Evening star. [volume], May 22, 1946, Page B-6, Image 27

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Readers’ Clearing House
COMMENTS.
(From Mrs. B. C. R.. Alexandria.)
I am a regular reader of your col
umn, but this is my first contribu-!
tion. Regarding the “Mother's Day
Plaint” from Mrs. M. R. C., I am an
other mother who feels that some
thing should be done about the way j
Mother's Day has been commercial
ized. I have forbidden my family j
to send flowers to me on this par
ticular day, and I love flowers.
I find it hard to believe that, a
remembrance in the way of a gift
from her children on Mother's Day,
can bring great joy to a real mother, ■
even though she may not have heard
from them since the last Mother’s!
Day. In this case a letter would
mean far more to her than a gift.
The average mother enjoys the love j
and devotion of her children all1
through the year, and something
from them on Mother's Day is su- I
perfluous.
I have not forgotten how hard it!
was for my husband and myself
when we were a young married cou
ple, trying to buy a home and take
care of our family, to find the nec
essary money for a gift for his
mother and mine, but we felt that!
we had to do it or our mothers ’
would be hurt. That's why I would
like to urge that children refrain
from giving gifts to their mothers
on Mother's Day. Their mothersj
will understand and approve.
(From Mrs. J. S. C , Washington.) j
Mrs. M. R. C. selected a pet peeve i
of mine to discuss—the Mother’s1
Day racket. I really have had lit-(
tie experience with Mother's Day
as I have asked my children to dis
regard it. It seems so evident that
the supersalesmen who urge this
sentimental giving are not interested
in the expression of children’s affec
tion for parents, but in enlarging
their own profits.
Even worse. I think, is the Christ
mas gift racket. After my shopping
scrambles all my Christmas spirit ;
is gone. Would it not be a more
fitting way to celebrate the day by
giving only to children and to the
needy or lonely adults? And so
many Christmas cards with a pret
ty picture, a trite rhyme and the
engraved name of the sender! If
it is an expression of the sender’s
affection, why not a brief written
message or a summary of the year’s
high spots to the. distant friend?
(From Miss E. G. A . Washington.)
After reading the letter from Mrs.
M. R. C., Washington, about
Mother's Day, I thought I d write
in and give her the children's angle
on this day.
Since I live with my family, I
could at least buy flowers that looked
like flow’ers and not as if they had
been standing without water for
days. I'm not saying I received full
value, but that seems to be impos
sible m these days of roses costing
so much, and gardenias taking al
most a week's salary, but they looked
all right. ,
Also, if you live at home, you can
show' your mother that you realize
this is the one day in the whole;
year that is all for her, by helping
a little more with the housework,
taking her to the movies, and just
by being extra-special nice to her.
But what about the ones who live
away from home, as her son does?
If he’s any kind of a son, he writes
her. and calls her on the phone, not
only on Mother's Day, but as often
as possible. So what can he do. but
spnd flowers? He feels as if he
wants to do something out of the
ordinary, so what else but flowers?
No boy wants to go into a dress shop
and buy a slip. And if he doesn’t
buy something, what will the rest of
the boys think? That’s an important
factor, at least with my brother. He
w-ants to show them he thinks as
much of his mother as they do of
theirs.
That leaves us at something of an
Impasse, doesn't it? But it's asking
a lot of a son or daughter, to just
‘'forget" the mother who does so
much for them.
* * * *
CORN CRACKERS?
WAKEFUL BABY?
(From Mrs. V. W. P. Washington.)
Mrs. R. A. F. Washington. I
Should love to have your recipe for
com crackers. We lived on the
Mexican border for several years
and acquired a real taste for Mexi
can dishes, especially those made
with tortillas as a base. Since mov
ing here, we have not been able to
find any tortillas. Can any one tell
me where they can be purchased?
Perhaps some reader can help me
Contributions and requests
must be accompanied by the
sender’s full name and address.
We will withhold both and use
only initials. Please address
mail to the Readers’ Clearing
House, Woman's Page", The
Evening Star, Washington 4.
