jfltlofrfs tnftr gnammrs. 
A TALK WITH THE GIRLS. 
BY MINT WOOD. 
It lias been on my mind a long time to 
have a good talk with you. It will do us all 
good to bo social and discuss social topics. 
My father tiscd to tell me I ought, to slay at 
home until I knew “ how to behave," while 
1 thought I should never learn haw unless 
I went from home; and we both were right, 
in a degree. 
Borne writer has said there are two kinds 
of country girls; one soft, graceful, helpful, 
pretty, and intelligent. The other, coarse, 
awkward, bashful and stupid, wliich is 
equally true of girls the world over, although 
constant, mingling w ith people rubs off bash- 
fulness and awkwardness, of which city 
bred girls do not. have so much. 
One tiling you can learn at home: how to 
receive your friends and how to be civil and 
polite to strangers, and one. of the prime ele¬ 
ments of your success in so doing will be to 
always keep yourselves tidy and presentable. 
As a general rule, there is no reason why 
your hair should not he in good order, and a 
clean collar about your throat. Your every¬ 
day toilette is a part of your character. A 
girl who looks like a “ fury” or a “sloven” 
in the morning, is not to he trusted, however 
finely she may look in the evening. No mat¬ 
ter how humble your room may be, there 
are eight Ihings it should contain, viz: a 
mirror, washbowl, soap, towel, comb, hair, 
nail an<l tooth-brushes. Those arc just as 
essential as your breakfast, before which you 
should make good use of them. Parents who 
fail to provide their children with such ap¬ 
pliances, not only make a great mistake, hut 
commit a sin of omission. Look tidy in the 
morning, and after the dinner work is over, 
improve your toilette. Make it a rule of your 
daily life to “ dress up ” for the afternoon. 
Your dress may, or need not be, anything 
better than calico, but with a ribbon, or 
flower, or some hit of ornament, you can 
have an air of self-respect and satisfaction 
that invariably comes with being well 
dressed. A girl of fine sensibilities cannot 
help feeling embarrassed and awkward in a 
ragged, dirty dress, with hair unkempt, if a 
stranger or neighbor comes in. Moreover, 
your self-respect should demand the decent 
appareling of your body. You should make 
it a point to look as well as you Can, even if 
you know no one will see you but yourself. 
Take as good care of your body as you 
can. Because you live in the. country is no 
reason why you should needlessly and fool¬ 
ishly expose your face to sttn and wind. I 
don’t believe anybody admires freckles, or a 
sun-burnt face or hands. Keep your hands 
as soft and pliable and white as you may, 
without scorning to put them to useful, need¬ 
ful work. It seems a pity that a woman’s 
hands, that should do marvels in the way of 
nice sewing, and full of soft, gentle, graceful 
deeds, should he distorted into great, hard¬ 
ened, calloused weapons, such as belong, by 
better right, to men. There are many kinds 
of work, in doing which you can protect 
your hands witli gloves, and good ones can 
be made of thick woolen cloth, such as is 
often left of coats or trousers, and cost only 
the time of making. 
Avoid cosmetics, chalk, magnesia, and 
rouges, no matter what name they come un¬ 
der. Keep your digestion good, and with 
exercise and cleanliness, you will have good 
complexion. Good complexion does not 
mean a white skin, necessarily. The beauty 
of skin lies in its fineness and clearness, 
rather than its color. Carbonate of soda 
dissolved in water and used occasionally — 
once a week, perhaps, has a tendency to 
make Ihe skin soft and smooth. Half a tea- 
Bpoonful in a quart of water will be sufficient. 
Take care of your teeth. Better spend 
ten times as much to keep your natu¬ 
ral ones than what it would cost you for 
artificial ones. A wooden leg is better than 
no leg, and so artificial teeth are better than 
no teeth, but because they can be had so 
easily is no excuse or reason for your neglect¬ 
ing to take the best care of your natural ones. 
Keep your body straight. Banish anything 
that looks like being round-shouldered. 
Your skirts, at least your crinoline, should 
button on a waist, or be supported by rubber 
straps or suspenders. Some of you think 
“ Corsets are so nice, because they hold up 
the skirts.” They hold up the skirts by press¬ 
ing down the abdomen, and bringing on 
dreadful weaknesses, which terminate in dis¬ 
ease. You should lie able to take in a full, 
deep breath after your dress is buttoned. 
in getting shoes or boots, get such as fit 
your feet, and do not trust to numbers. A 
shapely foot, free from corns and bunions, is 
far more desirable than a small, cramped up 
one, which makes the owner a martyr to 
tight shoes. When you select shoes, sit 
down in the shop, take off both your shoes, 
tell the shop man what kind you want, and 
that you want him to try on and take off' 
until he finds a pair that fit your feet per¬ 
fectly, and which you can wear with ease. 
