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MOORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL, LITERARY AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
rums' liar;- 
CONDUCTED BY AZILE. 
MY KATE. 
A KSW POEir, BY MBS. BROWNING. 
Shb was not as pretty as women I know, 
And yet all your best, made of sunshine and snow, 
Deep to shade, melt to nought, in the long-trodden ways, 
While she’s still remembered on warm and cold days : 
My Kate. 
Her air had a meaning—her movement a grace, 
You turned from the fairest to gaze in her face ; 
And when you had once seen her forehead and mouth, 
You saw as distinctly her soul and her truth : 
My Kate. 
Such a blue inner light from her eyelids outbroke, 
You looked at her silence and fancied she spoke ; 
When she did, so peculiar, yet soft was the tone, 
Though the loudest spoke also, you heard her alone : 
My Kate. 
I doubt if she said to you much that could act 
As a thought or suggestion ; she did not attract, 
In the sense of the brilliant and wise, I infer ; 
’Twas her thinking of others made you think of her : 
My Kate. 
She nevor found fault with you ; never implied 
Your wrong by her right—and yet men at h8r side 
Grew nobler, girls purer, as, through the whole town 
The children were gladder that pulled at her gown : 
My Kate. 
None knelt at her feet as adorers in thrall; 
They knelt more to God than they used, that was all; 
If you praised her as charming, some asked what you 
meant, 
But the charm of her presence was folt where she went: 
My Kate. 
The weak and the gentle, the ribald and rude, 
She took as she found them and did them all good ; 
It always was so with her—see what you have 1— 
She has made the grass greener e’en here with her grave. 
My Kate. 
My dear one ! when thou wort alive with the rest, 
I held theo the sweetest, and loved thee the best ; 
And now thou art dead, shall I not take thy part, 
As thy smile used to do thyself, my sweet heart ? 
My Kate. 
TRANS-ATLANTIC EPISTLES, 
TO COUSIN KATEY. 
Communicated through Mooek’s Rural New-Yorker. 
NEW SERIES-EPISTLE THIRD- 
Holidays in Germany—Preparations for Christmas — 
Chrid-markel — Chimney sweeps — Dolls — Christmas 
trees — Boscherung — Herring salad — New Years — 
German compliments. 
Dear Katey :—The whirl and bustle of the 
Holidays are just passing over, and I take the 
first moment of leisure to present you the com¬ 
pliments and good wishes of the season, and 
also to give you a little idea of the manner in 
which the Dresdeners celebrate these festivi¬ 
ties. In my last letter I told you something of 
the amount of time and labor bestowed upon the 
manufacture of Christmas presents, and all other 
preparations are in proportion. The house un¬ 
dergoes a thorough cleaning, furniture is polish¬ 
ed and arranged in the best possible manner, an 
enormous quantity of “ stollen ” are prepared 
—but probably you would like to be informed 
what these 11 stollen ” are. A kind of cake, as 
indispensable to Christmas festivities here as 
“ chicken pie ” to our Thanksgiving. It is 
similar to our bread cake enriched with al¬ 
monds, raisins, &c., and baked in immense 
loaves. It is a peculiarity of German customs 
that every festal occasion, every memorable 
day, has something especial in the eating line 
dedicated to its service. Thus at the “ Refor¬ 
mation’s feast,” celebrated the 31st of Oct., the 
anniversary of the day in which Lutiier nailed 
his memorable thesis to the door of the church 
in Wittenberg, every one must eat a kind of 
little cakes called “ Refm-mation’s Brodchen,” 
similar in appearance to the English cross-bun. 
Christmas eve, herring salad must form a part 
of the supper ; on New Year’s day millet is 
eaten, &c., Ac. These customs vary however, 
in the different parts of Germany, almost every 
section having some dish peculiar to itself, 
which must be eaten on one or other of the 
Christmas holidays. 