Views expressed in the Clear
ing House are not necessarily
those of The Star, and as it is
obviously impossible for us to
test all recipes submitted, we
cannot assume responsibility
for them. Betsy Caswell
with my current baby problem. My
eight-month-old son has slept 12
hours a night without waking since
he was three months old. but re
cently he seems to have decided that
when the sun gets up, he should
get up. At the present that means
5 a m. He doesn't seem hungry or
to want his breakfast till the usual
time, 6:30 a.m. He just plays, crows
and gurgles, making a great deal of
noise. I have tried keeping him up
at night as late as 8 o'clock, but it
does not seem to make any differ
ence. I think he probably needs that
extra hour and a half’s sleep, and I
know' I do! So any suggestion willj
be appreciated.
* * * *
CLEANING COUCH?
(From Mrs. B. R. C.. Washington.) i
I have a couch that is light in
color and has become soiled. I’ve
tried cleaning it, but with no suc
cess. I have heard of dyeing up
holstered furniture right in the
home. Can any one help me out?
* * * *
RAISING GUPPIES.
iFrom Mrs. C. A. M., Jr., Arlington.)
To Mrs. E. B. C„ re: raising
guppies: living in an apartment
which prohibits pets of the four
legged variety. I have substituted
aquariums, well-stocked with tropi
cal fish, and plan now never to be
without them.
Raising tropical fish can be sim
ple or scientific, depending to what
degree of interest and time a per
son has. First, I'd suggest keeping
more varieties than the ordinary
guppy. In my 10-gallon tank I
have five species that mix well to
gether and certainly form an in
teresting display of colors and sizes, i
These by their common names are,
of course, the guppy, black mollies, j
red moons, swordtails and the lovely
angel fish. All but the angel fish
are live-bearing creatures.
Several booklets have been written
on the care of breeding tropicals,:
but they omit many details which
are learned only through experi- j
ence. I'd certainly advise purchas
ing one or more of these, however,
w'hich can be found at any pet shop, j
A well-balanced tank, containing;
an abundance of snails and growing
grasses need never be emptied and
refilled. Addition of water as it j
evaporates is all that should be;
necessary. However, this is not al-1
ways true. Here is where experience
is valuable. Overfeeding invariably
causes water souring and clouding,
dead fish or fish constantly gasping
for air on the water's surface. To
determine the amount of food neces
sary I suggest feeding your fish a
few grains at a time until they no
longer show interest in eating, then
i stop right, there. After a few such
feedings you will know fairly ac
curately how much will be con
sumed. Fish, unlike most of us,
never eat more than they can hold.
Don't hesitate to skip a day’s feed
ing. I often feed every other day with
; no harm done. Underfeed rather
than overfeed. Dead fish and snails
must be removed. Sick fish should
be placed in a separate tank. Fish
do have diseases (even medicines*,
but a percentage will be lost re
gardless of care.
As to fry or baby fish, you can
leave the expectant mother in the
large tank and hope two or three
little ones will escape being eaten.
I recommend placing the mother in
a smaller tank soon after her con
! dition is apparent, removing her
■ after the arrival of the young. I
purchased small clear glass cookie
jars for this purpose at the five and
ten. These miniature tanks, com
plete with small snails, etc., give the
; fry more than a sporting chance for
survival and are easier seen. The
young eat fine, pulverized feed three
times daily. Discretion as to the
amount must also be used. Fre
quency of new baby fish is deter
mined by the species, temperature
of water (72-801 and the tempera
ment of your fish. Some prospec
Two Sides in Marriage
By Fredrtc and Alice Fax Pitts
THE WIFE:
Shi Quiet, please. This is the
night Freddy checks the monthly
bank statement and he's in a ter
rible mood.
When I lived alone it was simple
The bank adds
better than I do
fo I took its word
for the balance,
deducted un
cashed checks
and knew about
where I stood.
Who could ask
more? Freddy
could, and does.
He insists on
comparing every
canceled cheek
with both its
stub and the
statement, ana expects tne ngures
to tally to the last penny. They
rarely do.
Some days the laundry arrives as
I'm rushing for the bus. I make
out a check for $2.53 but enter it
as $2.35. When the error comes to
light Freddy could correct the bal
ance with a single entry: "Minus
18 cents to compensate for laundry
error.” Instead he goes over every
page of the book, angrily correcting
“Bal. For d” and '"Total Deps,” what
ever they mean.
Sometimes I put down "'eggs”
without entering the amount. This
Infuriates Freddy although I point
out that he can find the exact
amount on the check when it is re
turned. These, I have discovered,
are fighting words when addressed
to Freddy.
