphur Bath. — Four ounces potassium sulphide and one ounce sulphuric acid dissolved in thirty gallons of water. 4 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Verbena Water. — Oil of lemon grass, three drachms; oil of lemon peel, one-half ounce; deodorized alcohol, three pints. Florida Water. — Oil of lavender, two ounces; oil of lemon, one ounce; oil of orange (peel), one ounce; oil of clove, five drachms; deodorized alcohol, one gallon. A little ammonia in hard water makes a satisfactory and healthy bath. The mineral constituents of the hard water from artesian wells are principally of the various combinations of lime and magnesia. An ounce of clove pink petals infused in three-quarters of a pint of pure alcohol with a few verbena leaves is a refreshing odor for the bath. Lavender water is made by slowly steeping for one hour in a covered farina boiler one pound of fresh lavender with one pint of water. On its removal from the fire add two quarts of alcohol, filter and bottle for use. Cologne Water (Ordinary). — Oil of lavender, one-half ounce; oil of rosemary, one-half ounce; oil of bergamot, one ounce; oil of lemon, two ounces; oil of clove, one-half drachm; deodorized alcohol, one gallon. Toilet waters can be easily made at home. For violet water put a quarter of a pound of fresh picked, sweet violets together with their weight of pure alcohol, into a large bottle, cork and shake the bottle every day for one week; then add a quarter of a pound of water, filter and bottle for use. One of the most delightful of home-made toilet waters is cherry laurel water. Bruise one ounce of bay leaves and add to them a half pint of water. Steep slowly for an hour in a farina boiler, take it from the fire and add one quart of lavender water, filter and bottle for use. Perfumed Powder for Boxes and Drawers. — Coriander powder, Florentine orris root powder, powdered rose leaves, powdered sweet- scented flag root, of each two ounces; lavender flowers, jjowdered, four ounces; musk, one scruple; powder of sandal-wood, one drachm. Mix. Violet sachet powder for perfuming clothes, notcpaper, etc.: Powdered rose leaves or orris root, three pounds; powdered bergamot peel, one pound; powdered cloves and cinnamon, eacli six ounces; powdered acacia and orange flowers, each eight ounces; starch, three pounds. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 5 An excellent quality of bay rum may be easily prepared as follows: Dissolve ten cents' worth of magnesia in two quarts of rain water; add two quarts of alcohol and one ounce of the oil of bay. Make a funnel of filtering paper and pour the mixture slowly through it, after which bottle and cork tightly. In using dilute with rain water to any strength required. Cologne Water (First Quality). — Oil of neroH, bigarade, six drachms; oil ot rosemary flowers, three drachms; oil of bergamot, three drachms; oil of cedrat, seven drachms; oii of orange (peel), seven drachms; deodorized alcohol, one gallon. Allow the mixture to stand a week, to secure a complete jombination of the various odors. The foregoing recipe yields a delightful preparation, but it is somewhat expensive. Lavender Water. — Oil of lavender, two ounces; deodorized alco- hol, three pints. It is of the utmost importance that the essential oils used in mak- ing these "waters" siiould be fresh, esyjecially those of the citrine family. Oils of orange and lemon as often found in the market are strongly terebinthate from exposure to the air; and with such oils it is of course impossible to secure results satisfactory to judges of perfumes. Provence roses and jasmine, lavender flowers and rose petals, with sprigs of rosemary, form a delightful adjunct to the summer bath. To a pint of pure vinegar, add half an ounce of lavender flowers or jasmine, the same quantity of common red rose petals, the juice of a lemon, and a few sprigs of rosemary. Infuse for two days in an earthera jar, then stand the jar in a kettle of warm water for a day, and filter the contents through chemists' paper. Add sprigs of thyme or rue, a handful of clover blossoms, if you like their odor, and sprinkle a few drops in the hand-basin or a tablespoonful in the bath. Rose Potpourri. — Gather the rose leaves; pack them in a stone crock with alternate layers of salt. Keep in a cool, dry place. Leave for a week after the last petals have been added, then turn out on a broad tray, and toss and mix thoroughly. Mix well with the in- gredients given below, return to jar, and pack away to ripen for six weeks. Powders. — One-half ounce each of violet, rose and heliotrope pow- ders; one ounce of ])owdered orris root, a half teaspoonful each of mace and cloves, one quarter teaspoonful of cinnamon. Liquids. — Four drops oil of roses, ten drops oil of neroli, twenty drops oil of lavender, twenty droris oil of eucalyptus, ten drops of bergamot, two drachms of pure alcohol. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS HOW TO TREAT AN INGROWING NAIL, CORNS, WATER BLISTERS, ETC. The first consideration in the care of the feet is cleanliness — absolute, unfailing and systematic. In dressing the feet, they should be washed quickly every day, and now and then given a good soaking while any callous places are rubbed with pumice stone. If the bath is given daily it needs but a few minutes. For ingrowing toenail, take one drachm of muriatic acid, one drachm of nitric acid, and one ounce of chloride of zinc. Apply one drop of this mixture to the affected part once a day. This gives instant relief to the pain caused by ingrowing toenail. The comers of the nails should be frequently lifted to prevent ingrowing, which often comes with the narrow shoes; and although the nails should be cut, great pains should be taken not to cut them to the quick, as, aside from the annoyance, that act has been known to produce lockjaw. An ingrowing nail is almost always the result of a tight or badly shaped boot or shoe. When there appears the first symptoms of such, pare the edges carefully, rubbing with vaseline or some emollient, and if it develops into a serious case it must be poulticed and bathed frequently in hot water. Hebra treats ingrowing nail in the following manner: Cut some flakes of lint of the length of the lateral groove of the nail, or a little longer. The lint is to be placed on the nail, parallel to its groove; then with a flat probe introduce the lint, thread by thread, between the flesh and nail. Thus the parts are separated, with the little cushion of lint lying between. The sulcus is then to be filled with pledgets of lint, and finally long narrow strips of adhesive plas- ter are to be applied, always from above the inflamed sulcus down- ward, in such a manner that the latter is still farther removed from the margin of the nail. With such a dressing applied with sufficient care, there is no pain whatever; and the patient can in a short time put on his ordinary stocking, and walk without trouble. After twenty-four hours the strips of adhesive plaster are to be removed, being previously softened in a bath of tepid water. This dressing is to be repeated daily; in from two to four weeks it will be found that the toe is entirely well. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 7 Next in your pedicuring operations examine the toes carefully for soft corns, which come between them. Constant rubbing in the bath will ward these off and generally remove them. In spite of long established tradition we would recommend never applying the knife to a soft or hard com, even, unless as a last resort. It almost invariably induces a return of the trouble. To get rid of a soft corn, apply a little raw cotton soaked in castor oil. Bind it upon the com with a strip of soft, old linen. If you will thoroughly soak the foot in hot mustard and water, rubbing the corn all the time, you will find in nearly every case it can be picked out from the heart, an application of strong aromatic vinegar assisting the operation; while, if obstinate, touch with iodine every other day, never neglecting the nightly bath. Lint dipped in some soft cream or vaseline should be placed between the afflicted toes and a light bandage put to hold it in place. While working for a cure an easy shoe or boot must be worn. To get rid of corns, dress them every night with turpentine. After a fortnight or three weeks of this treatment, the corns, with their roots, will "tumble out." Try poultices of bread soaked in vinegar on your corns. Bind them on with a strip of cloth, and change them every two hours until the com has become less sore, then change twice daily until it is cured. Some corns are so painful that neither paint nor plaster can be endured, something of the nature of a shield alone giving relief. For such cases as these the following "wrinkle" may be appreciated. Take a corn-shield, enlarge the diameter of the hole to a small extent by means of a knife or scissors, and apply in the usual way. Then place in the hollow thus formed over the corn a small quantity of any of the following solutions: Salicylic acid and ext. Cannabis ind. dissolved in ether; or, ext. Cannabis indica, half a drachm, dissolved in two drachms of liquor potassae; or, a saturated solution of iodine or iodide of potash in strong alcohol. The shield does the double serv- ice of taking the pressure of the boot off the com and at the same time preventing the liquid from being mbbed off by the sock, while all of these solutions penetrate the skin much more rapidly than the usual collodion preparation, and are consequently much more effect- ive in their operation. 8 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS The saturated solution of iodine often succeeds in removing corns and indurated epidermis when all else has failed, and the solvent action of liquor potassae is a sufficient credential to induce for it at least a trial. In case of any injury to the foot, such as a laceration or the thrust of a rusty nail gives, keep the foot wet and well bound up in olive oil, and there will be little danger of lockjaw. Many suffer with water blisters. These can be treated by opening them carefully with a sharp scissors, but do not cut away the loose skin until for a day or two there has been a light applica- tion of simple cerate on a soft rag while a new cuticle is forming. Nor is it wise to cut too freely the proud or callous flesh which comes on the sole and heel so often. Rubbing with pumice stone after the bath will nearly always remove this and prevent it. Corns, bunions and callosities are benefited by painting with iodine. First soak thoroughly in hot water. The feet should always be kept dry and warm; cold feet are a fruitful source of consumption. Tender feet are sometimes indicative of feeble health, and in that case the medical attendant is to be called upon to build up the sufferer. Any ordinary chill and numbness maybe cured by friction; but even a resort to knitted woolen bed socks by night, and hot water foot-warmers by day, is better than to let them remain cold while the blood lies congestively and poisonously about the heart and lungs. The quickest lelief from fatigue is to plunge the foot in ice-cold water and keep it immersed until there is a sensation of warmth. Another tonic for the sole is a handful of alcohol. This is a sure way of drying the feet after being out in the storm. Spirit baths are used by professional dancers, acrobats and pedestrians to keep the feet in condition. Tender feet are generally the result of tight shoes and of the continued use of those that are waterproof, wliich confine the per- spiration and keep the feet in a perpetual warm bath. The tight shoes and tlie waterproofing or india-rubber wear should be discarded where the feet have become tender, and the feet should be soaked frequently with a handful of bran in tlie water, or, better still, of borax, and afterwards subjected to gentle but firm friction. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS PERSPIRING FEET There are certain feet which exhale a disagreeable odor, and one of which the owner is usually unconscious. When one makes sure of it, if frequent bathing and changes of hosiery do not abolish the scent, a portion of salicylic acid in the foot-bath will generally do so, correcting the pungency and foulness of the perspiration. Where this is not attainable, a teaspoonful of chloride of lime may be used in their bath, or, twice as much spirits of ammonia, and even common salt, or, a little vinegar has been known to make a great improvement. No soap is to be used with any of these preparations. For Perspiring Feet. — Talc, ten parts; alum, two parts. Largely used in Swiss army, preferable to chromic acid, and applicable even for sore feet. Remedy for Excessive Perspiration. — Carbolic acid, one part; burnt alum, four parts; starch, two hundred parts; French chalk, fifty parts; oil of lemon, two parts. Make a fine powder, to be applied to the hands and feet, or to be sprinkled inside of the gloves or stockings. Moisture of the hands and feet, when excessive, is often cured by the use of ablutions of boracic acid, one part acid to twenty of hot water. Powder afterwards with the following: Salicylic acid, three parts; talc, seven parts; starch, ninety parts; all powdered. Lycopodium powder is also a good remedy if frequently rubbed on the skin affected. A warm bath with an ounce of sea salt is almost as restful as a nap. Paddle in the water until it cools, dry with a rough towel, put on fresh stockings, have a change of shoes, and the woman who was "ready to drop" will have a very good understanding in ten minutes. CHILBLAINS They are most often the sequel of thoughtlessness, of holding the feet to a hot fire after they have been chilled; and warmth and dryness are their best preventives. When, however, they have ar- rived, one of the most helpful things to do with them is to paint them twice a day with tincture of iodine, not putting on quite enough to blister. Instead of this, they may be rubbed with turpentine, or with camphorated oil. 10 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Oil of sassafras, applied full strength, is excellent for chilblains. This is also good for corns. To prevent chilblains the best plan is to take as much exercise as possible, and avoid tight wristbands, garters, and everything that prevents the circulation of the blood. Few ailments rival the exquisite torture which chilblains know how to give, when the skin becomes a leaden or deep purple color and itches, aches, and bums unbearably. The most frequent cause of chilblains is the warming of numbed hands and feet at the fire; this habit should be carefully avoided. Encourage children to use the skipping-rope during cold weather — this is a capital preventive — together with regularly wash- ing and rubbing the feet. We give a few household remedies for the cure of these dis- agreeable companions. 1. Take half an ounce of white wax, one ounce of ox-marrow, two ounces of lard; melt slowly over a fire in a pipkin, and mix them well together; then strain through a linen cloth. 2. Before going to bed spread the ointment on the parts affected, feet or hands, taking care to wrap them up well. 3. Lemon juice rubbed on the inflamed parts is said to stop the itching. 4. A sliced onion dipped in salt has the same effect, but is apt to make the feet tender. 5. When the chilblains are broken, a little warm vinegar, or tincture of myrrh, is an excellent thing to bathe the wound and keep it clean. 6. Another useful remedy is a bread poultice, at bedtime, and in the morning apply a little resin ointment spread on a piece of lint or old linen. If the skin breaks, that is another thing, and they should then be anointed with glycerine, or with spermaceti ointment to every seven drachms of which have been added two drachms of glycerine and one drachm of pulverized gall-nuts. To remove moth patches, put one tablespoonful of the flour of sulphur in a pint of rum. Apply to the patches once a day and in two or three weeks they will disappear. Moles may be removed by cautery, by excision, by caustic, by ligature, by electrolysis. Of all these methods, electrolysis is the best, because it leaves very little scar and causes comparatively little pain. Caustics cause the least pain and are easily applied, but their operation is tedious, and they are apt to stain and disfigure the skin. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 11 WARTS If they give you no special inconvenience, let them alone. But if it is of essential importance to get rid of them, purchase half an ounce of muriatic acid, put it in a broad-bottomed vial, so that it vpill not easily turn over; take a stick as large as the end of a knitting- needle, dip it into tlie acid, and touch the top of the wart with what- ever of the acid adheres to the stick; then, with the end of the stick, rub the acid into the top of the wart, without allowing the acid to touch the well skin. Do this night and morning, and a safe, painless, and effectual cure is the result; or, apply castor oil to a wart several times a day for a week or two, and it will disappear and not return; or, apply washing soda, just wet, a few times; let it remain on, and they will soon disappear altogether; or, scrape a carrot fine and apply as a poultice for six nights; or, rub sal-ammoniac on the wart twice a day until it disappears. THE CARE OF THE TEETH Tincture of camphor, ten to twelve drops in a tumbler of water, makes a good daily wash for the teeth. Hard brushes make the gums recede from the teeth, and produce premature decay by exposing the soft bone of the tooth to the air. The direction of the brushing should always be from the gums, not toward them — that is, downward for the upper teeth and up- ward for the lower. One should have a good mouthwash standing on the toilet table handy in a covered glass, so that after eating anything the mouth can be washed clean. A saturated solution of boric acid makes a good and inexpen- sive wash. If the teeth are sensitive, a wash of bicarbonate of soda is excellent, a teaspoonful to a glassful of water. Cracking nuts, biting thread, eating hot food, especially bread and pastry raised with soda, very cold drinks, alternate contact with cold and hot substances, highly seasoned food, alcoholic liquors and tobacco, metal toothpicks, and want of cleanliness are injurious to the teeth. 12 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS It is best to rinse the mouth thoroughly before brushing the teeth, for that will remove the larger particles of food which have accumulated. Tooth brushes should be elastic and moderately hard, those in which the bristles are placed a little apart are the most desirable. A brush that is too hard may be permanently softened by dipping it into hot water. Rub up and down as well as across the teeth. A drop or two of tincture of myrrh in the cup of water used for cleansing the teeth will aid in producing a healthy hardness to the gums and also sweeten the breath. All teeth are practically alike, chemically. The conditions in the mouth around the teeth are the cause of decay. These con- ditions parents and dentists can control. Care from babyhood will prevent 75 per cent, of the decay and an even greater percentage of irregular teeth. Wash to Perfume the Breath. — Cloves, bruised in a mortar, three teaspoonfuls; boiling water, one pint. Infuse for an hour in a covered vessel — exactly as in making tea — when cold, decant, or filter through coarse muslin. Wash the mouth with it as often as may seem necessary. Antiseptic Mouthwash. — Dr. Miller finds that by using the following mixture he could completely sterilize th.e mouth, cavities in carious teeth, etc.: Thymol, 4 grains; benzoic acid, 45 grains; tincture of eucalyptus, 3-2 fluid drachms; water, 25 fluid ounces. The mouth is to be well rinsed with this mixture, especially before going to bed. A good way to clean teeth is to dip the brush in water, rub it over genuine castile soap, then dijj in it prepared chalk. The bristles of the tooth brush cannot well be too soft, and they should be ar- ranged in separate bundles, in order that they may pass readily between the teeth and into the natural depressions. During babyhood the mouth should be thoroughly and regularly cleansed with a solution of boracic acid. After two years a small soft brush may be employed, and the child taught to use it with a downward and upward motion. He should also be taught the use of mouth washes. A pinch of bicarbonate of soda in a little warm water is a splendid purifier, and if the gums need hardening salt and water is excellent. A little of the baking soda in wnrm water will relieve inflammation. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 13 In cases of serious hemorrhage after tooth-extraction the plugging of the cavity with wool soaked in turpentine is at once rapid and effectual. Every cavity has the following history: (1) An unclean spot on the tooth; (2) the bacteria which produce decay are thus able to stick there; (3) they become covered and protected by a gelatinous mucoid covering; (4) under the protection of this covering they produce an acid which destroys the enamel at the spot, forming a cavity; (5) these bacteria thrive on starchy and sweet foods. The cavities of decay in teeth are nesting-places for the germs of many diseases, such as diphtheria, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc., and these germs are always on the spot ever ready to take hold of weakened tissue. By keeping the mouth clean with the tooth brush and having cavities filled and missing teeth replaced by the dentist the danger of infection is lessened. It is more essential to brush the teeth after meals than it is to wash the face before them, as is the practice of farmers. Dr. Osicr says that there is no one single thing in the whole range of hygiene more important than the hygiene of the mouth; and Dr. Grady, of the Annapolis Academy, says: "The tooth-brush drill is as needful as any gymnastic exercise for the preservation of health." Offensive Breath. — This may be due to bad teeth, to be remedied by the dentist. Otherwise (unless due to gangrene of the lung or cancer inside the mouth, neither of which are slight ailments), it is generally due to eating too much and taking too little exercise, and is cured by regulated diet, with laxatives and bicarbonate of potash taken 15 or 20 grains (or a like quantity of sal ammoniac), in a tumbler of water, night and morning. The chief rules which must be attended to and observed in connection with the care of the teeth are as follows: First, if possible, the mouth should be rinsed out after every meal. Secondly, the teeth should be brushed, night and morning, with a tooth powder; mere tooth "washes" are ineffective in keeping the teeth clean and pure. A good powder is the "precipitated chalk" of druggists, well made, and having a little camphor added. This preparation is sold under the name of "camphorated chalk," and the camphor has a stimulating and healthy influence on the gums. Thirdly, use a medium tooth brush, neither too hard nor too soft, and use water with the chill taken off, wherewith to brush the teeth. By attention to these simple rules, not merely will a notable item in personal appearance be preserved, but health will be secured, and pain avoided. 14 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS TOOTHACHE To Relieve Toothache. — Dr. Popoff recommends a solution of potassium permanganate, 1 part to 500, as a remedy for toothache. A little of this solution is to be held in contact with the tooth, for a few minutes, repeating the application every half-hour. Toothache can be effectually cured by putting a small piece of cotton wet with ammonia into the cavity of the affected tooth; or, pulverize about equal parts of common salt and alum. Cut as much cotton as will fill the tooth; damp it; put it in the mixture, and place it in the tooth. This is also a good mixture for cleansing the teeth. Toothache often arises from acidity of the saliva, which causes irritation and inflammation of the exposed nerves. A strong solution of bicarbonate of soda will generally remedy this kind of toothache. The mouth should be well rinsed with the solution, and it may be also applied to the teeth and gums with a moderately hard tooth brush. To alleviate the pain of toothache — nothing, probably, but filling or extraction can work a perfect cure — take at once a tolerably strong dose of opening medicine. As a rule, no soonor does this operate than the pain disappears for a wock or two. Meanwhile a little bit of cotton dipped in a solution of shellac, or of gum mastic and spirits of wine makes a good temporary stopping for decayed teeth. Creosote is the safest domestic remedy to employ if the pain be very bad. To avoid, however, scarifying the tongue and gums, you should get a friend to apply it for you by putting a bit of cotton wool dipped in it into the hollow of the tooth. Remedy for Toothache. — First wash the mouth well with warm water, then use the following tincture: Tannin, 10 grains; gum mastic, § drachm; 10 drops of carbolic acid; dissolve in § ounce of sulphuric ether. Paint the decaj^ed hollow of the aching tooth over with this tincture twice or thrice, using a camel's hair brush. The tincture will remain in good condition for a month or more, provided care is taken to keep it in a vial with a glass stopper. Toothache Wax. — Into two parts of melted white wax or sperma- ceti one part of carbolic acid crystals and two parts of chloral hy- drate crystals are introduced, and the whole well stirred. Into this liquid thin layers of carholizcd cotton wool are introduced and al- lowed to dry. A plug of this, slightly warmed, inserted into a hol- low tooth, is said to give immediate relief. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 15 PAINFUL DENTITION A drop or two of camphorated spirits will allay inflammation of the gums. Hager recommends the following in case of painful denti- tion. — Chloroform, ten drops; tincture of Spanish crocus, half a drachm; honey, half an ounce; glycerine, one ounce. To be rubbed on the gums to ally irritation. Dentition is commonly more severe in the winter than in summer, and in large cities than in the country, and among the badly-nourished children of the poor than the carefully-tended ofif- spring of the rich. The treatment of teething should be mostly preventive. The child does not need medicines but fresh air. If it lives in the city, the greatest care should be taken to supply the child with pure air, by taking it out to the parks and public squares, very much of the time when the weather will permit. The rooms in which it lives and sleeps should be so well ventilated as to be always supplied with as pure air as possible. Pure air is a great essential in preventing trouble and danger with children during teething. The habit of stuffing a little child with a great variety of food, salted and seasoned, is almost sure to derange the whole digestive canal, and through this medium so affect the child's health as to make teething a serious affair. If the child is not weaned, and the mother's or nurse's milk is abundant and good, this should constitute the little one's sole food. If cow's milk is used it should be from a new milch cow that is perfectly healthy and properly fed. Cows fed on slops of all sorts can never give perfectly healthy milk. If the child is weaned, bread and milk, good potatoes, boiled rice, oatmeal gruel or barley gruel, and a little ripe fruit will all be excellent. Feed with great regularity and not oftener than once in four hours. In its application to carious teeth creosote is often incon- venient, in consequence of its fluidity producing ill-effects upon the mucous membrane of the mouth. This may be obviated by giving to it a gelatinous solidity by adding ten parts of collodion to fifteen of creosote. This, besides being more manageable then liquid creosote, also closes up the orifice in the tooth, preventing the access of the air to the dental nerve. 16 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS THE CARE OF THE HAIR AND SCALP Loosei-. the hair on retiring, and allow it to remain so at least until morning. Washing combs in water soon causes them to warp and break. A stiff, dry nail brush is a good cleansing agent. To clean hair brushes, wash with a weak solution of washing soda, rinse out all the soda, and expose to the sun. A coarse comb should be used in preference to a fine one, though the latter may be used occasionally to comb out the hair. The ordinary hair brush of soft texture is as good a brush as one need use. The bristles should not be set too closely, nor be too stiff. Beware of paying too much attention to the hair, as well as neglecting it. Some women spoil their hair by twisting, pulling, crimping, and torturing their hair generally. Never do your hair up tightly; it injures the scalp and the bulbs of the hair. Never use a hot iron ; it dries the scalp, splits the hair, and generally alters its functions. Rubbing the scalp of the head with the hand draws the blood up to the surface of the head and not only relieves headache, but adds new strength to the hair. The hair never falls out unless there is something wrong about the scalp, caused by the general health, the habits of the individual?, or the way the scalp is treated. The hair of woman should not be cut after the age of five, except to clip the ends once a month, to remove the forked ends, which prevent the growth of the hair. To stimulate the clogged circulation use the finger tips to massage tlie scalp, rubbing the scalp with much pressure and moving it upon the bony skull underneath. All this will prevent falling of the hair and will promote its growth. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 17 Barbers and ladies' hairdressers sometimes use carbonate of potash in solution in cleansing the hair; but, on account of its alkaline nature, it is especially objectionable. It will be found that a teaspoonful of powdered borax in a quart of warm water is far better. A large majority of hair restorers contain lead, and should never be used. The lead may be detected by adding a solution of iodide of potassium to the "restorer," when a yellow iodide of lead will be formed. Rosemary is considered an excellent remedy to increase the growth of the hair. Get a small quantity of the leaves and boil them over a quick fire for a few minutes, strain, add a little cocoanut oil and a few drops of verbena. A favorite hair dressing is made of three ounces of olive oil, three-quarters of a drachm of oil of almonds, two drachms of palm oil, half an ounce of white wax, a quarter of a pound of lard, and three- quarters of a drachm of essence of bergamot. This strengthens the hair and prevents baldness. Where the hair falls out, a simple preparation of ordinary tea, or if this does not prove efificacious, of sage tea, applied to the roots of the hair with a sponge, will usually prove an effectual cure, and, moreover, will tend to prevent the accumulation of scaly dandruff which accompanies this trouble of the scalp. Hair Restorer. — One ounce of tincture of cantharides, one ounce of spirits of rosemary, four ounces of olive oil. Well shake every time it is used, and rub a small quantity on the skin of the head every evening before going to bed, and in the morning, after the head hais been well washed with cold water, and dried. Treatment of Loss of Hair. — The scalp needs light and air to be kept in good order ; in our modem civilization the hair is doomed to gradual destruction as it has lost its importance as a protection for the body. The sweat and sebum accumulate and afford a good culture medium for germs; the physician should examine for pityria- sis once in a while, just as the dentist examines the teeth. When pityriasis is installed, sulphur is about the best remedy. Brushing and Combing the Scalp. — A prevalent idea is that which asserts that frequent brushing and stimulation of the scalp with a hard brush is the proper treatment of the hair. Nothing is more contrary to scientific experience and fact. All authorities on the treatment of the skin and hair agree in saying that the hard brush, as too commonly used, is destructive to the hair. 18 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS The proper way to brush the hair is not to brush it lengthwise, but to hold the ends of the hair, if it be long enough, and simply comb the scalp with the brush. This process promotes the circula- tion of the blood and excites the oil glands to action. After the hair has been thoroughly brushed in this way it should then be finished with a few vigorous strokes lengthwise of the hair. The skin is irritated by hard brushing; the hairs are broken and bruised by such treatment; and the idea that scurf is removed by this practice is delusive, for scurf forms faster than before. The hair brush, therefore, should be soft. To work away at the head with a brush, to smooth naturally curly hair, or, as is sometimes intended, to curl smooth hair, or to remove all the scurf from the head, is very pernicious. The combing of an invalid's hair often causes great discomfort to all concerned. Begin to comb at the ends and take very little at once. Twist the hair several times around a finger of the left hand and in that way there need be no puUing in undoing the worst tangles. When the hair is smooth comb it out towards the ears and braid loosely in two braids, tying with ribbon. In this way the head rests easily on the pillow. A simple shampoo is made by dissolving a cake of pure white soap in a quart of boiling water. This mixture should be rubbed into the scalp in washing the hair. For a dry shampoo, talcum powder or powdered orris root will be found satisfactory. It should be allowed to remain on the hair for a short time and then thoroughly shaken out. The brushing, which must follow, is one of the most beneficial parts of the shampoo. The hair should be shampooed often with a mixture consisting of egg, a tcaspoonful or more of tincture of green soap, and a tea- spoonful of cologne to a cupful of water. It is best applied to the roots of the hair and to the scalp by means of a shampoo brush. An old tooth brush will answer the purpose, but the regular shampoo brush which has longer bristles is better. The hair should be sham- pooed, if there is much dandruff and it is very oily, as often as once a week or ten days. The soap must be washed out carefully after the shampoo. Where the hair is dry and brittle, with a tendency to fall out, an English restorative is the simple one of a free application of pure cocoanut oil, with daily brushing. This treatment continued for a few weeks — six perhaps — will, it is said, accomplish the best results. Masseurs use the cocoa butter in their treatment, deeming it one of the most strengthening of oils. HELPS. HNITS AND RECEIPTS 19 If your hair is very oily, the addition of a teaspoonful of aromatic ammonia to the shampoo already spoken of may be of benefit. Too much ammonia or borax will make the hair harsh and dry, and you will find the shampoo of green soap just described will answer the purpose. Dandruff. — There are two principal forms of this disease. One has its origin in the oil-glands of the skin; the other, in the scarf-skin or epidermis. In the first, the oil which exudes upon the scalp for the purpose of keeping the skin and hair soft, is thicker than it should be and dries in thin flakes. Sometimes, especially in the case of infants, it heaps up around the hair in thick masses. It is occasionally confined to the edge of the hair and to the top of the head. The fatty nature of the scales can be seen by rubbing them between the thumb and forefinger. In the more common form of dandruff, the scales consist of scarf-skin. The entire epidermis is made up of cells, rounded in the lower portion, but becoming more and more flattened towards the surface, and forming as a whole, a homy, transparent covering for the protection of the skin beneath. These fully flattened cells are constantly being detached at the surface — new cells being as constantly formed beneath and pushed upwards — and are rubbed off in an almost impalpable powder in connection with washing and friction. The disease may be due to dyspepsia, constipation, scrofula, and debilitating diseases in general; to worry, overwork, and nervous strain ; or to irritation of the scalp by fine-toothed combs, hair tonics, hair dyes, etc. There is reason to believe, also, that it may be commtmicated by contagion, thus making it important that no one should use another's hair-brush. When the disease exists in a marked form it is best to take medical advice. It can be easily cured. To prevent it, avoid whatever would irritate the scalp — all patent applications and the use of a fine-toothed comb. In the morning get the scalp into a glow with a stiff brush, and the rest of the day use a soft brush for the hair. Do not wash the head daily, unless the hair can be thoroughly dried. Once in two or three weeks shampoo the head with soap, or borax and water, carefully washing out the soap (or borax) and drying the hair. But the best preventive is vigorous health. 20 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A solution of listerine, one-half ounce to the ounce of water, will dear the hair of dandruff and prevent its falling out from that cause. A curling fluid which is easily prepared may be made of quince seeds and hot water. Pour a pint of hot water over about three teaspoonfuls of seeds and allow it to stand for several hours. Later it may be thinned by water or cologne. About two tablespoonfuls of cologne will suffice. Moisten the hair wath this fluid before curling. Jaborandi Tonic. — Quinine sulphate, twenty grains; tincture of cantharides, two fluid ounces; fluid extract of jaborandi, two f^ id drachms; alcohol, two fluid ounces; glycerine, two ounces; bay rum six fluid ounces; rose water, sixteen fluid ounces. The quinine should be dissolved in the alcoholic liquids by warming slightly, then the other ingredients added, and the whole filtered. Rub into the roots of the hair every night. To Crimp the Hair. — Damp it well and brush it out, then take a small lock of it, and plait it tightly in, out and over both sides of a hairpin; when y " ^ave plaited all the lock in, turn up the ends of the hairpin, so as to secure the hair from escaping. The pin must be held upright whilst you are twisting the hair in and out. Another way is to damp the hair, divide a lock into three, leaving one piece much thinner than the other two. Plait it up simply, hold the thin piece in one hand, and with the other run the remaining two up to the top. But this latter process will not cause the hair to be so regularly crimped as the former. Superfluous hairs had best be left alone. One only sure and effective remedy is to spread equal parts of gelbanum and pitch plaster upon a piece of soft leather, apply as smoothly as possible to the hairs, let remain about four minutes, then jerk away quickly with the hairs, root and branch. This is a very heroic and severe remedy, but is the only one. Shaving increases the strength of the hair, and all depilatories are to be avoided, as they sometimes dis- figure the face. To those whose eyebrows are thin and small, it may be well to clip them with the scissors. The following wash is good, particu- larly if the hair may have fallen: Sulphate of quinine, five grains; alcohol, one ounce. Chinese Eyelash Stain. — Gum arabic, one drachm ; india ink, i drachm ; rosewater, four ounces. Powder the ink and gum and triturate small quantities of the powder with the rosewater until you get a uniform black liquid in a powder, and then add the remainder. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 21 If you wish your eyebrows to look pretty, be sure that no pow- der is left in them. To make the eyebrows black, you may touch them with a little black of mastic, taking care not to let it stain your fingers or skin. The lashes may also be slightly cut, to give them a better length. Effective Eyebrow Pomade. — Boric acid, twenty centigrams; led vaseline, twenty grams. Rub this pomade into the brows every other day and you will attain your desire — silky, luxuriant eyebrows. If you must color your hair, do so with this preparation, which is perfectly harmless and eflectual, and contains nothing of a poison- ous nature. Black dye or dressing: white wax, 4 ounces; olive oil, 9 ounces. Dissolve, and add 2 ounces of burnt cork. Dandruff of the brows or lashes may be banished. Every night wash the brows and lashes in warm soapy water, then pat them dry with a soft bit of cotton cloth, and saturate them with sweet almond oil. The application of the oil to the lashes must be made carefully, else you will run the risk of having inflamed eyes. A Lash-Growing Lotion. — Glycerin, l\ ounces; lavender vinegar, 2| ounces; fluid extract of jaborandi, two drachms. These materials should be thrown into a bowl and well mingled. When ready to apply this lotion, wrap a wisp of cotton around the pointed end of an orangewood stick, saturate it with the fluid, then pass it gently along the eyelid edges. Do not allow any of this preparation to get into the eye itself. Folks will dye their hair, even though they deceive no one but themselves. Perhaps there is not a real hair dye in existence that may be said to be perfectly harmless — most of them, indeed, being of an injurious and even poisonous character, affecting the nerves and inducing paralysis and other affections. Furthermore, the hair dyes generally used destroy the bulbs, give the hair a coarse appear- ance, damage the secretions, and are certain to produce premature baldness. Formula for Making the "Walnut Hair Dye." — The simplest form is the expressed juice of the bark or shell of green walnuts. To preserve the juice, a little alcohol is commonly added to it with a few bruised cloves, and the whole digested together, with occasional agitation, for a week or fortnight, when the clear portion is decanted and, if necessary, filtered. Sometimes a little common salt is added with the same intention. It should be kept in a cool place. The most convenient W'ay of application is by means of a sponge. 22 HELPS, FilNTS AND RECEIPTS Black Dye or Dressing for the Hair. — Dissolve one part pyrogallic acid in thirty parts eau de cologne ; apply with a toothbrush to the hair which has been carefully cleaned with hot water and soap, and then thoroughly dried. Give a second application when the jBrst has dried. Apply to the dried hair, after the second application, a solution consisting of one part lunar caustic, one part spirits of sal- ammoniac, and twelve parts distilled water with a second tooth- brush, if possible in the sunshine. Apply the pyro solution again after the second solution has dried. Care must be taken not to stain the skin with this dye. Good smelling salts: One gill of liquid ammonia, one quarter of a drachm each of English oil of lavender and of rosemary, and eight drops each of oil of bergamot and cloves. Mix all these in- gredients together in a bottle and shake them thoroughly. Fill the vinaigrette, or any small bottle which has a good glass stopper, with small pieces of sponge, and pour in as much of this liquid preparation as the sponge will absorb, and cork the bottle tightly. FACE LOTIONS AND PASTES Fruit acids are almost magical in their effects upon the com- plexion if taken properly. One of the simplest washes for the face, and which will often do great good, is weak tea. A person broken out with prickly heat will find great relief if the parts affected are dusted over several times a day with rye flour. So-called liver spots can be cured by the application of an oint- ment of salicylic acid, ten per cent. There is nothing that will more quickly soothe a sunburnt skin than a frequent bath of milk, and if the skin has become dry or rough with wind, washing in warm milk is excellent. While the effect of the constant use of liquid powder is often extremely unpleasant, it may be used at intervals without fear of injury to the skin. Fresh air, the use of the flesh brush, copious bathing, and careful diet — these, after all, are the first inducements to a lovely complexion, and the remedial preparations ought only to come in use for jaded hours, or when the skin needs some such outward medicine. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 23 When the skin shows signs of a sallow, thick look, or, angry red spots not coming from sunburn but from some internal complaint, phosphate of soda, one teaspoonful to a glass of very hot water, taken before breakfast, will cure the condition. This is to be taken until the skin clears. But for all the virtue in recipes it is impossible to do more than generalize, as what influences one complexion well, is injurious to another. Glycerine will agree with some, and start a feverish eruption with others; while some have to strain vaseline or dilute it before using, and others cannot use it at all. Cucumber juice or melon juice squeezed into cream, and always prepared in an earthen dish with a wooden spoon or earthen pestle, is a fatal enemy to sunburn and all its wicked works. A handful of parsley thrown into boiling water is also a good antidote for sun- bum, and some famous beauties of old used to swear by the good effects of a raw potato cut in halves and rubbed on the face at night. If any large quantity of powder or cosmetic has been used, it is always advisable, say "professional" ladies who are careful, to rub it ofiE the face before retiring, by means of a fine cold cream or vase- line, wiping the face afterward gently but thoroughly with a soft piece of old linen. Any cosmetic, purifier, or beautifier which has to be applied at night is best used after a warm bath, and an excellent preparation for such is to wring a flannel out in very hot water and lightly but thoroughly wipe the face with it. This is also very good if one is inclined to flush after exercise in the cold air. One of the best pearl white liquids is made by combining one and a half ounces of bismuth subcarbonate with enough water to make six ounces in all. Rainwater should be used if possible. The bottle must always be shaken well before appplying the powder. Be careful not to apply it too generously or it will give the effect of facial enamel. There is the rose jar. Every woman intends to fill her own rose jar, but somehow never finds a recipe until the season is over. Re- member: that rose petals gathered in the early morning, before the sun has absorbed their dew and with it half their sweetness, are more fragrant than those gathered in the heat of the day. Gunpowder stains of the face may be removed by painting with biniodide of ammonium, distilled water, equal parts; then with dilute hydrochloric acid, to reach the tissues more deeply affected. 24 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS A black eye can be much improved in one night by bathing with hot water for twenty minutes and then applying pure green soap and leave on over night. An excellent application for "black eye" is twenty drops of calendula (juice of marigold) to a teacupful of water, applied by means of a pad of lint. Calendula is a splendid substitute for arnica in case of a bruise, where the skin is abraded, as in such a case the latter will often produce what is known as "arnica poison." French Rouge. — Oil of almonds, one dram; carmine, § dram; French chalk, two ounces. Grind the carmine very fine in a mortar, add the chalk and mix thoroughly, then add the oil a little at a time, and work all together, using the mortar and pestle, and add five drops oil of rose. Let stand until dry and then sift through silk bolting cloth. There are the cosmetics of the kitchen-garden to which our grandmothers pinned their faith before the days of the complexion specialist and the dermatologist. Sweet cream from pure milk, infinitely more soothing than any of the bottle compounds so widely advertised, is the basis for most of these emollients. The juice of ripe strawberries dropped into thick sweet cream is a gentle, cooling remedy for sunburn. As a means of keeping the freshness of the complexion, pastes applied to the face in the form of a mask, and worn during the night, are beneficial. They may be taken off in the moming by washing with chervil water. The finest compound of this kind to apply to the face, and which will give a delightful appearance to the skin, is: barley (ground), three ounces; honey, one ounce; white of one egg. Mix into a paste. A simple rule for cold cream is as follows: — One drachm of white beeswax, two ounces of almond oil, one ounce of spermaceti. Put all these ingredients into a small cup, set it in boiling water, and stir the ingredients till they are melted and thoroughly incorporated. Add, if wished, about a drachm of camphor, which should be broken up fine before it is added, and then stirred in until it is melted. Pour the cold cream into little jars, in which it is to be kept, and let it get hard. The camphor is not a necessary ingredient, but it is an agree- able one, and is supposed to add to the healing qualities of the prepa- ration. This is very much better than the ordinary preparation of this kind sold in the shops, which is generally made of lard, and seldom or never of the pure vegetable oil, like the oil of almonds or sweet olive oil, as it should be. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 25 When the mouth is sore the diet should be changed to vegetable foods. Citron ointment is one of the old reliable lip salves kept by all chemists. It is applied to the sore with a soft linen cloth. Unlovely lips come from an unhealthy stomach. Bad diges- tion will often assert itself in broken or chapped lips, sores in the corners of the mouth, fever blisters and a coated tongue. Pure glycerine should not be used on chapped hands or lips. It extracts moisture, leaving the skin dry and more liable to crack. If diluted with water, this fault is overcome. Chronic sore mouths should be rubbed with sweet oil at night; in the rrorning wash with a solution of alum or borax — a teaspoonful in a tumbler of water. Camphor ice is both healing and cleansing. For a lip salve, dissolve a lump of white sugar in a teaspoonful of roscwater. Let it stand at the back of the stove to simmer slowly. Add two tablespoonfuls of nice olive oil and a piece of spermaceti the size of a walnut. Add a mere drop of cochineal coloring matter to turn it pink. When the whole is melted turn it into a little round porcelain box kept for the purpose. It should be small enough to hold only a few tablespoonfuls. A Recipe for the Removal of Pimples or Blotches. — Fifty grains of distilled water of clierry laurel, seventy-five grains of ex- tract of lead, seven of tincture of benzoin, and thirty of alcohol; shake the benzoin and alcohol together, and then the whole very thoroughly. For outward application for this trouble, the following will be both soothing and whitening and will, with continued use, elimi- nate the red blotches. This lotion is very agreeable after the exposure to the glare of the water w-hen swimming or sailing. Take of bitter almonds, blanched, four ounces; orange flower water, twelve ounces; curd soap (any pure toilet soap), one-half ounce; oil of bergamot, fifty drops; oil of almonds, twenty drops; alcohol, four ounces. This is a bland, soothing lotion, very softening and bleach- ing. The soap must be powdered or broken up and dissolved in the orange flower water by heating in a double boiler. Beat the almonds to a pulp in a clean mortar and gradually work in the soap and orange flower water. Strain through clean muslin, then return to the mortar and slowly stir in the alcohol, in which the oils have been previously dissolved. 26 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Large, fleshy noses are reduced by wearing occasionally at night a contrivance which compresses the artery that supplies the nose. Excessive wiping, sniffing and blowing of the nose deforms it in time, and should be practiced only when cleanliness demands it. A nose leaning to one side, caused by being wiped in one direction, may be cured by using the other hand, or by wearing occasionally an instrument employed by surgeons for that purpose. Red noses become so by continual exposure to heat or the sun, indulgence in alcoholic drinks, and by the debility of the nasal blood vessels. The latter cause may be removed by gentle friction and cold bathing of the feet. A Shiny Nose. — Add a little alcohol to the water in which you wash your face. Keep on hand a bottle containing: Boracic acid, one dram; rosewater, four ounces; mix. Apply the lotion as often as necessary. A firm, transparent glycerine jelly for cosmetic purposes is obtained in the following manner: White soap, four ounces; pure glycerine, si.x ounces; bleached almond oil, in summer three pounds, in winter, four pounds; oil of thyme, one drachm; of bergamot, two drachms; of roses, one-half drachm. Soap and glycerine are mixed in a mortar, and the oils are gradually added, according as they are incorporated with the mass. The black points, fleshworms, or comedones which are found in the face, and especially near the nostrils, are not at all the product of the accumulation of particles of dust, as has been believed by some, but are composed of a pigmentary matter soluble in acids. These comedones not only appear on persons exposed to dust and of careless habits, but also on chlorotic young girls who live in good circumstances and are careful of their persons. Observation has also shown that the discoloration not only exists on the surface of old comedones, but also penetrates to the lower portions of the secretion. Reasoning from these grounds. Dr. Unna has used acids in cases of this kind, the following being one of his prescriptions: China clay, four parts; glycerine, three parts; acetic acid, two parts; perfume sufficient. The parts affected should be covered with this ointment in the evening, and, if necessary, during the day. After several days, all the comedones can be easily expressed, most of them coming out on washing the parts with pumice stone soap. J HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 27 A still more efficacious paste for curing blotches and inducing free action of tlie skin is Bazin's Axerasine, rarely to be purchased pure, but of which this is the authentic recipe: Take four ounces of green soap of commerce, two ounces of sper- maceti, and melt them over a water-bath in six ounces of oil of sweet almonds; then add two ounces of soap powder, and when the mix- ture is complete, put it into a marble mortar, and rub in, little by Httlc, four ounces of pulverized bitter almonds, and tlien half a drachm of essence of rose, and one drachm of vermilion, thinning the latter first in a mortar with a few drops of essence of bcrgamot. This paste has been extensively used in France and Italy, and is said to be not only a good cosmetic, but a preventive of roughness after fever, small-pox, etc., and of chilblains. Cucumber Milk. — Oil of sweet almonds, four ounces; fresh cucumber juice, eleven ounces; alcohol, three otmces; white castile soap (powdered), one-fourth ounce; tincture of benzoin, two-thirds dram. Select ripe cucumbers, cut fine witliout paring and boil slowly in a very little water until soft. Strain through a fine sieve, then through cheesecloth. Place this and the soap in a large bottle and shake frequently until soap is dissolved. Add the oil to the alcohol in a small bottle and shake well. Pour them into an agate kettle, add the benzoin, and stir unfil you have a creamy liquid. The cucumber juice should be strong. Place in small bottles and cork tightly. To Remove Freckles. — Make a lotion of a dram of ammonia chloride to four ounces of distilled water. Apply it at night, after the face has been bathed in hot water. It is said that reddish brown veiling is the best to keep off freckles. For freckles, grate horseradish fine. Let stand a few hours in buttermilk, then strain and use the wash night and morning. Most of the advertised remedies for freckles are poisonous, and cannot be used with safety. Freckles consist of deposits of carbonaceous or fatty matter beneath the skin. For the freckle treatment use, when retiring, a good, pure soap and warm water. Rinse the face thoroughly, as soap has a drying tendency. A few drops of some good cologne can be added to the rinsing water, but be sure that the final water is quite cold. Dry on a soft towel, then use the following lotion: Lactic acid, four ounces; glycerine, two ounces; rosewater, one ounce. Moisten a small piece of absorbent cotton and daub onto the brown spots. Be careful about the eyes; this is a poison and must not get into the sensitive eyes. Let the lotion dry on; rinse off in the morning with warm water to which a few drops of tincture of benzoin has been added. 28 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS If the freckles are very persistent, here is another lotion which is stronger and may be more suitable for some skins: Citric acid, three drams; hot water, eleven ounces; borax, two drams, red rose petals, one ounce; glycerine, one ounce. This to be used in the same way. As soon as the skin begins to feel rough, reduce the use of the lotion, and when the skin begins to peel, and the spots disappear, stop using the lotion,'^'and use instead some pure soothing cream which will whiten and soften at the same time. For oily skin no astringent brings more satisfactory results than camphor water. It has a delightful healing effect, but should not be applied too often, as it has drying properties likely to prove disastrous to an extremely delicate skin. Apply the camphor water with a piece of absorbent cotton and just before it dries wipe it away gently with a soft cloth. A saturated solution of picric acid is very serviceable in acute eczema, but of no use in chronic types. Treatment of Eczema. — Take oil of pine-tar one ounce, vaseline one drachm. Acute Eczema. — Oxide of zinc, five parts; subnitrate of bismuth, seven parts; rice powder, thirty parts; powdered lycopodium, thirty parts. Dust over the affected parts morning and evening. Success in the treatment of ezcema can only be achieved by a patient and persistent trial of the remedy that is decided on, the local effects being carefully watched and the application varied accordingly, while the fact must ever be borne in mind that it is the whole patient that is being treated, and not his skin alone. Heat in Treatment of Chronic Eczema. — A German physician, Dr.Toth, has the patient hold the part affected in the heat from an oven or other source at a temperature of 100° or 115° C. (212° or 239° F.), passing the part gently back and forth five or six times until the prickling from the heat has stopped, doing this two or three times and repeating it three times a day at first. Tlie part should be held closer to the source of the heat each time, and the patients do this instinctively v.'hen they feel the relief from itching and the benefit generally from the process. After the dry exposure a folded towel is dipped in boiling water and laid gently on the part and moved to and fro, applying this with more force each time. The cleanliness, simplicity and self-regulating features of the method, and its prompt relief of the distressing symptoms are the special advantages of this combination of heat and boiling water. The only drawback is its tediousness. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 29 WRINKLES ON THE FACE The seed for permament wrinkles is sown with the daily face washing. If this is done rightly, not only will wrinkles be prevented, but a fine complexion will be maintained. The face should be washed in hot water, and during the pro- cess should be carefully massaged with the tips of the fingers of both hands, which take the place of wash-cloths or sponges. Feel out with the fingers the spots where the blackheads form, such as the creases about the nose and the folds between the mouth and the cheeks, the little dip between the mouth and the point of the chin, the place between the nose and the forehead; rub with a firm, yet gentle pressure, which stimulates the blood and brings it to the surface and makes the oil glands do their work. Dash the water on the face between the times of this face massage. No soap is necessary, nor yet skin-foods, so-called, if you begin this process early enough. Never neglect the places where the wrinkles will come, and if they have come pay them special attention after this manner. Spreading the skin of the forehead out on the bony framework of the skull underneath with a firm, deep pressure, with the tips of the forefingers at the angles of the eyes, make a firm pressure on the bones beneath and work the flesh round and round to take out crow's-feet wrinkles. To obliterate the wrinkles around the mouth and cheeks, work the whole mass of flesh upward with the palms of the hands, the left-hand palm applied to the left cheek and the right-hand palm to the right cheek. For the flabby and wrinkly skin of the neck, massage it with the back of the hands, one on each side of the neck, lifting up the mass of flesh and pressing it against the jaw-bones and pushing it backwards towards the ear with a firm and equal pressure. Tonic Lotion for the Skin, — It is claimed for the following compound that it tones the cutaneous circulation and prevents wrinkles: Two ounces spirits of ammonia, the same of tincture of camphor, five ounces of coarse salt, one quart of boiling water. After these are well agitated and cold, add six ounces of alcohol. To be shaken before using. This is called a "skin tonic " and is both refreshing and rejuvenating. 30 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS The v/hite cf an egg, beaten with five grammes of alum in five grammes of sweet oil, applied as paste to the face on retiring, prevents wrinkles, kx-eps the flesh from becoming flabby, and is strengthening and softening to the skin. Astringent for Wrinkles. — Powdered olibanum, 32 grains; pow- dered benzoin, 32 grains; powdered gum arable, 32 grains; powdered sweet almonds, 48 grains; ground cloves, 16 grains; ground nutmeg, 16 grains; alcohol, deodorized, 8 ounces. Dissolve the first three in the alcohol ; then add the spices and grovmd almonds. Let all stand forty-eight hours; shake well a number of times. Add one and one- half ounces of pure rosewater, then filter through filtering paper. CARE OF THE HANDS To soften rough hands, use a little ammonia or borax in the water in which you wash them. After doing the weekly washing, rub a little vinegar and spirits of camphor over your hands; this is also good if your hands are rough. Ladies who have coarse hands should rub them with cold cream at night and wear loose gloves. Should the hands become hard and horny, treat them with pumice-stone and lemon. Lemon is always good for the hands; it cleanses them as well as soap and makes them soft. Ointment to Soften the Hands. — One and a half pound of mutton tallow, one ounce of camphor gum, one ounce of glycerine, melted; when thoroughly mixed put away to cool. Rub on at night. Another excellent preventive is to wash your hands and dry them perfectly, then rub talcum powder thickly over them. When going out, take time to put on your gloves slowly and with care so as not to get heated. Petroleum jelly serves to clean and take away all traces of dirt from the hands after work. For that purpose one need only rub the hands with a small amount of the jelly, which, penetrating into the pores of the skin, incorporates itself with the greasy matters which are there. Wash them with warm water and soap, and the hands quickly become cleansed and softened. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 31 Oil and honey will iirevcnt both chapped hands and chilblains. Chaps on the hands are often caused by neglecting to rinse oflf the soap and dry them thoroughly. To keep the hands in nice condition it will be found necessary to use a little salad oil before retiring for the night. Sleep in gloves that are loose enough to be comfortable, and ia the morning apply a little lemon juice, then wash the hands in a little warm water and dry them well. If the extremities be kept warm by exercise, and care be taken of the entire system, the skin will seldom chap or be afflicted by the discomfort of chilblains. Sweet cream is a quick healer applied to chapped lips and hands, and milk makes the skin soft and white, being especially beneficial to those who live in heated rooms. It should be warmed and used as a wash on retiring. Camphor Ice for Chapped Hands. — Take of spermaceti four ounces, white wax (pure), eight ounces; oil of sweet almonds, one pint. Mix together by a gentle heat, add of camphor (in small pieces), four ounces; when dissolved stir until partly cold, and add essential oil of bitter almonds and expressed oil of mace, two fluid drachms, and pour into moulds. Another. — Take of hard clarified mutton suet eight ounces, sper- maceti, wax, of each half an ounce, camphor one oiince. Proceed as before. The American hand is the smaller of the two, and by far the more delicate than the English. But American finger-nails are not so beautiful; few people in the world have such finger-nails as the English. The skin at the base is always pushed back so as to show the onyx, or little white half-moon. This onyx is also carefully cultivated and polished, we may mention, by the Creoles of New Orleans, to show that they have no black blood in their veins. With persons who employ a manicure the onyx develops every day more and more ; with those who are careless of this delicate ending of a beautiful hand the onyx is sometimes perfectly hidden. It is always observable in a well-kept English hand. 32 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Use a sharp pair of nail scissors and a small file for paring the nails. If the nail has grown into the flesh at the side, it will, if carefully cut at the top, grow out of its own accord. Weak, brittle nails may be strengthened by dipping them in a weak solution of alum water and afterwards rubbing them with tlie juice of a lemon. Biting the nails is a bad habit. To correct this, dip the finger ends into a decoction of aloes; this will remedy the evil, even in grown people. If you rub vaseline or cocoa butter into the nails about the roots, your trouble with brittle finger-nails will soon cease. This treatment will also benefit the skin that attaches, and prevent "hangnails." Cut the nails frequently in oval shape. Never allow children to bite their nails, as they become ragged, stunted, and have a peculiarly commonplace appearance. Nails allowed to grow too long look nearly as bad, as they are apt to break, and it is diflScult to keep them perfectly clean. You should clean the nails with a brush if necessary, but it is better to rub the fingers and nails with the half of a lemon, thrusting the fingers into it and turning until the nails are perfectly clean. Lemon will likewise prevent the skin at the root of the nails from growing upward. The nails, to be beautiful, should be strong, shining and filbert- shaped, the skin beneath appearing through their transparent tex- ture, of a pale, red color. The cuticle which grows around the roots of the nail should be rubbed up with a towel every time the hands are washed, so as to show the pale, semi-lunar mark at the base. They should never be torn or cut improperly. Never cut them closely down; it irritates and inflames the tender skin which adheres firmly to the under portion of the nails. A good remedy for damp, moist hands, is four ounces of cologne water and one-half ounce of tincture of belladonra. Rub the hands with this several times a day. To keep the hands from perspiring, make a lotion consisting of a quarter of an ounce of powdered alum and one tcaspoonful of spirits of ammonia in a pint of boiling water. When cool, bottle it, and use on the hands freely. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 33 A little borax in water keeps some persons' hands from per- spiring. The hands should always after any soiling operation be thor- oughly and perfectly washed and dried. Tar may be removed from the hands by rubbing with the out- side of fresh orange or lemon peel and drying immediately. The volatile oils dissolve the tar so that it can be rubbed off. Ripe tomatoes will remove almost any kind of stain from the hands, and they can also be used to great advantage on white cloth, removing ink spots as well as many others. There are simple means by which the hands may be kept in a presentable condition, as the use of glycerine after washing them, and a httle bran or oatmeal to be used sometimes instead of soap. Wearing gloves when the work is rough or dirty is quite admissible. Cosmetic Gloves for the Hands. — Yolks of two fresh eggs; sweet almond oil, two teapsoonfuls; rosewater, one ounce; tincture of benzoin, thirty-six grains. Beat the yolks with the oil, and add successively the rosewater and the tincture. Put inside the gloves, which you keep upon your hands till morning. A salve for the hands is made with two ounces of the oil of almonds, half an ounce of spermaceti, and half an ounce of white wax. Melt all the ingredients together in a bowl set in a kettle of boiling water. Add a tablespoonful of rosewater and begin beating. Remove the bowl from the boiling water to a table and continue beating until the mixture is cold. If it should be too hard melt it again and add another teaspoonful of rosewater. Beat again until cold. CARE OF THE EYES Inflamed eyes are often relieved by cutting a large potato in two, scooping out the inside, and binding over the feverish lids. How to Stop a Stye. — The eyelids should be held apart by the thumb and index finger of the left hand, or a lid-retractor, if such be at hand, while tincture of iodine is painted over the inflamed papilla with a fine camel's-hair pencil. The lids should not be allowed to come in contact until the part touched is dry. A few such applications in the twenty-four hours are sufficient. 34 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Lack of sleep, a strain on the eyes, or a run-down condition will cause circles to appear beneath the eyes. It is within your power to remove the first cause, but for the other two you should consult an oculist or a physician. The usual indication of strain is a redness of the rim of the eyelid, betokening a congested state of the inner surface, accompanied with some pain. Rest is not the proper remedy for a fatigued eye, but the use of glasses of sufficient power to render unnecessary so much efifort to accommodate the eye to vision. Catarrhal Conjunctivitis. — In itself it is a simple malady and should be easily cured, but if left to go on and become chronic it will seriously affect the eyes. The inflammation of such a membrane produces a discharge, a catarrhal discharge, and it is most important that the eyes should be kept clean. Every time the discharge accumulates wipe them out with little bits of cloth about an inch square, dipped in saturated solution of boric acid diluted one-half with pure water. Any such trouble with a child's eye may cause a very great deal of inflammation, extending to the eyeball itself. Therefore, have the best advice about it, and give it the unremitting care which it demands. Generally conjunctivitis is contagious, and one should never use a handkerchief, towel or anything of the kind when it has been in the hands of one who has had inflammation of the eyes. Old pieces of cloth can be used, and then burned afterwards. To Introduce Eye-Drops into the Eye. — Take a quill pen and round off the point; dip it into the bottle containing the lotion, of which it will take up one or two drops. Then draw the lower lid down and touch the inner red surface of the lid with the tip of the quill ; the drops will at once flow over the surface of the lid, which must then be released. A camel 's-hair brush may be used in the same way. Tired Eyes. — People speak about their eyes being fatigued, mean- ing that the retina is fatigued; but such is not the case, as the retina hardly ever gets tired. The fatigue is in the inner and outer muscles attached to the eyeball, and the muscle of accomrnodation which surrounds the lens of the eye. When a near object is to be looked at, this muscle relaxes and allows the lens to thicken, increasing its refractive power. The inner and outer muscles are used in covering the eye on the object to be looked at, the inner one being especially used when a near object is to be looked at. It is in the three muscles mentioned that the fatigue is felt, and relief is secured temporarily by closing the eyes or gazing at far-distant objects. