(octal fjfoptcs. 
THE MYSTIC SEA. 
BY J. AT. QUINSY. 
ON the sea wo go a-s&Iiing— 
Sailing on the mystic aoa, 
Waters man hath never measured 
Bearing onward you and me; 
Wondrous heavens bending o'er ue. 
Shine with silent, mocking ray; 
Dark between the stars, the ether 
Stretches endlessly away. 
And through all the Unseen Power 
Moves with Ell* wlstle^ 1 ! sway. 
Mark, another world within ns. 
Yes. another world and »k> 
Yawning sheer with deep> unfathomed, 
Towering Into mountains high. 
Bonding heavens tempest-shrouded. 
Sow with holy star? aflame, 
Now with thoughts like meteors flashing; 
Dimmed with pits-.lon now and shame,— 
Who shall soivo us this deep riddle— 
Give our world a plaoo and name? 
None the mystic sea hath fathomed, 
Hoad the silver-lettered sky. 
Still un fathomed tides about us 
Silently go sweeping by. 
But tho thought comes - GOTi hath seat tfc— 
“ Living souls have eyes and ears— 
Eycu. not vainly made and mocking, 
Opened, they shall yet be seers; 
Ears with grateful rapture bearing 
• Come up higher: dry thy tears.’ ” 
-«•♦-*- 
HUMBUGS AMD HOBBIES, 
BY MBS. H. M. LINCOLN. 
They are constantly to be disposed of. 
No sooner is one despatched Limn another 
trips in. Hobby hunters know just how to 
turn the tables in time. If one scheme fails, 
they propagate a new one. To hint at all, 
would be an endless task. Glancing over a 
fow, will lie humbugish enough. 
Thorough-bred, must be every thing ani¬ 
mate. One breed of sheep is popular (or 
was), and no other, and what came of it? 
A few breeders grew rich, while the majority 
didn’t get profit enough to pay for shearing 
the wool off their flock’s co9tly backs. 
Horses must be thorough-bred, and that 
runs into a hobby. I can see the use of 
good, noble horses; but I cannot see why 
the fashion changes so often. If a certain 
breed of homes is so valuable to-day, why is 
it that to-morrow destroys its value alto¬ 
gether ? Are ike fine points wanting, or the 
money ? 
Cattle? Well, I suppose the last State 
Fair will give hints about these. If some 
new and unheard-of grade wins the prize, 
you arc altogether behind lime, and might 
ns well sell your Short-Horns, cte., at :t sac¬ 
rifice and muster money to buy all horns or 
no horns,--just what is in style, dial's all. 
Don’t brug about fowls; look at your de¬ 
generate Shanghais and Cochin Chinos 
and Black Spanish. I doubt if the eggs of 
such unlucky fowls would hatch. I know 
those of the Houdans and Humburghs 
would. 
Are you posted on grain? I’m not; but 
I know there are oats about here, with legs 
like grasshoppers, and promising enough to 
be trained for trotting horses. Ten dollar:! 
will buy one bushel of seed. The latest 
style of wheat is five dollars per bushel; its 
products sell for $1.50 per bushel. 
Fruit3 great and small,—I might as well 
put my fingers on my thoughts as to try to 
name them. If your orchard is stocked 
with the best standard varieties now, you’ll 
soon need to re set; or give your fruit away. 
As for small lVnits, you and I can manufac¬ 
ture as many new' sorts as anybody; just call 
them by a loud name—I know we’d succeed. 
I want a superior kind of berry. I look 
over all the varieties and find some that pur¬ 
port to be extra. I taste the fruit, even, and 
call It delicious. Proud to have the best 
kind, I set out my plants, and before they 
take root I’m surprised to find they've 
grown unpopular,—are worthless, nearly,— 
and that I have been sadly duped. Why, I 
can’t think fast enough to keep up with the 
new and wonderful improvements. I find, 
too, I don’t know how to eat, what to eat, 
or how' to cook what I do eat. Even the 
extra Early Rose potatoes cannot adorn my 
table or please my palate another season. 
