Some our friends seem to think that 
if they write up a little dialogue prais¬ 
ing The It. N.-Y., they are in the way 
to get one of the prizes offered. Now, 
“ taffy” is cheap, and if our friends ex¬ 
pect to get paid for it, they will be dis¬ 
appointed. Another thing, The It. N.-Y. 
is able to blow its own horn should 
occasion require, but it doesn't expect 
to do it through the Woman’s Depart¬ 
ment, or in this patent medicine style of 
trapping the unwary reader with a good 
beginning, and switching off into an 
advertisement. 
* 
Now that we have heard from one of 
the boys and one of the girls on the 
beau question, the discussion seems to 
be pretty nearly complete. It is pleas¬ 
ant to note that the young folks’ letters 
are quite as sensible and wholesome as 
those of the elders. The writers seem 
to agree that beaux should not receive a 
girl’s attention until she has reached her 
later “ teens.” With that verdict the 
Chief Cook agrees. But such a reason¬ 
able state of affairs does not appear to 
be the general rule, for most of the 
writers have suggested remedies and 
means of prevention for too much and 
too early beauing. The shortcomings of 
home life have been cited as the root of 
the trouble, and so they are in almost 
every case. The responsibility has been 
placed on the stronger shoulders of the 
parents, and that is just. Some have re¬ 
lated the heart-hungry experience of 
their childhood, who are now parents. 
They are careful not to make the mis¬ 
takes which their parents made, and 
have no need to fear that their children 
will disappoint them. 
TO THE YOUNG FARMER. 
THE MANNERS WHICH MAKE A GENTLEMAN. 
I1E question has been asked how 
farmers’ sons may be made to feel 
the advantages of their position in life. 
The consciousness that one’s manners are 
above reproach does more to establish an 
agreeable self-respect than anything 
else. To be at ease in society is neces¬ 
sary if one is to enjoy social pleasures at 
their best. We, therefore, commend the 
following suggestions of our contributor 
to the young man who wishes to feel that 
his position is “ equal to that of other 
occupations ” : 
The simplest way of saying things is 
usually the best. Do not let yourself be 
tormented by too many misgivings as to 
your behavior, but try to remember a few 
things which you doubtless know to be 
correct, but may hesitate to put into 
practice. It will never seem foolishly 
affected for you to stand up when any 
lady enters the room, and remain stand¬ 
ing duiing the words of greeting. The 
lady ought to take a seat when you re¬ 
sume your chair, but perhaps it is not 
well to be too punctilious about that. 
You cannot guess how pleasing little 
acts of deference are to women, or how 
their opinion of you is influenced, uncon¬ 
sciously to themselves, perhaps, by your 
courtesy or lack of it. A deferential de¬ 
meanor toward ladies and old people, a 
frank, boyish, spirit and a readiness to 
enter into easy conversation upon any 
subject that comes up, can scarcely fail to 
make a young man’s society acceptable 
anywhere. 
Last summer, while calling at a friend’s 
seashore cottage, I was introduced to 
two strangers, a gentleman and his wife. 
Rising to go before their call was ended, 
the man also arose and remained stand¬ 
ing during the rather protracted adieus 
that followed. As he had been seated 
near the hostess, and I beside his wflfe, it 
chanced that I had scarcely exchanged 
half a dozen remarks with him, but do 
you not suppose that I read in that sim¬ 
ple act of courtesy whole pages concern¬ 
ing his character and social status ? 
I do not think that you could be so 
forgetful as to open a door and pass 
through, leaving your companion to fol¬ 
low you ! But at a wedding not long 
since, I was made to feel extremely 
sorry for a fine, manly six-footer who, 
when he accompanied the sister of the 
bride to offer congratulations to the 
wedded pair, somehow got in front of 
her, imposing his broad form between 
her and the bride, and finally walking 
away with her still in his rear. I was 
far from blaming him, for I remembered 
his early home in a lonely fishing village, 
where in his boyhood he had probably 
small expectation of ever finding himself 
engaged to so charming a young lady, 
and called upon to take a conspicuous 
part in so ceremonious an affair as that 
tasteful home wedding. 
