Slowly 
H. Q. NAGBLL 
For Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
POETEY OF JHE WAB.” 
I o an fold up ray claws, 
Iu my soft velvet paws, 
And purr In tho sun 
'Till the short day Is done — 
For I am the family cat. 
I can doze by the hour 
In the vine-covered bower, 
Winking and blinking 
Through sunshine and Bhower— 
For 1 am the family cat. 
From this goose berry bush. 
Or, where bright currants blush, 
I may suddenly spring 
For a bird on the wing, 
Or dart up a tree. 
If a brown neat I see, 
And select a choice morsel 
For dlnnor or tea, 
And no one to blame me, 
Berate me or shame me— 
For I am the family cat. 
In the cold winter night. 
When the ground Is all white, 
And the icicles shine 
In a long silver line, 
I stay not to shiver 
In tho moonbeam’s pale quiver. 
But curl up in the house, 
Aa snug as a mouse. 
And play Jacky Horner 
In the conlost corner, 
Breaking nobody's laws, 
With my chin on my paws, 
Asleep with one eye and awake with the other, 
For pats from the children, kind words from the 
mother— 
For I am the family cat. 
BY OLOFFE YON KORTLANDT, 
The truest heart-histories, the deepest ro¬ 
mance and poetry of the terrible War of Rebel¬ 
lion, have never been told or written. Only 
God and some poor, suffering hearts know 
them. But the most superficial of ths four 
years’ life, the most sentimental of the four 
years’ endurance, we all are familiar with. It 
has oozed out from every conceivable crevice, 
60 to speak, of the story teller’s and the poet’s 
brain,—some of it never heard of or seen since 
its birth, some deetioed to a brief sunshine, and 
a very little worth incorporating Into the Na¬ 
tion’s history. 
Mr. Richard Grant White has been editing 
a volume recently published In handsome style 
by the American News Co., entitled “ Poetry, 
Lvrical, Narrative and Satirical of the Civil 
War,” —and of the Immense mass to choose 
from, one would suppose a small dish, at least, 
might be served up palatably. I have been look¬ 
ing over t he book In question pretty thoroughly, 
and have been struck with the too evident marks 
of gross carelessness with which Its] talented 
compiler has sent his work to the press.®! pur¬ 
pose to call attention to a few of the defects of 
this mechanically beautiful volume. « 
Mr. White, in his preface, expresses his 
gratitude to the publishers of certain magazines 
and periodicals, for permission to copy from 
their pages, and has so copied In a number of 
instances without seemingly havlng^taken the 
least pains to discover the authors. If he had 
devoted to this book, whlch^bears his name, a 
tithe of the care he has given to a single volume 
of his “ Shakspearc," the volume J might havo 
been made much more valuable and interesting. 
“ The South Carolina Gentleman” *and “ The 
Irish Picket,”—the author of the former given 
here as “Anonymous," of the.latter as “Bar¬ 
ney, ”—are the productions, and;*among the 
poorest, of Mr. Robert II. Newell, and can be 
found In the Orpheus C. Kerr Papers. Some of 
the finest poems the war has Inspired are con¬ 
tained in those volumes, among Jwhich I may 
mention “No More,” “Plcclola,” “The Sol¬ 
dier’s Epitaph, ” and the almost sublimo 
“Avenged.” It Is very evident Mr. White 
did not consult the work In question. 
The beautiful “Picket Guard,” commencing 
12 Hard, 
THE STREAMLET. 
Streamlet, gently flowing near, 
By the lofty mountain side, 
Ever may thy music cheer, 
Ever may thy wavelets glide. 
Fresh and fair the flowers spring. 
Where thou windest through tho glade 
Cheerful birds as gayly sing, 
Where thou flowest through tho shade. 
2. Oft wo wander to thy brink, 
Faint and thirsty, from our play; 
And wo gather, as wo drink, 
Strength and vigor for the day. 
8. Ofton on thy border green, 
Plucking flowers, wo sit and rest 
When wo rise, ourselves are Been 
Pictured on thy glassy breast 
4. Many joys to theo we owe, 
Silver fountain, cool and clear, 
In thy cheerful stream we throw 
Every care and every fear. 