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 35 If there be very much discharge, as in the inflamed eyes of children, it is much better to lay the child on its back with the head level, and pour plenty of the lotion into the inner corner of the closed lids; then open both the upper and lower lids, and the lotion will run over the eye, carrying all discharge away with it, and escaping at the outer angle of the eye. Petit's Eye Salve. — White precipitate, three ounces; oxide of zinc, four ounces; benzoic acid, two drachms; sulph. morphia, forty- eight grains; oil rosemary, twenty drops; olive oil, two pounds; spermaceti, twelve ounces; white wax, four ounces. Melt the sper- maceti, white wax and olive oil together; rub the white precipitate, the oxide of zinc, benzoic acid and sulph. morphia with a portion of the warm mixture ; mix together, and finally add the oil of rosemary. Stir till cold. An oculist gives the following excellent advice about the eyes: "Keep a shade over your lamp or gas burner. Never read or sew immediately in front of the light of the window or door; it is best, if possible, always to let the light fall obliquely over the left shoulder. Never sleep so that on first awakening the light from the window falls upon the eyes. Never begin to sew, read, or write, until a few minutes after coming from darkness into light. Do not use your eyes by light so poor that it requires an effort to tell whether it is twilight or only a cloudy or foggy day. Finally, the moment you feel that you want to rub your eyes, stop using them. You have done enough work with them for the time being." " SOMETHING IN THE EYE " Everybody has experienced the pain and annoyance of "some- thing getting into the eye." In the majority of cases, if the sufferer has the patience to close the eye gently, and keep it immovably closed for from five minutes to a quarter of an hour, the offending particle will be safely and painlessly washed away by the tears which the eye will naturally shed. Should anything get into the eye, one drop of sweet oil should be dropped in the corner of it, but if it be mortar or lime, bathe with a weak solution of water and vinegar. An easy method of removing bits of foreign bodies from the eye is to place a grain of flaxseed under the lower lid, and close the lids. The seed becomes surrounded by a thick, adherent mucilage, which entraps the foreign body, and soon carries it out from the angle of the eye. 36 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Another good plan is to plunge the face in a deep basin of warm ■water, then wink the lids rapidly, and roll the eyeball until all the particles are washed out. A small camel's hair brush dipped in water can, by raising the lids, be passed over the eyeball, and the foreign particles thus brushed out. A celebrated oculist recommends that where dirt, lime or any- thing gritty gets into the eye, that the sufferer lie down and have pure olive oil poured in upon the eyeball and socket until all the particles of a harmful nature are removed. This remedy is quite painless, and never fails to remove all foreign substances. A drummer proposes the following as a sure way of removing cinders from the eye that have resisted other efforts: Puff cigar smoke into the eyes. This irritates them very much, causing an increased flow from the lachrymal glands, and the cinder is washed to the comer of the eye, when it may be readily removed. Never rub the eyeball if a speck of dust or cinder gets into it. Let the tears gather and flow — they will usually be sufficient to dislodge the dust particles and wash them out. If, however, they are not dislodged, raise first the upper eyelid and bring it down over and upon the outside of the lower one ; if this fail, reverse the opera- tion by lifting the lower out and upon the upper eyelid. The most pleasing light by which to work is that obtained from a northern exposure. Damp, foggy weather, the reflection of bright sunshine, intense cold, dusty winds, riding on cars or steamboat in motion, looking steadily at a glowing fire, wearing glasses when not needed, wearing veils, and all indulgences that weaken the nervous system, injure the eyes. The difficulty in successfully dropping medicine into in- flamed eyes is overcome by cutting a piece of clean paper in the shape of a little spoon and giving it a slight curl to the edge, and using this to put the drop into the eye. Being of soft paper, it cannot harm the eye, and a new one being needed every time, it insures cleanliness. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 37 EARACHE In every case of running ears or earache, look for adenoids in the naso-pharynx and remove them. The following is recommended for earache. Take of chloral camphor, five parts; glycerine, thirty parts; almond oil, ten parts. Dip a piece of wadding into the mixture and place it in the ear. Remedy for Earache. — Olive oil, one ounce; chloroform, one drachm. Alix, and shake well together. Pour twenty-five or thirty drops into the ear, and close it up with a piece of raw cotton to ex- clude the air and retain the moisture. To Clean the Ear. — Use an ear-spoon of bone, ivory or celluloid, and a small pointed sponge attached to a long stem of hard wood or celluloid. Twisted towel points leave cotton fibres in the ear, which, with old soap leavings, and the natural ear wax, ultimately are detrimental to hearing. Once or twice a year, especially in the spring, the ear should be cleansed with warm olive oil, and then rinsed with clear hot water. A physician had better perform the act. There is scarcely any ache to which children are subject so hard to bear as earache. Almost instantaneous relief may be obtained by making a funnel of writing paper, saturating a small piece of cotton batting in choloroform, and dropping it in the funnel. Put the small end of the funnel into the ear, and, placing the mouth close to the other end, blow into it. The fumes of the choloroform will quickly relieve the pain, and if the head is kept covered the patient will soon be at ease. A Liniment for Earache. — Pavesi recommends a liniment com- posed of camphorated chloral, two and a half parts; pure glycerine, sixteen and a half parts, and oil of sweet almonds, ten parts. This is to be well mixed, and preserved in a well-stoppered bottle. A pledget of very soft cotton is to be soaked in the liniment, and then introduced as far as possible into the affected ear, two applications being made daily. Friction may also be made each day with the preparation behind the ear. It is said that the pain is almost immediately re- lieved, and even in many cases the inflammation is subdued. A button or other object that has been forced up into the nostril of a child is often removed by the use of a pinch of snuff held to the nose. 38 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS TO DEVELOP THE ARMS AND LEGS Cocoa butter is excellent for developing purposes. It should be rubbed into the skin with a circular motion, and a liberal quantity should be applied each time. Directions for an exercise which will also help to develop the arms and legs: Stand with the feet about eighteen inches apart, the arms extended in front of the body and well cut from the sides; the right foot is advanced, and the weight rests mainly on the right leg. Clinch the hands tightly, as though grasping a rope, and sway to the left side, at the same time straightening the right leg; bend the left knee, and pull the hands toward the waist, as though pulling the rope in; then extend the arms and return to the first position. Repeat the exercise with the position of the legs reversed.) The arms must be extended well out from the sides, bending at the waist line, so as to increase the reach, and the swaying back and forth must be done with perfect regularity. WOUNDS AND SORES For binding up cuts and wounds, use linen, not cotton, since the fibres of cotton are flat and apt to irritate a sore, while those of linen are perfectly rounded. In case of a wound where there is considerable bleeding, use cold water applications freely. For bruises, the immediate application of cold water, or some evaporating lotion — such as camphor or weak tincture of arnica — is the best treatment for alleviating suffering and hastening the absorption of blood. Accidents from Edge Tools, Hard Bodies, etc. — In all recent wounds, the first consideration is to remove foreign bodies, such as pieces of glass, splinters of wood, pieces of stone, earth, or any other substance that may have been introduced by the violence of the act which caused the wound. Fluid extract of quebracho, according to a writer in Arch. Med. Beiges, applied to a wound, burn, ulcer, or frost-bite, is more healing even than iodoform. On evaporation the fluid extract leaves a tough adhesive brownish crust, under which the process of repair goes on rapidly. If desired, this can be removed by soaking in warm water. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 39 Where there is much loss of blood, an attempt should be made to stop it with dry lint, and compression above the part wounded, if the blood be of a florid color; and below, if of a dark color. In proportion to the importance of the part wounded, will be the degree of the discharge of blood, and the subsequent tendency to inflamma- tion and its consequences. A new method of dressing wounds, by which their healing is said to be hastened and the pain made to disappear at once, has been brought into notice by a French surgeon. The method consists in the application of compresses wet with a decoction of thirty parts of \-alerian root in one thousand parts of water. It is expressly stated that the treatment is of no avail in deep wounds. The Dangers of a Scratch. — It is a good plan always to keep a bottle of prepared carbolic acid and glycerine, and frequently touch all bruises or sore spots with it. This is one of the most convenient and effective germicides imaginable. It is said by excellent medical authority that either this preparation, or listerine, would prevent half of the contagious diseases that afHict the country. It is believed that many cases of fever and other serious ailments can be contracted by a floating germ coming in contact with the abraded skin. To Stop Blood in Consequence of a Wound. — If an important part be severely wounded, such as any part of the arms, legs, thighs, etc., attended with a profuse discharge of blood, compression, until a surgeon arrives, should be made by the bystander, in the following manner, by means of a bandage, garter, or handkerchief, viz. : Tie it loosely round the limb, and introduce a piece of stick, sufficiently strong for the purpose, about a foot long, and twist bandage round, tight enough to check the discharge. Liquid Court Plaster, — According to the Druggists' Circular, if soluble gun cotton is dissolved in acetone in the proportion of about one dram by weight of the former to thirty-five or forty drams by volume of the latter, and one-half dram each of castor oil and glycerine added, a colorless, elastic and flexible film will form on the skin when the liquid is applied. Unlike ordinary collorlion, this preparation does not readily peel off. If tinted very slightly with alkanet and saffron it can be made to assume the color of the skin, so that when applied it is almost invisible. The following is given as a working formula: Pyroxylin, one ounce; amyl acetate, five ounces; acetone, fifteen ounces; balsam of fir, two drams; castor oil, two drams; oil of cloves, fifteen minims. Dissolve the pyroxylin in the amyl acetate and the acetone, and add the other ingredients, avoiding fire or light. 40 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS For bleeding from the nose, hold a sponge saturated with cold water to nostrils and nape of the neck. In case this docs not succeed the bleeding can be stopped by vigorous action of the jaws. If a child, a wad of paper may be placed in the mouth, and the child instructed to chew hard. It is the motion of the jaws that stops the flow of blood. Sleeping Hours for Children. — Infant under six months, twenty hours; under one year, fifteen hours; from two to three years old, fourteen hours; from four to nine years old, twelve hours. Children under five should have a nap during the day. It indicates lack of intelligence in parents when they tease and cause anger to a child, tell terrifying stories, subject them to conditions causing fear, tickling; or, with infants, toss or shake violently in the arms, or the cradle, permitting sunlight to shine into uncovered eyes, or taking babies in arms to amusement places where the noises and crowd disturb the child. A child will first attempt to sit about the sixteenth week, be fairly successful about the fortieth week, and firmly seated the eleventh month. About the thirty-eighth week he should attempt to stand, and be successful at the twelfth month. At the fourteenth or fifteenth month he should walk without support. Prevention of Fiat-Foot in Children. — Flat-foot is congenital in 4.3 per cent, and acquired in 95.7 per cent. In works on prophy- laxis of fiat-foot, Muskat emphasized the need of caring for the feet,, and exercising the toes and ankles, the influence of walking and standing properly, placing the feet parallel, not turning the toes out or in; proper shoes and stockings, not too narrow and pointed. The shoe and stocking should be made to fit each foot separately to conform to the natural shape of the foot. A physician should be consulted at once when any trouble begins in the foot. Acquired fiat-foot is of traumatic origin in about 4.9 per cent. ; of paralytic in 3. 1 per cent. ; of rachitic in 3. 1 per cent. ; and due to improper use of the foot, a static disturbance, in 88.9 per cent. In the traumatic, paralytic and rachitic cases, proper measures should be applied, such as bandaging, to prevent the de- velopment of fiat-foot. Prophylaxis of flat-foot should not be treated by wearing insoles but by teaching cliildren to use their feet properly in walking, in standing and in sports and exercising. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 41 When Traveling with a Baby. — Take a good supply of squares of clean, white old sheeting. Place one next to the body every time the napkin is changed; then throw it away. Bathe a healthy baby, after the first week, every day. The temperature the first five weeks should be 100 degrees. During the first six months, 97 degrees. Between six months and one year, 95 degrees, and 90 degrees the second year. Bathe the child only five minutes, and between feedings. In hot weather, sponge the child at night with tepid water, before placing to sleep. Cleansing and curative baths should be given at bed-time. Remove the cause where children have nocturnal enuresis. Don't allow the child to drink largely in the early evening; the small bladder of a child cannot hold the urine as long as an adult, and the bed-wetting habit continues. Too rich food, or that which causes intestinal indigestion, may cause bed-wetting by making the urine irritant. Gas in the intestine pressing on the bladder may be a cause, or the urine may be alkaline or hyper acid. Either condition may be decided by urine analysis. If the latter, meat should be forbidden, and milk and cereals given; if alkaline, a physician will give treatment to render it acid. Other causes besides those of a dietary nature, are nervous irritabilities, bladder weakness at the neck, adenoids, worms, constipation. For these troubles a doctor's advice and, for some of them, home remedies are beneficial. If the mentioned causes are not present, tie a knot under the child so it will not sleep on the back ; raise the foot of the bed ; awaken at least once during the night, to relieve the bladder. Constipation, worms, or fissure of anus may cause involuntary urination. Preparation of Lime Water. — Pour two quarts of clear water over a piece of fresh unslacked lime about the size of a walnut, and stir until slacked. Let stand until clear and then decant from the sediment and bottle the clear liquid. What to Feed a Two- Year-Old Child. — 7 a.m., one glass of milk and a small slice of bread. 8 a.m., two tablespoonfuls of orange juice; 10 a.m., two tablespoonfuls of oatmeal with three tablespoon- fuls of t'nin cream, sprinkled with half a tablespoonful of milk; half a glass of milk; 12 M., half a cupful of beef juice vnth a small slice of bread ; two tablespoonfuls of stoned prunes which have been mashed ; later half a glass of milk; 4 p.m., one glass of milk and one slice of bread; 7 P.M., one glass of milk. Certified or sterilized milk only to be used. 42 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Foods Children Under Three Years Should Not Be Given. — Dried beef, meat stews, dressings from roasts, salmon, salt fish, sausage, ham, pork, ducks or geese, game, liver or kidneys; cabbage, raw eelery, cauliflower, raw tomatoes, radish, fresh corn, cucumbers, baked beans or fried potatoes. Hot biscuits, breads, doughnuts or griddle cakes; any kind of rich sweet cakes; cheese; rice puddings, pies, preserved finaits, candies or nuts; coffee, tea, cider, soda water, bananas. Schedule for Infant Feeding (Dr. Holt's). Period Nursings in 24 Hours Interval by Day Night Nurs- ings 10 P.M. to 6 A.M. 1st and 2d days 4 10 8 7 6 6 hours 2 hours 2}/2 hours 3 hours 3 hours 1 3 days to 6 weeks 2 6 weeks to 3 months 3 to 5 months 2 1 5 to 12 months The time in which a baby's stomach becomes empty de- pends on the amount given ; in an infant that gets only half an ounce, the stomach will be empty more quickly than in one who gets five or six. If the baby gets only one or two ounces from the mother, its stomach will be empty in an hour and a half, and it will tell you so. When a baby is fed on a four-hour interval it necessitates one night feeding until the baby is several months old. When a three-hour interval feeding is used, one can do so ■without a night feeding, which gives the mother a rest. This is one of the advan- tages of a three-hour-interval feeding. A fine of 150 marks (about $36) and imprisonment is imposed upon anybody in Germany selling, making, or even importing into the country, nursing bottles with glass or rubber tubes. This will indicate the enormous mortality of children due to the use of this form of nursing bottle. Clean Nursery Utensils. — Wash the nipple each time after using. Allow it to remain in a cup of water, in whicli a small amount of boric acid has been dissolved. Wash bottles thoroughly in cold water, to remove milk. Wash thoroughly in hot water and scald with boiling water. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Approximate quantity of food stuffs consumed by a child up to the first nine months: (1) motiier's milk enough to fill a bottle containing 240 litres; Fig. 2 indi- cates the quantity of fat, Fig. 3 of salt; Fig. 4, of albumen, and Fig. 5, of milk sugar contained in 240 litres of milk, by comparison with the size of the child. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Amount of food consumed by a three-year-old child (1) during 12 months: (2) 200 quarts of milk; (3) egg stuff equal in height to 54 centimetres, and 40 centi- metres across; (4) meat equal to 2(5 centimetres long; (5) butter sufficient to make a bulk of 25 centimetres long and 20 centimetres high; (0) bread stuff sufficient to equal a bun one metre long, half a metre wide and half a metre high. This indi- cates the protein, carbonaceous, etc., constituents of the food consumed. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 43 Fresh cows' milk, properly modified, is the only food for the bottle baby. Nothing else will take its place. But endeavor to get good milk. Pasteurizing means heating the milk to 150-175° F. This kills most of the bacteiia; but it gives a false sense of security, since the milk will soon become as bad as ever if it is not put in clean contain- ers and kept cold just the same as any other milk. When milk is boiled, it is brought to the temperature of 212° F. This, of course, changes the taste of the milk, and destroys still more bacteria, but not all of them. A child who takes nothing but boiled milk over a prolonged period of time receives no fresh food, and is liable to get scurvy. Therefore, boiled milk should not be used for any length of time if good, clean milk can be had. At times, however, it is best to use boiled milk through the summer months. The tendency to scurvy may then be overcome by giving the baby the juice of half an orange once or twice a day, according to his age, unless he has a diarrhea. Cows' milk, when given to infants, or to the sick, should be boiled and salted and mixed with limewater — say, two tablespoon- fuls to a pint. The boiling kills the bacteria in it, and the limewater prevents its coagulating into a solid mass, and checks the tendency to become acid in the bowels. Plain whole cows' milk mixed with water and sugar answers all the requirements of a good food until seven or eight months of age, when barley or oatmeal gruels may be used instead of water. The sugar is added solely for its nutritional value, and for its laxative action. One ounce of sugar supplies as much nourishment as six ounces of milk. It is often hard to get a very sick child to take all the milk that it needs. It naturally grows tired of the milk taste and it helps matters to add some sort of flavoring. A dash of cocoa or tea will sometimes make the milk more palatable. Again, the child will take it readily if it is heated and seasoned with salt and pepper. Occasion- ally it may be flavored with vanilla, but this ought never to be done without the permission of the attending physician. 44 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Plain milk mixed with water is easier to digest than cream or top milks, and nourishes the baby as well. Water is added so that the food will not be too concentrated for the digestion, to give the proper amount of bulk, and to furnish the required quantity of liquids that the child needs in twenty-four hours. THE SEVEN AGES OF MILK 1. Neglect Age. — Meaning anything and everything unsanitary; filthy stables and as filthy cows; dust, flies, unclean cans and paUs and unclean milkers perhaps, using unclean milking methods, and careless cooling and storing of the milk. 2. Water Age. — When 25 to 50 per cent, of water was added to the milk to make it hold out. 3. Skim Age. — When all or part of the cream was skimmed and kept at the farm, and the milk sent to town. 4. Preservative Age. — When sahcylic and boracic acids were used, and then formaldehyde to keep the milk chemically sweet. 5. Tuberculosis Age. — When milk was found to be, through the bovine bacillus, a transmitter of the white plague. 6. Pasteurization Age. — When all "uncertain" milk was made safe through application of heat, 145 degrees Fahrenheit for thirty minutes, correctly, honestly and thoroughly done. 7. Golden Age. — When all milk shall be "certified" in the full and sanitary sense and meaning of the term as to environment and methods, machine clarification to take place immediately after the milking, when the milk is fresh from the cow and before germ multiplication has commenced, either from the foreign matter or from the slimes already present in the milk; then cooling and bottling at the farm, pasteurization after bottling, if requested, to make assurance doubly sure. Clean hands, a clean cow, a clean barn, and a clean milk pail produce clean milk. The use of hot milk is recommended as a restorative. MUk, when heated above 10()° Fahr., loses its sweetness and density, but has a most beneficial influence over mind and body when exhausted by labor or mental strain. Its cff'ects are said to be more invigorating and enduring than those of alcoholic stimulants. HELPS. HI TS AND RECEIPTS 45 When you find that nerves have too strong a grip to permit of sleep at bedtime try hot milk, which is a cure for so many ills. The milk should be heated hot, but not boiled, and it should be taken slowly. A hearty meal will often cause an attack of indigestion, whereas a cup of hot milk with flavoring of sugar, nutmeg or a pinch of salt, taken with a few crackers, will have a restful effect and allay the pangs of hunger. The effect of milk upon the human system depends largely upon personal peculiarities. Its general effect is a constipating one, brought about by the casein contained in it, which is not easily digested, and also by the production of a large amount of mucus, which has a similar effect. A Home-Made Sterilizer, — In the case of invalids or small children it is often advisable to steriUze the milk or water given them. In the bottom of a tin pail place a false bottom or a small tin cover perforated with many holes; on this arrange the loosely-cov- ered cans or bottles containing the liquid to be sterilized. Pour water into the pail untU it reaches the height of the contents of the cans, and put on the cover, which should have a hole fitted with a cork through which the thermometer is inserted so that the bulb reaches the water below. Place over the heat until the temperature reaches 155 degrees, then remove, leaving covered for half an hour. The cans should then be set in a cool place. Dr. Demuth advocates the use of sour milk and buttermilk as cheap, effective, and easily assimilable nutritive agents. Both are easily digested on account of the finely-divided condition of the casein and the presence of acids. He also says that buttermilk is useful in all cases where a milk cure is indicated, and is particularly to be recommended in consumption. It is the general opinion of physicians that nursing-bottles with glass or rubber tube are very likely the source of many infant deaths. The tube bottles are popular with many people because the children may be left to themselves with these. They are placed in bed and the children can suck at liberty wliile the mother goes about her work, whereas the bottle without a tube must be, as a rule, held in the hand by the nurse during the time of feeding. Bot- tles with tubes are difficult to clean and to keep free from germs. If they are left, as is generally the rule, to the children, there is danger, on the one hand, of a lack of the regularity in feeding, so important in the nutrition of children, and on the other, danger of overfeeding. 46 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS If fever patients can be induced to drink sour buttermilk to the exclusion of all other food or drink, the battle is practically won. Buttermilk is nourishing, it keeps the bowels and kidneys in order, and it is cooling. When possible to get it, prefer the butter- milk that is made by putting the tablets made for the purpose into new milk. These tablets can be purchased at most drug stores, and directions for using come with them. Buttermilk is advocated as food for very young children, in conjunction with rice or wheat flour. Besides being easier of diges- tion, it is cheaper and less liable to adulteration than milk from the cow. Dr. Van Maanen, of Barneveld, says that buttermilk is invariably used by the children of that district, and with the best effects. They get through their infantile disorders with wonderful celerity. Scrofula is unknown, and the bills of mortality are reduced to a minimum, all owing, according to the doctor, to the use of buttermilk. Modified Milk. — Sometimes milk disagrees with the infant be- cause there is too much acid in the system. Lime water may be added to overcome that acidity. Cows' milk contains less sugar than human milk. When it is necessary to make the change from human milk to cows' milk, milk sugar must be added in order to give cows' milk the required food value. Cows' milk is richer in protein than human milk, consequently it is often necessary to dilute cows' milk in order that it shall be a suitable food for the infant. The Keeping of Milk and Cream in Hot Weather. — Cream already skimmed may be kept twenty-four hours if scalded, while if it is made tolerably sweet it may last in a cool place even as long as two days. To prevent new milk from becoming sour, scald it gently, without letting it boil, and set it aside in the pari in which it has been heated. Typhoid fever, which is caused by the typhoid bacillus, is most frequently spread by milk which has become contaminated by rinsing pails and cans with well water just before milking and by allowing flies to swarm about the milk. Fresh air, intelligent care, good housing conditions, frequent bathing and cleanliness, proper clothing for summer and \vinter, are powerful adjuvants in all that pertains to normal digestion and the upbuilding processes of infants. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 47 A crying infant probably has the stomach ache, earache, or is hungry. More trouble comes from over-feeding than from under- feeding infants. Every baby, especially every abnormal baby, is a law unto himself, and he should be studied as an individual. No one's dictum or rule or recent discovery is as important as a knowledge of general principles of feeding and the physiology of food and digestion. Prolonged starvation lowers resistance and predisposes to dis- ease and death. Prolonged and excessive use of laxative drugs does not assist in the digestion or assimilation of food. Scalded or boiled milk sometimes agrees when raw milk causes indigestion and diarrhea. An infant may be difficult to feed because he is suffering from an inherited disease, an anatomic malformation, a constitutional vice or an infectious disease. A narrow fold of fine flannel worn next the skin along the line of the spine will be found a very simple and efficacious preventive of chills. Inside the baby's silk- or silesia-lined bonnet there should be a soft lining which can be easily removed. It can be made of an old fine linen pocket handkerchief, with a very thin layer of cotton between. This will protect the bonnet from perspiration, and, what is not of less consequence, will protect the child's head and render him less liable to take cold if exposed to a draught of air. One does not need to run for a doctor every time a child shows some slight derangement. Usually it is due to error in diet or to cold, and there are a number of home remedies that are not only entirely harmless, but really helpful, that may be applied and should be applied at the first symptoms of derangement. These are not in the nature of drugs though. Water and fresh air, the freest things on earth, are also the surest healers, properly used, and a healthy child needs little else, except a sensible diet, to keep him happy, healthy and good natured. We greatly overdress children. They ought never to be op- pressed with what they wear, and it should always protect the Hmbs. Generally the body is overdressed, and the arms and legs too little dressed. 48 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS It is downright murder to dress little ones with nothing on their arms and legs in cold weather, and it is ako injurious to over- load and keep their bodies too warm. In the first case, children are liable to congestions of the internal organs; in the latter, to debility and weakness of the skin. If, however, they are properly clothed, and their bodies exposed to the air and sunshine, the skin may always be kept vigorous. The bowels must be kept free, not by physic, but by the right food, and, if necessary, an occasional injection. Constipated children will always suffer more from teething than those whose bowels are free. Certain kinds of indigestion are cured by a change from cow's milk to an artificial food, but it seems unwise to keep a child long on an artificial food alone, although the class of foods that are added to cow's milk are often, unquestionably, of value. Most of these foods have a low fat percentage, and the child will be benefited temporarily by a change to such an artificial food, if fat was causing a disturbance. Many of these foods contain large amounts of starch, and a young child digests starch poorly. After six months the addition of the extra starch to his food may be of advantage ratlier than a disadvantage, as before many months he will begin to take starch with more solid food. Those that contain maltose and dextrine have the advantages described under the use of dextrinized and malt foods in certain kinds of indigestion. Some of these foods are of advantage, when used in small amounts, when the child, during an intestinal inflammation, has been entirely deprived of milk for from twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Home Accessories in Obstetric Practice. — Here is a list of a few things which the mother should have on hand some days or weeks previous to her confinement: Olive oil, one pound; gauze, five yards; lysol; alcohol, eight ounces; basins; towels; brandy; Castile soap; cotton diapers; boric acid, one pound; absorbent cotton, one pound; binders for breast and abdomen; safety pins, all sizes; carbolized vaseline, one pound; powder, talcum or rice; rubber sheet or oil cloth; fountain syringe, and binders for babe. A French doctor states that in inflamed conditions of the vagina and in leucorrhea he uses one-half ounce of tincture of iodine to a quart of hot water as a douche every other day. This always relieves. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 49 TEETHING CONVULSIONS OF CHILDREN It is not uncommon for children during the teething period to have convulsions, but they rarely occur before the age of six months, except with those babies who have been so unfortunate as to receive some injury to the head at birth, when they usually occur during the first or second month. Children under two years of age are more apt to have them than those who are older, and boys are perhaps more liable to have them than girls. A temporary lack of the proper supply of nourishment in the blood that circulates through the brain ; a failure to get rid of the waste matters of the body by means of the bowels and bladder; too much excitement of any sort; very frequently improper food with resulting indigestion, and an accumulation of gas in the stomach and bowels — may bring on a convulsion. Convulsions appearing in the course of a severe illness, as for instance during scarlet fever, pneumonia, whooping-cough, or any other recognized disease, are very serious, and the physician's attention should be called to them without a moment's delay. A slight convulsion, or even a rather sharp one, at the coming through of a tooth, if unaccompanied by any other sj'^mptoms of importance, is a much less serious aflfair, and need cause no great amount of alarm. A baby with such a tendency should be kept very quiet, its diet should be guarded with the utmost care, the mother should never nurse it when she herself is in a highly excited state, and all the conditions that surround it ought to be the most healthful pos- sible. It should never be allowed to become constipated. When a child is seized with a convulsion, place it at once upon the floor, on something large and soft, so that it may not hurt itself by jerking against anything if there is much jerking. If it is confined to bed, see that it is properly guarded from injury. If there is constipation, relieve the bowels at once of possible hard masses or irritating substances. In any case the injection will do no harm, and may do much good. Have plenty of 'Lvarm water, so as to give a warm bath if the doctor orders one. If the pulse is weak, however, the face very pale, the nails and lips blue, and the hands and feet cold, put the child at once into a warm bath without waiting for the doctor's orders, being careful not to have the water warmer than 106 degrees F. as shown by the bath thermometer, or perfectly comfortable when your own arm is plunged in up to the elbow. 60 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Means of Emptying the Bladder. — Dr. Edward Anderson says: "The fact that the bladder, when partially paralyzed from partu- rition , or any other cause, can always be made to empty itself perfectly by throwing a large amount of very warm water into the bowel, thereby doing away with the necessity of using a catheter— a most important consideration, particularly when the patient lives at a distance from the doctor. After difficult and protracted labors I have been obliged to use the catheter every day for weeks at a time, which was annoying to the patient and inconvenient to myself. Since using the above recommended plan I have had no trouble in this direction, the bowel and the bladder emptying themselves at the same time." At certain definite years, varying with climatic conditions, changes occur which indicate the beginning of maturity in the life of the young girl. This process may occur anywhere from eight to sixteen years of age. In tropical climates it takes place at the earlier, and in cold climates at the later age. The average age for temperate climates is from fourteen to fifteen years, but many girls reach maturity at the earlier periods even in temperate climates. This will happen if the child's life is spent under conditions that are too stimulating. This is undesirable, and parents should see that their children live healthfully. To this end abundant out-of-doors, sun- shine, exercise, proper bathing, dressing, regular meals of wholesome food, is necessary, while late hours, excessive excitement of music, dancing and the reading of fiction are to be avoided. All these things are desirable if not carried to excess. There should always be a judicious admixture of work and play in the child's life, while brain and hands should be taught useful things. Happy the child, and afterwards fortunate the woman, who is taught the art of housekeeping in earlier years. Before the time for maturity arrives, the mother should have so informed herself that she can tell her daughter of the nature of her physiologic function, when and how often it should appear, and of its relation to the beautiful mechanism of life. If she is not capable — that is, if she has not been instructed herself — she should ask help of a physician of her own sex. Both daughters and sons should be told of their physiological functions, that they may do nothing to prejudice their well-being. This duty does not end with the mother, but belongs to the father as well. Safe Drinking Water. — In round figures, sixty per cent, or more of the weight of the human body consists of water. That is, a man weighing one hundred and fifty pounds may know that rather more than ninety pounds — or nearly twelve gallons — of him are water. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 51 Persons but little accustomed to drink water are liable to have the waste products formed faster than they are removed. Safe drinking water should possess only moderate hardness, and boiling removes a part of the hardness by causing some of the mineral constituents to precipitate. Many of the minute substances that are suspended, not dissolved in the water, "settle" at the bottom of the vessel after boiling. These minute suspended substances cause much of the dysentery and other bowel troubles which, according to vital sta- tistics, arc more destructive to life, comfort and prosperity than is typhoid. The average person needs about two quarts of water in twenty-four hours. Of course, this quantity may vary with the temperature and the kind of work one is doing. In very hot weather and when one is doing hard manual labor inducing excessive perspira- tion, the amount of water taken should be increased. Physiologists and nutritionists now class water as a food, and it must be so considered, since it enters into the chemical com- position of all the tissues of the body. It is well known that life lasts longer in the absence of other recognized foods than it will when water is denied. People accustomed to rise in the morning weak and languid will find the cause in the imperfect secretion of wastes, which many times may be remedied by drinking a full tumbler of water before retiring. This very materially assists in the process during the night, and leaves the tissues fresh and strong, and ready for active work. With an unsafe drinking water filtering alone is never sufficient, though many a dealer in filters, in his own ignorance, will assure you to the contrary. Filtering alone will remove suspended matter, but it will not lessen the hardness of the water nor remove the disease germs. One of the sure signs that the water supply is foul is when there is much typhoid and bowel trouble in the community. The best time to guard against the consequences of unsafe drinking water, however, is before illness starts. To test suspected water, fill a clean pint bottle nearly full of the water to be tested, and dissolve in it half a.', teaspoonful of loaf or granulated sugar. Cork the bottle and keep in a warm place for two days. If the water becomes cloudy or milky within forty-eight hours, it is unfit for domestic use. 52 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS There is an easy household means of rendering drinking water free from disease germs. Boil the water. If the boiling is continued for twenty minutes no germ will survive. After boiling, the water should invariably be filtered, in order to remove all the precipitated and suspended matter which, often, is not visible to the eye. A six-inch glass filter funnel and package of a hundred filter papers to fit, will cost less than one visit from the physician. The paper should be changed every few days, and always kept protected from dust. The boiled water should be filtered, while still hot, into a half-gallon or gallon bottle provided with a glass stopper. The bottle itself can be sterilized by boiling in water for twenty minutes. The coldness of water is no proof of its purity, though by many taken to be so. It is no assurance that impurities are not oozing into your well from a dozen different sources. Therefore, look to your well, e^en though its water be cold. Here Are Some Wells to be Avoided. — The one which is a per- fectly good well in itself. But a cesspool has been built deep enough to penetrate beyond this protecting layer, and the natural drainage is into the bottom of the well. A well that is still worse, has cracks and faults in its sides, from age, and is situated back of a barn. A manure pile graces one side and a vault is located at another, while a pig pen is established ]ust behind it. The Really Perfect Well. — It has a deep pipe-well, driven through one stratum of yellow loam and two of blue clay. The water entering the well is thoroughly protected from surface seepings, and with the three strata at such depths, it is "fool proof." When iron occurs in water in such quantities as to color the water it is almost always due to rust in storage tanks. In this case iron is suspended, not dissolved in the water, and will be removed by boiling and filtering — a useful hint to the disgusted housekeeper when laundry work is ruined by "rusty" water. Abundant mineral matter is an aid to digestion. Magnesium builds nerves, calcium builds bones, potassium builds cells, sulphur builds tissues, and sodium aids the digestion of foods. Hot water will relieve thirst better than cold water, and for that purpose is not to be condemned. But hot water is an excitant, and in cases in which irritation of the stomach exists, should be avoided. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 53 Hot Water for Medicinal Purposes. — Hot water has far more medical virtues than many behe^•e. Because it is so easily pro- cured, many think it valueless. Cure of Hysteria. — Nothinc: recovers a person sooner out <>£ the hysteric fit, than putting the feet and legs in warm water. Headache yields to frequent application of hot water to the feet and back of neck. A towel wrung out of hot water and held to the face will generally give relief in neuralgia and toothache. A napkin wrung out and put round the neck of a child suffering from croup, will sometimes bring relief in ten minutes. A tumblerful of hot water taken in the morning, half an hour before breakfast, will help cases of stomach trouble. Very hot water will stop dangerous bleeding. Hot water is the best thing that can be used to heal a sprain or bruise. The wounded part should be placed in water as hot as can be borne for fifteen or twenty minutes, and in all ordinary cases the pain will gradually cease. Hot water applied by means of cloths is a sovereign remedy for neuralgia and pleurisy pains. Woman's Best Friend is Hot Water. — If she drinks hot water an hour before her breakfast she will be able to ward off dyspepsia. If she drinks hot water flavored with lemon and sweetened with sugar when she has been out in the cold she will ward off chills. The same agreeable medicine taken early enough in the progress of a cold will stop it. When a nervous headache makes the forehead throb and the back of the head ache, hot water will relieve the pain. For tired eyes, inflamed eyelids and styes, nothing is so good as hot water. The eyes should be sopped with a cloth dipped in boiling water. Sprains may be relieved greatly by soaking the afflicted member in hot water for half an hour at a time and then binding it with a flannel bandage. Bruises yield to much the same treatment, although such long soaking is unnecessary. 54 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Wounds and sores may be treated by pouring hot water on them for a few minutes at a time. Very hot water applied to a bleeding cut will stop the flow of blood frequently. A rubber bag full of it makes one indifferent to cold. Wrapped in flannel and nut on the floor of a carriage it is invaluable. She who suffers from cold feet at night has but to fill a hot water bag to know what comfort is. Sufferers from sleeplessness find themselves deliciously drowsy after a hot bath. Wrinkles flee before it and blackheads vanish before its constant use. In cases of congestion, bilious colic, inflammation, etc., there is no remedy more certain to give relief. In cases of obstinate constipation, also, wonderful cures have been wrought. For sore throat, diphtheria, and inflammation of the lungs, a hot compress is one of the most potent remedies. It is well known when one is exhausted, or worn out with worry or labor, a cup of hot broth, or tea or coffee, or even copious draughts of quite hot water is one of the best stimulants known and always easy to be had, with no bad effects, such as alcoholic stimulants are apt to leave. Hot Water Drinking. — There are four classes of persons who should not drink large quantities f^i hot water. These are as follows: I. People who have irritabihty of the heart. Hot water will cause palpitation of the heart in such cases. 2. Persons with dilated stomachs. 3. Persons afflicted with "sour stomach." 4. Persons who have soreness of the stomach, or pain induced by light pressure. These rules are not for those who take hot water simply to relieve thirst, but as a means of washing out the stomach. HOT WATER FOR BABIES Hot water is highly useful in the digestive disorders of children. The good effects of catnip tea, and other simple liquids administered to babies, are all probably due to the heat they contain. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 55 In cases of internal cramps, spasms, and lilce pains, the in- ternal hot bath, by way of the mouth is often a specific, and all that is needed, giving comfort instantly. Many a poor babe poorly equipped for the struggle for existence has its chances materially lessened by indiscriminate feeding on cow's milk and various kinds of teas. The idea permeates all classes of society, that a child must begin to eat as soon as it is ushered into existence. A child will live for several days with nothing whatever to eat, and be in much better condition than w4th a demoralized digestive tract. On hot water it will live comfortably, and scarcely seem to miss the mother's milk. With a colicky baby the hot water frequently acts as an anodyne, putting it to sleep. If it seems distressed afterj nursing, the hot water relieves the pain even if it be caused from an over-filled stomach. The water can be given in a spoon, and the nurse should taste it to see there is no danger of scalding the child. With judicious nursing, and sensible hygienic regulations in other respects, the hot water seems to meet all demands for "medi- cine" during the first few weeks. To those not accustomed to the hot water treatment, it is a surprise to see an infant contentedly swallow six or eight teaspoonfuls. The terrible pangs of a felon are cut short by the application of intensely hot water. Have the water as hot as can be borne, place the finger in and keep renewing the hot water for several hours. THE RATIONAL TREATMENT OF GALL- STONES Biliary calculi are formed upon foci derived from inflammatory deposits. Inflammation is caused by invading bacteria — the colon bacilli — from the duodenum. The calculi only irritate when the biliary passages are inflamed, while at other times the patient is unconscious of possessing the concretions. The pain ensues when a calculus leaves its habitat, enters an inflamed biliary duct and excites spasm of the circular fibres, inducing exquisite pain, and then being held there until the irritability of the spastic fibres is exhausted and they relax, permitting advance of the calculus until it encounters a fresh set of fibres, where the process is repeated, until at last the stone roUs out into the gut, and relief ensues. 56 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Regulate the personal and domestic sanitation. Clear the bowels, keep them clear, and disinfect them with a sufficiency of sodium sulphocarbolate — average adult dose 20 grains daily. Incite healthy gastrointestinal digestive secretions by minute doses of emetine, rhubarb, hydrastis, or juglans, or of lobclinc; any of these will answer, provided enough is given — just enough to incite normal secretion, not an excess. Meanwhile give sodiuin succinate, 5 grains four times a day, as a specific to quell the infective chole- cystis and cholangitis. Other remedies may do this — the succinate does it. Continue as long as a trace of bile is detectable in the urine and one month more. Meanwhile — the paroxysms! — Be it remembered that, the pathologic factor— is spasm. Hence the indicated remedy is not so much an anodyne as an antispasmodic. Here the great and antis]3asmodic triad comes into play; glonoin instantly to relax the constriction, hyoscyamine to deepen and prolong this effect, and strychnine to increase the activity of both and to restore that centric nervous control, the loss of which is denoted by involuntary spasm. Of each 1-250 grain, administered in the mouth for speedy action, and repeated every ten minutes until suffusion of the face indicates full action. For Gall Stones. — For a case of gall stones, Prof. Da Costa prescribed olive oil, two ounces every nieht, and dibasic phosphate of soda, two drachms in hot water every morning. The passage of the gall stones is facilitated partly by the chemical action of the bile upon the oil, and partly by the mechanical action of the oil on ihe stones. DON'TS FOR THE SICK ROOM Don't let stale flowers remain in a sick chamber. Don't appear anxious, however great your anxiety. Don't jar the bed by leaning or sitting upon it. This is un- pleasant to one ill and nervous. Don't have the temperature of a sick-room much over 60 degrees; 70 degrees are allowable, but not advisable. Don't neglect during the day, to attend to necessities for the night, that the rest of the patient and the family may not be dis- turbed. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 57 Don't Whisper. — A whisper will often wake a light sleeper, when an ordinary voice would not. Don't Tiptoe. — A tiptoe will sometimes cause more disturbance than a carefully, squarely placed footfall. Don't SnifiF or Si^. — Sniffs and sighs may better be indulged in in the open air where a gust of wind can blow them away. Don't Handle Rattling Papers. — ^The folding and unfolding of papers that "rattle" is well calculated to "rattle" invalids, to say nothing of those who are strong and well. Don't ask a convalescent if he would like this or that to eat or drink, but prepare the delicacies, and present them in a tempting way. Don't be unmindful of yourself if you are in the responsible position of nurse. To do faithful work you must have proper food and stated hours of rest. Don't throw coal upon the fire; place it in brown paper bags and lay them on the fire, thus avoiding the noise, which is shocking to the sick and sensitive. Don't forget that kindness and tenderness are needful to successful nursing. Human nature longs to be soothed and com- forted on all occasions when it is out of tune. Don't light a sick room at night by means of a jet of gas burning low; nothing impoverishes the air sooner. Use sperm candles or tapers which burn in sperm oil. Don't permit currents of air to blow upon the patient. An open fireplace is an excellent means of ventilation. The current may be tested by burning a piece of paper in front. When the invalid wishes fresh air raise an umbrella, put it over him or her with a shawl or blanket thrown over all, raise the windows (lower them if possible) for a few moments. Don't give the patient a fiill glass of water to drink from, unless he is allowed all he desires. If he can drain the glass he will be satisfied, so regulate the quantity before handing it to him. Don't forget to have a few beans of coffee handy, for this serves as a deodorizer if burnt on coals or paper. Bits of charcoal placed around are useful in absorbing gases and other impurities. 58 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Don't Allow Offensive Matters to Remain. — In cases of emergency where these cannot be at once removed, wring a heavy cloth, for instance, like Turkish toweling, out of cold water, use it as a cover, placing over this ordinary paper. Such means prevent the escape of odor or infection. Don't venture into a sick room if you are in a violent per- spiration, for the moment your body becomes cold it is in a state likely to absorb the infection and give you the disease. Don't visit a sick person when your stomach is empty, as this disposes the system more readily to receive the contagion; or, if in low vitality yourself, or aUing in any manner. Don't shout, or allow the voice to be keyed on a high note. Shouting may be a necessity in connection with the treatment of "beasts of burden," but should be counted a luxury for indulgence only indoors, when conversing with those who are "deaf as a post." A small vegetable press, is excellent to wring out hot cloths. It saves time and scalded hands. In a sick room, where there is a fever patient, the temperature may be lowered quickly by hanging up sheets wrung out of ice or very cold water and fastening them to the doors and wall. If it is not convenient to fill flannel bags for the sick room with sand, bran will answer the purpose very well and will retain the heat a long time. The edges of the mouths of bottles are very seldom kept covered, while the lack of this is liable to infect the contents as they are poured out. A few drops of acetic ether administered in water will, it is said, revive persons who have been made insensible by inhaling illuminat- ing gas. The common practice of raising fainting persons to an upright position is often sufficient to destroy the spark of life which remains. It is more reasonable and sound to keep such persons in the prone position while restoratives and local means are adopted to enable them if possible to regain consciousness. Palpitation of the heart can always be arrested by bending double — the head down and the hands hanging — so as to produce a temporary congestion of the upper part of the body. In nearly every instance of nervous or anemic palpitation the heart immedi- ately resumes its normal function. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 59 Preparing the Bed. — The bed should be protected by a rubber sheet pinned to the mattress. Get one about a yard and a half long and pin the four comers to the mattress securely with heavy safety pins. If it will be necessary to change the bed often, put a linen sheet under the rubber one. Over the rubber, place a linen sheet, tuck in securely at each end, and if necessary to keep smooth, pin it. Never allow a sheet to become wrinkled or let crumbs remain under the patient. This will obviate the danger of bed sores. Bedsores are more easily prevented than cured. If it seems necessary for further protection, put a pad under the patient. Sponging with a one-in-eighty solution of creosote in alcohol is excellent in the treatment and prevention of bedsores. Have a sheet and a light covering over the sick person. Avoid heavy spreads or bulky comforts. Air the bedding and pillows frequently. In changing the bed clothes, avoid disturbing the patient as much as possible. Roll the patient to one side of the bed, loosen the bedding on the other side and roll it up toward the center of the bed. Put the clean linen in its place. Then turn the patient gently over and roll onto the clean bedding. Now remove the soiled linen and smooth out the clean, attaching it properly to the mattress. In removing a patient's gown slip it well under the arm. Gently raise the shoulder and slip the garment off over the head. Put on the clean gown by putting the arms in the sleeves first. Slip it over the head and shoulders and pull it down smoothly. If the person is too weak to help himself, have someone raise the shoulders for you during the change. Mustard poultices should be made with tepid or cold, never with boiling water. The activity of mustard as a skin stimulant is due to a volatic oil. This oil is formed in the mustard only after the latter is made wet, and boiling water prevents the formation of the oil. Hence the poultice should not be placed in a hot oven or on a hot dish when made, but should be applied immediately. There is no necessity for the layer of mustard to be thick. The skin may be protected with thin linen or a fold of gauze. A imper- vious material is desirable to prevent the too free escape of the volatile oil. 60 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A mustard poultice can be made in a variety of ways. The simplest and cleanest for ordinary purposes is as follows: Take a piece of soft flannel, dip it in tepid water, wring out and sprinkle one side of it with dry mustard. Another way to make a mustard poultice is by spreading a large tablespoonful of mustard, made in the ordinary way as if for the table, on a piece of soft linen, and warming it before the fire when it is to be applied. When a mustard poultice is wanted very strong it may be made with mustard and warm vinegar; when not required so strong, equal quantities of mustard and linseed meal may be mixed with warm water. A mustard plaster mixed entirely with white of egg will neither scar nor blister. For tightness of the chest and difficulty of breath- ing, many people have experienced great relief from mustard and water mixed, and applied on an old rag, and allowed to remain on from twenty minutes to half an hour. For a bread-and-water poultice, first scald out a basin, then put in some boiling water, throw in coarsely crumbled bread and cover with a plate. When the bread has soaked up as much v,?ater as it will take, drain off the remaining water, and there will be left a light pulp. Spread this a third of an inch thick on folded linen, and apply it when of the temperature of a warm bath. To preserve it moist, occasionally drop warm water on it. When changing, the new poultice ought to be at the bedside before the old one is removed. The operation must be performed quickly and the skin dried before the fresh poultice is put on. Remember that moist heat leaves the skin in a relaxed condition and very susceptible to cold, so that a poultice may do more harm than good, unless the skin is protected for a few days afterwards with layers of flannel. An ever ready night light can be made from a bottle six inches high and one inch in diameter. The bottle is filled two-thirds full of pure oilvc oil that has been well heated about fifteen minutes, after which a piece of phosphorous about the size of a bean is dropped in and the cork is securely applied. This gives a good light for about four months; whenever this grows dim the bottle is opened a little to let in oxygen. Care is necessary in handling the phos- phorous. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 61 Boric acid sprinkled over the face of a poultice enhances its value in all cases of possible suppuration or of wounds from which it is desirable to coax matter. To Make a Linseed Poultice. — To make a good poultice there must be plenty of boiling water, an old dinner knife, crushed linseed and something to serve as a foundation for the poultice, which it is best to bum as soon as it has done its work. The foundation should always be larger than the part which has to be covered, so that the edges can be folded over the edges of the poultice and pre- vent the linseed from soiling the garments. Everything should be in readiness before the poultice-making is commenced. The knife should be placed in the basin, and the basin should be partly filled with boiling water. In a few minutes the water should be poured away, and the basin and the knife will be quite hot. Just as much boiling water as is required for the poultice should be poured into the basin. One cupful of water makes a small poultice. The lin- seed must be stirred in briskly until the poultice is thoroughly mixed. The proportion of linseed to water should be such that the poultice can be cut clean with the knife, and so that it will leave the basin without sticking to it. The poultice should be spread evenly on the foundation to within an inch of its edge, and the edge of the foundation should be folded over the edge of the poultice. It should then be placed as quickly as possible on the aflFected part with the linseed side downwards. An hour is usually long enough to leave such a poultice on. If another is to follow immediately, the skin should be dried and warm flannel or cotton wool applied. Use crushed linseed in preference to linseed meal, as the former contains a larger proportion of oil. Cov- ering a poultice with several folds of flannel or oiled skin helps to keep it longer warm, and fix it by means of bandages. (Good House- keeper.) To Remove the Bitter Taste of Medicine. — Sugar substances in concentrated solution much diminish bitter tastes. Thus, while the infusion of gentian is excessively disagreeable, its syrup can be very well taken if it be not diluted with water, thus weakening the action of the sugar. But the body that seems to enjoy this property in the highest degree is liquorice. By its aid we can almost immedi- ately dispel the bitter taste of quinine, colocynth, aloes, quassia, etc.; it is only necessary to chew a morsel of liquorice-root. Aloes may thus be powdered and sifted without inconvenience. The liquorice must be kept in the mouth for a longer time in proportion as the bitterness of the substance to be overcome is intense or its solution more concentrated. 62 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Powders can be concealed in bits of bread covered with jelly. Small pills can be given to those who are two years and over. Honey is said to be a good vehicle for the administration of quinine to children and others to whom the flavor of this drug is very nauseous. Tincture of iron consists of solution of chloride of iron one part and alcohol three parts. Tincture of steel and tincture of iron are synonymous. Medicine may be made tasteless by taking ice water in the mouth before taking it; the nerves of the organs of taste are be- numbed by the cold water. Pills are often quite inert when they are either hard-coated or have been made some time. On placing such pills in acidulated water, they will remain undissolved for days, even though they be violently agitated. In giving medicine in liquid form to an infant place the point of the spoon containing the medicine against the roof of the mouth. Administering it in this way it will be impossible for the child to choke or eject the medicine. To Disguise the Taste of Cod-liver Oil. — Sweeten common vinegar with honey. Take a small sip, and then take the oil, the taste of which will be perfectly and pleasantly disguised. Hot lemonade, taken just before "nasty" medicine, will do marvels toward making it easy to swallow and in killing the after- taste. Then, if a slice of the lemon is covered with sugar and eaten slowly afterward, even castor oil will be robbed of its terrors. Ouinine can be taken without any inconvenience in very strong cold black coffee. It increases the bitter taste of the coffee without overpowering it. Bitter tonics, as quinine, should be taken half an hour before meals; irons, oils, and acids after eating, that they may be digested with the food. Iodide of potassium is always given after meals; it is said then to be less liable to disorder the digestion. When a. tonic is ordered to be taken, the doctor should be asked whether it is to be given before or after meals. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 63 A good rule for dosage for a child, and one easy to remember, is that of "twentieths"; that is, to give as many twentieths of the dose of an adult as the child has years — one-twentieth for the first year, two-twentieths if the child is two years, and so on. If the medicine does not seem to agree with the child, then lessen the dose. When medicine is bitter or disagreeable do not tell a child it is good, but make every effort possible to lessen the unpleasantness of the taste. If you have oil of cloves in the house, place a drop on the child's tongue just bofore the medicine is to be given. This, though burning for an i'^stant, will destroy the sense of taste for the time and the medicine can be swallowed and retained with ease. In giving medicine to babies, it must be remembered that a baby cannot swallow until the spoon is taken out of its mouth. After the medicine is given, a little pinch of the nose will make the infant swallow. It is well to wrap a blanket around its arms, so that it cannot knock the spoon or push it away. Powders should not be given dry to an infant, as they are apt to cause it to cough or strangle. They therefore should be moistened and given in a spoon. Pills should be mashed before they are given. For older children medicines can be given in syrups or sweetened water. How to Take Castor Oil. — Take a half -glass of frothy, sparkling beer, mix the dose of oil with it, and whip it up so as to make it froth strongly. The oil thus becomes intimately mixed with the froth, and if only the latter is drunk, neither the taste of the oil nor that of the beer is perceived. It is common in these days for doctors to forbid having their patients waked to take medicine if they are asleep when the hour comes round, that the people have learned the lesson pretty well, and they generally know that sleep is better for the sick than medi- cine. But it is not so well known that sleep is a wonderful preventive of disease — better than tonic regulators and stimulants. When medicine needs to be taken regularly it is an excellent idea to cut a circle of cardboard large enough to extend over the edge of a tumbler. Mark the disk to imitate the face of a clock and cut notches opposite the hour-marks. Tie a knot on a cord and pass it through the center of disk. Attach a button or other weight on end of cord and let it hang over the tumbler. When medicine is given move the cord to indicate the time when it must be given again. 64 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS TO EASILY TAKE CASTOR OIL Put into a tumbler about two ounces of strong lemonade, using nearly half a lemon. Pour in the desired quantity of castor oil. Just as you are ready to give it stir in about one quarter teaspoonful of baking soda. It will foam to the top of the glass. Have the patient drink it while it is effervescing. Even the oiliness of the dose is not detected. Palatable Castor Oil. — The following is a perfect mixture for disguising the nauseous flavor. Mix 10 grains of powdered traga- canth with 23^^ drachms of water; upon this pour very slowly, drop by drop, 3^ ounce of castor oil, stirring constantly with the pestle. When the mixture is complete add about 3 ounces of water, 1 ounce of syrup and a few drops of cherry-laurel water. In this manner a white emulsion is obtained, in which the taste of the castor oil is quite masked by the taste of the laurel water. A fifty-per-cent. emulsion of cod-liver oil, or other oils, can be obtained by emulsifying one-fourth of the oil thus: — Two parts of oU, 1 part of acacia, and 13^ part of water, and then adding the balance of the oil and almost any mucilaginous solution alter- nately, till all is added. The mucilaginous solution can be quite thin, and if added warm still better. Such emulsion has the advan- tage of being much thinner, will consequently allow of a greater addition of sugar to help disguise the taste, and yet can be poured out of an ordinary prescription-vial, which is not the case with a 50-per-cent. emulsion made in the ordinary way. It is," perhaps, not generally known that "cod-liver oil" as usually prepared is nothing but cod oil clarified — a process which actually deprives it of much of its virtue, to say nothing of more than doubling its price. Cod oil can be purchased from any oil dealer for one-thirtieth part of the price of "cod-liver oil" as usually sold. To make it more palatable and digestible add an ounce of fine table salt to each quart bottle. Method of Breaking Ice for Invalids. — Put a lump of clean water, not snow, ice into a vegetable dish. Thread a No. 6 or 7 needle with white thread, and tie the ends together so you can pull by them if the needle gets beyond depth. Put on your thimble and press the point of the needle slowly into the ice about half an inch from the corner. You will hear a slight sound, then the ice will crack and the piece fall quietly, saving much trouble and noise in the sick-room, and obviating the necessity of pounding all up at once as in the old method. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 65 The unnatural appetites which sometimes prevail among girls for pickles, chalk, slate-pencils, and like queer fare, always indicate a perverted state of the system, that should be promptly investigated by the physician. THE TONGUE IN HEALTH AND IN SLIGHT AILMENTS A healthy tongue is best known by negative characters — rather by what it is not than by what it is; so we summarize the unhealthy tongue as (1) creamy white, excess of unremoved epithelium, metabolism of tissue in abeyance; (2) furred, the papillce elongated, and epitheUum adhering in long threads, characteristic of inflam- mation; (3) pale, sodden, toothmarked, indicative of anaemia; (4) red, (a) with enlarged papillae, the "strawberry tongue " of scarlatina; (b) smooth and glazed, the "irritable tongue," corresponding to an irritated mucous membrane elsewhere, as in the lung from phthisis, or intestine from diarrhoea; (5) the dry brown tongue, of the typhoid state, blood exuding and drying on its surface, and secretion of saliva nil. There is further (6) the aphthous tongue, often followed by ''punched out" painful ulcers, to be treated with chlorate of potash; and (7) the red fissured tongue, generally called syphilitic, which Dr. Beale says is not necessarily so, but for which he recommends iodide of potassium, with or without small (^ gr.) doses of biniodide of mercury. Note that often the same character of tongue may occur in a slight or grave ailment. The information given by the tongue is general. Other symptoms must localize the disease, and severe organic disease of the stomach is often accompanied by a clean tongue: a red glazed tongue indicates debility, with want of assimila- tive power of digestion; a tremulous flabby tongue indicates de- lirium tremens; hesitancy in protruding the tongue indicates con- cussion of the brain ; protrusion at one side indicates paralysis of the muscles of that side. To Dislodge a Fish Bone. — It sometimes happens that a fish bone, accidentally swallowed, will remain in the esophagus and be troublesome. In such cases, as soon as possible, give four grains of tartar emetic dissolved in one-half pint of warm water, and irnmedi- ately after the whites of six eggs. This will not remain in the stomach more than two or three minutes, and probably the bone will be ejected with the coagulated mass. If tartar emetic is not con- venient, a spoonful of mustard dissolved in lukewarm water and swallowed will answer every purpose of the emetic. 