than Florence Nightingale, Marta Edoe- 
wouth, Joanna Bah.me, Caroline Hbr- 
s< m ll, Harriet Maktineac, and wo could 
piolong the list. Thera is a place for everybody 
in the world, whether married or single, and 
work enough lor all to do. 
It seems that flirtation* are Indulged in by 
American ladles ” with the same moderation 
that spices are used.” It is pleasing to hear so, 
ply, 11 lie had a great many, and if yon care to 
listen 1 will enumerate a few of them. He 
wiped his feet when lie came In and closed the 
door after him, thereby showing that ho is 
careful. He instantly gave up hi* seat to an old 
man who Is lame, allowing that Im is kind and 
thoughtful, lie took off his cat* when he came 
In and answered my questions promptly and 
respectfully, showing that bo Is polite and gen¬ 
tlemanly. He picked up the book that I had 
purposely laid on the floor .and replaced it upon 
the table, while all the rest eitbor stepped over 
if or shoved it aside; and he waited quietly for 
his turn, instead of positing and erowding, 
which evinces nu honest and orderly disposi¬ 
tion. When I talked with him i noticed that 
his clothes were cleanly brushed, bis hair in 
nice order and his teeth as white us milk ; and 
when he wrote his name I also noticed that his 
Anger-nails wero clean, instead of being tipped 
with .pit like that handsome little fellow's in 
the blue jacket. Don’t you term those things 
letters of recommendation? T do, and I would 
give more for what l can tell about a boy by 
using my eyes for ton minutes than all the line 
letters you can bring me. 
MY NEIGHBOR 
ONE LIE BRINGS ANOTHER 
There’s Just, one thing I want to say. 
My sisters and ray brothers. 
And that, is, if you tell one lie 
Vou are sure to tell some others. 
I know at times It’s very bard 
To own a nangtity action. 
But truth, once uttered, (ills the heart 
\V ith Joyous satisfaction. 
While, it yon stoop to tell a lie, 
To cover up wrong-doing. 
Your heart Is filled with guilty dread, 
With hopeless won oral ruing. 
IOU darn not bravely meet the eye 
Of father or of mother, 
And to cover up the llu you’ve told, 
Vou ere sure to tell another. 
A child’s first lie, like item's llrst glass 
Of rum. or ale, or whisky. 
Makes way for morn to follow fust, 
And Is dangerous aud risky. 
Without the first glass you are safe 
From tao drunkard's thirst of tire ; 
And if the Brat lie's never told, 
You’ll never be a liar I 
Jonathan Bliss lives over the way, 
And every morning at break of day. 
When to the meadow 1 wend my way 
To milk my cow, 
I get a bow 
From Jon A'fUAN, over tbo wav. 
Eyes of the deepest, tenderest blue 
That smiles may ripple or tears bedew. 
Or lovellght kindle with passion true, 
Are his whose art 
ttas won my heart. 
Are JONATHAN'S, over the way. 
Hair of the brightest, loveliest shade 
That brown iu the sunshine over made, 
Or daintiest chapeau overlaid, 
Has he whose smile 
Knoweth no guile, 
Has Jonathan, over the way. 
Acres of wheat, of hurley and corn,— 
Workmen awaiting the dinner-horn, 
Flocks that are thriving and Bocks forlorn 
Feeding on hills. 
Or emitting at ribs, 
Has Jonathan, over the way. 
Honor and wealth and goodness combined 
Treasures of purne and treasures of mind— 
Perfect Is be as any you’ll And, 
Is he whose praise 
Inspires rny lays, 
Is Jonathan, over the way. 
June, 1875. 
MOTHERS-IN-LAW 
!i,ull K very well. But alie is no queer ; and she 
Is always meddling with matteVa that do not 
concern her. Sho even trie* to dictate about 
the children's clothes, Is forever criticising my 
way of cooking and telling Jeremiah how ex¬ 
travagant | am, and that 1 will bo his ruin yet 
if he does not take better care of bis pocket 
book. I declare. I’m thoroughly disgusted with 
mothers-in-law in general anil mine in particu¬ 
lar.” 
Who has not heard such a complaint from 
wifely Iipa a score or more of times? Few, in¬ 
deed, are the matrons who have not. indulged 
in this murmuring against the husband's moth¬ 
er. We never hoar It but we Wonder If that fair 
young wife who, years ago, left the dear home 
of her childhood and youth tor one chosen by 
him whom aim evidently loves more than all 
the world beside, would bo willing to have her 
brother’s wife speak in such an unkind way of 
he)' mother, that sho so longs to see, and Iroui 
whose lip* she so much desires to hear the 
blessed words of sympathy and affection. 
