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HINTS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.

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Every housewife thinks she can cook It is the greens.' simplest of all dishes and yet in most cases they are not well served, for much depends upon the manner in which they are boiled. The water should be soft, and a tablespoonful of salt added to a large-sized pot of it, which should be boiling hot when the greens are thrown in, and then it should be kept on the boiling gallop, but uncovered, until they are done, which can be told by their sinking to the bottom of the pot, and they should be skimmed out as quickly as possible into a colander, so that all the water will run out. Press them, with a small plate, then turn upon a platter, add a piece of butter, and cut up fine. Serve while smoking hot.

A HINT FOR HOT WEATHER.

Exclude the hot air as rigidly in summer as you do the cold air in winter. Open all your casements early in the morning, as nearly at sunrise as your uprisings permit, for that is the coldest time of the whole day; but when the morning

warms shut them up tightly, and be as chary as possible of opening them again during the heat of the day. A house well closed will keep cool for many hours while the external heat is unbearable. The secret is, to catch the cold air when you can; and when you have got it, keep it jealously. If the outer air grows cold during the day, and your rooms warmer at the time, open windows and get a cooling; but otherwise keep all closed. Generally observe this maxim (a couple of common thermometers, one indoors, the other out, will help you),— Warmer out than in, keep shut; colder out than in, throw open.

STAIR CARPETS.

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Stair carpets should always have a slip of paper put under them, at and over the edge of every stair-which is the part where they first wear out-in order to lessen the friction of the carpets against the boards beneath. The strips should be, within an inch or two, as long as the carpet is wide, and about four or five inches in breadth, so as to lie a little distance upon each stair. This simple plan will preserve a stair carpet half as long again as it would last without the strips of paper.

FOR THE STING OF A WASP, OR OTHER INSECT.

Wet the part stung, and rub a piece of indigo upon it, which will instantly remove the pain.

STING OF A NETTLE OR OTHER PLANT.

Rub the part affected with balm, rosemary, mint, or any other aromatic herb, and the smart will at

once cease.

Buy what vou dinna want, and you will sell what you canna spare."

THE

MOTHERS' TREASURY.

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY.

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EADS of families, what responsibilities rest upon us! We cannot shake them off, let us do what we may! God has given us little kingdoms, in which our authority and influence will tell for the better or the worse to all eternity. There is not a child or a servant in our house but what will be impressed for good or for evil by what we do. True, we may have no wish to influence them, and we may endeavour to ignore our responsibility, but it cannot be done; parental influence is a throne which no man can abdicate. The members of our family come under our shadow, and we either drip poison upon them like a deadly upas, or else beneath our shade they breathe an atmosphere perfumed with our piety. The little boats are fastened to our larger vessel, and are drawn along in our wake. O fathers and mothers, the ruin of your children or their salvation will, under God, very much depend upon you! The gracious Spirit may use you for their conversion, or Satan may employ you as the instruments of their destruction. Which is it like to be? I charge you, consider. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; let us pray to be as clouds of grace to our families. Whether we have only an Isaac and an Ishmael like Abraham, or twelve children like Jacob, let us pray for each and all that they may live before the Lord, and that we and all that belong to us may be bound up in the bundle of life.

Oh, I could sigh to think of the capacities which lie dormant in some Christians! It is sad to think how their children might grow up, and with God's blessing become pillars in the house of the Lord, and perhaps ministers of the gospel, under the influence of an earnest consecrated father and mother; but instead thereof the dulness, the lukewarmness, the worldliness, and the inconsistencies of parents, are hindering the children from coming to Christ, hampering them as to any great advances in the divine life, dwarfing their stature in grace, and doing them lifelong injury. Brethren, you do not know the possibilities which are in you when God's Spirit rests upon you; but this much is certain, if you yourselves be called into a higher form of divine life, you shall then become mediums of blessing to your relatives. Your husband, your

HINTS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.

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Every housewife thinks she can cook "6 greens." It is the simplest of all dishes: and yet in most cases they are not well served, for much depends upon the manner in which they are boiled. The water should be soft, and a tablespoonful of salt added to a large-sized pot of it, which should be boiling hot when the greens are thrown in, and then it should be kept on the boiling gallop, but uncovered, until they are done, which can be told by their sinking to the bottom of the pot, and they should be skimmed out as quickly as possible into a colander, so that all the water will run out. Press them, with a small plate, then turn upon a platter, add a piece of butter, and cut up fine. Serve while smoking hot.

A HINT FOR HOT WEATHER.