Something greater than these will make the 
hat come off, the head bow, and the puree 
empty another year. 
There are humbugs and hobbies about 
food. I find sugar and salt denounced, light 
yeast bread condemned, and graham and oat 
meal substituted. Graham used for a change, 
or for constipation, is good, but to be made a 
hobby of is dangerous. 
For my part I don’t know what would be 
done if inventors should take a nap. If 
these wide-awake people who ride hobbies 
should get to sleep, wliut would become of 
us? Editors couldn’t save us; they already 
carry burdens enough. When they bear the 
blame of every failure, are they to rescue the 
simpletons who jump aboard every humbug 
train V No, indeed 1 
I can think of escape but in one direction, 
anil that is through the Hobby Club,— no, I 
mean Farmers’ Club, — that distinguished 
body of retired doctors, lawyers, etc. Their 
vigilance will protect us, their energy save 
us. What a debt of gratitude we owe them. 
May they speedily deliver us from humbugs 
and hobbies. 
-♦-*-*>- 
BEING KNOCKED ABOUT. 
It is a good thing for a young man to be 
“ knocked about in the w orld,” though his 
soft-hearted parents may not think so. All 
youths, or if not all, certainly nineteen out of 
twenty, enter life with a surplusage of self- 
conceit. The sooner they are relieved of it 
the better. If, in measuring themselves with 
wiser and older men, they discover it is un¬ 
warranted and get rid of it gracefully of their 
ow'n accord, well and good; If not, it is de¬ 
sirable, for their own sake, “that it be 
knocked out of them.” 
A boy who is sent to a large school soon 
finds his level. His will may have been 
paramount at home; but school-boys are 
democratic in their ideas, and if arrogant, nc 
is sure to be thrashed into a recognition of 
the golden rule. The world is a public 
school, and it soon teaches a new pupil his 
place. If he has the attributes that belong 
to a leader, he will be installed ns a leader; 
if not, whatever his opinion of his abilities 
may be, he will he compelled to fall in with 
the rank and file. If not destined to great¬ 
ness, the next best thing to which he can 
aspire is respectability; but no man can be 
truly good or respectable who is vain and 
overbearing. 
By the time the novice has found his 
legitimate social position, be It high or low, 
the probability is that tlic disagreeable trails 
of his character will ho softened or worn 
away. Most likely tlic process of abrasion 
will be rough, but when It la over he begins 
to see himself as others see him, and not as 
reflected in the mirror of self-conceit, he 
will be thankful that he lues run the gaunt¬ 
let, and arrived, though by n very rough road, 
at self-knowledge. Upon the whole, whatever 
loving mothers may think to the contrary, it 
is a good thing to be knocked about in the 
world—it makes men of them. 
NATIONS WITHOUT FIRE. 
According to Pliny, remarks the New 
York Observer, fire was a long time un¬ 
known to some of the ancient Egyptians; 
and when a celebrated astronomer showed 
it to them, they were absolutely in raptures. 
Thu Persian?., Phoenicians, Greeks, and sev¬ 
eral other nations, acknowledged that their 
ancestors were once Without fire, and the 
Chinese confess the same of their progeni¬ 
tors. Pompauion, Mola, Plutarch,and other 
ancient writers, speak of nations who, at 
the time when they wrote, knew not tho use 
of fire, or had just learned lb Facta of the 
same kind are also attested by several mod¬ 
ern nations. The inhabitants of tho Marian 
Islands, which were discovered in 1551, lmd 
no idea of fire. Never was astonishment 
greater than theirs when they saw it on the 
desert in one of their islands. At first they 
believed it was some kind of animal that 
fixed to and fed upon wood. The Inhabit¬ 
ants of the Philippine and Canary Islands 
were formerly equally ignorant Africa pre¬ 
sents, even in our day, tribes in this state. 
-♦•*-*- 
GENIUS AND LABOR. 
