plf&itfuee 
Wrltton Tor Moore's Rural Ncw-Yorkar. 
CHRISTMAS EVE. 
Thr History or a MouthfoIi of dread . ato us 
Kffect od the Organization of Men and Animals. 
By Jkas Mace. Translated from the French, by 
Mrs. Aubbd Octtt. [8vo.— PP- New i ork: 
American News Company. 
“Thk History of a Mouthful of Bread," was design¬ 
ed, by the author, for the especial instruction of the 
young in the science of animal physiology-a theme 
which has boon generally supposed to be incapable of 
comprehension, except by adults, and own by these 
only to a very limited extent. But this conclusion is 
BT 8. H. HOLMES. 
“Twas CliUtmus Eve in sixty-six. 
Bo many lived to see,— 
But still they slept while old St. Nick 
Arranged the Christinas Tree. 
On Christmas Kvo mothinks he came, 
With such a load of cheer, 
Besides, ho brought such lols of game 
And drove bis swift' Reindeer. 
With such a load, inside and out, 
To meet the case fcn hand. 
He must bo sober, as well as stout, 
• To Co It up Ho grand. 
His ago appeared of ancient date, 
His beard was silver gray. 
His coat was large, with pockets straight, 
To store his traps away. 
His roguish eye and jolly face 
Beapoko his love of fun. 
And bo, with free and agilo grnca 
Ho lota his coursers run. 
How lie could load upon his Bled 
Buclt hosts of toys bo - 1100 , 
And gel inside when wo’ro abed, 
I cannot, yet divine. 
It’s Bald ho scales the topmost walls 
And down the chimney goes,— 
Nor can I learn he ever falls. 
Nor where he puls ids toes. 
Ho must havo hooks in every spot 
To scale their sides gif brick. 
And then you boo, what you do uot, 
lie comes and goes bo quick. 
Tito secret is, beyond a doubt, 
Ho keeps his rig in trim, 
And talcing Olldom In his route 
Imbibes the oiler's trim. 
Syracuse, N. Y., Dec. 30, 1866. 
Mahon a Maby. A Novel, By Mrs. Oi.iptiant. Now 
York : ITanxir A Brothers. 
An unambitious, plain and well-told story. The 
leading character approaches as near the perfection of 
womanhood as could be expected of one of a lapsed 
race. Married young, without, the usual formality of 
preliminary publication of a matrimonial purpose, 
she departed with her husband for India, where, after 
children wero born, hu took the notion to be married 
over again to make all sure in case of his sudden de¬ 
mise. lie went forth to battle, and hLs body came 
back In a shroud. His second marriage gave rlBc to 
scandal and much annyancc to Madona Mary, but she 
met all bravely, and by the fortunate discovery of a 
witness of the first marriage saved a fine property to 
her eldest son, whose right of Inheritance was con¬ 
tested by a younger one on the grounds of illegitima¬ 
cy implied in tho second marriage. Hold by Stbele 
& Ayeby. _ _ , 
The Merchant of Berlin. An, Historical Novel. 
By L. Mulbach. [12tno.-pp. 891.] Now York: D. 
Appleton A Co.—1867. 
This author baa furnished the reading pnbllc, thro* 
the medium of what are presumed to be competent 
translations, several interesting volumes kindred in 
Character to tho present one. It relates to Prussian 
affairs during the period of the seven yearn' war. and 
portrays, in pleasing style, the sayings and doings of 
an eminent merchant of that period. It serves to 
show how great Borne can be when overwhelmed by 
advcrelty, and how little tho reputedly great some¬ 
times are when saved from danger and lose by the 
efforts and sacrifices or,others upon whom no claims 
rested other than those imposed by a common broth¬ 
erhood. Tho volume may bo read with profit by aii. 
For sale by Adamb & Ecus. 
which wus ft little beyond its summit. Hero 
withered the lig tree cursed by him. It was over 
the summit of this mountain, or around its 
southern slope, that he rode triumphantly to 
Jerusalem, while the multitude shouted his 
praise, and cast their garments and the branches 
It was here, us the city 
places ’ of the three summits * on the right hand 
(on the south side) of the Mount ofCorruption.'" 