Exclude the hot air as rigidly in summer as you do the cold air in winter. Open all your casements early in the morning, as nearly at sunrise as your uprisings permit, for that is the coldest time of the whole day; but when the morning

warms shut them up tightly, and be as chary as possible of opening them again during the heat of the day. A house well closed will keep cool for many hours while the external heat is unbearable. The secret is, to catch the colì air when you can; and when yo1 have got it, keep it jealously. the outer air grows cold durin the day, and your rooms warmer at the time, open window and get a cooling; but othery : keep all closed. Generally obs this maxim (a couple of co: thermometers, one indoors, other out, will help y Warmer out than in, keep colder out than in, throw

STAIR CARPETS.

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Stair carpets should have a slip of paper p them, at and over the every stair-which is th.. where they first wear order to lessen the friction carpets against the boar neath. The strips sh. within an inch or two, :. the carpet is wide, and a or five inches in bread. lie a little distance u. stair. This simple preserve a stair car long again as it woul. out the strips of pa

FOR THE STING OF
OTHER IN

Wet the part stu piece of indigo up instantly remove tl.

STING OF A NET

PLAN..

Rub the part afte rosemary, mint, e matic herb, and

once cease.

Buy what vou dinna want, and you will sell what y

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difficult to accomplish ways and whims must o little light; too much iting cause of sleeplessrfect silence and perfect any people, will certainly te alone will keep people bed being so chilly that atmosphere made by the ness. A room that gets wrong height of pillow It is a very good thing in lengthways, so as to raise ped small pillow under the a small pillow, about eight the sleepless person is lying If the neck and head are y cases, be no sleep. A light, d held up to the neck, and just be breathed through, will give for the sick person to put himself ertain any thought; keeping the ular; letting, as it were, the whole ate of inaction, will put a person to intend and try to sleep, would lie ess brought a feverish, unsatisfactory very is impossible.

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Before one rising cloud could dim
Her sky, or drop in tears,
Christ came and took her home with
To summer all the years.

I often think, where she has gone
What honour great I bear,
That I have one before the throne
Who calls me "mother" there!
She is with Christ-and I am His;
Round Him our hearts entwine;
And though far up the heights of bliss,
In heaven she still is mine.
And oh! when I my own shall meet,
Together we shall go,

And cast our crowns before His feet,
And learn His love to know!

wife, your child, your friend, and the whole of your family shall be the better for your advance in spiritual things.

Look ye well, brethren, to yourselves; ye cannot bless your children, ye cannot bless your households, till first of all upon yourselves the anointing of the Lord doth rest. O Spirit of the living God! breathe upon us, that we may live yet more abundantly, and then shall we be chosen vessels to bear the name of Jesus to others!C. H. Spurgeon.

THE CONVERSION OF CHILDREN.

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ASSING through a street in Belfast one day, I was told that a little boy in the house, No. 4, was very ill. I called. He was a stranger to me. I found him in bed. "What ails you, my dear boy?" said I. "Oh, my sins, sir! I cannot bear the weight of my sins." "Do “Oh, feel that you are a sinner?" sir, I am the chief of sinners." "And what are you doing?" "I am praying to Jesus." "And what are you asking Jesus to do for you?" "To take away my sins." He was coiled up in bed, his little hands firmly clasped. Even while I spoke to him, and pointed to the Lamb of God, he continued in earnest prayer. When I called again, he was full of joy. He had found the Messiah. I asked him, "Is there anything you would like to do for Jesus?" His reply was, "I would like to bring all my brothers and sisters and the whole world to Him."

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A messenger came one evening and said to me, "Such a lad, one of your Sabbath scholars, has found Christ." I went immediately to the house. He was there, but not alone. A number of his companions, little boys, had gathered in. What did this child do? He was not ashamed of Jesus, or afraid to tell what He had done for his own soul. He appealed to his companions about their souls. He told them what he felt; how happy he was; Jesus had done for him. He proposed to pray for them, and they all knelt down. I heard that prayer. It was most simple, touching, and earnest. Before I left, one of the boys present was enabled "to believe, and to give his heart to Jesus." The two little fellows embraced each other. How they spoke of the love of Christ, of the power of His Spirit, of their own joy! How, in the presence of all, they encouraged each other to stand firm, and cleave to Jesus!

In our Sabbath-schools and families children grow up unconverted because they are not personally dealt with. Lord, sharpen our sickles when we go to reap Thy harvest among the young; for we have heard our Master say, "Have ye not read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise?" "SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME, AND FORBID THEM NOT."

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