QUESTIONS. 
BY ANNIE JENNIE. 
Ani> art thou a fallen slater, 
Grov’ling by the wayside trade? 
Passing virtue, hast thou missed her. 
With no voice to call thee back ? 
Lying crushed among the brambles. 
Pierced, and mocked, and sore afraid, 
Couldst thou find. In all thy rambles, 
Ne'er a hand to give thee aid t 
Did no mother see thee stumble, 
lift thee for her daughter’s Bake? 
Did no Mister, bending humble. 
Meek, thy hand to guide tliee take ? 
Wheu thou, ehlv’rlng. cold and needy, 
Stood before the open door. 
Did no u'owau come and feed tliee, 
Bid thee go and sin no more ?— 
Softly murmur words of comfort, 
Turn thy erring face to light? 
Point thee, shining in the eastward, 
Stars that lend to Gou and right? 
What! doth say that virtuous woman’s 
Kar is deaf to aister’a woe?— 
That woman’s heart -so gentle, human— 
First will soo fT and acorn thee so ?— 
That man’s pity l* less wary. 
Iff 5 hand readier to save 
Thau a Mor MART'S— 
Sisters of them OUKISTforgave ?— 
With hrr robes she may not brush thee, 
Lest they lose tltelr snowy hue ?— 
She must be the tlrst to crush thee, 
Flaunting thus her own virtue ? 
Alas! then poor, fallen daughter, 
Shall -he dure to judge th y crime, 
Mindless of the t.ove He taught her— 
Bible precepts, Hue on line? 
And when our accounts are given 
Of both sin and credit due, 
Will no slater bear in heaven 
Some of wrong She's charged to you ? 
Oh, I’d rather gain in heaven 
Snowy wreaths of Mercy's flowers. 
Than to bear a scepter, even, 
In this heartless world of ours 1 
RESPONSIBLENESS OP WOMAN. 
no remedy, unless the springs of society are 
rectified. The domestic influence of women 
is certaiuly one of these. Every woman is in¬ 
vested with a great degree of power over the 
happiness and virtue of others. She cannot 
escape using it, and she cannot innocently 
prevent it. There is no avenue or channel 
of society through which it may not send a 
salutary influence; and when rightly di¬ 
rected, it is unsurpassed by any human in¬ 
strumentality in its purifying and restoring 
efficacy. B. A. B. 
-- 
MARRYING FOR FREEDOM 
S> FROM RURAL GIRLS AND BOYS. 
OV L?How Bessie Skeletonises Leaves. 
■S* I have been preparing some “ Skeleton 
— LeavesI had good luck with mine, and 
A CHRISTMAS TREE FOR OATS. they are very pretty. I tlrst gathered all the 
- leaves I wanted to skeletonize, and put them 
Once I read a very funuy story in the j u a large jar, full of water. I set them out 
Riverside of two old ladies who had four of doors, and there let them stand, looking 
pet cats. There was Tom, and Spitfire, and at them occasionally, to see if they were de- 
Spunk and Yellow. WelL, when Christ- cayed. Alter they were decayed, I took 
mas came they wanted these cats to have a them out aud rubbed them between my 
nice time, so they bad a Christmas Tree for thumb aud Angel’s till nothing was left but 
them. I think if they had put bits of fish or | the fiber. Then I made a preparation for 
A CHRISTMAS TREE FOR OATS. 
Once I read a very funuy story in the 
Riverside of two old ladies who had four 
pet cats. There was Tom, and Spitfire, and 
Spunk and Yellow. Well, when Christ¬ 
mas came they wanted these cats to have a 
Permit me to write a few lines in regard 
to the effects of unhealthy diet and the re¬ 
sponsibility of woman. How often do we 
see the happiness of a husband abridged by 
the absence of skill, neatness and economy 
in the wife l Perhaps he is not able to fix 
upon the cause, for he does not understand 
minutely enough the processes upon which 
domestic order depends, to analyze the diffi¬ 
culty; but be is conscious of discomfort. 