5. Hasto theo on, and never stay, 
Bright and sparkling, full and free, 
Wo will follow in thy way, 
Singing still our song to theo. 
Not tho rushing, angry foam, 
Playing loud with noise and strife, 
But thy smooth and gentle stream 
Be the emblem of my life. 
[ From Mason's Normal Singer, by permission 
Yc soldiers of Freedom, then strike it while yon may, 
Tho death-blow of oppression in a better time and 
way, 
For tho dawn of Old John Brown is a-brightening 
into day, 
And his aonl Is marching on. 
There are more than a few poems in the pres¬ 
ent work which amount to nothing. Frank 
Moore’s “ Lyrics of Loyalty” is a much better 
collection. Put the two together, expunging 
about two-thirds or three-fourths of the whole, 
and add a few pieces as Intrinsically worthy as 
that thunder burst from the Atlantic Monthly, 
“Under the Cloud and Through theSca,” or the 
sublime “Army Hymn of the Republic,” by 
Mrs. Julia Ward IIowe, and a volume of War 
Poems might be issued, not merely got up to 
sell, but really worth preservation. 
Rochester, N. Y. 
WONDERFUL OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. 
A TOAD 6,000 YEARS OLD 
Professor Pepper, delivering lectures on 
optics iu London, gives some new and astonish¬ 
ing experiments in illustration of optical illu¬ 
sions, tho most remarkable of which are called 
“the Modem Delphic Oracle" and “the Fairy 
Casket.” In Introducing the former, the pro¬ 
fessor calls upon the audience to call to mind 
ancient Greece. The curtain rises aud tho inte¬ 
rior of a Grecian temple is disclosed. Drapery 
in the background Is pushed one side, and a 
figure, classically costumed and reading intently 
a scroll which he holds In one hand, advances. 
The professor explains that the figure must be 
supposed to represent a noble Athenian, erudite 
and highly gifted. Through au acquaintance¬ 
ship which he had formed with one of the priests 
of Isis the learned individual gets possession of 
u sacred scroll, which informs him that, by 
means of certain charms and incantations, he 
can hold converse with the dead. He proceeds 
to do so at once; and after some formalities he 
calls upon Socrates. Slowly the curtain through 
which the Athenian before appeared is drawn 
aside, and a head, apparently floating In the air, 
is disclosed. There seems to be no mistake 
about the head being human. It is, apparently, 
Socrates, and seemingly "all alive.” 
Gradually the eyes open aud look about most 
naturally, and In obedience to the demand of 
the Athenian the voice of Socrates is heard pro¬ 
nouncing his own opinion of the decision of his 
judges. To render the illusion as real as possi¬ 
ble, an instrument is placed In front of the stage, 
which has the effect of throwing a strong reflec¬ 
tion on any object that comes between It and 
the papered wall at the back of the stage. The 
reflection of the head, and the head alone, on the 
background, adds much to the bewilderment 
with which every spectator, not In the secret, 
witnesses it. Besides, as the head delivers itself 
of tho beautiful lines with which it is intrusted, 
the beard is observed to move with each articu¬ 
lation of the voice. Yet the whole is, as the 
professor takes some trouble to remind his 
audience, when any fresh cause for surf rise is 
unfolded, nothing more nor less than a simple 
illusion. 
The “Fairy Casket” Is equally surprising. It 
consists of a strong table some four feet high, 
with four legs, which are open to the inspection 
of all. On this table is deposited i large glass 
box, of nearly the same size is, th< table. The 
whole Is covered with drapery, when It is 
brought in front of the stage, close to the foot¬ 
lights. The closest inspection is invited. Ou 
the covering being removed the taile and glass 
box, as above described, appear. The glass box 
seems to contain black velvet and charcoal. 
The professor opens the box aud fll.a it still fur¬ 
ther with what appears to be more charcoal. 
