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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1951-06-07, Page 6More Money To See The Circus Once when I was thigh -high to a grass -hopper and had earned a whole quarter of a dollar picking potato -hugs off our potatoes at titre cents a cupful, my father took me on 'his 'vide liner and told me hew, he earned hit first dollar. Father was ai snlalI Foy then. no bigger than I wa. that potato -bug day. But he wore trousers • down to his ankles, for that was a long time ago just. a little after they discovered gold in California. Fa- ther. with his short legs; had no hope of getting as far as f'alifor- nia and the gold. But something n1ort exciting than all the ore of the Pacific Ctrast was going to be right in ;he net town, only nine miles away. It vas the great Pbineas Parnunt and his show, fresh front Broad- way. My father yearned so to go to that circus that he ached all over, and he could not get his Saturday in irning hulled -corn down, though it was covered with molasses. He would never have dared to mention to his father his thought of going to see such a wonder. so expensive, so far away. "William, you have been a good boy ah the Spring and lugged in your wood without being told. Here's a silver dollar for you to spend. You take the steam -cars and go to the circus. And have a good time." William found a shiny brand-new dollar in his hot hands almost as big as he was. Ile had ntyer had so Hauch wealth in his hands before. He forgot even to say "Thank you, sir." He grab- bed his hat and coat and bolted for Cousin Trustum's house. 'Wil- liam never thought of having a good time without having Trustum along. To see zebras and Tom Thumb and hear Jenny Lind sing was the Promised Land of Canaan. But to ride to them all on the steam -cars of the brand-new Portland and Ken - lin this bedroom, the spotlight of attention is thrown upon tltc bed, which gains importance because of ills handsome hp.reaa and a fma iture grouping planted arcrantl it. rati y EDNA 1C97ILMES 00K at the room at left! Like it? Chances are that its clean lines and dark walls ,will win your approval at once. But what is the center of interest? The answer is, of course, the bed. Few homemakers realize that the bed, too often thought of as a necessary but unwieldy. piece of furniture, can be the star attraction in a decorating drama. One way to "build" your ,'ooln around the bed is to cover it with a handsome and well -fitting tailored, spread. Whether you choose a feminine or masculine pattern, be sure the colors tie in well with those chosen for walls, rugs and accessories. Where fib put the bed is the next question to arise. A plain wall, unbroken by windows or doors, cttn be utilized as a particularly effective backdrop. For added dash to the overall decor equip the bed with a sleek low headboard. Moderns also, favor a low roll bolster. To give the bed that close -to -the -floor look, choose night stands no higher than the headboard. To carry the eye 'upward, choose tall Lamps for each stand. These will not only provide illumination for read- ing in bed but will serve to frame a grouping of pictures, on the wall above the bed: At night, substitute buoyant pillows for the bolster to aid you in taking advantage of the comfort offered by your decorator -beautiful bed. nebec Railroad was heaven itsself. The dust of that sleepy village street turned to a baby cyclone as a little boy flew along on his bare toes. Trustum's father could not be outdone by his brother. He fetched up n silver cartwheel from his jeans and gave it to his son. So the two small boys ran hand in hand to the depot and the won- derful iron horse that snorted out steam and sparks. But my father stopped short just at the depot and dug his toes into the Summer dust. "Trustum, you and me are going to walk to Brunswick and save our dollar to spend all on Barnumsl" It was the dawn of genius. It was right then and there my father started being a man of wealth. — From "Maine Doings" by Robert P. Tristram Coffin. They tell me that there once was a Cookery Column conductor who took a vow that never again would she print a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake. She got through the first season without too much trouble; but when it came to the middle of June, the second year, and still no S.S. recipe—well, something happened. Whether the lady was stoned to death by angry customers or just went and jumped off a cliff, I've never been able to find out. 9 * '5 But before paying