306 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
ing a straw bag, from which he speedily pro¬ 
duced a large leg of mutton. 
“ This is the way to save, evidently, Annie,” 
said he, scarcely waiting to lay aside hla coat 
and bat before he entered on the subject, 
*' Row much do you lay yon pay Jackson per 
pound for a leg of mutton V" 
“Tenpeuce halfpenny,"! replied. 
‘‘Tenpenee balfpcnuyl Frncy that! Tiere 
is a flue leg of mutton, weighing seven pounds 
and a half — riinepenoe per pound—five and 
sevenpence halfpenny only for that splendid 
joint, my dear. Why, let me see. At tenpence 
halfpenny per pnund you would hare paid six 
and sixpence three farthings for that leg of 
mutton. Hero is a clear saving effected on one 
joint of moat only of eleven pence and one 
farthing. But there Is no question, this port of 
shopping ought to be done by a man. It Is not 
at all the sort of thing for a lady. It is neces¬ 
sary to bargain, and that you would not like, 
and I should not like It for you." 
“ But, Jack, the cab 1 I suppose you took the 
cab to carry the leg of mutton. How much did 
you pay for the Cab Y' 
"Ah’."said Jack, "that was two shillings; 
but—" . 
"Oh, Jack,” I cried, “we’re quits, we’re 
quits! Never mind, darling, you’ll learn wis¬ 
dom by experience. Better luck next time- 
only wo can’t at—" 
But Jack had rushed out of the r >om. 
This was in my early housekeeping clays. 
Since that time I have made several attempts 
to buy things at the cheapest, and have often 
found I paid considerably more in the long run 
than I should have done if I had bought them 
in the regular way. I have been taken by ob¬ 
liging friends to wholesale warehouses, where 
they had an introduction, to find that there 1 
could only buy articles hy the dozen. I have 
braved the pressing attentions of furniture- 
dealers, and bidden at auctions, to find that 
when they reached home, the goods l thought 
so excellent wore damaged. I have exchanged 
something 1 did not want for something J did, 
to find that—on my part at least—exchange was 
no robbery; and I think 1 may now congratu¬ 
late myself o» having learned from experience 
a few lessons, which ) would gladly give to 
wives and mothers desirous of cultivating the 
art of abopp.ng. 
Oue of theso lessons is, that there is no econo¬ 
my in buying a third-rate article because it is 
cheap. The best is usually worth the highest, 
price. Of course, in many instances, this kind ' 
of economy cannot be practiced, because the 
money is not at. hand; hut it is well worth a 
thought whether it would net be wiser to put 
off buying anything at tfll until ono can afford 
to buy it good. With children's dresses, for 
example, now a good mu' oriitl can be passed 
from one child to another, then tinned, re¬ 
turned, mado op again, altered, refitted, trim¬ 
med differently, and brought out at last once 
more as good as now. Of cotorse, I am suppos¬ 
ing now that the mother can use her fingers. 
Jf the dress has to be u put out" each time, 
there will not be much saving. Oh, that in 
tiese days of enlightenment it were a little 
more usual for girls to be clever with their 
needles! 
Another, lesson is that a thing is not neces¬ 
sarily good, because it is expensive. Here 
experience and common-sense must come In. 
It is astonishing how soon a little attention 
will enable a person to tell at once whether a 
material is likely to wear, or to wash, or to 
fade, or to fray, or to cut, or any other horror. 
Like every science, the art of shopping requires 
learning, study and forethought; and when it 
is thoroughly acquired by a wife or mother, she 
may by Its aid procure comforts, and even ele¬ 
gances, for a sum, which, without it, merely 
suffices for necessaries. 
-♦-* ♦- 
ZERO'S HISTORY. 
__ f 
Evert one who has seen a thermometer lias 
seen “zero.” The word is from the Spanish, 
and means empty, hence, nothing. It was first 
used on a thermometer in 1709 by a Prussian 
merchant named Fahrenheit. The Northern 
Christian Advocate thus tells the history of 
zero and the man who first used it as a register 
of the cold: 
From a boy he was a close observer of nature, 
and when only nineteen years old, in the re¬ 
markably onld winter of 1709, he experimented 
by putting snow and salt together, and noticed 
that it produced a degree of oold equal to t.bc 
coldest day of the year. 
