WOMAN'S WORLD
i (Conducted by "Eileen"). ON PUNISHING CHILDREN BE MERCIFUL BUT FIPM. Ona important rule must never be ■broken—that is, unless you mean to inflict punishment do not threaten it. Children are wonderfully quick to discover whether a parent is in earnest. But if. after due -warning, rebellion is persisted in, the penalty should be enforced without hesitation. The. pain' this will cause the mother will probably be equally poignant to that felt by the child; hence very often lies the temptation to remit the punishment. j .Punishment, let us remember, can be inflicted otherwise than by the "rod." Deprive the child of some looked-for treat, some outing, some expected toy; sit him in a corner; forbid him to take his meals with the other children or his parents; these and many other disciplinary measures are often effectual! But permit a word of caution. In the firs.t place, never put a child into a dark room. If nervous, you may drive him nearly mad; if not nervous, you may make him so. Indeed, to put a child anywhere by himself seems absurd; child- | ren's attention is so easily distracted, they will forget all about the punishment and find amusement for themselves. Far better to make the offender sit in a chair, without speaking or moving, for a certain time, keeping him under your eye, so that you can watch the effect.
In conclusion, let it be impressed upon every young mother who starts with a. firm resolve that she will leave nothing undone on her part to secure the love of her children, the while maintaining discipline in her home, that careful and loving study of each child's character is an essential to success, and the particular way in which the child is to be managed is to be the outgrowth of such studv.
A parent should bear in mind that obedience is not an end in itself; it is simply a means to the good of the governed. Military discipline is not for the benefit of the commander, but to make the army, in its time of need, the most powerful possible expression of the nation to which it belongs. Domestic discipline exists only for the general good, and is gradually relaxed as the development of childish intelligence enables the child to appreciate its responsibilities and to govern itself. Parents often forget this. The wise parent will avoid unnecessary collisions of will between herself and. the child; but if a collision is inevitable, she must not leave it doubtful who has been victorious. All of this frequently involves ineffable patience, self-control, and often self-abnegation, i But it has its reward. Every child, not \ absolutely mentally or morally hopeless | from defect of birth, will show the effect I of such care.
USEFUL HINTS To clean a copper kettle, cut a lemon in half, dip it in salt, and rub over the kettle with it. The kettle should afterwards be carefully rinsed in cold water and given a final polish with a clean soft cloth.
To removed colored letters from flour bags.—First soak all night with a handful of salt, then lay on a washing board and scrub with a little soft soap. Afterwards, boil for fifteen minutes with a small piece of washing soda, when your bags will be snowy white. Ground rice is excellent for cleaning white cloth. It should be applied with a piece of soft white flannel, left for two or three hours, and then well brushed and shaken.
For a handy dish cloth take a piece of soft towel, hem the raw ends, and sew a good-sized pearl button on one corner. You will never have to run for the knife to scrape a dish, for you will always have the button in your hand, and it never scratches even silver. A little salt placed at the bottom of the oil reservoir of a lamp will cause it to burn with a bright light. When short of oil fill up the reservoir with water until the oil is all at the top. It will burn till every drop of oil is used up. This is also a useful expedient in the case of shoTt wicks.
To prevent sausages from bursting while they are being cooked, prick the skins with a fork, arrange the sausages in a frying-pan, and place the pan in a corner of the stove so that the sausages may be slowly heated. When hot through, the sausages should be browned by placing th« pan over the hotter part of the fire. Brass and steel work, where possible, should be carried to the kitchen and cleaned. Lemon-juice and finely-powder-ed bath-brick will remove all stain, and if afterwards polished with dry whiting or bathbrick it will shine like new. Lacquered brass should be cleaned with sweet oil only, and afterwards rubbed with soft cloths. Acids destroy the lacquer. To remove dandruff, get five ounces bay rum, one ounce tincture of cantha- ; rides, one ounce olive oil. This should be thoroughly shaken up and kept in a well-corked bottle. A little should be rubbed into the scalp with a small piece of sponge every other night. It is also excellent when the hair is inclined to be thin and weak.
Never throw away any odd ends of candles. Keep them until washing day comes round and add a little to the starch. It helps to make the linen glossy, or they are very useful for helping to kindle fires.
Brown leather bags may be cleaned quite successfully by rubbing on a thick lather of pure white soap. Apply it with a sponge, rub hard, and let tlie soap remain on for a few minutes to soften the grease. Then rub dry with a clean piece of flannel. To avoid staining the bag use no more water than is absolutely necessary to make the lather. Always save up lemon rind, dry it in the oven, and store in an air-tight tin. A little of this added to an apple pie gives it a delicious flavoring. To clean water bottles, pour a little vinegar into the bottles, and add a;bout two tablespoonfuls of salt. Shake the mixture well round, empty out, and rinse in the usual way, and you will find that the marks have disappeared. To get rid of vermin, spray turpentine in the corners. They will disappear very quickly.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 289, 3 June 1912, Page 6
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1,064WOMAN'S WORLD Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 289, 3 June 1912, Page 6
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