portfolio. 
SHE IS DEAD. 
BY EBEN E. RKXFORD. 
She is dead, she is dead, and her beautiful head 
Is under the green of the grass, 
And sbe will not hear if I go so near 
I could touch her as I pass. 
Under tho clover whose blossoms bend over. 
Hesteth she, oh my sweet! 
Besteth from sorrow to wake not to-morrow, 
With a white rose at, her feet. 
At her head a white stone, and her old name thereon. 
And the day when she went, asleep, 
But her new name, GOD-glveu, Is written in Heaven, 
In tho hook the angels keep. 
Oh, my darling, 1 miss you, and yearn so to kiss you. 
Asleep in your low. narrow bed, 
Where the grass, green and tender, and clover’s red 
splendor 
Hideth your beautiful head. 
MARRIAGE ENGAGEMENTS, 
BY AUNT KATE. 
To introduce a new subject Into the Ladies' 
Department of the Rural, and ask the co-op¬ 
eration of those whose wisdom and study have 
hitherto reflected so beautifully therein, re¬ 
quire* some bravery. Wo would not only ex¬ 
press our own opinion, but hope t o benefit some 
who, like ourself, rnay be toiling along the by¬ 
path of life's earnest heart-work, staggered by 
some of the incongruities of society people 
who seem to “ see through a glass darkly." 
Something in home government seems sadly 
out of joint, wnlch reaches far and wide Into 
society. Parents have apparently lost control 
of their own little world, whero God has made 
them the supremo judge and affectionate arbi¬ 
ter. Children argue that father and mother 
are behind the times, and have forgotten they 
were once young, anti till that. While they 
mingle freely alike with acquaintances and 
strangers whose breath Is not always free 
from tobacco and whisky, and whose language 
smacks of slang and occasionally a fashionable 
oath, with parents politely in the background, 
is it any wonder girls are temporarily fascinated 
and superficially engaged? Such loose arrange¬ 
ments give place to flippant engagements; and 
if tho consent of the parents Is asked at all, it 
is not. to that engagement but to u marriage, 
with no chance to dcvelopc true character. 
An Idea of what Is proper differs greatly from 
this outlook, fn such cases why allow engage¬ 
ments to bo so nearly equal and binding as the 
marriage vow that to break it Is dishonorable ? 
Is it not only safe but conscientious to leave 
open away to escape danger by simply making 
it a conditional agreement, fixing the duy at a 
distant period ?—leaving the parties free to 
judge, to object, to exact, to mingle in society, 
—yes, free to become disengaged and to know 
themselves a a well ns others. Tn leave the 
parents to be won by a manly nian Is a test 
none but a good man can bear. It is cruel to 
draw together those who have already began 
to draw apart. Think of the consequences— 
think of the gossip and scandal that often dis¬ 
grace the public prints, to the everlasting dis¬ 
paragement of all that is desirable In the name, 
mission and character of true woman, 
A girl, however well trained, may, under some 
circumstances, contract a bad marriage; yet 
taking society generally, marriages are better 
selected whose parents control the choice, and 
do not accept whatever comes, nor allow their 
children to work out their problem as best they 
may. Do mothers, along with other good im¬ 
pressions, inculcate upon their daughters the 
duty of improving their husband In everyway 
by adaptation and study ? Do they ever say to 
their sons that a wife has rights, mental and 
physical frailties, to be ever tenderly regarded, 
along with the absolute necessity of courtship 
after marriage, and the one grand idea that she 
is to be honored ? To us it is known, and felt, 
that to be honored is to mold a woman into an 
angel of peace and lore—of devoted usefulness 
and self-sacrlflci ng tenderness. 
If what we have indicated prevailed, then 
would womans' rights women find but few to 
rally around their standard, seeking to right 
their wrongs from the rostrum and by the bal¬ 
lot. Then would we see all over the land noble 
husbands, proud and happy wives, and beauti¬ 
ful, blooming children, which would rebuke a 
slanderous press and plant the banner of mu¬ 
tual rights high among the archives of our 
country. 
B-, Delaware, 1874. 
-4-*-*- 
REST FOR THE WEARY MOTHER. 
BY BERNICE BETTER. 
“ Early to bed and early to rise, makes a 
man healthy, wealthy and wise.” How often 
do our eyes rest upon this old maxim with most 
eloquent words thereto. It sounds well and 
perhaps Is very good for some if not the major¬ 
ity of poople. But allowing this to be true, are 
we to suppose that u.11 people, no matter what 
their occupation, are to be governed by It with 
alike good results? Notabitofit. What agrees 
with one person may not agree with another. 
