MAY 48 
n--r 
>« • 
MOORE’S RURAL WEW-YORS4EB. 
IN THE SPRING-TIME. 
BT RUNE BLUFF. 
A CHILD crept ont from a oottage door, 
Where shadows pltived on the sanded Boor; 
She snatched the flowers In her hands so wee, 
Laughing aloud In her Innocent glee. 
She threw the Hossoms, so tender and fair. 
And they lodged, us they fell. In the rings of her 
hair. 
Playing ubota In the green, green grass, 
Kissed hy the xephvrs thut over her pass. 
Dear little baby 1 sweet, prattling thing! 
Life’s tender spring-time, in Nature’s glad spring. 
A girl danced out In Iho morning dew. 
Away where the Brat sweet wtld-flowers grew ; 
tier hnlr fell free, and her happy song 
Went baok with the broese as she tripped along; 
8ho was browned by the sun and her hoarl was gay, 
And glad na the birds that bright spring day. 
Iter hut, by It* azure ribbons hung. 
Across her arm she gaily swung, 
And in It shn dropped each bloomy bit, 
As from Its stem she gathered it. 
How tho years go by I Another spring 
Has oome to us on Time's fleet wing ! 
And there stauds bofore me a maiden fair, 
With bridal flowers twined lu her hulr; 
Bright blUBhea play o’er the sweet young face, 
Oh 1 seek not to hide them, veil of laeo I 
Her little hand, In Its snowy gloro, 
Rests lu a palm whose clasp Is love; 
And two young hearts to tho silvery obtme 
Of the tame love-tune are boating time. 
My thoughts go on as the two stand there, 
Promising good and III to share; 
And what to them of weal or woe 
The years will bring, I fain would know. 
Will tho world keep bright, ’neath the niaglo spell 
That oharms them nowt Ah, who cun toll I 
When Time has stolon the tender grace 
Of youth away from maiden’s face. 
When their lives’ spring-time has passed away, 
In their heart* may Ite freshness ever stay. 
-—- 
GREETING FROM TEE PRAIRIES. 
Rural,— yet should not do *o, after what we 
have recently given on tho same subject, hut 
for tho timely and eloquent remark* on flowers 
which follow. Not that wo fall to appreciate 
what is said of the Rural, but because our 
readers may not like too much of even a good 
thing. Such a greeting is certainly most grati¬ 
fying, and stimulates us to renewed efforts to 
continuously render this journal as useful, ac¬ 
ceptable aud Indispensable as if appears to be 
lathe family of our kind and complimentary 
correspondent.—[E d. 
“IT 18 THE FASHION.” 
Thin, scraggy, badly made women invented 
hoop skirts and puffed out drossos which gave 
the hips huge proportions, and they said, “It 
is tho fashion." 
Benutlfully formed women, who required no 
stuffing, consented to the disfigurement, and 
they too sold, “ Lt is the fashion.” 
Short little women invented high hcols and 
high head-dresses, making the face In the mid¬ 
dle of the body, and they Bald, “ rt la the fash¬ 
ion." Tall und graceful women, with a sigh, 
said, "It In Iho fashion.” and so made them¬ 
selves too tall, giving the dwarf the stature that 
nature, without high heels and high boad-dress- 
es, had bestowed upon them. 
Women with large, fat feet, thick ankles and 
low Instep said, “ Wo must bide our feet and 
ankles.” They invented long, dragging dresses, 
and said, " It Is the fashion." Then all women, 
with dear little foot, said, “0, dear, it is the 
fashion, and we, too, must wear long dresses." 
That long dresses have a certain style about 
them Is not to bo denlod, and a pretty woman 
can manage to show Just a glimpse of a small 
foot, a high Instep and a well turned ankle. 
Dresses with trails may he worn lu a drawing 
room (tho carpet supposed to be clean) and in 
a carriage ; but in the streot, dragging through 
mud and dirty water, making tho stockings 
filthy, it Is the very hlght of folly and extreme 
of vulgarity. 
-♦ ♦♦ ■ - 
MADAME LOYSON ON TEMPERANCE. 
Reading for the §oung. 
