9 
RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
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LABOR OF ORIGINAL THINKING. 
Sib Benjamin Brodie, in his work on “ Mind 
and Matter,” states that a man may be engaged 
in professional matters for twelve or fourteen 
hours daily, and suffer no very great inconven¬ 
ience beyond that which may be traced to bodily 
fatigue. The greater part of what he has to do 
(at least it is so alter a certain amount of expe¬ 
rience) is nearly the same as that which he has 
done many times before, and becomes almost 
matter of course. lie uses not only his previous 
knowledge of facts, or his simple experience, but 
his previous thoughts, and the conclusions at 
which he had arrived formerly; and it is only at 
intervals that he is called upon to make any con¬ 
siderable mental exertion. But at every step in 
the composition of his philosophical works Lord 
Bacon had to think; and no one can be engaged 
in that which requires a sustained effort of 
thought, for more than a very limited portion of 
the twenty-four hours. Such an amount of that 
kind of occupation must have been quite suffi¬ 
cient even for so powerful a mind as that of Lord 
Bacon. Mental relaxation after severe mental 
exertion is not less agreeable than bodily repose 
after bodily labor. A few hours of bona fide 
mental labor will exhaust the craving for active 
employment, and leave the mind iu a state in 
which the subsequent leisure (which is not nec¬ 
essarily mere idleness) will be as agreeable as it 
would have been irksome and painful otherwise. 
Mere attention is an act of volition. Thinking 
implies more than this, and a still greater and 
more constant exercise of volition. It is with 
the mind as it is with the body. When the voli¬ 
tion is exercised, there is fatigue; there is none 
otherwise; and in proportion as the will is more 
exercised, so is the fatigue greater. The muscle 
of the heart acts sixty or seventy times in a 
minute, and the muscles of respiration act 
eighteen or twenty times in a minute, for seventy 
or eighty, or iu some rare instances even for a 
hundred successive years; but there is no feeling 
of fatigue. The same amount of muscular exer- 
tion under the influence of volition induces fatigue 
in a few hours. 
HOURS OF STUDY. 
A very remarkable pamphlet has recently 
made its appearance in England, containing 
statements of facts that ought to command the 
attention of the civilized world. Tbo pamphlet 
is written by E. Chadwick, Esq., C. B.. and pub¬ 
lished pursuant to an address of the Ilom-e of 
Lords. The subject of this pamphlet is educar 
tion, and it is devoted to the discussion of three 
matters—the organization of schools, the hours 
of study, and physical training. Our attention 
has been arrested by Mr. Chadwick’s statements 
of facts in connection with the second of these 
three subjects—the hours of study. Struck by 
the frightful disproportion between the powers 
of childish attention and the length of school 
hours, he has directed questions to many distin¬ 
guished teachers. Mr. Donaldson, head master 
of the training college of Glasgow, states that the 
limits of voluntary and intelligent attention are, 
with children from five to seven years of age, 
about fifteen minutes; from seven to ten years of 
age, about twenty minutes; from ten to twelve 
years of age, about fifty-five minutes: trom 
twelve to sixteen or eighteen years of age, about 
eighty minutes; and continues, “I have repeat¬ 
edly obtained a bright, voluntary attention from 
each of these classes, for five, or ten, or fifteen 
minutes more, but observed It was at the ex¬ 
pense of the succeeding lesson.” 
The Rev. J. EL Morrison, rector of the same 
college, speaking on the same subject, says:—‘‘I 
will undertake to teach one hundred children, in 
three hours a day, as much as they can by any 
possibility receive; and I hold it to be an axiom 
in education, that no lesson has been given till it 
has been recejvedi as soon, therefore, as the 
receiving power of the children is exhausted, 
anything given is useless, nay injurious, inas¬ 
much as you thereby weaken, instead of strength¬ 
ening the receiving power. This ought to be a 
first principle in education. I think it is seldom 
acted on.” 
