MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL, 
SCOLDING.-AN ANECDOTE. 
CENTO VEESE8. 
This is one of the most recent of the 
fashionable fireside amusements of English 
society, and is full of interest to those who 
read much and hav.e good memories. The 
following is a description of the game as 
described by Chambers, in a late number 
of his Journal: 
“ A cento primarily signifies a cloak made 
of patches. In poetry, it denotes a work 
wholly compounded of verses or passages 
taken promiscously from other authors, only 
disposed in a new form or order, so as to 
compose a new work and a new meaning. 
Ausonius has laid down the rule to be ob¬ 
served in composing centos. The pieces 
may be taken either from the same poet or 
from several, and the verses may be taken 
entire, or divided into two—one half to be 
ADVENTURE IN IffEXICO. 
Lieut. Mayne Reid, in his recent vol¬ 
ume entitled “ The Rifle Rangers,” tells the 
following credible story: 
An Army of Monkeys.—Novel Bridge. 
—“ They are coming, and will most likely 
cross by the rocks yonder,” observed Raoul. 
“How—swim it?” I asked. “It is a 
torrent there! ” 
“ Oh, no! ” answered the Frenchman; 
“monkeys would rather go into the fire 
than water. If they cannot leap the stream, 
they will bridge it.” 
“ Bridge it! and how ? ” 
“ Stop a moment. Captain, and you shall 
see.” 
The half human voices now sounded 
nearer, and we could perceive that the ani¬ 
mals were approaching the spot where we 
lay. Presently they appeared upon the 
opposite bank, headed by an old gray chief¬ 
tain and officered like so many soldiers.— 
They were, as Raoul stated, of the comad- 
reja or ring-tailed tribe. 
One—an aid-de-camp, or chief pioneer, 
perhaps—came out upon a projecting rock, 
and, after looking across the stream, as if 
calculating the distance, scampered back, 
and appeared to communicate with the 
leader. This produced a movement in the 
troop. Commands were issued, and fatigue 
WRITING FOR THE NEWSPAPERS. 
Though we may have jocularly given it 
as our belief, that of those to whom, as 
Dogberry says, “readingand writing come 
by nature,” a majority have not only writ¬ 
ten, but published, enough to lay claims to 
the honors of authorship, yet here and now, 
we choose to take another, and more seri¬ 
ous view of the subject. Among educated 
men and women, there is not too much, but 
too little writing for the newspapers—too 
little thought, time and labor are given 
‘Remote, unfriended, melancholy, slow;’ 
‘Gums and pomatums shall his flight restrain,’ 
‘ Or who would suffer being here below!’ 
‘ The youngest of the sister arts’ 
* Was born on ihe open sea,’ 
* The rest were slain In Chevy-Chase' 
‘ Under the greenwood tree.’ 
‘ At morn the black cock trims his jetty wings,’ 
‘And says, remembrance saddening o’er each brow,’ 
‘ Awake my St. John!—leave all moaner things!’ 
‘Who would be free, themselves must strike tlw blow! 
‘ It was a friar of the orders gray,’ 
‘Still harping on my daughter,’ 
‘ Sister spirit come away’ 
‘ Across the stormy water.’ 
‘ On the light fantastic toe,’ 
‘ Othello’s occupation’s gone,’ 
‘ Maid of Athens, ere I go,’ 
‘ Were tlie last words of Marralou.’ 
‘ There was a sound of revelry by night,’ 
‘ In Thelres streets three tliousand years ago,’ 
‘ And comely virgins came witli garlands bright’ 
‘ To censure Fate, and pious Hope forego.’ 
‘ Oh! the young Lochinvar has come out of the west,’ 
‘ An under bred, fine s|Kiken fellow was he;’ 
‘ A back drooping in, and expression of chest,’ 
‘ Far more than once I could foresee,’ 
Now, I dare say, it seems a remarkably 
easy thing to the reader to make a cento 
verse; we can assure him that it is often a 
very difficult thing to make alegitimate one; 
but then it must be confessed that it is ex¬ 
tremely interesting and amusing to chase a 
flitting line throughout all the poets of one’s 
acquaintance, and catch it at last Any 
person who is anxious to try the difficulties 
of cento verse making may do so, and great¬ 
ly oblige us by finding a fourth line to the 
following. It has baffled our skill and mem¬ 
ory many times: 
‘ When Music, heavenly maid! was young,’ 
‘And little to be trusted,” 
‘Then first the creature found a tongue.’ 
to me for information respecting the proba¬ 
ble wants and requirements of his future 
bride in prospectu. His countenance length¬ 
ened as I enlarged upon the necessity of 
allowing his wife to mix in society where 
males were admitted, and of tolerating her 
going abroad without a veil. After a few 
moments thought, however, he said: • 
“ All this, I suppose, is right, according 
to the customs of the Franks; and, as 1 
must not e.xpect her to change the habit in 
which she has been educated, I suppose I 
must consent to her following manners to 
which, I own, my Eastern mind is repuo’- 
nant. But is there anything else ? ” ° 
“Yes,” I replied; “you must give her 
your arm when she has a mind to walk 
abroad.” 
“ That,” he answered, “ I will not and 
cannot do. But is it absolutely necessary ?” 
“ It is,” I replied. 
“Then the marriage is at an end,” ob¬ 
served he decidedly; “ for, were she a hou- 
ri from Paradise, I would never have her 
on those terms.” 