But to return to our preparations. The last 
thing attended to is the selection and adorn¬ 
ment of the Christmas tree. Do not imagine 
that a journey to the pine forests is necessary 
for the accomplishment of this object. One 
has only to step into the street to find trees of 
all sizes, shapes and prices. What is called 
the “ Christ-market," one of the three or four 
yearly fairs held in all the German towns, be¬ 
gins about a week before Christmas, and lasts 
until the eventful day arrives. During this 
time, at every corner, in all the public squares 
and through the principal streets of the city, 
all manner of articles calculated to gladden the 
hearts of children are exposed for sale. The 
first day or two scarcely anything is to be seen 
but miniature chimney sweeps, made of all im¬ 
aginable materials, and affording more or less 
faithful copies of their originals. The majori¬ 
ty are of dried plums, strung together on wires, 
and touched up here and there with a bit of 
tinsel. Others are more artistically construct¬ 
ed, dressed in black clothes, and carry a little 
ladder cut out of wood and a broom as signs of 
their vocation. Sometimes there is a group, 
consisting of a man, somewhat respectably 
dressed, wearing a hat, followed by a troop of 
little ragged, bare-footed boys, with handker¬ 
chiefs tied over their heads, a perfect imitation 
of the companies one sees daily traversing the 
streets of Dresden. Poor children arc the veiij 
ders of these articles, and as you pass through 
the market you are continually accosted by the 
little merchants, who press their wares upon 
you, often supporting their claims by the ad¬ 
ditional information that they are cold or hun¬ 
gry. An almost incredible number of these 
chimney sweeps, or “fire evils,” as the common 
people call them, are sold. The poorest child, 
whose parents can not afford it any other grat¬ 
ification at Christmas, must, at least, have one 
of these figures. 
Next in order come dolls, in the most fantas¬ 
tic and diversified costumes. Some, and not 
the ugliest either, are entirely clothed in cotton 
wadding ; others are dressed as men, all in furs, 
with a formidable looking cap on the head, in 
one hand a cornucopia full of bonbons, with 
which to reward good children, and in the 
other a bundle of rods to chastise the naughty. 
These bear the name of “ Knecht Ruprecht,” 
and play very much the same role that “ Santa 
Claus ” does with us. Then there are inex¬ 
haustible stores of doll’s clothing, little shoes, 
bonnets, caps, hats, aprons, dresses. &c., all 
made with the most perfect neatness and finish, 
and the assortment as large and varied as in 
clothing stores for grown persons. By means 
of these conveniences a kind aunt or grand¬ 
mamma can buy a doll for her darling in a 
state of perfect nudity, (I cannot say nature, 
can I?) and fit it out with a complete ward¬ 
robe in half an hour. I myself, in one of my 
flying visits to the market, saw one of this in¬ 
teresting genus being passed about from one 
merchant to another, fitted with a pair of shoes 
here, a bonnet there, precisely as if it were a 
being of flesh and blood. Oh! Katey, what 
privileges the children in the “ old country ” 
enjoy! I could not but remember the dolls 
we so carefully tended in days of yore. What 
trials and tribulations when their wardrobes 
needed replenishing ! What consultations in 
the privacy of our play-room, what solicita¬ 
tions for help from older sisters! What cut¬ 
ting out and trying on, pulling out and making 
over ! A German “ Christ market ” would 
have been a perfect God-send to us in those 
troublous times. 
