1. TO COOK RICE.--Take two cups of rice and one and one-half pints of milk.
Place in a covered dish and steam in a kettle of boiling water until it is
cooked through, pour into cups and let it stand until cold. Serve with
cream.
2. RICE OMELET.--Two cups boiled rice, one cup sweet milk, two eggs. Stir
together with egg beater, and put into a hot buttered skillet. Cook slowly
ten minutes, stirring frequently.
3. BROWNED RICE.--Parch or brown rice slowly. Steep in milk for two hours.
The rice or the milk only is excellent in summer complaint.
4. STEWED OYSTERS.--Take one pint of milk, one cup of water, a teaspoon of
salt: when boiling put in one pint of {378} bulk oysters. Stir occasionally
and remove from the stove before it boils. An oyster should not be
shriveled in cooking.
5. BROILED OYSTERS.--Put large oysters on a wire toaster. Hold over hot
coals until heated through. Serve on toast moistened with cream. Very
grateful in convalescence.
6. OYSTER TOAST.--Pour stewed oysters over graham gems or bread toasted.
Excellent for breakfast.
7. GRAHAM CRISPS.--Mix graham flour and cold water into a very stiff dough.
Knead, roll very thin, and bake quickly in a hot oven. Excellent food for
dyspeptics.
8. APPLE SNOW.--Take seven apples, not very sweet ones, and bake till soft
and brown. Then remove the skins and cores; when cool, beat them smooth and
fine; add one-half cup of granulated sugar and the white of one egg. Beat
till the mixture will hold on your spoon. Serve with soft custard.
9. EGGS ON TOAST.--Soften brown bread toast with hot water, put on a
platter and cover with poached or scrambled eggs.
10. BOILED EGGS.--An egg should never be boiled. Place in boiling water and
set back on the stove for from seven to ten minutes. A little experience
will enable anyone to do it successfully.
11. CRACKED WHEAT PUDDING.--In a deep two-quart pudding dish put layers of
cold, cooked, cracked wheat, and tart apples sliced thin, with four
tablespoonfuls of sugar. Raisins can be added if preferred. Fill the dish,
having the wheat last, add a cup of cold water. Bake two hours.
12. PIE FOR DYSPEPTICS.--Four tablespoonfuls of oatmeal, one pint of water;
let stand for a few hours, or until the meal is swelled. Then add two large
apples, pared and sliced, a little salt, one cup of sugar, one
tablespoonful of flour. Mix all well together and bake in a buttered dish;
makes a most delicious pie, which can be eaten with safety by the sick or
well.
13. APPLE TAPIOCA PUDDING.--Soak a teacup of tapioca in a quart of warm
water three hours. Cut in thin slices six tart apples, stir them lightly
with the tapioca, add half cup sugar. Bake three hours. To be eaten with
whipped cream. Good either warm or cold. {379}
14. GRAHAM MUFFINS.--Take one pint of new milk, one pint graham or entire
wheat flour; stir together and add one beaten egg. Can be baked in any kind
of gem pans or muffin rings. Salt must not be used with any bread that is
made light with egg.
15. STRAWBERRY DESSERT.--Place alternate layers of hot cooked cracked wheat
and strawberries in a deep dish; when cold, turn out on platter; cut in
slices and serve with cream and sugar, or strawberry juice. Wet the molds
with cold water before using. This, molded in small cups, makes a dainty
dish for the sick. Wheatlet can be used in the same way.
16. FRUIT BLANC MANGE.--One quart of juice of strawberries, cherries,
grapes or other juicy fruit; one cup water. When boiling, add two
tablespoonfuls sugar and four tablespoonfuls cornstarch wet in cold water;
let boil five or six minutes, then mold in small cups. Serve without sauce,
or with cream or boiled custard. Lemon juice can be used the same, only
requiring more water. This is a very valuable dish for convalescents and
pregnant women, where the stomach rejects solid food.
[Illustration]
{380}
Save the Girls.
[Illustration: GOOD ADVICE FROM GRANDPA.]
1. PUBLIC BALLS.--The church should turn its face like flint against the
public ball. Its influence is evil, and nothing but evil. It is a well
known fact that in all cities and large towns the ball room is the
recruiting office for prostitution.
2. THOUGHTLESS YOUNG WOMEN.--In cities public balls are given every night,
and many thoughtless young women, {381} mostly the daughters of small
tradesmen and mechanics, or clerks or laborers, are induced to attend "just
for fun." Scarcely one in a hundred of the girls attending these balls
preserve their purity. They meet the most desperate characters,
professional gamblers, criminals and the lowest debauchees. Such an
assembly and such influence cannot mean anything but ruin for an innocent
girl.
