MOOBE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER 
227 
BROWN HANDS. 
BY MBS. HATTIE P. BELT.. 
Full many a page has been written, 
And the gifted have sung in the praise 
Of lily-white hnnds and Bugera, 
In a score of poetical ways ; 
This Is all very well fora lady 
Who lives among diamonds and stilt, 
But somettmes in life a farmer's wife 
la obliged to do housework and mlllc. 
And woman’s best mission tbro'out our dear land 
Is fulfilled In the strength of the little brown hand. 
When the roses are blushing the sweetest, 
And the vines climb up to the eaves— 
When the robins are rooking their birdies 
To sleep 'mong the maple loaves 
The sunshine smiles down ’cross the threshhold. 
When the lohor of love seems hut rest, 
Whether rocking the household birdies 
Or keeping the dear homo-nest— 
Oh ! I pity you all who can’t understand 
The wealth and the worth of a little brown hand. 
If I were a man with a fortune, 
A million laid by on the shelf.— 
If I were a youth—if I wasn’t, in truth, 
If I wasn’t u woman myself,— 
I know what I’d do in a minute, 
(White fingers have often misled,) 
I’d seek after thoao whose rich tinting shows 
Acquaintance wltll puddings and bread. 
I’d use all the eloquence words could command, 
And be proud might I win a little brown hand. 
•4 ♦>- 
LEAVES EROM VINE COTTAGE.—No. II. 
BT RITTA REED. 
Care and Pleasure of House Plants. 
Ugh! How dismally the wind howls as it 
comes sweeping round the corner, heaping the 
light, fleecy snow into miniature mountain 
ranges, and suggesting to one's mind the pos¬ 
sibility of a “snow blockade." With a sigh 
and a shiver we draw nearer the glowing llre- 
sido, and as we enjoy Its friendly warmth our 
hearts go out in pity towards any who may be 
shivering beside a lire I ess or a cheerless hearth, 
March was ushered In with lamb-like mild¬ 
ness, and for a few days we heartily enjoyed Its 
balmy breath and glorious sunshine, and began 
quite seriously to lay plans for the “spring 
campaign," indulging the house plants to an 
out-door treat or fresh air and sunlight, and 
delighting in the enjoyment of the “biddies" 
ns with unrestricted freedom they came sing¬ 
ing about the door in their search for any 
chance morsel Or choice tit-bit. But a sudden 
change came o'er’ 1 the spirit of our dreams," a 
sound was wafted to our cars iuJt unlike the 
plaintive bleating of a shivering lamb caught 
in a pitiless storm, and which was soon suc¬ 
ceeded by what might easily be construed into 
the roarings of a merciless lion prowling about 
“ seeking whom he might devour,” and causing 
a sudden recoiling to indoor comforts nod avo¬ 
cations. The geraniums, fuchsias, see., were 
mustered Into comfortable quarters and care¬ 
fully guarded the last things cared for at 
night and the first to receive attention In the 
morning—while a feeling of relief and thank¬ 
fulness has followed each morning’s inspection 
of the precious charge, and they were found to 
have escaped being “nipped." 1 could fully 
sympathize with Mrs. Smith, in Rural of 
Nov. 15tk, 187.1, when, on the morning of that 
loug-to-be-remernbered 22d of December, 1872, 
her plants became the victim* of Jack Frost,— 
for my own beloved flowers shared a similar 
fate. No one who has not had a like experi¬ 
ence, or who has not an Inborn love for flowers, 
can Imagine the anguish that filled uiy soul on 
that eventful morning, as I viewed my stand of 
cherished and thrifty plants frozen “stark and 
stifl ” and past all redemption. I then felt as 
though it would be folly for me, under existing 
dlftlculties, to try again to keep house plants, 
but that I must try anil smother my passion 
for them enough to enable me to live without 
them. But my friends, well knowing my pro¬ 
pensity in that direction, would keep bringing 
me choice “slips” and flue plants already 
rooted, which I could not find it In my heart to 
ref use or throw away; and the result Is that l 
am "tending” as many plants to-day as I 
mourned over then, — keeping them In the 
living room, where, through all the dreary- 
days of winter, they have been a continual 
source of pleasure and enjoyment to me, be¬ 
sides the secret satisfaction I have felt in hav¬ 
ing something preen in the house besides myself. 
