Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, November 16, 1916, Page 13

Sele¢ "HOME SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A FAC- TORY FOR THE PRO- DUCTION OF FAMILY . COMFORT — LABOR SAVERS—WALL PAPER —FLOOR COVERINGS— OTHER HOUSEHOLD SUGGESTIONS. TR TS GLASS PITCHER—PLAIN, GOOD SHAPE, EASY TO CLEAN, OLD BLUE AND WHITE (WILLOW WARE) PITCHER—GOOD SHAPE AND DESIGN, EASY TO CLEAN. 3 Bpecial Correspondence. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 8, 1916. HEN Uncle Sam started out to teach the women of the land scientific housekeeping his plans included a thorough treatment of every phase of every de- partment in Mme. Housewife's varied domain. Beginning with the proper ar- rangement and equipment of the kitchen his experts have not only cov- ered the entire subject of food for the tamily and its methods of preparation, but also they have taken the house, planned its situation from standpoints of health and comfort, designed its con- struction with ,economy &nd conven- tence as their rile. They have likewise investigated and experimented 'withiit, room by, room, until now they offer the most explieit advice for the selection of the furnish- ings by which the interior fittings of a home, any home, are bound to be = source of satisfaction and pleasure to the family as long as they last; for utility and efficiency are the paramount considerations that govern thelr choice. “t Because no two homes are identical concerning the income, the size of the house and the size and character of the family, no definite or set rules are laid down, but the general instructions cannot fail to be helpful to all inter- ested enough to follow them. The most effective plan suggested is - - - that the housewife consider her home DOING KITCHEN WORK. AT TABLE TOO LOW. s a factory for the production of family comfort; for in their eating, sleeping, resting and soclal diversions many diversified activities are called into play. And for these equipment or tools must be provided which should be chosen with a view to making it possible for the housewife to do her Various tasks with the least labor and in furnishing a house is the amount of Iabor involved in caring for it. Elaborate ‘arvings on furniture, fancy metal fi tures, fancy-shaped handles on dishes, rough surfaces (as on cheap earthenw: worn, rough and unpainted -wood cessive quantities of ornaments and bri closets, and cupboards provided. with eith- er a window or artificial means of lighting doors. Open plumbing is not itary but much easier to nd it is urged that wherever nks, washtubs, bathtubs and A be so placed as to make to remember that any design of strik- ing_color or Jarge figure which in- trudes itself upon the consciousness of the occupant of the room is decidedly upon the nerves. Soft neutral tones and unobtrusive patterns are the ones the greatest celerity. a-brac, highly polished metals and sharp | their cleaning ea: They should be pro- | that will give the best satisfaction, and For the setting of a real home—where | angles in moldings), all mean difficult | vided wit\ smooth pipes for {he same Tea. | where it is possible, the painted or the cultural, moral and congenial effects | cleaning. If dull finish is provided in | son. calcimined walls are ‘even better from on the inmates must be considered—beau- | floors, metal works, such as doorknobs' Whatever the heating system may be, (hS Standpoint of sanitation. ty must have its place in planning equip- | and chandeliers, etc., the care of them is | plain surfac The. matter of color is, of course, al- should be the rule, whether ment; and the more the fittings iInclude | greatly simplified | in stoves or radiat 1 ways a question of individual taste; beauty, necessity and convenience, the o Solely 16 sive aut heat and tholr beaats | Dt _certain shades give the best re- more perfectly will they serve the purpose F? sults in certain rooms. For instance, ttained in the simplest design. e is urged in the choice dull finish and plain, ents being far more viceable than the fancy and carvings. : g wall paper it is well % 8o, also, the rounded moldings where wall and floor meet is a great sager of | work. Many women who Blan their | fretwork. fil houses now insist upon sill-less doors and | When choo i cream, yellow and yellow brown shades on the walls of a north room are most pleasing, having the effect of softening the chill of the northern light. soft greens and grays temper the light in the sunny rooms. No large designs | are appropriate for small rooms. After for which they were planned. In many cases, such as in the selection of linens, furtnture and upholstery materials, beau- ty and quality are frequently combined in the good-looking articles. One important factor to be considered A KITCHEN TABLE OF SUITABLE HEIGHT. But | PLATE—INEXPENSIVE, WITH GOOD TYPE OF DECORATION IN SIMPLE BAND OF COLOR SET OFF BY GILT LINES, TEAPOT—INCONVENIENT TO CLEAN BECAUSE OF SMALL OPENING AT TOP AND OF IRREGULARITIES ON | the color of the walls hils been decided the tones of the balance of the furnish- ing should be chosen to blend, and the coloring of the adjoining rooms ar- ba@for-fir-tinre-fts—effect