Alexander Hamilton once said to an 
intimate friend :—“ Men give me some credit 
for genius. All the genius I have lies just 
in this: when I have a subject in hand I 
study it profoundly. Day and night it is be¬ 
fore me. I explore It in all its bearings. My 
mind becomes pervaded with it. T.Yen the 
effort which I make the people are pleased 
to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of 
labor and thought.” 
Mr. Webster once replied to a gentleman 
who pressed him to speak on a subject of 
great importance:—“The subject interests 
me deeply, but I have no time. There, sir," 
pointing to a huge pile of letters on the 
table, “ is a pile of unanswered letters, to 
which I must reply before t he session, (which 
was then three days off.) I have no time to 
master the subject so as to do it justice." 
“ But, Mr. Webster, a few words from you 
would do much to awaken public attention 
to it.” 
“ If there be as much weight in my words 
as you represent, it is because I do not allow 
myself to speak on any subject until my 
mind is imbued with it.” 
Demosthenes was once urged to speak on 
a great and sudden emergency. “ I am not 
prepared," said he, and obstinately refused. 
The law of labor is equally binding on 
genius and mediocrity. 
-.-»*■ » 
Some one lias beautifully said: “The 
water that flows from a spring does not con¬ 
geal in winter, and those sentiments which 
flow from the heart cannot be frozen by ad¬ 
versity." 
— - »»♦ ■■■■■■ 
No matter how many faces a clock has, if 
they only all tell the same time; and, so, no 
matter how many sides of our nature we 
present, if they are only all true, and true to 
each other, true to themselves. 
anir 
attners. 
MASQUERADE COSTUMES. 
BY MINTWOOD. 
“ I never did have so much fun in all my 
life as I did last night at the masquerade," 
exclaimed Daisy about noon to-day, -when 
she made her appearance looking rather the 
worse for having had so much fun. “ You 
sec, Kate Stockton bad set her heart on 
personating a 
Snow 8tor>n. 
• 
You know she is bhw»k as a thunder cloud, 
and she wore a great trailing black dres3, 
and her long black hair flowing, and all 
over her dress and on her hair was something 
that looked like large, fleecy flakes of snow. 
I got. near enough to seo that it was bits of 
cotton tacked on, and all the gentlemen she 
came in contact with, who wore black, were 
bountifully linted. Bits of very white, fleecy 
wool would have been better.’’ 
“ Well, go on and tell me all about it, 
Daisy. 
“ Oh, l can’t tell you everything, but I’ll 
toll you sornel Fan Terry, who is ever¬ 
lastingly fond of horses, was In 
Jockey C'lub 
costume. She wore dust colored kid boots, 
a short dust colored petticoat, on which was 
described a landscape, and men in parti¬ 
colored costumes on similar horses, riding at 
a break-neck speed. A broad band of black 
velvet edged the bottom of the skirt. Over 
this she wore a short tunic of green, with a 
border of black cut in horse-shoe shape, and 
a pocket on tho outside, of red, ornamented 
with a home’s head. She wore a white 
pointed bodice, a round cornered tight fitting 
red jacket with rexers collar and cuffs, 
bordered with black velvet, and a home’s 
head on each cuff. Her hair was oreped and 
flowing and her cap was red with n band of 
black, a black and white plume ou one side 
and a ticket stuck on the front with the num¬ 
ber oue on it. She wore riding gloves and 
flirted a ricliug whip in one hand. Clara 
Day, who’s a blonde, and as clear eyed as 
the morning star, was 
A Walkiua Anunrimn. 