But in my enthusiasm over the dolls I had 
almost forgotten the Christmas trees we were 
in search of. These make their appearance 
later; the last two or three days of the fair 
they are to be seen everywhere, interspersed 
with light pyramids, decorated with parti-col¬ 
ored paper, which in some families take the 
place of the trees. But the latter are gener¬ 
ally preferred, and with reason, for they are 
prettier and decidedly more classical. In se¬ 
lecting our tree, we have nothing to consult 
but the depth of our purse, for they are to be 
had of all shapes and sizes, and ranging in 
price from a few pennies to a dollar. It is 
hardly necessary for me to add £hat the deeper 
the purse, the taller and more symmetrical will 
be the tree. But we will endeavor to “ pre¬ 
serve the proper medium,” as our good aunt 
used so perseveringly to counsel us when we 
were giddy school-girls, and take one of the 
half-dollar ones. It is quite a respectable tree, 
too, four or five feet high, and tapering grace¬ 
fully to a point. It is set in a sort of wooden 
bottom to keep it upright, and a series of 
wooden branches for holding candles are in¬ 
serted into the stem at regular intervals. But 
our task is not yet done : the tree must next 
be trimmed, a responsibility devolving on the 
older members of the family, and from any par¬ 
ticipation in which the children are carefully 
excluded. Bonbons, confectionary of all kinds, 
and little shining ornaments are suspended by 
long threads to the branches, and intermingled 
with the lights, and now the Christmas tree is 
ready to play its important part, to the delight 
of, at least, all the childuen. 
We were fortunate enough to receive an in¬ 
vitation from one of our German acquaintan¬ 
ces to pass the evening with him, and be 
witnesses of the “ Bescherung,” as the distri¬ 
bution of the Christmas gifts is called, and 
thus we saw this festival in all its glory. I 
say fortunate, for this is strictly a family 
merry-making, and it is rare that a stranger is 
admitted to a share in its enjoyments. We 
were first seated in a room where the different 
members of the family, with the exception of 
the master and mistress of the mansion, were 
assembled. All were on tiptoe with expecta¬ 
tion ; a little grandson, three years old, was 
especially impatient to see the wonders con¬ 
tained in the next apartment. Soon a clap¬ 
ping of hands was heard, the signal from the 
grandpapa that all was ready, the doors were 
thrown open, and the Christmas tree in all its 
glory stood before us. The lights and parti¬ 
colored ornaments glittered and glanced among 
its branches, and on the long table, at one end 
of which it stood, were spread out the various 
Christmas gifts.—gay dresses, flowers for the 
hair, and white gloves to complete the young 
ladies’ toilettes for their evening re-unions, and 
articles of embroidery and fancy work of all 
descriptions. The little three-year-old grand¬ 
son had a small, low table, devoted exclusively 
to his presents; a toy horse won his heart, 
however, at once, and he commenced gallop¬ 
ping round with it, to the utter disregard of 
various other treasures more unpretending in 
their appearance. Meanwhile the older mem¬ 
bers of the family were more quietly examin¬ 
ing the articles with which the table was 
loaded, and returning affectionate thanks to 
%'.v • 
Farewell to the mountains high covered with snow : 
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below ; 
Farewell to the forests and wild-hauging woods ; 
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods. 
the donors, as they were divided, or, in default /f‘ > \ * (VW * Y i 
of this, declared themselves. When everything Qj, IjQXCt .jt i IS CCl I (tit it ♦ 
had thus been passed in review and admired, 6 ‘ 'O 
the tree was attacked. Each person, armed . .. 
with a pair of scissors, clipped off whatever he Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
pleased from the pendants with which the tree “ THE OLD TAVERN - 1 
was adorned, and thus the evening passed off 
in sport and merriment. At the supper- Among the few deca y in S rehcs of former 
table the herring salad to which I have already P^perity to be found in this ever-improving 
alluded, made its appearance. I felt bound to laud ’ P erba P s none more frequently arrests the 
taste it, in honor of the occasion, but I cannot 
say that I was particularly pleased with it, 
r - - .-... -A... that changed so many piles of beech and hick- 
K ory to its mother dust—around which boys 
learned to be men, smoke and play checkers ; 
the cattle drover related his narrow escape 
from robbers and murder among the moun¬ 
tains ; the village merchant K right from York 
only a week ago” unfolded the latest budget of 
sights and fashions iu Broadway; and the 
^ honest old stranger told how he paid four cents 
per mile for the privilege of walking beside 
| the stage coach with a fence rail on his shoulder. 