However improbable it may seem, the health 
of many a professional man is undermined, 
and his usefulness curtailed, if not sacrificed, 
because he habitually eats bad bread. 
How frequently, in case of students in the 
various professions, is the brightest promise 
of future attainments and honor overshadow¬ 
ed by a total loss of health; and the young 
scholar, in whom the choicest hopes were 
centered, is compelled to relinquish his 
studies, and turn his unwilling thoughts to 
other pursuits; or, worse than this, he be¬ 
comes a helpless invalid for life. Yet even 
this is an enviable lot, compared with his, 
whose noble intellectual powers have be¬ 
come like the broken chords of an instru¬ 
ment that shall never again utter its melody. 
But are such evils as these to be traced to 
the use of unwholesome food ? Every in¬ 
telligent physician, every superintendent of 
our Insane Hospitals, testifies that hi very 
many instances, this is the prominent cause. 
We often see th most pious Christians 
heavy-hearted, and doubting their share in 
the great salvation ; mistaking the salutary 
discipline of their Heavenly Father for the 
rod of an offended judge; forgetting the free¬ 
ness of the mercy offered, looking only at 
their own uuworthiness, aud refusing to be 
comforted. Instances of this sort, resulting 
in incurable melancholy, may frequently be 
traced to the same cause. 
The human body and mind are so inti¬ 
mately associated, that the functions of the 
one cannot be disturbed without deranging 
the action of the other ; and it is doubtless 
true that many are more benefited by a 
wholesome diet, than by the instructions of 
the minister, or the prescriptions of the 
physician. To say the least, the good offices 
of these will avail little while contracted by 
the want of the other. If this subject lias 
a direct bearing upon the health of families, 
so also does it exert an immediate influence 
upon their virtue. 
There are, we know, numerous Instances of 
worthy merchants aud mechanics whose ef¬ 
forts are paralyzed aud their hopes chilled 
by the total failure of the wife in her sphere 
of duty, and who seek solace tinder their 
disappointment in the wine party or the late 
convivial supper. Many a day laborer, on 
his return at evening from his hard toil, is 
repelled by the sight of a disorderly house 
and a comfortless supper; aud perhaps, is 
met by a cold eye instead of “ the thrifty 
wife’s smile," and he makes his escape to 
the grog-shop or the underground gambling 
room. Can any human agency hinder the 
series of calamities entailed by these things? 
No 1 the most active philanthropy, the best 
schemes of organized benevolence, furnish 
How a Russian Girl Got a Profession. 
Mary Safford writes the Revolution, 
from Yienua, the following story. It is 
proper to say that Mary Safford is one of 
the noblest women the West has produced, 
and is distinguished and loved for her self- 
sacrificing efforts in the army hospitals dur¬ 
ing the late war in this country and the 
present war in Europe. She writes: 
Having just read in your journal how the 
daughters of Russia are disposed of, I will 
relate to you an incident told me by a Rus¬ 
sian lady living in St Petersburg, whose 
acquaintance I have had the pleasure to 
make while here. She occupies a position 
in Russia which has given her the opportu¬ 
nity to know much of this terrible marriage 
system, aud of the heart-burnings and strug¬ 
gles of women to become educated and self- 
reliant. I shall tell you the story ns it was 
told me: 
My door-bell rang, said Madam S., and 
the servant showed into my room a young 
girl with a slight figure, and a pale, excited 
expression of face, with deep, dark eyes 
that told of her longings even before she 
spoke. She said:—“ You will pardon my 
coming to you, a stranger, but l know you 
have done much for women, and you will 
listen to my story, if you cannot help me. 
My parents are rich, my dowry is ulready 
announced, and suitors are not wanting to 
take me for the sake of my money; but I 
abominate them. I have a hope, a desire, 
an aim to achieve, which only can pacify 
my restless spirit, and make me happy, and 
render life worthy of living. I wish to 
study physics,” and then she added with 
energy, “ to master them and to become a 
professor." 