A dress boot may be a trifle smaller than 
those for every-day wear. 
In getting kid gloves, remember that you 
never make a good bargain by getting cheap 
ones. Dark green wears quite as well as 
any color. The same number in black is 
always smaller than in colors. II number 
seven in black fits your hand, number six 
and a half or three-quarters iu white will be 
equally as large. When you take off your 
gloves, straighten out the fingers and fold 
them as nearly as they were when bought 
as you can, and lay them in a box or drawer, 
instead of rolling them up into a “ mouse,” 
as you would a pair of socks. 
After you are well dressed, you are ex¬ 
pected to behave well, which is to act natu¬ 
rally and gracefully. In order to do this, 
you cannot afford to he bashful, aud, conse¬ 
quently awkward. You must study uncon- 
ciousness. When you enter a room or 
church do not imagine that everybody is 
looking at, you, and grow nervous ami (lur¬ 
ried because of it. Modesty is not bashful¬ 
ness or brazenness. Treat aged people with 
courteous respect, no matter how lowly they 
may be. Accustom yourselves to use the 
best words to express your thoughts. Do 
this at home. Talk to yourself, if you have 
no better audience. Cultivate clearness of 
expression as well as distinctness of speech, 
so you can make yourself well understood in 
a moderately low tone of voice. It is hi bad 
taste to speak so low as to make it difficult 
for one to hear what you say. When you 
talk or listen, look straight in the eye of your 
companion. It tends to truthfulness and 
honesty on both sides. 
You think this is all well enough, and that 
you can get. along with each other and the 
married folks, but when it comes to “gen¬ 
tlemen’s society,” that is a different thing, 
and you cannot help being bashful. I don’t 
know why you should be. Men arc human 
and very like us, just as kind, ready to help 
us, or make allowances for faults or acci¬ 
dents, and they don’t, enjoy having us act 
prim and stiff and precise, and keeping our 
hearts shut, and just saying “ yes" and “ no," 
and agreeing with all they say, ami accept¬ 
ing their invitations when we don’t want 
to, and pretending we enjoy their society 
after ten o'clock at night, when we don’t, I 
say they don't like such deceit and unnatur- 
alness from us any more than we should like 
it. from each other. I do not see why we 
should not be just as frank and social with 
the boys as the girls, and regard their friend¬ 
ship in the same light. Looseness or vul¬ 
garities should never he indulged in nt any 
time or under any circumstances. Slang, 
low speeches or personal degradation is quite 
as culpable and demoralizing among our¬ 
selves as in promiscuous company. Half the 
“ old women tea parties” ought to be abol¬ 
ished on the ground of immorality. And 
girls, girls, when you have a dinner or tea 
party, make it one of your principles to in¬ 
vite the boys as well as the girls. It is your 
duty so to do, and it is a pleasure we should 
not deprive ourselves of. It tends to keep 
the boys from being afraid of us, thereby 
educating them to he easy and graceful and 
manly and gallant. 
Cultivate self-control. Do not part with a 
hit of your spunk or “high temper,” only 
make it serve you, instead of making fools of 
yon. Have it under your power as the en¬ 
gineer has the engine, so, if you ever need it, 
you can make it do you good service. 
Another thing. Study repose of charac¬ 
ter. Do not he ruffled or diverted by small 
things. Some girls, in church or elsewhere, 
must always turn their heads around to see 
who it is coming in, or yawp their heads for¬ 
ward, stretch up on tiptoe to see something 
or somebody, all of which Ls in very had taste. 
As for etiquette, there is no rule so gr»od, 
so true and so reliable, as the one Christ 
gave us, and which is called the Golden Rule. 
If you are iu doubt as to the propriety of do¬ 
ing thus or so, for your friend, or a stranger 
even, place yourself in her place in your 
mind, and you can easily tell if by so doing 
it. would be pleasant to you. Acknowledge 
favors by an expression of thanks, either by 
speech or manner. Both are best. If a man 
gives you his seat, or in any way discom¬ 
modes himself iu your favor, do not fail to 
thank him sincerely. It is rude, illbred, and 
very unwomanly not to do so. It is equally 
incumbent upon you to beg pardon for of¬ 
fense done, though slight aud unintentional. 