Would not the flush of honest indignation rise 
upon cheek and brow If sho should boar “ Jer¬ 
emiah" speaking In such a harsh way of his 
mother-in-law? -calling her a meddlesome old 
woman, and declaring that life was hardly en¬ 
durable when bis wife's mother made her ap¬ 
pearance. 
Again, does not every mother expect her sons 
and daughters will marry sooner or later? What. 
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRENTICES 
Tm.rnT.ow Weed, who was himself 
an appren¬ 
tice, and who subsequently became and still Is 
prominent, thus writes about apprentices who 
became great men: 
Shoemakers' apprentices read with pride that 
Roger Sherman of Connecticut, one of the 
signers of the Declaration of Independence 
learned their trade, and that Henry Wilson, 
V Ice-President of the United States, was work¬ 
ing as a Journeyman shoemaker whau Brat 
elected to the Legislature of Massachusetts. 
Millard Fillmore, a late Vice-President and 
President ol the United Slates, was an appren¬ 
tice in a country clothier's establishment, 
Andrew Johnson, another late Vice-President 
and President of the United States, learned 
and worked at the tailors' trade. Simon Cam¬ 
eron, formerly Secretary of War and now 
United States Senator, was originally a printer. 
David IC. Carter, formerly a member of Con¬ 
gress from Ohio, now Chief Justice of the 
Court in the District of Columbia, was my ap¬ 
prentice at Rochester. Several mechanics have 
been Mayors of tha City of New York, promi¬ 
nent among whom were Stephen Allen, Gideon 
Lee and James Harper. Daniel Cady, for more 
than thirty years one of the most distinguished 
lawyers our State ever produced, served his ap¬ 
prenticeship mid worked a* a journeyman shoe¬ 
maker until he was twenty-four years old. 
MAJOR: 
A SEQUEL TO “THE V1LLACE PET." 
BY MARY (JonNNtE) BARTLETT, 
The worthy editors of the lUrttAL have voted 
against “serial*,” which is the reason why 
Cousin Johnnie no longer writos letters to the 
numerous Rural Cousins who clamor for criti¬ 
cism ; but they have never said anything against 
sequels, so I shall go on telling you about Major, 
our village pet. 
Major lias now been a resident among us for 
more than four months, and is as great a fayor- 
iLo as ever. He still continues to l>o his own 
master, although t wo or throe mercenary Indi¬ 
viduals whom he has visited have ungratefully 
sold him at divers times to different persons for 
a couple of dollars ; but Major denies tbo right 
of any one to make merchandise of him, and 
when he Undslilmaelf in bondage takes, a* the 
saying la, “French leave." Just now be is 
quite intimate at our hnus6 r coming three or 
four times a day, and occasionally remaining 
all night. He take* possession of the stoop 
and frightens off all stray oats with his big, 
base bark the moment they show their whisker* 
inside the yard, although he Is on very friendly 
terms with our own cats, lie also puts to 
flight In the same manner sundry suspiclous- 
looklng itinerant venders iff bard clams, eels, 
etc. This watchful care he seems to exercise 
in return for the many good meals and the pot¬ 
ting he receives at our hands. 
Major seems to understand every word that 
is said to him. So mo times my sister will say, 
"I have nothing for you tills morning, Major. 
Como back at dinner-time and you shall have 
some bones." And sure enough, before wo are 
through dinner, back ho will como to remind 
her of her promise. One day, when she gave 
him a couple of big bones, be, having evident ly 
already dined, went to a remote corner of the 
garden, dug a hole With his paws, put In one of 
the bones and, using bis nose as a shovel, cov¬ 
ered It up, after which he found another re¬ 
tired spot and in the same manner planted the 
other bone for future reference, if he happens 
to be very hungry when he cornea, he will put 
AN EXPLANATION, 
On reading article “In Defense," In Rural 
of June 19, I was surprised to learn that in a 
recent article on Women's Rights and Wrongs, 
1 penned “a scutching criticism” on "our sex.” 
I acknowledge my inability to undertake a con¬ 
troversy with the writer of “In Defense." I 
will be content with a small space In the Rural 
in order to argue some points upon which she 
Is pleased to differ with me—Only adding that 
my intention was not t< 
to point out a few of 
> criticise our sex, but 
our faults, even If J ran 
the risk of being taken to task by some of tny 
" sisters." I trust I told nothing but the truth. 