tribute to an inexorable custom, I think I'll slip • in a little item, entitled "STRAW- BERRIES," which I clipped from the editorial page of The New York Times. I only hope you enjoy it as much as I did. There is an Indian legend that the Mighty One created the first strawberries to tempt an Indian maiden running away from her husband after a quarrel. The ber- ries, says the legend, had to be so beautiful the maiden would stop to pluck them and so tasty she would forget her anger. So the Mighty One gathered sweet mist from the mountains, clew from the sweet grass, honey front the bee, colour from the red bird, bright speckles from the trout and beauty from the hummingbird. The berries thus created stopped 'the angry maiden's flight, sweetened her temper and led to a legendary re- conciliation. The berries, 8f course, were wild one; and their lineal descendants are in blossom now, gathering all the elements the Mighty One pro- vided in legendary days. Also in bloom are the tante berries which impatient men have developed and provided for our gardens and our tables. Some of them are as good as the wild ones, and all of them are much bigger. One gardener we know, a senti- mental kind of person, some years ago sought out a few wild straw- berry plants and moved them into his garden alongside his domesti- cated strawberries. He didn't really expect the two varieties to set ex- amples for each other, though he hoped in a most unscientific way that they plight. Instead, he now has two strawberry beds, one for eating and the other for tasting, and he thinks he is fortunate indeed. Which he is. Anybody is fortunate who has wild strawberries taming Cat'bed Godivct--•A modern 'Lady Godiva;' wearing more clothes than the fabled lady of Coventry, rides a golden palomino horse up to Los Angeles Municipal Court !o defend herself against charges of doing an • indecent strip -tease. This "Lady Godiva"-- c'ite refuses to use any other name—was nabbed by cops at a Hollywood dub. themselves in his Hack yard and paying tribute every June for that privilege. And now for that shortcake. It can be made of rich, crisp.. pie dough or of light, tender cake- -whichever you and your family•pre- fer—and, of course, topped off with the red berries with high piles of snow-white whipped cream. If you happen to believe that the only proper shortcake is made from cake. use any simple cake recipe. But here is one you may like: STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 2 cups sifted flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 4 cup sugar 6 tablespoons shortening 3/s to 1 cup milk Sweetened strawberries Whipped cream Method: Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Cut or rub in shortening. Add milk to make a thick batter, stirring only until flour is well moistened. Spread in ungreased 9 -inch layer cake pan. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into pie -shaped wedges. Split crosswise. Spread bot- tom layer lightly with butter or margarine. Cover with sweetened berries and replace top. Cover with more berries and whipped cream. Makes six servings. f t Most folks like chocolate and' here is a change front the usual chocolate pudding or pie. • CHOCOLATE DUMPLINGS Chocolate Sauce: 3/4 cup Frown sugar r;i cup 'cocoa 1 tablespoon cornstarch Dash salt 2 cups water 2 tablespoons butter or mar- garine Combine brown sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and, salt in heavy skillet and .,stir .in ,the water.. Cook until mixture begins to boil and thicken slightly, stirring constantly*. Add margarine and•, nlix well,, .Remove, from heat while making dumplings.. Chocolate Dtiinplings:, 1 cup 'sifted flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ,q teaspoon salt ?a cup sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa 3 tablespoons shortening 1 egg •i cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Sift together flour,. baking pow- der, salt, .sugar. and, cocoa. Add shortening, „egg, milk; and vanilla. Stir to blencl'ingrcdients,, then beat, for'one. urinate. Retirn skillet to. heat and bring chocolate sauce to boil. Drop dumplings by spoonfuls on chocolate sauce. Reduce heat, ' cover and simmer gently for, 20 Minutes, Serve warm with cream. • Makes six dumplings: PICNIC LOAF 1 Pound ground pork 1 Pound ground smoked ham 2 eggs 1 cup breadcrurnbs 1% cups milk xA Cup minced onions xA Cup minced Pimiento 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper '% cup' blodvn sugar 1% teaspoons• dr'y ttlustard cup vinegar ' IA cup water Mix together the ground meat, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, onion, pimiento, salt and pepper. Form into a loaf and place in a 10x5x3 inch loaf pan. Combine brown sug- ar and mustard. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) one hour or until the meat is done. Combine vinegar and water and baste hath loaf as it hakes. Ten to 12 servings. This haul loaf ..packs well for picnic travelling. Slice it thick for hearty picnic sandwiches. CHICKEN CASSEROLE cup fresh or frozen peas 24 cup chopped carrots 54 cup chopped celery 1 cup chicken broth or chicken Bouillon 3 tablespoons flour 1% cups cooked chopped chicken 2 ounces (%cup raw) macaroni, cooked 1 101/2 oz. can of cream of chicken soup % cup diced pimiento ;/3 cup sliced canned mushrooms 1 teaspoon pepper teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 cup grated sharp cheese Partially cook peas; carrots and celery. Thicken chicken broth with the flour. Combine all ingredients except % cup of the cheese. Pour into a 114 quart casserole. Top with remaining cheese and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees F.) 45 minutes. Serves eight. - Dead. Rats Payment For Income Tax The whole thing appears to have started in A.D.5, when, as the'Bible tells us, "it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed", (Luke 2.1) —and, ever since, kings and chan- cellors have been cudgelling their brains to devise new methods of stinging the people. For years British chancellors have toyed with the idea of taxing cycl- ists, but each has finally by-passed the two -wheeled brigade for fear of losing 10,000,000 votes. Yet, in Vienna before the war, the author- ities imposed a tax of about a dol- lar on each machine and swelled budget by over $1000,000. In the old Turkey, where the sul- tans were never satisfied with their wealth, new taxation had to be thought of every year to fill their coffers. In the eighteenth century when collectors called on the local pasha they were given a free meal, and one sultan conceived the idea of collecting "teeth money" for the wear and tear of the officials' molars in masticating such meals! In the new Turkey women were westernized almost overnight, and officials, feeling that make up and new fashions were setting a bad example, promptly ordered that teachers in ,girls' schools be fined if they used paint, rouge or even ,powder. A tax. was placed on the wearing of coloured finger nails, jewellery—and short, skirts! There are numerous precedents for new taxation, but chancellors must walk warily. Henry VIII tax- ed beards—and beards vanished. Pitt placed a tax on hair powder and another on certain styles of hats, and women defeated him by discarding powdered wigs and adopting new styles of headwear. Mitten were first worn only because leather gloves were heavily taxed. In Belgrade . the town council once imposed a "dissipation tax" of a penny for those who stayed on in first-class cafes after eleven, and a halfpenny in workmen's cafes. ,This slid not •deter the customers from "dissipating," but provided a steady into the Exchequer. Tn niany'f, Continental countries taxation of flogs varies with either weight or value of the animal. In France you can keep a mongrel for a few shillings, but a pedigreed animal may cost $10 or more. In some countries even the lordly cat is taxed. Entertainment tax is by no means new, for Charles II decreed that ''everyone Who resorts to any of the playhouses and sits in the boxes shall pay one shilling, and everyone who sits in the pit sixpence, and any others threepenc'e." In Bombay, some time ago, the authorities decided that defaulters could settle their tax in rats --ten dead rats equalling one rupee (20 cents). If Ottawa adopted this me- thod it might clear the country of a lot of vermin. But very likely some sharpshooter would start breeding rats, ancd cashing in on then,. Maybe You Don't Read Fast Enough Few people read With the maxi- mum of comfort. How are you holding this paper? If it is farther than ten inches away from your eyes, and your eyes are normal; the eye muscles are being strained, for the normal eye sees clearest at ten inches. How fast do you read? You are much more likely to grow tired if you read slowly. Exceptional people can read at a speed of 1,000 words a minute, but 400 to 500 words a minute is a good speed for efficient reading. The average adult reads at about 250 only, When you are reading how often do you move your eyes in the course of a line? Scientists have calcu- lated that most people