She wore green bools fringed at the top 
with grass. Her short dress was of pale 
green gauze, and there were three skirts 
coming so near each othri th ey seemed 
almost like three narrow flounces at. Llie bot¬ 
tom, and each edge was Bomehow clouded 
with browu, reminding you, for all the world, 
of an aquarium 1 Between each skirt on the 
outside were gold and 3ilvf|i> fishes, darting 
and glinting, and there wer4 sprays of coral 
on the bodice and skirt. There was a sort 
of peplum formed of pearl-lined shells de¬ 
pending from the belt, which formed a head¬ 
ing to a deep frill of long games; a shorter 
fringe of grasses trimmed the low round 
neck and puffed sleeves. She wore coral 
bracelets and necklace, and her back hair 
was ornamented with coral and waving 
grasses. Her front hair was rolled in puffs, 
aud right on the top of her head was one of 
those lovely pearly shells, rose-tinted, quite 
a large one, too. All those in such costumes 
wore crinoline, to make their dresses show 
off; and their dresses were short, showing 
about two or three inches of the stocking 
above the boot top, Flohenck Oz.mun was 
A Buttci-fly, 
and she’s so light aud airy you know. She 
skipped about quite like one. Blie had on 
red slippers, with butterflies for rosettes— 
those metallic ones, you seo. Her dress was 
of green gauze, bordered with three narrow 
rows of gilt, and for the rest, spangled all 
over with gilt butterflies; short puffed 
sleeves, and a short, sleeveless scarlet over¬ 
dress, cut square neck, front and back, the 
tunic open at one side and the opening filled 
in with a net work of orange velvet, from 
the apex of which hung a bouquet of flow¬ 
ers. The edge of the tunic and neck were 
bordered with a broad band of gilt. Fastened 
at the back of her corsage, was a large but¬ 
terfly, with wings expanded. Her hair was 
drawn plain to the back, where it fell in 
curls. A coronet of green and gold passed 
over the head, a red rose on one side, a 
spray of white flowers on the other, and be¬ 
tween on top, perched a butterfly. She car¬ 
ried a fan spangled with butterflies, and 
wore white kid gloves. Georoe Danvers 
was dressed as her mate, with green slippers 
with butterfly buckles; black and gold 
striped stockings to tho knee; green velvet 
Zouave trousers and spangled like her dress, 
and a red velvet coat, with the tail cut to 
represent the body and wings of the insect. 
The buttons were all butterflies, shirt-studs 
and sleeve-buttons. He wore lowers in a 
button hole, and acted the coxcomb to per¬ 
fection. But the oddest costume of all was 
La Folia Famnisle. 
worn by Sue Minton. Of course she would 
rummage everywhere for something odd, 
and she found this in a French book. Her 
! dress was of as many colors as Joseph’s 
coat, and the bottom of it for ten inches up, 
was a pale blue, cut in right angled points 
and a tiny gilt bell tipped each point. A 
band of gilt bordered each, and a strip ran 
from the top of the blue down to each, 
making so many scctious. In each section 
was a different design: A horse’s head in 
oue, a dog’s in another, a monkey, a human 
foot, a pair of scales, a balloon and so on. 
The oddest tilings imaginable. The. upper 
part of the skirt was cut In seven gores, and 
eacli gore one of the prismatic hues. Where 
the blue joined this, was a wreath of green 
leaves, and gilt covered the seams of the 
gores. Tho designs on each of these gores 
were on a larger scale. One gore was given 
up to butterflies and bugs, another to fish 
and shells, nuother to the implements of a 
gentleman’s toilet, oue to masonic regalia, 
another to ciiildren’s playthings, and so on. 
The blue waist was peasant fashion, trimmed 
with alternate bands of black and gilt. From 
the short puffed sleeves, fell rainbow stripes 
in shape of a corn leaf, long enough to fall be¬ 
low the elbow. These were bordered with 
gilt. Her hair was plain to the back, where 
it fell loosely, half curling. On her head she 
wore a red Liberty cap, spotted with gilt 
and feather tipped arrows ran through it at 
the back. Gold bracelets; and with her 
hands she toyed with a net fastened by a 
cord to one finger; a cord around her neck 
was the guard to an eye glass, worn over 
one eye. Every body commented on her 
odd costume. A gentleman and lady were 
in 
Hunxai'iiwi Uonimue. 
