0ri-Jr0lr0. 
“ RURAL-INE 
(Ideal Lady Reader of the Rural.) 
TO MI3S E. J. O., or MAURY COUNTY. TENN. 
GENTLY as the rippling wavelets on the shores, 
When the winds at Eventide on the sea rejoice— 
Softlr as the coolngs of Povelets 'raong the flowers 
Fall the words.—half sighing.— 
From the loving angel voloe 
Of My Rural-ink 1 
Mildly as the twinkttng of stars In Evening's heaven 
When the sunset glories are parting from the skies— 
Saintly us an infant’s, when to sleep ’tis given, 
Comes the smile—half crying,— 
From the meek and angel eyes 
Of My Rubal-injc ! 
Sadly as the glimmering of moonlight on the leaves, 
When their gentle motions In the nlght-wlnds we 
can trace— 
Heavenly as the lingering of rainbows 'bove the 
waves. 
Beams every thought—half shying,— 
O'er the pray’rful ungel face 
Of My RuRAL-INE. 
May, 1871. P. 
-- 
“ IF YOU LOVE ME, TELL ME 80.” 
If you love me, tell me so; 
I have read It In your eyes, 
I have heard It In your sighs, 
But my woman's heart replies, 
“ If you love me, tell me »o.” 
Should 1 give you Yes or No? 
Nay, a girl may not confess 
That her answer would be “ Yes." 
To such questioning, unless 
He who loves her tells her so. 
If you love me, tell me so; 
Love gives strength to watch and wait, 
Trust gives heart for any fate ; 
Poor or rich, unknown or great. 
If you love me, tell me so. 
THE TRAINING OF CHILDREN. 
We thank you, dear Rural New-York- 
eh, for the Mother's Column. It cannot 
fail to he beneficial to the mothers as well 
as the children, and let uot the dear, patient, 
abused babies he forgotten. 
How few mothers realize what a trust 
they hold! How culpably negligent and 
careless of their children's souls 1 It is a 
task upon a mother, who has her time almost 
constantly employed with household work,to 
have her mind quite as constantly employed 
with her children. But it should be a pleas¬ 
ant task, and never a burden. This is the 
first, the prime business of her life. All 
things else are, or should be, made secondary 
to her duty to her children. She forms their 
character for this life and for that which is 
to come. I think, with Mrs. M. H., that 
“religious education is too generally neglect¬ 
ed by parents.” Yet nothing is easier than 
to impart such instruction, if we really de¬ 
sire to, and that, too, without neglecting 
other duties. 
I know too well ray own imperfections 
and “ shortcomings but I will venture to 
tell you something of my experience, in 
hopes that it may assist some mother. I 
have a little hoy, four years old. He has 
been taught to pray, and the doctrine of 
faith explained to him, as far as he is able 
to understand it. We had had no sleighing 
for some time, and he was very anxious to 
use his sled. So, without being told to do 
so, he went away into a corner, and kneel¬ 
ing down, asked God for snow. The next 
morning, when he awoke, it was snowing, 
and continued to. Once more he went to 
the corner and prayed that it might slop 
snowing now, so he could go out to play. 
In less than au hour it had stopped, and 
Willie’s faith in prayer was wouderfully 
strengthened. A lasting impression was 
made on his mind that God will hear pray¬ 
er. Do you think the great God is too great 
and far away to be “ bothered” with little 
children’s affairs ? Are not our own troub¬ 
les, seemingly, quite as trifling? Yet we 
are told, if we carry the least of these to 
Him, he will listen to us, and comfort us. 
Every Sabbath, Willie is taught a verse 
from the Bible—short, simple, and one easi¬ 
ly understood. This he repeats several 
times each day, through the week, and we 
almost always find something new to say 
about it. His first verse was, “ God is love.” 
1 told him how God loved everything 
that He had made, how He cared for him 
through the night ; for his little birds; and 
for his flowers and trees. Then I told him 
how the plants grow, and he is quite confi¬ 
dent that he can hear the plants breathe. 