With the exception of these general allusions 
there is but one event in the ofc Testament 
which lends any interest to this height. It wu.s 
by the ascent of Mount Olivet that David went 
up on his flight from Jerusalem to Munhunuim, 
at the uows of Absalom's revolt. It was at tho 
top of the mount that lie met HuaiiAl and had 
his last view of the rebellious city. It was a 
little way past the top that he encountered X 1 it A. 
and the asses, laden with provisions. It was as 
he descended the rough road on the other side, 
that “SuiMEt went along on the side of the 
mountain over oguinsb him, and threw stones ut 
him, and cast dust,” This mournful procession, 
affecting ns It Is, and linked with every stage of 
the aseentftml descent, stands (done In tho earlier 
history of the mount. 
Tts lasting glory, however, belongs not to the 
Old Dispensation, but to the New. This moun¬ 
tain is made memorable und Bacred to the Chris¬ 
tian by Its conncc.tlon with tho history of our 
Saviour. After his public ministry through the 
day, and his disputations with the Jews, this 
wus the place to which ho loved to retire in the 
evening for prayer and private intercourse with 
his djselples. I fere were uttered puny of those 
panrolcs and sayings which, transcribed by his 
apostles, liavo instructed and comforted his fol¬ 
lower* in all ugcB. Over this mountain luy his 
morning and evening walk to and from Bethany, 
the town of Maby, and Mautua, und Lazabus, 
of trees in his way, 
burst upon his view, that he wept over it, na 
given to unbelief, and devoted to destruction. 
On another occasion, as ho Bat on the Mount of 
Olives, over against, the Temple, ho beheld those 
great buildingB which were the wonder and the 
pride of the Jewish heart, and declared that tho 
time should come when not one stone, should be 
left on another. It was to the Mount of Olives 
Unit he went, out with his disciples, after they 
had sung a hymn at tho close of the Last Sup¬ 
per. Here was tho Garden of Gethsumuno, 
where he endured his ugony, where his soul was 
exceeding sorrowful unto death ; here he sweat, 
as it were, great drops of blood falliug to the 
ground. This was tho scene of his betrayal, and 
from this place he was led lirst t* the palace of 
the High Driest, and then to the judgment. It. 
was to tills mountain that he, alter his resurrec¬ 
tion, led forth his followers, and either from its 
summit, or a little beyond it,, while ho talked 
with them, a cloud received him out of their 
sight, and they wero left stumllng and gazing tip 
into heaven. Such are some or thu occurrences 
of our Lord’s life, which have rendered tho 
Mount of Olives one ol the most (if not the 
most) suered spots on the face of the earth. 
the Herman dwarf, 
This is a most comical entertainment, and on© 
which, if well managed, will deceive the sharpest 
eyes. Two persons are required to ona£.t tho 
character of dwarf, and they do so after the fol¬ 
lowing manner: — A good, deep window is cho¬ 
sen, where the curtains are full and voluminous, 
and whore there Is plenty of space for move¬ 
ment. A table is drawn to the window, and tho 
curtains disposed so as to fall over the table, and 
to conceal the persons behind it. The speaking 
player, whom we will call, tor shortness, tho 
speaker, then proceeds to array himself in as 
gorgeous u manner as .possible, hiking euro to 
put on a rather voluminous Jacket, with largo 
sleeves. The ladies are capital hands at impro¬ 
vising such costumes. The arms must he dresBed 
to represent legs, and the bands thrust into shoos 
or boots, the. latter being preferable. Of course, 
tho real origin of the pretended legs is concealed 
by the jacket. 
Tim Children's Amiiim of Pictures and Stories. 
Written and compiled by Aka Bullard. Hpring- 
flcld, and Uoeliuutijr, N. YW. J. Holland & Co.— 
1867. 
In a modest preface the author and compiler of Uds 
volume says:—“There Is scarcely an object more ac¬ 
ceptable to children than an Illustrated story-book. 
Em the ‘little ones,’ before they know a letter, can 
read the pictures; and they will bo entertained, or 
entertain themselves. Tor hours at as time, with each 
a book. Neither tho pictures nor the stories ever 
weary. Such a book becomes the children's daily 
companion, til] it is literally worn oul with uso.’’ The 
volume is made up with taste; haB a sound, moral 
tone, and is profusely and richly Illustrated. For sale 
by W. J. Holland A Co., 87 Main St. 
Lizzil Louton of GiUimUHi). A Novel. By E. Lynn 
Linton. New York: Harper & Brothers. 
Tub busluces of novel writing has bocome one of 
the institutions of tho ago. In old times but few 
pens were employed lu the production of this species 
of literature, now they are numbered by hundreds. 