Little observances such as always 
attending to the wants of the ladies 
present before accepting anything for 
one’s self, seeing that old people, women 
and children lack no assistance that a 
gentleman can offer, being ready to open 
a door, bring a chair, lift the hat, listen 
patiently and reply courteously, all with¬ 
out fuss and posing, are well worth cul¬ 
tivating for a habitual manner, that 
they may never be awkwardly or too cere¬ 
moniously performed or actually fright¬ 
ened out of one’s memory altogether. 
I hope that the habit of accompanying 
a greeting with a touch of the hat brim, 
is making the noticeable gain among men 
of all classes and conditions in every 
part of the country that it is here in old 
New England. The young farmer, in 
whatever sort of attire, rattling along 
behind his team of horses, who touches 
his hat when meeting ladies or men 
older than himself, proclaims himself so 
far a gentleman, and any lady in the 
land would recognize him as such. It is 
nothing but manner to be sure, and can 
claim only such respect as good manners 
deserve, but that much it is sure to win 
for him. It represents self-respect, and 
enough self-respect will keep a man from 
ever doing a mean or dishonest thing. 
I speak of women, one’s elders, and 
young children as particularly entitled 
to consideration from a young man, but 
they are not all ; “in honor preferring 
one another” is one of the New Testa¬ 
ment injunctions which the wox*ld 
acknowledges as good, and has incor¬ 
porated into its code for the best of man¬ 
ners. PRUDENCE PRIMROSE. 
A STRAWBERRY VENTURE. 
N E day Blanche Browning came 
home from calling on an intimate 
friend, and said to her sister Elsie, 
“ Della Barnes inquired after our straw¬ 
berry bed. I told her that it was cov¬ 
ered with blossoms and promised a good 
crop, and of course I invited her to come 
and make us a visit when they were ripe 
and help us eat them. She asked me 
why I did not sell some ? I told her 
that I would like to, for I like to pick 
them, but father is always so busy just 
at that time of year that he never can 
find time to sell or deliver them for me, 
and what do you think ? She asked me 
why I didn't sell them myself. I told her 
that I could if I were a boy, but girls 
couldn’t do such things, and she said in 
her funny way, ‘Why not ? If a woman 
can go to the polls and vote, and do a 
thousand and one other things which a 
man does, I do not think she would 
degrade herself very much by delivering 
a few quarts of berries that she had 
picked. I would think the picking the 
hardest part, and no man objects to a 
woman’s doing that.’ She agreed to take 
a quart every day as long as they last, if 
I would bring them, and she said she 
knew that Mrs. Slade, her next-door 
neighbor, would like some ; for she 
always ordered a strawberry shortcake 
every day for dinner through the season, 
and some days she had to drive three 
miles to town for the berries. I believe 
that I will try to sell some if father is 
willing, there are so many berries wasted 
every year.” 
“ But wouldn’t it be too hard for you 
to pick them every day ?” inquired Elsie, 
doubtfully. “ We could deliver them as 
well as not, for I have the pony and car¬ 
riage every morning to go to ride and 
we could just as well carry the berries 
as do other errands. I could carry them 
alone sometimes, if it was not for getting 
in and out of the carriage,” added Elsie, 
who was slowly recovering from a long 
illness. 
“I wouldn’t wish you to do that,” re¬ 
plied Blanche ; “ but you could go with 
me ana hold the horse and save hitching 
him. You wouldn’t mind doing that.” 
“Oh no,” answered Elsie. “There 
must be some hitching posts in the world, 
and it is better to be a hitching post 
than nothing. It seems good to me to 
be able to do even that.” 
“We couldn’t do without hitching 
posts anyway,” said Blanche ; “ and 
you never mind waiting a minute for a 
body.” 
That same evening, Blanche talked it 
over with her father, who readily con¬ 
sented, only stipulating, man-fashion, 
that she wait until they were sure there 
would be some berries to sell, and that 
she reserve enough for the family to eat. 
Time passed, and about five days after the 
first berry was picked, Blanche reported 
that there were plenty of berries and 
some to spare. The following morning 
they delivered their first quart to Della, 
who was delighted with them, and re¬ 
ceived the first 15 cents. Della eagerly 
inquired if they had brought an extra 
quart, as Mrs. Slade wished a quart 
every day and some days she would like 
two. They agreed to bring her some the 
next day, and Della, who was greatly 
interested in the success of their venture, 
advised them to bring along an extra 
quart if they had berries to spare, and 
she kindly added, “I’ll be watching so if 
you send Elsie alone, she will not have 
to get out at all.” 