He then orders his assistant to slut down the 
glass lid and cover the box. In a few minutes 
the box is uncovered and it appears to be filled 
with white satin instead of black velvet and 
roses Instead of charcoal. A whin satin cush¬ 
ion is taken out of the box, and titer it a real 
live fairy is handed up from its depths, nimbly 
extricates herself, and bows her tcknowlcdg- 
ments of the greetings with whici she is re¬ 
ceived. The box is again covered and uncovered. 
The result Is that the black velvet end charcoal 
again appear in tho interior. The contents of 
the box are again produced. They consist of a 
large black cushion and a most lntciestlng look¬ 
ing little negro, who, after jumping out of the 
box, throws himself in a kneeling ittitude, and 
appealing to tho audience, says “Am I not a 
man anda brother ? ” These are th« two princi¬ 
pal illusions which have been, we understand, 
drawing such vast numbers to the Polytechnic 
ever since their production. 
In the coarse of the excavations now carried 
on under the superintendence of Mr. James 
Yeale, at Dyke House quarry', in connection with 
the Hartlepool Waterworks, tho men, on Friday 
morning, found a toad, imbeded In a block of 
magnesium limestone stratum, at a depth of 
twenty-flve feet from tho surface of tho earth, 
and eight feet from any spring water vein. The 
block of stone had been cut by a wedge, and was 
being reduced by workmen, when a pick split 
open, the cavity in which the toud had been In¬ 
carcerated. Tho cavity was no larger than the 
animal’s body, and presented the appearance of 
being an exact cast of It. The eyes of the singu¬ 
lar stranger shone with unusual brilliancy, and 
it was full of vivacity on Its liberation. 
It appeared, when discovered, desirous to per¬ 
form tho process of respiration, but evidently 
experienced some dillieulty, and the only sign of 
success consisted of a “barking” noise which 
It continued Invariably to make on being 
touched. The toud is In the possession of Mr. 
S. Homer, the Vico President of the Natural 
History Society, and continues in as lively a 
state as when found. The Rev. K. Taylor, in¬ 
cumbent of St. Hilda’s Church, Hartlepool, who 
is an eminent, local geologist, gives it as his 
opinion that tho animal must be at least 6,000 
years old! The wonderful toad is to be placed 
in its primary habitation, and will be added to 
the collection in the Hartlepool Museum.—Air. 
Written for Moore’s Kami New-Yorker 
ABOUT B0Y8. 
I Like Boys — which is not wonderful, con¬ 
sidering that I possess a “diamond of the first 
water" In an only brother. Some writers have 
called boys a " queer Institution ” — why, I can¬ 
not understand. I should like to see any queerer 
specimens than girls. Those only have appeared 
odd to me, who sit by their mamas, aud sew 
patch-work, dress dolls, or knit, as those things 
do not at all belong to the masculine gender, or 
tend to make them manly. But my idea of a 
true boy is one not forward, but easy In man¬ 
ners, with sufficient confidence to speak when 
spoken to—looking In your face.with an honest 
eye that shows no fear of anything but wroug 
aetlons; not overbearing to little girls because 
they are know-nothings, remembering that 
although physically his inferior, they "are fully 
his equal mentally and spiritually, and that they 
are fulfilling their destiny as truly as he his — 
that it was God’s benevolent design the strong 
should protect the weak. lie is as gentle, 
refined in feeling, and affectionate as a girl, 
when in the society of his eiders, or girls, but a 
thorough boy iu his plays—entering into them 
with spirit and activity, but not engrossed by 
idle pastime to the exclusion of all else; spend¬ 
ing his evenings in the family circle, engaged 
either in listening to music aud joining in — to 
Improving conversation, or reading the newspa¬ 
per or au Instructive and interesting book. 
Such Is tho model boy. If united to all these 
he possesses an earnest faith in aud.lo ve of J bsus, 
tho corner-stone is laid for the structure of a 
noble man. Espekanza. 
Written for Moore’a Rural New-Yorker, 
WATER. 