For instance, the man who labors physically 
and has little care upon his mind, may retire 
early, and almost as soon as his head touches 
the pillow bo fast asleep. After a good night's 
rest he is awake early and up betimes. The 
morning air invigorates his body and no doubt 
makes him healthy, while early work helps to 
enrich him. and perhaps he learns something 
that makes him wiser. Hut. the man who labors 
mentally must necessarily rest, awhile, that his 
nerves may become steady and Ills brain quiet 
before he can sleep. By this time it is quite 
late ere he retires, and if he awakes In the 
night he remains so some lime, thinking, he 
knows not why, but his thoughts will run and 
he cannot help It. When the early morning 
arrives, methlnka lie feels very much like tak¬ 
ing a good sound sleep, and if he does will feel 
better all day for so doing. 
But most of all da 1 pity the poor, tired 
mother. How she longs forugnod night’asleep, 
and can she have it? Let us see. She retires, 
but the little one worries the greater part of 
tho night, as children always will (moreor loss) 
from various causes, and ir there is nothing 
particular the matter, there are little wants to 
be attended to quite often, and mother must 
attend to them in some way, for if she does not 
others would be wakened, and It would never 
do to wake anybody but mother; it’s no mat¬ 
ter about, her, for she’s used to it and can en¬ 
dure it. If some other member of the family 
were awakened, he might hove the headache 
or not feel well otherwise, and t hat could not, 
for a moment, be thought of. 
Now, I suppose mother to be human, and to 
have the same feelings that the rest of us do. 
Hut she is told to he up bet I me : It Is good for 
her health for docs not the maxim say " Early 
to bed and early to rise, makes i man healthy, 
wealthy and wise ?" She knows very well there 
will be nothing done till she is Up to go ahead 
with ll. If death should take her away, there 
would be something done without her, and 
why not now? Sure enough, why not?—and 
let mother take advantage of the baby’s morn¬ 
ing nap and have one of her own. Docs not 
reason teach ns she would feel better, and her 
nerves be stronger to endure the cures of the 
day, and If this be true, as I believe it is, is It. 
not wealth for her to do so?—for health is 
wealth, and of course It is wisdom, for her to 
do so. And last, but not. least, I would say, 
blessed be the giver of good, sound, refreshing 
sleep! 
Binghamton, N. Y., 1874. 
— ■■■ - 
HUSBAND AND WIFE. 
Preserve sacredly the privacies of your 
house, your marriage state and your hearts. 
Let not father or mother, brother nr sister, nor 
any third person, ever presume to conic in be¬ 
tween you two, to share the Joys or sorrows 
that belong to you alone, tn you two. With 
God's help build your own quiet world, not 
allowing the dearest earthly friend lo bo the 
confidant of aught that concerns your domestic 
peace. Let. moments of alienation (If they 
occur) be healed and forgotten at once. Never 
—no, never speak of it outside, hut. each to the 
other confess, and all will come right. Never 
let. the morrow's anil find you still at variance. 
Renew or review tho vow at. all temptations it 
will do you both good. And t hereby your souls 
will grow together, cemented in that love which 
Is stronger than death, and you will hecomo 
truly one. Thus do i pray for every married 
pair.—A Wife of Forty Year*. 
pending for the ffowng. 
WHICH IS BEST ? 
This world is dark and dreary, 
When wc make it so; 
This world is bright and cheerful, 
When we take it so. 
Our friends are cold and distaut 
Whene'r wo doubt them ; 
Our friends are true and loving 
Whene’r we trust them. 
Ia't best to live in the dark. 
Doubting day by day, 
Or live in the light of Love, 
Trusting day by day? 
- 
THE GOOD TIME COMING. 
No woman now goes to the wash-tubs, or a 
fox hunt, to pruning grape vines, gardening, 
or vegetable growing, with corsets on. So we 
hope tho day will come when horrible head¬ 
dresses, dowdy frills and furbelows, monstrous 
bunnets and trailing skirts will disappear, like 
other vulgar things, from the promenade, the 
street, the church, and such other public places 
as are manifestly Inappropriate for them. There 
Isa time and place for everything, and ladies 
only need to recognize this fact In connection 
with their costumes to always dress .sensibly 
and healthfully.—Home Journal. 
- - ♦♦♦ - 
One of the Funniest Things in nature is 
a council of fashionable youths over a new coat 
just brought home. Tho inspection of the 
cloth, bindings and distance of buttons, anx¬ 
ious examination If the shoulders are wide 
enough, the patting In the back, and walking 
off in suspense to decide the final question 
whether the " tails spilt," arc enough to seta 
woman off in unextingulshable laughter. 
