392 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



to depend on their own exertions for making or 

 even retaining a fortune. The boy who grows up, 

 petted and indulged ; who thinks that his father is 

 so rich that he need not work like other lads ; who 

 is not disciplined to study, to labor, to self-denial 

 generally ; such a boy, no matter what his advan- 

 tages of capital, or connexion, will run the greatest 

 risk of final bankruptcy, if he does not, is too ma- 

 ny do, turn out utterly worthless, even before he is 

 old enough to begin business. There is an ancient 

 proverb that, to make a gentleman, you must begin 

 in the cradle. The adage would be truer and 

 more useful, if it was that, to make a business man, 

 you must begin with the boy. 



Of the three candidates for the clerkship, whom 

 the merchant examined, two had started hfe with 

 every advantage. They had been sent to choice 

 schools, they had been furnished liberally with 

 books, they had been able to give their undivided 

 attention to study. But not feeling the necessity 

 of exertion, and not having it impressed on them 

 by their parents, they trifled away their privileges. 

 The other lad from childhood had had to strug- 

 gle. It was only by great self-denial, probably, 

 that his father had been able to clothe him decent- 

 ly enough to go to school. From the first, he had 

 realized the worth of education, the value of time, 

 and the necessity of relying on himself. He had 

 hardened the muscles of his character, if we may 

 use such a metaphor, by the necessary training 

 which his circumstances imposed upon him. It de- 

 pends altogether upon the manner in which chil- 

 dren are educated, whether they become useful, 

 prosperous and happy members of society, or wheth- 

 er they go down, foundered in character and fortune, 

 on the boisterous sea of life. — Dollar JVewspaper. 



A WORD TO THE BOYS. 



Come, boys, and listen a few moments to your 

 uncle. You have now arrived at an age when you 

 must begin to think about doing something for 

 yourselves. The first piece of advice 1 have for you 

 is, to do everything well, which you undertake. 

 There is but little danger of your being too partic- 

 ular in this respect. A boy who is careful to draw 

 a straight line on his slate, will be very likely to 

 make a straight line through life. There is no po- 

 sition in life in which you will not be called upon 

 to be exact as possible. Step into a jeweller's shop 

 and see how careful the workman must be in finish- 

 ing up the article he holds in his hands. Visit a 

 ship-yard, and the man with the broad axe must 

 learn to hew on the line or be dismissed. You 

 think of being a clerk. Well, remember that a 

 mistake there, is little less than a crime. I never 

 saw a man who was very particular about his af- 

 fairs that was not successful. How exact is the 

 military officer in the command of a body of men. 

 A clumsy sailor will never rise to the command of a 

 ship. 



But there is one great danger which besets many 

 young men at the present day. It is the disposi- 

 tion to avoid all solid im))rovement, and take up with 

 subjects that require no thought, and which serve as 

 mere excitement to mind. Your older friends tell 

 you that boys are very fast at the present day, but 

 I can remember fast boys long before you were born, 

 but they never made soHd and useful men. Very 

 few of therri ever lived to be forty years old. No- 



body ever trusted them. They never filled any im- 

 portant office or station. 



They usually became small men, because they 

 had no capital in their heads with which to work 

 out a living. Out of fifty of that class of fast boys 

 I do not know of one who ever accomplished much. 

 As you soAv, so shall you reap, 1 he boy who spends 

 his hours late and early at the card tablt/^jowling 

 alley, or tavern bar room, is learning nothing use- 

 ful, but much that is injurious. Listen to such 

 men as Amos Lawrence, Thomas H. Benton, Dan- 

 iel Webster, Benjamin Franklin and George Wash- 

 ington, and they will all tell you that they avoided 

 all these things and owed their greatness to their at- 

 tention in early life to what would be useful to them. 



This may be a hard lesson for you, but it must 

 be studied, and the earlier in life you acquire it, 

 the better will your prospects be for a successful ca- 

 reer. Please regard the advice of your old Uncle 

 Felix. — Portland Transcript and Echdic. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



DOMESTIC RECEIPTS. 



How TO Cook Potatoes. — Do people ever think 

 of the immense waste of potatoes as they are treated 

 in this city ? Let me tell you how potatoes are 

 cooked in Lancashire, England. They are peeled 

 first and boiled gently till nearly soft, and then the 

 water is poured ofi" and the steam evaporated, when 

 they are poured into a dish, and a few slices of ba- 

 con laid on the top and brought hot to the table, 

 where they are eaten with a relish, and for a good 

 reason — they are truly good. Such people do not 

 eat much bread. The potatoes are so dry and 

 mealy that they are an excellent substitute for bread, 

 and very unlike the miserable waxy things that we 

 eat here. 



How to Cook Eggs. — Dropped eggs are proba- 

 bly the most healthful form in which they can be pre- 

 pared for the table. Break the eggs very carefully 

 into a pan of scalding water, and let the water come 

 gradually to a boil, removing the eggs with a skim- 

 mer as soon as the white is set. Serve on a hot plat- 

 ter with a little salt, pepper and butter, or lay the 

 eggs on hot butter toast. For invalids use cream 

 instead of butter. 



An Excellent Sugar Gingerbread. — One 

 cup of flour, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, 

 half a pound of butter, six eggs, and season to taste. 

 Pour into shallow pans, and bake half an hour in a 

 moderate hot oven. 



An Excellent Plain Tea Cake. — One cup of 

 white sugar, half a cup of butter, one cup of sweet 

 milk, one egg, half a teaspoonful of soda, one of tar- 

 tar, and flour enough to make it like soft ginger- 

 bread. Flavor with the juice of a small lemon. 

 This makes one good sized loaf. 



Excellent Fruit Cake. — One cup of butter, one 

 of brown sugar, one of molasses, one of sweet milk, 

 three of flour, and four eggs. One and a half tea- 

 spoons of cream of tartar, and one of soda. Two 

 l)ounds of raisins, chopped fine ; one nutmeg and a 

 little brandy, if you choose. This will_ make two 

 good sized loaves, which will keep moisl without 

 liquor from four to six weeks, when properly cov- 

 ered. 