Yes, in those old times travelers knew it for 
: certain when “ the winds beat and floods 
! came,” and practiced true fortitude wheu .they 
: “ parted for years, perhaps for ever,” from 
. friends and home, and traveled far away — a 
The old tavern had also its broad common 
j on the opposite corner, where on “ general 
rSv- training day” the fife and drum summoned 
qC patriotic souls encased in blue coats with 
brass buttons, to obey their country’s call, to 
stand in martial array and vindicate her 
strength and military glory !—where on the 
BY ROBERT burns. glorious Fourth the Liberty Pole was raised, 
speeches made and odes sung—where boys 
[Tune “ FaiUe na i/ios;?.”] popped with wild delight, anvils, crackers and 
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here ; rockets, because it was the Fourth of July, 
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer ; and they couldn't help n, — where youngsters 
A-chasing the wild deor, and following the r 0 e, grinned, torpedoes whizzed, women screamed 
My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go. , , . 1 , . . , 
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North, an( l Squnes got dl link : 
The birth-place of valor, the country of worth ; And not to be forgotten is tlm old baP-room 
rSof 1 STi^iove. of y our “ ***"% of modern 
days—but 18 by 60, and 1 feet high, with a 
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here, d G ff° ods b ° X f° r P<(dler3 rostrum, pint planks 
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer ; and bed quilts On which to “ seat partners,” 
Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe, with, spring floor and glass bottles overhead to 
^My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go.— echo ^ ^ ^ ^ uged ^ 
-— “ have in that old ball-room ! It was where 
/tfUn tM> C ^¥VW»nmYYY somesixfoot youth, in his earliest swallow- 
J] jj if V -J. V V I.-3 IUU1U1J ♦ taded coat and calfskin boots, was announced 
G through all lands, for five miles around, as 
— . . ....... floor manager at the New Years’ ball, or the 
,« mrrp oTTI TWFPN ” Washington s birth-day, or the Perry’s vic- 
ixitj uijd ia i jjivit • tory ball, or some other long-to-be-remembered 
Among the few decaying relics of former adversary which the landlord and fiddler 
prosperity to be found in this ever-improving were w0ld remember and ce l eb rate. 
land, perhaps none more frequently arrests the H was when the girls curled their hair in 
attention of the tourist than the Old Taverns P a P er over night, and altered over and 
BY ROBERT BURNS. 
[Tune—“ Faille na Miosg .”] 
My hoart ’3 in the Highlands, my heart is not here 
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer ; 
A-chasing the wild deor, and following the roe, 
My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go. 
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North, 
The birth-place of valor, the country of worth ; 
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, 
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love. 
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here. 
My heart’s in the Highlands a-chasing the deer ; 
Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe, 
My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I go. 
scattered up and down the country on the starched up ’ their white dresses; when the 
notwithstanding the classicality and antiquity | ;<cross roads ” ara01, S our hills aud our Vllla - ^ tnC .| ! f ht S . and a 
of the dish. Herrimr. slices of raw armies. I worthy objects indeed to invite a lover bied to , the corners, , bound ‘ to dance ad 
of the dish. Herring, slices of raw apples, .. , ,. 