66 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS If a person is choking, break an egg as quickly as possible and give the white — do not beat it — and it will almost certainly dislodge the obstruction, whatever it may be, unless it is lodged in the wind- pipe. A raw egg swallowed immediately will generally carry a fish bone down that cannot be removed from the throat by the utmost exertion, and has got out of the reach of the saving finger. EXCESSIVE STOUTNESS AND LEANNESS Women should be specially careful to choose the right diet. For the sake of her beauty, if nothing else, a woman should choose the right amount of nutritive foods, and avoid the temptations of overeating. It may be said as a cardinal principle of nutrition that no human being should be fed in such a way as to produce fat; and the stoutness which so often comes with declining years is an evidence that the scientific principles of nutrition are much more neglected so far as the human beings are concerned than they are for the farm animal. Foods poor in starch and sugar, and rather rich in fat and protein, should be chosen for that period of life when one naturally grows stout; namely, the age of complete adolescence and incipient senility. The " fat " habit is to be feared much more than the thin habit. By observing the rate of growth and the body weight, one may tell the proper quantity of food to be used. With advancing age the physical activity usually becomes much less, while at the same time the amount of food which one eats may be maintained by force of habit at the maximum for earlier life. The fleshy woman should not sleep more than seven hours out of the twenty-four. She should never lie in bed late in the morning, nor indulge in the rocking-chair habit. On the other hand, she should get all the physical exercise she can possibly manage, preferably in the open air. The best all-around, general exercise — and one within the reach of all — is walking. Most women — whether they be fat or thin — walk far too little. The woman who tends to be fleshy should walk for at least an hour every day — and do it regularly and systematically. As she gets accustomed to the exercise, she should increase the number of miles she walks a day, until she is doing five miles. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS C7 The Following is a Good Formula for Reducing Flesh. — For breakfast, 4 oz. of beef, mutton, or any kind of broiled fish or cold meat, excepting pork, salmon, eels, and herring. A large cup of tea without milk or sugar, a little biscuit or an ounce of dry toast. For dinner, 5 oz. or 6 oz. of any fish or meat (except those prohibited), any vegetable (except potatoes, parsnips, and beets), 1 oz. of dry toast, ripe and cooked fruits, and any kind of poultry and game. For tea, 2 oz. or 3 oz. of fruit, dry toast, and a cup of tea without milk or sugar. And for supper, 3 oz. or 4 oz. of meat or fish, with a cup or two of weak black tea. Food which contains sugar and starch in large proportions rapidly creates fat, and must be avoided by those who have a horror of corpulency. Dr. George Johnson's Diet for Excess of Fat. — The patient may eat: Lean mutton and beef; veal; lamb; tongue; sweetbread; soups, not thickened; beef tea and broths; poultry; game; fish; cheese; eggs; bread. In moderation : — Greens ; spinach ; watercress ; mustard and cress ; lettuce; asparagus; celery; radishes; French beans; green peas; Brussels sprouts; cabbage; cauliflower; onions; broccoli; sea-kale; jellies, flavored but not sweetened; fresh fruit in moderation, with- out sugar or cream ; pickles. May Not Eat: — Fat bacon and ham; fat of meat; butter; cream; sugar; potatoes; carrots; parsnips; beet root; rice; arrowroot; sago; tapioca ; macaroni ; vermicelli ; semolina ; custard ; pastry and pudding of all kinds ; sweet cakes. May Drink: — Tea; coffee; cocoa from nibs, with milk, but with- out cream or sugar; dry wines of any kind, in moderation; brandy, whisky, or gin, in moderation, without sugar; light bitter beer; ApoUinaris water; soda water; seltzer water. May Not Drink: — Milk, except sparingly; porter and stout; sweet ales; sweet wines. As a rule, alcoholic liquors should be taken very sparingly, and never without food. When leanness accompanies the use of an abundant and varied diet and the general health is fair, it does not indicate any unfavorable state; on the contrary, the capacity for exercise is increased, and the physical balance is in favor of resistance to disease. When leanness is the result of an attack of illness, of im- paired or faulty nutrition, or of overwork, the remedy is to be sought in the use of abundance of digestible and nutritious food of a varied character, a moderate degree of exercise, and plenty of sleep. 68 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Leanness is generally caused by the lack of power in the digestive organs to assimilate the fat-producing elements of food. First restore digestion, take plenty of sleep, drink all the water the stomach will bear in the morning on rising, take moderate exercise in the open air, eat oatmeal, cracked wheat, graham mush, baked sweet apples, roasted and broiled beef, bathe daily and cultivate jolly people. Extremes of obesity and leanness, unless they are family characteristics, are indicative of a disturbed physical balance. Obesity may result from an ill-regulated diet as well as from over- eating. While superfluous nourishment is stored up in the system in the form of fat, a similar condition may be caused by the undue excess of starch and sugar in the food, so that the appearance may seem to indicate high health when in fact the needs of the body are imperfectly met. APPENDICITIS It is very difficult to give advice about appendicitis without seeing the patient. Sometimes it will be so far developed that nothing but an operation can save the patient's life. When pus has formed, you've got to see a doctor. Sometimes it isn't appendicitis at all. But the directions will be found good for the bowel troubles that seem like appendicitis even if they are not. Never try to cure appendicitis if there is a doctor near. And here is what you are advised to do if you're a long way from a doctor and are sure you have appendicitis: First, wash the bowels out with hot water. Use the enemas as hot as you can bear them — for the hotter the water is, the more good it will do, and the less it wUl hurt; put half a teacup of castor oil in a gallon of water. The water must be felt in the upper part of the bowel. It will probably make you a little sick in the stomach but you must persevere. Do this twice a day, at first, then once a day, continuing for at least a week after the soreness has disappeared. If it was caused by a collection of gas, you'll be well very soon. In connection vrith the hot enemas take only a liquid diet for at least ten days. If you want oranges, strain tlie juice before you drink it. Take all the liquid food you want, and also take several teaspoonfuls of olive oil every day. The only danger in this treatment is that it may be begun too late. If the appendix is full of pus, flooding the bowels might rupture it and cause trouble. If there are chills, it is quite safe to predict pus — although that is not always an indication. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS G9 A calomel purge followed by an ice bag to the appendix will often abort an attack of appendicitis, if used early. Keep in bed as long as there is any soreness or pain, and use cold compresses over the bowels. Some like to use ice bags, but there is more virtue in a cloth wrung from ice water and put directly on the flesh. Cover it with oiled silk, or folded flannel, and change it frequently. Have more than one cloth, so as to use a fresh one each time; poison comes from the system on these cold compresses, and should be washed off before they are used again. To Stop Ordinary Hiccough. — There are two simple methods of arresting this unpleasant affection — by a temporary check in either the respiration or the circulation. The first mode of doing so is by drawing in the breath just before the expected time, and holding it thus till the period is past. If it does not succeed with the first effort it will very likely do so with the second. The other plan is to squeeze the right wrist with the finger and thumb of the other hand, at the place where the pulse is generally felt. A Brazilian physician. Dr. Ramos, states that refrigeration of the lobe of the ear will stop hiccough, whatever its cause may be. Very slight refrigeration, he asserts, will answer, the application of cold water or even saliva being sufficient. Hiccough is relieved by a tight bandage about the abdomen, or the inhalation of a few drops of chloroform. "There is only one specific for hiccough," says Dr. Henry Lewis, "and that is a small dose of wine vinegar, sweetened with as much sugar as it will absorb. I have used this remedy when the annoyance has passed almost into the dangerous stage, and never knew a case which one dose would not relieve and two cure. Sucking a lump of sugar will cure a very tmld attack, but is not eflfective in severe cases." To cure hiccoughs, sit erect and inflate the lungs fully. Then, retaining the breath, bend forward slowly until the chest meets the knees. After slowly rising again to the erect position, slowly exhale the breath. Repeat this process a second time, and the nerves will be found to have received an excess of energy that will enable them to perform their natural functions. Ten drops of chloroform upon a lump of sugar is also considered an excellent remedy for hiccough and ordinary nausea. 70 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS HEADACHE For a severe headache, a towel wrung out of hot water and applied to the back of the neck will often give instant relief. Putting the feet in hot water will often cure a headache by drawing the blood from the head. At the beginning of a sick headache, exercising the abdominal muscles often gives relief. For headache, drink a cup of strong black tea, in which has been squeezed the juice of a lemon. Half a teaspoon of common baking soda dissolved in hot water is also good. One of the quickest known ways of dispelling a headache is to give some of the muscles — those of the legs, for instance — a little hard, sharp work to do. The reason is obvious. Muscular exercise flushes the parts engaged in it, and so depletes the brain. When your head aches, take a stiff walk. Most persons do not know that the most effectual form in which first aid can be rendered in cases of sunstroke is the application of cold — as cold water, ice, etc. — to the head and neck. An investigation of the effects of acetanilid, antipyrin, and phenacetin, drugs commonly used in headache remedies of the present day, showed that the indiscriminate use of these drugs — or remedies containing them — without the advice of a physician, frequently produces poisoning, a drug habit, or, in some cases, death. Autotoxemia of a chronic character is often at the bottom of many tough old cases of headache, rheumatism and "stomach trouble." Restrict the diet and admonish the drinking of copious quantities of pure water. An ounce or two of castor oil every morn- ing or so, alternated with a saline sometimes works wonders in such cases. Copious Secretion in the Nose as a Treatment for Severe Headache. — A German (Dr. Lorand) cured himself by using an irritating snuff to start profuse nasal secretion. One of his prescrip- tions (only to be used transiently to relieve the ache) is: Menthol, 3 grains; acid bor., 15 grains; irid florent. and sacch. lact., each, 30 grains. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 71 Sleep, if taken at the right moment, will prevent an attack of nervous headache. If the subjects of such headaches will watch the symptoms of its coming, they can notice that it begins with a feeling of weariness or heaviness. This is the time a sleep of an hour, or even two, as nature guides, will effectually prevent the headache. If not taken just then it will be too late, for, after the attack is fairly under way, it is impossible to get sleep till far into the night, perhaps. The woman who is subject to headaches will often find relief from a few simple exercises. One of the best of these is swinging the head in a gentle circular motion for eight or ten times. Move first to one side and then to the other to avoid dizziness. Exaggerate the motion slightly at first, dropping the head as far forward, to back and sides as it will comfortably go. Should these neck motions prove too severe, try swinging the arms in a circle. This can be done by dropping the arms close to the sides, then bringing them out in front as far as they will go, up over the head to their full height and straight back from the shoulders until they fall naturally to the sides again. Just at first this motion will seem somewhat jerky, but if done slowly and regularly it will soon draw the blood from the head and thus relieve the ache. NEURALGIA There is no doubt that this is one of the most common of female maladies — one of the most painful and difficult of treatment. It is also a cause of much mental depression, and leads more often to habits of intemperance than any other. This growing prevalence of neuralgia may to some extent be referred to the effects of cold upon the terminal branches of the nerves distributed to the skin; and the reason why men are less subject to it than women may to a great extent be explained by the much greater protection afforded by the mode in which the former cover their heads when they are in the open air. It may be observed that the surface of the head which is actually covered in man is at least three times that which fashion allows to a woman ; indeed, the points of contact between the hat or bonnet and the head in the latter are so irregular as practically to destroy any protection which might otherwise be afforded. 72 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Neuralgic Ointment. — Menthol, forty-five grains; cocaine, fif- teen grains; chloral, ten grains; vaseline, five drachms. Apply to the painful part. Bisulphide of carbon has been employed with success in the treatment of neuralgia. From fifteen to twenty drops are applied on cotton-wool to the painful part and covered ■unth a piece of dry cotton. The remedy, if not always a cure, at all times procures great relief; the pain produced by the application itself is only temporary. Neuralgia is due to diverse causes — a loaded colon, intestinal worms, malaria, bad teeth, etc., but beware of mistaking all facial neuralgia for what is due to bad teeth, and so having a sound one drawn. Treatment. — Regulate by the cause, if you can discern it; by guess, if you cannot. In the last case best try a purgative first, then quinine, especially if the pain occurs periodically, then muriate of ammonia twenty to thirty grains. Iron and arsenic if the blood may be in fault. If the pain be very severe, and does not yield to any of these remedies, then sedatives, opium, chloral, croton chloral, or the hypodermic injection of morphia. These last remedies should not be entrusted to the patient. TREATMENT OF BURNS AND SCALDS For bums or scalds, apply cloths well saturated with cool alum- water, keeping the injured part covered from the air. For burns Dr. Mosley declares balsam of copaiba is an applica- tion preferable to bicarbonate of soda or other remedies which have been advocated. For burns of the first degree, a saturated solution of picric acid (seventy-five grains to an ounce) freely applied gives instant relief. Dr. Brame recommends oil of peppermint as an external application in cases of burns. The burned surface is moistened with water and then painted over with the oil, the effect being to relieve the pain very quickly. The true physiological method of treating burns or scalds is to at once exclude the air witli cotton batting, flour, scraped potato, varnish, white of an egg, paste, or anything that is most quickly obtained. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 73 For a very bad burn, melt beeswax and into this pour sweet oil until it makes a salve which can be readily spread with a soft brush. Keep every part covered with the salve. Eggs for Burns. — The white of an egg has proved the most efficacious remedy for bums. Seven or eight successive applications of this substance soothe the pain and effectually exclude the burned parts from the air. This simple remedy seems far preferable to collodion or even cotton. For a bum one of the best aids is to immerse the part in kerosene for ten or fifteen minutes, if possible, or cover closely for some time with a cotton cloth dipped in the oil. The soreness will soon leave. A fine ointment for burns is made by frying white clover blos- soms in lard. Make it rich with the clover blossoms; then strain it and put it away in covered glasses. If a bad blister forms almost immediately, beat an egg into a teaspoonful of olive oil, spread it on a bit of linen, and cover the blister with it. Alcohol for Burns. — The most cleanly dressing for a burn or scald is to saturate a soft piece of fabric with alcohol, lay it over the burn, then cover it with cotton or finely picked oakum. It may be thought that alcohol will produce more pain; but try it, and you will be agreeably surprised. Disturb the dressing as little as possible; wet it occasionally with alcohol, and the result will please you. Cure for Burns or Scalds. — First apply sweet oil freely, and then saturate it wnth whiting. In the absence of medical aid, to adapt the nature of the application to the kind and degree of the injury from the burn, the above will be found very useful, as it effectually excludes the air, and at the same time affords a soft covering — the chief points in the treatment of burns. It answers the same purpose in these respects as common white paint, which is sometimes employed, without the same risk of danger from absorption. Or the Following Method May be Tried. — Let the clothes be taken off with great care and tenderness, and then apply spirits of turpentine, or lay on a thick plaster of fresh yeast, renewing it as often as it becomes hot or dry; or dash the part with cold water in which some yeast has been stirred, or with vinegar, or with strong brine, or with the liquid which runs from potatoes sliced thin and sprinkled with salt; or cut a large cucumber in slices and lay it oa the part. 74 HELPS. HINTS AND I^CEIPTS EXTINGUISHING BURNING CLOTHES The first impulse of the victim is to rush about shrieking for help; the second to open the door, if possible, and run along the passages out into the open air, thus fanning the flame to the utmost. It can not be too constantly borne in mind that the only safety is to fall down quickly on the floor; if a small portion of the dress only is ignited, it may be put out by thrusting it under the body and by rolling upon it. By rolling over and over the person on fire is comparatively safe, as the flames ascend away from the body, and thus do compar- atively little damage. The course of action for by-standers is evident; it is to seize any woolen covering near at hand, as a blanket, shawl, hearth-rug, coat, or curtain, throw it instantly around the sufferer, and roll her on the floor in its folds. Scores of lives have been saved by by-standers taking off their coats, and instantly extinguishing the flames in this manner. As soon as the victim is on the ground the greatest danger is over; the flames no longer rise to the face, and the breathing of the overheated air, which is always fatal, is prevented. It may be asked, what is the best treatment to be adopted for the sufferer before the ai-rival of medical aid. If the burn is severe, the patient should be laid in a bed and the clothes removed with as little disturbance as possible; they should, if requisite, be cut off, so as to avoid the slightest additional injury to the burned surface. Then, to exclude the air, some application is requisite; cotton wool does very well, but the simplest, the nearest to hand, the most easily applied, and certainly one of the most efficacious, is flour, profusely dredged on out of a common flour- dredger. Safety Code for the Home. — (1) Blow out matches before throwing them away. (2) Keep rubbish cleared out. (3) Keep fire eecapee free from every obstruction. (4) Do not use benzine, naphtha, gasoline or any inflammable fluids in the house. (5) Guard gas jets from contact with window curtains. (6) Do not leave lamps turned low. It may cause an explosion. (7) Do not put oil in a lamp while it is lighted. Fill and clean lamps only in daytime. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 75 Good Fire Extinguisher. — Five pounds of commercial sal- amoniac, worth about fifteen cents per pound, and five pounds of common salt, worth less than one cent per pound, ten pounds in all; and this will make about five gallons of a saturated solution. To make it quickly, boil in pure water ten or fifteen minutes; pour off the saturated solution, bottle and cork tightly to prevent evapora- tion; add fresh water to the minerals until they are all dissolved, stirring often as long as the water will absorb the salts. They can be made in cold water equally well, but it takes a great deal more time. If boiled very long, the heated water will absorb more of the salts, but will precipitate it in the bottom of the bottles after cooling. Wood saturated with this solution will burn very slowly, or not burn at all. In case of fire, sprinkle the water freely on the base of the fire. This preparation will keep indefinitely in any climate or temperature (below boiling point). Put it up in glass only. It will destroy tin or iron vessels if left in them long. In case of fire, wet a silk handkerchief and tie without folding over the face. It will prevent suffocation from smoke, permit free breathing, and excludes smoke from the lungs. SPRAIN— OR STRAIN This painful injury is the result of forcible overstretching of the ligaments — of a joint. In their natural state, the ligaments are but slightly sensitive; but when overstretched, they are acutely so; there are few, perhaps, who have not, in a greater or less degree, experienced the sickening pain of a sprained wrist or ankle, the two joints which are most frequently the seat of the injury; their liability arising from their immobility compared with such a joint as the shoulder which is more liable to dislocation. A sprain is attended with pain, which, perhaps, causes faint- ness or vomiting ; when this passes off, it is found that the joint cannot be employed as usual, every attempt renewing the suffering; shortly swelling comes on, followed by the heat and pain of inflammation. When a sprain has occurred, complete rest is the first necessity accompanied by the soothing influences of fomentation and poultice, well and thoroughly made use of, from the very first; the early em- ployment of the remedies doing much to alleviate the suffering. When, in the course of a few hours, inflammatory signs appear, six eight, or ten leeches may be applied around the joint with advantage and if the patient is of at all full habit, a few doses of purgative medicine should be given. 76 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To allay the pain, six or eight grains of Dover's powder, with a couple of grains of calomel, may be given at night, and followed in the morning by a Seidlitz powder, or some other purgative. After the joint has been soothed for some days by rest, with poultices, and fomentations, it will be advisable to change these applications for a bandage, which is to be kept wet with tepid water, lightly applied to the injured part, which, if agreeable to the feelings of the patient, may be enveloped in some warm material. In such injuries, regulation of the temperature, the employment of heat or cold in the treatment, is always best ruled by the feelings of the patient. In some few cases, even from the beginning, cold lotions, such as the lead of the spirit lotion, etc., are found most soothing, and then it is right to use them, at least as long as they prove agreeable; but more frequently warmth, with moisture, is pre- ferred and preferable. The bandage at first applied lightly may gradually be used to exert more pressure, and to give more support, and the tepid applications may be exchanged for cold ones. As soon as it can be borne, friction night and morning with the soap liniment, or soap and opium liniment, will be found agreeable and serviceable. Lastly, instead of the morning rubbing, the cold- water douche — the pump is a common and very good form — must be used to give strength and tone. For the latter purpose, salt water or sea water is perhaps preferable to fresh; whichever is em- ployed, it ought to be continued till the joint aches slightly, the after-reaction being promoted by rubbing well with a towel. It is repeated, too great caution cannot be used in bringing a joint which has been sprained, into use, andespecially if the subject of the accident is at all of a scrofulous habit. For a severe sprain take the white of an egg and a teaspoonful each of vinegar and spirits of turpentine. Put all in a bottle, shake it thoroughly, then bathe the sprain often, beginning as soon as possible after the accident. For Sprains or Bruises. — Take one pint of lard-oil; half a pound of stone-pitch; half a pound of resin; half a pound of beeswax, and half a pound of beef-tallow. Boil together for half an hour, skim off the scum, pour the liquid into cups. When needed, it must be spread upon coarse cotton cloth, or kid (the latter is best), and applied to the sprain or bruise. It will give quick relief, as it entirely excludes the air. One or two plasters of it will cure the worst case. It acts like splints on a sprained ankle or wrist. It is also good for cattle, horses, or dogs in all cases of injury. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 77 A Piaster for Sprains or Attaclcs of Rlieumatistn in Joints. — Take equal parts of resin and Burgundy pitch, melt in a tin dipper, and when liquid put in a piece of camphor gum as large as an English walnut, and half that, in size, of opium. Stir till all is dissolved, as it will soon be if kept hol\ and when none of the gum is visible spread on thin leather or thick drilling. Apply while warm and it will relieve the pain. These are all excellent, tried remedies. In malting a mustard plaster for a patient with a delicate skin, use white of egg instead of water. To malce a mustard plaster for a child, take one teaspoonful of ground mustard and three of flour, with enough water to make a good stiff paste. Spread between two cloths. For an adult, use one part mustard to two of flour. Mixed with the white of an egg it will raise a blister. Rapid Blister. — It is sometimes desirable to produce a small blister quickly. For this purpose nothing is better than concentrated water of ammonia. Put a few drops of it into a watch-glass or any receptacle of the sort, cover it with a pledget of absorbent cotton, invert on the spot to be blistered, and press closely. In half a minute or so a red circle will appear on the skin around the edges of the con- fining vessel. It is an evidence that vesication has taken place, and the blistering material can be removed. The blister should be treated in the same manner as one obtained with cantharides. A Mustard Sponge. — Dr. B. W. Richardson recommends the use of a sponge for mustard poultices. He says: " A sponge makes the best of mustard carriers. The nurse mixes the mustard in a basin with water until the mass is smooth and of even consistency. Then she takes the soft mass all up with a clean sponge, lays the sponge in the center of a soft white handkerchief, ties up the corners of the handkerchief neatly to form a hold, and applies the smooth convex surface to the skin. This mustard sponge, warmed again by the fire and slightly moistened, can be applied three or four times, is good for several hours, and saves the trouble of making a new poultice for reapplication, often a matter of importance during the weariness of night-watching. The sponge can be washed clean in warm water. Spermaceti Ointment. — This is a cooling and healing ointment for wounds. Take a quarter of an ounce of white wax, and half an ounce of spermaceti (which is a hard, white material) and put them in a small basin, with two ounces of almond oil. Place the basin by the side of the fire till the wax and spermaceti are dissolved. When cold, the ointment is ready for use. This is an article which it is much better to make than to purchase. When you make it yourself, you know that it has no irritating or inferior materials in it. 78 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS For a slight cut there is no better remedy than common flour. Bind on plenty and do not remove the bandage for several days. A really bad cut can be quickly cured by applying a small lump of lard upon which you have poured a few drops of laudanum. Spirits of camphor rubbed several times on a cold sore as it begins, will prevent it, or, if it has begun, will keep it from getting larger and hastens its disappearance. To prevent a bruise from discoloring, apply immediately hot water, or, if that is not at hand, moisten some dry starch with cold water and cover the bruised place. TO CURE CONSTIPATION Think of your body as a machine, wherein every part must be in good working order, or the entire machine loses in efficiency. Then consider the condition when the bowels are perpetually clogged. Constipation usually is begun by ignorance of the importance of promptly answering the calls of nature. Little children get into the habit because they dislike to leave their play. They are not taught that they must form the habit of evacuating the bowels as early in the day as possible. Keep the Ashes Cleaned Out. — Let the colon grow torpid, and then fecal matter accumulates, decomposes, and forms toxins. These are absorbed, traverse the circulation, permeate the framework, and every tissue, organ, function, and cell feels the deleterious influence. Vital resistance is weakened everywhere, and at the point most vulnerable the waiting microbes succeed in overcoming opposition — and local diseases begin. It takes persistence and determination to force lazy bowels into healthy normal action; don't believe in drugs or enemas except as aids; they bring temporary relief, but never cure. And the longer they are resorted to the more incapable the bowels become of in- dependent action, and the longer it will take to bring about a cure. Lazy bowels finally become paralyzed bowels. Sores form on lazy bowels, where matter that should have been expelled has been allowed to remain and irritate the lining until inflammation sets in. And this dirty, disgusting condition is really unnecessary. Unless the lx)wels are absolutely paralyzed, they can be forced to act normally. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 79 It Is more than likely that the inside of your bowel is coated thickly with matter that has been slowly collecting all these years while your bowels have been getting more and more lazy. It is wise to get rid of this accumulation as quickly as possible, and I know of no quicker way than to use a syringe. Use castor oil in water as hot as can be borne. Then use lukewarm water with a little witch hazel with which to rinse the bowels. It will take several days of this treatment to get the bowels really clean. While doing this, eat mutton, and take mutton broth with rice in it, and don't forget buttermilk. If you eat meat, and toast, be sure to chew everjrthing well, for you want to make it as easy as possible for your machinery to take care of its food, while under the process of regulation. Foods to be avoided by the chronic constipated: Milk, eggs, fried foods, rich gravies, pickles, cheese, tea, bananas, pastry or starchy puddings, and st»ong condiments. Some Causes of Constipation. — Indigestible or stringent food, lack of exercise, or of sufficient water, overuse of condensed foods, improper habits in eating, and using drugs. Figs soaked in water over night and eaten in the morning before other food will often prove a relief for constipation, especially in young children. Obstinate Constipation Remedy. — 01. Ricini, 73^ drachms; Syrup Rhei, 5 drachms; Alcohol, 3J<4 drachms; Ess. Menth. Piper, 2 drops. M. Sig. — In one dose or two, as needed. Indolent Bowels in Aged Persons. — Pulv. Scammon, J^ drachm; Ext. Aloes, 1 drachm; Bals. Peru, 10 grains; 01. Carul, 10 minims. M. et ft. pil. No. 20. Sig. One at night. Remedy for Torpid Liver. — One of the best and simplest remedies for torpid liver or biliousness is a glass of hot water with the juice of half a lemon squeezed into it, but no sugar, night and morning. A person to whom this was recommended tried it, and found himself better almost immediately. His daily headaches, which medicine had failed to cure, left him, his appetite improved, and he gained several pounds within a few weeks. This is so simple a remedy that any person thus afflicted will do well to give it a trial, as it cannot possibly do any harm. 80 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS If one is only slightly troubled, care as to diet is all that is necessary. Avoid the foods known to be constipating, and eat the other kind. Drink plenty of water, more especially before breakfast. Drink plenty of buttermilk between meals, and eat grapes and figs whenever you can get them. But there are cases of constipation that cannot be reached by simple methods, for the bowels are too nearly paralyzed. If you belong to this class of sufferers, you can't afford to let the condition continue, for it is more than likely to prevent a cure of some other simple little trouble that might have taken care of itself had your bowels been normal. The real cure for constipation consists in internal massage of the bowels. This is known in most so-called heathen countries. This is what you ought to do every day of your life, but what you are not likely to do long enough to get any real benefit from it. It takes more effort to massage the bowels than to swallow pills. When you have trained yourself so that you can take these exercises for two consecutive minutes, you are ready to begin to train your bowels. To do this, you must take these exercises at about the same time every day. Begin by taking a dose of phos- phate soda in hot water, or of epsom salts in hot water — whatever you have found that will act quickly — and take the exercises just before it is time for the medicine to act. This may seem very fooHsh to you ; but it is not. It is in the line of suggestive treatment, and it has been done often enough to prove that the massage treat- ments show results more quickly than would otherwise be the case. There are many who never use the remedies with the massage, nor should they be used except as a starter. Take a smaller and smaller dose each day with the treatments and soon you will find that medicine is not needed. Enemas. — The judicious use of enemas where there is auto- intoxication, that is, absorption of poisons through the colon, is advisable. They are especially needed when one is not feeling well, from any cause, as a cold. A warm enema is likely to have an after-effect, the inability to defecate without its use. For this rea- son cool enemas, temperature of 80 degrees down to 75 degrees, are best. The best way, however, of regulating the bowels, is by exercise and diet. Glycerin in Enemata. — Fifty drops of glycerine injected into the rectum is a very efficient remedy for producing energetic and copious dejections. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 81 Enema. — Noble recommends : — Sulphate of Magnesium, 2 ounces; Glycerin, 2 ounces; Oil of Turpentine, 4 drachms; Water, 2 ounces. The Danger of Purgatives. — If you have the least suspicion that a person does not pass wind do not give any aperient at all. The only thing you are justified in giving is an enema. TO MASSAGE THE BOWELS Begin by taking a correct standing position — with the weight on the soles of the feet. Don't have on any clothing. Stretch, until the line from the navel to the neck is as long as you can make it; now, holding that position, draw in a deep breath, and then hold the breath, yet move the muscles of the abdomen as if you were breathing. Move the muscles of the abdomen as long as you can, then expel your breath, and try again. But do not try too many times at first, for you will derive greater benefit from working up slowly. Next, bring the bowels up as far as you can — much as naughty children do when they stick out their stomach! Then, standing with the weight on the left foot, bring up the right hip as far as you can; then bend the back so that the body becomes prominent just below the waist line; then, standing on the right foot, bring up the left hip. This, when done evenly, is known as "the hip roll." You must try to do this exercise without moving any other part of the body more than is actually necessary. You will see for your- self that it does massage the bowels. It will bring life to bowels that have been partially paralyzed; but it won't do it in a day or a week. It is not good to begin this exercise until the bowels have been cleansed and softened, if constipation has become chronic. You will also find, to your great delight, that you no longer have a prominent abdomen for this massage treatment takes it all away. At first, it will hurt you so that you will be quite anxious about yourself. But it wears away. Just be a little easy with yourself at first; but keep at it every day. You'll feel new and clean, and so much lighter that walking will be a pleasure, and you'll lose that bad taste in your mouth, and your offensive breath, and your headache. For colic, or pain in the bowels, take two large, thick dinner- plates, put into hot water, let heat until you cannot bear your hand on them, then wrap one in a thin towel and lay over the seat of pain, changing as often as the plate grows cool. This is much easier than wringing cloths from hot water and quite as eflScacious a remedy. 82 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Colic. — A towel folded, dipped in hot water, wrung out rapidly and applied to the stomach acts like magic in cases of colic. Flatulence and Colic. — Spt. Junip. comp, 2.V^ fl. drachms; Glycerin, 1 \-2 fl. drachms; Aquae Anisi, q. s. ad 2 fl. ounces. M. Sig. — Teaspoonful in hot water as required. Soda Mint gives the best results in cases of nausea and to relieve wind on the stomach. Sodii bicarb., 1 ounce; Aqua menth. pip, 16 ounces; Spts. ammon. arom., ^2 ounce. Mix. — Dose, tablespoon- ful. Glycerin in Gastric Troubles. — Dr. Ringer calls attention to the value of glycerin as a remedy in flatulence, acidity of the stomach, and pyrosis. He states that sometimes he finds all of these gastric troubles combined, but glycerin in nearly all cases relieves them. In some cases, too, it removes pain and vomiting, probably like charcoal, by preventing the formation of acrid acids, which irritate delicate and irritable stomachs. Glycerin does not prevent the digestive action of pepsin and hydrochloric acid; and hence, while it prevents the formation of wind and acidity, probably by checking fermentation, it in no way hinders digestion. He administers a drachm to two drachms either before, with, or immediately after food. It may be given in water, coffee, tea, or lemon and soda water. In tea and coffee it may replace sugar, a substance which greatly favors flatulence, as, indeed, does tea in many cases. In some cases a cure docs not occur till the lapse of ten days or a fortnight. Acute Inflammation of the Bladder. — Ten grains of bicar- bonate of soda in a half ounce of an infusion of uva ursi (bearberry, kinnikinic, foxberry) every two hours will relieve acute inflammation of the bladder immediately. To Prevent Worms. — A teaspoonful of salt dissolved in a tea- cupful of water is a good remedy to prevent worms in children, taken at night before retiring. Intestinal Worms, in Children Chiefly. — Thread worms are killed by an infusion of quassia, 1 drachm to 3^ pint of water, with a drachm or two of common salt added and given as an injection, or a drachm of tincture of muriate of iron to J^ pint of water may be used. This should be repeated daily till tlicre is a cure. The large round worm is best killed by santonin, i — J grain for a child, double that for an adult. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 83 Tapeworm Cure. — Give eight grains of salicylic acid every hour, until five or six doses have been taken, then give a good big dose of castor oil. This is said to be very effective. Half dose for children. Remedy for Tapeworm. — Bernard Persh recommends: Cro- ton oil, one drop, chloroform one drachm, glycerin one ounce. To be taken in the morning, fasting, and without preliminary prepara- tions. It is not disagreeable to take, and operates promptly. Hemorrhoids. — (Ointment). Muriate Cocaine, 20 grains; Morph. Sulph., 5 grains; Atrop. Sulph, 4 grains; Pulv. Tannin, 20 grains; Vaselin, 1 ounce; 01. Rose, q. s. M. Sig. — Apply after each evacuation of bowels. Of course, contents of bowels should be kept in soluble condition. Internal Piles. — (Suppositories). Chrysarobin, 20 grains; Iodo- form 6 grains; Ext. Belladonna;, 10 grains; Cacao Butter, 6 drachms. M. Sig. — For ten suppositories. One each day. By substituting vaseline for cacao butter the same formula makes an excellent ointment for external piles. Application of formaldehyde and glycerin, equal parts, is stated to be an excellent remedy for fistula. Common white lead, the same as used by painters, is said to be a very satisfactory remedy for piles when applied locally. DYSPEPSIA The principal diijestive act carried on in the stomach is the solution of the nitrogenous foods, such as the gluten of wheat and lean meat. This takes place under the influence of a ferment — pepsin — secreted by glands in the walls of the stomach. Quick eating, overeating, and sedentary habits are very apt to bring on disturbance of the digestive tract, of which dyspepsia is one of the most prominent symptoms. The appetite of girls often inclines them to the use of bread and butter and sweets rather than to a mixed diet. The remedy in this case would be an intelligent explanation to them of the need of the system for a mixed diet of meat, vegetables, and farinaceous food, the scant use or entire avoidance of tea or coffee, combined with abundant outdoor exercise and active games which favor the increase of appetite. 84 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS No one, without studying the case, can prescribe for dyspepsia, because, in order to prescribe, it is necessary first to know what has caused it. Those who send out circulars and advertisements, professing to be able to prescribe particular foods for all diseases, are absolute fakers and frauds, and should be carefully avoided. Only the competent physician who studies the case can ascer- tain the real cause of the dyspepsia, and suggest those changes in diet which are best suited to remove the evil. In many cases dyspeptics may get some help by selecting the food that experience has shown the stomach will tolerate, and by eating slowly, with complete mastication. A careful chewing of foods, especially those of a starchy or fibrous nature, cannot be too highly valued. People who eat meat alone need not be so particular about it because meat digests very well even if not so finely comminuted as is required for starchy and fibrous materials. The food of the growing child should be sufficiently abundant to supply his activity and his growth. Naturally, the growing child needs more food according to his weight than the grown person, because he must not only sustain his condition, but also increase his tissues very rapidly. Care should also be taken in selecting the food of those who have advanced in life, because here the digestive powers are not so vigor- ous, and it is necessary to secure nutrition and at the same time avoid overeating. The invalid of course requires special food, according to the nature of the disease and the condition of the digestive organs, but the competent physician is the best person to look after these matters. Draught to Promote the Appetite. — Compound tincture of gentian, half an ounce; sal volatile, half a tcaspoonful; cinnamon water, one ounce; compound tincture of cardamoms, one tcaspoon- ful. Mix. The draught to be taken an hour before a meal. In flatulent dyspepsia, three drops of oil of cajuput on a piece of sugar or crumb of bread, taken frequently, is worth all the other antifermentatives put together. It is not only antiseptic but agreeable. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 85 NERVOUS DYSPEPSIA Those persons who use their brains much, and who have but little tone or power to their stomachs, should above all things avoid purgatives; much of the natural distress which this class of dyspeptics feel, is caused by the large intestine becoming weakened, dislocated, and filled up with offending matters which there is not strength to remove. In such cases, it is important that the patient do less work with his head, and more with his muscles. Riding on horseback is an excellent exercise. Hard-trotting horses are not good ones for invalids to ride. A galloping horse is the best for such a person. Half an hour daily for a nervous dyspeptic in a movement cure will work wonders. The diet should be plain and nutritious. It will not do to overload the stomach, yet as much food as can be digested well should be taken. Mastication should be slow and thorough. Such invalids are apt to eat too fast. It is generally best to omit the dessert. Fruit is often condemned by the nervous dyspeptic. We are sure, however, that it is not always the fruit which is at fault, but the way of using it. Let it be taken in the morning, and before any- thing else is eaten, if possible; at first, take small quantities to accustom the stomach to it. Avoid fine bread, vegetables, and pastry; also tea, coffee, and tobacco. Omit the supper, or at least, let conversation at the table be much and eating little. A sltz bath at bed time is very serviceable if there is a disposition to sleeplessness, as sleep is very necessary. Patients can not have too much sleep. If mental labor is performed, let it be done between 9 in the morning and 1 p.m. The after-dinner nap may be useful, providing it does not in- terfere with sleep at night, in which case an hour of quiet and rest is better. The habit of drugging for this disease with all sorts of quack nostrums is very absurd. The grand rule should be to live naturally and happily, and throw medicines to the dogs, and nine cases out of ten the sufferer will get well. 86 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS GENEPvAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE TREAT- MENT OF ORDINARY FORMS OF INDIGESTION When there is malaise, sleeplessness, and general misery from large or indigestible meals taken into an exhausted stomach, the sense of weakness making the patient suppose he needs more food and stimulants, and so increasing the mischief, give mild laxatives occasionally, hydrochloric or nitrohydrochloric acid before meals, and digestible food in moderate quantities, avoiding heavy suppers. This will soon set all to rights. Sometimes a small dose of bicarbonate of soda or sal volatile a short time before food is more effectual; the alkalies causing a flow of gastric juice. Indigestion from Failing Glands as in Old Age. — Attend to the condition of the teeth, so that food may be properly chewed; use mineral acids, but, above all, pepsine. Of Pepsine and its Uses. — One grain of pepsine dissolves 100 grains of boiled white of egg, or 3 or 4 grains will dissolve a small mutton chop. Pig's pepsine is the best. It is indicated wherever gastric juice is deficient either from old age or exhausting maladies, as typhoid fever. The most healthful food hurriedly eaten and immediately followed by work which engages the whole physical strength or the mental forces is much worse than a meal of poor food eaten leisurely and followed by an interval of rest. To eat sparingly and eat very slowly will in time secure a good digestion. Dyspeptics should wear warm clothing, especially flannel next the skin. In hot weather or warm climates reduce the quantity of meat eaten, instead of stimulating the appetite by curry and alcohol. Acute Indigestion. — Many people in seemingly perfect health liave, after eating heartily, been taken with acute indigestion and died within ten minutes. The explanation is that the food has caused fermentation in the stomach. These gases have expanded the walls of the stomach and have crowded the heart, so that the heart stops beating. But this would seldom or never occur with the heart of normal size. When death occurs in this manner the lieart is usually found to be enlarged. Enlargement of the lieart is caused by valvular tubes in the heart. These valves do not work promptly and the heart enlarges as a natural consequence. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 87 Some People are Liable to Attacks of Acute Indigestion. Where such is the case remedies should ever be on hand. A hot stimulant, a drink of ginger tea or something similar is helpful, and applications of hot cloths to the stomach, but the most reliable would be a stomach pump, which is not difficult of operation. Often this stomach pump when inserted allows the gases to escape from the stomach and gives immediate relief without anything being removed from the stomach. In cases of atony or sluggishness of the stomach, either from debility or mental causes— such as anxiety, overwork, etc. — it is best treated by such remedies as relieve the general condition ot the alimentary canal. HEARTBURN AND WATER-BRASH Heartburn, or Cardialgia, consists of a painful sensation of heat running up in paroxysms from the pit of the stomach to the fauces. When this sensation is accompanied by the ejection of a watery-like fluid, it is called pyrosis, or water-brash. The two affections are the one and the same disease, the latter being the severer development of it. Its distinguishing characteristics are a burning heat in the epigastrium, with a sense of suffocation, as if a cloud of smoke was filling the passages in its journey from the stomach to the mouth, followed by the vomiting, or rather the eructation of a thin watery fluid, resembling saliva, but usually insipid and tasteless, and described by the patient as being cold. The paroxysms usually come on in the morning and forenoon, when the stomach is empty, and last for a considerable length of time. The first symptoms of their approach is a severe pain at the pit of the stomach, with a sense of constriction, as if the stomach were drawn towards the back. The pain is increased by raising the body to an erect posture, and therefore the body is bended for- ward. The pain is often very severe, but passes away with the discharge of the liquid. When the pain is not very great, alkalies — such as carbonate of soda, chalk, and magnesia — afford considerable temporary relief. They do not act by neutralizing acid, as people generally beUeve; but by blunting the sensitiveness of the oesophageal and gastric nerves, just as lime-water soda, borax, etc., will allay the pain of the skin in cutaneous diseases or an irritable blister. 88 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS There is no positive evidence that there ever is an over-secretion of acid in the stomach, or that the stomach is pained by the acidity of its contents; and, besides, these drugs, when in large doses, give relief even where alkahne and neutral matters are ejected. They are, in fact, anodynes; and, like all anodynes, they have the incon- venience of requiring the frequent augmentation of the dose to keep up the same degree of efficiency. Given merely as palliatives, alkalies contribute but little toward a cure. If intended to produce the latter result, their administration must be much more frequent than the paroxysms demand. Of palliatives to excessive pain, the best is opium, because it is the best known and the most manageable. It relieves the immediate pain and spasm; and, when combined with an astringent, as kino or catechu, gives a tone to the stomach and oesophagus that certainly is a step toward a cure. The subnitrate of bismuth is also an ex- cellent remedy, and it has only failed in acquiring a character equal to its merits because people content themselves with too small doses. It is true that the ordinary quantity of ten or twelve grains is often sufficient; but very often it is not, and then half a drachm, or even a drachm, may be given without danger, and frequently with the best of results. To Make Seidlitz Powders. — Rochelle salts two drachms, soda bicarbonate two scruples; put these into a blue paper, and thirty- five grains tartaric acid in a white paper. THE DAILY CALORIC REQUIREMENT Man at hard muscular work requires 1.2 the food of a man of moderately active muscular work. Man with light muscular work and boy 15-16 years old require 0.9 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Man at sedentary occupation, women at moderately active work, boy 13-14, and girl 15-16 years old require 0.8 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Woman at light work, boy 12, and girl 13-14 years old require 0.7 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Boy 10-11 and girl 10-12 years old require 0.6 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Child 6-9 years old requires 0.5 the food of a man of moderately active muscular work. Child 2-5 years old requires 0.4 the food of a man at moderately active muscular work. Child under 2 years old requires 0.3 the food of a man at moder- ately active muscular work. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 89 HOW TO ESCAPE NERVOUSNESS Nervousness is Nervous Weakness. — The principal sign of a feeble nervous organization is an excessive degree of irritability of one or more of the organs of the body. If the nervous system be weal:, the orp;ans to which the nerves are distributed will also be weak, and a weak organ is always an irritable one. It takes very little to throw such an organ out of its orderly course of action. Some slight cause or other acting on a "nervous " brain creates such a degree of irritability that its possessor feels as if he would like to "jump out of his skin," or he may be thrown into a paroxysm of intense emotional disturbance, or a sick head- ache, an attack of hysteria, or even a more severe disorder may result. A "nervous" eye or ear is annoyed by unusual or persistent lights or sounds; a "nervous" heart palpitates and flutters after slight mental or bodily exertion; a "nervous" stomach is irritated by food which a healthy baby could easily digest, and the condition known as "nervous dyspepsia" is induced; and a "nervous" spine to specify no further, causes derangements of nearly all the organs of the body. To cure these various disorders is often difficult and sometimes impossible. To prevent them even in persons predis- posed to nervousness is comparatively an easy matter. The whole hygiene of the subject is embraced in the sentence — Strengthen the jiervous system. The First Prescription is an Ample Supply of Pure, Fresh and Cold Air, — The nerves will always be weak if the greater part of the day and night be passed in close, ill-ventilaLed and over- heated apartments. The nerves more than the rest of the body, to be properly nourished, require a full supply of oxygen. An overheated apartment always enervates its occupants. It is no uncommon thing to find rooms heated in winter by an under- ground furnace up to 90 degrees. It is no surprising circumstance, therefore, to find the woman who swelters all day in such a tempera- ture and adds to it at night by superfluous bed-clothing, cross and disagreeable from little cvery-day troubles that would scarcely ruffle her temper if she kci)t her room at 65 degrees and opened the windows every now and then. Take Sufficient Physical Exercise in the Open Air. — When you feel irritable, tremulous, fretful, fidgety, and unable to con- centrate your thoughts on the veriest trifle, take a long walk, or split half a cord of wood. Even the extreme nervousness of lunatics is best quieted by bodily labor. 90 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Habitual living in ah over-heated atmosphere reduces the vessels of the skin to a state of chronic dilatation, so that the blood gets chilled every time it is exposed to cold air. For this reason the people who live in Russia, where the houses are kept at fever-heat all the winter, are excessively susceptible to chills. They have to wear overcoats all the summer, as a rule. Eat Plenty of Well-Cooked and Nourishing Food. — The nerves cannot be kept healthy on slops. Gruels, panadas and teas are well enough in their way, but the nerves require for their proper nourishment undiluted animal and vegetable food; as a rule the former should predominate. Meat-eaters are rarely troubled with nervousness. Americans eat more vegetables than any other well-to-do people, and they are probably the most ''nervous" nation on the face of the earth. Neurasthenia. — Drugs play a subsidiary part in the cure of neurasthenia; though, of course, on the other hand, for occasional uses they are indispensable. Constipation often yields, with but little drug assistance, to skilful abdominal massage. The so-called "tonics" are useful incidentally. In convalescence the advance from occupation to occupation, from exercise to exercise, needs the greatest discretion, for, in contrast with hysteria, a chance excess of work may undo the advantage of many weeks' improvement. A very large part of convalescent occupation should be manual rather than mental work. Treatment of Cramps in the Leg. — Many persons of both sexes are greatly troubled with cramps in one or both their legs. It comes on suddenly, and is very severe. Most people jump out of bed (it nearly always comes on either just after going to bed or while undressing) and ask some one to rub the leg. There is nothing easier than to make the spasm let go its hold, and it can be accom- plished without sending for a doctor, who may be tired and in need of a good night's rest. When with a patient who is subject to cramp, always advise him to provide himself with a good strong cord. A long garter will do if nothing else is handy. When a cramp comes on, take the cord, wind it around the leg over the place that is cramped, take an end in each hand and give it a sharp pull — one that will hurt a little. Instantly the cramp will let up, and the sufferer can go to bed assured that it vnll not come on again that night. For the permanent cure, give about six or eigh*. cells of galvanic battery, with the negative pole applied over the spot that cramps, and the positive pole over the thigh. Give it for ten minutes, and repeat every week for one month. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 91 Elevation of the head of the bed, by placing under each leg a block of the thickness of two bricks, is stated to be an effective remedy for cramps. Patients who have suffered at night, crying aloud with pain, have found this plan to afford immediate, certain, and permanent relief. Relief of Cramp in the Legs. — Stretch out the heel of the leg as far as possible, at the same time drawing up the toes as far as pos- sible. This will often stop a tit of the cramp after it has commenced. A large proportion of all cramps and pains can be relieved by water of proper temperature and intelligently applied. SLEEP, SWEET SLEEP There are many simple and harmless means by which sleep may be induced without the assistance (?) of narcotics. For in- stance, a pleasantly warm bath, into which some soothing compound, such as eucalyptus oil, has been mixed, or a cup of hot milk, sweet- ened and flavored plentifully with freshly-grated nutmeg (the seda- tive properties of which are well known), or a wine-glass full of homemade cowslip wine, taken the last thing before composing one- self for sleep, will often be found as efficacious a remedy for insomnia as a strong drug. A large bowl of water placed as near as possible to the head of a sick person will induce sleep, and healthy people will often sleep better if shallow vessels filled with water are placed about the room. To prevent dreaming avoid eating a heavy supper, take plenty of exercise and sleep in a cool room. Unless you are positively ill for the want of sleep, you should certainly avoid the use of narcotics, which should only be taken under the direction of a competent physician. Apples and Insomnia. — A medical writer declares that the best thing just before going to bed, is to eat an apple. The apple excites the action of the liver, promotes sound and healthy sleep, and thoroughly disinfects the mouth. This is not all; the apple pre- vents indigestion and throat diseases. To Secure a Good Night's Sleep in Hot Weather. — Pour cold water into a hot-water bag until it is about half full. Screw the top partly on, then with one hand squeeze the upper part of the bag until all the air has been excluded; tighten the top, and a soft, pliable pillow wiJl result. Wrap this in a towel or sUp the bag inside a pillow case, and lay your head so that it will be at the back of the neck. 92 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS If a person is troubled with insomnia, a bandage soaked in cold water and laid across the eyes and temples will afford almost immediate relief and bring rest to him if he is suffering from no other ailment. An exceedingly nervous person who cannot sleep may often be quieted and put to sleep by being rubbed with a towel wrung out of hot salted water. Frequently a change from a warm bed to a cool one will tend to quiet a nervous person and make him drowsy. For "nerve" pillows, fill with hops, dried catnip or mint leaves, clover tops, sweet grasses and scented foliage gathered from herbs and shrubs. Have them well dried in the shade and all stems and sticks removed before using. Remedy for Nightmare. — Slight derangement of the digestive or other functions are often sufficient to occasion a temporary delirium in children, commenced during the sleep and continued during the waking. The suffering is great and the condition an alarming one to parents and friends. The mental excitement is so intense as to resist the impressions from without to an extraordinary degree. It is here that the association of smell can be used more effectually than any others to break up the morbid brain. A good whiff of cologne almost always brings the little sufferer back to its ordinary world; or a little ammonia may be used. But an odor which is agreeable is probably more effective than one which is merely pungent. It is a common observation that mental associa- tions are awakened by odors more than by impressions of any other sense. In the case of nightmare the strong, familiar smell seems to break up the train of abnormal mental excitement. Jaundice. — "Ordinary jaundice" is a trifling ailment, due generally to some obstruction of the common gall-duct, either by temporary thickening of the coats or by a plug of mucus. (State of things comparable to one's nose being stopped by a cold in the head.) Or in more serious cases it follows an attack of gall-stones, but there is the possibility, though not a very great one, of the jaundice being the first symptom of acute atrophy of the liver, which is surely fatal. Therefore always keep that possibility in mind. The treatment of ordinary jaundice is by restricted diet, small occasional doses of blue pills, and a saline mixture with hydrochloric acid. Counter-irritation over the liver by mustard or hydrochloric acid, 1 part of strong acid to 2 of water applied with a rag. Beware of burning the linen. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 93 A Cure for Jaundice. — Take two oranges, and pare them very thin; then chop the peel as fine as suet, to which put two quarts of cold water, and simmer them till reduced to a pint and a half. Strain and bottle it. Of this mixture take, for three successive mornings, half a pint, which will perfectly cure the patient. Biliousness. — Bilious people are generally capable of head- work, and are often long lived. Diet should be chiefly farinaceous, and moderate meals taken. Blue pill is most valuable, but should be a dernier ressort. Try first efifervescing citrates and tartrates. Many persons are relieved by taking six or ten tumblers of fluid in the course of twenty-four hours for two or three days at a time. Soda water, seltzer, or Apollinaris water may be ordered, or plain hot water. Avoid purgatives. A simple remedy for slight attacks of biliousness is a little lemon juice and baking soda. Squeeze the juice of a small lemon into half a glass of cold water, then stir in a pinch of soda and drink efifervescing. Washing Out the Stomach. — A Maryland doctor employs the method very extensively in some cases of dyspepsia. The following is the modus operandi: A soft red rubber tube is passed gently down into the stomach, quite to the pylorus; with this is connected about a yard of common flexible tubing and a glass funnel, which is held on a level with the patient's breast, and tepid water is poured slowly into the funnel until a sensation of fullness is experienced. The funnel is then depressed to the level of the waist, and the fluid allowed to siphon out. The process is repeated until the water returns quite clear. (For diagram see page 128.) SEASICKNESS AND VOMITING Hold your breath and contract your abdominal muscles is the remedy for sea-sickness suggested by Dr. E. P. Thurstan, who speaks from experience. Violent Vomiting. — Woodbury says that a Seidlitz powder divided in four parts, one every fifteen minutes, has better results in violent vomiting than anything else he knows of. Relief for Vomiting of Pregnancy. — Menthol, 15 grains; Alcohol, 5 fl. drachms; Distilled water, q. s. ad., 5 fl. ounces. M. Sig. — Tablespoonful every hour. 94 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Dr. Miller recommends Worcester sauce in teaspoonful doses, given without water, for preventing and curing sea-sickness. It should be given every three hours until the stomach can tolerate and retain its contents. Avoid stimulants, but give small quantities of good beef-tea with cayenne pepper in it. This remedy is easily obtained on most steamers, pleasant to take, and has often succeeded when all other means have failed. Dr. Andreer has found resorcine very useful in sea-sickness on transatlantic voyages. A single dose of from ten to twenty grains, given early before vomiting, has actually often removed the giddiness and nausea, and enabled the patient to sleep comfortably. In per- sistent and worse cases larger doses two or three times a day produce excellent results. No ill effects were observed, but, on the con- trary, the treatment appeared to promote the appetite and digestion. It is frequently asked how much mustard should be given if it is desired to make a patient sick in case of croup or poisoning. A tablespoonful of ground mustard to a tumbler of warm water is the rule. Salt is almost as efficacious as mustard if the latter is not on hand. If the first tumbler has no effect, give more, and tickle the back of the throat with a feather. DIARRHEA Is a Very Ck)nunon Disease in Summer-Time. Cholera is nothing more than exaggerated diarrhea. When a man has died of diarrhea, he has died of cholera, in reality. It may be well to know, that the first, the most important, and the most indispensable item in the arrest and cure of looseness of the bowels, is absolute quietude on a bed; nature herself always prompts this by disinclining us to locomotion. The next thing is, to eat nothing but common rice, parched like coffee, and then boiled, and taken with a little salt and butter. Drink little or no liquid of any kind. Bits of ice may be eaten and swallowed at will. Every step taken in diarrhea, every spoon- ful of liquid, only aggravates the disease. If locomotion is compulsory, the misfortune of the necessity may be lessened by having a stout piece of woolen flannel bound tightly round the abdomen, so as to be doubled in front, and kept well in its place. In some cases of diarrhea 5 grains of bismuth, with an equal quantity of saccharated pepsin, every two hours, acts like magic. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 95 Infantile Diarrheas. — Thomas recommends: Lactic Acid, 1 drachm; Simple Syrup, 5 drachms; Water, S14 drachms. M. Sig. One drachm every quarter to half hour after meals. Hot Lemonade for Diarrhea. — Some people prefer hot lemonade to the usual form, but it is only recently that we have seen it recom- mended in diarrhea. Dr. Vigouroux recommends a glass of hot lemonade every hour, or half hour, as an easy, agreeable, and efficient treatment for diarrhea. Diarrhea "Mixture. — Loomis recommends: Tr. Opium, J^-^ fl. ounce; Tr. Rhubarb, HA- ounce; Co. Tr. Catchu (U. S. P.), 1 fl. ounce; 01. Sassafras, 20 minims.; Co. Tr. Lavender, enough to make 4 fi. ounces. M. Sig. — One teaspoonfvd every four hours for adults. The medicinal qualities of nutmegs are worthy of considerable attention, on account of their value in the treatment of diarrhea, many cases quickly yielding to the administration of half a drachm in milk. Sleeplessness may be effectually relieved by them when opium fails and chloral is not advisable. They are also a sedative in delirium tremens, and can be given with safety and marked benefit. Blackberry and Wine Cordial. — It is recommended as a delight- ful beverage and an infallible specific for diarrhea or ordinary disease of the bowels: Receipt. — To half a bushel of blackberries well mashed, add a quarter of a pound of allspice, two ounces of cinnamon, two ounces of cloves; pulverize well, mix, and boil slowly until properly done; then strain or squeeze the juice through homespun or flannel, and add to each pint of the juice one pound of loaf sugar; boil again for some time, take it off, and while cooling, add half a gallon of the best Cognac brandy. iijose. — For an adult, half a gill to a gill; for a child, a teaspoonful or more, according to age. Orange peel tea, sweetened with loaf sugar and used as a com- mon drink for two or three days will cure chronic diarrhea. While these mild cases of dyspepsia in the early stages offer a grateful field for therapeutic activity it is far otherwise with the severer forms of decomposition and intoxication. These not in- frequently present difficult problems to the clinician as with the rather prolonged starvation which is indicated the general condition becomes so enfeebled that the danger of collapse is imminent. 