Another verse was, “ Suffer little children,” 
&c. I told him the story of the mothers 
bringing their children to Jesus, of the two 
disciples who told them to go away and not 
trouble the Lord with their babies. Of the 
dear Lord’s loving words to the children 
and leproof to the disciples. No fairy story 
■was ever more interesting to him. During 
the week I read a story of a little bov who, 
hearing this verse explained by his Sunday 
school teacher, said to his mother, “I just 
s ut my eyes and hollered in my heart to 
esus to come and put His arms around 
y/hs. Ami he did.” This pleased him greatly. 
i ou will not know till you try how much 
instruction may be given to your children 
while your hands are busy with their daily 
taska * Phebe Bird. 
A HINT TO HUSBANDS. 
Isn’t it strange that some men, who will 
be kind and obliging to their neighbors, gen¬ 
tlemanly and polite to other ladies, will be so 
rude and cold and harsh at home, and per¬ 
fect bears to their wives—crabbed, snappish, 
ungenerous and altogether unsocial and hate¬ 
ful ? Does anybody know of any such men ? 
Not that I wish to lay all the wrong doing, 
and blame, on man-kind, or condemn them 
en masse, —not at. all. There are plenty of 
good, noble men, hut not quite enough. 
When they are so strong, and have so much 
power to do good, and win love, and bless 
their homes, why won’t tbeyo# do it? 
“ Circumstances alter cases,” Some men’s 
wives are trying enough to wear out the pa¬ 
tience of Job; but then, iu the perversity of 
things, you will generally find a real bear of 
a man united to a frail, patient, forbearing 
and forgiving wife. She is your wife, Mr. 
Bear, and the mother of your children, and 
probably dependent on you for a home and 
means, and can’t get away from you; so, of 
course, she is in your power, and you can 
treat her just as you choose. But if you ex¬ 
pect her heart to bound with pleasure when 
she hears your footsteps, or to proffer you 
caresses, or to rejoice in your presence, you 
are much mistaken. She is human—neither 
more nor less. Please reverse your situa¬ 
tions and conditions. How much, and how 
long, would you bear such treatment as you 
give her? You will inevitably be measured 
and weighed for just what you are, and there 
is no help for it. Q. 
SHADOW AND SUNSHINE. 
Dear Sisters; —Doubtless you all are, 
sometimes, as I am to-night, sad. Though 
Providence may have been propitious in sur¬ 
rounding us with blessings innumerable,and 
merciful in withholding her rod of chastise¬ 
ment, nevertheless, we all have our “ heart- 
sufferings.” Who has not lived for some 
bright expectation which, within their grasp, 
proved only Dead Sea fruit? Who has uot 
nourished hopes to tie rudely broken and 
left withering iu their heart like a flower 
snatched from its parent stem ? 
Is there a heart but has within its closet a 
skeleton at which we must sometimes look? 
Mcthinks I hear the answer of hearts float¬ 
ing hack on the wind, for “ there’s a sigh in 
each chord and a sigh in each key.” Why 
is it we so zealously guard this ghost of de¬ 
parted memories and sin ink from exposing 
it to each other? Does not sympathy help 
us to benr, and mutual confidence inspire 
love? It doe9. 
Could we all lay aside the restraints of 
fashion, confess our faults one to another, 
pray one for another, in the spirit of the 
meek and lowly, we would become, indeed 
and in truth, a band of sisters. 
Eagle Cliff, Ga., April, 1871. M. 
-♦»» 
WOMEN IN CONVERSATION. 