The second day they started with four 
baskets and returned home empty- 
handed as well as engaging two more 
baskets, and for the next two weeks, 
they were very busy filling their orders 
as far as their surplus of berries per¬ 
mitted. The latter part of the time, 
Elsie did most of the delivering. At the 
end of that time, their cheeks were some¬ 
what tanned, but their purse was quite 
heavy, and they had only two regrets, 
that the season was so short, and the 
berries limited. After they were gone, 
they had calls for them; while as for 
public opinion, I think they did not suf¬ 
fer materially. As one lady said when 
Blanche asked, “ Didn’t you laugh when 
you heard we were peddling straw¬ 
berries ?” 
“Laugh! What was thereto laugh 
at ? 1 would as soon sell strawberries 
as make butter or raise chickens. I wish 
I had known you had them to sell, for I 
could not buy any oftener than twice a 
week, and they were small and dusty. 
You let me know when they are ripe 
next year, and I’ll buy two quarts every 
day.” And they said they would. 
ALICE E. PINNEY. 
FROM A TEACHER’S STANDPOINT. 
S a teacher of considerable experi¬ 
ence, mostly in country districts, I 
have had opportunity to see enough of 
the evil effects of schoolgirl beaux, to 
make me give a decidedly negative 
answer to the question under considera¬ 
tion. Neither would I stop at saying 
that no lG-year-old girl should have a 
beau ; 1 would go farther, and say that 
no 16, 17 or 18-year-old boy should be a 
beau. Of course, at this age, it is natural 
that boys and girls should like each 
other better than they do when younger. 
The girl will no longer say, “He is a 
nasty, hateful boy,” and there will no 
longer be the contemptuous “only a 
girl,” from the boy. It is right that they 
should, at this age, be in each other’s 
society. The boy should begin to pay 
such attentions as chivalry demands that 
the sterner sex shall pay to the weaker 
(theoretically, this always ought to have 
been the case; practically, it is a long 
way from it), and the girl should learn 
to accept these attentions with grace and 
dignity. Thus far should they go, and 
no farther. No girl can give due atten¬ 
tion to her “young man” and her algebra 
the same winter; and no boy will master 
the intricacies of bookkeeping who is 
wondering if “ she ” will go sleighriding 
to-morrow night. 
As a rule, the man a girl thinks she 
loves at 16, is not the man who will com¬ 
mand her love or her respect at 25. If 
mothers could only teach their daugh¬ 
ters to be chary with their favors ! They 
cannot “eat” their cake and keep it, too; 
and this is a precious cake. 
An incident occurred recently in my 
school that brought the scattered ideas 
I had on this subject to a focus. One 
girl was always late on Thursday morn¬ 
ings ; the customary written excuse 
always being given, I gave the tardi¬ 
ness no attention until a series of special 
tests coming that morning, I asked her 
if she could not be present at the open¬ 
ing of the session. She gave an evasive 
answer, and the next morning I received 
the following note from her mother : 
“ Miss M. : Can you not change the 
time of the test lesson so Jennie can be 
present ? She cannot get to school early 
Thursday mornings, as her ‘ friend ’ 
almost always stays late Wednesday 
nights, and she has to sleep in the morn¬ 
ing. MRS. c.” 
I was indignant, and gave my scholars 
a lecture that was called an “ old-maid 
sermon,” and I didn't change the time of 
the test. Jennie, however, was presen 
in a dull, sleepy condition every Thurs¬ 
day morning._ E. B. M. 
CUSHIONS FOR FOR USE AND ABUSE 
VERYBODY enjoys cushions, even 
the sterner sex, when they are 
permitted to own them individually— 
or rather use them — which is more 
strictly to the point in question. And 
do not children simply glory in a good 
pillow fight ? I heard a lady who has 
several little folks in her home say re¬ 
cently that she heard her children point¬ 
ing out some of her cushions to friends 
with the disconsolate remark, “ Those 
are mamma’s cushions, and they are so 
pretty, they are no good; you can’t throw 
them. What’s the use of a cushion, any¬ 
how, that you can only look at ?” That 
carries a moral right on the face of it. 
Highest of all in Leavening Power.—Latest U. S. Gov’t Report 
Absolutely pure 