Ignorant and Superstitious Servants. 
I was much pleased with an article in the 
Rural of Feb. 28th from the pen of Edith V. 
H., which la expressive of my own feelings In 
regard to overworked farmer's wives. Those 
“ last few sentences " of Esther Allen, which 
she referred to, grated harshly againsi a tender 
chord in my own heart, and while I admire her 
energy add straight forward independence of 
character, I cannot help thinking that a little 
of the sad experience of a necessarily over¬ 
worked farmer's wife would somewhat change 
her idea that they “ deserve no better fate,” 
and cause her to render a milder verdict on her 
suffering sisters. In a later article she says:— 
“I will not have any other than intelligent 
help in the houBe, and I find it economical to 
pay for such." Now 1 think Sister Esther is 
highly flavored—above the majority of her sis¬ 
ters—not only in having a husband who is both 
able and willing to furnish her with all required 
help, but in being able to obtain intelligent 
help at all; for in some localities help of any 
kind to do housework is hard to got, either for 
“ love or money," and how many poor over¬ 
worked mothers thore are who will go to the 
utmost limit of their strength rather thau 
bring their children in contact with help that 
is low and vulgar, and what a break the very 
presence of such an one in the house will seem 
to make in the family circle! 
Well do l remember when, “ once on a time,” 
as I was “ doing alone," and happy In thu3 be¬ 
ing able to keep our little family circle intact, 
of being prostrated with a sudden illness, 
which obliged me fora timo to resign my “post 
of honor.” A kind neighbor came in to stay 
two or three days until we could get other 
help, and husband started out on what proved 
to bo a regular girl hunt. Well, the two or 
three days lengthened Into two weeks, and 
(luring that time he “scoured the country” 
pretty thoroughly, directing his inquiries here 
and there with great perseverance, but with 
little success, as the only help he could find 
was a poor, ignorant, superstitious Irish girl, 
and though my heart shrank from the forbid¬ 
ding prospect, there being no alternative l 
“jumped at the chance,” and as she seemed 
strong and willing, tried to make the beat of it. 
Children Should Mot Hear " Spook” Stories. 
In the training of our children wo had always 
taken a great deal or pains to keep them 
strangers to the unpleasantness and loollsb- 
ncss of causeless fear, and had carefully avoid-' 
ed reading or repeating or acting anything iu 
tlicir presence that should tend to inspire them 
with any such feeling, and had so Tar felt re¬ 
warded for our constantly watchful restraint 
by the freedom of our children from the tor¬ 
tures of cowardice. Our oldest, then a boy 
about nine years of age, had been accustomed 
from the time he first began to walk, to go 
about In the evening without a light—down 
cellar, or up stairs, or out of doors—any where 
occasion required, without seeming to have 
a thought of fear, or that thore was cause for 
any. But. our “help” had been with u* but a 
few weeks when one evening, just after dark, 
as she was doing up the usual “ night chores," 
I heurd her busily talking to the children, 
whom she had coaxed to stay in the kitchen 
awhile and keep her company. At first I did 
not pay much attention to It; but after hearing 
sudden exclamations of surprise and wonder 
from the little folks, 1 stepped to the door to 
see what was exciting them so much, and to 
my great Indignation found her entertaining 
them with frightful “ghost" stories, which 
she averred were the “solemn truth.” There 
stood the children at tho table where she was 
at work, with flushed cheeks and dilated eyes, 
deeply Interested listeners, while tb*» rising 
w ind and approaching storm, and deeply gath¬ 
ering darkness and gloom without, hut added 
intensity to the “spookish ” recitals. 
“Why, Judy I" said I, “ what foolish non¬ 
sense la this you are talking to the children? 
There is no such thing as ‘ ghosts ’ or * hobgob¬ 
lins’ appearing to frighten people.” 
“Oh, yes, Indeed, there Is, madam,” said she, 
“ for hasn’t ino own sister seen them wid her 
own blessed eyes,” and began the repetition of 
a “thrilling scene” calculated to convince me 
of my error. 