Auawent to G'orreapmulcnts. 
Carrie. — Cut your brown silk short 
enough to clear the floor, gored front and 
side breadths, full back, plain waist and coat 
sleeves, Put a ten-inch bias flounce on the 
bottom, headed with a niching of black silk, 
above which put two standing ruffles, bound 
with black silk. Around the sleeve at the 
elbow put a full puffing of silk, (narrower 
on the inside of sleeve,) head each side with 
black silk rucking, and ruching at tho 
wrist and throat. For an overskirt of black 
silk it would require from four to six yards, 
according to length and fullness. We shouId 
advise yon to make it with a fichu-like 
waist, i. e., without sleeves, tho buck and 
front gathered at the bottom, and the front: 
RAIN SONG. 
BY WILT.I AM SAWYER. 
IS the rain sail ? Ah, no ! 
Not the dear April rain. 
The sweet, white rnln : 
These ere Kliul tears that flow 
Not tours ot pain. 
Through the blue heovens toko 
The clouds tlielr bird-awllt way, 
Their white, pure way r 
The clouds that part and break 
In diamond spray. 
Tho clouds that die in showers 
Hues of tho rainbow give, 
Its beauty give. 
That In Its dyes tho flowers 
May brightly live. 
Faint odors of the Spring. 
Tho subtle breath of fluids. 
Of grass In Holds, 
Boonts that to mosses Ollng, 
The sweot rain yields. 
The song of Its delight 
To the warm noon It sings. 
Tenderly sings, 
And to tho quiet night 
Its musla brings. 
All happy things rojolco 
In the bright April rain, 
The freshening rain. 
Exulting that its voice 
Is heard again. 
J|t0rif5 for 
OO 
Unralists. 
HER VICTORY! 
AN EVERY-DAY STORY. 
BY BERTHA B. 6CRANTOM. 
THE CROWNED G-OTTRA. ZPIGrKOHST. 
This magnificent and beautiful bird is a 
native of many of the islands of the great 
Indian Archipelago, being by no means rare 
in Java and Bamla. In New Guinea it is 
abundant, its well as in most of the Molucca 
Islands. It, inhabits the forests, and feeds 
upon berries, seeds and grain. It exceeds in 
size all the other Columbine species, being 
from twenty-seven to twenty-eight inches in 
extreme length. The bill, which is two 
inches long, Ls black, the tips of the mandi¬ 
bles are thickened, and that of the upper 
one moderately deflected. The head Ls 
adorned with a large, elevated, semi-circular 
and compressed crest, composed of narrow, 
straight, feathers, furnished with discon¬ 
nected silky barbules, and always carried 
erect. This, as well as the head, the neck, 
open down from the throat. Cut the skirt 
open hi the front, rounding down, open at 
the sides, hut caught together, full at the 
back with Bash. Trim it with ruching of 
the same, and with lace or fringe if you like, 
which improves it much, especially the edge 
that runs from the bottom of the waist up 
over the shoulder. “Ruching” is silk on 
the bias from one to three inches wide, both 
edges pinked or notched, and the center laid 
In plaits. Short dresses will be worn indefi¬ 
nitely. Black overdress is suitable with any 
petticoat. A plaid or figured silk is bettor 
worn as an underskirt. We have seen no 
intimation as yet that white muslin peroline 
capes will be worn. With a white dress one 
would be pretty. With any other color, one 
of barege, with flutiug of same, would bo in 
better taste. Cut it Irma in shape, with 
tabs in front. Your deep blue would look 
better in an underskirt. Your being a “ mar¬ 
ried woman" makca-nodifference with suita¬ 
bleness. What is suitable for an unmarried 
one of your age is suitable for you. Women 
of forty dress quite as “gay” here as those 
of twenty. Your poplin dress would look 
well made as you suggest. Unless you are 
tall, there is no need of an upper skirt. A 
round cape or loose or close-fitting basque, 
with short skirts, would do. Your brown 
silk walking suit can be trimmed witli nich¬ 
ing of the same, if you prefer. A walking 
suit in blue and black, such as we have de¬ 
scribed to you, was the most beautiful one 
we have seen this season. We committed 
the sin of covetousness looking at it. Our 
address is Mjntwood, this (Rural) office. 