96 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Eggs are considered one of the best remedies for dysentery. Beaten up slightly with or without sugar, they tend to lessen the inflammation of the stomach and intestines and by forming a temporary coating on these organs enable nature to resume her healthful sway over the body. Two or at most three eggs a day would be sufficient in ordinary cases; and since the egg is not merely a medicine but food as well, the lighter the diet other than this, and the quieter the patient keeps, the more certain and rapid is the recovery. Summer complaint in children is usually caused by milk containing large numbers of bacteria which are found in great num- bers in the stable manure from healthy cows, and gain entrance to the milk because of dirty flanks and a dirty tail which is allowed to flip at will during the process of milking. Dirty hairs, straws, flies, and hands add their share of these highly objectionable organisms. Treatment of Summer Diarrheas in Children. — The milder cases of diarrhea which belong to the non-inflammatory type of the stage of dyspepsia, Heiman says, require little else but initial catharsis, consisting of castor-oil or milk of magnesia, and abstention from milk for a period of twenty -four or forty-eight hours. After cessaticwi of the diarrhea, diluted skim milk, barley water and sugar may be given in gradually increasing quantities. In most of the cases astringents are tmnecessary; if, _however, the diarrhea persists after the thorough removal of the decomposed food product from the intestinal tract, 5 to 10 grains of bismuth in mucilage of acacia at intervals of one to two hours is indicated. If abdominal pain, cramps, restlessness or watery diarrhea is present, five or ten drops of paragoric may be added. A simple and effectual cure for dysentery is prepared as follows: Take one tablespoonful of salt and two tablespoonfuls of vinegar; mix and pour over them half a pint of hot water. Let get cool and then driak a wineglassful of this mixture every half hour untU relief is obtained. This dose is for adults. For children take one teaspoonful of salt, one of vinegar and a teacupful of water. In chronic gastric catarrh it is beneficial to drink hot water before meals, and salt is said in most cases to add to the good effect produced. Absolute rest and diet will do more for gastric ulcer than any other form of treatment ; medicine is of no avail without it. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 97 Gastro-intestinal catarrh, with a disordered condition of the nervous system and considerable depression, is the usual result following the ingestion of poisonous fungi. In treating these cases the stomach and bowels must be thoroughly emptied, and the prom- inent symptoms are to be relieved according as they occur. After free vomiting and purgation have been induced, rest in bed, with stimulants and warmth, are beneficial. Chronic Gastric Catarrh. — The so-called chronic dyspeptics suffer from chronic gastric catarrh. In this disease the gastric mucus membrane is heavily coated with a grayish- white material, consisting largely of cast-off epithelium; the odor from the buccal cavity is, from this cause, more or less offensive, and the mucosa beneath the coating is red and hyperaesmic. According to the stage of its existence, the mucous surfaces may be smooth or atro- phic, and there may be an accompanying atrophy of the peptic glands and an increase of connective tissue between them. The treatment should be largely dietary. All pastry, sweets or bulky food should be avoided. Give milk, broths, raw eggs, toasted bread, lightly cooked meat and baked potatoes. HEATING AND VENTILATION OF HOUSES The demand for ventilation arises from the fact that rapid circulation of air is impeded by the inclosure, and that our own breathing and the lights and fires use up oxygen and supply car- bonic gas, while organic or decayable particles are also more or less furnished to the air. Air which has six parts by volume of this gas to 10,000 parts of air has reached the extreme limit for breathing purposes, not only because of the carbonic acid it contains, but because in human habitation this is denotive also of an amount of organic matter exhaled from the lungs which ought not to be again inbreathed. The expired air has 5 per cent, more of carbonic acid than the in- spired, and has lost slightly more than that of oxygen. It also brings out with it a various amount of gaseous and ani- mal matter, quite decomposable. In order to dilute this or drive it out air must get in generally at a rapidity of not more than 23^ feet per second, since faster than this a draft is created which, except in warm weather, would be too much for most persons. If the room is too small or too near air-tight, or has too many people in it, or one person in it for too long a time, or has other sources of air contamination besides the person, its air will become foul faster than it is possible to bring in fresh air without a draft. 98 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS One lamp or gas jet, or two candles in a room, burn out oxygen and introduce carbonic acid gas as fast as a person, and most of our larger gas-jets or lamps are equivalent in this regard to three persons. The foul air produced by lights has no organic matter, but it dimin- ishes our supply of oxygen, and so lowers vitality and often pro- duces headache and weariness and ultimate ill-health. Gas stoves without a chimney consume oxygen, and produce carbonic acid gas rapidly. Iron stoves raised to a high heat not only do this, but when nearly red-hot the gases inside the furnace are readily diffused through the iron into the room, and especially carbon oxide, which is much more injurious than carbon dioxide or carbonic acid gas. The common fireplace helps much to ventilate a room, since it draws to it the air of the room, which causes fresh air to come in from without; while it thus heats the air of the room it secures a supply. It is, however, very expensive if we seek to heat the whole room, since there is so much waste of heat. Where a furnace ia used, situated outside of a room, if it has a proper fresh-air box it supplies fresh heated air to the room. If this is brought in without dust or too much dryness, it is a good kind of heated air. Where hot-air pipes are used they do not introduce fresh air into the room, but simply heat the air of the room, pure or foul, as it may be, unless, instead of direct heat, these pipes are so arranged in coils somewhere as to allow fresh air to be intr»duced and flow over them, and then flow into the room, and so supply fresh air heated by pipes of hot air. For this method of indirect heating, the pipes need to be kept very warm. Hot-air pipes or steam-pipes are on the same principle, the choice depending mostly on cost or on some questions as to the degree of heat to be maintained in the pipes, and the effect as to moisture, etc. Fresh Air in the House. — Few Americans have reached the point of having anything like a proper amount of good air in their living rooms. Every room occupied day or night by a human being should be so thoroughly ventilated that the air is constantly changing. In the average house this can be accomplished only by keeping a door or a window opened, and this should be done in winter. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 99 Shut a man up in a small closet from which all fresh air is excluded, and in a short time lie will be unconscious or dead. Shut anyone up for several hours in a badly ventilated room, and his vitality suffers sadly. He literally starves for oxygen, and his bodily health is impaired as a direct consequence. To provide for a steady stream of pure air into the room, aU that is necessary is to raise the window eight or ten inches from the bottom; this gives plenty of space for fresh air to enter the room now, with no chance of drafts. It may be said that foul air rises to the top of the room, and that this simple scheme provides no outlet for the bad air. The fact is that the foulest air docs not rise to the top of a room. Heated air does rise, but the foulest part of a room's atmosphere is the carbonic acid gas that is given oflf from the lungs at every breath. This gas, technically known as carbon dioxide, is heavier than air, sjid consequently sinks to the bottom of the room, rising only as it ftccumulates at the bottom and needs more room at the top. HARDENING OF THE ARTERIES Arteriosclerosis in one form or another is quite common, and probably even more common than we realize, owing to the fact 1 hat it is hard to diagnose until well advanced. The causes are many, but those most common are too hard work, improper diet, and the us« of alcoholics. The last two are (tertainly preventable causes, and the first is often so. Severe physical exertion, especially if begun early in life and l^ng continued, is most certainly a serious factor. It is this which in the cause of the disease in so many hard-working men. Improper diet, and this includes improper methods of eating I)roper foods, is the most common cause in those who do not do Jiard manual labor. Alcohol may be a factor in either case. Women are not by any means exempt, but it is a well-known fact that the disease is seen far less often in women than in men. As regards diet, any food or any method of eating which tends t,o cause autotoxacmia tends to cause arteriosclerosis. Excessive meat-eating should be avoided, and this includes fish, eggs, cheese, and milk. Foods rich in lime, extractives, and volatile oils do harm; meats, for example, are rich in extractives; onions, cabbage, and all food having a high odor of this sort when cooked contain volatile oils. 100 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Lime is found in many foods, but perhaps hard water is the most dangerous thing in this line. Simple, properly cooked, and properly eaten foods, what we might call natural foods and natural eating, are entirely harmless. Diet is one of the most, if not the most, important factor in prevention and in a cure, so far as a cure is possible. Bear in mind, however, that this does not mean starvation. One of the factors in arteriosclerosis is a weakening of the coats of the arteries. To prevent this, proper nutrition is necessary; hence starvation, by preventing such nutrition, would actually tend to make matters worse. DIPHTHERIA Diphtheria is caused by ochlesis, or crowd poison. It is an emergency — "an event or combination of circumstances which calls for immediate action or remedy." It is at first a local disease, resembling the animal poisons — snake bite, mad dog bite. Properly treated in this stage, it is one of the most curable of diseases. It is contagious and infectious, and the poison may retain its vitality from three months to two years. This poison is not identical with that of measles, croup, or scarlet fever, nor is it intimately related to them. Diphtheria may occur sporadically: any small overcrowded, ill-ventilated house may prove a diphtheria factory. Its period of incubation is from twelve hours to several da3^. Directly, temperature none; indirectly, much. Crowding can occur in any temperature ; practically it occurs most in cold weather. In the local stage there is but one indication — to destroy the false membrane already formed; prevent further formation and spread. For this only two remedies are required as a rule. In the stage of systemic infection there are two indications — the foregoing, and to support the system. A remedy or combina- tion, internally, with food and stimulants meets this indication. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 101 An abundance of pure air is the first requisite in treatment. Being an asthenic disorder, and prone to heart failure, rest in the recumbent position and warmth to the extremities assist in the cure. The physician must not only prescribe, he must administer the local treatment, when present, and see to it that food and medicine are administered punctually in his absence. The physician should visit severe cases three times a day; all cases at least once a day for the first nine days. The physician should not despair, though called late. I have seen patients, apparently moribund, restored by fresh air and food alone. Diphtheria, caused by diphtheria bacillus, may be conveyed by milk to patrons, if the dairyman has a case of diphtheria at his home, and does not exercise great care in changing clothing and washing after handling the patient. For a person to handle milk at the same time that he is associated with a diphtheria patient is poor practice. Where diphtheria prevails in a family, the patient or patients, if there are two or three attacked at the same time, should be isolated, confined to one room, and all the children not affected should be kept in some remote part of the house, or removed from the house entirely if practicable. In either case, whether any of the children are removed from the house or not, every room, in- cluding the one occupied by the patient, should be fumigated with sulphur two or tliree times daily. Nature will attain the mastery over her enemy if the strength be kept up and the deposits arrested. With these points to guide us we know that the arrest of the disease and nutritious support are our great aim. To succeed in this, use a respirator made of the ordinary shape and size, the front being minutely perforated. Inside of the respirator two or three perforated plates are inserted, between which place common tow (not cotton wool); then drop on each of the layers of tow ten to twenty drops of a solution of carbolic acid, creosote, and glycerine. Should tlie patient tire of these, use turpentine or iodine. Place the respirator over the mouth, and keep it continually applied. 102 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS The next idea is to provide the patient with warm moist air. To do this have two kettles of water kept boihng on the fire; attached to the spouts of the kettles have an elastic tube of an inch calibre, at the end of which is a spray-like nozzle, which put immediately under the mouth of the patient. By this means disinfectant remedies are carried moist to the throat. As a sedative to the pain there is nothing so comfortable to the patient. Previous to this take care to give an active purge, which usually removes offensive stools of effete, poisonous matter. Internally give aconite in frequent small doses — two to three minims of the tincture; at the same time freely supporting the strength with milk, cream and eggs with or without brandy, and beef tea ad libitum. As a drink recommend patients to take as much chlorate of potash in solution as they can without vomiting. If this is objected to, advise the juice of lemon to be taken — by many thought to be a specific for diphtheria. Cracked Ice for Invalids. — There is one thing that nurses ap- parently do not seem to comprehend, and that is the value of cracked ice in cases where a prolonged drink of any fluid is next to an impos- sibility or a most dangerous thing. Diphtheria tends to kill by sufifocation and by its poison ex- hausting the vital energy. Suffocation may be either accidental, or as a natural result of the throat affection — accidental if, when the membrane is thrown off, it becomes lodged in the larynx; natural if the swelling inside the throat shuts off the supply of air to the lungs. Dr. Blondel's Diphtheria Treatment. — Every hour the patient takes a tablespoonful of a solution of benzoate of sodium, fifteen grains to the ounce, and at the same time one-sixth of a grain of sulphide of calcium in sirup or granule. In addition to this the throat is thoroughly sprayed every half hour with a ten per cent, solution of benzoate of sodium. This is done religiously at the regular intervals, day and night, but no other local treatment is employed. No attempt is made to dislodge the false membrane, and no penciling nor painting of the fauces is resorted to. Tonics are given and antipyretics are used when occasion "calls for them. The nourishment consists of beef juice, tender rare meat, milk, etc., but bread and all other articles which may cause irritation of the throat are forbidden. The sick room is k'.^'pt filled with steam from a vessel containing carbolic acid, turpentine, and oil of eucalyptus in water. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 103 SORE THROAT This generally soon passes ofif, but if the patient is in a low state of health, or if exposed to oflfensive emanations, or lives in a low, unhealthy neighborhood, it may become ulcerated or covered with white patches, often mistaken for diphtheria. Diet should be generous, and the throat may be brushed with equal parts of glycerine and solution of perchloride of iron, or of glycerine of tannin. Quinine, and, if necessary, brandy, should be given internally. In mild cases chlorate of potash tablets are useful to suck, or alum, or capsicum gargles, or common salt, a dessertspoonful to Y2 pint of water. Caution Regarding Chlorate of Potash Lozenges. — Phe- nomena indicating changes in the blood have been noticed after the abuse of chlorate of potash lozenges, in the treatment of "sore throat." The lozenges usually contain five grains of the salt in each; and their constant sucking may easily result in the ingestion of an absolutely poisonous amount of chlorate of potash. For simple hoarseness, take a fresh egg, beat it and thicken with pulverized sugar. Eat freely of it, and the hoarseness will soon be relieved. For cankered throat, sore mouth and so forth use borax and honey ; drink sage or slippery elm tea. A gargle of hot claret often afifords much relief in cases of acute sore throat. Nitrate of potassium, in one grain doses, thoroughly triturated with sugar of milk, and given every two hours, will produce great relief in cases of acute bronchitis, characterized by a sharp, short, dry, hacking cough. If the throat is husky from dust or weariness a gargle made of a teaspoonful of spirits of camphor in a glass of water gives a delicious tone and vigor to the larynx, palate, bronchial tubes and all those other sensitive organs that exist in that region. If the throat becomes badly swollen and very painful, apply a poultice of flaxseed upon which you have poured a little warm lard and laudanum. 104 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS For a sore throat and congested lungs take a glass of hot flaxseed, add the juice of two lemons, sweeten to taste, and let boil in a double boiler for one hour, then strain. Always rub the neck, throat and chest with alcohol after applying either compress or poultice, before exposing it to the air. This will prevent taking more cold. T© inhale steam from boiling herb tea is often a great relief when the throat is too sore to gargle. Use a mixture of the old- fashioned herbs if you have them — sage, boneset, catnip, hops and horehound. Sometimes when a choking sensation accompanies the sore throat, the quickest way to relieve it is to induce vomiting. The tincture of lobelia given in teaspoonful doses is best for this purpose. It should be kept in every home, more especially where there are children, for it helps so quickly in all cases of croup. When one has a tendency to hoarseness do not muffle the throat with furs as it only makes it more tender. Dashing the outside of the throat with cold water several times a day is excellent to overcome huskiness; gargling with cold water or with lukewarm water with a little salt in it is also good. The best and safest agents to abort a cold are aromatic spirits of ammonia and sweet spirits of niter. The best combination for mild counter-irritation over chest or abdomen is turpentine and soap liniment, equal parts, sprinkled on warm flannel — with or without oilsilk or thin rubber tissue covering. Hoarseness of public singers and speakers is improved by taking ten drojis of dilute nitric acid in plenty of sweetened water three or four times daily. It is said that more immediate relief may be obtained Vjy putting three or four drops on a square of loaf sugar and allowing it to dissolve slowly on the tongue, inhaling it into the lungs. Sore Throat Remedy. Where the inflammation is rheumatic in character, a spray of the following is useful: Morphine, 4 grains; Acidi Carbolici, Yi drachm; Acidi Tannici, Yi drachm ; Glycerini, 4 ounces; Aquae Dest, 4 ounces. M. Sig. — Use as a spray in the throat, about a teaspoonful at a time. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 105 In Cases of Quinsy. — Take of carbolic acid, one gramme, camphor, one gramme; glycerine, fifty grammes; water, fifty grammes. There should be three or four local applications a day. Bleeding from the mouth should be treated by giving the patient ice to suck and making him lie still. This blood may come either from the stomach or lungs. BRONCHITIS In acute bronchitis the symptoms resemble those of catarrh, only that they are more referred to the chest; there is more decided cough and there is a sense of oppression and tightness. The difficulty of breathing, too, is more marked, and there is at first a scanty expectoration which in the course of the disease becomes more profuse and frothy; and, as the case is terminating favorably it may change again in character, becoming thick and yellow. Sometimes it is streaked with blood. Acute bronchitis often occurs in young children, in whom it is a most dangerous disease. In adults it is not so dangerous; but nevertheless, the greatest care is required, both in the treatment and in guarding against exposure. When a person is attacked with bronchitis, he should confine himself to his bedroom, the temperature of which is to be maintained by means of a fire at about sixty-five degrees, and for the first few days he should abstain altogether from spiritous and fermented liquors unless used to taking them to excess during health and then he may be allowed a little wine negus, or warm whisky and water; but these are always better withheld as long as the patient is doing well and does not complain of extreme prostration. When the acute symptoms have passed away, and it is evident that the patient is suffering from the exhaustive effects of the disease, champagne and other effervescent and light wines may be given somewhat freely. In cases of chronic bronchitis, with difficult breathing and scanty expectoration, the use of banana juice has been highly praised. The juice is prepared by cutting up the bananas in small pieces and putting them with plenty of sugar into a closed glass jar. The latter is then placed in cold w-ater, which is gradually made to boil. When the boiling-point is reached, tlie process is complete. Of the sirup so made, a teaspoonful every hour is the proper dose. 106 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Inhalations for Bronchitis. — Put a few drops of nitric acid in boiling water and inhale the fumes for five to ten minutes. Bronchial irritation is lessened with a corresponding salutary effect upon the mucus membranes. One observer advises the placing about the room of the sufferer from chronic bronchitis five or six pieces of filter paper which have been soaked in the following:' Menthol, Eucalyptol, aa 3ij ; Oil Turpentine, Spirits Juniper, aa 3v. " I know of no text-book which as yet teaches the danger of the common infectious cold, no medical school in which it is impressed on the student, no hospital in which such cases are not retained in the common ward, no health board which has yet dared to limit the right of the individual to spread the infection of his coryza among the public." (Dr. T. S. South worth in a late article on common infectious colds.) Dr. Stark is emphatic in the belief that to give quinine to a person suffering from influenza, with severe headache, furred tongue and acute pain in the limbs merely adds to his discomfort. He cuts the disease short in two days, he says, by giving a mercurial purge, followed by sodium salicylate, potassium bicarbonate and tincture of nux vomica. COUGH CURES Coughs may be much alleviated, and dry throats cured, by glycerine and lime-juice taken at night. The glycerine should be diluted. In severe paroxysms of coughing, either from coughs, colds, or consumption, one or two tablespoonfuls of pure glycerine, in either milk or hot, rich cream, will, it is said, afford almost instant relief. Balsam for Coughs and Colds. — Tincture of tolu and com- pound tincture of benzoin, of each one ounce, rectified spirit, two ounces; mix. The dose is a teaspoonful. Cure for a Cough. — A patient, who, for nearly two months, could not pass a night in quiet without large doses of laudanum, has been cured of a most harassing cough by suet boiled in milk. An excellent remedy for a cough is made by slicing two lemons thin and adding to them ten cents' worth of whole flaxseed, ten cents' worth of licorice root, ore gill cf water, and a little sugar. Boil until quite thick and strain. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 107 Ordinary grated horse-radish, eaten at frequent intervals during the day and in connection with food at the table, if food is eaten at all, has been found remarkable efficacious in banishing the distressing cough that frequently lingers after all the other symptoms of the "grip" have gone. Cough Remedy. — Extract Yerba vSanta fl. 1 ounce; Extract Grindeliaj Robustaj fl. 1 ounce; Syrup. Pruni Virginiana;, ad. 3 ounces. M. Sig. — A teaspoonful every two or three hours. Brown Mixture For Coughs. — Dissolve one ounce of gum arabic, one ounce of licorice, and one ounce of brown sugar- candy, in half a pint of boiling water. When cold, add one ounce of elixir of paregoric, and one-half an ounce of antimonial wine. Take a tablespoonful of this mixture whenever the cough is trouble- some, and upon going to bed. Pressing in the neighborhood of the ear, right in front of the ear, may stop coughing. Pressing very hard on the top of the mouth, inside, is also said to be a means of stopping a cough, and it may be said that here, as well as in many other cases, the will-power has very much to do, it having, as has been repeatedly demonstrated, immense power over matter and its conditions. A Syrup for Colds and Coughs. — Take 18 ounces of perfectly sound onions, and after removing rind make several incisions, but not too deep. Boil together with 13J^ ounces of moist sugar and 2% ounces of honey in 35 ounces of water, for three-quarters of an hour; strain, and fill into bottles for use. Give one tablespoonful of this mixture (slightly warmed) immediately on attack, and then, according to requirement, five to eight half tablespoonfuls daily. For a cold on the chest there is no better specific for most per- sons than well boiled or roasted onions. They may not agree with every one, but to persons with good digestion they will not only be found to be a most excellent remedy for a cough, and the clogging of the bronchial tubes which is usually the cause of the cough, but if eaten freely at the outset of a cold, they will break up what prom- ised, from the severity of the attack, to have been a serious one. A very old remedy for a cold on the chest is an onion poultice, which is made by heating the onions and putting them in a muslin bag and bruising them. Lay the bag upon the chest over night. Care should be taken about getting in a draught when the poultice is removed in the morning. 108 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Cough Mixture. — Take a whole lemon, cut it in tour parts; add to them half a pound of white sugar; put them in half a pint of boiling water, and let boil for ten minutes. When warm, add six cents worth of paregoric to it. Dose : Take half a wineglassf ul when the cough is troublesome. Aristos Cough Mixture. — Simple syrup, 10 ounces; syrup of squill, 2 ounces; camphorated tincture of opium, 2 ounces; wine of ipecac, 2 ounces; diluted sulphuric acid, 4 drachms; solution of sulphate of morphia, U. S. P., 4 drachms; sweet spirit of nitre, 2 ounces; tincture of sanguinaria, 4 drachms. Mix the different ingredients together in the same order as they are written. The dose is from five drops to a teaspoonful, three or four times daily. An excellent remedy for cough is made as follows: Take a cup of mutton tallow and two great spoonfuls of spirits of turpen- tine ; put into the turpentine all the camphor gum that it will dis- solve, then add to the cup of tallow, melted, mix thoroughly, and keep where you can have it ready to apply to the throat or chest on a cloth when needed, covering warmly. This gives almost in- stant relief. It is a remedy of one of our best and oldest physicians, who has saved many lives by its use. It is good for any lung trouble, croup, or colds. Ouiclc Relief for a Cough. If any member of the family coughs persistently in the night and one happens to be out of the usual remedy, wring out a soft, thick flannel from water as hot as can be borne, brush lightly and quickly with a feather which has been plunged in turpentine, and apply to the chest. If the flesh is very sensitive, it might be well to rub well with vaseline or sweet oil before making the hot application. It is in the houses which are kept sealed tightly, or in which there is only "frequent changing of the air," that colds and coughs find secure lodgment. Whoever lives in a closed house through the winter may be reasonably sure of a bad attack of " tiredness " before spring. He is poisoned by foul air. Pulmonary consumption each year kills in the United States alone 413,000 persons. A timely application of known scientific facts might save all these persons alive; the cold-air cure, and return to natural methods are saving thousands. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 109 Cough is not an early symptom in pulmonary tuberculosis; it is a complication rather than a symptom, and may be absent when the tuberculosis process is comparatively far advanccl. It is merely the result of a laryngeal catarrh, that may or may not complicate the tuberculous process. Pus and mucus may remain for hours in the bronchi without causing cough. The cough itself produces a condition of strain in the tissues surrounding the tuber- culous focus, leading to exudation into the alveoli, a condition conducive to a spread of the infection. Hence the treatment of the cough is an indispensable element in our care of the patient. Even when the sputum is plentiful, we need not hesitate in our endeavors to diminish the cough, since the ciliated epithelium of the air-pas- sages is quite able to transport this secretion into the pharnyx, whence it may readily be removed by hawking. Symptoms of cold in the head are quickly relieved by spraying, with witch hazel, both the throat and nasal passages. Treatment of Severe Colds. — During the early stage while there are chills, headache, slight cough and general soreness, a moderate dose of quinine combined with Dovers powder will pro- duce diaphoresis and re-establish the systematic equilibrium. Colds are a Foul-Air Disease. The cold germ thrives in foul, too warm air, and this truth cannot be made too plain for the com- munity. It is not generally understood, nowadays, that the only reliable cure for dread tuberculosis is foimd in living in the open air in winter as well as in summer? Will a reasonably healthy person catch cold in the abundance of cool, fresh air that offers the only hope to the weak lungs of the frail consumptive? Camphor for Colds in the Head. — For coryza. Dr. G. E. Dobson recommends the inhalation of the vapor of camphor and steam, the vapor being made to come in contact with the outer surface of the face, surrounding the nose by means of a paper cone placed with the narrow end downward in a vessel containing hot water and a drachm of coarsely powdered or shredded camphor. If this is continued ten or twenty minutes at a time, and repeated three or four times in as many hours, a cure is usually affected. Remedy for Croup. — Dr. Lewentaner recommends the following in croup, having had much success in its treatment: Rectified Oil of Turpentine, 1 drachm; Oil of Sweet Almond, 23/^ drachms; Pimple Syrup, 3 drachms; Mucilage of Acacia, 10 drachms; Yolk of one Egg; Canella Water, enough to make 3 ounces. M. Sig. — A toaspoonful every hour for a child ten years old. 110 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Whooping-Cough. — Galisch has noticed that the course of whooping-cough is more severe when several children have it to- gether than when the child is kept apart from other children with it. The sight of others affected certainly aggravates the nervous element in the disease, and the possibility of a new infection from it cannot be positively excluded. He thinks that repeated infection is a possible factor in keeping up coryza as well as whooping-cough. In both affections he is confident that much would be gained by measures to prevent accumulation of disease products, having the child go into a second room and well ventilating the first, after each coughing spasm, using a fresh handkerchief each time in coryza. Regimen for Whooping-Gough. — A frequent change of air is exceedingly useful in whooping-cough, particularly short voyages at sea; at the same time flannel is to be worn next the skin. Young children should lie with their heads and shoulders raised, and when the cough occurs they ought to be placed on their feet and bent a little forward, to guard against suffocation. The diet should be light, and the drink warm and mucilaginous. Whooping-Cough Remedy: — Ext. Cannabias Indicse, 15 grains; Ext. Belladonnaj, 8 grains ; Alcohol, Glycerin , of each ad 1 ^ drachms. M. Sig. — Four or five drops for a child one year old ; one of two years old, five to eight drops, three or four times a day. A Speedy Cure of Whooping-Cough. — Mohn, a Norwegian physician, is reported to have been able to cure whooping-cough by means of inhalations of sulphurous anhydride. In the first instance this was done accidentally while disinfecting some rooms ; subse- quently it was done by burning six drachms of sulphur per cubic metre of space, the bedding, etc., being well exposed to its influence. After the room had been closed for four hours, ventilation was restored, and the children put to sleep in the beds impregnated with the sulphurous vapours. In the morning the cough had ceased. Tincture of drosera (homeopathic) in minute doses, 1-3000 of a drop evory three hours, and after each paroxysm, will moderate the paroxysm in forty-eight hours, and cure in two weeks. Stimulants, such as brandy, etc., should never be given in any form of bleeding, even though the patient should faint, unless the cause of the bleeding is removed, as alcohol will only make the heart beat faster and cau.se more blood to flow from the wound. This especially applies to bleeding from the lungs. Iodoform gauze dipped in glycerite of tannin and used as a tampon is a valuable procedure in nosebleed. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 111 Nasal Haimorrhage. — In persistent haemorrhage from the nasal cavity, plugging the {josterior nares should not be done until an at- tempt has been made to check the haemorrhage by firmly grasping the nose with the finger and thumb, so as completely to prevent any air from passing through the cavity in the act of breathing. This simple means, if persistently tried, will in many cases arrest the bleeding. The haemorrhage persists because the clot which forms at the rupture in the blood-vessel is displaced by the air being drawn forcibly through the cavity in the attempt of the patient to clear the nostrils. If this air is prevented from passing through the cavity, the clot consolidates in position, and the haemorrhage is checked. To Arrest Bleeding of the Nose. — Introduce, by means of a probe, a small piece of lint or soft cotton, previously dipped in some mild styptic, as a solution of alum, white vitriol, creosote, or even cold water. This will generally succeed; but should it not, cold water may be snuffed up the nostrils. Should the bleeding be very profuse, medical advice should be procured. HAY FEVER Atropine and Morphine in Hay-Fever. — Dr. Moorhead writes that he has obtained relief from hay-fever, his annual persecutor for thirty years, by hypodermic injection of one-twentieth of a grain of morphine and one-two-hundredth of a grain of atropine night and morning. The relief was complete. A victim of hay fever claims that he has found a solution of olive oil and camphor very effective. Prepare it by gently warming some olive oil and a small lump of camphor together for several hours. Apply it by oiling the inside of the lower part of the nose. Dr. W. T. PhilHps recommends belladonna, which he has found successful; he gives the dose as IJ^ minimsof the succus every hour till relieved (30 min. to 3 oz. of water). ASTHMA For asthma soak blotting paper in strong saltpeter water; dry, and burn at night. The following will be found useful to inhale during an attack of asthma: Ether, one drachm; essence of turpentine, four drachms; tincture of benzoin, four drachms; balsam of tolu, two drachms; mix, and add a teaspoonful to half a pint of boiling water and inhale. 112 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Remedy for Asthma. — The following is said to be a cure for the distressing disease, asthma: The ingredients are: Sulphur, one- half ounce; cream of tartar, one ounce; senna, one ounce; aniseed, one-half ounce. Pulverize and thoroughly mix the ingredients, and take one teaspoonful in about two tablespoonfuls of molasses on going to bed, or at such time through the day as may suit the patient. The dose, once a day, may be diminished or increased a little, as may best suit the state of the bowels of the individual. Remedy for Bronchial Asthma. — Ammon. Bromid, 3 drachms; Ammon. lodid, 2 drachms; Tinct. Lobeliae, fl. 1 ounce; Syrup Tolutan, fi. 3 ounces. M. Sig. — One teaspoonful every one, two or three hours. Inhalation of Menthol in Asthma. — Dr. Jones recommends a 20 per cent, solution of menthol in olive oil for inhalation in cases of asthma. In one case in which he tried it, all other medication had failed. Auscultation revealed hissing sounds everywhere. A few inhalations of the menthol cut short the attack. The only un- pleasant after-effect was a slight heaviness in the head. Treatment of Asthma and Allied Conditions. — Dr. Kayser describes thirteen cases of asthma, and allied conditions, in which he found calcium chlorid effectual. He ordered it in the form of 20 gm. calcium chlorid (CaCh); 40 gm. simple syrup, and distilled water to 400 gm. The patient took a tablespoonful of this in milk every two hours for eight days. No untoward by-effects were ob- served in any instance, and the patients all said that after a day or so they could breathe and expectorate easier and their sleep was no longer disturbed. After the third day tliere was no further attacks in all but two cases, and the relief has been permanent to date in some. In one case there was a complicating heart defect but this did not interfere with the success of the treatment. How to take a pill, a physician states: " Having noticed, that if a person at meals inclined the head backwards, as in laughing, while there was food in the mouth, they were pretty certain to be strangled from 'the food's going the wrong way,' I instructed those of my patients who had difficulty to swallow pills, to keep the head in the position they would if eating and swallowing at the table — that is, the head inclined forward, the chin near the breast — and keep it in that position. If a small portion of the saliva be on hand, or a small quantity of water taken after the pill is put in the mouth, it will surprise the patient and gratify the doctor to witness the facility with which it will be swallowed. To direct the patient to keep his eyes on his toes, I have found a help to keep the head in the proper position." HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 113 Method for Ascertaining the State of the Lungs. — Persons desirous of ascertaining the true state of their lungs are directed to draw in as much breath as they conveniently can; they are then to count as far as they are able, in a slow and audible voice, without drawing in more breath. The number of seconds they can con- tinue counting must be carefully observed. In a consumption, the time does not exceed ten, and is frequently less than six seconds; in pleurisy and pneumonia it ranges from nine to four seconds. When the lungs are in a sound condition, the time will range as high as from twenty to thirty-five seconds. Great care should be taken in administering remedies in the form of tinctures which have stood for a long time in small vials in the family medicine closet. When the bottle happens to be loosely corked the alcohol readily evaporates, leaving the drug in the form of a concentrated tincture the pharmacopoeial dose of which might produce very serious if not fatal results. Patients recovering from other severe infectious disorders, of whatever nature, are always liable to contract pneumonia from slightest causes, as chilling, overeating, undue exertion and nervous excitement. PNEUMONIA Pneumonia is Inflammation of the Lungs. When the in- flammation is on the lining of the chest, it is pleurisy. The two may be combined. Pneumonia is a dangerous disease, and requires prompt action. It is preceded by a chill from which it is sometimes difficult to restore the natural heat. This chill is followed by a high fever, in which the heart beats rapidly. Chills may come from other causes than pneumonia, but unless sure of the cause and sure that it is not dangerous, it is safe to suspect a coming pneumonia, and to send at once for a physician. On no account attempt to manage the case without one. An attack of pneumonia is often occasioned by getting into a public vehicle after having been excited by walking, and being com- pelled to sit in the draft of an open window. To remain at rest in any position until a feeling of chilliness is induced, is sufficient to bring on an attack of inflammation of the lungs, however vigorous and robust the person may feel. 114 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Sitting still with damp feet; standing on the wet grass; keeping on damp clothes, after having been engaged in exercise, are frequent causes of lung fever. One great principle, practical in its nature and easily understood, underlies all these cases: it is the getting chilled; this is the more easily brought about in proportion to the amount of exercise which has been previously taken to the extent of inducing a warmth of body above what is natural; the easy and universal prevention is cool ofE very slowly after all forms of exercise in cold weather. There are two principal forms of the disorder; what is known as acute labor pneumonia, due to a specific germ called the pneu- mococcus, and another form called catarrhal pneumonia, which may result from a number of germs, notably measles, whooping- cough, la grippe, scarlet fever, and in infants and small children may be the result of a cold. The first form is most common in adults and the second form in infants, small children and the feeble and aged. The germ which causes the labor pneumonia seems to be with us all the time, and, like the pus-forming bacteria and colon microbes, they only become vicious and do harm when they find a suitable soil in which to develop. Cold, and a sudden change from a warm room to extreme cold, or more often the change from a fresh, moist, cold, outside atmos- phere to the dry, overheated, impure air of a close, illy-ventilated room, often excites an attack of this disease. Drunkards are especially predisposed to pneumonia; also miners who work underground in a warm, damp atmosphere and then come suddenly to the surface colder air. In the United States the disease is more prevalent in fall and winter. Many a young girl wearing the conventional decollete attire of the ball room, overheated from the dance, courts danger by sudden exposure in a cold hall or in a draft of cold air in an open window. Young men, athletes, often suffer from an attack of the disorder from sudden cooling after extra exertion in the open air sports. Women are said to be more predisposed to the disease than men, due to their indoor life. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 115 Farmers are often victims of this disease. In wet, cold weather they are often damp, or even wet, all day long, and as the result are chilled and stiff by nightfall and failing to change the damp clothing for warm, clean, dry attire, remain chilly all the evening; and adding to the overwork of the already overtaxed digestive organs the task of disposing of a hearty supper, which does not digest well, and fermenting, increases the bodily toxines, giving the pneumonia germs opportunity to grow and develop into an attack of the disease. A chill in the night, the pain and fever all indicate a severe illness, and many a strong man has thus succumbed in his prime to an infection, the germ of which would have been harmless had the bodily resistance not been crippled by bad hygienic conditions. Winter Clothing. — For ordinary winter weather a flannel lining stitched into the back of a summer waistcoat makes it com- fortably warm. For women also it is desirable to protect the spinal cord from extreme cold. Pneumonia is contagious, and when one member of the family is taken wth the disorder, unless all discharges are destroyed, the other members may be attacked, especially should there be an aged or feeble member in the household, or anyone suffering from any chronic disorder. The patient should be isolated in a large, well- ventilated, sunny room. Every article likely to harbor dust or germs, should be removed before the patient is moved in. A healthy member of the family, or better still, a trained nurse, should be installed in charge of the case. During the chill, a hot bath, or dry heat in the form of dry blanket pack, or putting hot bottles around the patient, often gives much relief. Should the stomach be overloaded, or the bowels constipated, an injection of hot water, and washing out the stomach often gives much relief. All food should be stopped for at least twenty-four hours. Most fatal terminations are due to heart failure from accumu- lations of poisons in the blood. This blood intoxication is much in- creased if the patient is compelled to breathe air filled with the wastes and germs which he is constantly giving ofif at every paroxysm of coughing. lie. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS The two most important measures in the treatment of the disease are to keep the aUmentary canal clean and give the respira- tory organs pure air to inhale. So important is pure air to the pneumonia patient that many physicians are treating these cases out on the house top or verandas in the open air, at least for a part of the day, during which tim.e the room may be thoroughly aired and cleaned of all infections and dust. Dr. Lindsay in Good Housekeeping gives the following excellent advice regarding treatment before and after the crisis: " There is often great suffering from pleurisy pains in the chest. Sometimes hot fomentations will bring relief and often,, when there is high fever, an ice bag over the painful part and a hot mustard foot or leg bath will give relief by diverting the blood away from the inflamed part. There is always more or less delirium in every severe case of pneumonia, therefore, the patient should never be left alone for a moment. An ice cap on the head and a hot leg pack, that is, wrapping the legs and feet up in a blanket wrung out of water hot as can be borne, will often quiet this symptom. It has been the experience of the writer that the delirium is much less under fresh air treatment. About the ninth or tenth day a crisis is likely to occur. If the patient is to make a good recovery, there is a marked fall of tempera- ture, and critical sweat. If the surface remains warm and the breathing becomes slower and deeper, he is likely to recover. Should the surface become cold and livid, the temperature fall below normal and the heart become weak, the case will be very doubtful. At this stage the patient needs the most careful nursing for a few days until the lungs begin to clear up and the case is fairly started on the way to recovery. The fresh air treatment should be continued, but all cold water treatment, which gave relief in the fever stage, stopped. In place of the tepid sponge, should be a warm or hot sponge bath. Hot bags to feet, legs and spine, and warm drinks. Short, hot fomentations over chest and heart, and rubbing off the perspira- tion with dry, warm towels. As the heart is weak, avoid all sudden efforts at exertion or excitement, which might prove suddenly fatal by heart failure. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 117 The time of convalescence requires great care neither to over- feed nor undernourish the patient. The fluid diet of the onset and fever stage should still be continued, to which may be gradually added a slice of nice cream toast or a soft poached egg, never over- loading the stomach, which might cause a relapse. As drugs can do little for pneumonia cases and good nursing a great deal, it is a very important matter that the home nurse should know how to manage her patient so as to give him proper aid, food and water administrated in a proper manner, for this is the hope of these patients and the truly life-saving measures; but they must be faithfully and skillfully used." BRIGHT'S DISEASE Semmola, of Naples, an authority on this trouble, advises strongly against allowing a patient who is suffering from nephritis to come in contact with cold in any avoidable way. Such patients are excessively sensitive to cold, and cold baths are followed by great shock and depression. Violent massage and exercise of the muscles the author also strongly deprecates as followed by great shock and weakness. He would advise the patient to live in a dry and equable climate; to strictly avoid all exposure or going about in severe winter weather; to practice mild gymnastics in a comfortable room rather than ven- ture into a temperature below 18° or 20° C. The author emphasizes the remarkable sensibility of the skin of the sufferer with Bright's disease to all variations of temperature. Sodium iodide and chloride is advised in doses as large as tolerated. When, after two or three weeks, albumen has not entirely disappeared and dropsy has been relieved, phosphates of sodium or calcium are given in quantities as large as 40 grains or a drachm. The efficacy of these drugs the author believes consists in their power to promote the assimilation of albumen. The methodical inhalation of oxygen, which Semmola has urged has been repeatedly proved to be of the highest benefit. Albumen soon disappears after its use, and although casts may remain in the urine, the patient's general condition is so much improved that the author thinks we have here an argument for the dyscrasic (faulty condition of the body) or haematogenic (formative of blood) origin of Bright's disease. All astringents are considered not only valueless, but also injurious. Especially is the action of plumbum aceticum thought injurious, because of its astringent influence on the capillaries of the skin. 118 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Diabetes is treated, by eating meat broths (without vegetables), shell fish, gait fish (cooked), fresh and salted meats, animal fats (but butter in moderation), vegetables (beet tops, radishes, celery, lettuce, horse radish, endives), fruits if acid, not sweet, milk, butter- milk and cheese, nuts; frequent feeding is desirable. Sugar and all starchy (farinaceous) foods are forbidden, also animal livers and those of shell fish; all sweet fruits (prunes, figs, dates) are to be avoided. Look for diabetes where wounds are very slow in healing. Gout. — Dr. J. Mortimer Granville published a prescription for the relief of gout which, he states, gives satisfactory results in acute and subacute attacks of that malady, relieving the pain almost immediately, reducing swellings, and raising the proportion of urea considerably, often as much as 50 or even 100 per cent. The formula he gives is a follows: Ammonii chloridi, 3 iv; potassas chloratis, 3 ij; glycerini, 3 xij; tincturae iodi, 3 ij; aquas ad 3 xij. — Mix. The dose is two tablespoonfuls every third, fourth, or sixth hour. For the local treatment of chronic gout the following formula is recommended as being of great utility. Take of ethereal tincture of capsicum, spirits of ammonia, essence of turpentine, linseed-oil, of each one ounce; mix, and apply by rubbing. Dr. Satterlee recommends the following local application in cases of gout and rheumatism. Take of oil of scinthoria, two drachms; olive-oil, two drachms; soap liniment, two drachms; tincture of aconite, two drachms; tincture of opium, two drachms. Make a liniment and apply freely; then cover the part with cotton wadding. RHEUMATISM Nearly every form of rheumatism affects the joints and in- flames the system, if it becomes chronic. Since it is a disease of the blood, it has this inevitable tendency. Few, even of those who believe that they have recovered from it, escape without souvenirs of the visitation in the form of an enlarged joint or two, or a sliglitly misshapen member. One of the most simple and eflfective remedies is to go to the hot springs for a month or so, as well as to chew dried rhubarb root; or use a combination of salicylate of soda and rhubarb as prepared by the druggists. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 119 Mustard-Oil is a good remedy for local rheumatism. It is used externally in friction twice daily. Celery — raw, stewed, or in soup — is the cure par excellence for rheumatism, and very simple and agreeable. A liniment of equal parts of oil of wintergreen and olive oil, or soap liniment, is said to afford almost instant relief from pain in acute rheumatism. A gentleman who has been treated by skilled physicians, both in this country and abroad, says that coffee made from the green berry will bring great relief, if it does not effect a permanent cure, in the treatment of rheumatism. To a tea-cup of cold water add a tablespoonful of Java coffee. Let it stand over-night, and drink before breakfast in the morning. Try a potato poultice for this painful disease. Boil two pota- toes in their ' 'jackets. ' ' When done, mash potatoes — skins and all — spread on a cloth and apply. A friend once told me she experienced great relief from an application of this kind on a rheumatic foot. Muscular rheumatism (lumbago, pleurodynia, etc.): Specific bryonia, 1-1500 of a drop every two hours, will cure many cases in twenty-four hours and nearly all in forty-eight. (Homeopathic treatment.) A Cure for Rheumatism. One quart of milk, quite hot, into which stir one ounce of alum; this will make curds and whey. Bathe the parts affected with the whey until too cold. In the mean- time keep the curds hot, and, after bathing, put them on a poultice, wrap in flannel, and go to sleep (you can). Three applications should be a perfect cure, even in aggravated cases. Sufferers from rheumatism should avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, red meats, chocolate, sweets, tomatoes, highly seasoned foods, and over use of all proteins. Vegetables, eggs, fish, fresh fruits, cereals, milk, cheese, and the white meat of chicken are suggested for foods. Acute Articular Rheumatism. — Hatfield speaks well of the following liniment as a local sedative to the affected joints: 01. Gaultherias, 3^ ounce; Spirit Chloroform, 3^ ounce; Lin. Saponis, 3 ounces. M. Sig. — Apply freely, and wrap the joint in cotton batting. 120 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Camphor-Phenol Method of Treating Rheumatism.— Apply extenially a mixture of 2 parts ground camphor and 1 part phenol, adding 5 per cent, alcohol to the mixture. The result is an oily fluid, sparingly soluble in water, and free from caustic action. Only very delicate skins feel a slight smarting. One can pour the mixture directly into old wounds, suppurating fistulas, etc., without the patients' complaining that it hurts them. It seems to be especially a poison for streptococci. It is used to great advantage in cases of erysipelas. It causes a blue discoloration of the skin in some cases on external application, which is ascribed to liberation of the phenol. Acute Rheumatism. — Sodii et Potass. Tart, Y2 ounce; Potass. Nitrat, 5 drachms; Vin. Colchici Sem, 2 drachms; Aquae, q.s.as., 2 ounces. M. Sig. — Teaspoonful every three or four hours. Cure for Lumbago. — One ounce of gum guaiacum, dissolved in half a pint of best rum; one tablespoonful to be taken, three times a day, in a wine glass of cold water, before meals. This remedy has had, in nine cases out of ten, the desired effect. An instantaneous remedy, applied to accidental or a frigore lumbago, or to rheumatic pains produced by a strain of muscular exertion, will be found in collodion, tincture of iodine, and liquid ammonia, equal parts. To be applied widely over the parts with a camel-hair brush. A Local Application for Pain. The following combination, sometimes called Sandy's local application, is very efficient as a local remedy in rheumatism, myalgia, neuralgia and other painful con- ditions: Gum camphor, two ounces; chloral hydrate and oil of wintergreen, of each four drams; fluid extract of cannabas indica, one dram; alcohol, sufficient to make three ounces. BOILS, CARBUNCLES AND FELONS A poultice of ripe figs is one of the best things known for car- buncles or boils. Must be well washed and peeled. Carbuncles may be aborted in their early stage by an injection of two or three minims of an 80% solution of carbolic acid in glycerin. Later, 15 to 30 minims are needed. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 121 Cure for a Felon. — Mix well one teaspoonful of burnt salt, one teaspoonful of Indian meal, and the yolk of one egg, ten drops of spirits of turpentine, a small quantity of home made lye soap, shaved fine. Apply as a poultice for twenty-four hours. If applied early, it will certainly eflfect a cure. If you have the appearance of a felon coming, put some hard- wood ashes in an old tin cup, pour over them warm water, immerse the end of the sore finger in the ashes, set the dish on some live coals or on top of the stove, keeping the finger in as long as you can, and soak it several times a day. If taken in time, it generally pre- vents a felon from coming if the finger is wet with it often. Calcium sulphide, J<^ grain every two hours, is very useful in beginning boils, carbuncles, or in any acute suppurative condition. Novel Treatment of Sciatica. — All who suffer from sciatica and neuralgic pains may, at any rate, try the extremely simple treatment devised by Dr. Ehrard, who has employed it for many years, for the experiment will cost nothing, may possibly effect a cure, and, at all events, can do no harm. The apparatus to be used consists merely of a fiat-iron and vinegar. The iron is heated until it is hot enough to evaporate the vinegar, next covered with some woolen material moistened with vinegar, and then applied at once to the painful spot. The application may be made twice or thrice a day. It is stated that the pain disappears in twenty-four hours, and recovery follows immediately. Cures of sciatica are reported as having taken place in Paris after a single application of Dr. Debove's method of freezing the skin above the painful parts with a spray of chloride of methyl. The operation is said to be applicable also to facial neuralgia. For sciatica, when pain is caused by motion : Bryonia in minute doses. When pain is bad when quiet, but removed on motion: Rhus tox. in minute doses will nearly always act like a charm. (Homeopathic.) Dr. Aschenbach has found that salol taken internally relieves his sciatica better than any other remedy. He first took seven, grains and a half, and later on the same day fifteen grains. It is claimed that, mixed with glycerine, iodine proves much more effective as a local application than the plain tincture. This is due to the retardation of the dissipation of the iodine, or, more likely, to the skin remaining soft, and hence in better condition for absorbing the drug. 122 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A Good Liniment. — Oil of Cloves, 2 drachms; Oil of Sassafras, 4 drachms; Chloroform, 4 drachms; Tinct. Camphor, 4 drachms; Aq. Ammonia, 4 drachms; Alcohol, 2 ounces. Mix. A Very Useful Liniment. — One ounce oil of origanum, two ounces spirits of turpentine, shake up well and apply on soft linen; to some persons this liniment has an unpleasant odor, but it is very efficacious; there is no better for burns, sprains, cuts, etc., in cases where the skin is not broken; pour a little into the hand, and rub well on the parts affected two or three times a day. Camphorated Oil is simply oil in which camphor has been dissolved. In the pharmacopoeia it is camphor liniment, and is made by cutting up one part of camphor in slices, and dissolving it in four parts of warm olive-oil. The "compound camphorated liniment" is made of, say, five parts of camphor and a quarter part of English oil of lavender, dissolved in thirty parts of rectified spirit, to which is gradually added ten parts of strong ammonia liquor, guarding the nose. It is useful for rubbing on swellings, such as mumps, etc. A very fine soap liniment is made as follows. Take of white Castile soap, cut small, two pounds; camphor, five ounces; oil of rosemary, one ounce; oil of origanum, two ounces; rectified spirits, one gallon. Dissolve in a corked bottle by the heat of a water-bath, and, when quite cool, strain and add liquor of ammonia eleven ounces. Put it into bottles immediately, cork close, and tie over with a bladder. It will be solid and transparent when cold. Cure for Ringworm. — Wash the part affected with a little lemon juice; then rub in with the finger a little indigo which has been bruised in a mortar. Do this gently about twice a day. Ringworm Cure. — Corrosive sublimate, two grains; compound tincture of benzoin, one ounce. Paint the part once a day till the integument is irritated. The Journal of Cutaneous Diseases reports the best results in cases of ringworm from the use of a paint composed of tincture of myrrh and four grains to the ounce of bichloride of mercury. Other skin affections are cured by the application of this remedy. A Simple Remedy for Ringworm. — Use thinly-made mustard. With the top of the finger rub this semi-Hquid first outside the sore, then over it, always rubbing in a circle and gently, and for a few seconds only. Repeat twice a day while necessary. For a child it is a painful cure; but a grown-up person will not mind a few hours' smarting, and will find the cure rapid and effectual. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 123 Remedy for Scabies. — Lac. Sulphuris, 1 drachm; Beta-Naph- tholi, 10 grains; Bals. Peru, 1 drachm; Adipis Benz, 1 ounce. M. Sig. — Apply after a hot bath. Parasiticide Ointment, — Salicylic Acid, 45 grains; Borax, 15 grains; Balsam of Peru, 30 grains; Ethereal Ess. of Anise, 5 drops; Ess. of Bergamot, 20 drops; Vaseline, 6 drachms. M. ft. ointment. Apply to the part aflfected. Winter Itch. — Menthol, 3H drachms; Glycerin, 2 drachms; Aquae, ad, 4 ounces. M. Sig. — Apply. Shingles (Herpes Zoster). — Envelop the parts as tightly as possible with a linen or cotton cloth bandage, the inner surface of which has been dusted with starch, and then laid on so that there is a little layer of starch next to the body; then the cloth is sewn on tightly, making a perfectly skin-fitting bandage. The relief is prodigious. Never touch the dressing, leaving it on for a week. Hives and prickly heat are unpleasant summer annoyances. To arrest the former, all fish, pork, cheese, pickles, sauerkraut and strawberries should be stricken from one's menu. An excellent cure for prickly heat is simple enough to try. Mix a large portion of wheat bran with either cold or lukewarm water, and use it, two or three times a day, as a bath. To relieve the itching of hives so distressing to children, add a teaspoonful of vinegar to a cupful of water and bathe the parts affected. Hives. — Dr. J. J. Liggett commends the following: Potassii lodidi, 5 drachms; Vini Colchici Sem, 1 ounce; Tinct. Cimicifuga Rac, 2 ounces; Tinct. Stramon, J^ ounce; Tinct. Opii Camph, 13^ ounces. M. Sig. — From fifteen drops to one drachm three times a day Bromide of soda in 20 grain doses is excellent in relieving the itching of hives. A Simple Remedy for Nettle-Rash and Insect-Bites. Dissolve a small quantity of menthol in alcohol, and apply to the spots as a lotion. This preparation is said to be equally efficacious for insect-stings. For erysipelas and all high inflammation of the skin make a poultice of raw cranberries pounded to a fine pulp. 124 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Eczema of the Nipple. — Braun is stated to recommend the fol- lowing: Calomel, 45 grains; Carbonate of Magnesia, 40 grains; Cold Cream, 1 ounce. M. ft. ung. Sig. — Apply with friction to the part which is affected. The reddened and sensitive areola which surrounds the excoriation should be anointed night and morn- ing with the glycerole of tannin. All applications should be care- fully wiped away before the infant nurses. Alcohol is one of those substances which in varying quantities has the power of producing opposite results. In small quantities it stimulates the action of the heart — in large, it depresses it; it destroys the pepsin and arrests the digestion; in small quantities it has an exhilarating effect on the nervous system — in large, it is a narcotic. To Allay the Craving for Alcohol. — Tinct. Capsici, 1 drachm; Tinct. Nucis Vom. 1 drachm; Acidi Nitro-hydrochloric. Dilute 1 drachm; Infus. Gentian, ad, 12 ounces. M. and make mixture. Sig. — Two tablespoonf uls as often as required . A tablespoonf ul in water of the following mixture every two hours has given satisfactory results in the treatment of drink- craving. — Tr. capsici, three drachms; spt. ammon. aromat., three drachms; tr. calumba;, one ounce; tr. card, co., six drachms; aqua ad., eight ounces. Cure for Drunkenness. — ^Sulphate of iron, 5 grains; peppermint water, 11 drachms; spirits of nutmeg, 1 drachm. To be taken twice a day in doses of about a wineglassful, or less, with or without water. Poison Ivy (Rhus) Poisoning. — Use a strong solution of sul- phate of iron (copperas) freely, mopping the surface every hour or two. Weak soda water applied several times a day is an excellent remedy for the inflammation caused by contact with poisonous plants. Remedy for Poison Ivy. — Take a piece of fresh lime as large as a walnut, unslacked; dissolve it in a saucer in a small quantity of water, wash the hands in it ; apply to the parts affected. A good ivy poison remedy is a poultice of bread, wet with water, and powdered with common soda. For ivy poisoning, paint the affected parts with strong wood-lye. Let remain a moment, then wash off with lukewarm water. When dry rub over with vaseline. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 125 For severe itching and smarting, produced by being poisoned with ivy, oak, or dogwood, may be relieved by washing the parts affected with a solution of saleratus water — two teaspoonfuls to a pint of water — then applying cloths wet with extract of witch hazel. A Remedy for the Eruption of Poison Oak, Ivy and Sumach. — Use bromine dissolved in olive oil, in cosmoline, or in glycerine. The application with glycerine is painful, and possesses no advan- tage to compensate for the irritation. The strength of the solution is from ten to twenty drops of bromine to the ounce of oil, used by rubbing gently on the affected jiart three or four times a day, and especially on going to bed at night. Wash off the oil twice a day with castile soap. The bromine is so volatile that the solution should be renewed within twenty-four hours of its preparation, as it will get out of a bottle, however well corked. It is best to stand the bottle on its cork end, in the intervals of application. BITES AND STINGS The stings of insects are not usually serious, yet there have been cases where severe cases of poisoning ensued even from mosquito bites. They are painful enough, however, and a knowledge of simple and readily available remedies is very desirable. In all cases, whether of mosquito bites or the stings of bees or hornets, an immediate application of cologne water, ammonia or camphor will give immediate relief, unless the sting remains in the skin. In such a case, the sting should be pulled out with delicate forceps, or it can be removed, though somewhat clumsily, by the pressure of the two thumb nails on opposite sides of it. The presence of a bee's or wasp's sting in the wound is not dangerous, as has been popularly supposed. It will, however, greatly aggravate the soreness, and it generates offensive matter, which is especially disagreeable. The sting remaining in the wound is easily discernible, as a black spot in the center of inflammation. The sting of the bee is harmful only when the sting remains sticking in the wound. So the first thing to be done is to press the wound in order to make it bleed, since the blood that flows will carry along a portion of the poison. Then suck the wound and wash it well with water and then with a solution of knos powder. This latter, which is much used in England, consists of three parts of chloride of lime to eight of common salt. An ounce of this powder is to be dissolved in a tumbler of water. 126 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Spider bites are not only painful, but often venomous, and it is necessary to wash them with salt water or diluted vinegar. For the sting of the scorpion, volatile alkali should be used, and after the pain subsides, an emollient cataplasm may be applied. An application of onions is effectual in the cases of stings and bites of insects. Flour is considered excellent, and another simple cure is to cover the skin with a little soapy lather. The stings of insects, such as gnats, mosquitoes, etc., are often painful. In such a case apply spirit of hartshorn or volatile alkali to the part. Bee Stings. — Aqua ammonia is a specific for bee stings; it should be applied to the injured parts at once and thoroughly, when all pain and swelling will immediately subside. Castor oil is said to be an infalible remedy for the sting of bees and other insects. It appears to counteract the poison and allay the pain as soon as applied. A cure for mosquito bites is a solution of alum water made strong, adding a little glycerine and vinegar. For wasp and gnat stings alcohol mixed with a smaU quantity of menthol is good, while the leaves of scented verbena are said to be of the utmost importance in warding oflf all unpleasant onslaught from unfriendly insects. Bee or Wasp Sting. — With forceps, or by the pressure of the hol- low of a small key over the part, extract the sting; then immediately rub with a little moistened blue (for washing), or a few drops of a solution of potash or saleratus, or apply snuff or tobacco. The pain of insect stings is best relieved by applying flexible collodion containing thirty-five grains of salicylic acid to the fluid ounce, or one-third of one grain of corrosive sublimate to the ounce. Pain is quickly relieved and swelling of tlie part generally prevented. According to Dr. Gerard, the inconveniences resulting from bites by mosquitoes and gnats, especially when recent, may be relieved by rubbing the bitten spot with chloroform. The swelling quickly de- creases, and the pain and itching disappear. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 127 Immediately on being stung by a wasp, place the hollow- barrel of a key round the sting and press until it begins to hurt. On removing the key, the sting will be found lying outside the puncture it has made, and inside the ring formed by the pressure of the key barrel. All pain ceases at once, no swelling takes place, and in a few minutes it is difficult to find again where one has been stung. It is a common and dangerous habit many housewives have of setting away half-used bottles of medicine. Destroy them before any children do themselves injury. To mark bottles of poison and prevent accident, buy a dozen tiny bells, and every time a bottle of poison comes into the house tie a bell to the neck. Even in the dark the bell will tinkle its warning. ANTIDOTES TO POISONS The very first thing that should be done is to send for a medical man. If you do not know what the poison is, the necessity for a medical man's presence is all the greater. Chemists are not ex- pected to judge from symptoms, and it is risky for them to try. The second point is to get the stomach emptied as quickly as possible, but this must not be done with the stomach-pump when corrosive acids and caustic alkalies are the poisons, because perfora- tion of the stomach might follow; nor should emetics be used in these cases. The stomach-pump may profitably be used in other cases, especially if the poison be an irritant; but it is, on the whole, more expeditious to inject subcutaneously 5 minims of inject, apomorph, hypoderm. the victim swallowing a cupful of water, with the chill off, at the same time, but this is not obligatory. If the injection cannot be given, 30 grs. of powdered ipecac, and 15 grs. of sulphate of zinc in a cupful of tepid water make a prompt emetic. So also does a tablespoonful of mustard-flour in water. In iodoform poisoning give an emetic followed by 20 grains of potassium bromide. Poison from Laudanum or Paregoric. — Give immediately a strong mustard emetic (mixture of two teaspoonfuls of flour of mustard in half a cupful of water) and force down the throat. Fill the stomach with warm water and send for physician. Forcibly keep the patient awake. 