We all know the proverb about “Tolling the 
truth and shaming,” etc. 
We women have been so long flattered and 
praised that we imagine wo are us near perfec¬ 
tion as possible,aud have wo fault* worth men¬ 
tioning. Should any person think differently 
aud express his or her thoughts openly, w'e re¬ 
gard it as our duty to be very indignant, aud to 
let such persona know that, whatever they may 
say of the faults and frailties of man, they are 
stepping on dangerous ground when they men¬ 
tion those of women. I should not ho u woman 
If! did not think our sex had loss faults than 
the others, hut If I thought, wo had none I 
should have tu go through the world blindfold 
to escape observing them. 
It seems the word " law” must not bo applied 
to the custom of extreme dress. I consider It 
to be one Of the laws of which there is no code, 
like the law of good society, which requires us 
to eat peas with our fork; certainly If we chose 
tocat. them with our knife, weshould be ueitber 
Imprisoned nor lined, but we should suffer the 
penalty of being looked down upon and laughed 
at. If we do not dress fashionably in the same 
way society ridicules us. It Is amusing 
to watch in a crowded car how quickly four or 
Uve gentlemen will rise and offer a lady a seat 
if * lie be richly and fashionably dressed ; but if 
a lady comes In dressed in a plain print, with 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS.-No. 2 
Answer in two weeks, 
DECAPITATION.—No, 1 
My whole Is a weapon used by the ancients 
in war. 
Behead my first and l am a kind of fruit. 
Behead my first again and I am a part of the 
head. 
From my whole take out my third letter and 
I am a part of a mast. 
From my whole behead my first aud last and 
1 am vegetable. 
From my whole take out my first and third 
and I am equal. 
|3?“ Answer in two weeks. h. f. s. 
THE RIGHT KIND OF A WIFE 
What a blessing to a household is a merry, 
cheerful woman—one whose spirits are not af¬ 
fected by wet days or little disappointments- 
one whose milk, of human kindness dees not 
sour in the sunshine of prosperity! Such a 
woman In the darkest hours brightens the 
hou3e like a piece of sunshiny weather. The 
magnetism of her smiles arid the electrical 
brightness of her looks and movements, infect 
every one. The children go to school with a 
sense of something groat to be achieved ; the 
husband goes into the world In a conqueror’s 
spirit. No matter how people annoy and worry 
him all day, far off her presence shines and he 
whispers to himself, “At home I shall find 
rest!” So day by day sho literally renews Ids 
strength and energy. And If you know a man 
with a beaming face, a kind heart and a pros¬ 
perous business, in nine cases out of ten you 
will find lie has a wife of this kind. 
CHARADE.—No. 1 
the wee toddlers In the village. I met him the 
other day walking majestically along, with a 
very proud and happy expression on his noble 
countenance, towing behind him a baby of 18 
months old, who trotted along, holding fast to 
the huge,busliy tail, shouting aud talking “gib¬ 
berish” (I beg baby’s mother’s pardon) in the 
most delighted manner. But there—time’s up. 
I must stop. 
Mr first is distilled from the flowers of spring ; 
Aly second is thought a most changeable tiling. 
My first and my second, together, are reckoned 
To taste like my first, and change like my 
Becond. 
83^“ Answer in two weeks. e. 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-July 3. 
Miscellaneous Enigma No. I.-“Trifles 
make the sum of life." 
Central Puzzle No. L—Broadway. 
Hidden Insects No. I.-l, Fly; !J, Bee; 3, 
Bug; 4, Gnat; 5, Ant; 0, Flea. 
Diamond Puzzle No. 1.— 
FOR BOYS TO REMEMBER 
A gentleman advertised for a boy to assist 
him Iu his ofllce, and nearly 50 applicants pre¬ 
sented themselves to him. Out of the whole 
number he in a short time selected one and 
dismissed the rest. 
“I should like to know," said a friend, “on 
what ground you selected that boy, who had 
not a single recommendation ?” 
“ You are mistaken, my friend,” was the Ire- 
Miss Ingelow, It is stated, is a native of Bos¬ 
ton, In England, and passed her early life amid 
the quiet surroundings and avocations of the 
English girl. She Is now about forty-five years 
of age and lives with her widowed mother In a 
retired part of London, “ Iu a quiet street,” as 
she has said, “where all the houses are with 
window boxes full of flowers.” 