DULL SCHOLARS. 
Much injury is often done to children of slug¬ 
gish minds by the injudicious course of teachers. 
Many children are reputed dull, when it is noth¬ 
ing more or less than this,—their mental pro¬ 
cesses are slow, though correct J list so is the 
case in the physical system. A boy may be as 
strong to lift a weight as large as another who 
may be able to run faster than he. 
There is a wide difference between a dull 
scholar and a dunce. The former I have just 
described. The latter can never be made to 
learn very much from books. The former, with 
suitable instruction, will often succeed beyond 
the expectations of friends. 
I accuse teachers not willingly. Their pa¬ 
tience is often put to the test iu such cases, but 
patience works wonders even with dull children. 
Teachers should be very careful not to press 
too much upon the niindB of such children at 
once. Here is the teacher's greatest fault Sup¬ 
pose you have a very dull scholar. First secure 
his confidence by asking him such questions as 
you are pretty sure he can answer. By this 
means you secure bis confidence. Be not over* 
scrupulous at first, if an answer is not in the most 
elegant form of expression. Teach him how to 
use his tongue,—in other words, how to talk. 
Let the first lesson be very short Let your own 
mind be slow lor the time being, as well as that 
of your pupil. Remember the law that memory 
is strengthened by repetition; consequently, fre¬ 
quent reviewing is necessary. It may all seem 
very simple to you. but to the child it is every¬ 
thing. If possible, find some active employment 
for his mind. Many a rogue has been cured in 
this way. Be sure and call up something that 
you have previously taught him, but be sure 
that he is familiar with the subject He will be 
pleased to recall it, and feel encouraged when he 
can answer your questions. There is the same 
pleasure as that of the old soldier who 
“Shoulders his crutch 
To show how fields are won.” 
Never intimate to him that he is dull,— if you 
do, you will soon make him act like a dunce. I 
know it is very pleasant to teach bright, active 
children, but we have duties as well as pleasures 
to look after, and he is the truly successful 
teacher who can interest all classes of children. 
It is by no means certain that the pert, young 
scholar, w T bo answers so glibly, will in the end 
of the race come off conqueror. The boy who 
started Blowly at first, will in due time accele¬ 
rate his speed, and outstrip all his early coin* 
petitors. 
Be patient, then, fellow-teachers, with your 
dull pupils, and they will oue day bless you.— 
A/dine Teacher. 
A young lady of Lockport furnishes the Jour¬ 
nal with the following grammatical play on the 
word “that:” 
Now “ that" is a word which may often be joined, 
For “that that” may be doubled is clear to the mind; 
And “ that that that” is right, is as plain to the view, 
As “that that that that" we use, is rightly used too— 
And “ that that that that that” line has in it ij right, 
In accordance with grammar, is plain to our sight. 
JAPANESE PAINTINGS. 
They meet the popular tusto for pictures and 
bright dolors at the cheapest possible rate. 
There are countless works on drawing, filled 
with illustrations of the styles of their different 
masters, from which it would be easy to select 
any number of groups and figures worthy of 
Teniers, Van Ostades, Jan Steens, or any of that 
school of Dutch painters; and much in the same 
style of broad lares, of humor and fidelity iti the 
representation of the life of the people, too 
faithful in many instances, like their Dutch com¬ 
peers, to he always very delicate or refined. 
But on this subject I may as well say, eft passant, 
and not revert, to it, that, although there is no 
doubt a wide-spread taste for gross and obscene 
productions, (of which evidences will occasion¬ 
ally thrust themselves upon those who seek them 
least, proviug bow widely the demand exists for 
such things, since the supply is so large and 
various in typo,) yet, upon the whole, they are 
not usually intruded upon by a casual observer, 
either in real life, or their books and toys, al¬ 
though they do exist iu these last to an extent 
that speaks ill both for their taste and system of 
juvenile education. 