It is their eminent domain. There is a 
good deal of banter afloat on the subject, 
and one might easily suppose that our wo¬ 
men are given to talk; but nothing is fur¬ 
ther from the truth. Their fault in society 
Is that they do not talk. They are timid— 
uot socially, but intellectually. They are 
afraid to imbibe, or to cherish, or to enunci¬ 
ate ideas. They mistrust their own capaci¬ 
ties and acquirements, and have mistrusted 
them so long and so sincerely that the mis¬ 
trust presently becomes final and fatal. They 
haye too much sense to he silly, and too lit¬ 
tle power to be self-forgetful; so they take a 
secondary place when they ought to be in 
the van. It is not oppression on the one 
part nor superiority on the other, hut the 
natural effect of u long line of causes. Wo¬ 
men not only fear men, but they fear each 
other.— Oail Hamilton . 
WHY THEY LOVE. 
Some wise or otherwise bachelor makes 
these random, and possibly truthful asser¬ 
tions:—A French woman will love her hus¬ 
band if he is either witty or chivalrous; a 
German woman, if he is constaut and faith¬ 
ful ; a Dutch woman, if he does not disturb 
her ease and comfort too much; a Spanish 
woman, if he wreaks vengeance on those 
who incur her displeasure; an Italian 
woman, if he is dreamy and poetical; a 
Danish woman, if he thinks that her native 
country is the brightest and happiest on 
earth; a Russian woman, if he despises all 
Westerners as miserable barbarians ; an 
English woman, if he succeeds in ingratiat¬ 
ing himself with the court aud aristocracy: 
an American woman, if he has plenty of 
money. 
-+»» - - - 
A Scotch proverb runs thus“ An ounce 
of mother is worth a pound of clergy.” 
A musical friend thinks that the first 
piece of music performed by Adam must 
have been the “ Warblings at Eve." 
An ingenious tailor suggests pockets in 
gentlemen’s coat sleeves for the convenience 
of ladies to whom an arm is offered in cold 
weather. 
ox gomtg Stfrplt. 
BROWNIE BIRD. 
Blithe little Brownie Bird, 
Happy and may, 
What are you talking of? 
Tell me, I pray. 
Are you trying to tell 
Of a neat little nest, 
Wliero It's hid. Brownie Bird?— 
You know best. 
Where did you hide It? 
Tell me, I pray; 
May 1 come, Brownie Bird, 
Some sunny day, 
Peep at the hlrdllngs, 
Cosy and warm,— 
Hid away, Browule Bird, 
Safe from all harm ? 
PUSSY’S PORTRAIT! 
AND WHAT SHE SAYS. 
I am a little kitten, and I play, and have 
a great deal of fun. I used to chase my tall 
round, almost all day, but I’ve got tired of 
that now: it is a great deal pleasanter to 
catch mice than to do anything else, though 
1 love to have Fanny hold me on her lap, so 
I can pull her curls with my claws. 
Tom, my brother, is a very bad cat; if 
there is a nice piece of chicken, or fish, on 
our plate at breakfast, Tom always gobbles 
it up. Carlo is a great big dog, aud I used 
to be very much afraid of him, because 1 
thought he wanted to eat me up; but one 
night in the barn, when I was cold, Carlo 
let me lie right down by him and get warm, 
so I wasn’t afraid of him any more. 
One time a bad boy threw a stone aud 
hurt my leg. And once, when the tire was 
out, and the oven door was open, I crawled 
in just to take a little nap. But pretty soon 
they shut up the door and made a hot. tire, 
and then. Oh, deat me! what a noise I did 
make I Fanny tied some wet paper around 
each of my poor burnt feet. But the very 
next day she struck me, because 1 tried to 
catch her gold fish ; and another time she 
chased me with a poker, because I ate up 
her canary bird. I don’t know wlmt the 
harm was in my doing that, for my mother, 
Tabby, taught me when I was a very little 
kitten that I must try and get my own liv¬ 
ing, and that rats and mice and birds were 
made for kittens to eat. That’s all. 
-- 
WHAT DO YOU READ? 