-♦♦♦- 
Riding Habits. —Riding habits are made 
of cloth of light quality, either blade or 
invisible green. The serges and merinos 
made last spring are objected to, as their 
twill retains the dust. The habit waist has 
a sharp point in front, slopes up at the side 
with a pointed jockey basque behind. Close 
sleeves. The skirt is gored front and sides, 
and gathered full behind. Pleats arc not 
easily adjusted in tho saddle. Linen collar, 
with white muslin bow. Cadet waist and 
reverse fronts, with chemisette, are also 
worn. Half high silk hat, with black 
masque veil. Straw hats, trimmed with gren¬ 
adine scarfs, are prepared for the country. 
-♦-*-*- 
Jewelry. —The latest importation of jew¬ 
elry is unpolished enamel on gold, in Chinese 
designs. The designs are curious rather than 
beaut, i tkl, but the workmanship is very fine. 
Tho backs and concealed parts of the orna- 
i. ■ ■ ts are us finely enameled as the front® — 
. good idea for ear-rings, as the incongruity 
. A ween the back and front of ear-drops is 
often noticed. 
and all the inferior parts of the body, are of 
a pure, grayish-blue color. Its nest in built 
upon a tree. 
These birds are easily rendered tame, and 
in t he East Indies they arc frequently kept 
in court-yards as poultry. They have all 
tho habits of the common pigeons—billing, 
inflating the breast and cooing. The sounds 
which they emit, however, are far from 
being BO gentle as those to which we apply 
that term ; t hey rather become a loud noise. 
It is said that M. Bougainville's sailors 
were greatly alarmed on hearing it for the 
first time, In the wild and unfrequented spots 
of some of the islands they visited ; and no 
wonder, when they considered it to proceed 
from the savage cries of hostile natives in 
their ambush about to break upon them. 
(Tlit llrimtotr. 
NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
T hr dir i-Idea. (Now York : Hurd & HourIi- 
ton.j—A third edition Is lioro given of ono of 
tho most suggestive and instructive treatises 
upon Art that we have over read. It is from 
the pen of Jam os Jackson J auveb, who, by long 
travel and culture, has thoroughly informed him¬ 
self in regard to the suliject. He writes with a 
oorvoufl vigor that Is fascinating, while Ids frank, 
honest criticisms win our respect. Of tho three 
hundred and eighty-one Kimo. pages, about oim- 
hojf are occupied In a logical treatment of tho 
Art-Idou, oe soon in Europe and tho East, from 
its earliest pagan inception to tho present, in 
sculpture, painting and architecture; and in tho 
remainder wo have the Art-Idea, as practically 
embodied in similar forms, uow existing in 
America. The latter part of the book is by no 
means fluttering to our self-conceit as a people. 
It is especially severe touching our national 
architecture, and rightly so, and deals very 
plainly with popular notions of Ajt in general. 
As a fearless critic, Mr. Jauvich stands almost 
alone. He seems to have no partialities, to sock 
uo favor. Yet though severely critical, ho is 
not unkind. Ho makes mention,at more Or less 
length, ot nearly every American artist, and 
freely points out i he foibles of all; but nowhere 
does he show manifestations of ill-natured fault- 
finding. If is n rare pleasure to read what such 
a man has to say on entertaining themes, par¬ 
ticularly when he says really original things, and 
says them well. 
-- 
Titt Ingham Paper*, (Boston: Fields, Os¬ 
good and Co.)—Ten very pleasant stories, by 
that admirable story teller, EDWARD E. IIals, are 
placed iu continuity iu this lilrno. volume 
through the agency of a mythical Captain 
Frederic Ingham, IT. B. N., whose memoir, an 
excellent piece of vagueness, preludes them. 
There is hardly a. thread of connection between 
the stories themselves, however, and to our mind 
tho parent hetieul resuscitations of the aforesaid 
captain might better have been loft out. All 
the stories have been published beforo, in tho 
Atlantic Monthly and elsewhere. 
,11 oral Science: OT Compendium of Pthlm, 
(Now York: D. Appleton & Co,)—This volume, 
by Alexander Bain, Is properly a continuation 
of his Manual of Psychology and History of 
Philosophy, yet. Judging from our cursory ex¬ 
amination of It, can be profitably perused as a 
distinct wort. It gives, Id two divisions, Tho 
Theory of Etblos and the Ethioal System,—the 
former being a clear elucidation of sthlcal prop¬ 
ositions, and the latter comprising abstracts of 
all tho systems of ethics, ancient and modern, 
as put forth by various philosophical writers. 