DOLLY’S LULLABY. 
A Nursery Rhyme. 
Husti-A-nv. Baby! Four baby. Mamma, 
No one hut Pussy may come » here you are; 
Soft-footeil Pussy alone muy pass bv, 
For, If he wakens, your baby will cry. 
Husb-a-by. Dolly! Jfy baby arc you. 
Yellow-balrod Dolly with eyes of bright bluo; 
Though l say " Ilush 1" because Mother does so, 
You would not ory like hvr baby, l know! 
Hnsh-a-by, Baby ! Mamma walks about, 
Sings to you sortly, or rocks yon without: 
If you slept sounder, then 1 might walk too, 
Sing to my Dolly, aud rock her llko you. 
Hush-a-bv, Dolly 1 sleep sweetly, my pet 1 
Dear Mamma made you this lino bassinet; 
Muslin and dltulty, ribbon sad laco— 
When had a luiby a cosier place ? 
Hush-a-by, Baby ? the baby who pries. 
Why, dear Mamma, don’t you shut Baby’s eyes '! 
Pull down his wire, as I do, you sou, 
Lay hint by Dolly, and come out with mo. 
ITush-a-hy, Dolly ! Mamma will not spenlc; 
You, my dear baby, would sleep for a week. 
Poor Mamma’s baby allows herpo rest; 
Hush-u-by, Dolly, of babies tho best! 
THE PETS OF OTHER DAYS. 
BY PAUL HU V EKE. 
oca “SUNHOWIR • AMD CANARY "DICK.” 
Aftkr the loss of tho cat “Susan,” (see Ru¬ 
ral of Jan. 24, page 67.) there was a long time 
wo had no pets. Rut one day as I was going an 
errand I met a little acquaintance whoso name 
was Little, and he hail a little yellow, dwarf¬ 
ish looking dog, that to my eye looked neither 
handsome nor plucky; hut the moment he 
offered to give It to me I was elated with Joy. 
I could hardly bollevn ho was In earnest, but 
after bocomlng convinced, I scaled tho gift In 
tny boyish way with— 
THE RURAL AND FLOWERS STRONGLY 
APPRECIATED. 
After a lapse of many long months the 
Rural New-Yorkru Is again a welcome vis¬ 
itor at our home. Fen and Ink fall to portray 
the real Joy I experienced at again being per¬ 
mitted to look upon Its dear old fane. At last 
they arrived, fourteen of them (back numbers) 
neatly folded. The sight of them cheered my 
spirits, and afeelingof freshness diffused Itself 
Into my very being as I enjoyed the pleasure of 
unfolding, sewing and cutting each number 
and eagerly perusing its contents. It was llko 
greeting an old and much-esteemed friend, 
after a separation of many years, and through 
that friend receiving glad tidings from many 
Others —for do I not recognize the familiar 
names of many old contributors whose kind 
and sympathizing letters have cheerod my heart 
in days ugoue? Everything,animate and inan¬ 
imate, appoared to partake of our heartfelt 
Joy. Tbcro seemed to be a new Joy depicted 
over nil fair nature’s face. Tho trees, the grass, 
the budding flowrets, all seemed to wave it a 
gentle welcome. 1 wonder, now, bow I ever 
moved on In my usual routine of domestic du¬ 
ties, for one long year, without it* over-ready 
pages to consult for useful Information. I did 
not relinquish it without murmuring, and never 
COUUI have submitted had not circumstances 
rendered It necessary. I have resolved upon 
one thing, however, uever to try to do without 
the Rural again. It would not he economy. I 
have had a pretty severe trial flow, and 
am aware that we are all happier and hotter 
satisfied with ourselves aud our surroundings 
with tho Rural as a weekly visitor. I read 
many excellent papers and magazines, but de¬ 
clare the Rural to be (to my ojind) far superior 
to any of thorn for a family paper. Its contents 
are chaste, aud of the highest literary merit. 
It really does one good to bat he the soul In the 
pure and softened light of its pages. AVe owe 
its Founder a debt of gratitude we can never 
repay. May he live many years to enjoy the 
fruits of his labor, and may his duj s be crowned 
with peace and prosperity. 