Once he spent a wdtole evening
puzzling why his balance and the
bank’s tallied although he had
found two checks that didn’t jibe
■with their stubs. It was simple. I
had made out one stub for $10 more
than the check I signed, and an
other stub for $10 less than the
corresponding check.
Freddy tore his hair with one
hand and waved his precious check
book in the other as he lectured me
on my iniquity. ‘‘Didn’t you ever
learn that two wrongs don’t make a
right?” he demanded.
But they did that time, dearie!
THE HUSBAND:
Foxy never had more than a
quarter in her pocketbook when I
first knew her. She'd heard of;
bank checks but never signed one.1
Then she succeeded in marrying me!
ana acquired the
feel of folding
money. This
gave her ideas,
and she worked
on me until I
finally opened a
joint checkirtg
account. Having
achieved that
goal, she decided
she knew all the
answers most of
them a big sur
prise to the bank
and embarrass
ing to me.
A check is something Foxy gives;
the grocer made out for twice the I
amount of his bill. This nets her a [
lot of cash in exchange, which she |
considers money found.
Check books, she thinks, are
handy for keeping hairdresser ap
pointments and telephone numbers.
She tears out blanks with abandon!
to use as coasters for glasses, as I
wedges to prevent window’s rattling.!
The reverse sides serve as memo;
sheets; on them she writes game
scores and notes to the milkman.
Then she storms when there are
no blanks left on which to pay the
rent.
Her wizardry is reflected by the
scribbled notations she leaves me;
“Oil check $27 but includes eggs
and $5 for cash but paid $3.50 dry
cleaner on account balance near;
$50.”
Whose balance, I wonder, mine or i
the cleaner's? And how do you in
clude eggs in an oil check? If I in
quire, her stock answer is “How
should I know how?” "But Foxy,”.
I plead, “I w’ant to balance the ac- j
count to see how we stand."
“Balance it!” she says in disgust.|
"That's what the bank is for. We
give them all our money; it's the
least they can do in return. Why
should I bother with all that silly
adding and subtracting? Money is
to spend, not fuss and stew about.”
I And, brother, does she spend it.
A
tive mother and father fish simply
do not like each other. Yes, even
fish have personalities. Anyone of
the booklets will give you almost
complete information on each spe
cies.
Both adult and fry greatly relish
raw beef which I heartily suggest
feeding them occasionally. A lean,
one-inch cube tied to a string and
lowered to the center of the tank
will provide sport for both fish and
the observer.
All the accessories are not abso
lutely necessary, but certainly help
ful to maintain a healthy and sci
entific aquarium. They are far too
numerous to explain here. I do
suggest lighting your tank artificial
ly, a light bulb of 15 watts with a
reflector, or one bought at a pet
shop. It stimulates plant growth,
does not restrict location of the
aquarium and allows observance at
night. Colorful decoration to any
room.
Good luck to Mrs. E. B C. Un
doubtedly she still has questions and
desired explanations. If she’ll call
me at Glebe 1217, I’ll be glad to
help her further, if I've helped her
at all with these comments.
* * * *
POMANDER BALLS?
(From E. B. B., Washington.)
Please send me recipes for making
"pomander balls" out of oranges and
apples, how to arrange the cloves
so a space is left Tor the ribbons,
what you "cure" the fruit in after
cloves are stuck in, etc.
* * * *
PISH OIL STAINS?
(From Mrs. L. C. H., Arlington.)
Scouring pads are by far the
easiest and best method I have
found for making aluminum pots
and pans look new again.
Do any of the other mothers
know of any way to remove fish oil
stains from baby’s clothing? I do
my washing by hand and can hang
the clothes outdoors. Is there
something I could add to the water
to do away with these ugly stains? j
Many thanks for R. C. H.
CLEANING ALUMINUM.
(From Mrs. H. H. R., Washington.)
To Mrs. S. G. C., with the dark
ened aluminum pans and pots. Try!
one small pan first, fill with water!
to which one teaspoon cream ofi
tartar is added for each quart. Let
come to boll.
+ * * *
QUICK BREAD RECIPES
iFrom Mrs. R. IV. G., Washington.)