But I stopped her short In her story, and wa* 
laboring faithfully to show her the absurdity 
of the Idea and the power of the Imagination, 
when under the influence of fear, to conjure 
up all sorts of apparitions out of the most com¬ 
monplace things in the darkness c»r night,— 
when In came paterfamilias from the barn, say¬ 
ing hurriedly, “ Son, I have been so thought¬ 
less as to leave my vest on the fence in the field 
where I was at work, and wish you to go and 
get it for me aa It Is going to rain and I am not 
yet through at the barn. It is at the farther 
side of tho second field from the house and 
about midway.” Without a word Johnnie 
started l'or the vest, but bis mother’s heart 
went pityingly with him because of the cruel 
stories he had Just heard. In what seemed nn 
incredibly short space of time he was buck with 
the vest. Such wonderful speed l think he 
never accomplished before and I doubt If he 
ever baB since. I used my utmost power of 
speech to eradicate from the children's minds 
the evil influence of that evening's mischievous 
work; but after months had elapsed, my boy 
confided to me his regret that Judy ever told 
him those stories, for although he did not be¬ 
lieve a word of them, lie couldn’t help thinking 
about them when he was alone In the dark. 
If children can be early made to feel that 
“ He who slumbereth not nnr.sleepeth,” is an 
ever-present help in every time of need, and 
that those who trust in Him are as easily and 
surely guarded and kept from harm as well In 
the darkest night us In the light of day, it will 
prove to them an effectual safeguard against 
the sufferings occasioned by fear; and not only 
is this applicable to small children, but also to 
children of larger growth. 
March 12,1874. 
-- 
Is it Wicked to Dance? —Asks some one 
through the Christian Union ; to which Editor 
Beecher (Rev. Henry Ward) sensibly replies : 
“ It is wicked when it Is wicked, and not 
wicked when It Is not wicked. In itself It has 
no more moral character than walking, wrest¬ 
ling, or rowing. Bad company, untimely hours, 
evil dances, may make the exercise evil; good 
company, wholesome hours, and home influ¬ 
ences, may make it a very great benefit.” 
leading for tluf idling. 
MARION’B THOUGHTS. 
Ltttle maid Marlon, walking slow 
Down the long wood-path, thick with snow, 
Watching the snow-flakes large and white, 
Like stars anti crescents and flowers of light, 
Wondered much. In her wise young brain, 
If the dreary old winter were coming again. 
Up In the elm, that very day, 
A bluebird whistled bis roundelay; 
A fly. Just waked from his winter’s sleep, 
Was scaling the window’s slippery steep, 
And the swelllug buds on the poplar tree, 
In tholr varnished wrappings were plain to see. 
Peering and groping, with Angers small, 
In the sheltered beds by tho garden wall, 
She was sure she had heard, down deep below. 
The Jonquils donning t heir hoods of snow ; 
Ami my Lady Crocus, under the mold. 
Weaving her mantle of purple and gold. 
Lttth* maid Marlon, walking slow, 
Felton her forehead the west wind blow; 
Saw the Clouds, from tho brightening sky, 
Like routed armies go scurrying by; 
And heard, from the boughs of the maple near, 
The brave little bluebird singing clear. 
" Ha. ha l" laughed the jolly old sun again, 
"Thu blossoms quicken in snow and rain." 
Tho Show slid down from the poplars high. 
.The buds showed clearer against the sky. 
And little maid Marion, smiling, thought 
"The spring is coming just When It ought.” 
[Emily H. Miller, in Little Corporal. 
LETTERS TO YOUNG RURALISTS.-No. 22. 
FROM COUSIN JOHNNIE. 
