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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Domestic Department. 



Femalk Tact. — " When a woman is possessed of 

 a liifch deforce of tact, she sees, as by a kind of second 

 8ic!;ht, when any little emorirency is like to occur, or 

 •when, to use a more familiar expresison, things do 

 not seem likely to go right. She is thus aware of 

 any sudden turn in conversation, and prepared for 

 what it may lead to; but above all, she can pene- 

 trate into the state of mind of those she is placed in 

 contact -with, so as to detect the gathering gloom 

 upon another's brow, before the mental storm shall 

 have reached any formidable heitrht ; to know when 

 the tone of voice has altered ; when any unwelcome 

 thought shall have presented itself, and when the 

 pulse of feeling is beating higher or lower, in conse- 

 quence of some apparently trifling circumstance 

 which has just transpired. In these, and innumer- 

 able instances of a similar nature, the woman of tact 

 not only perceives the variations which are constant- 

 ly taking place in the atmosphere of social life, but 

 she adapts herself to them with a facility which the 

 law of love enables her to carry out, so as to spare 

 her friends the pain and annoyance which so fre- 

 quently arise out of the mere mismanagement of 

 familiar and apparently unimportant affairs. And 

 how often do these seeming trifles — these acci- 

 dental betrayals of what there would have been no 

 duplicity in concealing — how often do these wound 

 us more than du-ect unkindness ! " 



Boiling Potatoes. — The correspondent of the 

 London Times says, " The following method of 

 dressing potatoes will be found of great use at this 

 season of the year, when skins are tough and pota- 

 toes are watery. Score the skin of the potato with a 

 knife lengthways and across, qiiite around, and then 

 boil the potato in plenty of water and salt, with the 

 skin on. The skin readily cracks when it is scored, 

 and lets out the moisture, which otherwise renders 

 the potato soapy and wet. The improvement to bad 

 potatoes by this method of boiling them is very 

 great ; and all who have tried it, find a great advan- 

 tage in it, now that good potatoes are very difficult 

 to be obtained." 



Bojis' Department. 



Be kind to Animals. — There are few things more 

 disgraceful in children, than to be cruel to those 

 harmless creatures which are unable to defend them- 

 selves. If I see a child pull off' the wings of an insect, 

 or throw stones at a toad or frog, or take pains to set 

 his foot upon a worm, I am sure there is something 

 wrong about him, or that he has not been well in- 

 structed. 



There was once a boy who loved to give pain to 

 every thing that came in his way, over which he 

 could get any power. He would take the eggs from 

 the mourning robin, and torture the unfledged spar- 

 row ; cats and dogs, the peaceable cow, and the 

 faithful horse, he delighted to worry and distress. 

 I do not like to tell j'ou of the many cruel things 

 that he did. He was told that such deeds were 

 wrong. An excellent lady, with whom he lived, used 

 to warn and reprove him for his evil conduct. But 

 he did not reform. "When he grew up, he became a 

 soldier. He was never sorry to see men wounded, 

 and blood running upon the earth. He became so 

 wicked as to lay a plan to betray his country, and to 

 sell it into the hands of the enemy. This is to be a 



traitor. But he was discovered, and fled. He never 

 dared to return to his native land, but lived despised, 

 and died miserably in a foreign clime. tSuch was the 

 end of the cruel boy, who loved to give pain to ani- 

 mals. His name was Benedict Arnold ; he was born 

 at Norwich, Ct., in America, and the beautiful city 

 of his *lnrth is ashamed of his memory. — [London] 

 >S'. .S. Teacher's Ojfering. 



Cealtl). 



Dysentery. — This disease will generally yield to 

 various astringent medicines, some of which are 

 knowm to almost every family. But, occasionally, it 

 prevails as an epidemic, and is very malignant, and 

 sometimes fatal. In such cases, it bids defiance to all 

 common medicines, and resort must be had to those 

 of a more powerful nature. 



For an obstinate case of the dysentery, we consider 

 charcoal powder one of the safest and most efficacious 

 remedies. Some years ago, a friend had a child that 

 lingered long with an obstinate case of dysentery, 

 until it became emaciated, and so debilitated that 

 the attending physician concluded that any further 

 medical aid was useless, as it was a hopeless case. 

 vSome person suggested to the desponding parent that 

 charcoal would be a remedy, and it was administered, 

 and the child unexpectedly recovered. 



This and other similar cases, with the considera- 

 tion of the peculiar properties of charcoal, as admi- 

 rably adapted to this purpose, have induced us to 

 use it, in our family, for dysentery and protracted 

 cases of summer complaint in children, and we have 

 always found it a sure remedy ; but we would re- 

 mark that we have not had to treat very severe cases ; 

 not having any of very violent attack, and by the 

 use of this remedy, preventing any cases of long 

 standing. 



Having had no definite rules for preparing this 

 medicine, nor prescriptions for a dose, we have fol- 

 lowed our own judgment, as follows : Take some 

 pieces of white pine, — which every one can obtain, as 

 most boards are made of this timber, — perfectly pure, 

 being free from knots or discoloration ; burn them 

 till they begin to fall to pieces, then quench them. 

 Crumble this charcoal upon a. plate, and mix with 

 it just honey enough to make a paste, if the patient 

 can take honey ; if not, or if it is not convenient, use 

 molasses or lard. When made into a paste, which 

 prevents the charcoal flying away, rub it thoroughly 

 on the plates with a case knife, until it is ground as 

 fine as possible. Add some more honey or molasses, 

 and give it alone, or in warm water, or herb tea. 

 To nursing infants, give a teaspoonful for a dose ; to 

 adults, a tablespoonful. If it does not check the 

 disease, repeat in light doses. 



In vei*}' severe cases of dysentery, the inner coat 

 of the bowels sloughs off", and the excoriated intes- 

 tines bleed and arc very tender. As the foul matter 

 should be removed, it is not always advisable to stop 

 the discharges immediately, by the most powerful 

 astringents ; therefore it is better to give a light dose 

 of some gentle laxative with the charcoal. Honey, 



