MY BOY. 
bt i>. w. c. Packard. 
Come, flve-yenr prattler, to my knee; 
I do you grievous wrong 
To check with frown your childish glee; 
80 , sing your little song. 
You sing as do the woodland birds— 
From an excess of joy— 
Such songs as have no need of words : 
So sing, sing on, my boy. 
This heavy heart, on which you lay 
Your gentle, oateless brow, 
Once laughed and sung Its griefs away— 
Would it could do so now! 
But cares come with the coming years 
That bow the stoutest hoad. 
And dreary days, and lire-wrung tears, 
And mournings for the dead : 
And there arc sorrows deep as death 
Which may you never know, 
My happy child, whose every breath 
Makes loving hearts to glow ! 
But I’ll not east a single, shade 
Athwart your sunny sky, 
For God will keep what he has made. 
With an unwearied eye : 
So now, a kiss—and to your play, 
And l will dream His true, 
Some power has foiled my years away— 
And I’ll be glad with you ! 
Brockton, Mass., June, 1874. 
- - -- 
CHILDREN. 
There are times. In a person's life, no matter 
how busy that life may be, whcii memory will 
return to the days of childhood. Oh! how 
happy those days were ; when we view them 
through tlie dint vista of the past, happier than 
they really were-for the troubles at which we 
laugh to think we called th»;m so, were as real 
to us then as our proseuf ones, ouly more easily 
forgotten. 
“Oh! dear to memory are those hours 
When every pathway ed to (lowers; 
When siiohs of peppermint possessed 
Tbe sceptre's power to sway the breast. 
And heaven was round us while we fed 
On rich amtiroslal ginger bread.'' 
Children have such animal spirits, and bo 
much capacity for enjoyment, that onefeolaaad 
when they soo all the pleasure driven out of 
their young lives, or see them, like the Grad- 
giunps In Dicker's “Hard Times,’’ bound 
down to facts and the " ologlea “ at tho age 
when other children are playing with dolls or 
revelling In tho delights of Arabian Nights or 
Robinson Crusoe. 
All healthy children are more or less mis- 
cbievous. If a child mopes round tho house 
and has no desire to play like other children, 
depend upon it, the child Ib sick or ha* a weak 
constitution. We should not he too severe 
with them when they commit their little faults, 
but remomber our own short-comings when 
young. Who does not recollect when he or she 
broke mamma's best chiua tea-pot, threw a 
ball through the window, or committed «ome 
such offenses. When children ask sensible 
questions, never put them off without an an¬ 
swer; rat her encourage them to ask questions. 
How do you expect they will acquire knowl¬ 
edge, but by observing and questioning. At a 
certain age children begin to notice lor them¬ 
selves, and though papa and mamma may 
preach precept* and not set examples, they do 
not deceive the children. Never make promis¬ 
es that you cannot perform; a promise should 
be a secret thing and always kept, even at a 
little personal Inconvenience. 
As a general rule children do not like work; 
but combine work and amusement and what a 
difference It will make. For Instance, give the 
children a plot of ground, and let them grow 
anything they like, either (lowers or vegetables. 
By tins means they will learn the art of garden¬ 
ing. If children are allowed some slight re¬ 
muneration for their work, they will do It more 
pleasantly. It need not necessarily be In mon¬ 
ey ; a holiday or a party, when a ccrtain amount 
of work Is accomplished, will often give chil¬ 
dren more pleasure. Above all tilings make 
home pleasant for the little ones. Let It be, 
not merely a place to eat and drink in, but also 
a place where kind word* are spoken, where 
that sympathy and unselfishness extst which 
makes home truly happy, and causes us to call 
it the dearest spot on earth. or. p. 
BEAUTY’S ADORNMENTS. 
Hebrew Belles Dress Now as They Did Un¬ 
der Solomon. 
It is an interesting fact, and true to a great 
extent, that the style of dress and ornaments 
of the Hebrew ladles of tbe present day—and, 
in fact, the prevailing toilet of all ladles—is 
muoh the same as during the time of Solomon. 
With all the changos and variations of cen¬ 
turies, the gradations of chign ms and crino¬ 
lines, we now find much of the simple grace 
and easy symmetry of ancient Greece. 
The scriptures narrate a great, many things 
about the style of dress worn In the time of 
Solomon, and In the law of Moses several di¬ 
rections are glvon concerning garments worn 
by the Israelites. In the book of Judges the 
girls of that period are described by Deborah 
as “ A prey of dlvera colors of needlework," 
while Lemuel says, "Their clothing Is of silk 
and purple." In the frequent intercourse be¬ 
tween the Jewish and other nations, tho ladies, 
tired of their simplicity, sought tho fashlonsof 
the clever Egyptians, the elegant Phoenicians, 
and the luxurious Persians. Even patient Job 
became Impatient at the dresses, and Isaiah 
denounces the “women of the period," living 
for nothing hut dress and flirtation, with the 
one desire to “see and be seen." 