3. VILE WOMEN.--The public ball is always a resort of vile women who
picture to innocent girls the ease and luxury of a harlot's life, and offer
them all manner of temptations to abandon the paths of virtue. The public
ball is the resort of the libertine and the adulterer, and whose object is
to work the ruin of every innocent girl that may fall into their clutches.
4. THE QUESTION.--Why does society wonder at the increase of prostitution,
when the public balls and promiscuous dancing is so largely endorsed and
encouraged?
5. WORKING GIRLS.--Thousands of innocent working girls enter innocently and
unsuspectingly into the paths which lead them to the house of evil, or who
wander the streets as miserable outcasts all through the influence of the
dance. The low theatre and dance halls and other places of unselected
gatherings are the milestones which mark the working girl's downward path
from virtue to vice, from modesty to shame.
6. THE SALESWOMAN, the seamstress, the factory girl or any other virtuous
girl had better, far better, die than take the first step in the path of
impropriety and danger. Better, a thousand times better, better for this
life, better for the life to come, an existence of humble, virtuous
industry than a single departure from virtue, even though it were paid with
a fortune.
7. TEMPTATIONS.--There is not a young girl but what is more or less tempted
by some unprincipled wretch who may have the reputation of a genteel
society man. It behooves parents to guard carefully the morals of their
daughters, and be vigilant and cautious in permitting them to accept the
society of young men. Parents who desire to save their daughters from a
fate which is worse than death, should endeavor by every means in their
power to keep them from falling into traps cunningly devised by some
cunning lover. There are many good young men, but not all are safe friends
to an innocent, confiding young girl.
8. PROSTITUTION.--Some girls inherit their vicious tendency; others fall
because of misplaced affections; many sin through a love of dress, which is
fostered by society and {382} by the surroundings amidst which they may be
placed; many, very many, embrace a life of shame to escape poverty. While
each of these different phases of prostitution require a different remedy,
we need better men, better women, better laws and better protection for the
young girls.
[Illustration: A RUSSIAN SPINNING GIRL.]
9. A STARTLING FACT.--Startling as it may seem to some, it is a fact in our
large cities that there are many girls raised {383} by parents with no
other aim than to make them harlots. At a tender age they are sold by
fathers and mothers into an existence which is worse than slavery itself.
It is not uncommon to see girls at the tender age of thirteen or
fourteen--mere children--hardened courtesans, lost to all sense of shame
and decency. They are reared in ignorance, surrounded by demoralizing
influences, cut off from the blessings of church and Sabbath school, see
nothing but licentiousness, intemperance and crime. These young girls are
lost forever. They are beyond the reach of the moralist or preacher and
have no comprehension of modesty and purity. Virtue to them is a stranger,
and has been from the cradle.
10. A GREAT WRONG.--Parents too poor to clothe themselves bring children
into the world, children for whom they have no bread, consequently the girl
easily falls a victim in early womanhood to the heartless libertine. The
boy with no other schooling but that of the streets soon masters all the
qualifications for a professional criminal. If there could be a law
forbidding people to marry who have no visible means of supporting a
family, or if they should marry, if their children could be taken from them
and properly educated by the State, it would cost the country less and be a
great step in advancing our civilization.
11. THE FIRST STEP.--Thousands of fallen women could have been saved from
lives of degradation and deaths of shame had they received more toleration
and loving forgiveness in their first steps of error. Many women naturally
pure and virtuous have fallen to the lowest depths because discarded by
friends, frowned upon by society, and sneered at by the world, after they
had taken a single mis-step. Society forgives man, but woman never.
12. IN THE BEGINNING of every girl's downward career there is necessarily a
hesitation. She naturally ponders over what course to take, dreading to
meet friends and looking into the future with horror. That moment is the
vital turning point in her career; a kind word of forgiveness, a mother's
embrace a father's welcome may save her. The bloodhounds, known as the
seducer, the libertine, the procurer, are upon her track; she is trembling
on the frightful brink of the abyss. Extend a helping hand and save her!
13. FATHER, if your daughter goes astray, do not drive her from your home.
Mother, if your child errs, do not close your heart against her. Sisters
and brothers and friends, do not force her into the pathway of shame, but
rather strive to win her back into the Eden of virtue, and in nine cases
out of ten you will succeed. {384}
14. SOCIETY EVILS.--The dance, the theater, the wine-cup, the race-course,
the idle frivolity and luxury of summer watering places, all have a
tendency to demoralize the young.
15. BAD SOCIETY.--Much of our modern society admits libertines and seducers
to the drawing-room, while it excludes their helpless and degraded victims,
consequently it is not strange that there are skeletons in many closets,
matrimonial infelicity and wayward girls.
16. "'KNOW THYSELF,' says Dr. Saur, "is an important maxim for us all, and
especially is it true for girls.
"All are born with the desire to become attractive--girls especially want
to grow up, not only attractive, but beautiful. Some girls think that
bright eyes, pretty hair and fine clothes alone make them beautiful. This
is not so. Real beauty depends upon good health, good manners and a pure
mind.