The held of fiction hus been bo well worked that a 
really new thing- is bard to produce from It. In this 
case an attempt at novelty is made, and if the limn¬ 
ing of a wholly uuaiuiablii heroine is a success, then 
one has been attained In the production of “Lizzie 
Lorton.” Tho subordinate characters, with an ex¬ 
ception or two, match well with tho principal. For 
sale by Stubi.b & Avkuy. 
worn for one day, and then aired and sunned 
and worn auother day ; but to wear tho same 
stocdingH for a whole week 1 h not doing justice 
to your feet, nor your health, nor your con¬ 
science ; for who can have a clear conscience 
in ft foul body. 
A correspondent of the Lewiston (Me.) 
Journal recently paid a visit to tho Shaker set¬ 
tlement at New Gloucester, lu Maine. Ho de¬ 
scribes it as composed of two “families,” the 
“Upper” and tho “Lower,” and they have 
fifteen hundred acres ofland, reasonably divided 
for farming purposes. Their gardens are models 
of neatness, like everything else about them. A 
large dwelling house, divided through the center 
by wide bolls, Is erected for each family, tho, 
males occupying one end, and the females tho 
other. They have one excellent notion — that 
idleness is a sin. In their extensive gardens 
they raise nearly all kinds of seeds used in this 
latitude, flowers, herbs, fruits, extracts and con¬ 
diments. This society manufactures a great deal 
of catsup and their apple sance. is one of their 
most famous productions. They also havo a 
grist and sawmill, and manufacture many use fill 
articles, including brooms and mowing machines. 
Tho latter are a Shaker invention, and are very 
popular among the fanners in this State. Their 
land Is always in excellent condition, and neat¬ 
ness is the rule everywhere. They have several 
storehouses and outbuildings and good stables, 
and a school house for the children they adopt. 
This is one of eighteen settlements of this sin¬ 
gular people in tho United States. Their total 
membership is stated at live thousand. 
HEW ENGLAND DYING OUT 
CURIOUS RELICS. 
A correspondent of the Boston Traveler has 
discovered near the village of Winham, Maqp., a 
curious relic of post generations. It iB an ancient 
milestone, placed in front of the village burial- 
ground, tho characters upon which were so 
worn and defaced that it was with the greatest 
difficulty he was enabled to deciphor them. 
This is the Inscription: 
The Back for Wealth. A Novel. By Mrs. J. il. 
Riddell. New York: Harper A Brothers.—1866. 
A very well tolil Htory of two young men from the 
country who went tip to London to seek or make 
their fortunes, The race was quite exciting and well 
sustained on both sides, but the conclusion of it not 
what would have been expected from the characters 
of tho competitors. Two women figure prominently 
in the contest; the one a mild typo of a beautiful 
saint; the other uu augei in beauty, but a fallen one 
in disposition and action. The first llnds much 
trouble, for rnuuy years, but finally peace; the lust is 
prosperous and devilish for an equal period, but is 
properly punished iu the end. Steele A Avery. 
The second player, whom we will call tho 
actor, takes his place behind the speaker, pusliea 
his arms under the sham legs of the speaker, and 
Uts them carefully into tho sleeves of tho jacket. 
Tho speaker puts his liands on tho table, and the 
curtain is then carefully drawn and pinned up, 
so as to prevent anyone from seeing the per¬ 
formers. This part of the business is performed 
by some one who has been let into the secret. 
Tho doors of the room are then opened, and 
the spectators admitted. 
The dwarf, who is not restricted to Germany, 
but may assume any other nationality ut pleas¬ 
ure, then begins an harangue, interlarding it 
copiously with foreign words and expressions. 
While bespeaks, the actor performs the gestures, 
and here lies the fun of the whole tiling. {See 
illustration.) The actor always tries to make his 
gestures wholly inappropriate to tho language of 
j- tho speaker, and indulges in all kinds of practi¬ 
cal jokes. 
It is a good thing to introduce the national 
; dance. Of course, anything will do for a dance, 
und a lady can always be persuaded to play some 
brisk tune. If well arranged, this is very cffoct- 
ive, for the legs have no weight to support, and 
| can be ns lively as you please. Here, also, the 
bunds iff the actor come in well, and the com¬ 
bined effect is inexpressibly ludicrous. 
Job, 30; 23. 
I know that thou wilt 
bring me to death, and 
to the house appointed 
for all living. 