sugar and oil, form a rather incongruous mix- of the and venerable to pause and con- mgnt till Droacl daylight and -so Jortn. It 
tureforan American palate, and also for an template the fallen greatness of those who was then and there that mght drew her sable 
American stomach, as I learned to my sor- lived and acted in y ears S one .y et thanks ™ rtam rouud the J°y° us group-the cares of 
row, through a serious fit of indigestion, which to railroads and Washingtonians, thousands of the busy world and admonitions of “ old folks 
i, u t ii • n them are crumblin 0, to decav. and so sad and a ^ home were forgotten. I hen were said 
was the result of this German supper. IUCU1 uumuuu 6 a u , x ... , 
v v , . , gloomy do they appear, that it tinges our so fl things to sweethearts and hard things to 
IS ew Years is celebrated much more simply ° , \ v, , , „ ° „• lc , r P , ^ ^ __, , 
,, ,,, . , . n T1 L , " wonted exultation with a shade of sorrow. uva^s. Ihen were exchanged smiles out- 
than Christmas, in Germany, h ew congratu- , „ • • ✓ ■, r _ 
latorv visits are mid but instead cards are The Old Tavern! there it stands, two and a beaming sunshine, and frowns more piercing 
exchanged.' Itisquite customary for school- half stories high, with its quaint gables, long than daggers. The hours came and went, 
children to prepare letters to present to their P iazza3 > hu g e P anel doors aild dl ‘ o11 lattices; midmght passed unheeded the old hdd.er drew 
parents on the morning of this day, filled with but the Venetian blinds are tattered and faded, blsbo ^ a,ld caUed hls cotd ions m hen lie Mas 
long-winded assurances of filial regard, and its gables and cornices have lost their orna- M asleep -of course he did. lime flew on, 
high strained wishes for their future happiness. meut3 ’ the loil £ P iazza settles down at one ' ClUlS becaiae disarranged, smiles be- 
I have seen several of these letters, which, era- corner > the lattice aud clapboards rattle in the fame Jess joyous, the promenade all grew 
n .. . w ;, u i thp o-Wiito-dan hnorG k Ut-aVpii nff languid and careless, morning dawn broke 
anatmg as they did from children w’ho could wma > tne once glaring sign ooara ia oroiven on o ° . 
° J Ti ll , ii-i thon* vovAmoa ami with t*a/I mratj anrl tirArl 
night till broad daylight and”— so forth. It 
was the result of this German supper. 
New Years is celebrated much more simply 
than Christmas, in Germany. Few congratu¬ 
latory visits are paid, but instead, cards are 
exchanged. It is quite customary for school- 
not count more than a dozen years, produced ^ be Liagc 3 ) an( i t be dd, corpulent, gouty land- 
the effect of a perfect burlesque upon me, by i° rd wbose name it swung to the gale in gauoy 
their revelries, and with red eyes and tired 
the stilted style in which they had been written, ca P 1Tals ’ ana proclaimed to tne entire wona 
under the direction, you must know, of their bba i bere w as a Tavern as plain as I-n-n 
lord whose name it swung to the gale in gaudy muscles the weary throng trooped home by 
capitals, and proclaimed to the entire world sunrise - 
teachers, and as part of their school exercises. 
There is a smack of the old German customs 
in this, of the davs when a gentleman, on en- 
that here was a Tavern —as plain as I-n-n But this is all nonsense. The old landlord 
could spell Tavern—this old, gouty landlord, would tell you “ these times are past and 
(with his hardly less notorious helpmeet of gone, and he don’t want to hear anything more 
baked pig and roast turkey renown, the once about them.” Yes, that is true. The merry 
, • , , , fi ^ ’ n i guardian spirit of parlor, kitchen and dining stage horn is no longer heard. The chick-weed 
tering a house to make a call or visit, walked 8 .... ’, „, 8 ? , ® . . .. 
n , , ,, , ,i rooml—has retired to an obscure corner of his and plantain grow close round the old hall 
first to the lady of the mansion and reverently 
kissed her hand—when interminable titles and dilapidated tenement, to muse of former great- door General trainings are out of date and 
long drawn phrases of ceremony and politeness ? es3 - to *'& and shudder at the releutless everybody s pigs and geese feed on the broad 
were so much in vogue. The last twenty band ot modern innovation. common unmolested. The glorious Fourth is 
years have brought about a revolution in this He dreams of ol d times. He almost hears J ndecd remembered, but the grown-up 
respect in German society, but some individu- the winding bugle-horn of the ruddy-faced folks 8° t0 ^agara or Castle Garden, tHe 
als still cling tenaciously to the manners of Jehu, with his ten or dozen thirsty customers, young men and maidens have pic-mc parties 
the “ good old time,” and are loth to give them as he lashes his four foaming nags with a m the groves and go a fishing for trout along 
up entirely. A gentleman of this stamp, flourish proudly up to the broad hall-door!— the toresfc creexs and rivulets. The crafty 
whom I met occasionally, presented me the He almost hears the clatter of plates and rats scamper up and down the old ball-room, 
compliments of the New Year in a manner as knives on the long oaken table, and the still a ^ dance their midnight revels to the music 
unexpected as overwhelming. He planted him- more welcome chink of silver dimes in the ol the clattering window panes. 