In the ordinary run of illustrated works and 
pictures, however, of which I made a large col¬ 
lection, the scissors of the censor are but rarely 
required, unlesg in very prudish hands. Of 
course, where the customs of the country pre¬ 
sent quasi-nude figures everywhere to the eye, 
in the streets and houses, without any conscious¬ 
ness of indelicacy attaching to such absence of 
coHtumo, a painter of popular manners will 
necessarily reproduce what he constantly sees, 
and in attitudes Ill-suited to European notions; 
but he does so without the slightest conscious¬ 
ness of offending against any of the proprieties, 
and under such circumstances we must take his 
works as we habitually do those of Phidias, or 
the sculptors of more modern date, more grace¬ 
ful it may be, but quite as scantily draped. 
With this proviso, there Is nothing to deter the 
most fastidious student of art, and the manners 
and customs of Orientals, from turning over the 
leaves freely.— Three Years in Japan. 
THE NUMBER TWELVE. 
The Englishman uniformly reckons by the 
dozen. His very earthly existence is measured 
by his favorite number. At twelve he is in the 
thorough enjoyment of mere being; at twice 
twelve, in the full vigor of mental and corporal 
maturity; and at three times twelve, at high tide 
of domestic happiness. At four times twelve, he 
has reached the extreme verge of the table-land 
of life; at five times twelve, he has touched, or 
nearly so, his grand climacteric, thinks of his 
latter end, makes his will; and at half a dozen 
times a dozen, he is gathered to his fathers. 
Shirts for his back, buttons for his coat, and nails 
for his coffin, are manufactured and sold all per 
do:ten. He furnishes his house, from the wine- 
Celkr to the napery closet, with articles per 
dozen. He arms his ships with guns, regulates 
the weight of their balls in pounds, and admin¬ 
isters discipline to those that work them, all per 
dozen. He fearlessly commits his property, Mb 
fame and his life, to a dozen of his peers, His 
readiest measure for small thingBia his thumb, 
a dozen of which he calls a foot; and his com¬ 
monest coin is a shilling, which he breaks into a 
dozen of pence. Rather than use a power of 10, 
he adds a dozen to the 100 lbs. and calls that 100 
cwL He indites his incubations on slips of 12 or 
quires of twice 12 sheets, with metallic pens 
assorted per dozen; and publishes his opinions, 
if he writes for the press, in “folios of four 
pages;” if a fellow of a learned society, in 
quarto; if on the stage ot a review or magazine, 
in octavo; if he works for the million, in twelves 
—never in decadeB. Homer Ls divided into 
twice 12 books; Virgil and Milton into 12 each. 
Spenser proposed to give 12 books, each of 12 
cantos; and another noble poet says: 
“ I’ve finished now, 
Two hundred and odd a-tanzas as before— 
That being about the number I allow 
Each canto of the twelve or twenty-four.” 
CURIOUS HABITS OF THE MOLE. 
Some young persons captured a mole and 
brought it to a naturalist, the Rev. J. G. Wood, 
secured in a large box. It ran about with great 
agility, thrusting its long and flexible snout into 
every crevice. A little earth was placed iu the 
box, when the mole pushed its way through the 
soil, entering and re-entering the heap, and in a 
few momenta scattering the earth tolerably 
evenly over the box. ever now and then twitch¬ 
ing, with a quick, convulsive shaking, the loose 
earth from its far. At one moment the mole was 
grubbing away, hardly to bo distinguished from 
the surrounding soil, completely covered with 
dust; the next instant the moving dust-heap had 
vanished, and in its place was a soft, velvety 
coat. The creature was unremitting in its at¬ 
tempts to get through the box, but the wood was 
too tough for it to make any impression; and 
after satisfying itself It could not get through a 
deal board, it took to attempts to scramble over 
the sides, ever slipping sideways and coming on 
Its fore-feet. The rapid mobility of its snout, was 
astonishing, but its senses of sight and smell 
seem to be practically obsolete, for a worm 
placed in its track within the tenth of an inch of 
its nose was not detected, although no sooner 
did its nose or foot touch one, than in a momeut 
It (lung itself upon its prey, and shook the worm 
backwards and forwards anil scratched it about 
until It got one end or theother la its mouth, when 
it devoured it greedily, the crunching sound ol 
Its teeth being audible two yards away. Worms 
it ate as fast as supplied—devouring fourteen iu 
thirteen minutes, after which it was supplied 
with a second batch of ten. It was theu tried 
with millipedes, but invariably rejected them. 
