1 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL 
HOW TO PREVENT TAXING COLD. 
Next to living much in the open air, 
they who would break the habit of taking 
cold should accustom themselves to the fre¬ 
quent, or at least, daily use of cold water— 
not only externally, but also internally. 
The application of cold water to the in¬ 
ternal surface of the human body, has been 
chiefly confined to preventing or mitigating 
thirst; while its application to the outside 
has been almost entirely regarded as a 
means of promoting cleanliness. Now its 
value for these two great purposes is beyond 
human ken or estimate, despite of the criti¬ 
cisms which have of late been brought, in 
regard to it. But important as water is to 
dilute the blood, quench thirst, and keep 
the skin and mucous membranes clean, it 
has, as I believe, a much higher mission. 
This higher office or mission of cold wa¬ 
ter to the living domain, consists in impart¬ 
ing tone and vigor to the skin and sympa¬ 
thising membranes. The first effect of this 
sort is to keep up a healthy action in the 
textures of these membranes. How many 
there are who have eruptions not only on 
the skin, but on various portions of the mu¬ 
cous membrane which lines the alimentary 
canal as well as other internal parts open¬ 
ing to the external air, on which cold water 
acts like a charm—their skin becoming like 
those of little children, both in color and 
softness. 
But the second and most important effect 
of cold water thus applied, is to harden the 
skin and mucous membranes against the 
effects of sudden colds. He who is accus¬ 
tomed to the daily use of a cold shower 
bath, or the cold wet sponge, and to fre- 
THE CHOICE. 
Now heod my words my pmcions girt 1 
Affection is ttie richest pearl. 
Nor lightly should be thrown away 
On them who cannot love repay; 
Beware to whom thou shalt impart 
That priceless jewel of the heart: 
Care not alone for form or face, 
Or winning words, or witching gr.w 
But choose thou one whose honored name 
Thou canst be proud to share and claim; 
I.ct it be one of cultured mind, 
Of generous thoughts and feelings kind. 
Who never sought nor e'er would seek 
To wrong the helpless or the weak. 
But ever would employ his best 
To shield the friendless and opprest; 
Who proudly treads temptation down 
Nor sinks at fortune's darkest frown; 
Whose equal soul and mind sedate, 
Can stand unmoved each change of fate; 
Whose faith is firm, whose honor bright, 
Whose love is an immortal light: 
Such were the love, and such alone. 
That can be worthy of thy own. 
Scorn not the slightest word or deed, 
Nor deem it void of power; 
There’s fruit in each wind-wafted seed, 
Waiting its natal hour. 
A whispered word may touch the heart, 
And call it back to life; 
A look of love bid sin depart. 
And still unholy strife. 
No act falls fruitless, none can tell 
How vast its power may be; 
Nor what results unfolded dweii 
Within it, silently. 
ABOUT EXCUSES. 
GUTTA PERCHA—ITS HISTORY AN D USE 
THE MOUSE, 
We give above an engraving on a re¬ 
duced scale of a flowering twig of the tree 
which produces the Gutta Percha. This 
tree which belongs to the natural order 
Sapotacece is found in abundance on the 
Island of Borneo and Singapore and also on 
the Maylayan Peninsula. It sometimes at¬ 
tains the size of six feet in diameter, but 
the timber is too weak and porous for build¬ 
ing purposes. It bears, however, a fruit 
which yields a concrete oil, used for food by 
the natives. Its abundance is proved by 
the fact that several hundred tons of the 
Gutta Percha have been annually exported 
from Singapore since it first came into notice. 
Gutta Percha, though its uses are now so 
varied and extensive, only about six years 
since first attracted the attention of some 
scientific Englishmen residing in India. In 
this country its manufacture has been car¬ 
ried on but half that time, but the number 
of patents issued relating to it show the at¬ 
tention which has been given to its won¬ 
derful properties. 
It is the concrete juice of the tree above 
noticed, which is drawn like caoutchouc 
from the tree at certain seasons of the year 
by tapping, By exposure to the air it har¬ 
dens into the substance imported (principal¬ 
ly from Singapore) coming generally in 
scraps or rude blocks containing from 10 to 
20 per cent, of impurities. From these it is 
separated by kneading and washing in hot 
water, and when quite pure its color is grey¬ 
ish white, and entirely free from odor. 
When thus prepared, says the Scientific 
American, it has many curious properties. 