self before me, and commenced a speech, which greedy old drawer under the bar-room counter. Tne Old Tavern is cold, gloomy and deso- 
lasted, as it seemed to me, five fninutes at least. He is recalling to mind the names and places late. V hen the old landlord dies t will tum- 
The quantity of blessings which the man heaped of his once laithful patrons; but is startled ble in ruins and be forgotten. 
upon my unworthy head, was perfectly over- from his reveries by the railway train that Delawa re L ite;ary institute. c. a. 
powering. There were enough, ou a moderate bow G round the base ot yonder hill at forty 
calculation, to maintain one in a state of felic- miles an hour, bearing away his customers in .!! 
ltyas great as ordinarily falls to the lot ot who have breakfasted at their homes down 0 f death and rain—of something that has been 
mortals, till I reach the age of three score cast, and roll away in luxuriant ease to their bright, and is but dull, cold, dreary dust—w r ith 
years and ten. I could not but compare this supper in the “far west! ”—leaving him in which our nature forces us to sympathise.— 
wordy aud inflated compliment to the brief lonely insignificance, with the thousand other How much more sad are the crumbled embers 
but expressive “Merry Christmas!” and old landlords and old taverns which they pass of a home; the casting down of that great 
-r-r -v- -tr ... n altar where the worst among us sometimes per- 
Happy 2sew Tear! with which friends m then magic flight without a word or sigh of form the worship of t he heart; and where the 
greet each other in America, or the “ Madame, commiseration . best haye offered up such sacr ifi ces and done 
I present you the compliments of the season,” There stands the long open shed where the suc h deeds of heroism as, chronicled, would put 
perhaps the most ceremonious phrase which economical old farmer, on the way to market the proudest temples of old time, with all their 
greets the ear of an American lady on similar with his pork, used to feed the landlord’s hay, vaulting annals, to the blush! 
occasions. I need not say that in this in- bis own oats, gnaw his home-made crackers, - 
stance the comparison resulted as favorably to P a y ten ccafs in cash for a drink of beer and Rich and Poor.— The rich have the most 
my own country as the most zealous patriot the “accommodations,” then jolt on, in his nieat; the poor the best appetite. The rich 
coukl desire, llut my sheet is already full, staunch farm wagon, contented and happy. ^ ^caS to^poof have 
and I close my letter by repeating the stereo- There is that square cage in the bar-room j iea [q L q' be r ; cb are a f ra i d 0 f losing the 
typed wish of a happy New Year, which you corner, where the tall fellow “ in his shirt poor have nothing to lose, and so in this re- 
have doubtless already heard from hundreds of sleeves,” with hair turned under at the ends, spect have nothing to fear. The rich dread 
lips, but no heart has, be assured, more sin- with red topped boots and rings in his ears, *be midnight robbers; the poor have no ap- 
cerely echoed it, than that of your used to stand from morn till midnight, dealing P re bensions oi being robbed. 
Affectionate Minnie. out that “good creature” so warming when I , - 
P. S. Do not forget to preserve your list tbe weather was cold, and so cooling when the 
No legislation aimed at the vices of the 
poor, while sparing those of the rich, can ever 
of New Year’s calls, that I may look it over the weather was hot!—dealing it out to the j | JC up p e [ d j n lb [ s country. 
when I get home. 
Virtue alone can render us superior to 
fortune. 
weary and wayworn traveler —ami to nobody 
else,—of course, he didn’t. 
In the intercourse of our life, we are more 
And there is the enormous stone fire-place, frequently pleased with our faults than our 
that bourne from whence no back-log returned, good traits. 