Having beard from popular report that a 
twelve hours’fast would kill a mole, Mr. Wood 
determined to give his uuptlve a good supper at 
eight, and an early breakfast the next morniDg 
at five or six. So he dug perseveringly a large 
handful of worms, and put them in the box. As 
the mole went backwards and forwards it hap¬ 
pened to touch one of the worms, and imme¬ 
diately flew at it, and while trying to get it into 
his mouth, the mole came upon the mass of 
worms, and flung Itself upon them in aparoxysm 
of excitement, pulling them about, too over¬ 
joyed with the treasure to settle on any individ¬ 
ual in particular. At last it caught one of them 
and began crunching, the rest making their 
escape in all directions, and burrowing into the 
loose mould. Thinking the animal had now a 
good supply, two dozen worms having been put 
into the box, Mr. Wood shut it up with an easy 
conscience; but it happened, the following morn¬ 
ing, that the rain fell in a perfect torrent, and, 
hoping for some remission, he waited until nine 
o’clock before he opened the box. Twelve hours 
had just elapsed since the mole had received its 
supply, and as It had probably taken another 
hour in hunting about the box before it had 
devoured them all, not more than eleven hours 
had probably elapsed since the last vfrorm was 
Consumed. But the mole was dead. “ I forgot,” 
Mr. Wood says, “ to weigh '.he worms which he 
devoured, but as they would have fjf|cil my two 
hands held cupwise, I may in fir that, they 
weighed very little less than the animal who ate 
them.” The extreme voracity and restless move¬ 
ments of the little creature here recorded, show 
its value to the agriculturist •* as a subsoil drainer, 
who works without wages, 1 and its great useful¬ 
ness in keeping down the prolific race of worms 
—themselves useful in their way, as forming, in 
the main, the fertile soil itself.— Seeded. 
DEATH OF LORD LYNDHURST. 
Recent English papers announce the death of 
this venerable statesman, at the advanced age of 
ninety-two years. Iu many respects he was a 
remarkable man, and being an American by 
birth, he is also a subject of somewhat greater 
account. His father—John S. Copley—was a 
painter of some distinction in his day, and 
resided for some years in Massachusetts, where 
the future peer was born, May 21, 1772, and 
which he left at three years of age with his 
mother and the entire family. In early youth he 
exhibited superior abilities, and his purents were 
enabled to give him a collegiate education at 
Cambridge, where he graduated with high dis¬ 
tinction, having the object In view of following 
the profession of law. Previous, however, to 
being called to the bar in 1804, he visited his 
native country, and was introduced to Wash¬ 
ington. 
Soon after his entrance into public life, his 
powers of logic and oratory attracted the atten¬ 
tion of leading English politicians, and he en¬ 
tered political life under the patronage of the 
Tory party, then in power. Mis promotion was 
rapid. He was made Herge&nt-at-Law in 1813, 
became Chief Justice of Chester in 1818; was 
Solicitor-General from 181!) to 1823; Attorney. 
General, 1823 to 1826; and Master of the Rolls 
from 1826 to 1827. On the retirement of Lord 
Eldon in 1827 he was constituted Lord Chancel¬ 
lor of the Empire, when he attained his peerage 
by patent (under the title of Baron Lyndhurst) 
dated April 27, 1827. lie resigned the Chancel¬ 
lorship in 1830 to resume it in December, 183-1, 
for a short period. For the third time he was 
appointed to this post in September, 1841, from 
which he finally retired in July, 1846. He has 
since, until very lately, been a constant attend¬ 
ant in the nouse of Lords. 
happy change in the conduct of political parties. 