I would like to say a few words to the 
young friends of the Rural in reference to 
their reading. Many quite young people 
consider that they have a perfect right to 
choose their own reading, and much resent, 
any one’s interfering with their choice. 
But no child Is capable of selecting proper 
food for the mind, and it is as much lh£ 
duty of parents and guardians to furnish 
wholesome and pula table food for the minds 
of those intrusted to them as to supply 
nourishing and digestible food tor the body. 
In these days, there is such a vast amount 
of spurious and unwholesome literature 
afloat it is difficult to furnish only healthful 
reading. There are several weeklies almost 
wholly devoted to the publication of seu9a- 
tional stories, by which 1 mean a relation of 
absurd and impossible incidents and circum¬ 
stances, and all calculated to excite the 
imagination, inflame the passions, and pro¬ 
duce an abnormal, morbid, unhealthy taste, 
and destroy all relish for pure and simple 
and ennobling reading and literature. That 
sort of reading is, to the minds of the young, 
just what pastries and gravies and spices are 
to the stomach—ruinous and enervating in 
the extreme. 
Grown persons, whose mental aud physi¬ 
cal faculties are fully and naturally devel¬ 
oped, could occasionally, and sparingly, par¬ 
take of either, perhaps, without serious in¬ 
jury; but few would desire to do so, and 
no one could do so with benefit. Those sensa¬ 
tion stories, after being issued in weeklies, 
are published in pamphlet form, and sold to 
that class of people who are so ignorant or 
so unwise as to choose that sort of reading 
in preference to the many good and beauti¬ 
ful books and papers now to be had. Look 
about you, and notice the people whose 
family reading is of the class I speak of. Are 
they the educated and intelligent class of 
community ? Compare the habitual readers 
of sensation books aud papers with those 
whose tastes and minds avoid them as they 
would poison. I wish all the young Rural- 
ists would at once, aud resolutely, resolve 
never again to commence one of those long 
and foolish stories, and instead seek reading 
that will elevate their morals and refine their 
sentiments. In ten or fifteen years from now, 
you will thus have acquired a substantial 
fund of knowledge—correct impressions of 
life and its duties—and will never be sorry 
for the time spent in its acquisition. 
Queechy. 
- +-*-■+ - 
LETTERS PROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
All Qi'iyihi Girl's Letter mid Qiiery. 
Mr. Editor: —I have long wished to 
write something for the Girls’ and Boys’ Col¬ 
umn, but was afraid I could not; but now I 
really must tell you a few tliiugs. 1 am a 
little girl, ten years old—go to school, and 
love my teacher. We take the Rural New- 
Yorker, aud I like it, O, so much! Pa 
reads it like his Bible; commences on tlie 
first page—roads all of it; then turns over, 
and reads on and on, advertisements and 
all, to the la9t. Ma turns through and reads 
what she thinks she likes best, first,—while 
my little brother and l “ go for” the Young 
People’s Column at. once, when we get it. 
We lay it in a " banging folio” that ma made 
by oue we saw in the Rural some time ago, 
till all have read it, then lay it carefully in 
the file, so that we can bind them when the 
volume is out. 
I have some nice young chickens, which 
are very tauie. I set two hens at a time, 
and when they hatch I give all the chickens 
to one hen; and now I would like to know 
if any of the Rural girls and boys can tell 
me which is really the mother of my chick¬ 
ens—the hen that laid the eggs, the one that 
hatched them, or the one that takes care of 
the chickens?— Scott M., Cornwallis, Oregon. 
llow Editli Makes Cream Candy. 
Dear Mil Editor: —1 am one of the 
mauy readers of the Rural, and I like it 
very much. I am a little girl eleven years 
old, ami I shall he twelve the 16th of June, 
and would like to invite you to my birthday 
party; but us you are so far off I suppose 
you would not think it worth while to 
come, I think it very kind in you to pub¬ 
lish the hoys’ and girls’ letters; you do not 
tell them that little children “should be seen 
and not beard,” but invite them to write. 