Below the temperature of 50 degrees, it is 
as hard as wood, but it will receive an in¬ 
dentation from the finger nail. W T hen soft¬ 
ened in hot water, it may easily be cut and 
j moulded: and it wall harden as it cools, to 
its former rigidity; and it may he softened 
and hardened any number of times without 
Unlike caoutchouc 
About eight years ago, being in the daily 
habit of descending into the coal mines of 
the Newcastle district, I one day caught a 
half-grown mouse, at the extremity of a 
gallery into which the little animal had re¬ 
treated as I advanced towards it (a situation, 
by the way, in which I have seen a rat, by 
which the mines are also infested, turn round 
and attack.) Now, as no cat had up to that 
period been introduced into the mines, I 
determined to carry home my prisoner, for 
the purpose of observing his deportment 
on being brought into the presence of his 
formidable and natural enemy. In order, 
however, that he might regain his self-pos¬ 
session after being introduced to the light 
of day, which in all probability he had never 
seen before, I kept him confined in a glass 
lantern for a few days, where he soon became 
so tame as to eat in my presence. In order 
that he might enjoy a more extensive view 
of surrounding objects, I fixed a piece of 
stick about nine inches long into the socket 
of the lantern upon which the little fellow 
very soon mounted; and after finishing his 
meals, he usually amused himself on his 
perch, by licking all the accessible, parts of 
his body. In this way he was engaged, on 
the fifth or sixth day of his capture, when 
I introduced a young cat into the room: 
she very soon discovered the lantern and its 
contents, which was placed on a table, and 
dashed at it with all the ferocity af a tiger. 
To my surprise and amusement, my youth- 
' ful prisoner continued his ablutions with all 
the coolness imaginable, without even con¬ 
descending to notice the furious efforts of 
’ the cat to break the glass and devour him. 
This experiment was frequently renewed 
for the amusement of my friends, and in¬ 
variably with the same results. Shortly 
afterwards i carried the little animal again 
into the coal mines, and set him free. It 
must be obvious that the mouse could not 
be aware that the glass of the lantern a 
forded him a sufficient protection; it did 
appear to me at the time, that he had no 
natural or instinctive dread of the cat. 
WOMAN AT HOME. 
Such is the position in society which 
many estimable women are called upon to 
fill, that, unless they have stored their minds 
with general knowledge during the season 
of youth, they never have the opportunity 
of doing so afterwards. How valuable then, 
is such a store to draw upon for thought, 
when the mind throughout the day is busi¬ 
ly employed, and sometimes, when the head 
is weary ? It is then that knowledge, not 
only sweetens labor, but often, when the 
task is ended, and a few social friends are 
met together, it comes forth unbidden, in 
those glimpses of illumination which a well- 
informed, intelligent woman is able to strike 
out of the humblest material. It is then' 
that, without the slightest display, her mem¬ 
ory helps her to throw in those apt allusions, 
which clothe the most familiar objects in 
borrowed light, and makes us feel, after 
having enjoyed her society, as if we had 
been introduced to a new and more intelli¬ 
gent existence than we had enjoyed before. 
But it would be impossible for an ignorant, 
and consequently, a short-sighted, preju¬ 
diced woman to exercise this influence over 
us. We soon perceive the bounds of the nar¬ 
row circle within which she reasons, with 
self, even in the centre; we detect the 
opinions of others in her own, and we feel 
the vulgarity with which her remarks may 
turn upon ourselves, the moment we are 
absent. 
But how different is the enjoyment, the 
repose we feel, in the society of a well-in¬ 
formed woman, who has acquired in early 
youth, the habit of looking beyond the little 
affairs of every day existence—from matter 
to mind, from action to principle, from time 
to eternity! The gossip of society—that 
many toned organ of discord, seldom reach¬ 
es her; even slander, which so often slays 
the innocent, she is in many cases able to 
discern. Under all the little crosses and 
perplexities, which necessarily belong to 
household care, she is able to look calmly 
at their comparative insignificance, and thus 
they can never disturb her peace; while in 
all the pleasures of intellectual and social 
intercourse, it is her privilege to give as 
bountifully as she receives.— Mrs. Ellis. 
quent draughts of pure cold water, will not 
find his perspiration suppressed or checked 
at every little occurrence as readily as be¬ 
fore. Or if there is a temporary check 
given, and slight cold is the consequence, it 
readily passes away. 
If these remarks are well founded, we 
may readily see what narrow and short¬ 
sighted views prevail on this subject. Even 
the late writer—the temporary editor per¬ 
haps—in the Boston Medical and Surgical 
Journal, who, in his zeal for the old medical 
practice of our country, in opposition to the 
hasty, and it may be extravagant claims of 
hydropathy, came out in violence against 
daily cold ablutions, and insisted that three 
times a week was enough for every reason¬ 
able prophylatic purpose,—even this writer, 
I say, seems to have had no higher idea in 
his mind concerning cold bathing, than to 
secure us from absolute deterioration, in 
point of health and vigor. The great 
doctrine if one member suffer—the skin 
among the rest—all the members suffer 
with it, he seems to have fully understood; 
but of its counterpart doctrine that if one 
member rejoices, all the members rejoice 
with it, he seems not to have the most dis- 
W. A. A. in Bost. Jour. 
A SHORT STORY. 