Virulence and animosity which characterized the 
old Whigs anti Tories hail departed and given 
place to kindliness and almost uniformity of sen¬ 
timent in both Houses of Parliament .—ScL Am. 
THE PROSPERITY OF OUR COUNTRY. 
In speaking of the prosperous condition of 
the northern portion of our country, the N, Y. 
Commercial List says: 
The production of all the principal articles 
of commerce is immense, and, in many com¬ 
modities. exceeds that of any previous year, 
and is fully commensurate with the increased 
necessities of the country, growing out of a state 
of civil war. The production of iron, coal, bread- 
stuffs, provisions, lumber, Ac., Ac., during the 
past few years, shows a steady and important 
increase, which is fully equivalent to the per 
centage of Increase in the currency which rep¬ 
resents their value. A comparison of the pro¬ 
duction of the principal articles during the past 
few years could not fail of convincing the most 
incredulous that the health and prosperity of the 
country are fully adequate to the great, task 
which has devolved upon the Government—that 
of maintaining ttie National existence, by over¬ 
powering the febellious element which was 
lately spread over si* vast an area, but which Is 
being gradually contracted by means of the 
irresistible power of the United States Govern¬ 
ment The prosperity of the country iscertaiuly 
very marked; and when we consider the dele¬ 
terious influences ever exerted by war on all 
branches of trade and commerce, it seems won¬ 
derful that it is so. But it is evident that the 
people are fast coming to more fully appreciate 
the advantages which we enjoy, as compared 
with the state of affairs within the contracting 
limits of the Confederacy, and doing this, insures 
a perfect reliance in the ability of the Govern¬ 
ment to bring the war to a successful issue — to 
restore to us the United States of America, in 
their entirety, all the more formidable because 
1 of the fiery ordeal through which they have been 
called to pass in order to establish the impossi¬ 
bility of disintegration as applied to our country. 
SAND-RAIN. 
Specimens of sand-rain, which fell for several 
hours ou the 7t.h of February last iu the western 
part of the Canary Isles, have been sent to the 
Academy of Sciences by M. Berthelot, the French 
Consul at St. Croix, at Teneriffe. The buildings 
iu several of the isles were thoroughly pow¬ 
dered with the sand, and the Peak of Teneritl’e, 
then covered with snow, was colored yellow with 
it for several hours, even to the summit. The 
weather was very stormy and thunder frequently 
heard. The sand is of a bright color, and the 
grains nearly impalpable. It produced a strong 
effervescence when mixed with acid, and lost 
half its weight of carbonate of lime. The inso¬ 
luble residuum was composed of very fine grains 
of quartz, some transparent aud colorless, others 
yellow and opaque. Mineralogically considered, 
this sand presented a complete identity with the 
specimen from the neighborhood of Biskra in the 
geological gallery of the Museum at Paris. In 
both are found minute remains of shells, which 
appear to he contemporaneous with the deposi¬ 
tion of the sand. Microscopic examination did 
not disclose the presence of any other bodies of 
an organic nature.. It is not doubtfdl that this 
sand was conveyed'from the Desert of Sahara, 
which is distant from the Canary Isles above one 
hundred and ninety-two miles. It appears to 
have been raised by a species of water-spout to 
a height of about, three miles above the level of 
the sea, so as to attain to the atmospheric counter 
current. 