128 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS A stomach-pump is made of a glass funnel and a soft thick- walled rubber tube about 6 feet long. To one end of this a large sized glass funnel is firmly fixed. The other end is dipped in glycerine, and the patient is directed to swallow it. When the swallowing has commenced a little gentle pressure passes the tube on to the stomach, which it will have reached when rather less than half its length has disappeared. Some warm water is then poured into the funnel, and while it is yet full it is quickly depressed into a basin. The tube being now filled with water, and the funnel end being lower than the stomach end, a syphon action is established, and the stomach is rapidly and easily emptied. When the flow has ceased a pint or two of warm water ought to be poured into the stomach and likewise evacuated, and this should be repeated as long as is necessary-. Diagram to show— (ruggists keep it. If only salt-lard is at hand, wash out the salt in cold water. Do not apply cold water, salt, spirits, or vinegar. If the bum is in the leg or foot, slit the stocking, so as to avoid breaking the skin. Sunstroke. — Send for the physician. In the meantime, the patient should be placed in a recumbent position in the coolest possible place, with a free current of air. The clothes should be removed and cold water applied to the whole surface; or, if the symptoms be urgent, the clothes should immediately be saturated with cold water, without waiting to remove them. If the respiratory movements be failing and feeole, the cold douche is a powerfiil exciter; but, if the breathing be rapid and laborious, it is better to envelop the body in a wet sheet and to quicken evaporation and cooling by a fan or a pair of bellows. If the patient can swallow, let him drink iced water freely. Whether he can drink or not, iced water may from time to time be injected. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 133 Boils. — Cover with a Burgundy-pitch plaster, renewing it daily. So soon as the boil breaks, squeeze out contents, including core, and renew the plaster as Ixifore. The old-fashioned thorough application of a mixture of common soap and brown sugar is also good. BORAX, AND ITS USES IN THE HOUSEHOLD Borax has become almost as indispensable an article in every household as salt and pepper. Keep silver bright by occasionally putting in strong borax water, which is boiling hot when the silver is added. Stains upon tablecloths and napkins may be readily washed out if borax is put in the water. A little borax water boiled in the coffee pot twice a week for fifteen minutes sweetens and purifies it. To cleanse window glass simply use warm water and borax, no seap. Wipe dry and polish with crumpled newspapers. For the shampoo use one teaspoonful to two quarts of warm water. It acts directly on the scalp, keeping it in a healthy con- dition. Nothing will so successfully soften hard water as borax. Use it in the proportion of a large handful to ten gallons of water. The texture of the finest linen and cotton will not be injured by its use. As a dentifrice and mouth wash borax is unexcelled. It cleanses the mouth, hardens the gums, and relieves cankers. In using it for the teeth make a powder of one ounce each of powdered borax and pulverized castile soap and two ounces of precipitated chalk. Bags made of cheese cloth, about eight inches square, filled with oatmeal, some powdered borax, pulverized castile soap, and a little powdered orris root and used in the bath are delightfully refreshing. A box of powdered borax is indispensable on the toilet table and as a disinfectant and will prove a valuable aid in procuring cleanliness at the kitchen sink. And if it were more frequently used a great amount of waste might be prevented in the larder. 134 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To prevent labels from moulding in damp cellars, dissolve borax in the water used to make the paste. Mildew, as a rule is very hard to remove, but an application of chalk and borax spread on thickly and placed in the sun will cause the spot to disappear. USES OF SALT IN THE HOUSE A little salt rubbed on the cups will take off tea stains, A small quantity put into whitewash will make it stick better. Salt is effective as a means of deodorizing sewer gas. Salt in the water is an aid in cleaning glass bottles and chamber wear. Common table salt is a great aid in house-cleaning time. It is excellent for cleaning carpets. Salt may be used to scour marble washstands, and mixed with vinegar it is good for scouring copper utensils. Salt mixed with lemon juice will remove iron-rust. Wet the spots with it, and then hold over a vessel of hot water. Fresh ink stains may be removed from carpets by an applica- tion of salt. Wash matting with warm water containing a pint of salt to a gallon of water, and quickly rub it with a clean, dry cloth. Use salt and water to clean willow furniture; apply with a brush and rub dry. Prints rinsed with salt in the water, will hold their color and look brighter. If your coal fire is low throw on a tablespoonful of salt, and it will help it very much. Salt thrown into the oven immediately after anjrthing has been burned in it will make the odor less objectionable. Silk handkerchiefs and ribbons should be washed in salt and water and ironed wet to obtain the best results. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 135 Salt moistened with lemon-juice will take almost all stains off the hands. The popular idea that salt applied to the eyes will cause smarting is wrong. People forget that tears are always salt. Bad dyspepsia can be helped by dissolving pinches of salt on the tongue after eating, or when there is a sense of oppression. Two or three swallows of rather strong salt water will cure heartburn for the time. Neuralgia of the feet and limbs can be cured by bathing night and morning with salt and water as hot as can be borne. Where a child is inclined to bow legs or to have a weak back, rub it night and morning with strong salt water. Salt and water held in the mouth, after having a tooth pulled, will stop bleeding. Salt used once a day is an excellent dentifrice, tending to keep off tartar. It is said to retard receding gums. A half teaspoonful »f salt added to a cup of hot water — which many persons take each morning — will make it palatable. Do not gargle with salt water. Throat specialists consider it injurious to the tender mucous membrane of the nose. Salt water rots the hair, so never fail to rinse with fresh water after sea bathing. Two teaspoonfuls in half a pint of tepid water is an emetic, always on hand, and is an antidote for poisoning from nitrate of silver. For toothache or pain in the face: Mix salt with the yolk of an egg until about the consistency of mustard, and use same as a mustard plaster. This remedy is also good for snake bites. To relieve a sick headache take half a teaspoonful of common salt as soon as the first symptoms appear. It will often prove its efficacy in less than half an hour. Hemorrhages of the lungs or stomach are promptly checked by small doses of salt. The patient should be kept as quiet as possible. 136 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A very simple remedy for weak or inflamed eyes is to open and shut them several times in warm salt water. This, to have any efiect, should be done several times a day. When anything has been spilled on the stove, or milk has boiled over and a sufTocating smoke arises, sprinkle the spot with salt, and it will quickly disappear. If soot has fallen on a carpet scatter salt over it. The soot adheres to the salt when it is brushed up lightly, and the carpet is left perfectly clean. The salt should be thoroughly brushed out of the carpet after being used. When a chimney catches fire throw salt upon the fire below, shut off all the drafts possible (a piece of old wet carpet held before the grate is an excellent thing to use in shutting off the draught), and the fire will slowly go out of itself. Try a bandage of hot salt outside the face for neuralgia; fill the mouth with hot salt in case of toothache ; put a little hot salt in a piece of muslin, and then put it in the ear for a second or two when earache is troulDlesome. An excellent tonic for nervous people is to take salt rubs twice a day. As sea-salt dissolves slowly, some of it can be kept in solu- tion in a glass jar to be ready when needed. The entire salt bath is also good. A remedy for night sweats is a salt shirt — or salted shirt would be better. Immerse the night-shirt or gown in a saturated solution of common salt, drying it thoroughly, and then wearing it at night. Salt, heated dry and applied to the outer surface over the seat of inflammation or congestion, will give almost instant relief, while application of a strong hot solution of salt in water or vinegar acts like magic upon toothache, earache, neuralgic headache, and all that brood of distressing ills. Half a teaspoonf ul or more of common salt, taken as soon as the premonitory symptoms of an attack of megrims begin to show themselves, will frequently cut it short in about half an hour. Similar treatment has also proved of service in epilepsy, the ex- planation being probably in both cases that a violent reflex action is set up. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 137 To Cure a Wen. — Wash it with common salt dissolved in water every day, and it will be removed in a short time. Or make a strong brine of alum-salt; simmer it over the fire. When thus pre- pared, wet a piece of cloth in it every day, and apply it constantly for one month, and the protuberance will disappear. A FEW HINTS ON GOOD TABLE MANNERS Table etiquette is based upon the fundamental principles of convenience, neatness, and self-restraint. Disregard of it causes the offender to appear slovenly, greedy, and inconsiderate of the sensibilities of others. Sit erect at the table; don't sprawl with your elbows on the table. Don't attempt to bring your mouth down to your food; raise the food to your mouth. Don't shake your napkin out with a flourish; unfold it and spread it across j^our knees. Raise one comer of it to your lips as occasion arises. In your own home or in a house where you expect to be a guest for several meals, fold your napkin when you are through with it. If a guest for one meal only, crumple the napkin sUghtly and lay it unfolded beside your plate. The assumption is, of course, that it will not be used again until it is washed. Do not break crackers into your soup. Look at the next person you see doing it, and observe what an unsavory looking dish it pro- duces. Never dip crackers or bread into any sort of liquid. In dipping up soup move the spoon toward the outer edge of the dish. Take the soup from the side of the spoon. When in doubt, use your fork, is a pretty fair table rule. The knife, of course, is absolutely tabooed except for cutting and spread- ing. The spoon is used only for liquids and soft desserts. Vegetables served as side dishes are usually eaten with a fork. In cutting meat, take the knife in the right hand, and the fork in the left, cut off a proper mouthful, lay the knife down beside the plate, transfer the fork to the right hand, holding the tines pointed downward, and raise the meat to the mouth. It aounds slow, to be sure, but rapid eating is neither healthful nor pleasant to watoh. 138 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS VARIOUS USES FOR AMMONIA A little ammonia in tepid water will soften and cleanse the skin. Spirits of ammonia inhaled will often relieve a severe headache. Doorplates should be cleaned by rubbing with a cloth wet in ammonia and water. If the color has been taken out of silks by fruit stains ammonia will usually restore the color. A tablespoonful of ammonia in a gallon of warm water will often restore the color in carpets; it will also remove whitewash from them, restoring color. One or two tablespoonfuls of ammonia added to a pail of water will clean windows better than soap. A few drops in a cupful of warm water, applied carefully, will remove spots from paintings and chromos. When acid of any kind gets on clothing, spirits of ammonia ^'ill kill it. Apply chloroform to restore the color. Keep nickel, silver ornaments and mounts bright by rubbing with woolen cloth saturated in spirits of ammonia. Grease spots may be taken out with weak ammonia in water; lay soft white paper over and iron with a hot iron. Ammonia applied two or three times on a fresh cold-sore will kill it. It will drive it away, if used when the cold-sore is first felt. To clean black silk, sponge on both sides with weak ammonia water, then roll up on a roller and leave until thoroughly dry. Will come out very nicely and repay the trouble. Ammonia should not be used in the evening, or near a fire, or the bottle left uncorked, because in its way it is dangerous; its volatile character makes the escape of an inflammable gas possible; the fumes should not be breathed, and on no account should a particle of it be swallowed. Remember, then, to have a bottle uncorked only long enough to pour out the required quantity. Use a rubber cork in the bottle. Like kerosene, it is a bad master. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 139 THE USES OF LEMONS Lemons are one of the most useful fruits in our domestic economy. Lemonade is not only a luxury, but exceedingly wholesome. It is a good temperance drink. The juice of a half of a lemon in a glass of water, without sugar, will frequently cure a sick headache. If the hands be stained, there is nothing that will remove the stain better than a lemon, or a lemon and salt. After the juice has been squeezed from the lemon the refuse can be used for the purpose. Lemon juice and sugar mixed very thick, is useful to relieve coughs and sore throats. It must be very acid as well as sweet. Continue the use of them for several weeks. Lemons are an excellent remedy in pulmonary diseases. When used for lung trouble from six to nine a day should be used. Hot lemonade will break up a cold if taken at the start. Make it the same as cold lemonade, only use boiling water instead of cold water and use about one-half as much sugar. For feverishness and unnatural thirst, soften a lemon by rolling on a hard surface, cut oflf the top, add sugar, and work it down into the lemon with a fork, then suck it slowly. A baked lemon is an excellent remedy for hoarseness, and one often resorted to by singers and public speakers. The lemon is baked like an apple, and a little of the heated and thickened juice squeezed over lump-sugar. More juice is obtained from lemons by boiling them. Put the lemons into cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Boil slowly until they begin to soften ; remove from the water and when cold enough to handle squeeze until all the juice is extracted, strain and add enough loaf or crushed sugar to make it palatable, being careful not to make it too sweet. Add about twice as much water as there is juice. This preparation may be made every morning, or enough may be prepared one day to last three or four days, but it must be kept in a cool place. 140 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To take out iron rust cover the spot with fine salt and saturate with lemon juice and lay on the grass. Repeat if necessary. The discomfort caused by sore and tender feet may be les- sened if not entirely cured by applying slices of lemons to the feet. To cure chilblains take a piece of lemon, sprinkle fine salt over it and rub the feet well. Repeat if necessary. The girl with a blotchy skin would be greatly benefited by taking the juice of a lemon squeezed into a glass of hot water. The pulp of a lemon rubbed on the roots of the hair will stop ordinary cases of falling out. The dark line around the neck, caused by wearing high collars, can easily be removed by applying lemon juice each morning, and at night before retiring. The juice of a lemon dissolved in as much sugar as will hold the solution and applied with a camel's hair brush several times a day will cause freckles to disappear. A very nourishing drink for a convalescent is to add a fresh egg, beaten as light as possible, to a glass of strong lemonade. The lemon will destroy the raw animal taste that is so ofifensive to some. Clear lemon juice is very irritating; the powerful acid of the juice will cause inflammation if the use of it is continued any length of time. Lemon juice is also a very good remedy for rheumatism and the so-called biliousness of spring. In the latter case the juice should be taken before breakfast. The pulp may also be eaten, avoiding every particle of skin. A bilious attack may be soon overcome by taking the juice of one or two lemons in a goblet of water before retiring and in the morning before rising. When taken on an empty stomach the lemon has an opportunity to work on the system. Lemons rid the system of humors and bile and leave no evil cfTccts. Weak, debilitated people sometimes may be greatly bene- fited by a free use of them. Lemon juice should be diluted with water, or sweetened sufhciently so that it will not produce a drawing or burning sensation in the throat. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 141 Lemon juice will remove roughness and vegetable stains from the hands. After having the hands in hot soapsuds rub them with a piece of lemon. This will prevent chapping and make the hands soft and white. A piece of lemon, or stale bread moistened with lemon juice, bound on a corn will cure it. Renew night and morning. The first application will produce soreness, but if treatment is persisted in for a reasonable length of time a cure will be effected. To remove mildew take equal parts of soap — soft soap is best — and fine starch, moisten with lemon juice, spread the paste thickly on both sides of the cloth, then expose to the sun. When the paste becomes dry soften it with more lemon juice. Ink Spots, How to Take Out of Linen or Calico. — Cut a lemon in half, and press the stained part close over one half of the lemon, until it is wet with the juice. Then place on it a hot iron, and the spots will soon disappear. If silver, after it is cleaned is rubbed with a piece of lemon and then washed and well dried, it gets a white brilliancy which it seldom has otherwise, and will keep clean longer than with the ordinary cleansing. Copper utensils of all sorts, are often very hard to clean. A good method is to cut a lemon in half and rub over the kettle with it. After a thorough rubbing the article should be carefully rinsed in clear, cold water and given a final polish with a soft cloth. During the warm months a sense of coolness, comfort and invigoration can be produced by a free use of lemonade. For six large glasses of lemonade use six large, juicy lemons; roll on a hard surface, so that the juice can be easily extracted. Peel and slice. Add sufficient sugar to sweeten, and stir it well into the juice before adding the water. The Lemon Decoction in Malaria. — This remedy has, besides its anti-malarial efficacy, distinct value as a tonic to the stomach. Take a fresh lemon; cut it into thin slices, rind and all; boil it in three tumblerfuls of water in an earthen pot which has not been previously used for culinary purposes; prolong the boiling till the liquid contents of the pot have been reduced to one-third — that is, to the volume of one tumbler. Pass the decoction through muslin, squeezing out the residue of the lemon, and let it cool for several hours. Let the whole be taken in the early morning, fasting. 142 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Lemons, either sliced or grated, and then steeped in water or spirits, are reviving. Never throw away any part of a lemon or its peel; in the lack of anything else, this, steeped in water, is an excellent astringent for the skin, and refreshing at the same time. The same may be said of lime — lime-water being one of the best washes for the skin yet known, and it is also an antidote agauist disease. SOME USES FOR COFFEE A German writer states that cold black coffee is the most efficacious and least injurious of all drinks in hot weather. Many will be glad to know that ground coffee digested in cod- liver oil quite overcomes the fishy taste of the latter. Cofifee is used for mixing blacking for the stove, in order to make it stick closer and last longer. To remove odors from a sick room, it is a good plan to sprinkle coarse ground coffee on a shovelful of burning coals and thrust it into the comers of the room. Burnt Coffee an Antiseptic Dressing for Wounds. — The action appears to be twofold; first, that produced by burnt coffee as a form of charcoal, and, secondly, that which is due to the pungent aromatic odors which are fatal to the lower organisms. ALUM AND ITS USES IN THE HOUSEHOLD Alum water is fine for brittle finger nails. Soak them a few minutes just before retiring. It will be well to apply powdered alum to a fever sore, this will prevent it from becoming very unsightly or noticeable. If you have a bad scratch, put on a paste of alum moistened with water. To clean gold lace, gently rub alum on a soft cloth over it; brush away the alum with a soft brush. Mix with your stove polish a teaspoonful of pulverized alum, to give your stove a brilliant and lasting lustre. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 143 KEROSENE AND ITS VARIED USES IN THE HOUSE Few people know the many uses which can be made of kero- sene. It will remove stains made by hot dishes on polished wood; it will take grease out of wall paper ; it prevents rust on fiat-irons, and will improve the appearance of stoves if mixed with the blacking. Hot water or kerosene will take out new paint. A few drops of coal oil added to the water with which windows are to be washed will quickly cleanse and brighten them. A little petroleum added to the water with which waxed or polished floors are washed improves their looks. Wipe off fly-specked chandeliers or picture frames with a cloth dipped in kerosene. After a thorough cleansing of your bedsteads, apply kerosene oil with the feather end of a quill. Clean your brass bedstead with flannel dipped in kerosene and then polish it with a chamois. Add two tablespoonfuls of kerosene to the pail of water with which you wash grained or varnished furniture. A corn cob dried and soaked in kerosene will kindle a fire as quickly as a fire brick. Kerosene will soften boots and shoes that have been hardened by water and make them as pliable as new. Mix blacking with kerosene when cleaning Russia iron, and it will look as good as new. Rub a curtain pole with kerosene oil until it is perfectly smooth, using a woolen cloth for the purpose The pole rings will run much more easily if the pole is treated in this manner. If you find that your stoves that are put aside for the summer are rusting, rub them over with a little kerosene. Apply it with a flannel cloth. This will prevent rust. 144 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A little bit of kerosene put in the boiler on washing days whitens and cleans the clothes wonderfully, without leaving a disagreeable odor; it will clean zinc, and make an oil-cloth look like new, A spoonful put in the starch will prevent the iron sticking; it is good for wounds and drives away chilblains. In all instances it must be used sparingly and be well mixed or rubbed in. A string wet in kerosene oil and tied around sugar barrels, lard cans, preserves, etc., is said to keep away ants. The string should be wet with the oil every few days. A little kerosene oil is excellent for cleaning a zinc bath tub. Rub the oil on with a woolen cloth, then wash it off with hot water and polish with powdered bath brick. The result is very satis- factory. A mixture of one part of kerosene oil with three or four parts fine olive-oil will make an admirable machine oil. For finer purposes use a mixture of kerosene with vaseline, made as follows: Melt one part vaseline, and add to it seven parts of kerosene; cool thoroughly, and allow the cloudiness which takes place to clear off lay depositing. Decant and use the clear supernatant oil. If your sewing-machine needs cleaning, oil all the bearings with kerosene, used freely. Run your machine fast for a few minutes unthreaded, then wipe off clean; oil with machine oil, and you will be surprised to see how easily it will run and how clean it will look. You can clean paint brushes that are dried full of paint by putting them in an old tin can of coal oil. Let them soak several hours, and if they have been neglected for some time it may take a day or two. Plenty of patience and petroleum will accomplish it. CHARCOAL AND ITS USES One cubic inch of fresh charcoal will absorb nearly one hundred inches of gaseous ammonia. Charcoal forms an unrivaled poultice for malignant wounds and sores, often corroding away dead flesh, reducing it to one- quarter in six hours. In cases of what we csal J proud flesh it is invaluable. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 145 Charcoal, laid flat while cold on a bum, causes the pain to abate immediately; by leaving it on for an hour the burn seems almost healed when the burn is superficial. Charcoal is valuable for many other purposes. Tainted meat, surrounded with it, is sweetened; strewn over heaps of decomposed pelts, or ovar dead animals, it prevents any unpleasant odor. Foul water is purified by it. It is a great disinfectant, and sweetens ofi'ensive air if placed in shallow trays around apartments. It is so very porous in its "minute interior," it absorbs and con- denses gases most rapidly. It gives no disagreeable odor, corrodes no metal, hurts no texture, injures no color, is a simple and safe sweetener and dis- infectant. A teaspoonf ul of charcoal, in half a glass of water, often relieves a sick headache; it absorbs the oases and relieves the distended stomach pressing against the ner\'";'-, which extend from the stomach to the head. It often relieves constipation, pain, or heartburn. TRY! Try popcorn for nausea. Try cranberries for malaria. Try a sun bath for rheumatism. Try ginger ale for stomach cramps. Try clam broth for a weak stomach. Try cranberry poultice for erysipelas. Try swallowing saliva when troubled with a sour stomach. Try eating fresh radishes and yellow turnips for gravel. Try eating onions and horseradish to relieve dropsical swellings. Try buttermilk for removal of freckles, tan, and butternut stains. Try hot flannel over the seat of neuralgic pain, and renew frequently. 146 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Try taking cod-liver oil in tomato catsup if you want to make it palatable. Try snuffing powdered borax up the nostrils for catarrhal "cold in the head." Try hard cider — a wine-glassful three times a day — for ague and rheumatism. Try breathing the fumes of ttirpeatine or carbolic acid to relieve whooping-cough. Try a cloth wrung out from cold water and put about the neck at night for sore throat. Try an extra pair of stockings outside of your shoes when traveling in cold weather. Try walking with your hands behind you if you find yourself becoming bent forward. Try a silk handkerchief over the face when obliged to go against a cold, piercing wind. Try planting sunflowers in your garden if compelled to live in a malarial neighborhood. Try a saturated solution of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in diarrhoeal troubles; give freely. Try a newspaper over your chest, beneath your coat, as a chest- protector, in extremely cold weather. PART TWO Care and Treatment of Leather and Skins; Care and Cleaning of Carpets, Rugs and Mattings ; Care and Improvement of Furniture; Cleaning Bathrooms and Bedrooms; Care of Lamps, Stoves and Metals; Washing, Starching and Ironing; Kitchen Helps and Conveniences; Mending and Cleaning Laces; Cleaning Silks and Velvets; Removing all Kinds of Stains; Cements, Pastes and Glues; Floor Linoleum and Oil Cloth; Care of Paintings, Frames and Books; Care of Man's Wardrobe; Painting and Paperhanging ; Whitewashing and Disinfectants; Bleaching and Renovating; Sw^eeping and Dusting; Cleaning Furs, and Moth Repellants; Care of Gloves, Shoes and Slippers; Dyeing and Renovating Clothes; Care of Refrigerators and Cellars; Stencilling and Sewing; Housekeepers' Aids. 'Place the Basket in a Child' a CaH." Beat Fura tcilh Rubber Hose.'' HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS CARE OF LEATHER AND SKINS A good black dressing for leather is made of one quart of ■\inegar, two ounces of spermaceti oil, and six ounces each of molasses and ivorj^-black. Leather chair-seats may be revived by rubbing them with well-beaten white of egg. Leather bindings of books may also be cleansed by this method. White Roman bindings should be washed with a soft flannel saturated with soapsuds. Leather may be restored in color, if not too far gone, by a slight appHcation of oil. If this is not effectual, put on blacking, let it dry, brush it off, and go over it again very lightly with oil. If very brown, black thoroughh' and oil it afterwards, giving it a final dress- ing of dissolved gum tragacanth. Chairs and sofas upholstered veith leather last much longer if the leather is regularly revived with the following mixture — it cleans the leather, and at the same time softens it, and prevents cracking. Take one part of best vinegar and two parts of boiled linseed-oil, and shake well together. Apply a little on a soft rag, and afterwards polish with a silk duster or an old chamois leather. Neatsfoot-oil will not soften leather in all circumstances; neither is castor-oil any better. Oil is not necessary to the pliability of leather — the leather of the ox, goat, calf, and kid. It is necessary that the leather be kept moist; but oil need not be the moistening means. Oil, on the contrary, keeps the leather in a proper state for its best usefulness, that of pliabihty. In order that oil may soften the leather, its way should be prepared by a thorough wetting of the leather by water. Much less oil is required if the leather is well saturated with water. How to Clean Buckskin Riding-Trousers. — Make a solution of weak soda and warm water, rub plenty of soft soap into the leather and allow it to soak for two hours, and then rub it well until it is quite clean. Afterwards rinse thoroughly in a weak solution of warm water, soda, and yellow soap. When completely rinsed, dry well and quickly in a rough towel, then pull it about and brush It well. It will never, however, be as soft and good as at first. 149 150 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To Preserve Skins for Rugs or Mats. — If the hides are not freshly taken off, soak them in water with a little salt until they are soft, as when green; then scrape off the flesh with the fleshing-knife, or with a butcher's knife with a smooth round edge — and with sheep- skins the wool should be washed clean with soft soap and water, and the suds be thoroughly rinsed out. For each skin take four ounces of salt, four ounces of alum, and one-half ounce of borax. Dissolve these in one quart of hot water, and, when cool enough to bear the hand, stir in sufficient rye-meal to make a thick paste, with half an ounce of Spanish whiting. This paste is to be thoroughly spread over every part of the flesh-side of the skin, which should be folded together lengthwise, wool-side out, and left for two weeks in an airy place; then remove the paste and wash and dry the skin. When not quite dry, it must be worked and pulled and scraped with a knife made for the puipose, shaped like a chopping-knife, or with a piece of hard wood made with a sharp edge. The more the skin is worked and scraped as it dries, the more pliable it will be. To clean wash leather, make a solution of weak soda and warm water. Rub jjlenty of soft soap into the leather, and let it remain in soak for two hours, then rub well until quite clean. Rinse thor- oughly in a weak solution of soda and yellow soap in warm water, but not in water only, else it dries hard. After rinsing, wring it well in a rough towel and dry quickly, then pull it about and crush it well until soft. To Wash Chamois Leather Gloves. — One good plan is to take out the grease spots with magnesia or cream of tartar; then wash and squeeze them through a lather of white soap and water; the water should be just lukewarm, as hot water shrinks them too much. Rinse first in lukewarm, then in cold water, and stretch carefully into shape. Hang in the sun or warm place to dry. Another way is to remove the soiled spots, then to put on the glove and rub it with a clean sponge wetted in lukewarm water. When almost dry put them on the hands until wholly so, and that will prevent them from shrinking and becoming too small to use. THE CARE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Neither a piano nor an organ should l^e left open at night, or habitually when not in use. The changes of temperature are very hurtful to the tune of any instrument, and especially the gathering of dampness, which not only interferes with the tone and quality of the strings and reeds, but is very likely seriously to affect the works. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 151 Pianos in particular should be kept in as even a temperature as possible, since they are much affected by alternations of heat and cold, dryness and moisture; if thus exposed they require very frequent tuning and are not satisfactory in action or tone. Care is also equally desirable in regard to other stringed instruments — the violin family, banjos and guitars and the like. In all of these the strings are much affected by exposure to dampness and great changes of temperature. All fine instruments should be habitually kept in cases lined with baize or flannel. A cleaner that will keep the furniture looking nice, remove the stains and soil, and that does not cost a great deal in time and money is a great boon to housewives. To reach this end there is nothing better than a mixture of linseed oil and kerosene. Some furniture dealers use linseed and turpentine, but it is not so satis- factory, as after repeated usings the turpentine roughens the polished surface. When a piece of furniture is very much soiled and requires to be cleaned and polished, first wash it thoroughly with warm soapy water, washing only a small surface at a time, and drying it quickly by rubbing it hard with a flannel. MLx together one pint of linseed oil and half a pint of kerosene, wet a flannel with the oil mixture, and rub the cleaned furniture. Rest half an hour before taking a fresh piece of flannel, and then by vigorous rubbing polish the wood until it shines like glass. This will not injure the nicest woods and is an easy method of keeping furniture bright. The odor soon dis- appears if the windows are left open. THE CARE OF PAINTINGS AND THEIR FRAMES An oil painting constantly hung in a dark place loses some of its vividness, and therefore depreciates in value. Rub the backs of old paintings with oil of cedar, and insects will not injure them. Never use a cloth duster when dusting gilt frames as it will dim the polish, but use a soft brush instead. It may not be known to all good housewives that they can effectually remove dust from their oil paintings by washing them with a soft cloth dipped in lukewarm suds. Wipe dry. 152 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Pictures hanging against a damp wall should be backed with lead-paper, such as is found in tea-chests, or they should be kept clear of the wall by affixing a cork at each corner of the frame. Either of these means will protect the pictures from the bad effects of the dampness. Cleaning Gilt Frames. — If gilt in oil, take a good brush and a pail of water, hold the frame up on one comer and wash all over as quickly as possible so as to cover every part; then work up and froth all over; then rinse immediately with clean water, and dab with a soft sponge and stand aside to dry. If it be water gilding, it is a job for a gilder, or you will be in danger of spoiling the work, especially the burnished parts. To remove fly specks and other discolorations from a gilt picture frame, the water in which onions have been boiled is very effective. After the frame has been thoroughly brushed over with the liquid, it should be wiped with a piece of soft dry flannel, and polished gently with the same. Gilt frames may be cleaned by applying hot alcohol with a sponge, until all stains are effaced. The alcohol remaining may then be allowed to dry off gradually. Under no circumstances rub it with a cloth. THE TREATMENT AND CARE OF BOOKS Never wet your fingers to turn over a leaf. Never turn down the corner of a page to hold your place. Never allow your books to get damp, as they may mildew. Never allow them to get hot, as the board may warp, and the leather may crack. Never put them on a shelf high up near the ceiling of a room lighted with gas, as the results of gas combustion are highly in- jurious. Books kept on ordinary book shelves, and thus exposed to the air, will keep much better than those in bookcases with closed doors. To remove ink stains from a book apply oxalic acid on the tip of a camel's hair brush and then soak it up with blotting paper. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 153 Dust all books in the library before the cleaning day. The fumes of a match will remove berry stains from a book, paper or engraving. A few drops of oil of lavender will save a library from mould. One drop will save a pint of ink. A plate of perforated zinc about a foot square suspended over a gas-jet is said to retain the noxious emanation from burning gas, which, it is well known, destroys the binding of books, tarnishes gilding, aud vitiates the atmosphere for breathing. Always use a regular bookmark. The simplest, and one of the best, is a card as large as a small visiting card. By cutting this twice longitudinally from one end almost to the other, you will have a three-legged bookmark which rides astraddle on the page, one leg on the page below and two on the page you wish the book to open at. Never put books with metal clasps or with decorative nails on the shelves by the side of other books, for the delicate bindings of the other books will sufifer. Put all such in drawers and trays by themselves. To remove grease-stains from pages of books, warm the parts and then press pieces of blotting-paper upon them, so as to absorb as much as possible. Have some clear oil of turpentine almost boiling, again warm the greased spot, and then with a soft clean brush apply the hot turpentine to both sides of the spotted part. By repeating this the grease will come out. Lastly, with another clean brush, dipped in rectified spirits of wine, go over the place, and the grease will no longer be seen, nor the paper marked. THE CARE AND CLEANING OF CARPETS, RUGS AND MATTINGS Beat carpets on the wrong side first. Never spread rugs or carpets until the floors are perfectly dry. In choosing a dining-room carpet, it should be remembered that small figures and medium light colors show dust less than dark, solid colors. 154 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To brighten carpets, wipe them with warm water in which has been poured a few drops of ammonia. A faded carpet is freshened if wiped off with a wet cloth wrung from strong salt water. Sprinkle floor with dampened salt and sweep well. Ox-gall will not only remove grease from carpets but restore the colors. One pint of gall in three gallons of warm water will do a large carpet. Table and floor oil-cloths may be thus washed. Tea leaves are good to sprinkle on all but very delicate carpets, before sweeping; it prevents ,dust from rising, and also brightens the colors. In sweeping carpets use wet newspapers wrung nearly dry and torn into pieces. The paper collects the dust and does not soil the carpet. Denim coverings are excellent for nursery floors, as they are easily brushed, and rugs look well upon them. Double carpet lining should be used under the denim to give the proper warmth for cold weather. In re-laying carpets after the fall cleaning it is well to sprinkle something under the edges to destroy any carpet bugs that may be lurking around. As good a thing as can be used is a powder made of equal parts of gum camphor and tobacco. When the carpet acquires a dusty, dingy look, it may be freshened and brightened by a surface washing in an alum and water solution, or one of soda and water. Use a coarse, heavy rag or a brush, and do the work quickly. Do not let the carpet become wet. If moths are at work at the edge of the carpet, it will some- times suffice to lay a cloth and press a hot flatiron over it; but a better way is to take the carpet up, clean it, wash the floor with benzine, and scatter red pepper on it before putting the carpet lining down. When about to sweep a carpet, either sprinkle coarse salt on the carpet or take the broom out of doors and pour a little hot water on the lower part of the brush, which is shaken so there will be no water showing on the carpet; take short, steady strokes, never shoving the brush in front of j'oursclf ; dampen the broom with water several times, if sweeping a large room. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 155 If ink has been spilled an •<» carpet, immediately wash it out with sweet milk, after which sprinkle with white corn meal. Leave it over night, and in the morning sweep it up, and the colors will remain bright. If oil has been recently spilled on a carpet or floor, put on plenty of wheat-flour or whiting to absorb the oil as much as possible. If the spot is near a seam, it is well to open the carpet and place the whiting underneath as well. The next day sweep up with a stiff brush the flour above and beneath the carpet, and put on plenty of fresh flour. If the spots persist in remaining after this treatment, they can be removed by rubbing with flannel dipped in spirits of turpentine or benzine. Others use a preparation made by mixing a little soap in a gallon of soft warm water, and then adding half an ounce of borax. Wash the part well with a clean cloth, and the spot will soon disappear. A carpet can be cleaned advantageously by taking up and laying it in breadths on boards or a large kitchen table. Two and a half gills of ox-gall to a pail of clear cold water, applied with a soft scrubbing-brush, makes an excellent lather for cleaning a carpet, but it should be quickly washed off with a clean old linen cloth dipped in clear water, and rubbed with a dry cloth. An Easy Way to Stretch a Carpet. — Lay the carpet in the usual way, tacking along one end only. Then put on a pair of old, clean rubber shoes, and commence by placing one foot out with a sort of push, as if starting to dance, then the other foot a step ahead in the same way, holding each step solid until the next is taken, to prevent the carpet slipping, until you come to the opposite side. Then tack, and repeat the stepping in the reverse direction, until the carpet can be stretched to cover the floor as you wish. To Clean Carpets. — There is nothing so safe and serviceable to clean carpets as bran slightly moistened — only very slightly — just sufficient to hold the particles together. In this case it is not neces- sary to stop and clean the broom every few minutes. Sweeping the carpet after the bran has been sprinkled over it not only cleans the carpet and gathers all the dirt into the bran, but keeps the broom clean at the same time. If too much damped, apart from injuring the carpet, it makes the work harder, because the bran becomes very heavy if very damp. The bran should be sifted evenly over the floor, and then the room swept as usual. The bran scours and cleanses the whole fabric, very little dust is made while sweeping with it, and scarcely any settles on furniture, pictures, etc., after the work is accomplished. 156 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To clean ordinary spots from a carpet, have a pail of warm water containing a tablespoonful of ammonia, or some soapsuds, and another of clean water, a large piece of flannel, and half a dozen dry cloths that do not shed lint: first wet the flannel in the soapsuds and wring it nearly dry, then quickly rub about half a square yard of the carpet with it, rinse the flannel in the clear water, and again wring it out, and rub the carpet with it, and then with the dry cloths rub the wet spot on the carpet untU it is dry. As soon as a cloth be- comes wet hang it in the air to dry; change the water as often as it becomes soiled; work quickly, so that the carpet may not become wet. If the carpet is much spotted, use instead of the soapsuds a quart of fresh ox-gall in three quarts of warm water. To clean a carpet is not a laborious but really a simple process. One very soiled and dingy although not threadbare carpet was subjected to the most severe treatment. On certain very bad-looking grease spots was laid a mixture (equal parts) of magnesia and fuller's earth, made into a paste by boiling water. This was put on hot and left to dry, being brushed off the day following, when the spots were no longer to be seen. Other dirty places were gone over with ox-gall nearly pure. After this, the carpet was thoroughly washed as fol- lows: A pail of hard soap and water was prepared, the soap being well dissolved by boiling. With a good brush (a new one) dipped in this preparation a small portion of the carpet was scoured at a time, care being taken not to let it soak through. Next a flannel was rubbed well over the same spot, rinsed out each time in a pail of clear cold water. A third application was then made from a pail of water just soured by vinegar, and the carpet finally rubbed hard with a coarse cloth. Two people working at a carpet in this way can manage to dry it very evenly. A Way to Bind Rag Carpet. — After the carpet is cut, sew it on the machine across the carpet, stitching straight on a row of rags. Use a short stitch and good thread as near the color of the carpet as possible. Fasten firmly at each end and trim off close to the stitching. If will not pull or ravel, is neater than carpet-binding, and at any time pieces can be joined to fit a room by overhanding the stitched edges together. If a strip of webbing two inches wide is sewed tightly on the un- der side of a rug, close to the edge, it will prevent the edges from curling. When shaking rugs or mats that are small enough to be done with the hands, always hold them by the middle at the sides and not at the ends, for by the latter handling the corners will soon be made to whip out and the fringe or binding to pul' oSE. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 157 To Clean a White Goat-skin Rug. — Wash with warm (not hot) soapsuds. The skin may not seem quite so soft after the washing, but, if the washing is done quickly, the skin well rinsed in cold water, and dried with only moderate warmth, being frequently turned and shaken, the difference will be hardly perceptible. To Handle Large Rugs. — Have a pole heavier than a clothes-prop. Preferably the pole should be round, but will answer if the edges are rounded off to make it octagonal. Roll the rug on this, and it can then be lifted and carried easily. This is also a good way for putting a rug away, but be sure to roll newspapers between, if doing so in summer. The best way to clean and keep a rug in perfect shape is to spread it out on a platform, and with a large clean broom go over liberally and briskly with ammonia water; use about two table- spoonfuls of ammonia to a large pail of water; brush hard and rinse several times with clear water. Continue to sweep briskly until all the water is out. Allow to remain stretched in a shady place, until perfectly dry. If you have washed or scrubbed rugs or pieces of carpet, do not hang them on the line to dry. Stretch them out straight and tack down to a floor or on the side of a fence. A slanted cellar door is ideal if large enough. This keeps the rug in excellent shape, and is especially recommended for rag or plaited rugs. Snow as a Rug Cleanser. — Take the rugs outdoors in the snow, on a cold day, when the ground is crisp and hard, spread out, right side up, and throw lots of snow all over them. With a broom, sweep the snow around and around till it finds the deeply seated dust. Now turn over and beat with a carpet-beater. Remove to a clean place and repeat as often as the snow becomes dirty, then sweep and roll. Sweep thorouglily on both sides while rolling. Mattings can be cleaned by washing thoroughly in a solution consisting of one gallon of water with a small bag of bran boiled in it, but be careful to dry thoroughly. One may utilize old matting, which is no longer fresh enough to look well, by putting it under carpets. It can be cleaned perfectly by washing it on both sides with hot salt and water; hang it on a line outdoors to dry. To preserve matting covering any floor, and keep it perfectly san- itary, go over it first with a damp cloth, let dry thoroughly, and then give it a thin coat of clear varnish. 158 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Matting sewed together as carpet is sewed, then bound with strips of the same metal binding that is used to bind oilcloth, looks much better and wears much better than when tacked down in strips in the usual way. For grease spots, cover them with prepared chalk mixed with turpentine. This mixture should be allowed to remain on two days and then be brushed oflF. If the grease spots are large and very greasy looking, it may be well to cover with half washing soda and half prepared chalk, mixed as stiff as putty with water. If it is not necessary to lift the matting in a room that is used only occasionally, to clean it, you can do a very good piece of work with it on the floor. Sweep it twice, the first time with a pretty stiff broom, working lengthwise, then again working crosswise, the second time with a broom softened in warm water. Rinse the broom often enough to keep it clean. This brightens matting and in a small measure seems to re- store it to its original color. After the matting is thoroughly swept in this way, wash it with a weak borax water. Be very careful to use only dampened cloths, as water slopped on will make you regret that you ever attempted the job. Dust collects under the matting and when once made into a mud puddle — and it takes only the minimum amount of dust to do this — may never be entirely re- moved from the surface of the matting. Slate floors should be polished, rubbing first with a smooth, flat piece of pumice stone, and finally polish with rotten stone. Try cleaning chandeliers with vinegar and salt, or oxalic acid and salt, rubbing vigorously. Then wash off this cleaner quickly, for if it is left on, the metal will tarnish. Brighten with tripoli and sweet oil. FUR AND CLOTHES MOTHS To prevent the damage done by moths demands constant vigilance, and frequent inspection. Articles in constant use are not likely to be affected. Clothes and furs should be thoroughly beaten, brushed and packed away in boxes lined with tar paper. Frequent examina- tions should take place. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 159 Spray with benzine, or naphtha, every second month from April to September, all furniture, or cloth lined articles, which are left unused. Sponging with a very weak solution of bichloride of mercury (a violent poison) is also eflfectual in protecting from moths. Repellants are not of much value if applied after the eggs have been deposited, the larvai developed or the moths stored and unable to escape. Cedar chests lose their odor with age, and then have lost their value as repellants. Furs and garments after being well cleaned and packed, or stored, in trunks lined with heavy tar paper, are not visited by moths. Furniture coverings, carpets, and rugs not in use, should be beaten, brushed, exposed to sunlight and well sprayed with benzine before being hung or placed away; they should be examined every two or three weeks during the summer. Bags of cloth, or paper, in which the well cleaned articles are placed, are tied up, or sealed, and then hung up in closets or rooms. Large pasteboard boxes, on which gummed paper is pasted on the edges, to seal up the box, are recommended. Tobacco, camphor, naphthaline in powder or balls, pepper, for- maldehyde and cedar chips are used as repellants, being so disa- greeable to the parent moths that they are not likely to deposit their eggs. SWEEPING If brooms are soaked in strong, hot salt and water before using, the splints will not break in sweeping. Do not sweep without something" to keep down the dust. A dustpan of dry snow or damp sawdust does the trick. When a broom is worn unevenly, soak it in warm water for a half-hour, tie the stalks, if they have broken apart, and trim the bottom even with large sharp scissors. If very much worn, soak and trim the broom, shorten the handle, and use it for a hearth broom. 160 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS When brushes used for sweeping are put away with the han- dle upward, they become of less value as dirt collectors: the fibres of the brush are bent, the wear is uneven, and more labor and time are given to tiie cleaning process. Scrubbing brushes should not be dried after using with the bristles upward or resting upon them, but should be dried as shown in figure, which represents an easily made dust-broom and brush holder. This convenient article is suspended at such a height from the floor as is in conformity to the length of the brooms. Wash and dust cloths when dried are placed in the spaces between the brushes. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 161 While sweeping, keep a pail of warm water near, frequently dip the broom in it and shake oflF the water, changing it as it becomes soiled; the wet broom wears the carpet less than a dry one, and the dampness keeps the dust from flying. Brooms which are hung up keep their first shape better and sweep more evenly than those left standing; if they arc dipped in warm water every day, they will last longer than if left dry. A whisk broom, made with the edge slanting so that one end is longer than the other, is much better than one with a straight edge for brushing the dust out of the corners of the room and from the edge of the carpets. This broom is particularly adapted to brushing down stair carpeting. A few drops of gasoline on one's broom w-ill sweep the kitchen rugs clean with little work. They must be taken out on the back porch, however, as gasoline cannot be used for any purpose in a room where there is fire. A round paint brush is the handiest thing imaginable for dusting the corners of window sashes or any difficult comers or crevices. It is especially handy for dusting carving and bits of bric-a-brac, or the corners of the stair steps. An excellent way to brush down dusty walls is to take a roll of cotton batting and fasten a thick pad of it on the end of a stick. With this go over all the wall surface, burning the cotton as it be- comes soiled and renewing the pad. Many persons make the mistake of closing the registers before shaking the furnace fire. Instead, leave them open, place w^et cloths over them, and the dust that arises from the ashes will cling to the cloths. If the registers are closed, the dust will settle under- neath, and when they are opened, puffs of dust will arise and spread over the contents of the room. BLEACHING CLOTHS, STRAW, FEATHERS, IVORY AND SPONGES Most important among all the industrial substances used for bleaching fabrics is chlorine, which exists as a greenish, irritating gas with a disagreeable odor. In some kinds of bleaching work this gas is used directly, in others it is employed in the form of bleaching powder — so-called "chloride of lime." It is in this latter form that the housekeeper will be obliged to use it. 162 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Bleaching agents are usually good disinfectants; that which can so disturb an organic compound as to destroy its color, is capable of either arresting or completing the decompositions that produce vile odors and are produced by organic germs or ferments. All of the bleaching effect that comes from the employment of chloride of lime is due to the amount of chlorine that is set free in the presence of water. If you would understand what this means, smell the dry bleaching powder, then when it is stirred in water._ The wetted powder gives off a much sharper, stronger odor, which is that of the liberated chlorine. After it has performed its work of bleaching, chlorine carries its action further, to the destruction of the fabric. The industrial bleacher knows this, and he is aware also of the remedy. His method is to dip the cloth in the mixture of water and bleaching powder, stirring the fabric about until bleaching is accomplished, and then, after rinsing the cloth out, to transfer it to another bath known as the "anti-chlor," the term meaning something that destroys the further eflEects of the chlorine. For the home laundry, the best anti-chlor is the everyday hyposulphite of soda of the photographer. When ready to bleach fabrics mix four ounces of chloride of lime in each gallon of water, stirring with a stick. Place the washed fabric in this mixture, stirring it about until well-bleached. Now, lifting the fabric, rinsing and freeing it fairly well from water, place it in a solution of four ounces of hyposulphite of soda to each gallon of water. The chlorine from the bleaching powder — that is, the portion which still remains in the fibers of the fabric — goes into chemical union with the hyposulphite of soda, forming a new chemical com- pound that is harmless to cloth. Thus the fabric is bleached and the further harmful effect of chlorine stopped. After removing the fabric from the hyposulphite of soda put it through the usual rinsings. Both the bleaching powder mixture and the hyposulphite solution must be made freshly for each wash-day's use. The hands should be kept out of the bleaching powder mixture as much as jjossible. The hyposulphite solution is practically harm- less to the hands. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 163 Clothes may be bleached by hanging on a line in the sunshine when snow is on the ground. Snow bleaches more rapidly than grass. Buttermilk Will Bleach Clothes. — Soak the soiled or discolored pieces for several hours in buttermilk, then wash, blue and dry in the usual way. After boiling, the clothes will be of the traditional whiteness. Chloride of lime bleaching is employed only with linen and cottons. Animal fibers, like wool, are yellowed, not bleached, by this process. Not as good results in bleaching are obtained with javelle water. The common method of making this, is to boil four pounds of washing soda for ten minutes in a gallon of water, then adding a pound of chloride of lime, and straining off the clear liquid when cool. An improved javelle water is made by substituting potassium bicarbonate for the washing soda. In either form of the javelle water the intention is to do away with the rotting effect of the chlorine set free from] chloride of lime. The hyposulphite solution, however, is the most reliable anti-chlor that is known for household Bleaching Fine Feathers. — Place the feathers from three to four hours in a diluted solution of bichromate of potassa, to which a small quantity of nitric acid has been cautiously added. To Bleach Sponges. — First wash well in cold water; then immerse in a bath composed of 2 drachms of permanganate of potash and 1 ounce of strong sulphuric acid to the gallon of water. The duration of the immersion varies according to the size of the sponge, etc. To obtain the color so much admired, wash well in soda water, then immerse the sponge in a solution of carbonate of potash (4 ounces to the gallon) until you have hit the color, then wash and dry. Sponges are bleached almost snow-white by soaking them in diluted muriatic acid for 10 or 12 hours, washing with pure water, immersing in a solution of hyposulphate of soda, to which has been added a small quantity of diluted muriatic acid, again washing, and finally drying. Straw to be bleached must be soaked in a solution of soda and moved about in a bath containing two ounces of permanganate of potassium to one gallon of water. When the straw has acquired a light brown color, it is washed first in water and then in a solution of bisulphite of sodium. 164 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS To Bleach Straw Plait. — Expose it to the fumes of burning sulphur in a close chest or box, or immerse it in a weak solution of chloride of lime, and afterwards wash it well in water. Water strongly acidulated with oil of vitriol, or oxalic acid, is also used for the same purpose. The use of peroxide of hydrogen is extending for bleaching purposes. It is now employed for the bleaching of feathers and also for tussah silks, for which it is admirably adapted. Oil stains may be removed from paper by applying pipe-clay, powdered and mixed with water to the thickness of cream ; leave on for four hours. Bleaching Ivory. — Take a double handful of lime, and slake it by sprinkling it with water, and then add three pints of water; stir it up together, let it settle ten minutes, and pour the water into a pan ; then take your ivory and steep it in the lime water for several hours, after which boil it in strong alum water, and dry it in the air. The best way to bleach ivory knife handles is, to rub them with the common Bath brick, clean them off, dry, wrap the blades in paper, lay them on a bright tin plate, and leave in the sun; biing in at night, and repeat daily until fully bleached. Cleaning Ivory. — Take a piece of common white chalk, scrape it to a powder, add as much water as will produce a paste, and apply this pasts to the surface of the ivory. If the stains are very bad, two or three, or even more, applications may be requisite. Tortoise-shell may very easily be kept bright. The best polish is the rouge-powder used in the finishing process of brightening silver goods. If thus treated regularly, no tortoise-shell, however old, need look dull, as is so often the case. REMOVING TEA OR COFFEE STAINS Clear boiling water will remove tea stains; pour the watei through the stain, and thus prevent its spreading over the fabric. Tea stains if not washed out at once are very troublesome to get rid of. Pure gelatine well rubbed in is said to be an efficieni cleanser for stains of long standing. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 165 Linens that have been stained by tea or cofifee may be cleansed by moistening the spots with water and holding them over the fumes of a small piece of burning sulphur or a few sulphur matches. Wash immediately with water in which a little ammonia or soda has been dissolved. Powdered starch will take the stain out of linen if applied immediately. Tea stains may be removed from a table cloth by immersing it in a strong solution of sugar for a few minutes and then rinsing it in soft water. Tea or coffee stains of long standing may be removed by rubbing the cloth with glycerine, after washing once; a second washing leaves the linen as clean as before. If you find boiling water poured through the stain does not remove it, try equal parts of chloride of lime and sal soda or baking soda; either one will answer the purpose. Say two, or two and a half tablespoonfuls of each dissolved in about three quarts of boiling water. Dip the stain into this solution and then wash in the usual way, using soft water. You will find that this will remove a stain of long standing or one that has been set by being washed in soapsuds. If you have washed an article and had the trimming fade and run, the above solution will remove all traces of it. REMOVING FRUIT STAINS Old fruit stains must be treated with oxalic acid. Dissolve three ounces in a pint of water. Soak the stain in this solution five minutes, then steam by holding over a kettle of boiling water, or hang in the sunshine. When the stain disappears, rinse in ammonia water so as to counteract the action of the acid. Rinse well in clear water so that the fabric will not be injured, then spread on the grass or hang in the sun to bleach and whiten. To remove fruit stains from linen, rub the part on each side with yellow soap, then tie up a piece of pearl-ash in the cloth, and soak in hot water. Afterwards expose the stained part to the sun and air. Or, dip in sour buttermilk and dry in the sun; wash in cold water and dry two or three times a day. Or, dip in hot milk several times ; or, hold up and pour hot water through the stained fabric. 166 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS TO REMOVE STAINS FROM CLOTHS Repeated applications of alcohol will remove grass stains from any white material. Small heel caps of waste leather will keep the holes from the heels of stockings. Traces of mud may be removed from black dresses by rubbing the stains with raw potato. To remove blood stains, dip the stained fabric in kerosene, and then wash thoroughly. White zephyr articles may be nicely cleaned by using chloride of magnesia; when clean, shake thoroughly and hang out-of-doors. Lampblack is removed by wetting with kerosene and washing with some good soap and warm water. Mildew can be removed by rubbing green tomatoes and salt on the spot, then exposing it to the rays of the sun. Mildew can be removed by soaking in buttermilk, or putting lemon juice and salt upon it and exposing it to the hot sun. (See also under Borax and its Uses.) When black stuff has become rusty, the color can be restored by sponging it with strong ammonia water, or a mixture of equal parts of ammonia and alcohol, which is still better. If a piece of gum camphor is placed in the drawer where are kept dress waists that are trimmed with steel it will prevent the steel from tarnishing. Clothing that has become spotted, and whose color has been destroyed by acids, may have the color restored by applying ammonia and afterward chloroform. Clothes that have been used should be carefully brushed before being put away. It is the dust in cloths that gives them the much deplored rusty, brOwn appearance. In washing any delicate material with gasoline, if salt Lj added there will be no stain left at the edges of the washed parts. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Seams titch. Frontstitch, backstitch, quilting- stitch. To insert a gusset. Overcast stitch. Gather stitch. Button on loop. French stitch. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Insert (for making buttonholes). Attaching borders. Cap stitch. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Attaching insertions. Attaching insertions. Eyelet and button -hole stitches. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS "An Ordinary Brush Broom. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 167 To restore black cashmere wash it in hot suds, with a little borax in the water; rinse in very strong bluing water, and iron while damp. Stains on flannels may be removed by applying yolk of egg and glycerine in equal quantities. Leave it for half an hour and then wash out. When the nap is worh off of cloth it can sometimes be restored thus: soak the goods in cold water for an hour, then, with a pin or needle gently pick up the nap; after the nap is raised, brush it the right way with a soft brush. Dissolve a heaping tablespoon of chloride of lime in a pail of water to remove mildew. Dip in the goods and spread out to dry. Repeat process. This will take out the worst case of mildew and many other stains. The lime must be well dissolved. Mildew may be removed from awnings, etc., with the follow- ing preparation; Mix well together two tablespoons of soft soap, one of salt, two of powdered starch, and the juice of a lemon. Lay this mixture on both sides of the stain with a painter's brush and then lay the article on the grass day and night until the stain disappears. Iodine stains are removed from linen (or the hands) by mixing one ounce of "hj^po" and two ounces of water. The hypo is found at drug stores and photographic supply houses. To freshen a skirt that has become wrinkled badly from a long crowded ride through the country, brush carefully so that all dust may be removed, then hang over a tub of hot water. After it has been thoroughly steamed it will have all the appearances of a tailor-cleaned garment. When wishing to wash white trimmings on a dress, wring out a white cloth in starch water, place it on the trimming, then put a dry cloth over it, and iron with a hot iron. The dirt will come ofiE into the starched cloth. To Freshen Veils or Crape. — Take two teaspoonfuls of mucilage and two of hot water, dissolve thoroughly, and after stretching the veil as a lace curtain, moisten a sponge with the liquid and pass it over the veU. Do not remove veil until thoroughly dry. To Keep Veils Fresh. — A rolling pin is covered very hghtly with a piece of flannel, and over this a linen cover stiflBy starched. Around this the veil is tightly and evenly wound. 4 168 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To restore faded gray and slate-colored fabrics, rip the breadths apart, brush the widths perfectly free from dust. Save some tea leaves for two or three days, also whatever tea is left over, then boil well all together and strain. Put the goods in this and boil five minutes. Take out and rinse in warm water thoroughly. Run through a wringer and hang up to dry. Iron on the wrong side before they become too dry. Soap bark is an effective cleaner of woolen skirts and men's clothes, as it is a quick eradicator of grease and dirt. Get five cents' worth of the soap bark, pour over it a quart of boil- ing water; steep it gently over a fire for two hours, keeping the heat low, so that the water will not boil away. Then strain through a piece of cheese cloth and it is ready to use. Any ripping apart of garments that needs to be done should be done before the cleansing process with soap bark takes place. Brush the garments carefully first, and then apply the liquid with a woolen cloth, going over every spot. This should be done with care, using especial diligencce with the soiled spots. After sponging, rinse in ammonia water, and before the garment is thoroughly dried, press it between two dark cloths. When the washing of an article in soap and water is out of the question, sponging with some substance that will remove grease and other stains is the next best thing. A cleaning fluid which has been used upon silk and woolen fabrics with satisfactory results is made as follows : Put into a large saucepan two quarts of VA'ater, half an ounce of borax, and four ounces of white castile soap shaved fine, and stir frequently until the soap and borax are dissolved; then take from the fire and add two quarts of cold water. When the mix- ture is cold, add one ounce of glycerine. Bottle and put away for use; it will keep for years. To clean an article, first brush thoroughly, and then spread on a table. Sponge with the cleaning fluid and rub hard until the stains disappear. Spots can be removed from carpets in this manner. Home-made Skirt-Hanger. — Hem a piece of strong cotton cloth about eighteen inches square. Take a piece of plank about two inches wide, and of the same length as the cloth. Fold the cloth once, put a double row of stitching far enough from the crease to permit the stick to be run into the case thus formed and sew on stout loo])s by which to hang it up. Two loose flaps arc left hanging about six or seven inches below the stick. Upon these flaps a number of skirts may be hung by pinning them by the waistband. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 169 REMOVING GREASE SPOTS FROM CLOTH Soap that Will Remove Grease Spots from Cloth. — Take of powdered fuller's earth one ounce, moisten with spirits of turpen- tine, add best potash two ounces, and work the whole into a paste with a little soap. In removing stains or grease spots from delicate colored materials, the cleaning mixture should be applied in a circle around the spot and should be worked toward the center. Then sponge the place with a clean flannel and rub until dry. A grease eradicator is one of the articles that every housewife likes to have around. Here is one which is said to have made the fortune of one man before the secret was given to the world : Two ounces of ammonia, one ounce of castile soap shavings, one quart of salt water, one teaspoonful of saltpeter. A mixture for removing grease spots, particularly from men's clothing, is composed of four parts alcohol to one part ammonia and about half as much ether as ammonia. Apply the liquid to the spots and then rub diligently with a sponge and clear water. The alcohol and ether dissolve the grease, and the ammonia forms a lather of it, which is washed out with the water. Never put away for the summer a woolen garment of any kind that is spotted with grease or soiled with mud. Grease is astonishingly attractive to moths, and all the unbrushed clothes "age " rapidly. Ammonia for all-black goods, and a delicate mixture of ether, ammonia and castUe soap for colored ones, may be advised. Candle grease is hard to remove, but the stains can be taken out by holding a red-hot poker over the mark, not close enough to scorch it, and placing a piece of blotting paper underneath it to absorb the wax as it melts. When the material is not very delicate put a piece of blotting paper over the spot and iron it until all the grease is out. A few seconds will suffice. Then rub the spot with some tissue paper. To Remove Resin, Tar, Axle Grease or Similar Stains. — Wet the cloth, apply fat or any common oil to stain and thoroughly soap it ; allow the soap to remain for a short time, then wash alternately with turpentine and warm water. If this will not remove the stain, cover the stain with a mixture of oil of turpentine and the white of egg, and let it stand for some time until it softens up. Then wash with hot soapy water, and rinse. 170 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Grease Spots. — There are several effectual means of taking out grease spots. Chloroform \\"ill do it. Or you can wet the place with ammonia- wa ter ; then lay white soft paper over it and iron with a hot iron. Or rub French chalk on the wrong side; let it remain a day; split a visiting card, lay the rough side on the spot, knd pass a warm iron lightly over. Or try the old-fashioned "grease-balls" — a stiff paste made of fuller's earth and vinegar, moulded into baUs and dried; wet the spot; scrape the ball over it; let it dry, and then wash it off with tepid water. Oil stains may be removed from paper by appljdng pipe clay powdered and mixed with water to the thickness of cream; leave on for four hours. TO REMOVE RUST, PAINT AND INK STAINS To Remove Iron-rust from Linen. — If the ground be white, oxalic acid, employed in the form of a concentrated aqueous solution, wUl effectually remove fresh iron-stains. If iron-rust spots are covered with cream of tartar and salt, slightly moistened, and laid in the sun, they wiU disappear. Stains of rust may be removed from fine linen and similar fabrics without injury to the material. The articles must be first well soaped, as if they were to be washed in the ordinary way. An iron is heated, and on this is laid a wet cloth. When the heat makes the cloth steam the nist stain is laid on it, and a little oxalic acid is rubbed on with the finger. The heat and the moisture hasten the effect of the acid on the rust, and when this has disappeared the soaping and washing may be continued. Or, soak the spots in a solution of 1 part of ferrocj^anide of potassium in 500 parts of water, and 1 part of concentrated sulphuric acid, wash well with soft water, and finally remove the blue stains with a solution of caustic potash. Wine stains of any kind can be removed effectually from linen, by holding them for a few minutes in boiling sweet milk. This must be done before the linen is washed, or it is of no use. Wine stains may be removed from linen by rubbing it on both sides with yellow soap, then laying on a thick paste of starch and water. Rub in well and expose to the sun and air. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 171 To remove paint spots from clothing saturate the fabric with equal parts of turpentine and water of ammonia. Paint stains that are dry and old may be removed from cotton or woolen goods with chloroform. First cover the spot with olive oil or butter. To Remove Paint from Muslin. — Soak the spots in a strong solution of soda and water for twenty-four hours. At the end of this time the paint will often have disappeared, but if it has not, wet the material in turpentine and lay in the sun for several hours. Wet again and repeat this until every trace of the paint is removed. Ink stains are so frequent that everyone at times desires some- thing to remove them. To remove them from linen rub the spots while wet (if stains are old wet with water) with tartaric acid; to remove them from silk, saturate the spot with spirits of turpentine; after a few hours rub the spot, and the ink stain will crumble away without injuring the fabric. To remove ink stains from linen, wet the finger in water, then dip into a powder consisting of finely-powdered oxalic acid, and rub it on the spot gently, keeping it rather moist, and the stain will disappear without injuring the fabric. After the stain disappears, wash the linen in pure water. The acid is poisonous. Spots made by rust and some kinds of ink may be removed from woolens by apj)lying citric acid. This acid can not be used on some colors without changing them to a very ugly shade, so it is well to tryjwhat effect it has on.the color of the goods to be cleaned, by putting some on a waste bit before attacking the spot. Chloride of lime can be converted into a capital ink eraser, and will not damage the paper. Put a drachm of citric acid in a wineglass with a teaspoonful of chloride of lime, then nearly fill the glass with water and effervescence will ensue. Roll some soft linen around the finger, dip it in the solution, touch the ink spots with gentle friction, and they will disappear. Red Ink Stains. — Most aniline stains can readily be removed with alcohol. If the ink is made from cochineal, a weak solution of chloride of lime wth a few drops of muriatic acid is sufficient to destroy the color, but it cannot be used on silks and woolens. 172 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Most indelible inks contain nitrate of silver, the stain of which may be removed by first soaking in a solution of common salt and afterwards washing with ammonia. Or use a solution of 10 grains of cyanide of potassium and 5 grains of iodine to 1 ounce of water, or a solution of 8 parts each, of bichloride of mercury and chloride of ammonium in 125 parts of water. According to M. Grimm, chloride of copper completely removes, even from colored woven cotton tissues, stains occasioned by nitrate of silver; the tissue is to be afterwards washed with a solution of hyposulphite of soda and finally with water. From white cotton and linen fabrics silver stains are more readily removed by applying dilute solution of permanganate of potassium and hydrochloric acid, followed by washing by hypo- sulphite of soda solution and rinsing in plenty of fresh water. By this means the use of the highly poisonous cyanide of potassium is rendered unnecessary. CLEANING AND IMPROVING SILKS AND VELVETS Never use a brush to silk — it injures the goods. Instead, wipe carefully with the face of a soft piece of velvet. Gloss can be removed from black silk by sponging it with cold coffee and ammonia. A teaspoonful of ammonia to a cup of coffee. Tar is removed from silk by rubbing lard on the stain, and then washing in warm soapsuds. To take wax spots from black silk, scrape off all the wax possible, wet the goods with alcohol and dry with a soft rag. Wax is removed from silk by scraping off the wax and applying a paste of French chalk and water, or the silk is laid on blotting paper, another piece of blotting paper on the sUk, and then press with a hot iron. To remove paint from silk goods saturate the goods with equal parts of tuqicntine and ammonia, then wash in soapsuds and let dry between blotting paper under a heavy weight. Chloroform is useful for taking paint stains from black silks. Persistent rubbing is necessary. Chloroform will also restore faded plush goods by sponging carefully. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 173 To remove a grease spot from woolen or silk, thoroughly saturate the place with turpentine, and place a soft blotting paper beneath and another on top of the spot, and press very hard. The fat is dissolved, then absorbed by the paper and entirely removed from the cloth. Black silk can be made to look almost as good as new by spong- ing on the right side with weak tea or coffee, and pressing on the right side, with a thick flannel between the silk and the iron. When silk is very much wrinkled, sponge on the wrong side with weak gum-arabic water, and, when nearly dry, iron between two woolen cloths. Black silk or satin which has become shiny may be cleaned in the following way: Take clean potato peelings, cover them with water, and allow them to soak twenty-four hours. Then steam them, and well sponge the material with the water. Lay the material be- tween clean cloths, and iron on the wrong side until it is quite dry. By adding a little pearlash to a soap-lather, faded ribbons placed therein will be restored to their natural color. Faded breadths of silk can be restored if treated to a bath of the above named in- gredients. White china silk waists usually grow so yellow after a few washings with soap that they are frequently discarded while still good. It is economical to wash them in the follo\^4ng way: To a quart and a half of warm, soft water, add a tablespoonful of powdered borax. Wash gently, rubbing lightly all soiled spots with the hands. Wring out and wash again in the same quantity of water, similarly prepared; wring, and rinse in clear water, to which half a tablespoon- ful of borax has been added. Press until nearly dry, but do not use too warm an iron. Velvet is cleaned after being dusted, and rubbed with gasoline, by allowing steam to penetrate through the fabric while brushing with a whisk broom, or brush, in the direction of the nap. Velvet ribbons are drawn across a wet cloth which has been laid over the bottom of a hot flatiron. Chloroform brushed over velvet revives it if applied with a soft cloth. 174 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS CLEANING AND MENDING LACE The great point about washing lace is to do it gently, never rubbing soap on to the surface nor using strong soap. A lather may be made, either with soap jelly or a very mild washing powder; or it may be washed in borax water, hot but not boiling. If the lace is very dirty it can be steeped first in cold water. Take a piece of an old lace curtain a little larger than the hole you want to mend. Wash and starch it, and while still wet lay it on the curtain and press a hot iron on it until dry. To do up lace curtains without stretchers, wash and starch without much rubbing or wringing and hang lengthwise on the line. Place opposite scallops together and pull the whole curtain straight. The starch will stick the opposite halves together, no pins being needed. The curtains ■u-ill be straight and even and no ironing wHl be necessary — only a pressing of the scallops. Directions for Washing Lace Curtains. — Never give them hard rubbing. Always soak and sop out as much of the dirt as possible. Never starch fine lace curtains very stiff. The coarser the curtains the more starch they will require. Add borax to the starch to help hold the stiffening. Coffee, tea or saffron may be added to the starch for ecru curtains, if their dark color is desirable. Always shake the dust from curtains before washing. Always squeeze the water from curtains when changing them from one water to another. Wash very old or fine curtains in a j)illow case or other muslin bag. Measure the curtains before washing. Curtain Stretching. — Get common grocery string, using it doubled, and after h.aving cut off a doubled thread the exact length of your curtain, measuring the lace edge only, with a bodkin or small safety pin draw the string through the narrow hem lengthwise of the curtain, fastening securely each end of the string. Do this to each curtain. If done right you will have a perfectly straight edge after stretching and the strings never show. Bobbinet Curtains. — Cut pieces of muslin four inches wde and sew flat on edges of curtains before they are laundered, using a long, loose stitch on the machine. Then wash and starch as usual and pin evenly on carpeted floor. When dry the muslin is easily ripped off, and in this way you avoid the full, uneven edge which is so often seen in bobbinet curtains. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 175 Never iron lace window curtains, and be careful not to make them too blue with indigo or too stiff with starch. Stretch them upon a mattress to dry, pinning down carefully the extreme edge of every point or scallop. Woolen lace should be rinsed in water of exactly the same tem- perature as that in which it is washed. Black lace needs vinegar in the rinsing water. Make a thick paste of talcum powder and water, spread this thickly over the lace, putting it down into the meshes. Let it dry thoroughly, and then shake and brush the powder out and the dirt goes with it. One does not usually starch lace, for ironing it while wet im- parts a ce- tain stiffness. If, however, it is needed very stiff, it can be dipped in either hot water starch or cold water starch. It is ironed while wet with a good hot iron. At first, until it is almost dry, put a piece of clean rag or a stout handkerchief be- tween the iron and the lace, then iron it dry without. The lace should be pulled out gently with the fingers, especially the outermost edge, before ironing. There are some kinds of lace that have a raised surface and which are better ironed between blankets, or not ironed at all. These should be stretched, while still wet, with a pin at each point, or at distances of an inch or less apart. They may be stretched on a large sheet of clean cardboard. Another way of pressing lace with a raised surface, is to wind it around a bottle filled with hot water, which dries and presses it on the wrong side at the same time. When washing a lace door-panel, try the following plan: Wash the glass in the door and leave it ready to replace the panel. Care- fully wash and starch the lace, slip in the rods while wet and place in position. Pull the lace straight and it will dry on the door and look like new. Rusty black lace can be wonderfully freshened up by rinsing it in water to which have been added borax and alcohol in the pro- portion of one tablespoonful each of borax and alcohol to one cupful of soft water. After the lace is partly dry, dip it in water in which an old kid glove has been boiled, squeeze gently, pull out the edges, pin on sheets of blotting paper, and dry under heavy books. 176 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To clean white ostrich feathers, cut some pure white soap into small pieces and pour boiling water on them and add a little mite of soda. When the soap is dissolved and the water cool enough, dip the feathers in and draw them through the hand. Do this several times until the lather is dirty: then make a clean lather and repeat the operation. Afterward rinse the feathers in cold water, slightly blued. Pat the feathers between the hands and shake them over the fire until they are perfectly dry. Curl them by drawing each fibre between the thumb and the dull edge of a silver knife. To Clean White Plumes. — Lay the soiled plume on a large plate and pour over it about three tablespoonfuls of gasoline; then with a clean tooth-brush brush thoroughly, working from the stem to the tip. Press out with the fingers any extra liquid remaining in the plume, and shake in the open air until dry. If the plume is very much soiled it may be necessary to repeat the process, using fresh gasoline. Never work with gasoline in a room where there is any fire. Common starch mixed with cold water and painted on the feathers, allowing them to dry, and then carefully shaking out or gently beat- ing, is an excellent method of cleaning. To curl feathers after the curl has come out of them by wash- ing the feather or getting it damp, place a hot fiatiron so that you can hold the feather just above it while curling. Take a bone or silver knife, and draw the fibres of the feather between the thumb and the dull edge of the knife, taking not more than three fibres at a time, beginning at the point of the feather and curling one-half the other way. The hot iron makes the curl more durable. Never fold a gossamer waterproof inside out; it is the inside which should be kept free from soil of any kind. If you think this is superfluous advice, please observe the manner in which most of your acquaintances fold them. A Good Rubber Cement. — Disolve gutta percha in bisulphide of carbon; shave off the edges of the leather, and pour on the cement; allow to evaporate to dryness. Then put the two faces together, previously heating thoroughly, and press until cool. To Mend Rubbers. — When rubbers begin to wear or crack, they can be repaired by the use of a solution made from equal parts of demar varnish and asphaltum, to which a little turpentine has been added. The worn or cracked places should be painted with the mixture and then allowed to dry slowly away from the fire. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 177 If a tiny tear appears on the instep of the rubber, sew on the underside a piece of wide black .elastic, or it can be temporarily mended with black court plaster. To clean a mackintosh, scrub both sides with soap and water, then rinse away all the soap. Dry by hanging up without wringing. Alcohol, benzine, chloroform, gasoline, turpentine, or other cloth cleaning chemicals should never be used, as they dissolve, or injure, the rubber in waterproof garments. Ammonia may be appHcd freely to remove grease stains. Cut pieces about two inches wide and three long from the heels of old rubbers, peel off the cloth, and sew them inside the heels of your rubbers. They are rough and sticky, and will cling fast to the shoe and entirely stop that disagreeable trait some rubbers have of slipping off at the heel. When pressing woolen goods spread a newspaper over the material instead of a cloth, and there will be no bother with brush- ing off the troublesome lint. To Save Underwear. — Knit underwear often splits at the seams while the garment is still good. To prevent this, sew the seams on the machine before wearing, sewing on the original stitcliing on each side of the seam. To mend neatly a very large hole in fine woven underwear, baste a piece of netting over the opening and darn over it. When finished cut dose the edges of net uncovered. Thus mended, the garment will be stronger than when new and look far neater than if darned in the ordinary way. Strengthening a Silk Petticoat. — Baste a piece of thin muslin about twelve inches wide on the wrong side all the way around. Sew in with rather large stitches, though firmly enough to hold well. If stitched or sewed too tightly, it might start breaks in the silk. Mending Frayed Skirts. — With sharp scissors cut through the worn edge of the skirt. Holding the wrong side toward you, cut three-eighths of an inch from the hem. Turn the right side of the skirt, which is now three-eighths of an inch longer than the wrong side, up over the lower edge. Baste in a tiny hem, and sew by hand with small stitches, being careful not to catch the thread through to the right side. A skirt-braid may be sewed on to protect the bottom of the skirt from further wear and conceal the tiny hem. 178 HEXPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS CARE OF MAN'S WARDROBE Stains may be removed from the collar of an overcoat by rubbing it with a cloth dipped in ammonia. Clean dirty coat collars with gasoline. Stay away from the fire while doing it. Trousers should always be placed on a holder and hung suspended from their bottoms. In brushing a coat do not neglect the inside, especially around the collar. In folding trousers, hold them at the waist and fold by putting together the first suspender button on each side. This insures a straight line of the crease. Then double them over at the knee. It is well in brushing a derby hat not to use a whisk broom. It scars the fur and leaves a streak. Always use a soft bristle brush, taking care to rub with the grain. For cleaning a silk hat, use a velvet pad. When a silk hat becomes wet, rub the way the nap lies with a clean linen cloth, or silk handkerchief, and hang some distance from the fire to dry. A few hours after brush with a soft brush. In placing a coat on a hanger, the loop should be placed around the hook. This in itself will balance a coat on the frame. Do not button the coat, as this tends to make the coat wrinkle in front at the shoulders. Hang the waistcoat under the coat. To fold a coat for packing or for traveling, lay it out flat outside up. Turn up the collar, j)ull sleeves out straight and flatten them; fold over the two sides of the coat so the sleeves are just covered. Then fold in half. To Remove the Soiled, Stained Look from a White Str?.w Hat. — Brush the hat thoroughly, then add a little ammonia to some water and scrub with a brush rubl)cd in castile soap. If any stains resist this treatment apply a little lemon juice and two cents' worth of powdered yellow sulphur. Rub this mixture into the straw and then remove it with a damp cloth. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 179 TO CLEAN FURS To clean dark furs, warm a quantity of new bran in a pan, taking care that it does not burn, to prevent which it must be actively stirred. When well warmed, rub it thoroughly into the fur x\4th the hand. Repeat this two or three times; then shake the fur, and give it another sharp brushing, until free from dust. When it is necessary to strip the fur articles of their stuffing and binding, lay thtm as much as possible in a flat position. They must then be subjected to a very brisk brushing with a stiff clothes brush. After this, any moth-eaten parts must be cut out, and be neatly replaced by new bits of fur to match. To clean light furs, ermine, etc., lay the fur on the table, and rub it well with bran made moist with warm water; rub until quite dry, and afterwards with dry bran. The wet bran should be put on with flannel, and the dry with a piece of muslin. The light furs, in addition to the above, should be well rubbed with magnesia on a piece of muslin, after the bran process; or dry flour may be used instead of wet bran. Ermine takes longer than minever to clean. They should be rubbed against the way of the fur. Sable, chinchilla, squirrel and monkey fur may be very nicely cleaned ^vith hot bran. Get a small quantity of bran meal and heat it in the oven until it is quite warm. Rub stiffly into the fur and leave for a few minutes before shaking to free it from the bran. Mink may be cleaned and freshened with warm cornmeal, and like the other short-haired furs, may be done without removing the lining. But the long-haired furs are best ripped apart and freed from stuffing and lining. Furs, when taken out in the fall, are often found to have a marred and cnished appearance. They can be made to look fresh and new with little trouble. Wet the fur with a clean brush dipped in water and then shaken, brushing the hair up the wrong way. Let the fur dry in the air for half an hour, and then give it a good beating -^vith a rattan. After beating it, comb the fur the right way with a coarse comb. 180 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS TO CLEAN CLOTH GARMENTS Make a strong, warm soapsuds, and plunge the garment into it, sousing it up and down for a length of time proportionate to the dirtiness of the goods. Have ready a second tub of suds, also strong and warm, and souse it in this for a while. Rub any and all particularly greasy places — the collar, cuffs, lapels, etc., by using a brush and extra soapsuds into which ammonia has been poured for the purpose. Rinse it through several waters, or until it_ comes out clear and clean at the last, and, without squeezing or wringing the garment, hang it up to drip on the line. When it is nearly dry take it in and roll it up for an hour or two before ironing. To press it properly, lay an old cotton cloth upon the garment and press upon this until the wrinkles disappear. If the wrinkles prove obstinate and refuse to "out," wring out a second cotton cloth in warm water and press the iron upon that ; this will remove the stubbornest crease. Great care should be taken to remove the iron before the steam ceases to rise from the goods, else they wUl be shiny again. If, by any unfortunate tardiness in removing the iron, some shiny place should show, treat it as you did the wrinkles — place a warm, wet cloth over it, press again with the iron, removing it quickly to allow the cloud of steam that follows in its fiery wake to lift the flattened nap up with it. White flannel clothing may be cleaned at home. Mix mag- nesia with benzine, in a shallow dish, to a paste. Rub the fabric with this, using a linen cloth, leaving the mixture on the_ flannel. Have an absolutely clean cloth brush, rub the magnesia into the cloth with it, and apply the paste, which must be kept at a soft consistency by adding benzine, and use the brush until the garment is clean. Use this preparation away from gas or other Hght. FURNITURE, ITS CARE AND IMPROVEMENT Remove white spots from furniture by wetting a piece of flannel with turpentine and rubbing the spot hard. To remove white stains have three woolen cloths ; dip one in linseed or kerosene oil and rub the spot briskly; then wet a second cloth with alcohol and rub the spot quickly; finally, polish with the third cloth, slightly wet with oil. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 181 Marks are taken from varnished wood by wetting a sponge in alcohol or camphor, and using it freely to the surface of the spots. Sweet oil removes finger marks from varnished furniture, and kerosene will do the same for oiled pieces. Alcohol must always be used quickly, or it will remove the varnish. Scratches on furniture may be removed by rubbing with a woolen rag dipped in linseed oil. The varnishing may then be done with shellac, dissolved in alcohol. When you have white woodwork, be careful to let it have plenty of sunlight, as too much shade makes it yellow. Use borax to remove finger marks from a hardwood door. Ammonia uill take off the varnish or stain. To remove spots from varnished furniture, rub with essential oil of peppermint, then with sweet oil or furniture polish. To remove candle grease from furniture without injuring the polish, rub it off with a little warm water and a rag. Articles of old furniture are sometimes made to appear new by washing them with lime water and then applying a coat of oil. To make rosewood furniture look well, it should be only rubbed with a soft cloth a little every day, for if polish, or beeswax and turpentine be used, they spoil the appearance. To remove dents from wood, take a piece of felt or other heavy woolen cloth, wet it, and place it over the dent. Press w-ith a hot flatiron and the dent will disappear. The drawer of a bureau or dresser that runs hard may be made to work much more smoothly and easily if it is taken out and the edges thoroughly rubbed with hard soap. Varnish Remover. — Three tablespoonfuls of baking-soda in a quart of water, applied with a rough cloth, w-ill remove the old varnish very easily when you wish to revarnish furniture. Wash cane-seat chairs with ammonia and water, or with hot water, soap and sponge; if the cane is stretched out of shape, thoroughly saturate it underneath. 182 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Tack little rolls of cotton batting, covered with a dark cloth, under the rear ends of the rockers of the chair that makes a practice of "tipping over." Iodine stains on woodwork should be removed at once, as they make an ugly spot. Soak up with blotting paper, then rub the spot with a soft cloth moistened in camphor. For cleaning natural woodwork nothing is better than crude petroleum oil. Moisten a piece of flannel or cheesecloth with it and rub on the wood; then wipe with a clean cloth until all the oil is rubbed off. It is also excellent for furniture. For mahogany, if stained, use oxalic acid and water, rubbing it on with a clean cork, until the stain disappears. Mahogany may be polished with a flannel cloth dipped in sweet, or cold drawn linseed oil. Remove ink stains from mahogany by putting a few drops of spirits of nitre in a teaspoonful of water; touch the spot with a camel's-hair brush dipped in the mixture, and then rub it out im- mediately with a cloth dipped in cold water. This may answer for other woods also. For removing finger marks from, and restoring lustre to, highly polished but much-defaced furniture: Wash off the finger-marks with a cloth, or a chamois skin, wet with cold water, then rub the surface with sweet oil mixed with half its quantity of turpentine. A liberal rubbing of this mixture will prove effective. Unsightly cracks in furniture may be filled with beeswax. First soften the wax until it is as soft as putty, then firmly press it into the cracks and smooth it evenly with a thin steel knife. Sand- paper over the surrounding wood and work the dust into the bees- wax. This gives a wood finish, and when the furniture is varnished the cracks will have disappeared. Beeswax is better than putty, for the reason that the latter soon dries, crumbles and falls out, while the wax will remain for an indefinite length of time without change. To Clean Wicker Furniture. — If the furniture is painted, use warm water with one teaspoonful of ammonia to one bucketful of water; apply with a soft paint-brush, then rinse and dry. If the wicker furniture is unpainted, use hot water, and in addition to the ammonia suflficient soap to give the water a bluish cast. Apply with a brush, wetting only a small portion at a time, and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth; then allow it to stand in the air where it is not too hot. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 183 To repair damaged caster supports in furniture without sending it away to a repair shop, turn the chair, bureau or table with the caster support uppermost, enlarge, with a bit and brace, the hole in which the caster was fastened; glue into it a piece of round trimmed wood (Fig. 1), which, when the glue is thoroughly dry, is leveled. If the caster is of the screw kind a hole is bored in the Fig. 1. Fig. 2. plug for it, so that it will screw home without splitting; if of the holt or shank make, a hole is cut out just large enough to gently force it into place. This is a better and more permanent way of treating this common trouble than the wet paper or piece of rag wrapping method. The pretty bamboo furniture so much used now requires to be treated differently from the ordinary wooden furniture. As bamboo is liable to crack and come apart, it must be fed so as to counteract the ill effects of dryness in the room. The furniture should be ex- posed to the air whenever possible. Do not place too near a fire, and it should be rubbed regularly with equal parts of linseed oil and turpentine applied with a flannel and then rubbed in with a soft cloth. An occasional wash in cold water, followed by a thorough drying, is good for bamboo furniture. 184 HEIPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS THE CARE OF GLOVES In buying " kids," examine the fingers separately and look for broken stitches. If, when stretching the fingers the thread pulls away from the kid, leaving a white spot, the gloves will not wear well. When the kid stretches easily and seems elastic, it is likely to be a good quality; but if it is stiff or unyielding it will neither fit nor wear well. Always get a glove large enough. If they are so narrow as to require stretching they will never look as well as if the hand was the first stretcher. If they are short-fingered, they convert the hand into a positive deformity, and do not wear half so long as when they are of the proper size. A great deal depends upon how the gloves are put on the first time. The hands should be dry and cool ; if they are at all moist they should be well powdered. First work on the fingers, keeping the thumb outside the glove. When the thumb is put in, place the elbow on the knee and work the glove down carefully and smoothly. Button the second button first, and so on to the top, leaving the first button till the last. The greatest strain is on the first button, and when this is partially relieved by the fastening of the other buttons, the drawing of seams, tearing of the kid or enlarging of the buttonhole is pre- vented. When removing gloves, never begin at the tips of the fingers to pull them off, turn back the wrist and draw them off wrong side out. Before putting them away turn them right side out and smooth out lengthwise. Never roll them up tightly, one inside of the other, as whatever moisture they may have gathered from the hands dries in this way very slowly, and makes the kid stiff and hard. Strips of canton flannel are good to lay away between gloves. Dry commeal will clean light gloves nicely, but if much soiled it is better to send them to a reputable cleaner. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 185 Benzine will clean white gloves, but it is not to be recom- mended where there is any color. Spongy rubber is also often used for glove-cleaning. It is applied in the same manner as in cleaning drawings. To freshen black kid gloves, mix a teaspoonful of salad oil with a few drops of black ink. Apply with a feather and dry in the sun. A reliable cleanser for gloves: Tinct. of quillaia, 10 parts; am- monia water, 3 parts; sulphuric ether, 10 parts; deodorized benzine, q. s. to make 100 parts: Mix. Shake before using. Apply with a flannel cloth. Stale bread is sometimes used for cleaning kid gloves. The gloves are put on and the softer part of the bread is broken up into crumbs and the hands are rubbed one over the other as in the act of washing, the crumbs being thus rubbed over all parts of the gloves. Black cotton gloves will not crock the hands if scalded in salt water before wearing. The salt prevents fading. When almost dry, one should put them on, in order to stretch them and keep them in good shape. Cleaning Gloves. — The usual method employed, to clean with benzine or gasoline, has the disadvantage that the look of the gloves tells about the cleaning. A better way is stated to be as follows: Spread the gloves smoothly on a folded towel, and rub them well with a piece of flannel dipped into pure milk and then rubbed on a piece of castile soap. The gloves are cleaned when the white ones look yellow as long as they are wet, and the colored ones look black. On drying, the original colors reappear. Talcum powder should be well rubbed into white kid gloves that have been cleaned with gasoline, as that volatile product gives the leather a predisposition for dirt, and the talcum removes the dull appearance caused by gasoline. How to Clean Kid Gloves. — Provide a tall glass cylinder, in the bottom of which place strong aqua ammonia. Be careful to remove from the sides of the jar any ammonia that may have been spattered upon them. Suspend the gloves to the stopper of the jar and allow them to remain for a day in the atmosphere of ammonia. They must not come in contact with the liquid. 186 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Chamois gloves in white and light shades may be washed in the following manner: Make a lather with castile soap and warm water, using a spoonful of ammonia to each quart. When the water is tepid put the gloves in it and let them soak for a quarter of an hour, then press them Vvith the hands, but do not wring them. Kinse in fresh cold water with a little ammonia added. Press the gloves in a towel. Dry them in the open air after previously blowing to puff them out. DYEING GLOVES Should there be any holes in the gloves, they must be carefully mended before commencing the dyeing process; and the tops also should be sewn up, to prevent any of the dye getting on the inside. For black, first brush the gloves with alcohol; when dry, brush them again with a decoction of logwood; when this is dry, repeat the logwood wash, and, after ten or fifteen minutes, dip them into a weak solution of green vitriol. If the color be not yet black, a little fustic may be added to the logwood. The gloves should be thoroughly rubbed with a mixture of pure olive oil and French chalk, as they begin to dry, to give them a smooth, soft, and glossy appearance; they should then be wrapped in flannel and placed under a heavy weight. Gloves can be dyed brown by using a decoction of fustic, alum, and Brazil wood; this should be applied in the same manner as the foregoing. A decoction of sumac and a very weak solution of green vitriol produce gray; greenish-gray being obtained by the addition of log- wood and fustic to the sumac. Fancy shades can be produced by using the aniline colors in solution; they can be simply applied with a sponge. CARE OF SHOES AND SLIPPERS Shoes and slippers, if taken care of properly, will last two or three times longer than they usually do and fit the feet more satis- factorily. Glycerine is a good shoe dressing; it makes the leather soft and pliable. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 187 If boots squeak, drive a peg in the center of the sole. The inside of the skin of the banana rubbed on the leather of tan shoes will clean and polish them as well as a regular dressing. Milk applied once a week with a soft cloth will greatly freshen and preserve boots, shoes, chair seats, etc. A varnish for bronze boots and slippers is made by dissolving aniline red in sliclluc or other varnish. To prevent patent leather from cracking, always warm the leather before inserting the foot in the shoe. Heat renders patent leather soft and pliable. To freshen up patent leather when it has become dull, use com- mon vaseline. Allow the vaseline to remain on the shoe for half an hour, then remove with a soft rag. A paste suitable to preserve the gloss of patent leather and prevent cracking is made of wax with a little olive oil, lard, and oil of turpentine, mixed when warm, to be of the consistency of thick paste when cooled. Rub fine kid shoes once a week with a mixture of equal parts of glycerine and castor oil. They will then never crack. To prevent wet from penetrating boots, take half a pound of tallow or mutton suet, four ounces of lard, two ounces of turpen- tine, and the same quantity of new beeswax and olive oil, dissolve over the fire, mixing well, and apply it to the leather. If the soles of a child's new hard-soled shoes are slightly roughened with a file or rasp, the child will be saved many hard falls. Home-made shoe polish is prepared as follows: Mix lampblack to a smooth paste with vaseline. Apply with a flannel, and it will preserx'e instead of cracking the leather, as is the case with most of the liquid polishes. People should never go in the early morning to get boots and shoes fitted. In the later part of the day the feet are at their maximum size. Activity and standing tend to enlarge the feet. If people would remember this rule, there would not be so many com- plaints of shoes being tight when worn which seemed so comfortable when fitted. 188 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS To Restore Color of Kid Shoes. — Take a small quantity of good black ink, mix it with the white of an egg and apply wnth a soft sponge. A shoe that is uncomfortable from pinching may be fixed by laying a cloth, wet in hot water, across the place where it pinches, changing it as it grows cooler, for a number of times. To Soften Leather. — The best way to soften hard (stiff) leather is first to let it soak for several hours in water, wipe it somewhat dry, and then rub it vigorously with warm grease or oil. The chief point is that oil does not readily penetrate dry leather, but is absorbed quite easily when the leather is wet. To Clean Kid Slippers. — Put one-half ounce of hartshorn into a saucer, dip a bit of clean flannel into it and rub it on a piece of white curd soap. Rub the slippers with this, and as each piece of flannel becomes soiled, take a fresh piece. The slippers will look like new. Patent leather shoes require care to look well. They should be wiped with a damp sponge and afterward with a soft, dry cloth, and occasionally with a cloth dampened with a little sweet oil. Blacken and polish the edges of the soles in the usual way, but do not cover the patent leather with the blacking. A cloth moistened in a little milk may be used on patent leather with good effect. If none of the preparations for cleaning brown leather meets with your approbation, try a mixture which can easily be made at home, of skimmed milk, half an ounce of spirits of salts, half an ounce of spirits of lavender, an ounce of gum arable, and the juice of two lemons. Rub the shoes with a piece of sponge dipped in this preparation, and when dry polish them off with a bit of flannel. To Fasten Shoe Buttons. — Remove all buttons from the shoes and cut a small hole (large enough for the shoe string to pass through) at each place a button is needed. Pull the shoe string through the first hole and through the button, then back again through the same hole, and so on. The buttons will stay on indefinitely. To Make Shoes Waterproof. — To make your summer tramping shoes impervious to dew and rain, first rid yourself of the objection to handling pitch, turpentine and lampblack. Tlien soak the soles in warm tar. After this oil the uppers well and give them a coating of a mixture made with one and a half ounces each of shellac and white pine gum, one dram each of sweet oil, Venice turpentine and lamp- black and half a pint of alcohol. One application will render any shoe waterproof. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 189 WINDOW SHADES When putting muslin curtains on a brass or wooden rod, first cover the end of the rod with the finger of an old glove. This will prevent the tearing of the curtain and also save time. Fastening a Shade on a Roller. — Tack the shade in the usual manner and roll it as far back as possible, and while in this position apply an ample quantity of glue near the tacks. A shade attached in this manner will not come loose from the roller. Fastening Window Shades Easily. — A simple device will save time and worriment, and also save marring the woodwork of the house. Take a lath or bit of wood of that thickness, cut it the length of the curtain roller plus the fixtures; then fasten the latter securely upon it, one at either end. This little frame once made to fit lasts for years; it is nailed up with a stroke or two of the hammer, and when the shade is slipped into place, it is whoUy out of sight. The flapping of the window shade, when the sash is raised and the shade lowered, is a serious annoyance. The way to prevent the tapping is very simple. Screw two little brass hooks, one on each side of the window-frame, opposite each other about twelve inches from the sill. At night tie a ribbon or broad tape across the open window, from one hook to the other, as sailors say, "taut." Screw a third hook in the moulding below the sill, exactly in the center. Pull down the shade over the ribbon, and tie the cord to the lower hook. The shade will be held firmly in place. POLISHES For a polish for black walnut, use alcoholic shellac varnish two parts, boiled oil one part; shake well and apply with a cloth. A simple furniture polish is three parts of linseed oil and one Eart spirits of turpentine. It not only covers the disfigured surface, ut restores wood to its original color and leaves upon the surface a beautiful lustre. Put on with a brush and rub down with a woolen cloth. 190 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A Handy Furniture Polish. — Make a mixture of olive oil one part and vinegar two parts. Apply it to the furniture with a canton flannel cloth. Rub dry u-ith another cloth of same material. A house- keeper who uses this polish on the finest varnished furniture says it has no equal. If the woodwork is of oiled wood it wiU need no cleaning except rubbing off with clear cold water, or perhaps with linseed oil. If it has been grained and varnished, it may be cleaned in the same way, and if the varnish is marred and scratched, it can be restored to its former good looks by applying turpentine and linseed oil, equal parts of each, well mixed together, and rubbed in with a silk or woolen cloth. To polish black marble, use oxide of tin. It does not stain. Woolen cloth or felt — say, an old felt hat — ^is most suitable as a rubber. To polish ivory, rub first with fine glass-paper, and then with a piece of wet linen cloth dipped in powdered pumice stone. The final poUsh may be produced by washed chalk or fine whiting applied with a piece of cloth wetted with soapsuds. To Polish Tortoise Shell. — Having scraped the work perfectly smooth and level, rub it with very fine sandpaper; repeat the rubbing with a bit of felt dipped in very finely powdered charcoal with water, and lastly with rotten stone or putty-powder, and finish with a piece of soft wash-leather dampened with a little sweet oil. Cement that will hold tortoise shell together, also hold it to steel or brass: Take of mastic 30 parts, shellac 90 parts, turpentine 6 parts, spirits of wine 90 per cent, strong, 350 parts. A good cem.ent for celluloid is made from one part shellac dis- solved in one part of spirits of camphor, and from three to four parts of ninety per cent, alcohol. The cement should be applied warm, and the broken parts securely held together until the solvent has entirely evaporated. To make black sealing wax, purchase three pounds of the best black resin and one ^jound of finely powdered ivory black. Melt the whole together over a slow fire and pour into sticks. To render fit for letter use, add, while soft, a quarter of a pound of Venice tur- pentine. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 191 CLEANING GOLD AND SIL\T:R ARTICLES To clean gold lace or embroidery, brush with a soft brush dipped in alcohol, being careful not to split the threads. Tarnished gold embroidery may be cleaned with a brush dipped in burned and pulverized rock alum. Gilt frames of mirrors, pictures, etc., should never be touched with an>-thing but clean water, gently appHed with a soft sponge or brush. Oxidized silver can be made clean by boiling it in a solution of forty parts of water and one jiart of sulphuric acid, or by heating it and dipping it into the solution. If silverware is occasionally washed in hot soapsuds in which a little pulverized borax has been dissolved and then rinsed in clear boiling water, it will not need so much cleaning with powders. Put a lump of camphor in the case with the silverware when packing it away for the summer months. If this is done the silver will be less liable to become discolored. I To keep silver bright, each evening pour scalding hot water over each piece, and dry with a soft linen towel. Once a week polish with soft cliamois, then place in canton flannel bags. French gold ornaments may be cleaned by rubbing them with a soft brush that has been dipped into a mixture of ten drops of i.mmonia and a pint of water. Dry in a soft linen cloth and polish with chamois skin. Jewelry can be beautifully cleaned by washing it in hot soap- suds to which a few drops of ammonia have been added, and then shaking off the water and laying the jewelry in a box of jewelers' sawdust. This method leaves no marks or scratches. A liquid for cleaning silver is made as follows: Add gradually eight cunccs of prepared chalk to a mixture of two ounces of spirits of turpentine, one ounce of alcohol, half an ounce of spirits of cam- phor and two drachms of aqua ammonia. Apply with a soft sponge and allow it to dry before polishing. 192 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Simple Test for Gold. — Take a piece of flint and rub against it the metallic object to be tested, until the latter leaves a sufficiently- marked trace upon the stone. Upon bringing the flame of a sulphur match in contact with the spot, the latter will remain intact if it has been made with gold, but will disappear if the contrary be the case. Cleaning and polishing gold. Mix, acetic acid 2 parts, sul- phuric acid 2 parts, oxalic acid 1 part, with 200 parts of distilled water; stir into the mixture 2 parts of jewelers' rouge which has been wetted with some of the water. Apply with a clean cloth, rinse well with hot water, and dry. Dull gold can be cleaned with the following solution: 80 grammes each of calcium hypochlorite* and sodium bicarbonate, and 20 grammes of common salt in 3 quarts of distilled water. Preserve in corked bottles. Articles to be cleaned should be put into a basin and covered with the mixture. After a time they should be taken out, washed, rinsed in alcohol, and dried in sawdust. The articles will then look as good as new. To keep silver and silver-plated articles from getting dim, as they are apt to do after standing a long time without being used, especially in rooms where the coal burnt holds a good deal of sulphur, they are sometimes first heated, then painted over with collodion considerably diluted with spirits of wine, the application being made with a fine brush. The layer soon dries, and is transparent and invisible ; it fully protects the silver, and it can be removed, when necessary, with hot water. Gilt articles, if of metal, may be cleansed by rubbing them gently with a sponge or soft brush moistened with a solution of half an ounce of potash, or an ounce of soda, or perhaps best, an ounce of borax, in a pint of water; then rinsing them in clean water and drying with a soft linen rag. Their lustre may be improved, in certain cases, by gently heating them, and then applying gentle friction with a soft rag. A very dilute solution of cyanide of potassium will answer the same purpose, by applying it in the same manner as above, washing in water and finally drying by gentle friction with a linen rag; but as this substance is very poisonous, it is not to be recom- mended for household uses. •Calcium hypcx;hlorite is a poison. The antidotes are steam, ammonia vapor, ether vapor, and very dilute hydrogen sulphide gas. 1 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 193 HOUSEHOLD CEMENTS To Mend Cracks in Plastering. — Mix plaster of Paris with vinegar instead of water. It hardens quickly. Leaks about chimneys may be stopped by a cement of coal-tar and sand, neatly applied. To Mend Celluloid Articles. — Wet the two edges with glacial acetic acid, and press them close together for a short time. Cement for Objects which Have to Be Heated. — Iron fiUngs, 100 parts; clay, 50 parts; common salt, 10 parts; quartz-sand, 20 parts. Sealing Wax for Fruit Cans. — Melt together 1 ounce yellow wax, 3 ounces American vermilion, 5 ounces gum shellac, and 1 pound rosin. Run into moulds. Cement for Stoves. — Equal parts of lime, salt and wood ashes are mixed with water to make a thick paste, which is worked into the cracks in the stove. The stove must not be hot. This cement hardens like stone with time. Cement that Will Hold Metal and Glass Together.— Boil three parts of rosin with one part of caustic soda and five of water. Then mix the composition with half its weight of plaster of Paris; it will set in three-quarters of an hour, is a low conductor of heat, is not permeable to petroleum, and only very slightly so to hot water. Ivory Cement. — Dissolve one part of isinglass and two parts of white glue in thirty of water; strain, and evaporate to six parts. Add one-thirtieth part of gum mastic dissolved in one-half part of alcohol ; add one part zinc white. When required for use, warm and shake up. To mend a broken plaster cast, paint the broken surface over two or three times with very thick shellac varnish, and after each application burn th£ alcohol over a flame. When the shellac is soft, press the parts together and tie in place until cold. The article will be as strong as it was before being broken. 194 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Cement to Mend China. — Take a very thick solution of gum arabic and stir into it plaster of Paris, until the mixture is of proper consistency. Apply it with a brush to the fractured edges of the chinaware, and stick them together. In a few days it will be impos- sible to break the article in the same place. The whiteness of the cement renders it doubly valuable. Hard Cement for Seams. — Take equal quantities of white lead and white sand and as much oil as uill make it into the consistency of putty. Apply this to the seams in the roofs of houses, and so forth. It will in a few weeks' time become as hard as stone. A very complete filling for open cracks in floors may be made by thoroughly soaking newspapers in paste made of one pound of flour, three quarts of water and a tablespoonful of alum, thoroughly boiled and mixed. Make the final mixture about as thick as putty, and it will harden like papier-mache. Graniteware is not to be soldered, because the solder will not hold, but a hole in a granite pan or kettle may easily be mended by the means of a rivet. Push the rivet through the hole, and then pound it down. This makes an instantaneous repair, and it lasts indefinitely. Tinware and ironware as well as granite may be mended with the rivets. Cement to Mend Iron Pots and Pans. — Take two parts of sulphur, and one part, by weight, of fine black lead; put the sulphur in an old iron pan, holding it over the fire until it begins to melt, then add the lead; stir it well until all is mixed and melted; then pour out on an iron plate or smooth stone. When cool, break into small pieces. A sufficient quantity of this compound being placed upon the crack of the iron pot to be mended, can be soldered by a hot iron in the same way a tinsmith solders his sheets. If there is a small hole in the pot, drive a copper rivet in it, and then solder over with cement. A cement for stopping leaks in water-tanks, or aquariums, is made by taking litharge, fine white dry sand, and plaster of Paris, of each one gill; finely powdered resin, one-third gill. These in- gredients are to be throughly mixed, and made into a paste, with boiled linseed oil to which some drier has been added. The paste is then to be beaten well, and allowed to stand for four or five hours before using it. Glass cemented into its frame with this cement ■will hold either salt or fresh water. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 195 If powdered chalk be added to glue it will strengthen it. To make glue that will resist the action of water, boil one pound of glue with two quarts of skimmed milk. When first you take a cork out of a glue, cement, or any other kind of a bottle where it is liable to stick, rub its edges with a little lard, and it always comes out easily thereafter. To make excellent glue, cover pieces of glue (as it comes in the dry state) with vinegar; keep in a warm place and shake occasionally until dissolved. For mucilage, thin it with more vinegar. To make "marine glue" that will resist the action of water, both hot and cold, and most of the acids and alkalies, proceed as follows: Take of gum shellac three parts, and of caoutchouc or India rubber, one part by weight. Dissolve the shellac and rubber in separate vessels in ether, free from alcohol, applying a gentle heat. When thoroughly dissolved, mix the two solutions, and keep in a bottle tightly corked. Pieces of leather, wood or other substances, joined together by it will part at any other point than the joint just made. If the glue be thinned by the admixture of ether, and applied as a varnish to leather along the seams where it is sewed together, it renders the joint or seam watertight, and almost impossible to separate. BEDROOMS One person can exhaust all the air in an ordinary bedroom in an hour. An inlet for fresh air should be provided for each room and bed- room. Open windows of sleeping and living rooms every pleasant day for a few moments. Hang out pillows, blankets, quilts, etc., on the Line occasionally through the winter and spring. To increase the warmth of bedclothes, lay newspapers between. Woolen hangings should be used in bedrooms, or woolen uphol- stery. Milk weed pods make a fine down for stuffing head-rest cushions. 196 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Ck>tton batting or sheep's wool pulled apart very finely, does very well to stuff sofa pillows if feathers are scarce. Paper wrapped around the ends of bedstead slats will do away with the annoying creaking sounds. If feather pillows have an unpleasant smell, place them be- fore a good fire and let them have a thorough drying. Small jugs, one-quart size, covered with crocheted wool, make excellent hot-water bottles. The bedstead needs cleaning weekly. Top, bottom, back and front must be gone over with a damp cloth, or perhaps a sponge wet in benzine. A well ventilated bedroom and the sleeper's head entirely cov- ered with the bedclothes, is no better than sleeping with a closed window. Never sun feather beds. Air them thoroughly on a windy day in a cold place. The sun draws the oil and gives the feathers a rancid smell. Pillow slips should be a half-inch narro\?er than the pil- lows they are to cover. This snugness in fit insures the pillows standing upright when the bed is made up. An old quilt tacked over bed springs is a great protection to the mattress. The dust that comes from below cannot lodge in the mattresses and spots of rust and hard wear are dispensed with. Closets should be cleaned systematically, shelves and floors and cleats should be washed. All discarded articles should be re- moved at once. To utilize worn Marseilles spreads or counterpanes, cut off the worn ends, hem neatly and use as hushers on the dining table. They are just the right weight for this purpose. To Know whether a Bed be Damp or Not. — After the bed is warmed, put a glass goblet in between the sheets, and if the bed be damp, in a few minutes drops of wet will appear in the inside of the glass. This is of great consequence to be attended to in travelling, as many persons have laid the foundation of incurable disorders by sleeping in a damp bed. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 197 To make the lifting and turning of mattresses easy, cover some heavy clothesline with braid and cut into eight-inch lengths. It makes excellent handles. Sew one of these securely to each end or side of single mattresses, or two on a double one. After eiderdown comforters have been used for a time they lose their lightness. Hang such comforters over a line in a strong wind for a few hours and give them a good beating with a rattan. This will give them renewed life. Sheets usually wear out in the center where the most wear comes, so when they begin to get thin there, tear them down length- wise and sew the outer edges together; thus the unworn part will come in the center of the sheet. Tacking Comforts. — The loosening of knots, where yarn is used, may be prevented by tying a square knot, made by passing the left end under the right, pull each end evenly so that the twist will fall equally on each thread. Next pass the right thread under and pull as before. Draw snugly, and you will have a knot that will not work loose. Warming Bottle. — Fill the bottle with acetate of sodium or, better still, with a mixture of the acetate with the hyposulphite (1 to 10) to about three-fourths of its capacity, cork tightly, and heat in boiling water till the salt melts. The bottle will now radiate heat for 10 or 12 hours. As soon as cooled down, melt the salt again. To Keep Comforts Clean, — Take a sheet the size of your com- fort and work buttonholes along the two sides of the top and the bottom, sew buttons on the corresponding parts of your comfort, and button the sheet on. Use this side next to the bed, and your comfort will be unsoiled and perfectly sanitary, as you change this sheet with the other bed linen. If you prefer, loops of tape can be used on the sheets instead of the button-holes. To transfer feathers from one pillow to another, rip the seam four inches in the end of each and sew the edges of one hole, thus made, to those of the other. The feathers may then be readily worked through the aperture, without the disagreeble experience of inhaling the flying down. When making down pillows, wax the inner covering, and then the down will not be able to work through the two covers. To do this, iron the wrong side of the tick with a hot fiatiron rubbed with beeswax, rubbing the iron over the wax each time before putting it on the cloth. 198 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS To Protect Pillows. — Cover your bed pillows with a basted-on pillow case of old thin muslin, which will keep the ticking from head stains — and the feathers from collecting possible disease germs —and will make the top pillow case look whiter than when put directly on the ticking. A screen for preventing drafts when a window is left open for fresh air, is shown in the sketch. The screen is attached to the bed- post on hinges, so that it may swing in any position. This permits it to swing out of the way cither when getting into bed or in case the sleeper gets up suddenly in the dark. To Make Chicken Feather Pillows. — Save the feathers — leaving out all those that are long and stiff until there are enough for a pillow. Then wash in soapsuds, rinse thoroughly, and put in muslin flour sack to dry. Put where the air will dry them as rapidly as possible, shaking often until perfectly dry and fluffy. Use the best of ticking in making the pillows. Feathers for Beds. — Feathers should be put into thin bags, of old furniture lining or thin calico, as soon as they are plucked, and either kept in a brick oven between the days of baking, or hung in a very drying place. The feathers must be put lightly into the bags, that they may dry thoroughly; if not dried at first, nothing will remove the taint. They must be kept very dry until used for a bed. If any trace of the cimex is found, use the very best alcohol generously. This not only kills those that are alive, but destroys the eggs and cleans mattress and bed. The nesting places must be examined and treated. Picture moldings, back and front, picture frames, woodwork, cracks in walls and floprs, loosened paper, must all be watched. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 199 The presence of this insect is not necessarily an indication of neglect or carelessness. It is very apt to be introduced into homes through trunks and satchels of travelers. It migrates from one house to another, especially from an infested house that has been left by its human inhabitants. In common with other insects which attack human beings, it is entirely possible for these pests to be transmitters of contagious diseases. A period of about eleven weeks has been supposed to be necessary for the complete maturity of this insect, or seven weeks as the period from egg to adult insect. Without food they may re- main unchanged for an indefinite time. Each bedbug must puncture its host five times before becoming mature, and at least once after- wards before it again develops eggs. Insect powders are of practically no avail against it. Their extermination becomes a matter of considerable diflficulty where wooden bedsteads are used. Liberal applications of kerosene, ben- zine, or the other petroleum oils are of value to kill them in the crevices and cracks. Oil of turpentine, corrosive sublimate, the liberal use of hot water are effectual methods of destroying active bugs and their eggs. The use of these should be combined with daily inspection of beds and bedding, and of all locations and crevices where the vermin has concealed itself. In rooms containing books, and where liquid applications are not possible, fumigation with sulphur, formaldehyde, hydrocyanic acid gas, and many household remedies, which will be found in this section of this volume, are to be used. How to change sheets without moving a patient, or causing any exposure or inconvenience: Everything must be in readiness before beginning the work, which must proceed rapidly and skilfully. The sheets must be folded lengthwise and fan-fashion — that is, back and forth instead of over and over. The lower sheet must be re- moved and the clean one substituted at the same time. Loosen the sheet and push towards the patient; place the clean one in po- sition, and as the first sheet is pushed along move the fresh one into its place. Push as much as possible under the patient. Go to the other side and pull through into place. Remove and stretch the fresh one into place, tucking in carefully. It is easier to replace the upper sheet by folding it across the sheet rather than lengthwise. Begin to push down at the head and work gradually to the foot. All this is to be done without removing the other covers. 200 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS THE BATHROOM The bathroom must shine with cleanliness; walls and floors should be washable and smooth. Tile or glass is best, but the walls may be of varnished plaster, painted in oil, and preferably white. The rug must be laundered frequently and hung up when not in use. An extra rack for hot-water bottles and the like is desirable. The greasy coating that often forms on the tub may be removed by a good cleanser that is not harsh. An ordinary pasteboard mailing tube, covered with white oil- cloth and with a cord attached at each end, is a convenient hanger to use in the bathroom for wash-cloths. Buy Turkish toweling by the yard and make up your own towels. They do not look quite as well as the ordinary bath towels, but they answer the purpose at about half the cost. Obstructions in the pipes may often be removed by a long stout wire, and a plumber's bill saved. A wrench for removing the trap is good economy. Should the bathroom be troubled with roaches, a good ex- terminator can be made of three parts fluoride of sodiimi to one part powdered sugar. Blend thoroughly and scatter into or near cracks. This is not fatal to persons, but is disagreeable. A Neat Sponge Bag. — Cut off at the top an old hot-water bottle that has been discarded to desired length, and trim off ring at the bottom. Enclose this rubber bag in a sack made of dainty material, making a heading with draw-strings; secure to the rubber bag with a few stitches around upper edge to prevent slipping, and you have a useful and inexpensive receptacle for sponge or wash-cloth for traveling. Empty bottles and odds and ends have no place in the bathroom. If one must use poisons, have them labeled plainly and colored blue or red, if liquid, so that no mistake will be made on account of color. On the bottle, or on the door, should be written the antidote for each poison, with directions for use. If possible, the antidote should be on the shelf, plainly labeled. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 201 The toilet bowl needs disinfecting often. A good fluid made at home has six ounces of chloride of lime dissolved in one gallon of water. Cork tightly and keep dark. Sponges are great germ collectors. They should be scalded out thoroughly every little while. To clean and whiten old and discolored sponges, first well wash them in soap and water, then well rinse them so as to be quite free from soap; then soak them in a solution of permanganate of potash for three minutes; then well wash in cold water and put them into some strong oxalic acid, when the sponge will become a beau- tiful bright yellow. KITCHEN HELPS AND CONVENIENCES Make a bag to hang your rolling-pin up in. Poorly ventilated kitchens make poor cooks by destroying the sense of taste and smell. A low rocking chair, in which to sit while preparing vegetables, adds greatly to the general comfort. A bench covered with a comforter folded to fit it, and a very large pillow, make a comfortable emergency lounge for the kitchen. Lemon juice and salt will remove iron rust; it will also take out stains of any kind. Nothing saves more work in the kitchen than a liberal use of rugs. When the work is finished they may be picked up and carried out, leaving the floor spic and span. Before using, rain-water should be filtered through a com- mon filter of alternate layers of white sand, chalk, and animal charcoal. Galvanized-iron pails are not desirable receptacles for drinking water. The zinc coating is apt to be affected by the water and an oxide of zinc formed. 202 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Many householders are indisposed to burn organic refuse because of the offensiveness of the process. This can be entirely overcome if the simple plan of first drying such matters in the ash- pit beneath the fire be adopted. To clean your spice-mill, you will find that by grinding a hand- ful of raw rice through it, this can be accomplished. The particles of spice and pepper or of coffee will not adhere to it after the rice is ground through it. For Marking Window Screens. — Little brass tacks with numbers on them can be bought very cheap at any hardware store. If a tack is put on each window, and one with the corresponding number on each screen, there will be no trouble about getting the screens fitted to the right windows. To Keep Screens from Rusting. — Before putting screens away for the winter, give them a coat of kerosene. This will keep them from rusting. If they are treated in the same manner before being put up for the summer, you will have no trouble with mosquitoes, as this keeps away the young insects which are able to crawl in between the open spaces in the screens. Wire-Screen Griddles. — Buy a piece of ordinary wire screening and have it cut up into squares to serve as griddles on the gas stove when using saucepans too small to rest on the racks over the burners. You do not have to wait for them to heat through and they are very light to handle. Brass wire netting is more durable than ordinary screen, if obtainable. Almost every housekeeper knows how to clean boards, but too much care cannot be given to those from which you have just taken up your carpets. Soda and warm water is an excellent wash for boards which are seen, rubbed over well with clean cloths; and a mixture of two parts sand, one and a half lime, and the same of soft soap, will not only be found a good recipe for scouring boards, but very effective in keeping away insects. Since there is danger of soap taking paint off woodwork, it is best to wash it with clear water unless it has become too much soiled for that; then whiting should be used; get the best quality. Dip a flannel cloth in warm water and squeeze until almost dry, then dip into the whiting and apply to the painted surface. Wash clean with water and wipe dry with a piece of chamois leather; the paint thus treated will look like new and will not be harmed in the least. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 203 If grease is spilled or a blackened utensil is set upon it, a slight application of soap and water removes all traces. If the draining board has a zinc covering with an escape for the water into the sink, the dish-racks may be set directly upon it and the hot water poured over, which not only hastens the wiping but improves the lustre of the dishes. A piece of zinc placed in front of the stove is easily cleaned and saves scrubbing the floor; this is especially desirable when having an oiled floor, as the tiny particles of fat from cooking make ugly stains hard to remove. Zinc makes an excellent covering for kitchen tables and shelves, and though the first cost is somewhat expensive its durability makes it very desirable. In covering a table, turn the zinc over the edges and tack on the under side, making a neat finish. Zinc-covered tables are easy to keep clean. Nothing is better for the purpose than powdered bathbrick used with soap. To polish, give a rub with dry whiting, and finish off with a chamois leather. An excellent arrangement where the dining room and kitchen adjoin is to have an opening in the wall between the two, with a broad shelf where the dishes may be passed through. A sliding door may be used to close the opening when not in service. Shelves in the kitchen should have no paper on, but be painted. Five or six inches is wide enough for shelves in that room. The highest should be just a comfortable reach, and the lowest the height of the knees. An easy and effective mode of ventilation can be arranged with a piece of wood cut a little smaller than the width of the win- dow frame and about six inches high. Insert this at the bottom of the frame and shut the window bottom down on the wood. A steady ventilating process will go on from the center of the windows. Uses of a Meat Grinder. — The young housewife usually limits the usefulness of her grinder to the making of hashes, croquettes and other meat dishes. Crackers or stale bread may be crumbed in it for frying oysters, fish, etc. In fact, if anything is to be well chopped or made into a dry powder, this handy machine will do the work uniformly and with dispatch. 