Tho tunica worn by the ladles In tbe time of 
Solomon was much like the polonaise of to-day, 
and the belts with fancy clasps now worn arc 
about thB same as the leather girdles and silver 
buckles worn of old. We also find recorded 
that trains wore worn to dresses, and that 
camels’ hair shawls were common. Enibfoid- 
ered mantles, fastened with golden plus, arc 
also spoken of. The hair was also oiled, dyed, 
aid put up In coils; little curls were let hang 
over the forehead, and, strange to say, the 
girls of Solomon's time, It is stated, used paint. 
Veits were worn, and sandals wero made of 
blue and violet-colored leather, with fancy 
lac h eta. Solomon, ns is related, said to Shula- 
niite, "How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, 
O prince’s daughter I" Hair nets were worn, 
and earrings of all form* and much value werc- 
very common. Bracelets on the right arm, 
strings of pearl and heavy gold chains around 
the neck, rings on the fingers, and other orna¬ 
ments, were all worn by the ancient Hebrew 
ladies. 
-- 
ANOTHER LONG-TIME RURALI8T. 
Mr. Editor:— In tho Rural New-Yorker 
of April 25, 1874, Mary of Lyons says her father 
has taken the Rural every year it has been 
published except tho first, year, and wishes to 
know how many can report that they have 
taken it every year it has been published. We 
have anxiously waited to see how many would 
respond, but as yet wo have not seen an answer 
from any one that claimed to have taken it the 
whole time. Now, Mr. Editor, my father says 
that I may positively assure you that he ha* 
taken the Rural every year it has been pub¬ 
lished up to the present dato, that the money 
he has paid for ft ha* boon well Invested, and 
that he could not, consistently do without the 
Rural. My father also says he thinks that tho 
man who Bays the Rural is not worth two dol¬ 
lars a year i* nor a very good judge of the valu¬ 
able Information It contains. I think Mary’s 
father will have to give Up the banner. 
Now, Mr. Editor, l think there are tens of 
thousands of tho roaders of the Rural that 
would Join with me and kindly ask you to 
grant the favor which I so much desire of you. 
• It Is that you will publish your portrait in tho 
Rural that we may have a glimpse of one who 
lias so long boon our weekly friend. Please do. 
. Why not 7 0. A. 
i Nunda, N. Y. 
Heading for the ||ouitg. 
VALIANT HANS. 
AS little Han* aero** the field 
A Jar of milk was bearing, 
There came a dog who at him rushed. 
As If for no one caring. 
This dog—so fiercely did he bark, 
Indeed ’twas hard to bear ti¬ 
tle seised Huns by his only shirt, 
And tried to pnll nod tear It. 
But Hans—now let hla bravery 
Through all tho bind bo spoken— 
Though sorely troubled kept, hts ground, 
Nor let, tho jar bn broken. 
Now tell me If. among you nil 
Who rend this story gravely, 
There’s one who In so bad a strait. 
Hath borne lilmseif more bravely. 
-;-♦♦♦- 
LETTER8 FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
Letter from a California Ctrl. 
Dear Editor:—As ray first lettor was ac¬ 
cepted, I will keep my promise and hope this 
will meet with the same success. 1 saw a com¬ 
munication In the Rural of May 9th, asking 
for Information about California. This is rather 
a busy time with my father, who Is shearing 
sheep, but I will try and inform the reader as 
well a» I can for the present,. Yes, Government 
land can be bought hero at flJM per acre. The 
railroad has every odd section, which is for sale 
also. Bheep raising Is very profitable. Cattle 
also pays well; the southern counties are bel¬ 
ter adapted for stock raising than farming on 
account of the great trouble In getting water. 
The people here are talking of boring artesian 
well*, which would be a great benefit to the 
country. Tho sheep tire herded and fed on 
natural grasses tho year round. San Lula, Obis¬ 
po County, Isoneof tho most healthful climates 
in the southern part, of California. There Is 
school six mouths in the year; but wo expect 
to have it tbe year round very soon,as our pop¬ 
ulation la Increasing from time to time. 1 hope 
those seeking Information will move near us, 
for l will be delighted, especially If there are 
some girls In the family. If there are any more 
inquiries to be made they will bo answered by— 
California Girl. 
ABOUT WOMEN. 
Miss Anna Dickinson Is spending the sum¬ 
mer at Marblehead, Mass. 
Mrs. Harriet A. Tracy la President of the 
Temperance Union of Lansing, Mich. 
Miss Hattie Lewis of New London, Ct„ has 
recently married tho Roman Count Bandalairi, 
at Paris. 