Wounded Soldiers.— In his report of the 
Chicamauga battles. B. F. Taylor records the fol¬ 
lowing solemn, yet creditable fact:—“If anybody 
thiuks that when our men are stricken upon the 
field they fill the air with cries aud groans, till it 
shivers with such evidence of agony, he greatly 
errs. An arm is shattered, leg carried away, a 
11 bullet pierces the breast, and the soldier sinks 
down silently upon the ground, or creeps away, 
if he can, without a murmur or complaint; falls 
as the sparrow falls, speechlessly, and llko that 
sparrow’, I earnestly believe, falls not without 
note by the Father. The dying horse gives out 
his fearful utterance of almost human suffering, 
but the mangled rider is dumb, The crash of 
musketry, the crack of rifles, the roar of guns, the 
shriek of shells, the rebel whoop, the Federal 
cheer, and that indescribable undertone of grind¬ 
ing, rumbling, splintering sound, make up the 
voices of the battle-field.” 
Killino the Birds. —One of the curiousques- 
tions which are debated very solemnly in the Lon¬ 
don Times and other English papers is what Ls 
called “ the small bird question,” viz: is it right to 
kill small birds; are theynot, in fact, the destroy¬ 
ers of noxious insects, and in this way providential 
benefactors? A country parson, in a late num¬ 
ber of the Tmes, complains that his plum buds 
were destroyed by the bullfinches and his straw¬ 
berries eaten up by the blackbirds; the raspber¬ 
ries were similarly treated by the thrushes and 
robins, and finally he has saved but half a crop 
of his best pears in consequence of the miscon¬ 
duct of these “little rascals,” assisted by an ar¬ 
rival of titmouses. The parson wishes to know 
whether he can shoot or not 
Lord Lyndhurst w-a accounted one of the 
most eloquent men ir the British Parliament 
When he spoke he alwiys drew a crowd. In his 
prime he was considersd one of the handsomest 
men in either House, aud to the last he had a fine 
presence. His voice was clear and musical, and 
his style of speaking interesting. He was a mas¬ 
ter of wit and sarcasm, but he knew especially 
well how to state a ca^e in such a way as to con¬ 
vince almost all who heard him. During the 
latter years of his political career he witnessed a 
Curiosity of Yision.—A person may see the 
blood-vessels of his eye. displayed as it were on 
a screen before him, by a most simple expert- 
merit Let a lamp or candle be held in ouo hand, 
and the eye directed stcadly forward; now 
move the lamp up and down, or side-ways on 
one side of the line of vision; in a short tirno an 
image of the blood-vessels will present itself, 
like the picture of a tree or shrub with its trunk 
and branches, to the admiration of the observer. 
“ENVIETH NOT.” 
“What makes my little niece so serious and 
troubled this afternoon?” said Aunt Emma to 
her little namesake. “Has any great evil be¬ 
fallen you? ” 
Emma was quite reluctant to unburden her 
trouble, but, after a little kind persuasion, she 
was at last induced to do so. 
“Well, aunty, I was vexed when I saw Laura 
Ary’s new velvet hat to-day iu Sabbath School, 
while I shall have to wear this old bonnet all 
winter. You eau’t tell how pretty it is, with 
those beautiful white plumes and pink rosettes. 
How I wish mother w r ould get mo one like it.” 
“If Laura had worn her old bonnet all winter, 
you could have got along very well with yours, 
could you not? ” 
“O yes, aunty, I should not have minded half 
so much, as we are such intimate friends; and 
what is good enough for her is certainly for me— 
her father is very rich.” 
h So it is (his little robber, Envy, that hus come 
Into your bosom, to rob you of your peace and 
happiness. You cannot even be willing that 
another should have what yon know quite well 
it is beyond your mother’s power to grant you. 
It. was said once of an envious man, when an ac¬ 
quaintance observed him looking quite sad, ‘that 
either some great evil bad happened to him, or 
some great good to another.’ Now that is not 
the right spirit to cherish, my little girl. The 
Good Shepherd's little lambs are never envious. 