-- 
Love and Sorrow In our souls resemble the 
fire in some deep mines: It may for a long 
time be apparently smothered, we fancy that 
It is entirely extinguished, but some sudden 
draught, some ashes dropped, and the flames, 
wild and consuming, will break forth with re¬ 
doubled fury.— Bremer, 
DAISY’8 PUZZLES. 
Little Daisy is five years old ; 
Hair a tangle of rod gold; 
Eyes like violets wet. with dew ; 
Lips where pretty pearls peep through. 
When the bells began to say, 
“This Is Washington’s birthday,” 
** YeV said Daisy, very wise, 
" He’s the man who made tho pies.” 
When the Spring began to grow, 
Daisy thought her (lowers were slow 
Curious why they showed no shoots, 
8he pulled them all up by the roots. 
“ Wliy is a needle so hard to thread ? 
Why must children go early to hed ? 
Do potatoes have eyes to see how to grow ? 
Does the corn have cars to hear the winds blow i” 
Only live summers has Daisy seen 
The blossoms burst, and the earth grow green : 
And a curious puzzlo it Is to her 
Why sweet things like chestnuts are hid in a burr? 
-VV4- 
LETTERS TO YOUNG RURALISTS. No. 21. 
FROM COUSIN JOHNNIE. 
Cousin Johnnie is very glad that her cousin, 
Young Mustacmk, bears no ill will toward 
her, and is grateful for his suggestion that, the 
rest of her little relatives “ shall try and Induce 
her to write again.” But his proposition, 
though complimentary, is needless, for she 
never ceased to write. I r her letters have been 
less frequent at some times than at others ir is 
because her time has been occupied with ot her 
things. If I were not afraid of again offending 
my youngeonsin, I should say lie was the least 
little bit egotistical to Imagine his letter had 
deterred from writing for the Rural one who 
has been a contributor for nearly four years. 
Write whatever you please, to me or of mo, my 
dear cousin. I am plain spoken myself, and 
like plain speaking In others. So if you differ 
wi* li me on any point don’t hesitate to say so. 
Difference of opinion, you know, is what gives 
variety to this life, if our minds all ran in one 
groove we should soon grow heart iIv tired of 
each other. To sot yon ho example, I will look 
over your letter (which, by the way, my friend, 
Mr. Rural, showed mo before deciding to print 
It,,) and see if I cannot differ a little with you. 
in the first place you call It sport to see five 
dogs destroy a coon I I don’t. It would lie 
horribly painful to me to be obliged to stand 
and witness such a horrible scene as you de¬ 
scribe; and the thought that a cousin of mine 
was one of the fifteen who enjoyed watching a 
poor animal tortured to death, instead of 
shooting it Instantly, is not. a pleasant one to 
me. Again, mv cousin seems to think this 
method of keeping Christmas a good one. I 
don’t. I am afraid he and Ids companions did 
not realize, while watching the sufferings of 
God’s dumb creatures, that it was the birthday 
of Him who said, “Not oven a sparrow falleth 
to the ground without your Heavenly Father," 
&e. Forgive me, dear cousin, if I speak too 
plainly, but I do so hate cruelty, and I want 
you to bate it too, 
Frank S. C. seems to have called forth an 
expression of the sentiments of several young 
Rural ists by his iettor against farming. J ad¬ 
mire Wila M.’s spirited defense of her home, 
and I quite agree with her that " little girls on 
a farm have more fun than those who live in 
villages.” I know by experience, for I lived 
over eleven years on a farm, and many of my 
happiest days were spent there. When tho vil¬ 
lage girls came to spend the day with me how 
delighted they nsod to he with every thing. I 
am convinced they enjoyed H far more than i 
did my visit to them. 
Frank W.’s letter made me think of the old 
days, especially where he alluded to gathering 
corn. I could almost fancy myself once more 
Beated on the ground, as ln"auld lang syne,” 
half reclining upon some dilapidated corn 
stack, bathed in the glorious October sunlight, 
the soft, warm air floating over me, odorous 
with the sweet fragrance of the Btalks, listen¬ 
ing with closed eyes to the pleasant, rustling of 
the buskers, and dreaming sweet day dreams, 
or thinking thoughts too deep for my childish 
mind Ah I there’s been nothing like it since. 
The memory of such days Is like the faint, 
sweet odor of pressed flowers. Yes, Frank, 
well may you be thankful you live on a farm ; 
for the child life we all look back to so fondly 
may be sweeter, fuller, richer there than any¬ 
where else. 
Webster S. will not let the “ printer’s devil" 
tempt him to discontent either, I am glad to 
see. Ho seems to be a very smart boy, and his 
advice to Frank is good, although it seems to 
me its effect will probably be lessened by the 
somewhat unnecessary statement that he him¬ 
self Is a stranger to all the bad habits against 
which he warns Frank. 