MRS. Susan A. Chapin has been appointed 
postmistress of the recently established office 
at Ludlow, Ma»*. 
MRS. Mary J. Holmes is on tha way home 
from Europe, with a new book for Carleton to 
publish in the fall. 
Mbs. Lizzle Lloyd Pno: nix, the Russian 
diamond scand.il person, la known as the 
"Grande Duchess" In Paris. 
Mrs. Martha Walker Cook, a sister of the 
late Hon. Robert Walker, Is .translating the 
works of Kraal ualti, tho great Polish poet. 
Elizabeth P. Ramsay of London, England, 
lias published an Interesting tale of the Woman 
Suffrage Movement, entitled “Mildred's Ca- 
reer.” 
Mint. Lind-Goldschmidt and Mr. Sims 
Reeves aio each said to have a child whose 
promise of future renown as a singer Is very 
great. 
Mrs. Sarah Kidder of Livermore, Me., will 
be one hundred and three years old iu October 
next, and Is probably the oldest person In the 
State. 
Mrs. Waldron of Newport, R. I., eighty 
years old, took her first steamboat ride, Tues¬ 
day, when she went to Providence, the first 
time for fifty years. 
Mrs. Lydia Blankinship of Marlon, Mass., 
died on Monday, July 6, at the extreme age of 
one hundred years, one month and eleven days. 
On her one bundretli birthday she was In good 
health and attended church. 
The Princess de la Tour d'Auvergne, who Is 
erecting a convent on the Mount of Olives— 
which she has purchased and presented to the 
Catholics—will remain in Jerusalem seven 
years longer. Her sole companions In the little 
cottage where she lives are a dog and cat. 
Mrs. Audubon, m idow of the celebrated nat¬ 
uralist, John J. Audubon, died iu Kellyville, 
Ky., recently, aged eighty-eight years. She was 
a lady of unusual attainments, and was the 
constant companion of her husband In bis 
labor* and travels, and visited the principal 
court* of Europe In hla company. 
From a Georgia Boy. 
Mr. Editor: — I suppose that most of tbe 
Rural boys have the advantage of me In edu¬ 
cation, as my father died before my recollec¬ 
tion, and mother was left a poor widow with 
three of us to raise— my sister, who Is older 
than I am, and my brother that la younger 
than sister and I. My mother has not beon 
able to give us much education, though we 
have more than some boys and girls that have 
a father and mother too. Well, I thought I 
would tell you that brother Georoe and I are 
going to try to make a little crop this year. 
We broke up our corn land in January; we 
made several hill-side ditches, laying them off 
by a levol. We want to begin to plant our corn 
by tho 20th of this month - March, f think It Is 
best to plant corn early In this region. Now 1 
will dose for this time, as I reckon you will 
hardly think my lettor worthy of attention, 
and will throw It by perhaps. Bat I hope ray 
Cousin Luther and many others will write to 
tho Rural often. 8. 8. 8., Monroe, Walton 
Co,, Oa. _ 
From a Little Virginia Girl. 
Dear Rural :—I am a little girl eiuht years 
old and live In Virginia, and like it very well. 
We have such a nice climate, and live 25 miles 
from Washington. I do not have the chills 
here, as I did when we lived lu Michigan, where 
we came from about three years ago. We live 
on a farm and keep horses, cows, hogs and 
sheep, and have a lot of little lambs, besides a 
good many chickens and turkeys. Papa take* 
the Rural and I like to read It very much, es¬ 
pecially thechlldren's column. I have no pets 
but one little sister two years old, and wo have 
nice times playing when 1 am not at school. 
I attend school most of the time, but tblB 1 b my 
Beoond attempt at letter writing, and T am 
afraid you will not think tills worth putting in 
your paper; but If It Is, I will write you and 
tell you more about my home.— Lily of the 
Valley. _ 
From a Central New York Boy. 
Mr. Editor:— Thla is the first time I have 
tried to write for the Rural, and I hope you 
will think it worthy of printing. I live In a 
village and my father keeps a store, and I at¬ 
tend school, but I spend my vacations on a 
farm with my uncle and aunt, grandfather 
takes the Rural, and has taken It every year 
since It was published (excepting the first year), 
and that is where I have seen the letters writ¬ 
ten by boys and girls. My uncle has given me 
two or three lambs and some hen* and chick¬ 
ens, which I call my own, and I have a oat 
that is called “ Pete,” that I think a great deal 
of. Perhaps yon will hear from me again some 
time.— Eddy C. C., Cazenovia , N. Y. 
From a Western New York Girl. 
Mr. Editor:—I have read with pleasure the 
letters in the young people’s department of 
your paper, ami should like to Join their const u- 
shlp, if agreeable to all the cousins, great and 
small. 1 live lu and love the country, and agree 
with some of your correspondent* in saving 
that a person can derivo more real pleasure In 
the country than In the city. I attend a pleas¬ 
ant school, one half mile distant. Three years 
ago our school commissioner had a picnic for 
all the school* under his supervision, at Avon, 
and the next year ho had one at Conesus Luke. 