Allow me to aay to the lady readers of tho 
Rural before closing this, that the beautiful 
wild flowers of our prairies are beginning to 
put forth their tiny heads from amid the clusters 
of grass, aud we are made sou!-happy by their 
sweet fragrance. Very soon now, as the result 
of April showers, will our prairies be adorned 
with a soft bod of these delightful spring offer¬ 
ings. Whoever said, “ Flowers are tho Alpha¬ 
bet of Angels," said well—for do they not speak 
to us with the tongues of angels? AVlto Is not 
made holler aud happier by communing with 
nature ? We love the flowers, because tbey lift 
our hearts Heavenward, and our thoughts to 
themes pure • ’idholy. Certainly wearo brought 
nearer to God by thus communing with the 
works of Nature. 1 could write pages upon the 
subject of flowers, but am afraid tho Editor, 
though usually kind and Indulgent, will think 
my letter of " greeting" quite lengthy—but yet 
I always connect the Rural and flowers as two 
things which cannot be separated. 
Mrs. M. Hutzel. 
Wamego, Kan., April, 1874. 
At the riBk of being thought Tain, we publish 
the above apparently sincere tribute to the 
Mmr. Loyson, the American wife of Father 
Hyaclnthe, lias addressed her fellow country¬ 
women through a Now York paper, with some 
earnest words of encouragement, to cheer them 
ou in their crusade against intemperance. Her 
strong words regarding (lie terrible effects of 
intemperance in this country are none too 
strong. Of her faith Jn the methods adopted 
by the crusaders, wc have nothing to spy. On 
this subject we have expressed our own opin¬ 
ions freely. Rut her views on the causes of the 
prevailing malady of the American people nro 
somewhat novel and worth considering. She 
say* lt is a tnaladyof the stomach. “Consclcn- 
tous people become dyspeptics ; non-cot)*c!en- 
ttouspooplc become dr 1 niters.” The appetite 
for drink, she thinks, la cultivated at our tables 
'• By the use of coffee, tea, pepper, pickles, mus¬ 
tard, spices, too much salt, hot bread and pas¬ 
try, raw meat and grease and, above all, by tho 
use of tobaoco." Tho appetite for drink is tho 
cry of an Inflamed stotuucb, and she recom¬ 
mends the use of soup, milk and salad, prepared 
with good oil and the cultivation of grapes for 
puro native wine, by way of remedy or pre¬ 
vention. 
- 4*4 - 
WOMEN PERSONALS. 
Mary E. Jones, colored. Is “postmistress" 
at Boydtown, Va. 
Barnstable Co., Mass., has a woman, Mr«. 
Elizabeth C. Norris, for Assistant Register of 
Deeds. 
Maggie Mitchell Paddock baa bought a 
6-acro lot at Long Brunch, near Edwin Booth’s, 
for $05,000. 
Amber Jewelry Is shown iu many styles and 
designs, and, we are assured by those having a 
large stock on hand, will bo more fashionable 
this season than ever before. 
Mbs. M. L. Fletcuer and her daughter, of 
Burlington, Vt., have given $1,000 to the Con¬ 
gregational Society In Essex. 
Some one asks Mr. Beecher for hls " Opinion 
In full," whether It l* right to sell articles at a 
fair by lottery; whereupon Mr. Beecher re¬ 
plies:—“Opinion In rull—No." 
Miss Brown of Sekonk, It. I., has recovered 
$ll),500 damages from tho city of Providence for 
Injuries received from the explosion of a blast 
at some excavations on Camp street. 
"The most difficult thing to reach Is « wo¬ 
man’s pocket, especially if the dress is hungup 
lu a closet, and the man is In a hurry,” says the 
Danbury News; but the women themselves 
have a different opinion on the subject. 
Mary B. Burton, a woman 90 years old, who 
has for many years lived alone on a farm at 
Vassalboru, Me., and deprived herself of many 
of the necessaries of life, died a few days ago 
and bequeathed her property to the mission¬ 
aries. 