I thought, said Madam S., that it was a 
wild, childish fancy, and that she illy com¬ 
prehended the scope of her aims; but the 
longer I conversed with her the more I be¬ 
came convinced that she was worthy to 
make the effort, and I proposed visiting her 
parents to reason with them on the subject. 
She said:— 44 It is of no use; I have plead¬ 
ed, I have begged, I have asked for private 
teachers, but they say I am insane, or if not, 
that if I persist in studying subjects that arc 
only suited to the miiuls of men—if I so un¬ 
sex myself—that I sliull ouly bring sorrow 
and disgrace into their home." 
Madame 8. believed that she had magni¬ 
fied their prejudice, aud went to see them; 
but, alasl it was all too true; they were 
truly an afflicted family, for they could only 
see ruin staring their daughter in the lace, 
and could not, and would not, yield to her 
entreaties. Every plan was devised by 
Madam S. to rescue the girl. She related 
the facts to a parly of friends gathered at her 
I house one evening, and a young man who 
was present saidI will marry the girl; 
she shall receive her marriage portion, aud 
use it to educate herself as 9he wishes; she 
shall understand that I lay no obligations 
upon her as a wife. I will ask no love, aud 
promise none in return. I will merely res¬ 
cue her, and place her in a position to act 
for herself." 
The young man was presented to the 
family, aud, of course, their joy knew no 
bounds that their daughter would accept 
him as her husband. The marriage cere¬ 
mony was performed, and the wedded pair 
left immediately for Germany, where the 
lady entered a university, and has ever 
since, now ten years, pursued her studies un¬ 
interruptedly, and has already taken the 
rank of a mathematician of great power. 
“ And,” said a third party, who had listened 
to the story, 44 she will, doubtless, in the end, 
love and live with the man who proved 
himself so noble, and that would make the 
romance complete." 
Madam S. told me that many of her 
youn/ lady friends said, at the marriage: 
44 1 wish a plurality of wives were allowable, 
so that this youug man could at the same 
time prove a saviour to us.” 
THE CATS’ CHRISTMAS TREE. 
meat on the back steps half the cats in town 
would have come without farther invitation; 
but the old ladies wanted the party to be a 
very genteel affair, so only nice, well-behav¬ 
ed cats,—cats that belonged to some one— 
were to be allowed to come. All the girls 
and boys were to come with their own cats; 
and the pussies, by way of a little dress, were 
to have paper ruffles around their necks. I’m 
sure it was very funny to see th-in. 
Well, the cats behaved quite well at first; 
but pretty soon Tom espied Iron-Gray, Wil¬ 
lie Dickinson’s cat. Now, Tom bad a con¬ 
stant quarrel with Iron-Gray, so that the 
minute he saw him he jumped over Bessie 
White’s shoulder, and stuck his claw into 
Iron-Gray’a ear. Ami then such a rumpus 
as followed!—anti Tom was ouly made to 
behave by having his ears well boxed. 
But pretty soon, when all the cats had ar¬ 
rived, the door into the next room was 
opened, and there was the Christmas Tree, 
just as you see in the pict.+t :, with bits of 
meat tied on it. The girls and boys were to 
take off these pieces for their own cats, and 
little tin plates were provided for them to 
eat from—so it wus all very funuy indeed. 
bleaching them Unis:—Chloride of lime, one 
drachm, in about a pint of water, with enough 
acetic acid to dissolve, or nearly dissolve the 
chloride. After the leaves have been in this 
preparation long enough to whiten them, 
take them out and put them In clean water; 
then float them out on pieces of paper; when 
they are nearly dry, put in a heavy book 
and press; when they are dry, arrange them. 
—Bessie Wells, Knox Co., 0. 
How to Make n Barrel Chair. 