We bad a pleasant time at both. I sond names 
for Miss Dew-DROP's Bantams. Tbe names are, 
for 'he gold-colored one, “Goldie," and for tho 
white one, “ Pcarlle." nut I must not occupy 
too much space this week In your paper, so I 
say good-by, and think I shall write again.— 
Minnie E., Lima, N. Y. 
From a Young Indiana Farmer. 
Mr. Editor:—I am a farmer’s son, and I am 
a boy of eighteen summers, and am very deeply 
interested in agricultural pursuits. I acci¬ 
dentally saw some of your paper*, and I took a 
fancy to your Rural, and a friend of mine (a 
good, thrifty farmer), who was one of your sub¬ 
scriber* iu 1873, says If I will send for a speci¬ 
men copy he will try to get up a club for vour 
paper, r want you to send me a specimen 
copy of your Rural, and If my friend will not 
get up a dub for I ho paper, I will try what I 
can do. I expect to follow fanning for my 
future occupation, and hence 1 want some 
good agricultural paper, and It appears to me 
that yours Is adapted to both household and 
farming. T will bring my letter to a close by 
hoping to soon recelvo a oopy of Moore's Ru- 
RAL New-Yorker. Good by. Respectlully 
yours-J ohn W. Selby, Alamo, Montgomery 
Co., Ind, __ 
From a North®rn New York Ctrl. 
Dear Mr. Editor : -As thla la the first time 
that X have ever written to your paper, I do not, 
Intend to make my letter very long. I am a 
little girl thirteen yonrs of ago. I have one 
brother and one sister. Wo live on a farm and 
have very good times. My brother and I go to 
school. We had a new school-house built a 
short time ago. We have rather a small ichool 
this spring, lu t so much the better, for wo can 
learn more In a small than In a large school. 
Hot 1 am afraid that 1 am making my letter too 
long. Please excuse nil mistakes. And now, 
Mr. Editor, please don't throw this into the 
, waste basket.— May W m Clinton Co., N. Y. 
Frank’* Question. 
Frank's father. Dr. A., has a cane, the head 
of which has been curved from the tooth of a 
sperm whale into the semblance of an infant's 
! closed hand aud wrist. Frank is a little fel- 
■ low about live years old, and he has always 
boon afraid of that cane, his parents being un- 
1 able to learn why. The other day a friend was 
r In, and tho doctor was showing his oane, re- 
f peatlng tho story about the head being a 
’ Whale’s tooth, &o., and Frank from a safe dis- 
3 tance listened attentively. After the carte had 
been iml away, and his father had gone out, he 
1 approached his mothor, and making bare bis 
3 wrist as far uft as tho length of the cane-head, 
• and closing his hand In Imitation of the carved 
3 ivory, ho raised his hand up before her and 
I asked, “ Mamma, where's that thing that looks 
1 juet so, without any boy to It?"— f. u. o. 
®he gutsier. 
We are always glad, to receive contributions 
for this Department. 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA.—No. 2. 
My first is in rice but not in wheat, 
My second Is in turnip but not in beet; 
My third is lu plant but not In hoe, 
My fourth is in cradle but not In mew; 
My fifth Is In mouse but not in rat, 
My sixth la In leopard but not In cat; 
My seventh is In lead but not In brass, 
My eighth Is In silver but not In glaBs; 
My ninth Is In lamp but not In light. 
My tenth 1 b In brilliant but not in bright; 
My eleventh ia In chat but not In talk. 
My twelfth Is In stagger but not In walk; 
My whole Is a foe to the human race 
And leads to misery and disgrace. 
Dewlttville, N. Y. Roselia. 
J3T Answer In two weeks. 
«♦«- 
RIDDLE.-No. 1. 
Untouched, I chatter here and there. 
Alone or with a noisy group, 
And climb with nimbleness in air 
Or hang suspended by a loop. 
Of my last two doprlved, I sit 
In silent mood from day to day. 
When only twilight shadows flit, 
And sweetly meditate and pray. 
Answer In two weeks. Ada M. 
-- 
PUZZLER ANSWERS-July 4. 
Cross-word Enigma No. I.—Cremation. 
Hidden Rivers Nol— 1. Parana. 2. Dwina. 
3. Irtish. 4. Washita. 5. Oder. 6. Seine. 7. 
Edisto. 8. Oconee. 9. Yazoo. 10. Sangamon. 
11. Indus. 13. Orange. 
Problem No. 1. 18 extra large turkeys; 48 
common turkeys; 27 geeBC; 57 hens. 