will be TerriTanged to. harmonize. = x * For the floor coverings movable rugs are considered best, as they are much easier to keep free of dust than the tacked down mattings and large car- cts that cover the entire floor space. They shoud be firmly woven so as to iie flat, and of soft colors and incon- icuous patterns, “toning-in” with the color of the walls amd darker, so as to bring the room and its furnishings into proper relations. As they are of infinite variety of ma- terials and of all priges, their utility. HANDLE WHICH COLLECT DIRT. and suitability to the room for which they are intended should be considered. Particularly good are the brussels, the old three-ply ingrains; and for bedrooms the old style rag rugs, of which there are so mary modern {mitations, aré most attragtive. Shade rollers insure the privacy of the room, but they do not soften the light or the line of casing like draperies. A plan suggested is to hang straight cur- tains of darker, thicker material inside thin white cnes of lace or muslin. In the winter these can be supplanted by those of heavier texture. Double windows are recommended for winter as a decided aid to the comfort of the house. Bronze wire screening that does not rust gives the most satisfaction, but it is better to use mosquito netting over all of the windows and doors than to have a few or even all of the openings imperfectly wire-screened. In the built-in closets it is urged to have the drawers numerous and shal- low, rather than deep and broad, both because of the saving of labor in pull- ing them out, if they are not provided with rollers, and because in shallow drawers there is no piling up of things. With shelves the harrow ones give bet- ter results than the deep broad ones. These should not be more than a foot wide. * * * Bed coverings are to be selected for the greatest amount of warmth and the least weight possible, so wool ranks ahead of cotton and-wool and cotton mixed in blankets and comforts give the best service. All bed cover- ings should be long enough to tuck in all around the mattress, a quality not often found in-the ready-made sheets. In regard to furniture good quality depends on well chosen materials, good design and good workmanship, but | Whatever the wood may be, or the ma- terfal of the covering. which may range from cotton and velours up throush the handsomest leathers and tapestries, | the design should suggest comfort and | strength rather than the elaborate or- namentation of the showy styles. ‘After the furniture is put in a room the arrangement of it is as important to its appreciation as the selection of the most appropriate kind for the house. Overcrowded rooms are any- thing but restful or artistic, and it is | suggested by the bulletins issued by the government on the selection of {nome equipment tHat ‘the value of empty spaces as an asset to the beauty of its fittings be borne in mind. In the arrangement of all tables, sinks, washtubs and ironing stands it should be remembered that the height of these worktables has & great deal to do with the ease of working. They should be from thirty-two to thirty-five inches from the ground and the bottom of sinks should usually be thirty or thirty-one incheés’ from the floor, in {order that bending Irom theé waist may be avoided. This is a matter to e d cided to"suit the height of the worke: Some tables may be obtained with ad- | justable tops which permit the working height to be changed. Ironing boards should be a little lower than other work |tables. ~Another point of importance in minimizing labor is the placing of kitchen and laundry equipment &o as to avold unnecessary steps and motion. * * * Fully as much care is required for the best results in the choice - of kitchen and table ware. Fragile china of intricate designs, full of knobs and curves, should be reserved for infrequent use if bought at all, for the plain shapes and small inconspicu- ous decorations bought from _open stock -give the best service with the Jeast amount of work and trouble in their care: All teapots, pitchers, etc. should have openings large enough to permit the handle to be inserted in washing them. In cooking utensils no one class may be recommended to the exclusion of ail others, but different kinds should be gotten for different Barthen- ware for baking and casseroles, in which the food may be both cooked and served, are labor savers. The good enameled ware, the heavy iron skillets, the lighter cast-iron pans, the alumingm utensils and the tinware all have their especial uses, and the econ- omy lies in getting the best grade of each that one. can afford. The shape of a kettle has much to do with the rapidity with which its con- tents -heat, So- i buying - double-boil- ers, teakettles, etc., the ones which are I broad at the base are best for quickest boiling results. Planning and furnishing a house systematically and after the most ap- | proved, accurate and scientific plan, does not _invelve lack of originality or beauty, for the best equipped house is the one which in all of its details of furnishing and arrangement is most completely suited to- the needs of its |family, and the