I have a nice receipt for cream candy which 
I wish to send to you, hoping that you have 
a nico little girl to make some tor you. 
Two cups of white sugar, half a cup of 
water, oue tablespoonful of vinegar, one half 
teaspoonful of cream tartar; to be boiled 
until it will harden by Being dropped in a 
little cold water. When done add the 
flavoring, (we use lemon extract,) then pour 
it on a greased plate, stir it carefully till it 
begins to turn white, then put it in molds or 
leave it on the plate to cool.— Edith E. W., 
Uouverneur, N. Y., May , 1871. 
Wlmt a Four-Yoar-Old Said. 
Dear Editor: —1 have been much inter¬ 
ested in the Rural this winter, especially the 
letters from the boys and girls. We have taken 
the Rural nearly every year since I can re 
member. I used to like to read the “ smart 
sayings of the four-year-olds," but I haven’t 
noticed any in the papers lately. I have a 
little four-year-old brother who claims the 
Rural as his particular paper. When he 
first began to play out of doors this spring 
he, as a natural consequence, got freckled ; 
one day mamma held him up to the mirror 
and showed them to him, and asked him 
what they were. “ Why,” said he, “ them is 
my whisker seeds." 
In looking over the Rural, yesterday, I 
saw that long German word, which I think 
means “ The landlord of the Const an tin o- 
politan hag pipers." Does it ? Please ex¬ 
cuse all mistakes in this, my first attempt to 
write to a paper.— Gipsy A. B., Westfield , 
. xY. r. 
--*-*-*■- 
TIGER THE PEACE-MAKER. 
I wish to tell the young readers of this little 
paper of a dog 1 once owned. His name was 
“ Tiger,” and a real tiger he was, in his way. 
I had at the time three little boys. Ollier 
boys would come to see them, and, like other 
naughty boys, would get angry and some¬ 
times try to hurt each other, but Tiger would 
always stop the fight. He was a real peace¬ 
maker, I tell you. I had a dairy of cows, 
and if there was any fighting among them, 
Tiger was always ou hand to separate the 
combatants. Sometimes strange cows would 
break in among mine. Tiger was always 
the first to find it out, and would “ take the 
responsibility” of setting things to right. 
Once lie saw me driving some crows off my 
corn field, and afterward he always took that 
field in charge, and th^crows got no more 
com there. I could write this paper twice 
full in his praise .—Our Dumb Animals. 
-- 
Evil Thoughts.—B e ware of evil thoughts. 
They have done great mischief in the world. 
Bad thoughts come first, bad words follow, 
and bad deeds finish the progress. Watch 
against them. Strive against them. Pray 
against them. They prepare the way tor the 
enemy of souls. 
Bad thought’s a thief ; he acts his part ; 
Creeps through the windows of the heart; 
And if he once his way can win, 
He lets a hundred robbers in. 
oo 
abbatli Resiling. 
REGRETS. 
Ip we hail but known. If wu had but known, 
Those summer days together. 
That one would stand next year alone 
In the biasing July weather! 
Why, we trifled away the golden hours, 
With gladness, and heauty, and calm. 
Watching the glory of blossoming flowers, 
Breathing the warm aHr's balm ; 
Seeing the children like sunbeams play, 
In the glade* of the long, cool wood ; 
Hearing the wild bird's carol gay. 
And the song of the murmuriug flood. 
Rich gem* to Tima’s pitiless river thrown, 
If we had but known, tf we hud but known 1 
If wo had but known, if we hud but known, 
Those winter nights together. 
How one would sit by the heurth alone 
In the next December weather! 
Why, we sped those last hours, each for each, 
With ntUStU and "Aiuus uild talk, 
The careless, bright, delicious speech, 
With no doubt or fear to bulk ; 
Touching on all things, grave aud gay, 
With the freedom of two In one. 
Yet leaving, as happy people may 
So much unsaid, undone. 