When Mary and I were married we 
and foolish, for we had nothing 
\ were young _ 
i to be married with; but Mary was delicate, 
and I thought I could take care of her best. 
I knew I had a strong arm and a brave 
S heart to. depend upon. 
We rented a chamber and went to house¬ 
keeping. We got together a little furniture 
' —a table, bedstead, dishes, but our money 
< failed us before we bought the chairs. I 
| told Mary she must turn up a tub; for I 
*> could not run in debt. No, no. It was not 
s long before our rich neighbor, Mrs. M., found 
us out, and kindly enough she supplied us 
\ half a dozen chairs added to our store. 
They -were old ones, to be sure, but answer¬ 
ed just as well for us. I shall never forget 
the new face those chairs put upon our 
' snug quarters—they never looked just right 
before. The tables have turned with Mrs. M. 
; and me. Now she has become a poor 
widow, “but she shall never want while I 
have anything, never!” cried th,p old man, 
s with a beaming face, “I shall never forget 
' those old chairs.” 
Ah, now the secret was out! It was 
the interest of the old chairs which main¬ 
tained the poor widow. She was living on 
v the interest and compound intorest of a 
little friendly act done years before, and it 
sufficed for herself and her daughter. 
I' How beautiful it is to see how God bles- 
' ses the operation of his great moral law, 
' “Love thy neighbor;” and we should oftener 
; see it, could we look into the hidden paths 
\ of life, and find that it is not self-interest, 
■ nor riches, nor fame, that binds heart to 
) heart. The simple power of a friendly act 
; can do far more than they. It is these, the 
' friendly acts, the neighborly kindness, the 
\ Christian sympathy of one towards another, 
<| which rob wealth of its power to curse, 
\ extract the bitter from sorrow; and open 
) wells of gladness in desolate homes. We 
. do not always see the golden links shining 
\ in the chain of human events; but they are 
there, and happy is he who feels their gentle 
< but irresistible influence.— Merch. Ledger. 
tant conception. 
SHOW FURNITURE. 
Furniture too good to be used is a nui¬ 
sance. What can be more unpleasant than 
the aspect of a room or suite of rooms where 
everything is bagged up ? Chairs and sofas 
in pinafores, mirrors in muslin, a druggeted 
carpet, a hearth-rug wrong side out, and a 
chandelier in a sack, seen by rays of light 
that straggle in edgeways through the slits 
in the shutters, and exhaling that peculiar 
brown-holland fragrance which belong to 
drawing-rooms in masquerade-dress,—form 
one of the most cheerless, dispiriting unhu¬ 
manlike spectacles in the diorama of domes¬ 
tic life. We would as lief be ushered into 
a vault as into such an apartment. Noth¬ 
ing can be more chilling to the feelings, ex¬ 
cept perhaps a perspective view of the fam¬ 
ily wash taking an airing on the clothes 
linos. 
Why do people buy magnificent furniture 
to clothe it in hideous disguises ? Does the 
glory of exhibiting the articles undressed 
half a dozen evenings in the year pay for 
all the cost and trouble ? The miser enjoys 
the flashing lustre of his gold every time 
he lifts the lid of his strong box; but what 
pleasure can there be in possessing a species 
of property that is invisible to the owner 
three hundred and fifty days out of every 
three hundred and sixty-five ? 
Give us furniture that is made for wear 
—tables upon which you can bring down 
your fist without throwing the lady of the 
house into hysterics—chairs that you can 
lean back in —carpets that you can prom¬ 
enade upon—in a word, give us comfort, 
and let us wear things out. It is provoking 
to see chairs and sofas preserved for years 
without spot or blemish, while the wrinkles 
are multiplying in the face and the grey 
hairs on the head of the proprietor. For 
these and sundry other reasons we have an 
especial spite against show furniture.— Maj. 
Noah. 
injury to the material 
it has no elasticity; but it has such tenacity, 
that a slip one eighth of an inch in thick¬ 
ness, sustained 42 lbs. weight, and only 
broke with a pressure of 56 lbs. When 
drawn out, it remains without contracting. 