Judging from bor black hair and eyes and 
fair skin, her classical attainments, her eleven 
hudquiits and herchiokon-olioloracures, Dew- 
Drop must bo just as “Pretty, smart, indus¬ 
trious and do me Stic” as she says she is! But, 
—ah, if there were no “ but" in this case 1 Shall 
GoUsin Johnnie go on ami risk offending this 
brilliant little “dew-drop?" Ves, 1 think she 
must, finl, Dew-Drop, dear, your letter be¬ 
trays rather too niisoh vanity of your own 
attractions to impress me favorably. Of course 
it Is Impossible that we should be Ignorant of 
war gifts, physical, mental and moral, but If 
we remember that they are gift*— nay, rather 
talents, lent us to be improved und Increased 
and accounted for at the great Day of Reckon¬ 
ing—wo shall be apt to feel very far from vain, 
especially when we consider how much better 
use some are making or their one talent than 
we are of our Inn. When you write ns again, 
do not keep to your original Intention, little 
cousin, but tell ub something else beside* what 
“you wore at the bulls," and the “ protty boys 
you met;” leave such subject* for brainless 
letter-writer*. I know tho young Ruralist* well 
enough to be certain that style of epistle would 
not suit them. I am sorry to hear you are oue 
of “Cupid’s prisoners," and that, our wurtliy 
cousin, “ Young Naturalist,” has been the In¬ 
nocent instrument of your captivity. I know 
he will regret it also ; and as he 1* a very sensi¬ 
ble boy, he will unite with me in hoping you 
will soon get. free again, (as you undoubtedly 
will at your tender age,) and keep clear of any 
further entanglements until youare.oid enough 
for such things. Vours is tho first “ Urvey" let¬ 
ter I have Been In our columns— for, being all 
cousins, we feel only a “cousinly," though very 
[ warm, affection for one another. 
L. U. O. must have had a pretty painful expe¬ 
rience v/itli his Christinas gun. 1 am glad he 
was able to see the ’* moral,” and point It out 
to his little cousins.-Little eight-years-old, 
William E. W7» first effort at letter writing, 
was very good; indeed, I prophesy ho will in 
time become one of our most interesting cor¬ 
respondents.- Julia C.'g letter pleased me, 
also. There was a nameless something about 
It that made me feel sure she was a nice, lady¬ 
like, little girl—such an one as It would be a 
pleasure for us to know. — Sampson's account 
of his getting lost, was quite thrilling. 1 have 
been trying hard to figure out hla age. It is eight 
years sine® he was lost, and lie was then old 
enough to drive a horse eight miles from home 
on a dark night, all alone! x -his age: x —8— 
age he was at that time I Which one of my 
little cousins who knows how old a boy has to 
be to do such things, and who hasstudied alge¬ 
bra, can help me get the other side of the equa¬ 
tion ?—— Harry S. gave an Interesting account 
of the large Jack rabbits they have out in Ne¬ 
braska. A friend of mine who has lived out 
West had Just, been telling me about them 
before 1 read Harry’s letter. I suppose my 
little cousin haB eaten a bird they have there 
called the "sage grouse.” My friend says it 
feeds upon the sage, which grows to a great 
hlgtit where the land is poor, and its flesh Is 
flavored with tho herb- that it has to be boiled 
up in water, and the water thrown away, before 
it is prepared for the table. My dear little 
cousin, Nellie, has been well taught; and, bet¬ 
ter yet, she has profited by her instructions. 
Her perseverance in the matter of letter writ¬ 
ing is only a foreshadowing of the indomitable 
energy and perseverance she will exhibit when 
s!i" becomes a woman. 1 am very sorry her 
poor mother is so afflicted; and am pleased she 
was able, after all, to take the dear old Rural 
to cheer her. Flora C.’s family seem to be 
doubly fortunate, for they have two copies of 
that charming weekly in the house! I hope J 
she and Wtt.a M. will And each other pleasant 
I -corrasiiondents. 
i I shall be most happy to adopt Young Amer¬ 
ica as one of my cousins, and doubtless all of 
you will give him a hearty welcome to your 
ranks. I wasrather amused at hi* taking Cousin 
Johnnie for a Young Ruraliht I He says ho 
is “ In Ids Infancy ns a writer, has perseverance, 
J and wishes to be criticised." Good! Iu that 
ease ho will be sure to Improve. To begin, then, 
my dear cousin, it is bad, us a general rule, to 
commence a mnv sentence with “ and," as you 
have done in the second, third and fourth sen- 
| tences of your letter. Iu the other two casoB 
(where It was followed by " now") It was admis¬ 
sible. You must be careful, also, In your choice 
ol’ words. Select not such as are large and high- 
sounding only, hut thoso which best express 
your meaning, and are most appropriate, w heth¬ 
er little or big. Some young writers make the 
grave mistake of thinking largo words and 
flowery sentences will atone for tho want of 
idea*; so always take care, when you write, first 
t.o have something to say, and then to find the 
best way of saying it. If you will pardon me, T 
will quote, t’crbuMm, a sentence of yours which 
seems tome neither clear nor well expressed, 
and show you how it might bo improved:— 
"And think it Is conducive of a kindred spirit, 
springing up among them, which (though per¬ 
haps unacknowledged even to themselves) will 
boa kind of secret attachment for one another.” 