And that day was tbo coldest day that the 
oldest Inhabitant could remember. Gktbr'el 
was the more struck with the coincidence of 
his little scientific discovery, aud hastily con¬ 
cluded that ho had found the lowest degree of 
temperature known In the world, either natur¬ 
al 'or artificial. 
. He called the degree zero, and constructed a 
thermometer, or rude weather-glass, with a 
scale graduating up from zero to boiling point, 
which he numbered 212, and the freezing poiut 
82, because, ns he thought, mercury contracted 
the 32d ol' ita volume o.i being cooled down 
from the temperature c.f freezing water to zero, 
and expanded ISOtb on being heated from the 
freezing to the boiling point. 
Tima showed that ibis arrangement, instead 
of being truly scientific, was as arbitrary as the 
division of ti e Bible into verses and chapters; 
and these two points no more represented the 
real extremes of temperature than from “Dan 
to Beersheba” expressed the exact ext:ernes of 
Palestine. 
But Fahrenheit’s thermometer had been 
widely adopted with Its inconvenient scale; 
and none thought of any better until ills name 
became an authority; for Fahrenheit finally 
abandoned trade and gave himself up *.o 
science. Then habit made people cling to tho 
established scale, as bnbit makes the English 
cling to the old system of cumbrous fractional 
money. 
The three countries which use Fahrenheit 
are England, Holland and America. Russia and 
Germany use Baume’s thermometer, in which 
the boiling point la counted 80 degrees above 
the freezing point. France uses the cent igrade 
thermometer, so called because it marks the 
boiling point 100 decrees from freezing point. 
On many accounts tbo centigrade system is 
the he*t. and the triumph of convenience will 
be attained when zero Is made the freezing 
point, and when tho boiling point is put 100 or 
1,000 degrees from it, and all the sub divisions 
are fixed decimally. 
If Fahrenheit bad done this at first, or even 
if lie had made it one of his many improve¬ 
ments after the public adopted bis err>T, the 
luck of opportunity, which was really his, 
would have second to hie invention tho pat¬ 
ronage of the world. 
Sill? Jutqaiijr tfiEqld. 
NEW P ABDICATIONS. 
Nebraska— It* Advantages, I? '■sources and 
Drawbacks. Illustrated. Bv Edwin - A CUR¬ 
LEY. Sp -cial Cotnm1**ioner from ‘•The FP-ld ’’ 
(London) to the Emigrant Fields of America, 
f t/irpe 1- mo. i p. 136.1 Mow York : Anno loan and 
rOielzn Publication Co., and American News Co. 
Twenty years ago the organization of the 
vast unoccupied 1 rrritcry west of the State of 
Missouri Into the territories of Kansas and Ne¬ 
braska. was the occasion of one of tho most 
exciting controversies in American politics. 
For a number of years public attention was 
directed almost exclusively to Kansas, while 
her younger sister was neglected. Both have 
for years boen flourisolng states in the Amcri- 
lran Union, and both are favorite points for the 
vast tide of Intelligent foreign Immigration, as 
also for tho active and intelligent young men 
and women of Eastern States who go west to 
better their fortunes. Large numbers of Eng¬ 
lish people are attracted towards Nebraska, and 
10 satisfy tbelr desire for information, Mr. Ed¬ 
win A. Cchlev, representing the London 
“Field," visited this country, and spent two 
years traversing the emigrant fields In North 
America, learning all he could about them and 
reporting to his countrymen. One result is the 
book which lies before ue, a handsomely 
printed and fully Illustrated compendium of 
valuable information about a State w hich is ev¬ 
idently destined, at. no distant day, to balRfalE' 
one of the wealthiest and most populous ou 
the Continent. One merit of this book is its 
entire impartiality and independence. It Is,by 
no means, an Indiscriminate laudation of the 
State of which it treats, but Is a fair view by a 
sharp-sighted and fearless investigator of the 
losses as well as the gains of pioneer lifo. 
