July 1926

Wanderings Among American Alpines

I WAS tired. I had set out at five o'clock in the morning. My feet were not accustomed to calked boots, and while we had only touched the glacial edges, I felt as tho I had covered all the thirty-two thousand acres of ice which the mighty peak towering over me for seven thousand feet above the line of eternal snows is estimated to radiate.

Making A Dream Come True

THEY built their Dream House on the southern slope of a mountain in Alabama. Some of its windows let in the rising sun; some opened out, as if to draw in the cool green valley and the ranges of blue hills, that were indeed a stretch of sure tranquility along the distant horizon. Some coaxed the long slanting rays of the western sun to play a game with the swinging prisms of an old fuel lamp, dartling a dozen rainbows on the softened yellow walls.

Homes of Famous Americans

DANIEL WEBSTER once rose in his place in the United States Senate, and with a taste of sour grapes in his mouth, felicitated the Whigs on a certain "rough frontier colonel" whom they seemed determined to elevate to the presidency. The thunderous Daniel still carried in his bosom the rancor of 1836, when William Henry Harrison had split the vote and caused his own defeat. He was in much the position of Douglas who, upon the nomination of Franklin Pierce, indignantly exclaimed, "Henceforth no private citizen is safe!"

Stencils for Wall Decorations

NOT least among the advantages of the small or medium-sized home is its adaptability to quaint decorative schemes. Stenciling is particularly suited to the small house, both because of its unique beauty and because of its economy. Stencils are procurable in wide variety and may be used in so many different ways that there is a design and an arrangement suitable for each room.

The Advantages of Electrical Refrigeration

BACK in the days when America was a forest primeval and man and beast fought for "the survival of the fittest," the wonders of today were then not even dreams. Man had only two thoughts uppermost in his mind-- food and preservation for himself and mate.

The Importance of Scale

IT is quite probable that, at some time or other, you may have entered an unfamiliar room, reveled immediately in its mellow coloring, enjoyed to the full its lovely furnishings, admired the glow of its lighted lamps-- yet half vaguely sensed the lack of something. Not for worlds, perhaps, could you have expressed that lack in words; for the chances are that you would not have even realized what was wrong with the room.

Garden Insects You'll Meet

EVERY year at about this stage of the gardening operations I can predict very closely the waning enthusiasm for gardening of my next door neighbor. Nearly every evening as he appears in the backyard, after several hours of patient labor and exercise, he looks pitifully upon those plants, which despite his apparently good treatment, refuse to respond, but have a ragged, wilted, unhealthy, bilious appearance.

Housing the Household Pet

WHILE we're building a home for the human members of the family, what about the inhuman-- pardon us-- the animal members? If brother has his cozy den, where all his trophies of sport are proudly exhibited, should Towser be denied a like retreat where he may show his canine friends proof of his prowess in the bone cracking line?

Nature Love for Youthful Readers

CAN you imagine a lake so completely covered with gorgeous blossoms and foliage that it is difficult to see the water at all? That is what happens in a few places in this country where America's native lotus lily grows wild.

Garden Reminders

JULY gardens are lovely retreats with their foxgloves, canterbury bells, sweet peas, roses, stocks, phlox and other beautiful midsummer flowers. To keep the garden at its best this month it will be necessary to spend some time staking, tying plants, hoeing, spraying and watering but for the most part July is the month to enjoy the results of your labor.

Thrift in the Home

MY brother, coming to California and buying too quickly, found himself possessed of an acre of ground and only some two thousand dollars with which to build a home for his family of three.

Under the Library Lamp

OUTDOOR books: flower-books, bird-books, tree-books, books on motor- camping-- who can resist them at this time of year? Not the editor of Under the Library Lamp, certainly, whose heart melts like wax at sight of another queerly packed little car rolling by in search of summer adventure.

Dad's Practical Pointers

THE life of a rather large ash tree, just transplanted, was saved one summer in an unusual way. This particular tree was set on a front corner of the lot, where the soil dropped abruptly away to the walk. Keeping those roots well supplied with water was, of course, the big problem.

Better Fathers and Mothers

EVERY child that comes into the world is preceded here by two parents, whom he had no part in choosing but who are going to determine very largely the kind of life he shall have.

Let's have a Roast!

LAST Saturday my wife said to me, "What shall we have for Sunday's dinner?" She has asked me that same question for years! As sure as Saturday comes around, also arrives the above question.

Cooking from the July Garden

THE plot thickens in July, and cooking from the garden becomes a delightful balancing of all sorts of tempting possibilities.

Needlework Directions

THE design shown at top of page 50 may be worked in all white or in pastel shades. In the former instance the flower petals, leaves and dots are worked in padded satin stitch, the stems in outline and the centers and dots in eyelet. If colored embroidery is used, simpler stitches are preferable.

202 Best Recipes

ACROSS THE EDITOR'S DESK

I AM particularly happy to call your attention to the American Homes National Congress which will be held in Des Moines November 16-19, inclusive. The congress is under the direction of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, of which Mrs. Mary Sherman is president. Mrs. Maggie Barry of Texas, chairman of the American Homes Department of the federation is in charge of the program, and the congress is being financed by the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce.