The Home

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 7, 15 February 1906, Page 29

The Home

By 'Maureen'

Treatment of Children. Children who are punished or scolded for every trifling delinquency either become demoralised by tear or hardened in wrong-doing. Nervous children, in particular, become so afraid of punishment for doing wrong that they lose the power of discerning what is right and what is wrong, and naturally choose the course which they think least likely to lead to chastisement • and they will descend to any amount of deceit and story-telling to save themselves from the results of their errors. Care of Lamp Chimneys. Lamp chimneys crack readily in cold weather The sudden expansion in heating is moie than they can stand. To toughen them it is only necessary to boil them a long time, after putting them m cold salted water in a kettle having a false bottom. Even these will not stand the sudden raising of the wick after lighting it, or the pressure of too tight clamps that hold it in place. Hair-Brushes. A good way to clean hair-brushes is with spirits of ammonia and warm water. Take a tablespoonful of ammonia to a quart of water, dip the bristles up and down in the water without wetting the back rinse in clean warm water ; shake well and dry in the air but not in the sun. Soap and soda soften the bristles, and will turn an ivory-backed brush yellow. To Re-enamel a Bath-tub. Buy proper bath-tub enamel. Wash the tub thoroughly with hot, soapy water iirst. and rub all over with sand-paper, to make the surface smooth before using the enamel. Heat the enamel slightly by standing the tin in a bowl of hot water. This thins it and it is easier .to apply it evenly. It will need two or three coats, and each must be allowed to thoroughly dry before the next is applied. * How to Select Flour. First look at its color. If white with yellowish or straw-colored tint it is a good sign. If very white with bluish hue or black specks, the Hour is not good Examine its adhesiveness by wetting and kneading a little on the fingers. If it works dry and elastic it is good • if soft and sticky it is poor. Throw a lump of dry flour against a -dry, smooth, perpendicular surface. If it adheres in a lump the flour is good ; if it falls like powder it is "bad. Squeeze some of the flour in your hand, and if it retains the shape given by pressure it is a good sign. Flour that will stand all these tests can be bought without fear. Setting Colors. To set the color in colored cotton dresses that are to be washed, dissolve three gills of salt in four quarts of hot water, put the material in while the water is hot, and let it remain until cold. In this way the colors are rendered permanent and will not fade in Picture Frames. Fly-marks and general griminess may he removed from gilding by dipping a small piece of cotton-wool in Rin, and with it rubbing gently over the soiled parts. The cotton-wool should be squeezed before being applied to the gilding, for this must not be mad! really wet, and any damp on it should be dried by the fire as soon as the marks have been removed. Polished Floors. Polished Floors should be rubbed with a mixture of one-third raw linseed-oil and two-thirds paraffin ,V 1 spangly, or the polishing afterwards with dry cloth will be a long business. A floor of this kind should always be dusted first with a slightly damp cloth and afterwards rubbed with a dry one. t The Kaiser's Rules of Life. The German Emperor endeavors to follow the 'rules of life ' laid down hy his favorite physician, as follows :—' Eat fruit for breakfast. Eat fruit for lunch Avoid pastry and hot cakes. Only take potatoes once a day. Don't drink tea or coffee. Walk four miles every day, wet or fine. Take a bath every day Wash the face every night in warm water. Sleen eieht hours every night.' The Kaiser ascribes his excellent physical condition to close adherence to this advice