Dear Rural:—W e three girls want to 
j ask Loretta to send us, through your paper, 
a pretty frame out of pebbles. There are a 
great many pretty ones down South, and of 
a great many different colors. First, I cut 
the shape (whatever shape l want) out of 
pasteboard (l had mine square;) then ar¬ 
range the pebbles and stick them on with 
mucilage. At a distance, it looks like shell 
work; they are quite pretty. Will some of 
the little girls toll me vvlnit will take spols 
out of silk ?— Nellie R., Savannah, Ga, 
RURAL FOUR-YEAR-OLDS. 
Mothers of Smart Children are invited to contri¬ 
bute to this Department. J 
Not Old— What. Is your uame?" a two and 
a-kalf-ycur-old urchin was asked. “ Henry 
W-.” “How old are you, my boy'”’ “Iain't 
old!" 
What nrc Toad Stools For 1—J. P. sends us the 
following :-A little two-year-old girl asked her 
father— 
41 Pa, what, is this?" 
“ A toad-stool. 44 
44 Is that what tho toads sit on when they milk 
their cows V' 
Inditing a Fetltiou,— A correspondent says a 
relative’s child was one day scribbling on a piece 
of paper. Her mother asked her what she was 
doing. She replied that, she was writ ivy to God 
to seiuJ her two little brothers. She had two little 
sisters. 
Ilow to Get Out of the Hole.—I was having 
some holes dug In which to set out trees. Our 
little four-year-old, Tom Moore, inquired tho 
object. I explained, and told him be would 
have to go in ono when he died. “ I won’t, stay 
there,” he said. ” But you’ll be in a box, and 
can’t get out,” 1 replied. 44 Con will winy down 
after me!" he responded, with confidence.— l. 
THE RURAL'S SPHINX. 
some directions for making the hair wreaths 
that she spoke of in a late number. 
THE 
OATS FTGrIITIN'O OVER TtlId CHICKEN WING. 
A Fooliak Woman. 
A lady correspondent of the Rural 
New-Yorker, tvlio writes ua out of the 
kindness of her heart, we have no doubt, 
says she has a bed quilt of a pattern called 
44 Lady of the Lake," which contains 9,180 
pieces, and adds:— 44 Calico in plenty, and 
my time all improved." We do not agree 
at all. We think 6uch handiwork as that a 
foolish waste of time, and only print the 
statement for the purpose of expressing our 
opinion of this wicked misuse of what God 
has given us to use for far better, nobler, and 
more glorious purposes. 
But in a few minutes one little Tabby bad 
a chicken wing which theotlier cats wanted, 
so right off they all fell to fighting, as you 
see in the second picture. 
-♦-*-*---— 
I WILL FIGHT, 
(See Illustration on page 38.] 
“Now, Dick, just wait one minute," said 
CnARLEY Weston, holding him back. 
Dick Burford was scowling and looking 
angry; he was very angry indeed, because 
Dave Blake had made an ugly picture of 
the school teacher on the black board, and 
put Dick’s name under it, so Dick got kept 
in at recess. 
44 Yes, I will Jujht him," said Dick. 
“Ob, but, DiCK,” said Charley, “now 
don’t fight; don’t say anything to him, but 
ask him to come to our corn husking, and 
then, you know, he’ll be so ashamed." 
44 No, I mean to fight himsaid Dick. 
But after a while he listened to what Char¬ 
ley said, and promised to try and overcome 
his own anger, and even to show kindness 
to Dave. 
He did not think that Dave would come 
to find him, but there he was, waiting at the 
door, when Dick got home. 
“ Oh, Dick," he said, “ I’m so sorryand 
then he stopped, and for all he was a great 
boy, he began to cry. 
Dave never played so mean a trick again, 
and Dick, too, learned that to be kind Ofoa 
better than to fight. 
