200 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



the water. Let it boil slowly twenty minutes. 

 Salt, sugar and nutmeg to the taste. 



Sago for Invalids. — Wash one large spoonful 

 of sago, boil it in a little water, with a pinch of 

 salt and one or two sticks of cinnamon, until it 

 looks clear; then add a pint of milk, boil all well 

 together and sweeten with loaf sugar. 



STUDY THE CHILD'S CAPACITIES. 



If some are naturally dull, and yet strive to do 

 well, notice the effort and do not censure the dul- 

 ness. A teacher might as well scold a child for 

 being near-sighted, as for being naturally dull. — 

 Some children have a great verbal memory, others 

 are quite the reverse. Some minds develop early, 

 others late. Some have appeared stupid, because 

 the true spring of character has never been touched. 

 The dunce of a school may turn out in the end the 

 living, progressive, wonder-working genius of the 

 age. In order to exert the best spiritual influence, 

 we must understand the spirit upon which we wish 

 to exert that influence. For with the human mind 

 we must work with nature, and not against it. — 

 Like the leaf of the nettle, if touched one way, it 

 stings like a wasp; if the other, it is softer than'sat- 

 in. If we then would do justice to the human 

 mind, we must find its peculiar characteristics, and 

 adapt ourselves to individual wants. In conversa- 

 tion on this point with a friend who is the principal 

 in one of our best grammar schools, and to whose 

 instruction I look back with delight, "Your re- 

 marks," said he, "are quite true; let me tell you 

 a little incident which bears upon this point. Last 

 suunner, I had a little girl who was exceedingly 

 behind in all her studies. She was at the foot of 

 the division, and seemed to care but little about her 

 books. It so happened that as a relaxation, I let 

 them at times during school hours unite in singing. 

 I noticed that this girl had a remarkably clear, 

 sweet voice; and I said to her, 'Jane, you have a 

 good voice and you may lead in the singing.' She 

 brightened up, and from that time her mind seemed 

 more active. Her lessons were attended to, and 

 she soon gained a high rank. One day as I was 

 going home, I overtook her with a school compan- 

 ion. 'Well, Jane,' said I, 'you are getting along 

 very well; how happens it you do much better now 

 than at the beginning of the quarter?' 



'* 'I do not know why it is,' she replied. 



" 'I know what she told me the other day,' said 

 her companion. 



" 'And what was thatV I asked. 



" 'Why, she told me she was encouraged.' " 



Yes, here we have it — she was encouraged ! She 

 felt she was not dull in everything. She had earned 

 self-respect, and thus she was encouraged. 



Some twelve or thirteen years ago, there was in 

 the Franklin School an excessively dull boy. One 

 day the teacher wishing to look out a word, took up 

 the lad's dictionary, and on opening it found the 

 blank leaves covered with drawings. He called the 

 boy to him. 



"Did you draw these?" said the teacher. 



"Yes sir," said the boy, with a downcast look. 



"I do not tliink it is well for boys to draw in 

 their books," said the teacher, "and I wovdd rub 

 these out if I were you; but they are well done. 

 Did you ever take lessons?" 



Tlie boy felt he was understood. He began to 

 love his teacher. He became animated and fond of 



his books. He took delight in gratifying his teach- 

 er by his faithfulness to his studies; while the teach- 

 er took every opportunity to encourage him in his 

 natural desires. The boy became one of the first 

 scholars, and gained the medal before he left school. 

 After this he became an engraver, laid up money 

 enough to go to Europe, studied the works of mas- 

 ters, sent home productions from his own pencil, 

 which found a place in some of the best collections 

 of paintings, and he is now one of the most promis- 

 ing artists of his years in the country. After the 

 boy gained the medal, he sent the teacher a beau- 

 tiful picture as a token of respect; and I doubt not, 

 this day he feels that teacher, by the judicious en- 

 couragement he gave to the natural turn of his 

 mind, has had a great moral and spiritual efl%ct on 

 his character. 



A HAPPY HOME. 



Almost any one can be courteous in a neighbor's 

 house. If anything goes wrong, or is out of time, 

 or is disagreeable, there it is made the best of, not 

 the worst; even efforts are made to excuse it, and 

 to show it is not felt; or if felt, it is attributable to 

 accident, not to design; and this is not only easy 

 but natuial in the house of a friend. I will not, 

 therefore, believe that what is so natural in the 

 house of another, is impossible at home, but main- 

 tain, without fear, that all the courtesies of social 

 life may be upheld in domestic society. A hus- 

 band, as willing to be pleased at home, and as anx- 

 ious to please as in a neighbor's house, and a wife 

 as intent on making things comfortable every day 

 to her family, as on set days to her guests, could 

 not fail to make home happy. 



O" The New England Farmer is published fuerjr other 

 Saturday by .John Ravnolds and Joel Nourse, at Quincy 

 Hall, South Market Street, Boston. 

 Terms, $1,00 per annum in artviince. 



The Farmer, under the editorial charge of S. W. Cole, is 

 devoted exclusively to Agriculture, Horticulture, and their 

 kindred Arts and Sciences, making a neat octavo volume of 

 41tj pages, embellished with numerous engravings. It may be 

 elegantly bound in muslin, embossed and gilt, at 25 ets. a vol- 

 ume, if left at this odice. 



[nr Also published at the same office every Satitrday, on a 

 large handsome folio sheet, the New England Farmer and 

 Boston Rambler, an independent Journal, devoted to Agri- 

 culture, Domestic, Foreign and Marine Intelligence, Congress 

 ional and Legislative proceedings, Temperance and Religious 

 Intelligence, and the usual variety of Literary and Miscellane 

 ous matter, adapted to family reading. Letters from Home 

 and Foreign Correspondents will appear from week to week, 

 together with a variety of contributed and selected articles of 

 a Literary, Scientific, Historical, Biograjihical, Humorous and 

 Juvenile character, short Moral Tales, &c.; containing more 

 reading matter th.Tn any other Agricultural Family Newspaper 

 publistied in New England. Every thing of a hurtful or even 

 doubtful tendency will be carefully excluded from our columns. 

 Terms, $2,00 per annum in advance. At the close of the year, 

 the publishers will bind the semi-monthly Farver gratis for 

 any person who subscribes for both publications, paying one 

 year in advance for each. 



\!Zr The Semi-Monthly Farmer contains nearly the same 

 matter as the Agricultural department of the weekly. 



\X3' Postmasters and others, who will forward fo\ir new sub- 

 scribers on the above named terms, for either publication, shall 

 receive a fifth copy gratis for one year. £31 



O" All papers will be forwarded, until an explicit order for 

 discontinuance is received; and whether taken hy the subscri 

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 he will be held accountable until he orders a discontinuance, 

 and pays up all arrearages. 



[nr When subscribers wish to change the direction of their 

 papers, or when they return a copy to tliis oHice, they will 

 please be ;)ari(cw/«r to name the Post Ollice, and State, to 

 which it has been sent, as well as the one to wliich they wish 

 it directed; as it often happens that two or more of our sub- 

 scribers are of the same name, and annoying mistakes have 

 occurred in consequence. 



[nr All letters and communications should be addressed 

 post-paid to RayiioldsJiV Nourse, Quincy Hull, Boston. 