“ Watkb, water, sparkling, pure, 
Glveth nature everywhere/’ 
The people, of all ages, have been accustomed 
to alleviate their thirst by cooling draughts of 
wator from the fountains of nature, yet none of 
us realize the extent of its usefulness, its varied 
beauties or its power. No element presents a 
greater variety of scenes to the eye of man. 
Whether we contemplate the tiny drop that 
closely nestles in the folds of the honey-suckle, 
or gaze upon the wide expanse of the waters of 
the azure ocean, we may learn lessons of wisdom. 
The abundance of an element so efficacious in 
augmenting our happiness, furnishes reliable 
testimony of the benevolent designs of the Cre¬ 
ator. Human power cannot enumerate its man¬ 
ifold uses. We hourly enjoy its blessings. 
Privation alone can teach us its value to quench 
burning thirst. 
It Is the very life of vegetation. Tho earth, 
moistened by the genial shower, causes the 
dormant seed to unfold its latent powers; the 
tender plant, deriving new life from the refresh¬ 
ing rain, arrives at a vigorous maturity. The 
inventive genius of ma» has found means of 
further extending its usefulness. Art has com¬ 
bined with nature. Tho rapid river and the 
mighty ocean arc made subservient to the Inter¬ 
ests of mun; the nations of the earth mingle in 
commercial intercourse through its meanB, and 
that which seemed a barrier between them is 
made the medium of communication. 
What power is displayed in water! How it 
moves the ponderous wheel, and gives life to the 
complicated machinery! Water, converted into 
steam, speeds the stately ship across the billowy 
ocean; the panting locomotive with its attend¬ 
ant train along the iron track, with their precious 
freight of living souls! 
Aside frdm its utility and power, it exhibits 
the most remarkable beauties. The pearly dew- 
drop glistening in the sun, the purling stream, 
the clear and placid lake, are objects of the 
greatest beauty, What mysteries! A micro¬ 
scopic examination of a single drop unfolds 
wonders almost Incomprehensible to man. What 
a theme for study for a contemplative mind! 
Has it grandeurs? Behold the ocean boundless 
in extent—unfathomable in depth! What can 
there be more sublime? What can art do to 
approach such sublimities of nature? Art may 
assist us still further to unfold its wonders 
Science may develop facts that will render this 
element still more beneficial to man. Wc know 
not what hidden powers it may possess. Its 
present applications elicit our admiration; every 
rippling Btream suggests a train of pleasing 
thought, and every draught awakens a feeling 
of gratitude to the Giver of good. l. d. b. 
Greene, N. Y., May, 1866. 
NEW SUBSTANCE FOR SOLING SHOES 
The Shoe and Leather Reporter thus noticcB 
ft how material for soling shoes, which seems to 
be the climax of Improvement in this depart¬ 
ment. It seems to be a substance of which India 
rubber is the basis, but it Is heavier, and has a 
solidity almost of Iron, yet a flexibility and elas¬ 
ticity which render it a most perfect substance 
for the purpose for which it is specially offered. 
It is not at all of the vulcanized rubber charac¬ 
ter, though it appears at a glance to be like that 
material. As on article for soles it will un¬ 
doubtedly out wear four pair of the best English 
leather. This substance is not to take the place 
of the ordinary leather sole, but is to be applied 
by a peculiar cement to the boot or shoe, to 
which it appears to adhere perfectly. It iB then 
pared on the edge, and the work is over. Heels 
are put on in the same way. The inventor says 
a pair of soles, worn dally, will last one year. It 
Is patented and will soon be introduced. It lias 
one rare and valuable desideratum. Any one 
possessing an ordinary shoe knife, a sandstone 
to sharpen it, a box of the cement, and a few 
pounds of this substance, can set up a shoe shop; 
and the regular shoe trade can make it a most 
profitable branch of industry. 
THE 8T0RY OF A HORSE SHOE 
A oood countryman was taking a rural walk 
with his sou Thomas. As they walked slowly 
along the father suddenly stopped. 
“Look!" said he, “there’s a bit of iron—a 
piece of a horse shoe; pick it up and put it in 
your pocket.” 