Ah, priceless hours forever flown, 
If we hud but known. If we hud but known! 
If we had but known. If we hud but known. 
While yet wp stood together. 
How » thoughtless look, u sllghtlug tone, 
Would sting and Jar forever ! 
Cold lies the turf for the burning kiss, 
The cross stands deaf to cries. 
Dull, us the wall of silence Is, 
Are the gray unanswerlng skies I 
We can never unsay a thing we sutd, 
While the weary life drags past. 
We never can staunch the wound that bled. 
Whore a chance stroke struck it lust. 
Oh, the patient love ’noath the heavy stone, 
If we hud but known, if we hud but known I 
if wo hud but known, if wo had but known ! 
We had climbed the hill together; 
The path before us seemed all our own, 
And the glorious autumn weather. 
We had sown the harvest was there to reap. 
We had worked : lo! the wages ready. 
Who wan to guess thut the lust long sleep 
Was closing round one already ? 
With never a warning, sharp und strong, 
Cams the hitter wrench of doom, 
And love and sorrow and yearning long 
May wall by tho lonely tomb. 
Oh, keenest of pangs 'mid the mourner’s moan, 
If we hud but known, if we hud but known 1 
ADVICE OP PIOUS MOTHERS ASKED. 
Dear Rural How many times I have 
longed to read Just such au article in the 
Rural as that of A. 9. G. of White Co., 
Tenn., and to hear the gladsome voice of its 
loyal Editor saying welcome, giving moth¬ 
ers a chance to interchange opinions on the 
great and (in my humble opinion) most im¬ 
portant subject of the times— tlee government 
and rare of children, 1 very well know that 
infanticide is common to both city und coun¬ 
try, and mothers that have children consider 
themselves less favored, and their children a 
great burden. God pity the mother that 
fosters murder iu her heart tor her born or 
unborn child, aud thus betrays the trust 
“ Our Father” has resposed in her. 
I am proud to say f occupy the very re¬ 
sponsible position of mother, but very sony 
I perform the duties of the office so poorly. 
God has given me three very dear little 
boys, who I know (if their lives are spared) 
must he helps in society, either for good or 
for evil; and feeling that, to a great extent, 
I am responsible for their conduct in after 
years, l use this method, thinking to get 
counsel of the good and pious mothers in the 
Rural family as to the management of my 
little boys. My sincere desire is to “ bring 
them up in the nurture and admonition of 
the Lord,” so that in the last great day they 
shall “ arise up and call me blessed.” 
Ought I not to teach them to obey without 
hesitation? Ought I not to chastise them 
when they willfully disobey, even if my 
mother’s heart is full of love and forbear¬ 
ance? Does not the law require it? How 
shall 1 entertain them on the 9abbath day, 
(the oldest is four years and a half, the second 
two years and a half,) so that it shall not be 
a long, dreary day, and they wish pa and 
ma were not so pious so they could have 
fun V Will it depreciate my example as a 
Christian mother, in their growiug years, if 
I pop corn or crack nuts, and such like 
things, to help them pass the day ? What 
think you Christian mothers—shall we speak 
and hear through the columns of the Rural ? 
Mrs. A. L. S. 
State Centre, Iowa, 1871. 
-» ♦ » - - - — 
THOUGHTS FOR THINKERS. 
A distinguished English prelate says 
that the man who spends pounds upon him¬ 
self and pence upon the cause of God, is 
simply a monster. 
Life is too much for most. So much of 
age, so little of youth; living for the most 
part in the moment, and dating existence by 
the memory of its burdens.— Alcott. 
Religion, if it be true, is central truth, 
and all knowledge which is not gathered 
round it, and quickened and illuminated by 
it, is lmrdly worthy the name.— Channing. 
I see there is no such way to have a large 
harvest as to have a large heart. The free 
giving of the branches of our present estate 
to God is the readiest means to have the 
roots increased for the fixture. 