Frank's iettor has set J. R. M. writing also. 
He dislikes farming, despises printing, and 
cares only to wander about, trapping musk¬ 
rats, coons, beavers, &c.! Now, I think it w ould 
be a good idea for him to turn Indian ! For 
certainly, if he follows out his Inclinations 
very long, civilized society will become dis¬ 
tasteful to him, and he unfit for it. I must say 
my sympathies are all with Frank on the gun 
question. Of two extremes, I’d rather he would 
he as much afraid of one as l am than as fond 
of the article as J. R. M. 
I hope Irwin Genter will succeed in getting 
his “ Webster’s Unabridged.” It is a right 
sensible premium to try for. 
TABLE ETIQUETTE. 
1. See that those about you are helped be¬ 
fore you commence eating yourself. 
2. Do not eat soup from (lie tip, but the side 
of the spoon. 
3. On passing your plate to be replenished, 
retain the knife and fork. 
4. Wipe tho mouth before drinking. 
5. Remove the teaspoon fiom the cup before 
drinking tea or coffee. 
6. Use the knife only in cutting the food; 
do not raise it to the mouth. 
7. But slowly; rapid eating Is unhealthy. 
8. If you find anything unpleasant in your 
food, avoid calling the attention of others to it. 
9. Close the lips when chewing. 
10. Keep your elbows off the table. 
11. Do not speak with food in your mouth. 
12. When asked to help your neighbor do not 
shove, Init hand the plate to him. 
13. Do not turn your head andstare about the 
room. 
14. If any one at the table makes a mistake, 
take the least possible notice of it. 
-♦♦♦- 
MORAL COURAGE. 
Have the courage to speak to a friend in a 
“seerly” coat, even though you are in com¬ 
pany with a rich one and richly attired. 
Have tho courage to own you are poor, and 
thus disarm poverty of its sharpest, sting. 
Have tho courage to out i ho most acTeeable 
acquaintance you have when you arc convinced 
he lacks principle; a friend should hear with a 
friend's infirmities, lint not with his vices. 
Have the courage to show your respect, for 
honesty ill whatever guise it appears and your 
contompt fci dishonesty and duplicity, by 
whomsoever exhibited. 
Have the courage to acknov/ledgc your igno¬ 
rance rather than seek knowledge under false 
pretenses. 
Have the courage to obey your Maker at the 
risk of being ridiculed by man. 
We are always glad to receive contributions 
for this Department. 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS.- No. 6. 
Answer in two weeks. 
LITERARY ENIGMA. No. 1. 
I have 103 letters : 
99, 4, 81, 05, 13, 02, 31, 70, 28, 52, 95, 57, 17, 90, 48, 60, 
38, 5,25, one of Chaucer'* works. 
53, 40, 88, 20, Ofi, 55, 92, one of Byron's Poems. 
39, 8, 74, 68, 76, one of Milton’s works. 
41, 2,11, 71, 59, 72, 35, one of Pope’s poems. 
18, 21, 61, 22, 97, 27, 10, one of Runyan's works. 
73, 103, 43, 15, 23, 30, 07, 8,2, 39. 34, 42, 30, 01, 54, 16, 
one of Dicken's novels. 
33, 14, 94, 56, 78, 75, 7, one of Scott's novels. 
84,1, 19, 45, 47,67, 85, 43, 83, 14, 102,99, one of Shak- 
speare's works. 
69, 98, 34, 32, 26, 61, 46, 12, 63. one of Bulwer’s 
novels. 
6 , 72, 80. 19, 96, 59, 3, 105, 60, 40, 101, 17, one of 
Milton’s poems. 
5t, 55, 9, 104, one of Tennyson’s poems. 
87, 77, 84 , 37, 79, 24, 100, 91, 95, 93, One of Hood’s 
works. 
64, 27, 50, 89, 48, 13, 52, 86, one of Samuel John¬ 
son's works. 
74, 94, 56, 58, 10, 2, 53, one of Byron’s works. 
My whole is a quotation from Whittier. 
Answer in two weeks. Azilk. 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA.—No. 4. 
My first is in dark but not in light, 
My Beeond is in war but not in fight; 
My third is In money but not in gold. 
My fourth is In bought but not In sold ; 
My fifth is In bread but not in pie, 
My sixth is in near but not in nigh. 
My whole is a river in Europe. Minnie B. 
Answer in two weeks. 
-- 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-Feb. 7. 
Word-Square No. 3. 
ADAM 
T) A M E 
AMEN 
MEND 
Miscellaneous Enigma No. 5.—A word fitly 
spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. 
Cross-word Enigma No. 3.—Lucifer matches. 
Problem No. 4.—9,7631 +rods. 