204 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A Quick Filter. — Take a clear piece of chamois skin, free from thin places; cut it of the desired size; wash it in a weak solution of sal soda, or any alkali, to remove the grease, and rinse thoroughly in cold water, before using. A pint of the thickest syrup will run through in four or five minutes. By washing thoroughly after each time of using it will last a long time. For Drying Bottles and Lamp Chimneys. — ^Take the handle of an old broom, and cut it into twelve-inch lengths. Fasten these sticks in upright position to a board one inch thick, placing them seven inches apart. After rinsing the bottles, vases, etc., turn them upside down over these sticks to dry. If a handle is placed at each end of the board, it wiU be an easy matter to move it about from place to place. Use newspapers freely in the kitchen, spreading tmder pans; when washing dishes, or on a table when peeling fruit or vegetables also spread them around table, sink, and stove when cooking. Crumple them up to wipe ofif greasy dishes and clean the bottoms of smoky pans. Polish tinware, windows and stoves with them. Make a thick pad of several of them to stand on when ironing; you will truly find them a rest for weary "soles." Dampen them and tear into bits to sprinkle over a dusty carpet; they brighten it wonderfully. Simple Tests for Water. — (1) For hard or soft water, dissolve a small quantity of good soap in alcohol, and let a few drops of the solution fall into a glass of water. If the latter turns milky, it is hard; if not, it is soft. (2) For earthy matters or alkali: Take some litmus-paper dipped in vinegar, and if on immersion in the water the paper returns to its true shade, the water does not contain alkali or earthy matters. A few drops of syrup added to water con- taining earthy matter will turn it green. (3) For carbonic acid: Take equal parts of the water and clear lime water, mix them, and if carbonic acid is present, there wiU be a precipitate, which wiU effer- vesce if a few drops of muriatic acid be added to it. (4) For mag- nesia: Boil the water to one-twentieth part of its weight, then drop a few grains of neutral carbonate of ammonia into a glass of it, with a few grains of phosphate of soda. If . magnesia be present it will fall to the bottom. (5) For iron: Boil a little nut-gall and add it to the water, which will turn gray or slate-black if iron is present. A little prussiate of potash will also turn the iron blue. (6) For lime: Into a glass of the water put two drops of oxalic acid, and blow upon it. If it gets milky, lime is present. _ (7) For acid: If litmus- paper turns red in the water, it contains acid ; the lime test will show whether it is carbonic acid. If it turns a blue sugar-paper red, it is a mineral acid. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 205 Polish mirrors with a flannel, dampened in camphor. Woodenware, when not in use, should be turned bottom side up. No kitchen should be without scales to test the integrity of things purchased by weight, and to measure the quantities of various recipes. When a window is difficult to raise, pour a little melted lard between the frame and casing and put a little, also, on the cord. If you put soda in the water with which you are to wash windows, you will find that finger-marks, putty stains, etc., will be much more easily removed than if clear water alone is used. Hard putty may be easily softened by passing a red-hot flat piece of iron over it, so that it can then be removed with the fingers or the edge of a knife without any difficulty. If the kitchen is dark and another window impossible, paper with light paper. You will be surprised to see how much more cheerful it will seem. For the kitchen windows, or where it is desired to shut off a view and still let in light, use two sash curtains one above the other. These are very convenient, for the upper section will light the room and the lower can well protect the eyes from the sun while reading. Rubbing a windowpane with fine sand and water will make it obscure, yet diaphanous. Another method is to cleanse the glass thoroughly, then moisten it with hydrofluoric acid. When the acid has eaten the glass enough, wash it off with plenty of clean water. Those who wish clean shiny windows, try this method of cleaning them. Take a sheet of newspaper and sprinkle well with water until quite damp. Crush this and use it instead of a sponge or rag, using a clean dry sheet for drj-ing. This leaves no lint if rubbed until perfectly dry. To clean window, picture and looking glasses there is nothing so good as methylated spirits. A rag dipped in the spirit should be rubbed over the glass, wliich should afterward be polished with chamois. This plan is especially good in frosty weather, and water cannot be used. The methylated spirit dries quickly and gives a bright polish to the glass. 206 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS If you grease the inner rim of a kettle its contents will never boil over. Use insect powder or borax freely in the kitchen pantry, on the shelves and in drawers. If powdered borax is put over the shelves, under the papers, it will help to keep away insects. Do not use soap in cleaning marble mantels, tables, etc., but wash them with ammonia and clean water — enough ammonia to make the water feel smooth. Little, just perceptible cracks ir< earthenware will disappear and the dish look as good as new, if it is boiled in milk. This has been tried on a small majolica pitcher with success. For a damp closet or cupboard, which is liable to cause mildew, place in it a saucerful of quicklime, and it will not only absorb all dampness but sweeten and disinfect the space. Corks may be made air and water tight by keeping them for five minutes under melted paraffin; they must be kept down with a wire screen. A great convenience in a kitchen is a flap table, which, when not in use can be dropped down against the wall ; another convenience is a stand with casters that can be moved from one part of the kitchen to the other. When unfortunate enough to spill hot grease upon the top of a clean, white kitchen table, quickly pour cold water upon it and that will cool it at once. This prevents the wood from absorbing the grease. In the pot closet vigilance is necessary against insects, as too often all the grease is not scalded out of skillets. Every housekeeper should take a look at this part of the closet once a week. Forbid piling of the pans in indiscriminate heaps. Hang as many as possible. Never allow preserves, desserts or sauces to stand uncovered in the closet; and see that the outside of the molasses jug is carefully washed off after each using. Nothing more quickly breeds trouble in a closet than carelessness about such things. When a can of syrup, or any jar with a screw top from which you will use at intervals, has been opened, rub a little lard around the threads of the screw. It will open easily and no harm will be done to the contents. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 207 In cold weather when one is in haste to remove thick liquids, such as syrups, molasses, etc., from jugs, the flow can be increased by inserting a bent metal, rubber or glass tube into the mouth of the receptacle. Sugar must be kept tightly covered, both for its own sake and to keep the cupboard clean. Many housekeepers think it is much less liable to get ants in it if it be kept in japanned or por- celain-lined boxes, rather than in wood. As the wooden boxes rarely have lids that hinge they are much more often left open. Often a defective cover will be found among the fruit jars and cannot be screwed down to make the jar tight. Put a little putty around between the cover and rubber, and when the top is screwed down as tightly as possible, press the putty in around the crevice; when the putty becomes hard the jar wiU be found airtight. To sweeten jars and cans which have contained tobacco, onions, or anything else of strong odor, wash the article clean, then fill it with fresh garden earth, cover it and let it stand for twenty-four hours. Then wash it and dry it, and it wlU be quite sweet and fit for use. Improvised Cakemixer. — By putting the ingredients into a two-quart ice cream freezer you can beat them quickly and easily, the result being cakes of very fine grain. The eggs should be whipped before being added, for the best results, and the other ingredients put together in the usual order. Uses for Old Hot-Water Bags. — They make good linings for sponge cases, or for bags in which to carry bath or tooth brushes when traveling. Round mats may be cut from the sides of the bag, and placed under house plants to prevent the moisture from the earthenware saucers from injuring polished surfaces. All sediment-cocks in kitchen boilers should be left open at least once a week for the space of fifteen minutes, so as to clean and wash out all foul sediment. Often, when complaint is made that the water smells, or that it does not heat properly, the real cause will be found to arise from this neglect. For cleaning smoke and dirt from walls and woodwork, espe- cially yellow pine, vinegar works like magic. Put about a pint in a basin, wet a flannel cloth in this and wipe the thing to be cleaned. When the cloth becomes soiled, wash it out in clear water before wetting again in the vinegar. In this way no vinegar is wasted and there is no wetting of the clothing. 208 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Instead of spending hours of labor cleaning a greasy sink, especially one of glazed ware, a little paraffine oil upon a piece of flannel will remove all grease. Afterwards wash with hot water and soap ; flush with cold water. Tiiis cleanses pipes at the same time. A medium-sized paper pad, with a lead pencil attached, hung over a kitchen table will be found of great convenience. If articles needed are written down upon this pad they will not be overlooked. When the housewife starts for market the outside slip can be pulled off and taken with her instead of her trusting to her memory, with the danger of forgetting some simple but most important article. A False Kettle-Bottom. — Take a pail-cover or shallow tin of a suitable size to fit the kettle, and, with a hammer and nail, punch it full of holes, with the roughness on the inside so that the water may have free play through it. When about to boil a piece of meat, insert this false bottom first, and there will be no danger of the meat sticking to the bottom or being tainted if it should happen to boil dry. Treatment for Warped, Drafty Floors. — Lay one or more thickness of builders' paper or newspapers. Buy two-yard-wide oil- cloth of cheap quality. Lay on the floor upside down. Let lie a day before tacking so that it will stretch. Fit plain moulding about the baseboards. Where the seams of the oilcloth meet, finish with a brass tape which sells at five cents for two yards. Then give two coats of paint and varnish. The pebbled effect of the wrong side is ef- fective. The floor will be free from drafts and may be used bare or with rugs of any size. Do you know that a handful of screw-eyes, assorted sizes, are worth their weight in silver for kitchen use? Try screwing one into the end of your bread-board and your ironing-board, your brushes, brooms and clothes-stick. Put one at each end of your kitchen wall; on ironing day stretch a stout cord between and see what a convenient place you have to air your clothes. _ When the wooden handle comes out of your favorite saucepan lid, do you know that a screw-eye screwed into a cork on the inside makes an admirable substitute? The little five-cent scrubbing brushes are most helpful things in a kitchen. One kept on the washstand is just the thing for cleaning the wash dish, the soap dish, and, if a soft one, even the fingers after blacking the stove, or other rough work. Another may be kept for scrubbing out the reservoir, and for use about the dish- washing. And one should be used for cleaning graters, for which there is nothing better, it being lintless and having no fibres to catch on the roughness of the grater. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 209 To cleanse glass or porcelain vessels from organic dirt, use a mixture of sulphuric acid and bichromate of potash. To make pressed glassware shine, peel a potato, cut it in two, and rub the dishes with it. It goes into every crevice and gives a beautiful lustre. Wash and dry in the usual way. Some like finely cut potato peelings to clean the vinegar cruet, using them in the same way you use the shot. They are very good for this purpose, but do not do the work as quickly as the shot. To wash cut glass and have it clear and shining you should have a soft brush, and dry it lastly, after using a linen towel, with tissue paper. Do not wash glass in very hot water and then set it in a current of cold air, unless you want it to crack. This is true especially of thick glass; the thin glasses will stand hot water better. To wash fine glass it is best to wash it in warm soapsuds and then nnse it in very hot water, wiping it at once on a fine towel and setting it in a sheltered place. Cut glass will not look clear unless thoroughly washed in plenty of water; but it does not require soap. If it is in any way blurred or tarnished, it must be cleaned with a soft brush dipped in whiting, and then polished. To Open Any Bottle. — Make a small pad from a bath-towel, and place against a door-jamb or solid wall. Holding the bottle by the neck, drive it hard against this solid pad. Three or four such strokes should losen any cork. Care should be taken, by watching the cork as it loosens, not to drive it entirely out and thus lose a portion of the contents of the bottle. Rinsing Bottles. — Bottles, after being some time in use, are apt to acquire a crust or coating very difficult to remove by ordinary rinsing. Use the following methods for removing such impurities: 1. Soak them in permanganate of potash. 2. Rinse the bottles out with a solution of equal parts of muriatic acid and water. 3. Chloride of lime and water in the proportion of one ounce of the lime to two pints of water, and allow the bottles to lie in the solu- tion for three or four days. 4. Strong sulphuric acid may be put into the bottles, which may then be corked and allowed to stand for a day or two. This should remove the strongest crust. Either of these four methods requires great care. The chemi<:al should in all cases be carefuUy rinsed out with clean water, and it should be borne in mind that all acids are extremely injurious to clothes, etc. 210 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS How to Loosen Glass Stoppers. — 1. Hold the bottle, or decanter, firmly in the hand, or between the knees, and gently tap the stopper on alternate sides, using for the purpose a small piece of wood, and directing the strokes upward. 2. Plunge the neck of the vessel in hot water, taking care that the water is not hot enough to split the glass. If the stopper is still fixed, use the first method. 3. Pass a piece of lint around the neck of the bottle, which must be held fast while two persons draw the lint backwards and forwards. 4. Warm the neck of the vessel before the fire, and when it is nearly hot the stopper can be removed. 5. Put a few drops of oU around the stopper where it enters the glass vessel, which may then be warmed before the fire. Then apply process No. 1. If the stopper still continues immovable, repeat the above process until it gives way, which it is almost sure to do in the end. 6. Take a steel pin or needle, and run it round the top of the stopper in the angle formed by it and the bottle. Then hold the vessel in your left hand and give it a steady twist toward you with the right, and it will very soon be effectual. If this d oes not succeed try process No. 5, which will be facilitated by it. A bottle of turpentine should be kept in every house, for its uses are numerous. A few drops sprinkled where cockroaches con- gregate will exterminate them at once ; also ants, red or black. Moths will flee from the odor of it. Besides, it is an excellent application for a burn or cut. It will take ink stains out of white muslin, when added to soap, and will help whiten clothes if added to them while boiling. Enameled iron sinks and bath tubs are the trial of new house- keepers who do not understand how they are to be made to retain their pristine freshness. Vigorous scrubbing is not desirable, as it will in time wear and mar the surface. A simple way of cleaning is to wipe the tub perfectly dry with a cloth, then rub it thoroughly with a cloth dipped in salt and turpentine. Rinse with clear water and dry with a fresh cloth. The surface will look like new. Kerosene on a cloth does the work quickly and effectively, too. Keep on hand a stock of asbestos mats ; they only cost a trifle and are almost indestructible, when put under pots and pans they will prevent food from burning; they are also excellent to put over things in the oven when there is danger of burning them. Keep on hand also a number of small brushes with handles; they will help to save the hands as they can be used in washing dishes, pots and the sink and such like. Another convenience is a wooden spoon with long perforations to cream butter with. s-0 S-J? 81 - n w 3 •< a. ■a 1- HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Easily Made Plate Supports can be made with scrap wire and a pair of small pliers. Two pieces of wire, such as a bale of hay is fastened with, are twisted about each other two or three times (see a) and the four ends bent to catch the edges of the plate. A second piece of wire is bent to an eye to permit sus- pension, then bent to a yoke around the twisted supports, the ends are brought together and twisted and the place is ready to suspend from the wall. To make a rest to permit the plate to stand at an angle, make an A-shaped support, fasten the top of it to the twisted part of the wires with claws and cut two short pieces of wire long enough to fasten from the X-shaped arrangement to the A support. The angle at which the plate is stood up is regulated by shifting the short pieces of wire up or down the lower part of the X-shaped support. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 211 HOW TO WASH DISHES Sanitary dish washing is as important as sanitary cooking. Salt and vinegar used hot will brighten copper and brass kettles. To remove lime from an iron pot, wash in strong vinegar. Vinegar will remove the disagreeable odor of kerosene from tinware. Have plenty of towels and keep them aU clean. There is no need of a coarse kitchen towel. Remove brown stains on baking dishes by dipping a damp flannel in whiting and rub well with it. Badly burned enamel ware utensils will usually become quite clean if boiled in soda water a few minutes. Instead of using a knife to scrape a kettle in which something has burned, try a fine grater, and see what an improvement it is. Always allow mush kettles to stand over night filled to the top with water. If every pot and pan or any utensil used in the cooking of food be washed as soon as emptied, and while still hot, half the labor and a great deal of time wiU be saved. To clean a burned kettle, turn out the burned contents, but do not fill with water. Set it aside to cool and then place in a handful of washing soda and water and let the solution boil for an hour or more. Vinegar and salt will clean the black crust off sheet-iron frying pans; but they should be thoroughly scoured afterwards with sand and soap. Kerosene will make tin tea kettles as bright as new. Saturate a woolen rag and rub with it. It will also remove stains from var- nished furniture. 212 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS An ordinary wire tray, such as business men use for papers, makes a fine drainer, but it is easier and more economical of room to wipe the dishes just as they come out of the water. In washing anything that has had raw egg in it or milk, always soak it in cold water first, or rinse it well in cold water before putting it in hot. A good way to clean the wire of a milk strainer, when the holes get filled up, is to rub salt into it thoroughly, then wash with hot water. When you lose the lid of your tea-kettle, take the lid of a gallon molasses pail and get a knob. Screw this through the lid and fasten on the under side with a small burr. To cleanse a pan in which candy has been cooked, put water in it, place the lid on and set on the stove to boil. The steam will render it as easily washed as a teacup. Have at hand, on a little shelf near the sink, a covered glass of brickdust with a large cork in it, and on washing steel knives give them a rub. Have at hand another glass with a bit of flannel and silver soap, and rub ofT spots on the silver as they appear. It takes but little longer and saves a weekly cleaning day. The silver should be polished with a rub or two from a chamois cloth, and a canton flannel towel to wipe it on will keep it shining. There is no need of piling dishes in the pan or scraping them with finger-nails. A little five-cent scrubbing brush with some scouring soap on it will take off roughness and grease from frying pans. If milk has been put in tin, the first washing should always be in water that is hardly more than warm, or it will stick and refuse to come off with persistent scalding. The same rule should be fol- lowed with dishes that have been used to mix biscuit, muffins or any unsweetened dough. Rich cake dough or anything that has plenty of sugar in it, on the contrary, washes off with hot water in a trice. Sugar melts in boiling water, flour makes paste, and paste does not belong on dishes. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 213 Begin by having a deep dishpan, not too large, so that the water will keep hot. Do not set this pan on a porcelain sink, but have a little wooden trivet, or turn a pan upside down for a stand. This not only protects the sink but makes it unnecessary to stoop over the job. The teacups must be laid — entirely to themselves — on a news- paper-covered tray, first dipping them in very hot water. They drain with a polish and are not nicked or cracked by contact with heavier dishes. Some very particular housekeepers, neat in other things, are careless about their dishcloths, and in some cases, if a bacteriologist could examine them, the cloths would be carried out of the house with a pair of tongs. They should be sterilized by boiling every day and should be changed once a week. Too many housewives keep the same cloth indefinitely, when there is plenty of material in the house that could be utilized for that purpose. Mosquito netting doubled or quadrupled makes excellent dish- cloths. It is thin enough to go easily into pitchers and small cups; it is pleasant to handle; it is scalded and dried easily and quickly, and it is so cheap there is no temptation to keep it after it begins to grow dingy. Dishes from a light meal are far better washed without soap. Use a medium-sized pan for washing, and begin with the glasses, cups, etc., leaving greasy dishes till the last. Place right side up in a large pan, then your rinsing water will do some good. Or better still, drain off the suds, then place in rinsing pan. The wiping cloth does not remove the suds, for it is as a rule used until wet, then hung up to dry with the suds in it. To clean kettles to which anything has become stuck, pour a little water in them, cover closely with a lid, and allow the steam to do the hard work for you. In a little time you can easily scrape off the sides of the kettle. To clean skillets, turn one over the other, allowing the steam from the under one to soften the one above it. It is a much easier way to loosen particles than to try to scrape them while they are dry and hard. 214 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS For cleaning tinware there is nothing better than dry flour applied with a newspaper. First wash the tin in hot soapsuds, wipe thoroughly dry, and then scour with flour and well-crumpled news- paper. The careful use of cooking utensils is an economical item. When they have been used, fill them with water and boil a small lump of soda in them; to clean them thoroughly, boil them with soda in a wash-boiler, and do not injure them by scraping or rubbing with any metallic article. Soda must not be used on aluminum. The best way to have tea-kettle and tea and coffee boiler always shining is to put a little soap on your dishcloth and wipe when the tinware is hot. Most people wait till everything else is done, and by that time the tinware is cold and so is the dishwater. Do not scrape the inside of frying pans, as after this operation any preparation fried is liable to catch or burn to the pan. If the pan has black inside, rub it with a hard crust of bread, and wash in hot water mixed with a little soda. Cleanse the dishes from crumbs and grease before putting into the pan. A mop can be used for many of the articles, and the hands need not be subjected to a heat which will give them a par- boiled aspect and may enlarge the blood vessels, so that in time the skin will have a coarse appearance. When the task is finished, wash the hands thoroughly in warm water, using either castile soap or almond meal. Rinse in cold water and dry perfectly. The grease that is so diligently scoured off upon ordinary occasion is beneficial to unused pots in keeping them from rusting. Any iron utensils that are kept in a basement should be coated with grease before the family leaves town for a long absence in the summer. The precaution is not necessary if agate ironware is used. Cleaning Wooden Kitchen Utensils. — Wooden spoons, meat pounders, baking boards, etc., that have been used, should not be cleansed with hot water, because this method of cleansing "sets" the fat, sauce, juice, etc., into the wood. Place them in a solution of lime for a couple of hours, or cover them with a lime paste, which will remove all the fat and leave the article clean and white. Then polish with sand. Lukewarm water with a little soda is advised to partly remove grease. Do not allow the wooden articles to lie in dish-waters, as they are difficult to dry, arid become tinsightly after a while« HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 215 There are two or three ways of getting rid of grease. One is to fill the dish, while waiting to be washed, with hot water and a little soap powder, and let it soak. Another is to put a teaspoonfiU of ammonia in the dishwater when there is an unusual number of greasy dishes. At any rate, the place for grease is not in forming a scum over the dishwater. When that happens, pour the water oflf and use a fresh panful. Dusting in General. — As ordinarily performed, dusting simply whisks the lint from one place to another. Ideas of dusting are many and varied ; some dust only what is in sight, others what might be seen, and a few dust everywhere. They never fail to wipe the window sashes where they meet and lock. They open all doors and clean them on top and two sides, as well as back and front. More than that, they dust the casing where the door touches when closed. Sometimes it is necessary to polish as well as dust. The un- beaten white of an egg stirred into cold water cleans polished surfaces wen. Work in small sections, dry quickly and rub till bright. Cloths must be soft and clean. Woodwork that has been stained only should be cleaned with a cloth slightly oiled, and dusted with a dry doth. White spots made by water or heat on varnished furniture are removed by rubbing with spirits of camphor. A good furniture renovator should always be at hand and used for polishing. DAILY CARE OF LAMPS Wicks should be soaked with oil before being lit. When the lamp is lit, the wick should be at first turned down, and then slowly raised. A lamp is far better for the eyes of the student or worker than the glare from gas or electric light. Wicks should be only just long enough to reach the bottom of the oil reservoir. Wicks should be so wide that they quite fill the ^-ick holder without having to be squeezed into it. 216 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS If a lamp wick sticks and will not work easily, try pulling out a thread at each edge. Wash smoke-stained lamp chimneys in warm suds, and while wet rub with dry salt or with vinegar. A chimney with ground-glass edge at the top is less likely to break as the ground-glass edge allows more room for expansion. See that the lamp wicks are turned down after trimming, else the lamps will be covered with oil. The reservoir should be quite filled with oil every time before losing the lamp. The lamp should be kept thoroughly clean, all oil should be carefully wiped off, and aU charred wick and dirt removed before lighting. Lamp wicks soaked in vinegar some twenty-four hours before being brought into use will give a clearer flame and a steadier light than those not so treated. Bad oil clogs the wick aad the burner, besides giving oflf an unpleasant aiid very dirty vapor. Under the title of petroleum or rock oil are also included paraJOfine and kerosene. Never turn down a lamp, allowing it just to glimmer. It is meant to bum with the flame at fuU height, and when allowed to smoulder in this way it will either smoke or smell, possibly both. To prcTent lamp chimneys from continually breaking, place them in cold salted water, and let them come to a boil, then cool off again. To clean a chimney, hold it over the steam of boiling water, and rub briskly afterward with a soft, dry cloth. If the chimney be blackened, wipe off the soot with a piece of newspaper before stearaing. A kerosene stove, with two burners, wUl bum ten hours a day for thirty days at a cost of two dollars. If as soon as the wicks are discolored they are thrown sway or boiled in sal-soda water there is little odor from the kerosene stove. Care should be taken also not to have anything boil over on the burners. Each day they should be rubbed down with soft tissue paper to keep them even and smooth. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 217 Lamps Avith metal reservoirs are undoubtedly safer than those of glass or china, as the former, if upset, can be picked up and re- placed before the oil can escape. The flames from kerosene cannot be extinguished with water, but flour thrown profusely upon them will smother them or a large woolen rug or cloth will help stifle them. The wick should be plaited, not woven, with a weft or cross thread. A bad wick, if drawn between the fingers, will feel hard and knotty; a good wick will feel smooth and glossy, and if pressed between the finger and thumb, will yield to the pressure, and upon being released will spring into shape again. Lamps which have no extinguishing apparatus should be put out as follows: The wick should be turned down until there is only a small flickering flame, and a sharp puff of breath should then be sent across the top of the chimney, but not down it. The cement commonly used for fastening the tops on kero- sene lamps is plaster of Paris, which is porous and quickly pene- trated by the kerosene. Another cement, which has not this defect, is made with three parts of resin, one of caustic soda and five of water. The composition is mixed with half its weight of plaster of Paris. Petroleum for use in lamps, stoves, etc., should be white or light yellow in color with a blue reflection; clear yellow indicates imperfect purification or adulteration with inferior oil. The odor should be faint and not disagreeable. The specific gravity at 60 degrees Fahrenheit ought not to be below 0.795 nor above 0.84. Wlien mixed with an equal volume of sulphuric acid, of the density of 1.53, the color should not become darker, but, if anything, lighter. A grade of oil that will stand these tests and possesses the proper flashing point may be safely used. A five-foot burner is a burner through which five feet of gas will pass, under what is called one inch of pressure. If the pressure is increased to two inches the burner will use about ten feet of gas. But there is hardly any more light. The meter, however, registers the full ten feet and the customer has to pay for it. When a five-foot burner is using ten feet of gas, at least forty per cent, of it is not burned, but passes off into the atmos- phere in the form of carbonic o.xide; the blue spot at the base of a gas flame shows where combustion is not taking place. The larger the blue spot the greater the waste. 218 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS When ten feet of gas are forced through a five-foot burner, there is about as much blue as there is yellow. But whether the gas is burned or wasted, the consumer has to pay for it just the same. LINOLEUM AND OIL CLOTH The secret of laying linoleum on the floor so that it will last, is to place a thick lining of carpet, matting or heavy paper under it. If the kitchen linoleum is given a coat of floor varnish it will last three times as long. To keep linoleum bright, wash with equal quantities of milk and water. Once in several months a little hnseed oil or a weak solution of beeswax in spirits of turpentine may be used. To Clean New Linoleum. — Equal parts of salad oil and vinegar is the best thing for the purpose. If dirty, wash the linoleum first with soap and water. Soda rapidly destroys it, but soap or grease improves the wear. For the floor, cut the linoleum at least one inch larger all around than the floor to be covered; cover the floor thickly with paper, lay the linoleum and let it turn up all around the room against the wall and over the edge tack down a quarter round so that it will fit closely to the floor and up over the top edge of the linoleum. This will prevent the water settling under the edge of the floor covering and rotting the material. To brighten oilcloths, dissolve half an ounce of beeswax in a saucer of turpentine; rub on, then dry with flannel. A dingy oilcloth may be brightened by washing it in clear water with a little borax dissolved in it; wipe it with a flannel cloth that you have dipped into milk and then wring as dry as possible. Soap should never be applied to oilcloths, nor, if it be desired to keep the color, should a scrubbing brush be used. Wash the oilcloth with a coarse sponge or a flannel dipped in tepid or clean cold water. Beeswax, with a very little turpentine, makes a fine polish, and will revive the colors of an oilcloth admirably. Painted, oiled, and parquet floors, linoleum and oilcloth, are injured by scrubbing; wipe them with a cloth wet in borax-water and then with a dry one; milk on a cloth gives a good appearance to oilcloth. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 219 Oilcloth must be wiped perfectly dry as it is washed. Use little soap and this in tepid water; change often. A good brush and a piece of dry flannel will make oilcloth look like new, especially if linseed oil or skim milk be well rubbed in after washing. If in addition to these precautions they are varnished annually they are almost indestructible. CARE OF THE REFRIGERATOR Chemicals of any kind must be kept out of the ice box. The more quickly a substance is cooled the longer it will keep. Never mix warm food with cold. Much of the trouble in keep- ing cooked foods comes from putting them away while they are still warm. No food should be kept in the refrigerator without ice, and with the cover on or the door closed. Water may be cooled to a refreshing temperature by standing in bottles against the ice. Ice-saving schemes are absurd, defeating the purpose of the refrigerator. It is the food that is to be kept instead of the ice. With artificial ice, care must be taken not to let fish come in contact with it, as the ammonia used in the freezing aflfects the fish. Meat should never be laid directly on the ice, natural or artificial, as it extracts all the good meat juices. Be careful not to spill any food on the shelves. Should such an accident happen, let the place be cleaned at once. The idea of connecting a spring to a refrigerator door will be found very useful. Run a cloth, or a flexible rod, down the waste-pipe, being careful to remove any particle of dirt. Besides washing the tubes with hot water and soap, put them in scalding water for several minutes and then through a strong solution of sal-soda. 220 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Put nothing edible directly on the ice; see that it is in glass or porcelain. A refrigerator should always be well ventilated, and so ar- ranged that the cold air from the ice chamber should circulate freely in the food chambers. If the water from the waste-pipe is not caught in a pan, it may be carried into the cellar, where the waste water can drip into a sink. The waste-pipe should never be connected directly with the plumbing. Better the trouble of emptying the pan twice a day than run the risk of sewer gas getting into the refrigerator. Wash the ice and put it carefully in the box. If you have one that is porcelain-lined, dropping the ice in may mean a break, and then the purchase of a new one. When there is any doubt of the purity of the ice it should not be used in the drinking water or in direct contact with foods them- selves. Do not cover the shelves with cloth or paper any more than you do the ice. There must be good circulation, with consequent melting of ice, to preserve the food therein. Provide everything with covers, especially milk, butter and eggs, which quickly absorb impurities. Do not put butter in the refrigerator with the wrappings on. Over-ripe fruits and vegetables are a menace to the health if left in the refrigerator; nothing more rapidly taints other foods than canteloupes. Be careful what is put in, and remember that the ice chest is for ice, and should not be encumbered with all sorts of messes and left-overs, that should go in the lower part, if their place be in the refrigerator at all. The refrigerator should never be scoured out less often than once a week, and it should be kept clean between times. The best mixture for scrubbing it out is a strong solution of washing soda and scalding water. This may be applied either by a small scrubbing- brush or by a cloth, although the latter is rather preferable. Every- thing in the refrigerator, including the shelves, should be taken out, and the sides receive as vigorous a rubbing as the bottom. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 221 Neither fish, cheese, cabbage, onions nor bananas shotdd be kept in the general refrigerator. Their flavor will not only affect the other food, but will render the butter, milk and any gelatinous preparations absolutely unfit for use. The receptacle for ice should receive equal care. Bits of bruised vegetables are sometimes allowed to gather here, as well as spilt milk and scraps of other food. They should all be removed at the weekly cleaning, and the soda and water applied here also. Pieces of charcoal should be laid in the comers to absorb any lurking odors. If such smells are obstinate, the suggestion offered by a practical writer on housewifery may be followed, and a little coffee burned in the refrigerator cupboard. To Clean the Refrigerator. — When white spots appear on the refrigerator take all food out and rub the zinc lining with kerosene. Leave the top and door open for several hours, then wash with soap and ammonia in warm water, dry thoroughly and the refrigerator will be sweet and spotless. Should ants get into the refrigerator, a saucer of tartar emetic mixed with sugar and water will drive them away. Another method is to scour the shelves with hot water and borax. Dry in the sun if the shelves are portable, then sprinkle thickly with dry borax, which is odorless and harmless and may be used freely. If you keep the ice box well filled, you will have the benefit of the maximum cooling capacity of your refrigerator; otherwise the temperature will never be very low and things will not keep as well. A small piece of ice cannot reduce the temperature sufiBciently, and the result is that each new piece melts rapidly and the food cannot be kept long. When the box is kept thoroughly chilled, the ice itself does not get a chance to melt. The ice compartment should never be opened unless absolutely necessary. To renovate an old refrigerator all that is required is a small can of white lead, a can of white enamel, a little turpentine and some varnish for the outside. The first thing is to thoroughly clean the refrigerator inside, then thin the white lead with turpentine until it will spread evenly, and give the whole inside a coat, racks and all. After it is dry give it the first coat of enamel. If the enamel is too thick to spread easily, thin it with a little turpentine, and after the first coat is dry, give it another, being care- ful to spread it as evenly and smootlily as possible. 222 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS In choosing a refrigerator, one having two separate compart- ments for storing food, and a generous one for ice should be decidea upon so that with the ice in the center, the meat stored on one side will not taint the butter, cream and milk, kept away on the other. THE CARE AND PROPER USE OF STOVES A solution of pearlash in water thrown upon a fire will ex- tinguish it immediately. A small toy broom is handier for cleaning up dirt around a stove than a large broom. A grate that is kept free from ashes not only burns better, but gives out more heat for the amount of fire. For the sake of neatness, the ashes should be removed system- atically every day. Add vinegar and sugar to stove polish and it wiU shine much easier. To polish stoves use boiled linseed oil on the steel parts, rub- bing well with a woolen cloth. When polishing, six or eight drops of turpentine added to blacking for one stove, brightens it and makes it easier to polish. To remove smoke from mica plates, wipe with a soft sponge wet with alcohol or vinegar. Liquid Stove Blacking. — Pulverized black lead 1 pound, tur- pentine 1 gill, water 1 gUl, sugar 1 ounce. The range will keep black much longer if you rub it over with soap, then apply the blacking. Save all small pieces of soap for this purpose. A couple of paper bags slipped over your hands will prevent your blacking those useful members while you are polishing the range. A thin coating made of three parts of lard, melted with one part resin, and applied to stoves and grates, will prevent their rusting during the summer. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 223 In cleaning the cook stove, do not forget to keep the pipe clean within and without — an important point to bear in mind. Grease your hands before blacking stoves, then, when through, wash as usual with '..arm water and soap. In this way the hands do not absorb the bli-cking and it does not leave them stained. A good cement to use for cracked lids is equal parts of wood ashes and salt, with just enough water to make a paste. Use when the stove is cold, and it will soon harden. The ashes from the stove should always be sifted, and the cinders left over will serve to hold the fire, or to keep the heat low in the furnace on warm days. If a range has become red from over-heating or rust, before applying stove blacking rub the surface well with vinegar, allowing it to dry. Blacken when the stove is slightly warm, not hot. In emptying ashes from the range ash pan, a light-weight horse- shoe slipped under the cross piece in the middle of the pan prevents soiling or burning the fingers. To give a high polish to your stove, mix stove polish with equal parts of household ammonia and turpentine. Rub it on the stove and polish with a soft woolen cloth. Most housekeepers prefer the old-fashioned blacking to any of the cements, because of its lasting qualities. The cement is easier to apply, as it requires no labor in polishing. Soft coal soot makes an excellent stove polish. Put a quart of soot in some old vessel. Put a teaspoonful of molasses in a cupful of vinegar, pour this mixture on the soot and stir until it is a paste. You can put it on nicely when the stove is warm or cold. To Polish Nickel on Stoves. — Take cold wood ashes, add enough cold water to make a paste. Apply with a cloth, when dry polish with a dry cloth. It will look as bright as new. When a stove has been carefully blackened and cleaned it may be kept in a nice condition for a long time by simply rubbing it hard with a crumpled newspaper after each meal. Let the oven be thoroughly cleaned with a brush kept for that purpose, then nicely washed, and your bread and cake will have a purer flavor. 224 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Never leave dust, or grease remains of former bakings on your oven doors. A newspaper will remove all of these; a wet cloth will complete the cleaning. Whip together the cuffs from worn-out shirts for stove holders. These are already thick and when whipped together and a brass ring sewed into one comer they make excellent holders that are easily washed. After stockings are too far gone to be worn, they make excel- lent holders to use around the kitchen stove. Fold them into a square, tucking the foot smoothly inside, and stitch across several times on the sewing machine. A piece of burlap about the size of a tea towel is very good for rubbing up the kitchen range each morning. Wring it from water and wipe stove quickly, and even if the surface is hot, the hands will not be burned. Procure two bricks; if too long for width of fire-pot, chip off until they fit. Put in like a partition across the middle of grate. A fire can then be built in one end; it will save heat and coal and the fire will not slide down. To sift cinders, cover your sifter with an old apron or rag. Seize it thus covered, and shake without lifting the edge of the rag. In case of wind, tread on the edges to keep them down. A few stones applied at the corners wUl do as well. When applying stove polish, whether paste or liquid, use a small paint brush to put it on. This goes into every crack and corner and carries the blacking there. When the brush is not in use, keep it in a cup of cold water to prevent hardening. Use a dry brush for polishing, rubbing briskly. Polish back of stove first. If the stove is hot it cannot be made bright and will burn the brush. Liquid polish should be used only when the fire is out and the stove cold. Some prefer a light color for their iron or steel stoves. This may be secured by using aluminum paint, which is usually kept at hardware stores. Ask for aluminum paint, such as is used for decorating radiators and steam pipes. Apply it to the stove with a brush, according to the directions which come with it. It will stand the heat, and requires but one application in a season, some- times not so frequent as that. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 225 Simple way of avoiding the smoke and gas which always pour into the room when a fire is Ht in a stove, heater, or fireplace on a damp day: Put in the wood and coal as usual, but before lighting them, ignite a handful of paper or shavings placed on top of the coal. This produces a current of hot air in the chimney, which draws up the smoke and gas at once. To preserve bright grates or fire-irons from rust, make a strong paste of fresh lime and water, and with a fine brush smear it as thickly as possible over all the polished surface requiring preserva- tion. By this simple means all the grates and fire-irons in an empty house may be kept for months free from harm without further care or attention. To Prevent Metals Rusting. — Melt one ounce of resin in a gill of linseed oil, and, while hot, mix with it two quarts of kerosene oil. This can be kept ready to apply at any time with a brush or rag to any tools or implements required to lay by for a time, prevent- ing any rust, and saving much vexation when the tool is to be used again. Regarding the rusting of sheet-iron stoves, the following suggestions may be observed to advantage: The room where the stove is located may seem to be dry, yet be so cold as to condense more or less moisture upon the iron, and a rapid corrosion is the result. Covering up with papers has been frequently tried as the best method of preventing rusting upon the outside. If a heater drum rusts from the inside, as it is apt to do, it will be a good plan to disconnect it from the chimney and tie papers over the pipe hole in the heater. This prevents down draught tlirough the chimney into the body of the drum, and prevents the formation of moisture upon the inside of the drum, as the air becomes cooled. If the heater could be disconnected all around, and have a dish of lime placed in the inside to absorb the moisture, there would be little trouble. All circulation of air through a heater or furnace should be prevented by closing all of the openings, and, above all, have all ashes and soot taken out as much as can be. REMOVING CLINKERS FROM STOVE LININGS With a piece of iron about half an inch wide, bent to reach the whole lining, scrape the surface of the lining, shake down lightly and then put on coal. Kindlings will be required if the fire has been left to get too low; but it is better to do this earlier, as it keeps a steadier fire and takes no more coal. 226 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS When the fire is the hottest there are no ashes; but as the heat has decreased the ashes have formed and settled down against the lining, and shaking does not wholly remove them. If more coal is added the heat is sufficient to fuse the ashes on the lining, and there it stays. Each time this is repeated more ashes adhere, and it does not talce long to spoil a lining. Scrape these ashes off thoroughly the first thing, and none adliere, and it seems that the lining will never wear out. If one stirs a coal fire at the top, in the center, the fire gen- erally goes out, because the cold air goes up through the center, but by scraping around the outside of the fire and leaving the center undisturbed, the air going up around the fire slightly cools the lining, and the coal in the center retains its heat sufficiently to burn up again quickly without kindlings if the replenishing has not been too long delayed. The grate must be let down often enough to prevent the accumulation of clinkers in the bottom. Once or twice a week let down the grate, replace it, and put in some wood, and then some of the live coals on the top, when it bums up immediately; then put on a handful of coal and close the stove, and have a fire at once with- out the heat having gone down, and so keep a good fire all winter. This can be depended on: that scraping the ashes from the lining before replenishing a fire — every time — will effectually pre- vent clinkers from adhering. USE AND ABUSE OF SOAP IN THE HOME Bar soap when first bought should be cut into square pieces and put in a dry place. It lasts better after shrinking and drying. Hard soap lasts much longer if dried for several weeks before using it. It is also less hurtful to the skin. Nails dipped into soap will drive easily into hard wood. Soft soap is excellent for cleaning, and the small trouble of saving the fat and making the soap will repay one. Soft Soap. — To one cake of the concentrated lye, add three gallons of soft water. Set it on the fire, put in four pounds of soap fat, and let it boil until quite clear. Empty into a barrel, and add twelve gallons of soft water. Wlien cold it will be as thick as jelly- The concentrated lye can be had at almost any drug store. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 227 It is a common practice in many houseliolds to throw away the fat as it accumulates. Every bit of this should be precious to the housewife with economical tendencies. Mutton, lamb and turkey fat should be tried out carefully and strained into a five-pound lard pail. This, with a pound of potash, or caustic soda, will make ten gallons of soft soap, or seven pounds of hard soap, at a cost of ten cents. Some housekeepers put the cake of soap in the dishpan and turn the hot water on it. This is not only wasteful, but sometimes makes the melted soap stick to the dishes. A good way is to fasten a wire handle on an empty pea or bean can, perforate the bottom, fill it with scrai)S of soap and hang it over the hot-water faucet. The water may be as hot as one wishes and a soapy, cleansing dishwater is the result. An economical and handy way of using up all the bits of soap which accumulate in the soap-dishes, is in a soap-shaker. This can be home-made, if it is not convenient to buy one. Take a small tin can (such as baking powder comes in), with a tight cover, and with a steel nail punch several holes in top and bottom. Put in this the bits of soap and shake it in your dish-water until a suds is formed. To make a good hard soap, dissolve one pound of potash in twelve quarts of water in the kettle in which the soap is to be boiled. Add to the potash five pounds of grease. Boil slowly, adding a little boiling water as it is cooking. Stir with a stick and boil two or three hours. When the mixture adheres and strings from the stick, it is boiled enough. Pour into old pans or moulds. The following day cut into bars and dry for use. Next in importance to a box of soap in the kitchen is a big bottle of ammonia. A spoonful in the dishwater, in the pan used in washing tables, in the sink to keep it free from disagreeable odors, and in the scouring bucket, will give magic help. CARE OF SINKS AND WASTE PIPES To cleanse sinks and drains, pour copperas dissolved in boihng water through them. To clean greasy sink pipes, dissolve potash and throw down, or, better still, let it dissolve in the pipes. Keep a box filled with chloride of lime in some convenient place to use around drains, sinks, etc. 228 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A light sprinkling of washing soda in the bottom of the sink after each dish washing, keeps it sweet and prevents the waste-pipe fro-m becoming clogged with grease. Of course, it is understood that the customary daily washing with hot water must be observed. To Detect Sewer Gas. — Dissolve one ounce of pure acetate of lead in half a pint of pure rain water. Dip a piece of blotting paper in the solution, let it half dry, and then expose it where the presence of sewer gas is suspected. Should the paper turn black, then the gas is there in considerable quantity. If your sink drain becomes stopped up, you can often clear it by using the palm of your hand as a suction pump. Have plenty of water in the sink, and press in rapid succession with the palm of the hand until the water runs freely again. Just before retiring at night pour into the clogged pipe enough liquid soda lye to fill the trap or bent part of the pipe. Be sure that no water runs in it until the next morning. During the night the lye will convert all the offal into soft soap, and the first current of water in the morning will wash it away and clear the pipe. IN THE LAUNDRY Soaking saves both time and much wear and tear of the clothes by doing away with a good part of the rubbing. The table linen and towels used for glass and china should be put into one tub, the bed linen, towels, and underclothing in another, and the coarser kitchen and dish towels in a third. Over these should be poured enough warm water to cover them, to which has been added soap and kerosene oil in the proportion of one half bar of soap and four tablespoonfuls of the oil for every six gallons of water. Washing Fluid. — Dissolve one pound of soda in two quarts of water, add four quarts of clear lime water; stir, and when all sedi- ment has settled, pour off the clear water. In one quart of boiling water dissolve three ounces of borax, and add it to the six quarts of clear water; when cold, add three ounces of carbonate of ammonia, j)ulverized; as soon as it is dissolved, pour off into bottles and cork tightly. The above is one of the best of washing fluids, and injures the clothes less than most. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 229 The first thing in the morning is to rub the clothes out of the water in wMch they have lain overnight. The tub containing the table linen should be taken first; as all stains will have been removed, when they were put to soak, by boiling water or acid, according to the nature of the spot, there ■^vill be nothing to do but to rub them around in the water a little with the hands, pass them through the wringer, and place them in the boiler to scald while the second tubful is washed out. If a tablespoonful of boraxis put into the last waterin which white clothes are rinsed, it will whiten them very much. The borax should be dissolved in a little hot water before it is added to the rinsing water. To bleach white clothes put about a teaspoonful of turpentine in the boiler. When boiling the clothes this will help to wliiten the clothes and keep them from turning yellow. If the clothes are not put into the water until the morning, a little household ammonia should be poured in with them to "loosen the dirt." Great saving of time and strength may be found in the use of the small five-cent vegetable brushes. They are just the thing to rub soiled aeck-bands, wrists and all badly soiled garments with. The best way of washing large pieces of linen, like table- cloths, is to soap the soiled places after first removing all stains which it is thought will not come out with washing. Different stains require to be treated differently, and every housekeeper has her own rules. The majority of stains that will not wash out should be treated before the cloth is wet. Scalding water sets stains, while that which is briskly boiling removes them. Pour boiling water through tea-stained table cloths and aU discoloration will be eradicated, if not set in a previous washing. Most fresh berry stains may thus be removed. Table linen requires care in the laundry to make it look well. When tablecloths or napkins are taken from the line fold or roll them, and they will iron more readily than if placed in a wrinkled heap in a basket with other clothes. Linen will iron smoother if it is dampened or sprinkled, as it is called, over night. For ironing a tablecloth, fold it with a crease in the center the long way, and fold over once more; then place it across the bars, and when the cloth is well aired roll it, and place it on a shelf or in a deep drawer. 230 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS If you want the waists stiff, dry them before starching; if not very stiff, they can be starched first. All white clothes should be left on the line or bleaching ground as long as convenient, to keep them in good color ; but colored clothes should be brought in out of the sun as soon as dry. The fine clothes should be laid aside to be attended to after the fine flannels have been washed. The nicer white pieces may be put through the second water from the flannels. After this come colored flannels, bed linen, etc., and, last of all, the coarser pieces. White clothes that have become yellow from the use of too much soap, or any cause, may be whitened in the following simple manner: After they have been waslied in the usual way, put them to soak over night in clear water, into which cream-of-tartar has been put; a teaspoonful to the quart is the right proportion. When ironed they will be as white as when new. In cold weather if towels are rinsed in salt water after being washed, they will not freeze on the line. Bring them in and air without ironing, fold and put away. Salt is particularly good for bath towels, as the salt left in the towel is exhilarating for the skin when used after a bath. It is a great mistake to allow linen to freeze on the line in winter. Even at some sacrifice in purity of color, linen goods should be dried in the house. When the goods are frozen, the fibre is strained to some extent, and every fold or crease in the linen strains it still more, and in a short time cracks appear where there were folds. No linen is proof against this strain. Plain white toilet cloths should be washed in a hot suds, and if badly soiled and yellowed, should be boiled for two minutes. Then the cloths should be rinsed thoroughly in clean, cold water, and finally dipped in slightly blued water. A rubbing board should not be used in this work, but the soiled spots may be rubbed hard in the hands. Muslin and scrim must be handled gently and be squeezed in the water rather than rubbed, even by the hands. Scrim and muslin should be stiffened by dipping them into thin, boiled starch. They should be thoroughly dried, then dampened, and rolled up tightly for an hour before ironing. Wlien scrim or muslin is ironed, be care- ful to pull out the edges straight, and, having the flatiron clean, press out the ruffles or lace edges first. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 231 Colored clothes should never be boiled. Soap should never be rubbed directly on any article which will fade. Black goods and black stockings should be rinsed in clear water to which has been added a liberal portion of vinegar. To set the color in wash materials and embroidery cottons soak them in strong salt water. Rain water and white castile soap in a lukewarm suds is the best mixture in which to wash embroideries. For lilac, or purples, vinegar will be found to slightly intensify as well as preserve the color. Any shade of blue may be permanently fixed by soaking first in a bucket of water into which an ounce of sugar of lead has been poured. Almost any delicate colored fabric, especially buff and blue, will fade little, if any, if washed and rinsed in moderately strong salt water. When there is danger of the color of any article changing, it should be washed, rinsed, and starched (if necessary), and hung out on the line without laying it out of the hands. Soaking calico previous to the first washing in a strong solu- tion of either salt or alum is an excellent method of preserving the color. To Set Colors. — Green, blue, lavender, aniline reds, purple and pink should be soaked in alum water — two ounces to a tub. Black, gray and dark blue should soak in strong salted water. To keep red napkins and tablecloths from fading, put a little borax into the washing water; for blue, use sugar of lead instead of borax. To make dyes fast, dissolve six ounces of gelatine in water and add to this one ounce of bichromate of potash. Do this in a dark room. Add the dye, submit the goods thereto, and afterward expose to the light. The pigment thus becomes insoluble in water, and the color is fast. 232 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS A glass washboard costs a few cents more than a zinc one, but is cleaner and much easier of operation. If the material is washable at all, black dye can practically be rendered a fast color by the help of the salt-water bath before the general washing is commenced. After such a treatment, faded black caused by washing will never occur. If you have a wash dress with green ground, the color of which is likely to fade, add sufticient vinegar to the starch to make it taste somewhat acid; or, if you do not starch it, rinse it in vinegar and water and dry the goods in the shade. To set the color and prevent delicate colored cambrics and dimities from fading when washed, dissolve five cents' worth of sugar of lead in a pail of cold water and soak the garment in it two hours; then rinse and wash. Most colors require either salt or vinegar in the last rinsing water to fix them; as a general rule the lighter colors take salt, the darker, vinegar. Both are used in the proportion of a tablespoonful to a quart of water. When in doubt use both. Colored hosiery may be prevented from fading by washing it in lukewarm water, and then soaking it in ten quarts of cold water, to which have been added a tumbler of vinegar and a handful of salt. Black and fancy colored hosiery should be washed in warm suds in which it may soak a while if necessary without injuring the color, rinsed in clear water to which has been added enough bluing to give it a nice blue tint, and dried wrong side out in the shade. Those that have become discolored by improper washing may sometimes be made to look quite nice again by proceeding as directed and having the rinse water made almost black with the bluing. White silk stockings can be kept very nice by washing them in clear warm water and borax. Make it quite strong and let them soak in it a while before washing them in the hands. Such things should never be washed on the board. They do not turn yellow in the least, as is sometimes the case with soap washing. If this will not remove the soil, use a little soap powder in the water. If there are stains from the leather of the shoes, try a little oxalic acid to remove them. Do not let it remain on long as it will injure the texture, and always remember that oxalic acid is poison and. must be used with caution and kept out of the way of children. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 233 To prevent wooden pails or tubs from shrinking when not in use, paint them over with glycerine. To Wash Colored Linens and Muslins without Fading. — Boil two quarts of wheat bran half an hour in four quarts of hot soft water. Let it cool, then strain, and pour the liquor into the water in which the dress is to be washed. Use neither soap nor starch, and rinse once only. In this way the delicate colored linens used so much now will keep their color until worn out. For Washing Black or Navy Blue Linens, Percales, etc. — Take two potatoes grated into tepid soft water (first having peeled and washed them) into which put a teaspoonful of ammonia. Wash the goods in this, and rinse in cold blue water. Starch will not be needed, and if at all practicable, they should be dried and ironed on the wrong side. To wash printed goods which have a black ground with a white pattern : Dissolve two ounces of red chromate of potash, three ounces of common salt, and two and a half ounces of sal-soda in a wash boiler of water heated to boiling point. Put the dress into this hot bath for five minutes, and frequently turn and stir it. Then wash it thorougUy in clean water. The black ground will not be dull and "foxy," and the white portion of the goods wiU appear perfectly bright and clear. To wash soiled dress shields, lay them on a board or table, soiled side up, and give a thorough scrubbing with a stiff brush and any good laundry soap, with plenty of lukewarm water. Hold under the faucet until completely rinsed. Do not squeeze, but hang each dripping piece on the line until dry. Cheap Washing. — About two pounds of soap is reduced with a little water to a sort of pap, which, having been slightly warmed, is cooled in ten gallons of water, to which is added one spoonful of turpentine oil and two spoonfuls of ammonia; then the mixture is agitated. The water is kept at a temperature which may be borne by the hand. In this solution are introduced the white clothes, and they are left there two hours before washing them in soap, taking care in the meantime to cover the tub. The soapy water may be warmed again and be used once more, but it will be necessary to add half a spoonful of turpentine and another spoonful of ammonia. Once washed in soap, the clothes are put in warm water and the blue is applied. This process saves much time, much labor, and fuel; it gives to the clothes a whiteness much superior to that obtained by any other method. 234 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Try paraffin for mending a leaky wash-tub; empty it, dry well with a cloth, and pour melted paraffin around the cracks. If one wants a suit stiff it should be dried before starching — but in the shade, never in the sun, as colored clothes are sure to fade while wet, on the same principle that one bleaches white garments in strong sunshine. They should, of course, never be boiled. Pale green is a color that fades easily, but a little alum in the rinsing water will fix it. Do not put soap directly upon pretty ginghams. If they are much soiled, put them in salt and water for an hour, then wash them in a good warm (not hot) suds of soft water and good washing powder. Put through a thin starch and hang out of doors to dry. Iron on the wrong side to avoid a gloss. Quick way of laundering napkins, doilies, ties, etc, a way which gives no trouble with starching and drying: First, wash the article, then dip for about two seconds in a dipper of boiling water. Immediately iron them out with a very hot iron, and find them as stiff as though starched, and looking like new. For washing embroidery in crewels or silk, pour a gallon of boiling water on one pound of bran. Let it stand for twenty-four hours, stirring occasionally; strain and use. A decoction of soap bark is also excellent for the same purpose. Simmer a handful of soap bark in a quart of water tmtil the bark is perfectly soft; strain the decoction, dilute with water, and wash the articles in it. Linen and denim, whether embroidered in white or colors, do not need any starch. They should be ironed when damp, and then will be sufficiently stiff. Wash them in lukewarm suds, rinse care- fully, and hang them where they will dry quickly, but not where the sun will pour down on them. Do not use hot water, especially when colored silks or linens have been used, and hasten the laundering as much as possible. Iron embroidered cloths on the wrong side till perfectly dry. A laundry bag is a great improvement over the basket commonly used when taking clothes from the line. It can be made from two yards of hea%^ unbleached muslin. Make a deep strong hem at the top and fasten two hooks made of wire and shaped like ordinary dress hooks, about eighteen inches apart on this hem. When taking down the clothes the bag is hooked over the line and can be easily pushed along as the clothes are removed. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 235 Clothes-pins boiled a few minutes, and quickly dried, once or twice a month, become more durable. Boil the clothes-line, and it will not "kinl:," as new rope is apt to do. Wash and wipe the rub board, too, and make very dry before putting it away. When the washing is done, the tubs should be put upside down on the basement floor, a little water poured over the bottom, and they will never dry out and fall to pieces. If in a hurry to use a tub that leaks, press common soap into the cracks from the outside and you will experience no trouble in using it. When putting the boiler away, wipe it as dry as possible and always place it upside down. In this way it will last for years. When convenient, it is well to keep the boiler on a high shelf. Equal parts of melted lard and kerosene oil do just as well as the expensive machine oil for oiling the washer, wringer, door hinges and numerous other things around the house. To repair a clothes-wringer which has the rubber worn down in the center, wrap it with strips of unbleached muslin several times around, lapping each half-way, and fastening with needle and thread. Do not forget to wash the rubber rollers of the wringer with kerosene occasionally, nor to wipe it very dry, and loosen the screws, when putting it away. Every woman knows how difficult it is to get the clothes out of the laundry bag. This may be easily remedied by putting a draw- string in both ends of the bag, and simply untying the string at the bottom, when one wishes to get the clothes out. If the lines are strung between the porch and the woodshed, instead of anchoring each end firmly to hooks or spikes, hang up a couple of small pulleys and run the line through them, belt fashion. By keeping the rope taut, all the clothes can be hung from one spot, simply running out the line as it is needed. Two lines or sets of lines can be hung in this way from the porch or door, and the house- keeper, in hanging out or taking down the clothes, docs not have to wade through the wet grass, or expose herself to the rain and weather 236 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Take care that the knot in the line is kept away from the pulley. When the wind is blowing the clothes are apt to be blown over the other line, and so become tangled and unmanageable. To avoid this tie a weight to the knot, and the two lines will then be kept apart. It is best to use hard water for rinsing. Clothes should always be thoroughly rinsed until all suds is removed from them. Soften water, for washing clothes, by dissolving one teaspoon- ful of granulated lye in four gallons of water. To clear muddy water, put one teaspoonful of alum to four gallons of water. To launder a garment for immediate wear, wash and starch as usual, but, instead of hanging out to dry, lay flat on a bath-towel. Then, beginning at one end, roll the towel and the garment with it, as tightly as you can. In a very short time the towel will absorb enough of the moisture so that the garment will be just right for ironing. Fine lingerie waists do not require boiling, except when more than usually soiled; they should then be steeped first in cold water, and the dirt washed out with white (not ordinary laundry) soap in the same water, as hot, after steeping in cold, would help to fix it. They may then be boiled for a few minutes — not the regulation twenty that is given ordinary washing — and should be put in a little bag to boil in case of specks of rust getting on them. They should not be rubbed in washing nor wrung out, as it not only spoils the surface of fine muslins and linen lawns but loosens the lace insets. The soap should be left in the water enough to make it a little lathery, but not rubbed onto the waists themselves. Stir the bluing water well with the hand before dipping them in, to avoid streaks. They should be rinsed in clear water at least once before going in the bluing water, then squeezed, not wrung, dry and hung in the sun where they will bleach. Indigo as bought at the drug store, crushed to a powder, and put in a bottle in the jjroportions of two talilespoonfuls of powder to a quart of water, makes a good bluing. Enough should be added to make the rinse water a pale blue when a little of it is held up in the hollow of the hand. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 237 The amount of bluing to be added depends on individual taste, perhaps, but more than removes the yellow tinge, seems to us to spoil the look of any article. Liquid bluing which never settles is made by dissolving one ounce Prussian blue and a half ounce oxalic acid in a quart of cold rain-water. Be careful of the acid — it is a. poison. Rinse a piece of white sheeting in strong bluing water until it is very blue. When dry make a bag of this cloth and fold the white fabrics within. They will emerge in the spring perfectly white. Too much bluing renders clothes yellow after a time. Inex- perienced or careless servants think the more bluing in the water the better for the wash; and it is a difficult matter to convince them that the clothes will look far better if only a small quantity be used. As bluing varies so much in intensity, experience only can teach the required quantity. Usually half a tablespoonful to a tub of water is sufficient. It should always be diluted before it is put in the tub; as, if not thoroughly mixed before the clothes are put in, unsightly streaks will be the result. If quilts are folded or rolled after washing, and then beaten, it will lighten the cotton and make them as soft as new quilts. Blankets are best washed in mildly tepid (not warm) water, into which a tablespoonful of ammonia and a small cake of castile soap have been put, the latter shaven to dissolve readily. Rinse in cold water. Soap should never be rubbed on flannels, but they should be washed in warm suds, and rinsed in water of the same temperature as that in which they were washed. A little bluing in the second water will improve their color. They should be hung out at once, dried in the shade, and, if possible, ironed while still damp. Flannels thus treated will never become stiff and yellow, but will retain the color and texture of new goods. Where there are fine baby flannels it is well to have a special time for washing them, so that they may be ironed before they are quite dry without interrupting the general wash. 238 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To shrink flannel without having it lose the appearance of new flannel, fill a tub with cold water, lay in your new flannel before making it up, and leave till it sinks to the bottom of tub. Hang up at once without squeezing or wringing, and when dry it will never shrink. To Whiten Flannels. — A solution of one and a half pounds of white soap and two-thirds of an ounce of spirits of ammonia, dis- solved in twelve gallons of soft water, will impart a beautiful and lasting whiteness to any flannel dipped in it, no matter how yellow they may have been previous to their immersion. After being well stirred round for a short time, the articles should be taken out and well washed in clean cold water. To Wash Heavy Bed-clothes. — Make a warm suds with good soap, and let the comfortables or blankets soak in it for a whUe. Then take a new clean hoe for a pounder. Pound well, and pound again in another suds. Rinse thoroughly and hang on the line without wringing. If a hose is handy, spray plenty of water over them when on the line. The cotton in comfortables will not mat when washed in this way. Washing a Sweater. — Do not wring out and hang it up to dry, as you would anything ordinarily, but wash it by pressing or sopping in suds; squeeze it out by pressing in a ball against the side of the tub, rinse thoroughly in the same way, and instead of hanging it up to dry, make a hammock of a towel by fastening tapes to the corners. Lay the sweater in this, and as it dries, turn it. Never soak woolen garments. Make a strong lather of soap with very hot water; let it cool, and when lukewarm wash the flannels quickly, without ever rubbing soap on them. Shake them in the water, clap them between the hands, but avoid the ordinary rubbing, as it is apt to pull them out of shape. If not clean, repeat the process with a fresh lather; rinse at once in clean, tepid water, without blue, changing the water untU there is not a trace of soap left; shake each garment out well, pull it into shape, hang out to dry as quickly as possible, but do not let the things be near a hot fire. Rapidity is the great point in following out these instructions. Napkins and handkerchiefs should be folded but once, pulled straight, laid one on top of the other as they are dampened, and rolled up tightly together in a doubled square of old muslin pro- vided for the purpose. Towels should be rolled the same way, the fringe having first been snapped out. The fringe should be made quite damp before this is done; if dry, it is soon broken and worn off. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 239 Clothes should always be properly and carefully folded, for if evenly sprinkled and smoothly rolled they will iron much easier. Thin fabrics should always be rolled up in a coarse towel or piece of muslin to keep the outside from dr>-ing. Clothes should be folded the night before ironing day. Then there is time to attend to all the little details, and, by so doing, the ironing will go on quickly and smoothly. An Easy Way to Sprinkle Clothes. — First remove all clothes from the lines which will not require ironing. Then turn on the hose, adjusted to a very fine spray. Spray the clothes lightly. Take down and fold, and your clothes are ready to iron without further handling. A good laundress never sprinkles her table linen. After bleaching and drying in sunshine and sweet fresh air, she wrings tablecloths and napkins out of clean boiling-hot water, folds smoothly in a sheet and lets them stand for about an hour. Then after stretch- ing a tablecloth with an assistant, or shaking out the napkins, one at a time, she irons them perfectly dry. Try sprinkling your clothes with a corn broom, one that has worn satisfactory. This moistens the clothes much more evenly, and obviates the necessity of dipping the hands into water, which is often very disagreeable. Small pieces, such as handkerchiefs and napkins, may be easily and quickly sprinkled by using a machine oiler filled with water. STARCHING AND GLAZING Make boiled starch with a weak soapsuds made of white soap instead of the clear water, and you will have no difficulty with its sticking. The starch must be strained through a thin bag into a pan, and diluted with water to the proper consistency. No matter how free from lumps the starch looks, the straining should not be omitted. Linen may be glazed by adding a teaspoonful of salt and one of finely-scraped soap to a pint of starch. To starch black, navy-blue, or other dark wash goods, use gelatine instead of starch, and there will be no streaks. Pour one quart of boiling water over one teaspoonful of gelatine which has been soaked in a Httle cold water. Strain and use lukewarm. 240 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A faint creamy tinge may be given to starch simply by omitting the bluing, and a deeper yellow may be secured by mixing the starch with clear coffee. Ironing is made less troublesome and gives the effect of the laundry finished fabric, by stirring a teaspoonful of lard into the boiling starch. Starched things should be rather dry for ironing. If ironed when too dry the starch is really thrown away, as it does not stiffen at all. A little powdered borax added to cold starch tends to give the linen extra stiffness, and a httle turpentine put into the boiled starch adds lustre. i Tablecloths and napkins should never be starched. If they are very damp when ironed, and a hot, heavy iron used, the figure will be brought out beautifully, and the linen will be sufficiently stiff to avoid a limp or stringy appearance. Some articles require but the least quantity of starch; others should be made quite stiff. The starch in the starching pan should be made very thin, nearly starch- water, at first; then more strained in as stiffer is needed. Gold water starch is made in the following proportions: One tablespoonful of starch, small half pint of water, four drops of turpentine, and as much borax as will lie on a dime, dissolved in a tablespoonful of boiling water. Pour a little water on the starch and mix it up quite smoothly with the hand, adding the rest of the water, turpentine and dissolved borax, and taking care not to pour in the sediment of the borax. This quantity is enough for four collars and two pairs of cuffs. Polishing is rather a difficult thing to do at home, but quite possible with practice. Procure a polishing iron; this has a convex bottom. It must be heated extremely hot — hot enough to scorch if allowed to rest on anything, and absolutely shining and guiltless of the least speck of rust or dirt. Iron the collar first lightly on the wrong side, then turn it over and iron lightly on the right side. Turn it over again and iron heavily on the wrong side, then heavily on the right side. The reason for this is that should you iron heavily first the iron will stick, or should you iron heavily on the wrong side last the turnings at the edges would make a ridge on the edge of the right side. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 241 IRONING Iron the more difficult pieces first and the simpler ones later. Always brush off the stove clean before ironing and never have foods frying when ironing is being done. Have a separate ironing sheet to be pinned around the board when ironing and removed when the board is put away. If a large pan is turned over the irons they will retain their heat more perfectly. Never use an ironing sheet that is badly scorched, for it will stain the clothes. Lay in the sunlight articles that have been scorched in ironing, and the scorch will disappear. In ironing collars, iron the band first. Always keep on ironing a piece until it is perfectly dry. It will be well to wear old loose kid gloves when ironing, as they will save many callous spots on one's hands. Old boot tops, cut into pieces the right size and lined, make good iron holders. The leather keeps all heat away from the hand. Never put linen pieces through the wringer it you would avoid the little wrinkles that are so hard to press out. Small tucks will iron smoother and look bettex if ironed on the wrong side. When laundering embroidered pieces, iron smooth on right side, then lay face down on a thick pad and iron on wrong side. To iron napkins: Iron perfectly dry before folding; iron only on one side, to preserve the polish, and with the selvage, to bring out the pattern. 242 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Irons must be much hotter for starched pieces than for flannels. For the latter they must barely hiss under the touch of a wet finger. To keep flatirons clean and smooth, rub them first with a piece of wax tied in a cloth, and afterward scour them on a paper or cloth strewn with coarse salt. When the irons seem rough, they can be scoured by rubbing them over sand and then over the beeswax. When kerosene is put in the starch, it prevents it from sticking to the iron. If you happen to be out of wax for your flatirons, try folding several thicknesses of newspaper, saturating the top with kerosene oil, and rubbing the irons over them, afterwards rubbing the irons well on a cloth. Irons, when taken from the stove, should always be wiped thorouglily, and, when ironing collars, cuffs, or shirt bosoms, a clean cloth should be placed over them until they have been ironed partly dry. Take your old flatirons, that you thought you could not use because they did not hold the heat, and put them in the fire until they are red hot, then take them and put them in cold water and let stand until cold. A heavy flatiron, weighing seven or eight pounds, will do better work if it is passed over the clothes once with a firm, steady pressure than a lighter iron hurriedly passed over the clothes two or three times. If knit wear, bath towels, etc., when taken from the lines are smoothed with the hands and placed on the bars to air, they will be ready to put away by the time the bars are needed for the ironed clothes. Removing Scorch from Garments. — Dissolve as much borax in a basin of water as the water will hold in solution. Set it on the stove and keep it hot. Soak the article to be treated and lay it in the hot sun. As often as it dries dip it again, until all the stain is removed. The ironing-board should be covered with a coarse blanket, over which a doubled sheet is tacked. The blanket for the ironing table should be folded at least four times, and the muslin sheet that covers it, twice. Wide tapes should be passed under the table and fastened to opposite edges of the cover, to keep it from working into rolls or wrinkles. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 243 To *' Iron " Blankets. — A very satisfactory way to "iron " newly- washed blankets is to use a small brush or whisk-broom, brushing, when dry, on the line, not too hard, one way. This raises the nap, and they will somewhat have the appearance of new ones. A good beating with a rattan clothes beater also helps. Silk must never be ironed, as the heat takes all the life out of it, and makes it seem stringy and flabby. If, however, you wish to press out bits of silk and ribbon for fancy work, use an iron only moderately hot, and place two thicknesses of paper between that and the silk. If the canton -flannel covering used under your tablecloth is at times too long for the dining-table, fasten small loops to each corner of it, and catch them with small hooks screwed on the under side of the table. When cutting the tablecloth, before hemming it, save all the pieces, as these ravelings are the best thread for darning all napery. FLOOR STAINING The variation in color of a stain should depend sirnply on its dilution with turpentine; it should never be mixed. One cannot lay too great stress on the thinning of stains, for that is the great secret of staining — that, and to apply it evenly with the brush. Cherry Stain in Imitation of Old Mahogany. — Digest log- wood chips in vinegar, or acetic acid.for twenty-four hours or more. When ready to use, heat the solution. Only the floors should be varnished; the stain on any wall is prettier and softer without. For a varnish, hard oil finish is as satisfactory as anything, and is the cheapest. Put it on just as it comes prepared, and a day and night will dry it. Burnt sienna makes almost a perfect mahogany; raw umber, greatly diluted, makes a very good stain, and very thin Vandyke brown on Georgia pine has a particularly pleasing effect. On white pine, timber is best. 244 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Prussian blue, applied just as it comes prepared, is one of the best ebony stains known. Black walnut may be stained to resemble ebony by washing the wood with a solution of sulphate of iron two or three times. Let the wood dry thoroughly, then apply two or three coats of a strong solution of logwood. Afterward wipe the wood with a wet sponge and polish it with linseed oil. A stain to resemble dark mahogany can be made by boiling one-half pound of madder and two ounces of logwood chips in one gallon of water. Brush it well over the wood while hot. When dry, brush over the work with a wash made of two drams of pearlash in a quart of water. The only way possible to keep a carpet clean is to shake it frequently; therefore, if people could once be persuaded to return to the wholesomeness of polished boards, with squares of carpets or mats which could be taken up every week without any trouble, there is no doubt there would be fewer diseases of various kinds, all re- sulting from impure air, than there are at present. People are often found who object to stained floors because they imagine they soon wear shabby with constant traffic ; but even if they do, this is no great trouble to remedy. Some linseed oil rubbed over all the worn places, or even over the whole, will be found to renovate it wonderfully, whilst even if the floor becomes much damaged, it can very easily be stained, sized, and varnished in that particular spot, without going over the whole. For Staining a Parlor Floor. — 1 gallon of linseed oU, 1 pound of Spanish brown, 2 pounds of powdered sienna, 1 ounce of litharge. Mix all these ingredients into some unused vessel — that will not leak, however, and can stand the fire. Set on the top of the stove, and let it come to a boil. Take off the mixture, and stir into it one pint of spirits of turpentine, wliich will make it dry rapidly Apply to the floor with a broad paint brush, going up and down, straight with the grain, one plank at a time. Choose a clear, dry day for the task, so that all the doors and windows may be open, and the air have free access. In six hours it should be dry enough to be polished with a waxed cloth wrapped around a block fastened to the end of a long broomhandle. The best cleaner we know wipes over such floors with a damp cloth every morning early, and dry-rubs with the waxed cloth only once a week. Her floors are of a rich dark brown hue, and shine like a mirror. The waxing prevents every footstep showing. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 245 For Staining Halls. — One peck of red oak bark, two pounds of common tobacco, with a tablespoonful of copperas. Boil the bark and tobacco together for some time. When the infusion looks highly colored stir in the copperas, which must be kept out until that time. Apply to the floor with a broad brush. Wlien dry, mop over with weak lye. Wax and mop while damp. To Polish Floors. — The cleanest and most perfectly polished floors have no water used on them. They are simply rubbed every morning wth a large flannel cloth, which is soaked in kerosene oil once in two or three weeks. Take the cloth, and with a scrubbing- brush or stubby broom go rapidly up and down the planks — not across them. After a few rubbings the floor will assume a polished appearance that is not easily defaced. Some people prefer the old-fashioned polish of beeswax and turpentine instead of varnish. The staining is done in the same way as for the other process, and whilst it is drying the polish to finish it may be made in the following inanner: a pound and a half of bees- wax is mixed with five ounces of resin and one pint of turpentine in a basin, and then stood in the oven for a few minutes, until it is melted to about the consistency of thick cream. WTien it is cool, and the staining perfectly dry, it is rubbed rapidly on the floor with a cloth, and if it is too thick to allow of this, it should be diluted with a little more turpentine; then it is brushed with some force with a brush, which may be bought for the piupose, and finally finished oflE with a fine piece of baize. A great deal more time and labor have to be bestowed on this wax polishing than on the varnishing process. Apart from this, it is not so durable, and requires polishing at least once or twice a week to keep it looking bright, whereas the varnish need only be washed over with a cloth wrung out of clean warm water to make it look perfectly clean. When heavy trunks or boxes are to be moved, in storeroom or elsewhere, put under one end a piece of broom handle a little longer than the width of the trunk. Lift the other end slightly from the floor and it will move very easily. Marking a Trunk. — A trunk with a label is more easily identified in a baggage-room, and, if lost, is more easily traced ; avoid this latter by nailing on a card with the home address before starting on any journey; then nail over it a larger card, the address to which you are going. When ready to start for home, tear off card number two, and the trunk is labeled for the home trip. 246 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS HINTS ON PAINT AND PAINTING Oil paint lasts longer when put on in autumn. Kitchen floors painted with boiled linseed oil are easily cleaned. New woodwork requires one pound of paint to the square yard for three coats. Paint brushes can be cleaned by washing in hot soda water and soft soap. White paint should be cleaned with warm water, using a little whiting on the cloth, then rinsing with clear water. Never use any strong alkali soap or scouring powder on paint or varnish. To get rid of the smell of paint in a chamber or living-room, plunge a handful of hay into a pailful of water, and let it stand in the room over-night. In the hot summer months a floor artistically painted will be often found preferable to carpet, as aiding in the movement of the air, not harboring dust, and proving on the whole cooler. There is little saved by oiling or even painting a floor that wears fast by use. Floors of dwellings or rooms, that are kept clean and not much used, may have their appearance improved by oiling with boiled linseed oil, or painting. To remove mortar and paint from windows, rub spots of mortar with hot sharp vinegar; or, if nearly fresh, cold vinegar will loosen them. Rub the paint spots with turpentine and sand. To remove spots from gray marble hearths, rub with linseed oil. A pretty coloring for kitchen walls is the pink shade obtained by dissolving whiting in water, and then adding enough permanganate of potash to give it the desired color. Apply with a whitewash brush. It looks well, and is cheap. Marks of matches on a kitchen wall will disappear if rubbed first with the cut surface of a lemon, then with a clean cloth dipped in whiting. Afterwards wash the surface with warm water and soap, and quickly wipe with a clean cloth wrung out of clean water. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 247 PAPER HANGING Smoked ceilings may be cleaned by washing with cloths wrung out of water in which a small piece of washing soda has been dis- solved. Delicate wall paper can be cleaned by wiping with balls of dough, made by kneading stiff a paste of four pounds of flour and two pints of cold water. To Clean Wall Paper. — (1) To remove stains or marks where people have rested their heads on wall papers, mix pipe-clay with water to the consistency of cream, lay it on the spot, and allow it to remain till the following day, when it may be easily removed with a penknife or brush. (2) Cut off the crust of a loaf of bread and rub the wall with a lump of the bread; this wUl remove a great deal of the dirt. Patching Wall Paper. — Take a remnant of new paper, pin it up on a flat surface well exposed to the su»light, and let it fade until it matches the paper on the wall. Then cut it the proper size to cover the torn or spotted wall paper, and paste it over, matching the figure. A pretty and inexpensive paper for a room may be obtained by buying the odd rolls left over of various kinds and putting the paper on wrong side out. Finished with a cut-out border, the effect is very pleasing. Removing Old Wall Paper. — When new wall paper is to be hung, it is usually better to remove the old paper from wall and ceil- ing, if a boilerful of boiling-hot water is placed in the room and all doors and windows tightly closed, the steam will soften the paper, making its removal a simple matter. Paperhangers' Paste. — First heat water to boiling, then add flour, with constant stirring — to prevent the formation of lumps the flour may be passed through a sieve, so as to insure its more equable distribution. Agitation is continued until the heat has rendered the mass of the desired consistency, and, after a few moments' further boiling, it is ready for use. In order to increase its strength, pow- dered resin in the proportion of one-sixth to one-fourth of the weight of the flour is added. To prevent its souring, oU of cloves or a few drops of carbolic acid are added. 248 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Flour Paste. — Water, one quart; alum, ^/i ounce. Dissolve, and when cold add flour to make it of the consistence of cream. Flour Paste, Soft. — To the above add a little powdered resin and a clove or two before boiling. This will keep for twelve months. When dry it may be softened with water. One grain of sulphate of quinine will preserve a large bottle of paste, or any other mounting solution, for an indefinite time. To Remove Mould from Walls. — Apply with a whitewash brush a solution of one pound of chloride of lime in a pailful of water. A convenient mucilage can be made from onion juice. A large Spanish onion is boiled for a short time and is then pressed, a quan- tity of very adhesive fluid resulting. This is extensively used in some branches of industry for fastening paper to tin, zinc, glass, etc., and it holds with a surprising tenacity. In filling cracks in plaster, mix plaster of Paris with vinegar instead of water. It will be like a mass of putty. Push it into the cracks and smooth off with an old case knife. The plaster will not become hard for half an hour if mixed with vinegar, but if water is used it will become hard immediately, almost before you have time to use it. In order to make plaster set quickly, mix it with water in which a Uttle alum has been dissolved. To make it set slowly, mix it with fine slaked lime. With respect to the time of setting, it will be found that this may be regulated by changing the relative quan- tities. It is often desirable to insert screws in plastered walls, and it is found hard to make them hold. The hole made by the screw should be enlarged and the edges of the plaster thoroughly moistened with water. Then fill the space with plaster of Paris and press the screw in the soft plaster. When the plaster has become hard the screw will be held very firmly. Papering Whitewashed Walls. — First, with a hoe or table knife, scrape off all lose flakes of lime, and sweep down the walls. Then wipe the walls with strong vinegar, wetting them thoroughly. When dry, paper carefully with newspapers, using cooked flour paste. If you wish to paper the ceiling, treat it as the walls, and after the newspaper covering has dried, hang the wall paper. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 249 STENCILLING Stencilling — the application of a pattern by means of brushing paint over a perforated plate — is largely used in house decoration for putting patterns round friezes, cornices, upon ceilings, and upon fabrics used as hangings, pillows, tablecloths, etc. The design is cut out of some thin material, such as paper or zinc, a pigment is brushed over the plate with short stiff brushes made expressly for this purpose, and the color passing through the stencil plate on to the surface of the work leaves an impression. The perforated plate or paper used for this purpose is called a stencil. Stencils and the impressions made with them are shown on page 250. In the sten- cils, the cut-away parts are indicated in white; in the impression, the stencilled parts are indicated in black. The word stencil has also been applied to a sheet of paper in which is cut a pattern not intended for reproduction, but as an ornament in itself to be superimposed on the work. Diagram Showing Ties in Stencil of Letter " B." B Ties in a Stencil. — The use and value of stencil ties are illus- trated by the letter B. In making a stencil of this letter, if it were cut in the plate exactly as shown by C, an impression exactly like that illustrated by D would be obtained. The outline would be correct, but the portions of the letter enclosed in the loops would be merely patches of color minus all dctaU. To produce the im- pression desired, the portion enclosed in the loops would have to be tied to the rest of the plate as indicated by E, and then a stencilled letter, similar to that illustrated by F, would be obtained. Four bars, it will be noted, hold the plate together, but in such stencils as the one under consideration these would not mar their beauty. The dia- gram indicates merely tlie principle, not a pattern letter. 250 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Stencils and the impressions made with them. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 251 Materials for Stencils. — Stencils may be cut in thin metal, sheet zinc, lead, tinfoil, or prepared paper. Zinc is a rather difficult metal for the inexpert to cut with a knife, but sheet lead cuts easily and cleanly and could be recommended if it were not for its cost and the difficulty experienced in repairing broken ties. Sheet lead lies very flat to the wall, and where water color and distemper are the decorating medium, has certain advantages over paper. Most decorators use cartridge paper with or without a pre- liminary coat of shellac, varnish, or knotting. When the design has been cut, the paper must be given one or two coats of varnish, for unless thus toughened it will not stand the necessary wear and tear. Stencil-cutting Knives. Dipping paper stencils in shellac varnish so as to strengthen them has the disadvantage that the paper is stiffened so much that it buckles and turns up at the edges, it thus being impossible to keep the stencil fiat when working; the brush catches on the projecting edges and makes the design ragged instead of sharp. For this reason, some decorators advise coating with umber paint containing as the vehicle three parts of linseed oil and one part of turps, finishing with a coat of zinc-white paint, which will prevent sticlong. When cutting stencils, do not press heavily on the knife, or the surface of the plate glass will be badly scratched, and the blade wil soon lose its edge. Sharpen the knife at short intervals, and, when using it, hold it slightly on the slant, as in that position it becomes dulled less rapidly than when held straight. This method of holding the knife enables the operator to go round the curves with ease; but the knife must have a good point, if the curves are to be cut true and dear. 252 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS The knife must be extremely sharp if good work is to be pro- duced: for the cleaner the cuts, the more effective is the stencil. The knife, indeed, must be cut through the material at one stroke; the necessity for having an oilstone handy will therefore be under- stood. To produce a stencil plate, it is necessary first to draw the design on thin paper, and then to transfer it to the paper, zinc, lead, or cardboard, out of whichthe stencil is^to be cut. Some workers paste the drawing to the plate, when, of course, the drawing can only be used once, as it is irretrievably spoiled when cut. Even when the design is produced in two colors, and two plates have to be cut for one pattern, the whole design should preferably be traced complete on one piece of tracing paper. The respective portions can afterwards be easily transferred to the plates by means of a sheet of black transfer paper, whilst the keys can also be accurately placed in their proper positions. When a tie in a paper stencil is accidentally cut through, glue over it a small piece of stout paper, which will be found quite strong enough unless the cut is very bad. To repair a torn paper stencil, some workers draw the torn edges together with needle and thread, but this method is not always satisfactory. A better plan is thorouglily to clean the injured part and to glue pieces of thin rag on each side; when dry, the edges are trimmed and the whole is coated first, with umber paint made with linseed oil and turps and then with zinc- white paint; several coats are desirable. Broad Margins. — When cutting stencils, leave a rather broad margin round the design to prevent the color brush slipping off the plate and smudging the surface that is being decorated. When a pattern is continuous, and has to be regularly repeated time after time, it is, for the sake of the general effect, absolutely necessary that the impressions shall be joined so accurately that not the slightest unevenness is left to show where the joints occur. With this object, as already briefly mentioned, a key, or a number of guiding holes, must be cut in the plate. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 253 ^^i i 111 '^C I i Bird Panel Stencil and Impression. 254 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS As to tools, the pattern may be stencilled either with the special hog-hair stencilling brush, or, in the case of distemper work, with a sponge. As in using a sponge the colors get on the fingers, it is only serviceable in distemper work, and a brush must be used for oil paints. Stenciling brushes are made in about a dozen sizes, varying from about ^ in. to 1 5^ in. in diameter. A more varied efifect can be produced with a sponge than with a brush. Well saturate the sponge in cold water, and then squeeze out as much water as possible. The color should be mixed with size to the consistency of butter — that is to say, in a cake hard enough to keep together, but not so hard as not to give up its color to the sponge. Metal-boimd Stencilling Brush. The colors should be in soft cakes on a board; the edge of the sponge can then be rubbed a few times over the cake of color; then, holding the stencil well down upon the work and pressing the fingers upon the part operated upon, the sponge can be worked round the opening in the stencil. It should be rubbed lightly and with a circular motion, not straight across, but in the direction of the flow of the ornament, and from the broad part of the stencil to the opening, taking care that the sponge is not too moist and not so full of color as to rub underneath the pattern. For all stencilling good use must be made of chalk line and measurement. In working, the stencil should be carefully watched so that no deviation is possible. The stencU should fit accurately and be placed exactly; an error in working an all-over pattern in- creases in compound ratio. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 255 Striking out is most important. A line should be struck down the center of the room or the panels, as the case may be. Then take the measurement of the width of the stencil plate or of the repeat of the pattern, and strike out horizontal and vertical lines all over where the pattern goes. The squares thus given will then prevent any gradual deviation whilst proceeding with the stencilling, as would otherwise be very liable to occur. A small plain stile should be set out in the angles of the room, running along the top of dado, or skirting, or cornice, so as to avoid the inaccuracies which always exist in rooms, and so present a per- fect oblong for the reception of the continuous stencil. The angles of rooms are but seldom accurate, and so the pattern, when it comes into the comer of the room, gives a great deal of trouble, if the precaution mentioned is not taken. Plumb a line down the comer of each side of the room which will take in the inaccuracy of the angles; this will give the width allowable for stiles. Of course, the stencil can fill up all the room if required, but it gets broken in the angles, so necessitating much making good, the result being generally imperfect. The stile adds to the accuracy and effect of the diaper; it allows for the give-and-take princijjle, not only to the comers of the room, but to the cornice and the wall as well, helping to adjust any differ- ence which may exist between the plaster cornice and the floor. The decorator should be always on the lookout to make things square. WHITEWASH AND WHITEWASHING Remove whitewash spots by instantly washing in strong vinegar. Whitewash is the cheapest of all paints, and for certain pur- poses the best. Lime, which is the basis of whitewash, makes a very sanitary coating, and is probably to be preferred for cellars and the interior of outbuildings. _ Brown whitewash that will not wash off easily: Add brown sienna to the whitewash in order to produce the desired color, and mix with alum or size. 256 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS If one pint of wheat flour is made into a thin cooked paste and added to each pailful of whitewash, the whitewash will not rub ofl easily. Add to this a small quantity of carbolic acid and it will purify the cellars and dairies where used, keeping down all musty odors that might taint the milk and butter. Recipe for Mixing Whitewash so It Won't Wash Off. — Slake one-half bushel lime with boiling water, keeping it covered during the process, strain and add one peck salt dissolved in warm water and three pounds rice flour boiled in water to a thin paste, one half pound Spanish whiting, and one pound clear glue dissolved in warm water. AUow it to stand several days and apply hot. Whitewash for Outhouses and Fences. — The ingredients are unslacked lime, wliite vitriol, and salt. The proportions are one bushel of lime (which must be slacked with hot water), two and a half pounds of white vitriol, and four pounds of salt. This colors white. If you prefer a drab color, add half a pound of French blue and two pounds of Indian red. The advantage of this recipe is its cheap- ness and durability. The whole cost of giving two coats of paint that will wear like iron, to seven thousand square feet of wall or plank, is one dollar and ten cents. DISINFECTANTS IN THE HOUSE Heat and pure air are the best of all disinfectants. Where other agents are necessary, the following Hst will be found useful. It will be well to bum pine tar occasionally in a sick room, as it is an excellent disinfectant, and it also induces sleep. Cistern or any impure water may be purified by charcoal put in a bag and hung in the water. Equal parts of carbolic acid and tincture of green soap make a good disinfectant wash for the hands and can be used fuU strength without injury. A simple disinfecting lamp may be easily made by burning bisulphide of carlx)n in a lamp after the manner of an oil or a spirit lamp. Caution: the bisulphide is highly inflammable. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 257 Chloride of lime is sufficiently well known not to need special mention here, except to say that its value is greatly over-rated. The addition of strong vinegar, or dilute sulphuric acid (oil of vitriol) materially increases its efficacy. Carbon-sulphide is recommended by some entomologists as a substitute for hydrocyanic-acid gas. It being extremely inflamma- ble, or explosive, renders it less available and more than counteracts the danger to human beings from the use of hydrocyanic-acid gas. Chloride of zinc m.ay be used instead of copperas, and has the advantage of neither bleaching nor staining white or colored fabrics with which it may come in contact. On this account, it is especially useful in disinfecting clothing, bedding, etc. Of the large number of proprietary preparations sold for disinfecting purposes, it is not necessary to treat in this connection. If further information is needed, consult your sanitary officer or family physician. Carbolic acid and the coal-tar disinfectants are only ad- missible for outdoor use, on account of their odor. Mi.xed with gypsum, they are valuable around stables, outbuildings, etc. A gill of carbolic acid in a pailful of water may be used to flush sewers, drains, etc. and in privy-vaults and catch-basins. Hydrocyanic-acid gas in houses is successful against bedbugs, cockroaches, moths, ants, fleas, house flies and other soft-bodied in- sects; mice and rats are killed by its use, it having the effect of causing the rodents to rush from their holes into the open, preventing the annoyance of having dead mice or rats in the walls or flooring. To Use Hydrocyanic-Acid Gas. — One fluid ounce of commercial sulphuric acid (about 1.84 sp. gr., = 66° Baume) is diluted ^\dth two fluid ounces of water, to increase the bulk of the Liquid and insure complete chemical action, and one ounce of high grade (98 per cent.) cyanide of potassium must be used for every 100 cubic feet of space. Copperas can be used almost anywhere and is cheap and effi- cient. Especially useful in privies, etc. Ten pounds in a pailfid of water; a teacupful in bed-pans, chambers, etc., after being used. A quart a day in privies, urinals, etc., for ordinary purposes. In dan- gerous diseases, add from a pint to a quart to each discharge. The contents of a privy six feet in diameter and twelve feet deep will require twenty pounds of copperas to disinfect it. 258 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS A woman whose house telephone is necessarily used by many people keeps at hand a bottle of carbolic acid and a box of little squares of white clean cloth. Before using the 'phone she wets one of the squares with the solution and wipes the mouthpiece. This is an easy thing to do, and may be the means of saving much mis- fortune. Disinfection by Means of Sulphur — The room to be disin- fected should previously be well scrubbed with soap and water, not merely for the sake of cleanliness, but also because it is found that the action of the sulphur is facilitated by moisture. All the windows, doors, and ventilating apertures should be closed before the sulphur is ignited, and not be opened for four-and-twenty hours. Charcoal is one of the best deodorants, absorbing large vol- umes of gases. May be used in powder, mixed with lime or gypsum, and sprinkled freely in malodorous localities. Suspended in a basket, in cisterns, meat-safes, dairies, etc., it tends to keep the contents from absorbing foul odors. Charcoal should be frequently reheated to drive off the absorbed gases and renew its efficiency. Ouicklime and gypsum are good absorbents, and may be used advantageously in damp places, cellars, gutters, etc. They should not, however, be used in drains, catch-basins, sewers, soil-pipes, etc. ; nor where they are liable to be washed into such places, lest they, by decomposing soap-water, form lime-soap and obstruct the pas- sages. A convenient mode of burning sulphur in a large apartment is by means of a workman's "devil" — i.e., a bucket with perforated sides and bottom. This is filled with shavings and coke or coal, and, owing to the thorough draught, soon gives a good fire. The sulphur is put with the coals, and a large kettle placed on the top of the "devil," by which means steam is diffused through the air, and the requisite moisture obtained. By some the quantity required is reckoned at half an ounce for every ten cubic feet of space. There is but one true disinfectant — viz., fire. The majority of so-called disinfectants are simply deodorants. The idea that tobacco-smoke or the odor of camphor is destructive of contagion is still extensively held, tliough it is simply absurd. A true disin- fectant is a substance that will kill the germ or living particle in which tlic contagion principle resides, or through which it is conveyed. Of true disinfectants, heat is the most reliable, though others are not to be despised, such as carbolic acid, clilorine, and sulphuric acid gas. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 259 How to Fumigate. — Before operating, the house must be va- cated. It is not necessary to remove any of the furniture or belong- ings unless of polished nickel or brass, which may tarnish some. Liquids or moist foods, meats, larder supplies that are not dry and might absorb the gas, should be removed from the house. All fires should be put out; the gas will not bum under ordinary conditions, but risks should not be taken. According to L. O. Howard of the Bureau of Entomology at Wash- ington, D. C., the cubic contents of each room on each floor should be carefully computed and a tabular statement, such as that given below, prepared, designating for each floor and the different rooms the capacity and the amount of acid, cyanide, and water needed. Table Designating Rooms, Capacity, and Amounts of Chemicals. Floor Room Cubic feet Water Sulphuric Acid Cyanide of Potassiimi Fourth Third Second First Basement. . . Garret . . . Front Middle... Back Front Middle... Back Parlor.... Middle... Dining . . . Servant's . HaU Kitchen . . 17,000 2,800 1,400 2,200 15,500 2,200 2,000 14,400 2,400 2,900 1,200 2,000 1,800 Fl. oz. 140 56 28 44 110 44 40 88 48 58 24 40 36 Fl. oz. 70 28 14 22 55 22 20 44 24 29 12 20 18 Avd. oz. 70 28 14 22 55 22 20 44 24 29 12 20 18 Total .... 37,800 756 378 378 ' The charges for these rooms should be halved and set off in two vessels. The general directions for treatment may be summarized as follows: (1) Prepare tabular statement designating room capacity and amount of chemicals for each compartment, and secure the chemicals and vessels for generating the gas. (2) Arrange for the opening of doors and windows from the outside at the conclusion of the fumigation, and close all registers, fire-places, and other open- ings. Do necessary calking, and remove carpets and rugs, and moist food material, and any metallic objects which are likely to be tar- 260 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS nished. (3) Place the generating vessels in each room with a thick carpeting of old newspapers under each. (4) Break up the cyanide out of doors and place it in thin paper sacks containing a pound or a half pound each, suited to the amounts to be used in the different rooms. (5) Measure into each of the generating jars the proper amount of water, and afterwards add the acid slowly in the proper amount to each of the jars. (6) Take the cyanide in bags in a basket and place the bags to the proper amount alongside the generating jars in each room. (7) Start at the top of the house and place the cyanide gently, so as not to spatter, into each jar, and quickly leave the room. As soon as the upper floor is finished go to the next lower, and pass in this manner from floor to floor until tlie basement is reached and exit is made through the lower door. If two persons work together in this operation, they should both be on the same floor together, taking different rooms. (8) The following day, or after the completion of the fumigation, open the windows and doors from the outside, and let the house ventilate for an hour before entering it. (9) After the house is thoroughly ventilated and the odor of the gas has disappeared, the jars should be emptied in a safe place, preferably through the sewer trap, and thoroughly and repeatedly washed before being used for any household purpose. ' The Cyanide and Gas a Deadly Poison. — In the use of this gas for household fumigation it must not be lost sight of for a single instant that one is dealing with one of the most poisonous substances known, and that the accidental eating of a small portion of cyanide will necessarily be fatal, and that the inhalation of a few breaths of the gas will asphyxiate, and, if rescue be not prompt, also have a fatal termination. It is much better, therefore, if fumigation be contemplated, to put the work in the hands of someone who has had experience, if such a person be available; if not, to carefully consider all the recommendations and precautions and become thoroughly fa- miliarized with them before undertaking the experiment. — (Dept. of Agriculture Btilletin.) FLEAS Where there are comparatively few fleas in a house or a given room, place a white cloth, like a pillow case (according to L. O. Howard of the Bureau of Entomology), in the middle of the floor. Tlie fleas, attracted by the white color, will jump on the cloth. Then with a basin of water, kneel down and with the wetted finger pick up the fleas one after the other and place them in the water. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 261 Or fill a glass three-fourths with water, on top of which pour about an inch of olive oil, then place a night-float in the center of the oil. Place the tumbler in the center of a soup plate filled with strong soapsuds. The wick should be lighted when retiring, the soup-plate and soapsuds placed on the floor. In bams, a large milk pan can be used the same way as the soup plate, while a lantern and kerosene, instead of soapsuds and the night-light, may be utilized. If you do not desire to be troubled by fleas, do not keep dogs or cats. Flea larvae will not develop successfully in situations where they are likely to be disturbed. The overrunning of houses in summer during the absence of the occupants may be ascribed to the develop- ment of a brood of fleas in the dust of the cracks of the floor from eggs which have been dropped by a pet cat or dog. The use of carpets or straw mattings favors their development, the slender and active larvae penetrating these forms of covering, and finding abiding places in some crack where they are not lilcely to be disturbed. It is not difficult to destroy the cat or dog flea in its larval stages, but the extreme activity and hardiness of the adult fleas render any but the most strenuous measures unsuccessful. The ordinary reme- dies (pyretheum, buhach, benzine) are ineffectual, and only taking up the floor matting and washing the floor with hot soapsuds will be found effectual. Baker has listed forty-seven valid species of fleas which attack all sorts of warm-blooded animals. The cat or dog flea may be distinguished from the so-called human flea (Piilex irritans) by the fact that the latter species does not possess the strong recurved spines on the margin of the head. — (U, S. Bureau of Entomology.) THE CARE OF THE CELLAR AND ITS CONTENTS Keep an empty cask bunged up tight to keep it sweet. Tar casks slightly on the inside to assist in preserving salt meat. Moldy walls are cleaned by a weak solution of chloride of lime. The windows of a cellar should be opened at night and closed in the daytime: in that way a cellar will remain dry and healthful for the household. 262 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Two thicknesses of newspaper make a good lining for apple barrels. Do not forget that fresh lime absorbs the moisture and will freshen a cellar. It is also said it will prevent malarial troubles. To sweeten a sour cask that has held pickles, vinegar, or wine, wash it with lime water, or throw in hot charcoal and ashes. Add water and let the cask soak. To remove odors in a cask, wash with sulphuric acid and rinse with clear water, or whitewash with quicklime, or char the inside with a hot iron. In all cases rinse thorouglily with scalding water before using. If a cellar has a damp smell and cannot be thoroughly ven- tilated, pans of charcoal set on the floor, shelves, or ledges will make the air pure and sweet. If a large basketful of charcoal be placed in a damp cellar where milk is kept, there will be no danger of its becoming tainted. To minimize dust from furnaces, wet the ashes by throwing water on them from a dipper before taking them up. Or sprinkle them with water from a watering pot. Or sprinkle over them wet sawdust. This also prevents dust from rising into the upper rooms through the registers. Cellars that have contained potatoes, carrots, turnips, cab- bage or other vegetables during the winter should be thoroughly cleaned and then disinfected by sprinkling the floors, walls, and bins that held the vegetables with water that contains one-half pound of chloride of Ume to the gallon. Apples and potatoes should never be kept in the same cellar, or, if this is unavoidable, the potatoes should be kept in the warmest part of the cellar, and the barrels of apples, well headed up, near the windows, where, on days when the air outside is only a few degrees above freezing, they can be treated to a cold breeze from the open windows, while at the same time the atmosphere in the part of the cellar where the potatoes are kept does not fall below forty degrees. CARE OF CANARY BIRDS In order to secure health and comfort to your birds, their cages must be kept scrupulously clean. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 263 Painted cages are bad for birds, as the paint is sure to be picked off and will slowly poison the bird. Never leave the bathing-dish in the cage, for the birds drink from it and soon become sick. The cage of nesting birds should be placed on a solid support in a room of even temperature, out of drafts and in plenty of light. Brass cages are best, and can be kept bright by washing with cold water once a week, wiping dry, wire by wire, with a linen cloth. Never put hot water on the cage. Sand is better than paper for cages. Use clean river sand and put it half an inch thick on the tray. They require the sand to facilitate digestion. Sea sand must never be used. Do not make the error of thinking that a bird sings better in a tiny cage than in a large one ; granted, he sings more, but it is not a contented song. Mated birds do not lose the beauty of their voices; on the con- trary, their voices are richer and fuller if they have been kept clean during incubation. Canaries may be mated and bred whenever there are no ex- tremes of weather; from February untU June and from September until November are excellent times. If strong singers are wanted, the mother bird should be older than the father. Water for bathing should be regularly supplied every morning, at as nearly the same hour as possible. Allow the bath-tub to remain only long enough for the birds to wash very soon. If you have a large cage, you will have less music, for the canary will be taken up with the amusement of hopping about and forget his song. The cage should be kept in a warm place. A temperature of some sixty degrees is about right. They should have fresh air, but a draft is fatal to voice and health. Most bird ailments originate in a cold. Birds need good air as much as good food, and often suffer exceedingly for want of it, especially in the cold season when they are kept shut up in a close, unventilated room. They are usually hung too near the top of the room for comfort. 264 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Probably more birds suffer and die from want of fresh, pure air than from any other cause. The cage should hang where the sun can lie in it a part of the day, but a bird should never be exposed to the direct rays of the sun, with no chance of shelter. The cage should be suspended by a spring, as it lessens the shock as they jump from perch to perch. The green food given must be of the most delicate nature, the tender inside leaves of celery, cabbage, or lettuce. Sugar, sweets, or cake should not be given to birds. Anything sticky or pasty they cannot digest. Cuttle-bone should be kept in the cage at all times. A red pepper hung in the cage is not only strengthening, but improves the color of the feathers. Fine gravel is a necessity, and should be spread on the floor of the cage a fourth of an inch thick. It keeps the birds' feet as well as their digestion in order. It is well to keep a bag of sulphur hanging in the cage. It is best above the swing where the birds jar it, and so get some particles circulating through the cage. When the bird is molting, keep a rusty nail in the drinking water. The iron is needed to supply the loss of vitality occasioned by molting, and may be used at other times with advantage, if the birds are not as vigorous and active as usual. Lice seldom aiake their appearance where the birds are kept in a cleanly condition. Canary seed should be given constantly, and occasionally a mixture of rape, millet, and (very sparingly) hemp. A hard-boiled egg, and also a mixture of the boiled egg and grated cracker, a bit of apple or baked potato, may be given without injury. The bird's bill of fare may contain any of the following tidbits: In summer, chickweed, plantain-spears, peppergrass, sorrel, and dandelion leaves (the last are a splendid tonic for molting birds), strawberries, apple, and other fruits; in winter, apples, figs (if the bird is costive, both of these are splendid correctives), celery, and, in the late afternoon, lettuce, which make the bird drowsy; spinach is good, and a sweet red pepper should always hang in the cage. This should be fed at molting-time, as it makes the plumage a deeper orange color. When too many sweets have been indulged in, feed hard-boiled egg-yolks mixed with cracker-crumbs. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 265 Use a bit of netting sewed to a small hoop and fastened to a handle two feet long (like a small butterfly-net) to drop gently over the bird when playtime is at an end. If the door of the cage is opened, and the bird is permitted to hop out voluntarily, he will not be alarmed. Keeping Household Acctmmt^ — No man can run a business successfully unless he has a systeni of account keeping. Keeping house is, or should be, a business proposition, but most women do not consider it as such, and rarely is a housewife met with who runs her household on a plan that will balance income and expendi- ture, and show systematically how the husband's or father's cash contribution to the home has been expended, or saved. Every mother should keep a useful record of her share of the business of home-making. She should have two blank books, each page having thirty-one lines, and each space between the lines numbered with the date of the month. Each page should be ruled off like this: Date Food Re«t Ck) thing Recreation Contingencies In the spaces are put the amounts expended daily which have been entered at the time in a small account book to prevent the tricks that memory is inclined to play. The above arrangement may be extended to suit the individual taste of the accountant. Where the income is monthly it is a good plan to divide the food and operating allowance by thirty, and only enough drawn each week to run the house with under this approximate estimate. Each housewife will have to divide up the expenses of her household to fit the individual needs, but the first step is to try to apportion the income in the most effective way. 266 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS Cooking cannot be well done by guesswork. Accurate measurement is necessary to success in cooking. A tablespoonful is a rounded spoonful. Dry materials (flour, etc.) should be sifted before measuring. A cupful means full to the brim, not rurming over. The standard measuring cup holds just half a pint. Soda, baking powder, pepper, salt and spices are measured level. A rounded tablespoon equals one-eighth of a cup or one-fourtb of a quarter pound print of butter. Measure butter by packing closely, and measure flour lightly, without shaking down. The standard cooking cup should hold just half a pound oi sugar, or water, or butter solidly packed. A quart of milk will not contain four cups, measured by the cooking-cup measure. A " shake " or " speck " or "a few grains " is what you can place on a quarter inch square surface. The word " cooking " is derived from the Latin coqtio, meaning "to boil, bake, seethe, dry, scorch or ripen." Anthracite coal is 90 to 98 per cfcnt. carbon. Wood charcoal gives out more heat than an equal weight of any other fuel. The forefinger is a poor index of temperatures. Better use a thermometer. Never shut off all the draught on a red-hot fire without putting on a little fresh coal if you wish to keep it in good condition. When all the coals are red they are nearly burnt out; when partly black and partly red they will give out heat a longer time. Charcoal and anthracite coal should not be burned in close rooms, open stoves, or those with pipe dampers closed, and a poor chimney draught. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 267 Cooking improves the flavor of cereals. No cereal cooked in a rice boiler is ever over done. Rice has but little of the flesh-forming element. Rice has less fat and more starch than any other grain. Steaming rice Is the most economical and easiest way to prepare o prepare it. Rice requires only twice its bulk of boiling water and will cook in half an hour. Rice and potatoes contain little except water and starch, sup- plying only two of the needfixl substances. Always add hot water to cooking cereals when the evaporation demands added fluid. Slow cooking will soften the gluten in grains more thoroughly than rapid boiling. Corn meal is rich in nitrogen; it contains more fat than other grains. Barley is rich in phosphates; it has too little gluten to make good bread. Buckwheat has more heat-giving and less flesh-forming elements than wheat. The " heat and work producers " of foods are the proteids, albuminoids, carbohydrates, fats, water and mineral matters. Carbohydrate is the name (meaning starch and sugar) applied to a class of substances containing carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Cereals contain a large amount of starch, some water, gluten, mineral matter, and a little fat and sugar. 212° F. breaks open the starch grains of cereals and partially changes the starch into dextrin, a kind of sugar. The starches of all thoroughly cooked cereals require about the same time for digestion. Don't add milk to gruel until it is thoroughly cooked, and the composition of the milk will not be injured. Test the quality of each egg, by breaking separately into «. saucer, when using several eggs. 268 HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS To be digestible, batters and doughs must be light and porous. Suet is used in doughs or flour mixtures to make them tender. Yeast, under the microscope is foimd to be a plant or germ of the fungus tribe. By measuring dry things first, then the liquid, one cup will do for all, without washing. Thin batters for popovers and gems without eggs, should be beaten vigorously, just before baking. Very thin batters, (or those containing sugar and eggs) require more fat on the griddle than the other kinds. Always mix the soda with the flour or other ingredients, if dis- solved in water most of the gas escapes as soon as the soda is wetted" Batters require baking in a hot oven, but if it be too hot, the sudden expansion of the air bursts the bubble, and the mixture falls. " A well greased griddle or pan " means a uniform coating of fat over the entire surface, not a daub here and there. As long as it is soft enough to be beaten, a mixture is a "batter"; when a spoon can no longer be made to go through it easily, it is a "dough." Any batter is a '* pour batter " imtil it is made so stiff that it breaks in the pouring and drops from the spoon. It is then a "drop batter." Mixtures of flour that have to rise in the oven, should be placed on the bottom; they require heat from underneath to help in the rising. The general proportions for muffin mixtures is one scant measure of liquid to two full measures of flour. Loaf is from the word hlifian, "to raise, to lift." Rye used alone makes a moist, ck)se, sticky bread. Wheat contains a large amount of starch, and more mineral than any other grain. Bread made from rye can be kept for some time before becoming hard and unpalatable. The proper making of flour or dough mixtures is one of the most difficult forms of cooking. A pan of water on the middle rack, or a sheet of paper over the pan will prevent flour mixtures from browning too fast. HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS 269 In table etiquette any custom is commendable that is based on the golden rule. Do not talk or drink while food is in the mouth. In passing a plate hold it so the thumb will not rest on the upper surface. Use the knife only as a divider, and the fork to convey the food to the mouth. A spHJtless table cloth, smooth and straight is essential to the enjoyment of a meal. Never be so absorbed in your own enjoyment of a meal, as to be unmindful of the needs of others. In filling glasses or cups, take them near the bottom or handle, never with the hand over the top. Before the dessert, remove the crumbs with a scraper or broad knife. It is unpardonable to annoy others by nojisily eating, or drinking, or j;icking the teeth at the table. In clearing a tea or breakfast table, where there has been no change of courses, remove the silver and glasses first. The overuse of sugar is one of the causes of diabetes. Sugar eaten in excess destroys the appetite for other necessary foods. In packing a freezer allow three level measures of ice to one of salt. The finer the ice, the more quickly the freezing will be ac- complished. The ice cream can should only be three-fourths full; the liquid expands in freezing. Do not use ice in a liquid unless it is known to be pure; but cool 071 ice. Water can be purified for drinking, if boiled ten minutes, poured into sterile bottles and corking with absorbent cotton until cool. Never let the broken pieces or crumbs accumulate in bread or cake jars. Always wash the bread board and meat board on the table where they have been used, never in an iron sink. Fill the mixing bowl for dough with cold water if not ready to wash it immediately. 270 HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS Keep eggs in a cool dry place. A fresh egg will sink if placed in a pa.il of water. A cold-storage egg may fool the eye, but not the tongue. Anything which will entirely exclude air from eggs will help to keep them. An egg absorbs flavors. The medicated nest eggs used by some poultrymen give eggs an objectionable odor. If the yolks of eggs are cooked hard and separately, they are more easily digested than when soft cooked. The albumin of eggs if cooked at boiling water point (212° F.) is tough and indigestible. The cooking temperature of albumin is 160-180° F. It is then soft and jelly-like and easily digested. Whole eggs are unfit for fever patients, and the whites only snoiild be used. The white of an egg consists of nearly eight-tenths water, the remainder being principally albumin (protein) and mineral matter. The yolk of an egg is nearly half water, one-sixth protein, one- third fat, and double the mineral matter of the white. The hen's egg contains nearly 23 per cent, fat but no carbo- nydrates, and the fat contains less carbon than other fats. One cup of ground coffee should make seven cups of good coffee- Glass jars ar« better than tin canisters for keeping coflFee and tea in bulk. Tea or coffee taken with sugar or milk alone, is more heathful than when both are used. Chocolate and cocoa are both products of the cocoa bean, the former being much richer in fat than the latter. Green and black tea are produced from the same plant but by different methods. Don't make tea in tinware; crockery, granite ware or silver should be used. Pouring boiling water over the leaves when preparing tea, and serving in a few minutes, reduces the amount of tannin produced. If lemon juice is substituted for milk, tea is less likely to cause sleeplessness. HELPS, HINTS AND RECEIPTS 271 Milk contains water, sugar, salts, fat, albumen, and casein. Milk is taken as a fluid; when it meets the gastric juice it changes to a soft, cheese-like substance. Milk curdles in the first stage of digestion; it should be diluted and not drunk immoderately. Most of the disease germs which are liable to be distributed by milk are destroyed by pasteurization. The temperature of boiling milk is slightly higher than that of boiling water. Not all the bacteria that find their way into milk come from the barn or the cow. Sterilization does not improve the digestibility of milk, but rather the contrary. By heating milk in a double boiler, we avoid the danger of its burning and running over. Pasteurization of milk consists in heating rapidly to 155° F. for 30 minutes, and then cooling rapidly to 68° F. Boiling milk does not sterilize it, and the milk can not be preserved, but it does destroy most of the bacteria. Set a glassful of milk in a warm place for seven hours; if it sours it is pure, if it remains sweet it probably contains formalin. Streaked or mottled butter is nearly always caused by uneven salting by the maker. Melt the suspected butter; light a wick placed therein; if the odor is agreeable it is butter; if disagreeable, it is oleomargarine. Cheese will not mould so readily if the cut parts are rubbed with butter and covered with greased paper. The notion that you must not look at anything baking in an oven is erroneous, but open and shut the door quicldy. Testing the heat for baking, by the length of time one can bear the hand in the oven will vary with every hand that tries it, TIME TABLE FOR BROILING. Steak, one inch thick 4-6 minutes. Steak, one and a half inch thick 6-12 " Small, thin fish 5-10 " Thick fish 15-20 Chops, broiled in paper 10-15 " Chickens 23 " HELPS. HINTS AND RECEIPTS .^^J F-T....-' - ' 3 rr ^r I 1 i r^-^ -'— > I ^^v^ \ \ ; ; a ft: \ '••''< "O.OO0 \ \ : I ^er /four. \ • • J .. 1000 lOO.lACH Tft« F-'ngiiTM on the Index:" 'Bvmers in Varying Sites." srr r/p arr rrp. "A Right Way and a Wrong Way." To Read a Gas Meter Index. The figures on the index at the right hand denote even hundreds. When the hand completes the entire circle it denotes ten hundred, and is registered by the hand in the center circle pointing to 1 ; each figure in the center circle denotes a thousand, this entire circle being ten thousand, which is registered at 1 on the index of the left-hand circle by the hand, each figure there denoting ten thousand. The quantity of gas which passes through the meter is ascertained by reading from the index at the time the amount is required to be known, and deducting therefrom the quantity shown by the index at a previous observation. If the whole is registered by the hands on the three circles above, it indicates 49,900 Amount at previous observation, as shown by the dotted lines 42,500 Amount which passed tlirough since last taken off 7,400 The register at all times shows the quantity that has passed through since the meter was first set. Deducting from this the amount that has been paid for (without any regard to the time when), the remainder shows what is unpaid. Or, in different words, the dial on the right hand (marked 1,000) indicates lOO feet from one figure to the next. The middle dial (marked 10,000) indicates 1,000 feet from one figure to the next. The dial on the left (marked 100,000) indicates 10,000 feet from one figure to the next. If the hand on the right-hand dial is between the figures 2 and 4, the lesser of the two numbers is read, the index reading 200 feet. If the hand on the middle dial is between 1 and 0, this dial reads 3,000 feet. If the hand on the left-hand dial is between and 6, the reading of this dial is 50,000 feet. The complete index as indicated on the three dials reads 53,200 feet. At $1 per thousand feet, the hand on the right-hand dial passing from the zero point to the figure 1, would indicate that ten cents' worth of gas has been regis- tered on the meter. This hand would have to make one entire revolution of this dial and reach the zero point again to register $1 worth. GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 3 3125 00140 2581