The lady wore shoes with high yellow 
heels, the tops bordered with dark fur; a 
short dress of orange, with round neck, 
small flowing sleeves, open on the lower 
side to the elbow, ami trimmed with a band 
of black, with a row of white spots through 
the center; coral necklace and ear-rings; a 
girdle and short full tunic of red, bordered 
with fur; a broad sash of green tied loosely 
in front in a flat tie, the ends of sash bor¬ 
dered with rows of black and finished with 
white fringe; a white turban, bordered with 
fur, and a tuft of green feathers in front; 
hair in two long braids down the back, with 
bows of blue at (lie beginning and end of 
the braids. The gentleman wore black boots 
to the knee; tight-fitting light gray pants 
and jacket, both ornamented with black 
braid, bands of broad btack braid being put 
on horizontally across the jacket front to the 
throat, tapering narrow to the waist; broad, 
white, turn-over collar, andfull white sleeves 
with narrow band at wrist; a black neglige 
necktie, with long ends; broad-rimmed, low- 
crowned straw hat, black hand, long ends, a 
clump of green leaves and red berries at, one 
side ; hair black and waving; a short man¬ 
tle of brown bordered with fur, fell carelessly 
ut the back, held on by a gold cord and 
tassel, which tied In IVout, passing over one 
shoulder and under the other. Another 
couple were in 
Kunniun Costume, 
the gentleman booted to the knee with red 
tops, Zouave pants of green, a loose coat of 
brown, lapping low in front like a shawl, 
leaving exposed the light-colored flannel 
shirt, which, like the coat aud its flowing 
sleeves, was bordered with gimp of mixed 
colors, yellow, red, white and green, a 
leuthen belt, gilt hrctellc pocket on left side 
of coat frill; a toeque of green with deep 
band of black Astrachan. The lady wore 
black slippers, a black petticoat with rows 
of yellow, green and pink bauds, a dress of 
pale blue, ten inches shorter, bordered with 
orange; above this a broad hand in colors, 
and design the same as their national flag, a 
space above this bands of white, pink and 
yellow, edged with black; high body, long 
sleeves, gathered at the wrist with eufls 
trimmed to match tho upper border on the 
skirt, same trimming over toj> of sleeves 
around the neck, coming down on the waist 
heart-shape; abroad sash In national colors 
tied at one side, with fringed ends; a crimson 
turban gathered at one side with a band of 
orange; hair in a net, necklace and carings 
of large pearls—at least an imitation. 
-- 
Sconai Chignons,—We have made a discovery 
In a Scottish paper which nmy help the dairy 
maids of the country. A farmer in Fifcshlro 
waa thrown into great consternation recently 
because he discovered that bis cows had been 
shorn of the hair which adorned their tails. This 
disfiguration was attributed to the vandalism of 
an enemy; and the matter grieved him sorely. 
Thoro was council between the farmer and hfs 
wife but nothing came of St until the better half 
picked up a chignon on the dairy maid’s dressing 
table, when lo! It was clearly demonstrated that 
said el Ignon had been manufactured out of the 
husbandman’s cows’ tails. Its owner now made 
no secret of the affair, but stated that she had 
supplied numbersof her fair friends with similar 
head adornments against a coming New Year’s 
merry-making. 
-«-*-*-- 
Illustrated Hood*.-{See page 40.) Capote or 
Hood shown In the engraving is of pensee cash- 
mere, wadded and lined with white alpaca. The 
trimming consists of puffs of cashmere, hows 
and loops of black velvet ribbon, nearly one 
inch wide. It is also bound with the same. 
The becoming Capote “Catulane” is of light 
grey cashmere, lined with scarlet flannel. It is 
trimmed with narrow frills of cashmere, and 
black velvet tibbon two inches in width. 
Sttblmtlj limbing 
THE FTJTUKE. 
What may wo tako Into tho vast Forever? 
That marble door 
Admit* no fruit of all onr long endeavor, 
No fame-wreathed crown we wore, 
No garnered lore. 
What can we bear beyond the unknown portal T 
No gold, no gains 
Of nil our toiling: In tho life immortal 
No hoarded wealth remains, 
Nor gilds, nor ntulns. 
Naked from out that fur abyss behind U3 
Wu entered here: 
No word came with our coming, to roralnd us 
Whnt wondrous world was near. 