"As the happiness of our girls depends upon their health, it behoves us all
to guide the girls in such a way as to bring forward the best of results.
17. "THERE IS NO ONE who stands so near the girl as the mother. From early
childhood she occupies the first place in the little one's confidence--she
laughs, plays, and corrects, when necessary, the faults of her darling. She
should be equally ready to guide in the important laws of life and health
upon which rest her future. Teach your daughters that in all things the
'creative principle' has its source in life itself. It originates from
Divine life, and when they know that it may be consecrated to wise and
useful purposes, they are never apt to grow up with base thoughts or form
bad habits. Their lives become a happiness to themselves and a blessing to
humanity.
18. TEACH WISELY.--"Teach your daughters that _all life_ originates from a
seed--a germ. Knowing this law, you need have no fears that base or
unworthy thoughts of the reproductive function can ever enter their minds.
The growth, development and ripening of human seed becomes a beautiful and
sacred mystery. The tree, the rose and all plant life are equally as
mysterious and beautiful in their reproductive life. Does not this alone
prove to us, conclusively, that there is a Divinity in the background
governing, controlling and influencing our lives? Nature has no secrets,
and why should we? None at all. The only care we should experience is in
teaching wisely. {385}
"Yes--lead them wisely--teach them that the seed, the germ of a new life,
is maturing within them. Teach them that between the ages of eleven and
fourteen this maturing process has certain physical signs. The breasts grow
round and full, the whole body, even the voice, undergoes a change. It is
right that they should be taught the natural law of life in reproduction
and the physiological structure of their being. Again we repeat that these
lessons should be taught by the mother, and in a tender, delicate and
confidential way. Become, oh, mother, your daughter's companion, and she
will not go elsewhere for this knowledge--which must come to all in time,
but possibly too late and through sources that would prove more harm than
good.
19. THE ORGANS OF CREATIVE LIFE in women are: Ovaries, Fallopian tubes,
uterus, vagina and mammary glands. The _ovaries_ and _Fallopian tubes_ have
already been described under "The Female Generative Organs."
"The _uterus_ is a pear-shaped muscular organ, situated in the lower
portion of the pelvis, between the bladder and the rectum. It is less than
three inches in length and two inches in width and one in thickness.
"The _vagina_ is a membranous canal which joins the internal outlet with
the womb, which projects slightly into it. The opening into the vagina is
nearly oval, and in those who have never indulged in sexual intercourse or
in handling the sexual organs is more or less closed by a membrane termed
the _hymen_. The presence of this membrane was formerly considered as
undoubted evidence of virginity; its absence, a lack of chastity.
"The _mammary glands_ are accessory to the generative organs. They secrete
milk, which the All-wise Father provided for the nourishment of the child
after birth.
20. "MENSTRUATION, which appears about the age of thirteen years, is the
flow from the uterus that occurs every month as the seed-germ ripens in the
ovaries. God made the sexual organs so that the race should not die out. He
gave them to us so that we may reproduce life, and thus fill the highest
position in the created universe. The purpose for which they are made is
high and holy and honorable, and if they are used only for this
purpose--and they must not be used at all until they are fully
matured--they will be a source of greatest blessing to us all.
[Illustration: HOPEFUL YOUTH.]
21. "A CAREFUL STUDY of this organ, of its location, of its arteries and
nerves, will convince the growing girl that {387} her body should never
submit to corsets and tight lacing in response to the demands of fashion,
even though nature has so bountifully provided for the safety of this
important organ. By constant pressure the vagina and womb may be compressed
into one-third their natural length or crowded into an unnatural position.
We can readily see, then, the effect of lacing or tight clothing. Under
these circumstances the ligaments lose their elasticity, and as a result we
have prolapsus or falling of the womb.
22. "I AM MORE ANXIOUS for growing girls than for any other earthly object.
These girls are to be the mothers of future generations; upon them hangs
the destiny of the world in coming time, and if they can be made to
understand what is right and what is wrong with regard to their own bodies
now, while they are young, the children they will give birth to and the men
and women who shall call them mother will be of a higher type and belong to
a nobler class than those of the present day.
23. "ALL WOMEN CANNOT have good features, but they can look well, and it is
possible to a great extent to correct deformity and develop much of the
figure. The first step to good looks is good health, and the first element
of health is cleanliness. Keep clean--wash freely, bathe regularly. All the
skin wants is leave to act, and it takes care of itself.
24. "GIRLS SOMETIMES GET THE IDEA that it is nice to be 'weak' and
'delicate,' but they cannot get a more false idea! God meant women to be
strong and able-bodied, and only by being so can they be happy and capable
of imparting happiness to others. It is only by being strong and healthy
that they can be perfect in their sexual nature; and it is only by being
perfect in this part of their being that you can become a noble, grand and
beautiful woman.