»♦» - ■ 
Jlmerlran Kttto-molog-fal.—TMs Journal for 
April is before us. It contains an exhaustive 
Illustrated article on the Joint-worm (I si Minna 
hortlci , Harris,) beside other practical scientific 
Information concerning Insects which affect the 
fanner’s and horticulturist’s prosperity. We are 
doing our readers a favor when we tell them it 
is worth ten times its price ($1) per year iu any 
farmer's family. It isedited bvBHNj. D. Walsh, 
Hook Island, IU., and Ohas. N. IUley 2130 Clark 
Ave,, St. Louis, Mo, 
“WniCH means that he is a very bad 
Fritz, and you are not to heed what he tells 
you in this sort of way,” said the listener, a 
flush of color rising from her throat. 
The little circle paused an instant. 
“ But he tells such prime stories, real hear 
ones, you know," said little Jack, in a louder 
voice; “ none of your kind where the hearts 
only a fairy after all; half, I suspect, because 
Obrissce and Floy would be girlt enough 
to be afraid when tbe nursery light was 
turned out,” 
She laughed again, a low, soft ripple, and 
her brown eyes grew tender, as she looked 
at the young Demosthenes in “ Knicker¬ 
bockers.” 
“Yes, and be knows that ‘ taffy ’ is tha 
jolliest kind of thing, and never misses old 
Gustie's stand when vve go out for a walk 
in town,” said the eloquent defender of his 
champion; “and real fun it is to have him 
fix one’s kite tails, and hIiow one how to 
mend sail, and all sueli like. Why, j believe 
he will always be a boy!” continued little 
Jasper, the wind tossing his flaxen curls 
back from his bright face, as he leaned for¬ 
ward against her lap. 
“ Aud don’t you believe, he really likes 
cats!” little Floy said, in a tone so seriously 
confidential that a burst of laughter follow,,d. 
“ Cult ! ” the young orator ejaculated, 
scornfully, when the tumult had subsided a 
little, “ those are gW playthings. 1 suspect 
he only says so to be kind; but Bruno now,— 
why Fritz himself says if he has only a stub 
tail, he's a much handsomer dog than Col. 
Thorne’s, anyhow, and cleverer.” 
“ I shall not try to prejudice you,” she 
laughed, “ only when he says,—-why, what 
he did this afternoon,— it is wrong of you 1 o 
believe him, or to help thinking it is veiy 
foolish,” the color mounting higher. 
“ Why, I’m sure Bernik, he only asked 
ub if you were not, very much prettier aud 
nicer than Cajuue, and of course we said 
* Yen,’ and then he asked us to tell him”— 
“ Ilush ! this is foolish to repeat, as I told 
you once for all ; tell Mr. Fritz sister Bkr- 
nie wouldn’t like such talk as that; mind 
you do now 1” 81m had put her hand down 
on the boy’s hair, as bis head rested in her 
lap, when a quick laugh and a voice behind 
them shouted,— 
“ Heresy! don’t believe a word of it, Jack 1 
Stand up for our goddess, don’t, we ? ” And 
nodding mischievously at the little trio about 
her knee, which, like a dutiful chorus, shout¬ 
ed “ Yes,” he walked into their midst uncere¬ 
moniously. 
“ Surprised the camp, have I ? Well, I’ll 
parole tho privates, but the general must 
remain. So youngsters, there’s a candy bag 
or two in tho nursery; suppose you see about 
their removal.” 
Fritz scattered confusion with him ; the 
regiment broke ranks and charged for the 
nursery-door across the lawn, but the girl 
sat quiet, a look of confused shame on her 
face, and tears of positive vexation in her 
eyes. 
Fritz had thrown himself down upon the 
grass at her feet. 
“I say, Bernie, why the,— pray excuse 
me,—why do you keep away from us all so 
persistently ? I’ve not seen you a half hour 
all this glorious week; and as to any of our 
old talks, they’re quite given over. What 
is it ? ” 
The waving line of light,, where the Hud¬ 
son crept yonder through the trees, held her 
eyes fixedly. The Catskills, growing blue 
in the rare falling evening, gathered opal 
and scarlet lights to throw back across the 
distance on the bright face be was watching. 