You know in that sweet, description of charity 
which you learned, one of the characteristics was, 
‘Envieth not.' Try and remember this, dear, 
when Satan tempts you to fret over sogie good 
which another has. Learn to rejoice over every 
blessing bestowed ou your associates just as truly 
as if it came to you. The Bible meaus exactly 
what it says, when it bids us ‘love our neighbor 
as onrselveg.’ "—J’resbytermi. 
- - - — ♦» - —- 
BOOSTED PEOPLE. 
People who have been bolstered up and lev¬ 
ered up all their lives, are seldom good for any¬ 
thing In a crisis. When misfortune comes, they 
look around for somebody to cling to or lean 
upon. If the prop is not there down they go. 
Once clown, they are as helpless as capsized tur¬ 
tles, or unhorsed men in armor, and they cannot 
find their feet again without assistance. Such 
silkeu fellows no more resemble self-made men 
who have fought, their way lo position, making 
difficulties their stoppiug-stones, and deriving 
determination from their defeat, than vines re¬ 
semble oaks, or spluttering rush-lights the stars 
of heaven. Efforts persisted in to achievements 
train a man to self-reliance; ami wheu he has 
proven to the world that he can tniHt hirnself, the 
world will trust him. We say, therefore, that It 
is unwise lo deprive youug men of the advan¬ 
tages which result from energetic action, by 
“ boosting” them over obstacles which they ought 
to surmount alone. No one ever swam well who 
placed his confidence in a cork jacket; and if, 
when breasting the sea of life, we cannot buoy 
ourselves up and try to force ourselves ahead by 
dint of our own energies, wo are not worth sal¬ 
vage, and it is of little consequence whether we 
“sink or swim, survive or perish.” 
One of the best lesson h a father can give hjs 
son is this:—“Work; strengthen your moral and 
meutarfacuities, as you would strengthen the 
muscles by vigorous exorcise. Learn to Conquer 
circumstances; you are then independent of for¬ 
tune, The men of athletic minds, who left their 
marks on the years in which they lived, were all 
trained in a rough school. They did not mount 
to their high position by the help of leverage; 
they leaped into chasms, grappled with the oppos¬ 
ing rocks, avoided avalanches, and, when the 
goal was reached, felt that but for the toil that 
had strengthened them as they strove, it could 
never have been uttuined.” 
THE ELDEST DAUGHTER AT HOME. 
To be able to get dinner, to sweep the room, to 
make a garment, to tend a babe, would add great¬ 
ly to the list of a young lady’s accomplishments. 
Where can we behold a more lovely sight than 
the eldest daughter of a family, standing In the 
aweet simplicity of her new womanhood, by the 
side of her toiling, careworn mother, to relieve 
and aid her? How she presides at tho table, 
directs in the kitcheu, now amuses the fretting 
babe, now diverts half a score of little folks in 
in the library. She can assist her younger broth¬ 
ers in their sports, or the elder ones in their 
studies; read the newspaper to her weary father 
or smooth the aching brow of her fevered 
mother. Always ready with a helping hand, and 
a cheerful smile for every emergency, she is an 
angel of love, and a blessing to the home-circle. 
Should she bo called out of it to originate a home 
of her own, would she be any tho less lovely or 
self-sacrificing ? 
Make a Beginning. — Remember, in all 
things, that if you do not begin, you will never 
come to an end. The first seed in the ground, 
the first shilling put in the savings’ bank, and 
the first mile traveled on a journey, are all im¬ 
portant things; they make a beginning, and 
thereby a hope, a promise, a pledge, an assur¬ 
ance that you are in earnest with what you have 
undertaken. How many a poor, idle, erring, 
hesitating outcast is now creeping and crawl¬ 
ing his way through the world, who might 
have held up his head and prospered, if, instead 
of putting off his reslolutions of industry and 
amendment, he had oDiy made a beginning! 
Y irtue. —A horse is not known by his harness, 
but his qualities; so men are to be esteemed for 
virtue, not wealth.— Socrates. 
i 
c 