standard of needs of each family is an individual -problem, determined by the income, character and location of the home and modified iby the varied interests and occupations of the occupants. Birds Which Can’t Fly, But Can Swim, One of Nature’s Anomalies erated form of their wings, for it is|largest of the forms, probable that the ancestors of this bird ot e ek oy actually fly; three and a half they simply Birds Which Do Not perform a!which it finds there. Soft, smooth and o S5 ; . he of “three. sailing feat dense, its coat resembles that of an £ LT D deedioned. ml | S SineY sometimes welgh as much | One ‘can &ee the difference in such fotter,” while its tail ls flattened and F]y and Others Which | can ‘only ‘empioy its wings as loco- | % machines the parachute and the |shorf like a_beave Tt has small motory auxiliaries when It §s running | s | aeroplane, the former, with its {eyes and its most striking feature is a e SRV RESh witite thbns it 1t aesines: to | * taining surface spread, can do nothing |bill, wpich is broad and flat like a SWlm' Mammals That tarn fapidly to escape its pursuers, it | An interesting and extraordinary in- | more than sail to its destination, while | duck 7 ) can flap its wings and accomplish its | stance of a flightless bird and a swim- | (I aeroplane flies here and there, and | For a long time it was thought that purpose with little effort. | may even change its direction. The |its voung were brought forth at an e T e o ight to sec|™MeT as well is the steamer duck, which | squirrels and the lemure may be cori- Lay Eggs; the Bat a an ostrich in flight, especially the | occurs off the Straits of Magellan and | pared to the parachute, for their < African ostrich, which is the largest|around the Falkland Islands. When | Wings” are simply skin tissues which rue Awviator. Bpecies in existence, and attains | connect their fore and hind limbs when 2 |these ducks are youns they possess weight .of 3 ds? It has been | i eed of | powers ‘of flight, but when'they be- said that they can make a speed of twenty-six miles an hour while run- |come adult they lose their flying abil- ning, outstripping an ordinary horse. |ity and gain proficiency as swimmers. One of the best known of the flight- Within comparatively recent times | spread and sustain their bodies in ing leaps. The bats are true aviators, though their membranous wings are not to be compared structurally with those of a bird, yet they make possible this little animal's graceful curves in the air. fy- - HE anomalies in nature constitute one of its most striking assem- blages of forms. These are not nature's freak forms, by any means; but her normal ones which may be called anomalous because they are de- partures from the usual order of accepted types. * ® Not so well known arhong the volant creatures are the flying frogs and the flying lizard. The flying frog of Borneo was' discovered by Alfred Russel Wal- lace, the great naturalist, and he says about it: “One of the most curious and_inter- esting creatures which I met in Borneo was a_large tree frog which was * & These anomalies range over every divi- sion of animal life; some of them are matters of common knowledge, othefs are hidden from all but the most persistent observer of animal forms. How queer it is, for instance, that many birds should exist which 8o not know how to fly, when the usual and.favorite similie for any flight is that it is “just like a bird's!” It is also queer that other animals, <classified far differently from the birds, He assured me that he had seen it come down, in a slanting direction, from .a high tree as if it flew. On examining webhed to their “extremity, so | when ‘expanded, they offered a surface much larger than the body. The fore-. a ) legsAyers alsp bordered by a membrane ehould be ‘equipped with efficlent. and the. by i 1 efl ody was capable of densider- wings. Yet, whoever thinks Bf compar- able inflation. The back and Hmba ‘"f', an aviator to a bat or a flying squir- re 1 . But the fact remains that a host of bird species exist which are very indif- ferent flyers and accomplish their migra- tions through feeble efforts; while the bat Possesses remarkable flying attainments which almost outrival those of the hum- mingbird, reputed to be the most power- ful fiyer in existence. It would appear that the animal.accomplishments were strangely mixed at the time of their bestowal, for besides flying animals, there are flying fishes, and birds that can swim! ‘What a departure it is for a mammal to lay eggs! But it is not unknown to the animal world. There are a couple of Australian oddities that lay eggs with the were of a very shining green, the under: surface and the toes yellow, while the webs were black rayed with yellow. “The body was _ about four inches long, while the webs of each hing foot, when fully expanded, covered sur- face of four inches square, giving a surface of about sixteen. square inches for all four feet. It is difficult to imagine that this' immense membrane of the toes can-be for the purpose of swimming only, and the account of the Chinamen that {t flew ‘down from the tree seems more credible.” At least one lizard enjoys, to