Mrs. Hicks of New York, the lady to whom 
Gon. Sohonuk of Ohio proposes to take back to 
London as his bride, has quite a ronnyitic his¬ 
tory. By birth she Is a South American. Her 
parents. North Americana and Northerners, 
were living In Brazil when she was born. Her 
name la Annetta; but her lineage Is English, 
not Spanish. She married an elderly, very 
wealthy man, but lived In retirement until after 
his death. 
*• King, k’ng, give a thlug, 
Never take R buck ugain." 
And doggy and I went homo. I didn’t feel 
proud of him; 1 couldn’t; and going Into the 
house half ashamed of the company I was 
brluglng home, I waB not surprised when 
mother greotod my pet with, “Get out, you 
homely man’s dogl” But l plead for him, ami 
assured my m >ther that ho was "a great deal 
bettor than ho looked." So she allowed him 
to stay witti us, and that night he went with 
brother and myself to bed. 
Wo slept In an unfinished attic thon, and the 
white front glistened on the nails that above 
our headB hold the shingles on the roof—and 
bow they snapped under tho cold air I Nulls 
don’t like the cold, and they shrink under it, 
making as much fuss In their way as little boy* 
and girl* do when their lingers Jieho with the 
cold. They grow abort, contract, and some¬ 
times break off with a report like a gun. Then.' 
nails used to frighten tho two little fellow 
that slept under tho roof, who know nothing 
of the air or tho action of It as a working agent 
on metals. They did not know that during 
tho hot day* of summer the iron fences aud 
railroad tracks were longer than In winter, and 
that builders had to allow apace for them to 
expand and shrink us the season affected 
them ; and there nro few persons of the older 
class who know that the molder who makes 
models for Iron castings has to make them an 
eighth of on Inch larger to tho foot than the 
order, to allow for the shrinkage In the cooling 
The loosening of tires In summer Is also partly 
caused by the expansion of tho Iron. These 
nails when they shrink from oold, draw up 
toward tho bead, and if tho wood hugs them 
so tight they cannot shorten they snap off. 
You have noticed on houses not painted the 
uallawork out a little; that, too, Is the work 
of tho weather. The power of the air Is very 
groat. Freezing water in a brass globe an Inch 
thick will expand and break tho globe lu two, 
which requires a pressure of over87,000 pounds. 
Rut thoso two little fellows knew nothing 
about this, and had nobody to tell them, s< 
they thought old Jack Frost was a hoary olu 
gunner that might some night pick them off. 
Rut that dog, when he heard a stout old mill 
snap, would stick his heud out from boneutk 
the clothes and bark. That was enough for us, 
and we fed him and petted him for tfiroo short 
days, when I met the boy who gave 1.1m to us. 
He want sd him back, and I did uot want him 
to go; neither did “Sunflower" want to go. 
A wrangle ensued, und " Sunflower," to aid me, 
bit Lis former master. Tuai night Mr. Little 
made a demand for the dog of my father, who 
gave him to him, aud “Sunflower” forfeited 
his life for the bite. 
We were Hourly distracted at this sudden 
loss of our homely friend, who, though posses¬ 
sing no beauty or form to please, had won us 
by iiie good qualities of heart. At last our 
tears were dried and our hearts made whole by 
a gift of a canary. Down came the old bobo¬ 
link’s cage to be cleaned and repaired for the 
reception of “ Dick." Bo, hanging “ Sunflower " 
up In memory, the picture gullery of tho heart, 
we began to look out for and cherish the little 
songster that was sent to make us whole. 
"Dick” was a German canary, with a green¬ 
ish-gray feathered coat, and ho could warble 
lu the flute and bubble notes in a very scholar¬ 
ly stylo ; and ho was so tame, we used to allow 
him to oOmo out of the cage and lly about the 
room. Ho would light upon tho tabic mid oat 
out of our hands, and as a freedom privilege 
we seldom ever shut hint In; so ho had the 
freedom of tho room, Just as some highly 
honored persons are given the freedom of 
groat cities, and could do just as ho liked. 