No hope, no four. 
Into the silent, starless night before us. 
Nuked wu glide: 
No hund him mapped the constellations o’er Ufl, 
No comrade at our side, 
No chart, no guide. 
Yet fearless toward that midnight, black and hollow, 
Our footsteps fare: 
The beckoning of a Father’s hand we follow— 
Ills love alone la there, 
No curse, no care. 
[£. It. Sill. 
- » ■ »> - 
OUR BETHESDA. 
In a certain sense we arc Invalids, all our 
lives long. Wo have in us some conscious 
sickness that must be cured. And we lie in 
expectant waiting by some Bcthesda, as did 
the invalids of old, waiting for the angels to 
come anti stir the waters that we may bo 
healed. 
Is not our whole life often a weary wait ing 
for the healing? Do we not fail, frequently, 
to recognize God’s angel when lie comes in 
such kindly ministry ? Are not the waters 
troubled, even while we gaze on them, yet 
without our perceiving? Weak, and blind, 
and half despairing, do we not turn away 
sometimes oven from the angel’s very pres¬ 
ence, and ory out in our bitterness against 
what 1ms come to ns and we have missed ? 
If all mankind could he made whole in 
just the manner they wish, what a working 
of wonders we should see I But that can 
never he. The healing we most desire cornea 
to us often in a way we do not prefigure, and 
to our dull consciousness it is no healing at 
till. Lying by our Bcthesda, if wc sec the 
waters troubled it Is for another, and we 
wait on, not talcing what is really meant for 
us. If our healing should come through 
love and warm sympathy, we long for it, and 
them »urn it aside when offered. If faith 
w'ould work the perfect cure we need, we 
spurn it when it comes knocking gently at 
our heart’s door, aud iu unbelief aud doubting 
wait on. If sweet charity to all in thought 
and*deed would malu: us well, we cast it, 
aside for that which is embittering and 
unkind, and watch for the angel’s coming 
with a light in our eyes that would make of 
every angel almost a demon. 
Is It strange, then, that wo go unhealed ? 
Is it it strange that at every pool of gladness 
and joy-giving we lie in waiting all the 
years long? To he made whole is the su¬ 
preme want. Humanly speaking each lacks 
something. That lack must he supplied, and 
only our dear Lord’s angelic ministers can 
supply it. May they trouble the waters for 
us all, and speedily! Divinely speaking, 
each lacks everything, lacking a childlike 
trust in and love for that most loving of all 
God’s ministers, His only begotten Son. 
And may He trouble the waters of our soul 
until the healing is perfect, and then grant 
us that peace which pusseth understanding t 
-- 
CLINGING TO SIN. 
Spurgeon says, and with a deal of truth: 
Oh! liow irresolute a man often is con¬ 
cerning a sin which ho knows to he a sin, 
but which enchants him with its sweetness. 
Ah ! how a man will say :—“ I must give it 
up, hut I cannotSin dies hard; it makes 
a hundred excuses for itself, and pleads :— 
“Is it not a little one? Is it not a sweet 
one?" O Lord, then, give me strength of 
resolution, and when 1 know that a thing is 
wrong help me to have done with it; and 
when l perceive an action to be right help 
me to make haste and delay not to keep thy 
commandments. O my Lord, may I never 
try to patch up a peace between my con 
science and myself by trimming and com¬ 
promising. If I know a thing to he thy will 
may I never parley nor question, for this is 
to rebel. The spirit of parley is the essence 
of high treason. 
-- 
We must never fall into the delusion that, 
the purposes of God set aside the use of 
means. I have heard thoughtless or cap¬ 
tious talkers say, “ If God works out his 
purposes, then there is no need for preach¬ 
ing, or any other means.” Ah, simpleton 
that thou art, if we teach you that God 
works out his purposes by mean? how mad 
must you be to charge us with thinking 
lightly of the means 1— Spurgeon. 
-- 
Worldly pleasures are no more able to 
satisfy the soul than the light of a candle to 
give day to the world. 