a cer- tain degree the power of sailing through the air. This lizard is called ana | brought to me by a_Chinese workman. | it 1 found the toesgvery long and fukdy | that, It equanimity of a barnyard hen. In con- trast are viviparous fishes and snakes— that is, fishes and snakes which produce their young alive—and this seems odd, for it is generally understood that fishes and snakes are egg-laying species. There are true fishes 'which breathe with lungs, which almost entirely sup- plant their gills, and there are fishes THE FLYING FROG OF BORNEO. (Photo by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt.) the flying dragon and is a small-sized form inhabiting the Indo-Malayan re- gion. Tt possesses elongated ribs which SUDDOFt semi-transparent membranes; these ¢lose uptlike & fan when not in use and falFto the sides of the animal. of rare effectiveness. By their use, the lizard can leap from the limb of a tree and sail to another one at a great dis- When spread, they form a parachute T which come out of the water and bask |less birds is the penguim, confined in|many of the flightless birds have. be- 5 TG e Indeeq Suth mneulay baeaas] 1ts remdsnce T0 the” sonthomn hemi. | SoTae SxURSE. | Ehe wreat apk, the BBe- | hyivw. desmen ron iheme wings of the lous characteristics are manifold mnd |Sphere. The wings gf this bird resem- | time. famous - sea fowl of the NOFth | regambling the wing markings of cer: might be traced indefinitely. ble paddles more fhan they do true|Atlantic seas, bred in large numbers | tain butterfiies, B ot oers - wings; they are quilless and incapable |on Funie Island less than a cemtury 3 - Lof bending except at the shoulder joint.|ago, Man soon exterminated them, and £ * % ‘The flightless birds compose a larger group than seems possible when one first gives thought/ to them. Every one knows that many of ‘the common fowls have fully developed forelimbs, but that they can- not use them for flighti and the cstrich, A penguin can swim-under water with ; DOW @n egg in good condition will Bll the ease and rapidity of a seal|fetch $1,200 and a museum skin of one and can catch fish with equal alacrity, | of the birds nearly as much. The far- Their shorf legs are not much uséd | famed dodo, alsé extinct, was the pos- in swimming#, but on shore they hop | Séssor of wings which did not sustain about with them so adroitly that the it in flight. - island natives have dubbed the birds| O the nving mammals, flylng rock-hoppers. Needless to say, they are-| Squirrels, the flying lemurs and the Sk Nisas sod 1n some Jochlitientut | DAY AFe too; well Riiatd o Meseryy * ¥ The mammals _that lay. esgs are unique in nature and are npw being exterminated very rapidly. The duck- bill and the porcupine ant-eater, called familiarly the porcupine,-are the “only two forms-of this-class extant. gThe Pacific islands they form'|further attention. These animals do et omimals oo [duckbill 1s an Australian form which on_the R T e w e early stage of their development. and cared for by the mother in a nest on the bank of a river. Colonists started the stories about its laying eggs and zoologists investigated. For a long time they denied the reports; then later it was announced that the duck-bill was a truly, oviparous animal and laid from two t6 four eggs in a rude nest in_a burrow. of a river bank. These eggs are about across and three-quarters of an inch long, the shells being white, tough and flexible, something after the order of THE ROCK HOPPER. a sea turtle’s egg. Transportation of these animals to zoologioal gardens has always been a problem and only rarely successful. Some of the early accotnts of the duck-bill are very amusing; for at first the specimens brought to Eu- rope were declared to be/“manufactured monsters” and The only other mammal in the world that lays eggs is the porcupine ant- eater of Australia. It is a nocturnal animal, most active after dark. When attacked, it behaves somewhat like an armadillo; it burrows with marvelous celerity. . If ; the attack be, too sud- den for #his it rolls itself into a ball and depends oni its spiny coat for de- “‘fakes.” fense. It produces oné egg at g time, which ig relatively small, not larger than a sparrow’s egg, and has a white léathery shell like ‘that of a reptile. * B * * keries where they _bree ~of | nof s wi £ Bl : Cusands Mtogctner.and _JW!’!:WW gh are tncratly under: 185 o1 the hanks of xivers and fecds |” Many- anomalous conditions exist in 4 e damsn- young. ‘The emperor penguin is the 'steod The flying sqwirvels do not upon the infects, worms and mollusks' regard o the rearing of young in the a _half-inch | animal world, but perhaps no more remarkable species can be cited than the great toad of Surinam, in tropical America. The skin of the entire back of the female toad becomes conspicu- ously thickened as the laying season | comes on, and as soon as she lavs her eggs, the male picks them up and de- posits them on the soft skin of her back. Here they develop so far that | when they jemerge from the “cells” they are perfect miniatures of the mother. On the muddy flats of the Malay re- gion are the places where the curious | fish known as the mud-hopper is met with in abundance. This is a remarka- ble fsh, which comes ashoregfor recre- ation! 'Not only do they come out of the water onto the mud flats, but when the yare there they flop about on ter- enyironment. made at low tide, and the fish, being gregarlous, are to be observed in de- ra firma as though this was their true| Their expeditions ashore are usually tached groups, enjoying a sunbath on the slippery mud. ey climb up little distances on the exposed and elevated roots of the mangrove trees apd when thel up some little distance, settle | themselves comfortably and appear to | be spectators of the antics of their | companions in the smooth coze below. Totally unlike ordinary fishes, this mud-hopper cannot remain continually under water, as it incurs the risk of be- ing drowned! Moreover, the skin of the fish seems to require the blaze of the sun and the action of the air to keep it in a healthy condition The anomalies of the insect world are legion; but the queerest of all insects— and thereare about 300,000—is the com- mon black skating bug. This is seen in groups skating about on the surface of the water in quiet places in ponds and streams. They have their eyes hori- zontally divided into halves the upper half being used to look into the air, Woman Handles WASHINGTON, D. C., September §, 1916. Correspondence of The Star. TME was when a woman was thought incapable of figuring ac- curately, as time was when it was thought that a woman could not keep a secret. But time itself has proved the imputation in both cases to be fallaclous, and the government of the United States§as been one of the strong- est promoters of the knowledge that women can do much of which men only were formerly considered capable. Thut guide and guardian of government efficiency, the ‘civil service commission, has itself been among the foremost ad- vocates of women’s employment to fill Tesponsible positions; and in proof of what it recommends, it employs women ‘ln its own office In places of trust and confidence which have ordinarily be- longed to the province of men. One of its woman employes is Mis Elizabeth Downing, disbursing clerk of the civil service commissions Miss Downing's disbursements for the oivil service commission cover an annual expenditure of more than $350,000, which _amount covers: the salaries of the 262 employes of the bureau, with {other expenses incidental to the con- duct of the work. “We have three pay rolls,” eald Miss Downing, in talking of her work. “There are the offics salaries and those of the fleld examiners, of which there are five, and the salaries of the special examiners, who are sclentists and ex- perts, and whose services are employed by the commission for their assistance in rating and examinations of special: ists for the government. There are also traveling and field expenses to be cov- red. “The fleld examiners for the eivil service ~commission hold’ vesy re- sponsible positions, balnf kept con- stantly busy holding examinations place to place, investigating appoint- ments which have been made at.a dl tance and laoking after any com: which have been lodged as to political activity, political assessments or of misdemeanors or abuses of power “The special _examiners are given = and the lower to look down into the el $350,000 a Year. standard peyment of $10 a day their services, and are in many cases eminent professors of universities and authorities in their professions in every line—architecture, engineering, _etc. They are chosen men fully qualified to | judge of the merits of experts seeking | positions under the government. Prof. Wileox of Cornell University has just rated papers of a chief statistician’ for the bureau of the census.. “This rate of $10 a day iz sometimes wholly disproportionaté to the services rendered, for some of the mien of learn- ing and science who act as special tech- nical exanfiners for the federal service command ten and twenty times that fee in their private capacity. These ex- perts have, however, uniformly ex- hibited a willingness to serve the gov- ernment. * * * “The expenses connected with the fleld work of the commission in its twelve districts range over the wide area of the whole United States, and include everything from traveling ex- penses and hotel bills to janitors’ fees. When there is‘a federal building in a place, such as a custom house, a room in that building is used for the ex- aminations, byt when no such place is available & room is rented, and some- times suitable furniture must be in- stalled for the period of examination of would-be employes of the govern- ment. “By this you see that our expense accounts are full of small and varied items, which must be carefully gome over before being allowed. They also entail a great amount of correspond- ence, as one may not disburse govern- ment funds without vouchers for every item and a knowledge that all s cor- T fo An estimate has been submitted to Conugress for $20,000 for traveling ex- penses_for the fiscal year 1917. The Appro; for the current year is’ $18,000. Last year the appropriation ‘was $12,000, but Congress granted a de- :':may popro prlltlfn»ol 09, makig:- 2 .