And although ho was a prlsonor ho was too 
bouornhlo to (ly away, even when tho windows 
were open, Ono line day in summer mothor 
thought it was too bud t<* deprlvo “Dick” of 
1) 1 m liberty by keeping him In the house, and 
taking a towel she drovo him out of doors, and 
ho flow and lit cm a plum troo In tho garden, 
and all day long chirped sadly and fluttered 
bofore a hungry cut that ran up tho troo. Night 
came, and with it oarno father, who wont out 
and hung tlm cage ort the fence, and “Dick” 
again took possession of his cage, was carried 
Into the house, and was ono of tho family for 
several years, lie at last slckeued and died, 
and went where all good birds go. 
♦ —-- 
A CHAPTER ON MANNERS. 
It is a sign of bad manners to look over the 
shoulders of a person who is writing, to see 
what Is written. 
It Is bad manners to occupy a seat while 
other people stand around wit hout a seat. 
It U bail manners to go Into any person’s 
house without taking off your hat. 
It Is bad manners to use profane language in 
tho presence of dooont oompany. 
It ta bai mauuera to use your own knife at 
meals In cutting off a piece of meat, or to use it 
on the butter dish—get a clean knife. 
it Is bad manners to go Into any person’s 
house with mud or dirt on your shoos. 
It Is bad manners to talk in oompany when 
others are talking, or to talk or whisper In 
ohurch. 
lt la bud manners to talk in company to ono 
or two persons about some subject which tho 
others do not understand. 
It Is bad manners to stare at strangers in 
company or in the street. 
It 1* bad manners to say “ yes" or “no ” to a 
stranger, or to your parents, or to aged people ; 
let It be “ yes, sir,” and “ no, sir." 
It Is bad manners to pick your teeth at the 
table, and bad manners to pick them with a pin 
in avy company. 
It fs bad cue Driers to comb your hair aud 
brush your coat in the eating room. 
It Is a sign of low breeding to make a display 
of your finery or equipage. 
It is bad manners to boast of your wealth or 
prosperity or good fortune In tho presence of 
tho poor or t hose less fortunate than you are. 
It is vulgar to talk mttoh about yourself, and 
It is very low and vulgar to lie. 
It Is bad manners lo stand In the middle of 
tho pavement, when people are passing, or to 
make remarks about those who pass. 
It is bad manners to spit on the floor or car¬ 
pet, or to spit at meals, and yet many people 
who think they are genteel do It. If you must 
spit- at meals, get up und go out. Children 
ought to be taught at. school that spitting is 
mere habit. 
filthier. 
We are alwayx ylad to receive .contributions 
for this Department. 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA-No. 7. 
M y first is iu old but not in new; 
My second’s in hawk but not In crow ; 
My third la in hoe but Dot lu rako|; 
My fourth is In cow but uot In calf; 
My fifth Is In hot but not lu cold; 
My sixth I* In small but not lu large ; 
My seventh’s In king bul not in queen ; 
My whole is the name of a soa In the Eastern 
Hemisphere. D. w. n. 
ISHT" Answer In two weeks. 
- *44 - 
CHARADE.—No, 3. 
My first la of Insects, a class 
Quite harmless abroad (not abed); 
If my second you happen to pass, 
The beast you have reason to dread. 
Not an antediluvian rare 
Is my whole, though ’tis hard to describe. 
The young and tho tim’rous to scare 
Seems the aim of the innocent tribe. 
Answer lu two wccKC. *** 
Abiai. Thomas* Problem.— As tho answer 
to Mr. Abiai. Thomas’ problem docs uot agree 
with my way of thinking, 1 thought I would 
write you. If A agreed to trade for $100 and B 
for $10, I don’t sea why the difference is not 
rllO; and to split the difference would be $55— 
my answer. If 1 am wrong, 1 stiouhl ltke to he 
Convinced.— Fhebk Fickkking. 
- 44 *- 
Note to Correspondents.— It is useless to 
send us Problems, Charades, Riddles, Ac., for 
this department unless the answers accom¬ 
pany them. 
- 4-44 -. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS-May 2. 
Illustrated Rebus No. 14.—A slight m 
understanding arose "between them. 
Charade No. 3.— Madagascar, 