It is used for soles for boots and shoes, 
lining for cisterns, ornamental mouldings, 
inkstands, vases, noiseless curtain 
card, fruit, pin, and pen trays; tooth brush¬ 
es, window-blind cord, clothes line, nursing 
aprons, colored material for amateur model¬ 
ling, ornamental flower stands and pots, 
pipes, lining for bonnets, bags, foot baths, 
mill bands, pump buckets, valves, clacks, 
&c.; felt edging for paper makers, bosses 
for woolen manufacturers, flax holders, shut¬ 
tle beds for looms, bowls for goldsmiths, 
bobbins, covers for rollers, breasts for water 
wheels, bandages, stethescopes, ear trum¬ 
pets, covering for electrical telegraph wire, 
insulating stools, battery cells, &c.; electro¬ 
type moulds, carboys for acids, syphons, 
flasks, bottles, funnels, life buoys (which are 
more buoyant than cork,) speaking trum¬ 
pets, powder flasks, sheathing for ships, wa¬ 
ter proof canvass, round and twisted cords, 
(these cords do not sink in water like the 
hempen ones,) speaking tubes for commu¬ 
nicating between the man on the lookout 
and the helmsman; medallions, cornices, 
an endless variety of mouldings in imitation 
of carved oak, rosewood, &c., cabinet work, 
suction pipes for fire engines, sounding 
boards for pulpits, tubing for ventilation, 
hearing apparatus in churches for deaf per¬ 
sons, life preservers, embossed globes and 
maps for the blind, &c. 
13 has been truly said: “ The first being 
that rushes to the reccollection of a soldier 
or a sailor, in his heart’s difficulty, is his 
mother. She clings to his memory and af¬ 
fection in the midst of all the forgetfulness 
and hardihood induced by a roving life. 
The last message he leaves is for her; his 
last whisper breathes her name. The moth¬ 
er, as she instils the lessons of piety and 
filial obligation into the heart of her infant 
son, should always feel that her labor is 
not in vain. She may drop into the grave, 
but she has left behind her influences that 
will work for her. The bow is broken, but 
the arrow is sped and will do its office.” 
rings 
It is a delicate secret, that of being at¬ 
tractive and charming in company. Some 
think it requires beauty and knowledge, or 
eloquence in the speaker; it requires no 
such thing. It is true that beauty brings 
the hearers near, but it does not keep them. 
Some people think that it requires the speak¬ 
er to be clever herself, or agreeable or in¬ 
teresting ; instead of which it onley requires 
that she should, with nice and delicate tact, 
so address herself to others, as to make them 
feel themselves clever, agreeable, and inter¬ 
esting ; and that will please and gratify them 
infinitely more than by displaying the most 
The End of Double Dealing. —No in- 
5 tercst is worth securing at the expense of 
- one’s character for truth. They who rely 
on stratagem and double dealing to accom- 
\ plish what cannot be effected by honest 
; means may have great success for a time, 
\ but, “in the upshot and issue of things,” (to 
] borrow a phrase from Bishop Butler) their 
s lies will overthrow them, and the overthrow 
l will be final. In the highway of truth there 
are no pit-falls. He who falls in this road 
' will rise again; yea, God will reach down 
) from Heaven his own Almighty arm and 
\ lift him up; but he who stumbles in the by- 
< paths of hypocrisy and falsehood falls to rise 
) no more. 
What pleasure it is to pay one’s debts. 
I remember to have heard Sir Thomas 
Lyttleton make this observation. Ifc seems 
to flow from a combination of circumstances, 
each of which is productive of pleasure. 
In the first place, it removes that uneasi¬ 
ness which the true spirit feels from depen¬ 
dence and obligation. It affords pleasure 
to the creditor, and therefore gratifies our 
social affection. It promotes that future 
confidence which is so very interesting to 
an honest mind. It opens a prospect of 
being readily supplied with what we want 
on future occasions. It leaves a conscious¬ 
ness of our own virtue; and it is a measure 
we know to be right, both in point of justice 
and sound economy. Finally, it is the main 
support of simple reputation.— Shenstone. 
Retort Courteous. —Some years since 
a couple of young ladies, (who are now 
married women in this city) were tripping 
it o’er the green, when the one who was 
behind fell to the ground. The other look¬ 
ing back and seeing her companion was 
uninjured, laughed merrily as she said:— 
“ Pride must be humbled.” 
“ And, a haughty spirit goeth before a 
fall,” retorted her companion, as she rose. 
A more apt and ready repartee we have 
never heard.— Sanduskian. 
Unconscious Influence. — It may be 
questioned which is the wiser, but not the 
happier,—he who strives against every form 
of wrong, seeking directly to destroy error 
and root out ignorance; or he who quietly, 
by the force of examples of beauty, uncon¬ 
sciously soothes and harmonizes the pertur¬ 
bed spirits and unhallowed passions of 
those around him, into unison with his own 
higher and purer nature. 
Benevolence is daily more and more 
generally acknowledged as the true rule of 
conduct The maxim “ Live and let live,” 
will soon be superceded by a still nobler 
principle of action, “ Live and help.” 
True Benevolence. — It is stated of 
Gen. Putnam that he planted, in his native 
! town in Windham county, a mile of apple 
) trees in the highway, so that “ the poor 
s might have apples as well as the rich.” 