The early age at which Easterns gener¬ 
ally marry tends to prevent the occurrence 
of much evil, and acts as a restraint to vi¬ 
cious habits. But a young couple do not, 
as with us, immediately commence house¬ 
keeping on their own account. The newly 
wedded pair reside with the father and 
mother of the husband, and continue in 
their house sometimes for years. I know 
of no sight more interesting than that of an 
aged Oriental, with his long grey beard and 
venerable aspect, presiding over a whole 
circle of married sons. It has often brought 
vividly before me the patriarchs of Holy 
Writ .—Notes from Nineveh. 
GIRLISH MERRIMENT. 
Is there any thing in life so lovely and 
poetical as the laugh and merriment of a 
young girl, who still in harmony with all 
her powers sports with you in luxuriant 
freedom, and in her mirthfulness neither 
despises nor dislikes ? Her gravity is sel¬ 
dom as innocent as her playfulness; still less 
that haughty discontent which converts the 
youthful Psyche.into a dull, thick, buzzing, 
wing-drooping night-moth. Among a cer¬ 
tain Indian tribe the youth selected at a 
feast that maiden for marriage who laugh¬ 
ed in her sport; perhaps my opinion inclines 
the same way. 
Laughing cheerfulness throws day-light 
upon all the paths of life; discontent blows 
her ill-omened vapors from afar; depression 
produces more confusion and distraction of 
thought than the above named giddiness.— 
If, indeed, the wife could stereotype this 
comedy by playing it in wedded life, and 
sometimes enliven the dull epic of the hus¬ 
band or hero, by her own comic-heroic 
poetry, she would enjoy the delight of win¬ 
ning and enchanting both husband and chil¬ 
dren. Never fear that feminine playfulness 
will exclude depth of character and sensi¬ 
bility. The still energy of the heart is ever 
THE RICH MEN OF NEW YORE. 
The starting point in the course of s 
* -some 
of the rich men in New York is thus refer¬ 
red to in the N. Y. Herald :— 
There is hardly a rich man in this com¬ 
munity, who did not commence his career 
poor—began as a journeyman in his line of 
business. The career of a few' of our lead¬ 
ing men may serve as instance.s. 
The late John Jacob Astor, who died not 
long ago, and was probably worth thirty 
millions, commenced his career on this con¬ 
tinent as a journeyman pedlar, beginning 
with candy, and getting on to fur pedling, 
when he commenced investing in real es¬ 
tate. His descendants now are stars at the 
opera. 
The late John G. Costar was a journey¬ 
man hatter, and died recently a millionaire. 
The late John Mason was originally a 
tailor, from Cincinnati; the late Mr. Jones, 
a cooper; both were honest and industrious 
through life,—leaving large fortunes, which 
their happy descendants are now enjovincr 
in a very pleasant and genteel way. ' ^ 
Stephen Whitney, w'ho now owns blocks 
of buildings in New York, began as a clerk 
in a small store. 
The Harpers, whose business now amounts 
to millions, began as journeymen printers. 
LOVELINESS. 
What constitutes true loveliness? Not 
the polished brow', the gaudy dress, nor the 
show and parade of fashionable life. A 
woman may have all the outw’ard marks of 
beauty, and yet not possess a lovely charac¬ 
ter. It is the benevolent disposition, the 
kind acts, and the Christian deportment It 
is in the heart Avhere meekness, truth, affec¬ 
tion and humility are found—where Ave 
look for loveliness, nor do Ave look in vain. 
The Avoman that can soothe the aching 
heart, smooth the AA'rinkled brow, alleviate 
the anguish of the mind, pour the balsam 
I HEALTH AND EXERCISE. 
•j Doavning’s Horticulturist expatiates on 
) the advantage to our Avomen of often seek¬ 
ing the air and using abundant exercise, as 
I the true means of jireserving health and im- 
. parting to beauty a more captivating fresh- 
j ness. An excellent article therein finishes 
) thus; 
( “A Avord or tAvo more, and upon Avhat 
) ought to be the most important argument 
to all. Exercise, fresh air, health, are they 
( not almost synonymous? The exquisite 
^ bloom on the cheeks of American girls 
; fades in the matron much sooner here than 
( in England—not only because of the soft- 
. ness of the English climate, as many sup- 
pose. It is because exercise, so necessary 
I to the maintenance of health, is so little a 
{ a matter of habit and education here, and 
I so largely insisted upon in England; and it 
) is because exercise when taken here at all 
> is too often a matter of duty, and has no 
I soul in it; Avhile the English Avoman, Avho 
\ takes a lively interest in her rural enjoy- 
^ ments, inhales new life in every day’s occu- 
\ pation, and plants perpetual roses in her 
( cheeks by the mere act of planting them 
^ in her garden.” 
of consolation in the wounded breast, pos¬ 
sesses, in an eminent degree, true loveliness 
of chai’acter. She is the real companion 
of man, and does the work of an angel. It 
is such a character that blesses with AA’armth 
and sunshine, and maketh earth to resemble 
the paradise of God. 
Woman’s ignorance of their duties, and 
the abuse which they make of their power, 
deprive them of the most beautiful and 
precious of their advantages—that of being 
useful. ^ 
We feel the neglect of others towards 
ourselves; but we do not even suspect our 
neglect of them. 
It is always safer to err in favor of others 
than of ouselves. 
On the blessing of a home, where the old 
and young mix kindly, the young unaAved, 
the old unchilled, in unreserved communion. 