To Miss F. L. who requested quick
bread recipes using soya flour in
stead of wheat, I don’t think it can
be done. I have recipes for soya
muffins. pancakes, ginger-bread,
spice cake, yeast bread, but they all
call for wheat flour too. Rye and
rice flours are the only 100 per cent
substitute for w'heat in breads that
I know of. Corn meal muffins can
be made without flour, of course,
and cornstarch and potato meal are
thickening agents. The later is ex
cellent in creamed potatoes, po
tato soup or fish chowder and as
"breading” for croquettes, fish and
meat fillets, etc. Cornstarch, corn
meal and potato meal are good
wheat savers we can all employ dur
ing the dreadful famine that is
going on in Europe and Asia. Now's
the time for the over-weight to cut
down on starches.
* * * *
CLEANING FRYING PAN.
iFrom Mrs. G. W. S„ Phila
delphia, A. Y.)
To the lady who wanted to know
how to clean a frying pan: If it is
an iron one, she could bake it in
the oven until the carbon burns off
This will leave it like new, but
when dry it will have to be treated
with grease before it can be used
again. I find this very easy to do
and it only has to be done once in
a great while.
Wardrobe That Works
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Working Girl I
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‘Shop-Talk’
By Dorothy Bihlman
A revolutionary line of all-aluminum cycles, scooters
and other play things will make their appearance very
shortly in the toy departments of many of the large stores.
The leader in the line is the "park-cycle" that weighs but
19 pounds, never will rust (no rqatter how long junior
leaves it out in the rain) and never needs oiling. The wheels
are contained ball-bearing disk type with semipneumatic
tires. The vehicle is equipped with a belt guard, the seat
and handle bars are adjustable and the pedals are of strong
block rubber It is finished in enamel in a choice of several
colors. The scooter, also of aluminum comes in three sizes.
It has an underslung platform with rubber mat and is
equipped with a stand, brake, a rear fender and ball
bearing disk wheels for any youngster to brag about. Like
its brother, the "park-cycle," the scooter has a decorative
finish. Other items in the line .will be a wheelbarrow and
a sturdy but light-weight wagon that features rolled edges
for safety. As we mentioned above these toys are not at
present in the local stores, but will be within a short period.
Sports Shop
Third Floor
The White Topper ...
done in Summer-weight
wool, cut on good, casual
lines and accented with
"saucer" buttons of
* mock tortoise-and-gold
... to wear over just
about everything!
Sizes 12 to 16, $39.95.
Store Tour Furs
With Erlebacher
Call NAtional 7286
1- -1210 F Street N.W. .. ■ '
Experienced Advertisers Prefer The Star
1 I
Why Grow
Old?
By Josephine Lawman
Many women do not know just
how much they should weigh. Vari
ous factors enter into this calcula
tion. In the first place the tables
one usually sees do not give the
Ideal weight for your height because
they are average weights at differ
ent ages and the average woman
gains too many pounds for best
health as she grows older.
Your ideal weight is simply the
weight at which you feel and look
best. This depends on height and
bony structure. When under 30
you need a little reserve in weight
\ which you will be better off without
ifrom 30 on. As a general rule It is
best to keep your weight close to
that which you found to be ideal
for you at 30 years of age.
One simple rule has been given
for calculating what your weight
should be. Find out w'hat your
height is and then multiply the
number of Inches over 5 feet by 5
| and a half and add that to 110.
I Your ideal may vary several pounds
! either way but this gives you a
i rough idea of what your poundage
should be and how far off the curves
you are.
As to measurements: Your waist
should be 10 inches smaller than
your hips and there should not be
more than two inches difference be
tween your bust and your hips. Of
course, build makes this an impos
sible goal for some women but it
gives you something to shoot toward
and some idea of what measure
ments should be—or should ap
proach.
Today’s exercise: Kneel on both
knees, hands on the floor 'one hand
directly under each shoulder!. Kick
back and up fas high as you cam
with the left leg, straightening the
left knee. Return left knee to floor
and kick back and up with the right
leg. Return right knee to the floor
and continue, alternating left and
right.
If you wish to lose from ft to 10
pounds in nine days’ time send a
■ stamped, self-addressed envelop
with your request for my "Nine-Day
Reducing Diet." leaflet No. 39 to
Josephine Low-man in care of The
Evening Star.
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Mott’s Distilled White Vinegar!
I
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Mellowed in wood for deep richness 1
Say
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for flavor at its best!
f