take a line of type in six or eight "jumps." If you can Learn to take it in only three jumps you will read a great deal faster and with less strain on the eye muscles. Reason why most of us read so slowly is that almost every man and woman over 35 was taught to read by the oral method. Our teachers made us read aloud to teach us how to pronounce. Since we pronounced only one word at a time we learned to see only one word at a time. As a result, most of us read about half as fast as we should—and with twice as much muscular work for our eyes. Caught in The Act — Perhaps hoping to make his "coming- out" party a private affair, the little fellow, above, found that he was the center of attraction cis he saw light of day for the first Mme in Perth, "Your true garden -lover lives in the present and for the future. There are no backward glances, except for the correction of faults." —C. B. Mortlock. Folks Scandalized * By Awful Dance The tlrenuny, rolnalU.s' waltz, the most popular o'L all tlan•.•cs, was once described as an i11cit e111ent to sinful passion! It was born in 'Vienna as an expression of reaction from the Napoleonic. Wars -,--just as jazz carne after the First \V'c'rl'1 \Var and. boogie-woogie after- the hist one. And the rest of Europe was scan. r;alised. Germany spurned it as im- moral and a book was published folder the hefty title of ":\ Proof that the Waltz is a Main Source of the Weakness of the i3ody and 1•lind of our Generation." 'the dance reached England in, 1813 and there was a general out- cry of horror. "Thi; fiend, destitute of grace, delicacy and propriety" was tate outraged comment. Feeling ran very high ahcl it was rot an uncommon thing when an ,;orchestra played a waltz tune for litany people to walk out. Danny Burney, the novelist, rais- ed her hands in delicate horror at the thought of the daughters of English mothers with their panther's arms around their waists and re- ferred in hushed tones to the way such freedom was encouraged and even returned by some females. Endangered Virtue Both Church and laity agreed that it endangered virtue and that the homes of England were in danger. Lord Byron shouted his de- nunciations. He wrote a poen, called "The Waltz" and in it showed viv- idly the effects on .a good h isband who sees his wife with her arms half round a man he had never seen before, and his arm more than half- way round her waist, turning round and round to a "damned see -saw up and down sort of tune." And so, in good society, the waltz was banne Then the world shook when it was whispered that a man named Strauss had actually played a waltz tune at Buckingham Palace, That was shocking enough, but nothing to the shock received by the aristocratic guests invited to Queen Victoria's first State Ball, when they actually saw, with their own eyes, the young and lovely Queen turn to her husband and then glide away in his arms—to a waltz. The Queen's Ankles The whole Court was scandalised that the Queen's ankles and calves had been visible to everybody, in- cluding the footmen and members of the orchestra. Her action set the, seal on the waltz. No longer dare the aristocracy refer to it as im- moral. It was Strauss senior, the father of Johann, who conducted the or chestra. on that historic occasion. Johann wrote the "Blue Danube,'" but by that time-1867—the waltz was respectable. Its very popularity killed Strauss Pere, for everybody wanted a new waltz for every occasion and Strauss used to dash from cafe to cafe and from ball to ball to conduct the orchestras in each new one be wrote and the strain eventually proved too much for him. The waltz killed Johann,, too, for he, caught a chill after sweating from the exertion of conducting a new waltz in Vienna and died front it in 1899. ON THE SPOT A bus -driver was trying to inter- est passers-by in his sight-seeing trip at a holiday resort, when a. quaint figure came towards him. An elderly lady; tall and gracefill, she wore a black lace dress that almost touched the ground and barely re- vealed her old-fashioned buttoned boots. A crocheted cape hung over her shoulders, and a large black hat bobbed up and down with each step. The bus -driver's eyes brightened. "See the sights of the town, madam?" She said, with dignity, "I am one of the sights of the town,.° He Says No -_Oscar -winner Jose Ferrer, testiying before the Houstt• Un-American Activities Committee, said that he was never a. Communist. He told the Hollywood Communism investigators tbu' he had been a victim of "Communist big -name hunters."