In the first place, it is not quite clear whether 
“it" refers to " the familiar manner iu which 
they speak of ono “ another," or to “ this social 
system of writing," Next,” conducive" is hard¬ 
ly tho word you want, or if used, should be fol¬ 
lowed by the preposition “to," not “of;” as, 
for example, “ Exercise iu tho open air is con¬ 
ducive to health.” If you Hay it is conducive 
ton kindred spirit, you rlo not want tho “ spring¬ 
ing up.’* Kindred spirits, you know, do not 
spring up; flowers, grass, mushrooms, &c., do 
that. Then you say, " which will be a kind of 
secret attachment," See. Now, what is the an¬ 
tecedent of the relative, “which?” Spirit, I 
suppose; but. a kindred spirit la not a secret 
attachment, any more Ihanjaehuir Is a table. 
Now what you wanted to say, as nearly as l can 
understand, was something like this:—This 
frank interchange of opinion will, no doubt, 
reveal to each many kindred spirits, for whom a 
feeling of attachment will, Insensibly, grow up. 
Judging from Maria G. F.'a letter, I .should 
say she has very good descriptive powers for a 
lil.l le girl. Let her look in the dictionary for 
" Tautology," and she will sec what she must 
guard against next. time. I liked Lillie M. 
N.’s letter about her pets; end I was Interested 
In La Ten Pol lay’s new engine of death. I 
was able to understand all about Ho? “ darning 
needle" arrangement till it came to the " melt¬ 
ed lead and the “ writing paper; " and while l 
was living to decide what use Urn load was, 
and whether It. was to go on the paper or the 
cat-tall or tho needle, the first thing I knew 
that squirrel was shot!—I am sorrv, for hi* 
own sake, that Young lUcn has such a con¬ 
tempt for women ; because you can a J ways tell 
from the way la which a man, young or old, 
speaks of our sex Just what kind of women he 
has been accustomed to associate with. If with 
poor specimens, he will invariably allude to 
thorn its contemptuously a* Young Bach docs! 
, But if, on the contrary, bJs mother, sisters or 
intimate feiuulolrlends are intelligent, educat¬ 
ed, refined and virtuous, he will speak of 
women with tho grcntaBt respect, listen to their 
advice, seek their friendship before that of hla 
own sex, arid if In? be very enthusiastic, will 
look upon them as out little Ins* than the an¬ 
gels! 1 will not trouble myself to criticise the 
rhetorical construction ol this youth’s letter. 
I wish, however, he would read ’Squire Lead 
Pencil's article on “ The Use of Slang Words,” 
in the Rural of February 14. 
i e fteler. 
We are always glad to receive contributions 
for this Department. 
ILLUSTRATED REBU8,—No. 12. 
„ nix Ru 
A '»/ V X 
Answer in two weeks. 
WORD-SQUARE.-No 5. 
1. A man’s name. 2. A musical instrument. 
3. Vines. 4. A bird’s home. C. Townley. 
Answer in two weeks. 
PROBLEM.—No. 7. 
Demonstrate that the square root of 3 is 
impossible. t>l . K . t>. 
Answer in two ween... 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-March 21. 
Miscellaneous Enigma No. 8.— Gehlen (dis¬ 
coverer of arseniureted hydrogen, a single bub¬ 
ble of which destroyed his life). 
llrDDEN Animals No. 1.—1. Fox. Z. Do". 3. 
Bear. 4. Calf. 5. Monkeys. 6. Lamb. 7. Po’iyJ 
cal. 8. Man. 
Abial Thomas’s Problem, in Rural of March 
i.- Vv’e have received several responses, all of 
which are 45. 
Illustrated Eebus No. 10— Illinois. 