Some of the girls mentioned making seats 
of wooden boxes, and “ W.” sends directions 
for making a chair out of a barrel, which we 
think would be more elegant and comforta¬ 
ble. It is made of a flour barrel, with a piece 
cut out, leaving a back ami arms. It is cov¬ 
ered with chintz, with a deep flounce, and 
has a cushion in the seat and back. We 
send a drawing which may help you to un¬ 
derstand.—B. K. and M., College Point, Long 
Island, N. Y. 
g2g r Answer iu two weeks. J. N. J. 
----• 
HIDDEN MYERS No. 1. 
1, Mr. Editor; 
Z. Jim Snow lilt Edwin ; 
3. Of men I learn; 
4. Herbert Ham, Esq.; 
5. I miss Our Ida; 
C. Nebo got a whipping. 
J3tf" Answer in two weeks. E. W. B. 
--m- 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA-No. 1. 
My first is in lip, but not In eye ; 
My second is in near, but not in nigh; 
My third Is in nle, but not. In beer; 
My fourth is iu fuwn, but not in deer; 
My fifth is in speech, but. not In mute; 
My whole is the name of a luscious fruit. 
82S r " Answer in two weeks. Eunice. 
ALPHABET EXPRESSED. 
Noticing the “Alphabet expressed,” in a re¬ 
cent Rural New-Yorker, reminded me of the 
manner in which I used to hour it expressed, thus: 
A, apple pie. 
B, bit it. 
(.’, cut tt. 
I>, divided It. 
E, eat It. 
F, fought for it. 
G, got It. 
H, lmd It. 
I, winked at it. 
J, Jumped over it. 
K, kicked at it. 
L, laughed at it. 
M, mourned tor it. 
N, nodded at it. 
O, opened It. 
P, punched II. 
o, quartered it. 
It, run for It, 
S, sat on it. 
T, turned It. 
C, upset it. 
V, viewed it. 
W, wouldn’t have it. 
X, expected it. 
Y, yelled for it. 
Y, yelled for it. 
Z, zested It. 
E. Townsend. 
Rustic Work for Boys. 
Why don’t the Rural boys do something 
this winter in the manufacture of rustic 
work—settees, chairs, &c.,for the piazza, or to 
sit beside the walks, on the lawns, under the 
trees and elsewhere. The material can be 
found in any brush heap where wood is cut 
and the device may be of any pattern fancy 
may suggest. No tools are needed except 
saw, ax, hammer and nails, unless the seat is 
made of a planed board as some prefer (we 
confess we do not.) We give herewith a 
very simple design, 
A Pretty Pebble Frame. 
Perhaps some of our Rural New-York* 
hr girls would like to know how I made 
LORD MACAULAY’S RIDDLE. 
Having failed to solve Lord Macaulay’s rid¬ 
dle, I presume that If correctly given, tho an¬ 
swer may carry ua profoundly into Greek, at 
least,—probably Hebrew; or that It is an errone¬ 
ous version of what I here essay to present. 
About seven years ago, while in a military hos¬ 
pital, I noticed a riddle in one of the Issues of 
Littell’s Living Ago,” being, to the best of my 
recollection, thus: 
“ To five and five and fifty-five, 
The first of letters add: 
It once did please a famous king, 
And made tt wise man mad.” 
Admitting the identity of U and V; placing 
the Roman letters for the figures (or numbers) 
in order; placing “A” at the latter end, and call¬ 
ing tho second letter “ U;” wo have n word— 
for which I crave a reference to a .Medical Dic¬ 
tionary. 
If my guess be true, tho affair is ingenious; 
though not Interesting to the unprurient. Sol¬ 
omon may be the “ famous King;” but I never 
did, and cannot, surmise tin? especial “wise 
man.” If Abelard or Prtnc© Hamlet, tho 
madness of the one and distinctive sapience of 
the other, are facts for me yet to learn. 
Mr. ALLKS’S Idea is not good. “ Fi vo ” should 
not be used for the third time. Then, why does 
Law kill a King? Why does the study of Juris¬ 
prudence craze the knowing ones? or how do 
certain Rules of Action, improperly disturb sen¬ 
sible people? Edwin Sleeper. 