25. "UP TO THE AGE of puberty, if the girl has grown naturally, waist, hips
and shoulders are about the same in width, the shoulders being, perhaps, a
trifle the broadest. Up to this time the sexual organs have grown but
little. Now they take a sudden start and need more room. Nature aids the
girls; the tissues and muscles increase in size and the pelvis bones
enlarge. The limbs grow plump, the girl stops growing tall and becomes
round and full. Unsuspected strength comes to her; tasks that were once
hard to perform are now easy; her voice becomes sweeter and stronger. The
mind develops more rapidly even than the body; her brain is more active and
quicker; subjects that once were {388} dull and dry have unwonted interest;
lessons are more easily learned; the eyes sparkle with intelligence,
indicating increased mental power; her manner denotes the consciousness of
new power; toys of childhood are laid away; womanly thoughts and pursuits
fill her mind; budding childhood has become blooming womanhood. Now, if
ever, must be laid the foundation of physical vigor and of a healthy body.
Girls should realize the significance of this fact. Do not get the idea
that men admire a weakly, puny, delicate, small-waisted, languid, doll-like
creature, a libel on true womanhood. Girls admire men with broad chests,
square shoulders, erect form, keen bright eyes, hard muscles and undoubted
vigor. Men also turn naturally to healthy, robust, well-developed girls,
and to win their admiration girls must meet their ideals. A good form, a
sound mind and a healthy body are within the reach of nine out of ten of
our girls by proper care and training. Physical bankruptcy may claim the
same proportion if care and training are neglected.
26. "A WOMAN FIVE FEET TALL should measure two feet around the waist and
thirty-three inches around the hips. A waist less than this proportion
indicates compression either by lacing or tight clothing. Exercise in the
open air, take long walks and vigorous exercise, using care not to overdo
it. Housework will prove a panacea for many of the ills which flesh is heir
to. One hour's exercise at the wash-*tub is of far more value, from a
physical standpoint, than hours at the piano. Boating is most excellent
exercise and within the reach of many. Care in dressing is also important,
and, fortunately, fashion is coming to the rescue here. It is essential
that no garments be suspended from the waist. Let the shoulders bear the
weight of all the clothing, so that the organs of the body may be left free
and unimpeded.
27. "SLEEP SHOULD BE HAD regularly and abundantly. Avoid late hours, undue
excitement, evil associations; partake of plain, nutritious food, and
health will be your reward. There is one way of destroying health, which,
fortunately, is not as common among girls as boys, and which must be
mentioned ere this chapter closes. Self-abuse is practised among growing
girls to such an extent as to arouse serious alarm. Many a girl has been
led to handle and play with her sexual organs through the advice of some
girl who has obtained temporary pleasure in that {389} way; or, perchance,
chafing has been followed by rubbing until the organs have become congested
with blood, and in this accidental manner the girl discovered what seems to
her a source of pleasure, but which, alas, is a source of misery, and even
death.
28. "AS IN THE BOY, SO IN THE GIRL, self-abuse causes an undue amount of
blood to flow to those organs, thus depriving other parts of the body of
its nourishment, the weakest part first showing the effect of want of
sustenance. All that has been said upon this loathsome subject in the
preceding chapter for boys might well be repeated here, but space forbids.
Read that chapter again, and know that the same signs that betray the boy
will make known the girl addicted to the vice. The bloodless lips, the
dull, heavy eye surrounded with dark rings, the nerveless hand, the
blanched cheek, the short breath, the old, faded look, the weakened memory
and silly irritability tell the story all too plainly. The same evil result
follows, ending perhaps in death, or worse, in insanity. Aside from the
injury the girl does herself by yielding to this habit, there is one other
reason which appeals to the conscience, and that is, self-abuse is an
offence against moral law--it is putting to a vile, selfish use the organs
which were given for a high, sacred purpose.
29. "LET THEM ALONE, except to care for them when care is needed, and they
may prove the greatest blessing you have ever known. They were given you
that you might become a mother, the highest office to which God has ever
called one of His creatures. Do not debase yourself and become lower than
the beasts of the field. If this habit has fastened itself upon any one of
our readers, stop it now. Do not allow yourself to think about it, give up
all evil associations, seek pure companions, and go to your mother, older
sister, or physician for advice.
30. "AND YOU, MOTHER, knowing the danger that besets your daughters at this
critical period, are you justified in keeping silent? Can you be held
guiltless if your daughter ruins body and mind because you were _too
modest_ to tell her the laws of her being? There is no love that is dearer
to your daughter than _yours_, no advice that is more respected than
_yours_, no one whose warning would be more potent. Fail not in your duty.
As motherhood has been your sweetest joy, so help your daughter to make it
hers."
* * * * *
{390}
Save the Boys.