“Pooh!” answered tho child. “It’s not 
worth stooping for.” 
The lather, without uttering another word, 
picked up the iron aud put it in his pocket. 
When they came to a village he entered the 
blacksmith’s shop and sold it for three farthings, 
with which sum he bought some cherries. Then 
the father and sou set off again on their ramble. 
The sun was burning hot, aud neither a house, 
tree or fountain of water was In sight. Thomas 
soon complained of being tired, and had some 
difficulty in following his father, who walked on 
with a firm step. Perceiving that his eon was 
tired, the father let fall a cherry as[jlf by acci¬ 
dent, Thomas stooped and quickly picked it 
up, and devoured it. A little further he dropped 
another, and the boy picked it up as eagerly as 
ever; and thus they continued, the father drop¬ 
ping the fruit, aud the son picking thorn up. 
When the last one was eaten, the father stopped, 
and turning to the boy, said: “ Look, my son! 
If you had chosen to stoop once and pick up a 
piece of horse shoe, you would not have been 
obliged at last to stoop so often and pick up the 
cherries.” 
A MODEL FOR PRESIDENT JOHNSON 
Thb Indorsement which the President ought 
to have written on Postmaster Cleveland’s let¬ 
ter, bat did not, was this :—“The duty of an 
United States postmaster is to sec that the mails 
are regularly dispatched, letters carefully and 
punctually distributed, the accounts of his office 
accurately kept, and the complaints of the own¬ 
ers of missing letters thoroughly Investigated. 
His proper place during tho day Is at his post- 
office ; tho time he spends at. political meetings, 
or engaged in electioneering, is generally fraudu¬ 
lently abstracted from the public service. It la 
no business of yours as postmaster what opin¬ 
ions either Gen. Hawley or Mr. English bolds. 
Yon arc concerned with them solely as a private 
person, and your coming to the conclusion that 
you ought to support the latter is no more a 
reason for writing to me about it, or offering me 
your resignation, than your changing your cook, 
or quarreling with your tailor, wonld be. At 
the same time, I feel bound to mention that, if 
I heard of your absenting yourself from your of¬ 
fice during business hours for the purpose of 
taking part In political canvasses, ray duty to 
to the public, to which you owe your entire time, 
will compel me to a«kyou to retire.”— New York 
Nation. 
A WORD FOR LITTLE GIRLS, 
Who is lovely ? It is the little girl who drops 
words, kind remarks, and pleasant BtnileB, as she 
passes along; who has a kind word of sympa¬ 
thy for every girl or boy she meets in trouble, 
and a kind baud to help her companions out of 
difficulty; who never scolds, never contends, 
uever teases her mother, nor seeks in any way to 
diminish, but always to Increase her happiness. 
Would it not please you to pick up a string of 
pearls, drops of gold, diamonds, or precious 
stones, which can never be lost ? Take the hand 
of the friendless. Smile on the sad and dejected. 
How to Sbrvb a Doo. —A correspondent says 
this is the way: — “ When attacked by a blood¬ 
hound or any other dog, raise your left arm and 
let him seize it; then instantly gratp his wind¬ 
pipe with your right hand, and squeeze it with 
all your might; that will disable him in two 
seconds. He opens his mouth tp gasp, loses all 
power aud fal Is helpless. If you wish to kill him 
keep your hold for a minute or two—ha is done! 
You are ready for another. One at a time is 
all you need. I speak from experience with 
big dogs.” 
An Item for the Credulous —The Memphis 
(Tcnn.) Bulletin has a story to the effect that 
the body of a man was found lately in Memphis 
In such a condition as to leave no doubt that he 
had been murdered. The police, finding no clue, 
determined on trying photography, and accord¬ 
ingly on t.he day of the murder, with the aid of 
a microscope, images left on the retina of the 
eye of the dead were transferred to paper, and 
curious facta developed. A pistol, the hand, and 
part of the face of the man who committed the 
IIb who is not willing to All a place he is fitted 
for will find no place fitted for him. 
If fertile lands are not cultivated, their fertility 
won’t crop out. 