A French-Ambrican Fairy Book. By Edward La- 
boulayk. H*p. 863.] Now York: Harper A Brq’s. 
Au. classes of people, learned and unlearned, old 
and young, take delight in the perut>al of “Fairy 
Tales,” especially if a fulr share of ingenuity ia dis¬ 
played In their construction und the style of narration 
is lively and flowing. The old, especially, ure aware 
that there is really nothing hut fiction In the narrative, 
stiff they read it with pleasure, while the young dwell 
upon the stories with equal (relight, giving them near¬ 
ly foil, If Dot entire credence. The “Fairy Talcs,” 
In this volume, are of a superior character, and fully 
up to the promise made by those of an earlier date by 
the same author, bold by Steele & Avery. 
The directions on the top of tho stone are: 
Ipswich, 7 inileB; Boston , 20 miles—the initial 
letters of the places ouly being given. Tho 
text of Scripture shows that the good people of 
Winham in the post century were as solicitous 
for the spiritual as for the temporal welfare ot 
their wayfarer; a» desirous that he should learn 
his “bearings” on the road to heaven as on 
the road to Ipsvrich or even Boston. 
Influence or tub Moon on the Weather. 
—The few scientific observations of the weather 
that extend over any considerable period fall to 
confirm the populur impression relative to lunar 
influence in determining tho character of the 
weather. Dr. Marcet examined a register of the 
weather kept at Geneva for thirty-five years, to 
test this idea. Tho results which lie obtained 
seemed upon the whole to loud some support to 
the popular notion of the influence of the new 
and full moon, but none whatever to any special 
influence of the lirst and third quartern. Against 
this slight confirmation are set the results of ob¬ 
servations made at the Greenwich Observatory 
since IK-10, from which it seems that changes of 
weather have been found to be as frequent at 
every age of the moon as when she is seven, 
fourteen, twenty-one or twenty-eight days old. 
TERRORS OF AN ERUPTION 
An anecdote current respecting a German who 
ascended the mountain and looked into the inte¬ 
rior through one of the openings, will assist in 
conveying the impression it produces on those 
who follow his example. He was seen ascend¬ 
ing tho mountain alone, and uftcr an absence of 
several hourB returned; yet not a word would he 
utter in reply to the questions addressed tolling 
The next day he was found drowned on tho edge 
of the sea. According to the statement of a 
friend of his, he had long meditated suicide, and 
it ia supposed that he had ascended the moun¬ 
tain with the intention of throwing himself into 
the molten lava, alter the fashion Of the well- 
remembored man of'old, whose suicide was dis¬ 
covered by the mountain throwing oul his sandal, 
hut that the German’s mind was so overpowered 
by the horrors of tho scene he witnessed, that 
lie could not carry out liis intention, and de¬ 
scended to find a grave in a cooler and more 
tranquil fluid .—Etna Awake. 
Mornino by Morning; Or. Dally Readings for the 
Family or tho Closet. By C. II. HrunaxoN. [8vo. 
—pp. 408.] New York: Sheldon & Co. 1866. 
In this volume the reader will find numerous exam¬ 
ples of that torse epigrammatic style of treating sub¬ 
jects which hus given to the author so wide-spread a 
popularity in both hemispheres. 'These reading* ure, 
so to speak, full of BeeclierlHins, and hence, likely to 
secure many readers aside from the intrinsic value of 
the sentiments uttered and the morals Inculcated. 
The volume is neatly got up. For sale by Dewey. 
Reading for Farmers’ Boys.— “ But for tho 
co-operation of my boys,” said a farmer, “ I 
should have failed, I fear. I worked hard and 
so did they. The eldest Is near twenty-one, 
Mid, while other boys in the neighborhood, 
^linger, have left their parents, mine hare 
stuck by me and been faithful to me when I most 
needed their services. And 1 attribute this re¬ 
sult to the fact that 1 havo furnished them with 
attractive reading; uiul when night comes and 
the day’s labor is ended, instead of running with 
other boys to the railway station and adjoining 
towns, they gather around the great lamp, und 
become absorbed in their books and papers.” 
A Wise Excuse. —On one occasion at a dinner 
at the Bishop of Chester’s, Hannah More urged 
Dr Johnson to take a little wine. He replied, 
“ I eau not drink a little, child, und therefore I 
never touch it. Abstinence iB as easy to mo as 
temperance would he difficult” Many have the 
same infirmity, but are destitute of the same 
courage, and therefore they are ruined. 