Much valuable information la given respect¬ 
ing the statistics of emigration, and the rapid 
correlative growth of the North Western States 
as contrasted with that of the East, la shown In 
novel diagrams which most forcibly lmptess 
the facts by the sensation of sight,. 
No pains have oceri spared to give a fair view 
of tho present status o| Nebraska. Its public 
buildings and tho Panorama of the City of 
Omaha, are especially noticeable. The view of 
the High School at Omaha, given in this paper 
Oct. 23d, is but one among many evidences of 
the Interest which the people of this yourg 
State take In education. 
The Resources of Nebraska are discussed at 
length, and form the most important part of 
the work. Illustrations of the wild fruits of 
the State are given, and maps show ing county 
and town boundaries, also others illustrating 
its geological formation arc given, in which 
latter part the author has had the valuable as¬ 
sistance of Prof. S. Aughkv, of the State Uni¬ 
versity, 
We have not space now for further descrip¬ 
tion of the book, but hope to give some ex¬ 
tracts hereafter. In the mean time those in¬ 
terested iu*the development of the resources of 
the West, and of the whole country, will find 
it a valuable addition to their libraries. We 
t rust that the authors’researches In the Emi¬ 
grant fields of North America, will lie followed 
by siio*Jar ventures describing and illustrating 
other localities over which he passed. 
Wells’ Every M«u His Own Lawyer, and 
Business I form Book.—A Complete Guide in 
all Matters or Law ana Business Negotiation!-, 
it r every State in tho Union. Bv John G. 
WI LLS, author of ” Illustrated National Uanri- 
BnoR.' 7 .\c.-[US mo. pp, 612.J New York : Robert 
Macjy. 
This i~ <t newyrovised and Improved edition 
of a comprehensive and valuable work, origi¬ 
nally published several years ago, and which 
has bad a very large sale. Tho tv ide circulation 
which it attained was a gratifying assurance to 
the author that it fully met tho wants of the 
business community, and determined him to 
prepare a new and enlarged edition, embodying 
all the Important changes in the laws and stat¬ 
istics of the various States, to the present time, 
together with much matter not to be found In 
the original work. In a work cf this kind 
accuracy is, of course, indispensable, and, from 
our examination of its contents, we should 
judge that it can be implicity relied upon. We 
agree with the author that a thorough famil¬ 
iarity with Its contents, by business men, would 
save them money, save them trouble, save them 
time, mive them litigation and lowers' fees,and 
we may add, would make them more intelligent, 
and bonce better citizens. Wo commend the 
work to ail who wish to save money and avoid 
litigation. 
A Practical Treatise on the Law of Horses." 
—By M D. Hanover. [8vo.— pp. 411.) Cincin¬ 
nati: Robert Clark it Co. 
This is a second revised and enlarged edition 
of a work which hits found great favorwitb the 
people. Fully one-third «f the lawsuits in which { 
farmers are involved relate to horses, and a 
book both gfviog authoritatively the law of 
Bargain, Bale and Warranty, and also relating 
to unsoundnesfl and vice, of negligence In the 
use of horses and the responsibility of keepers, 
farriers and veterinary surgeons, cannot fall to 
answer dally the inquiries of a great many peo¬ 
ple much more cheaply than t hey could gain 
like opinion* from a professional lawyer. Be¬ 
sides, the reading of law hss a tendency to 
sharpen the understanding and cultivate the 
reasoning faculties, and is therefore to be en¬ 
couraged. _ 
Hoax—His Tribulations.— Nashville: Wheeler, 
Marshall A Bunce. 
A Southern book, purporting to give a hum¬ 
orous view of plantation life, tut. the humor is 
too broad, or somehow not, like a New England 
Almanac, adapted to all latitudes—possibly 
better fit t ed for the newspaper than for hook 
form. At all events, the Tennessee Rural Sun, 
from which this purports to be republished, 
contains much more interesting arid valuable 
matter than is here given. Yet many people 
will be pleased with Boaz's relation of his 
Tribulations. _ 
A Story Book for the Children. By Mre. A. 
M Diaz. Illustrated, fiamo. pp. 263.) Boston: 
James a. Osgood ft Co. 
That" Christmas is coming ” is indicated by 
the presence of thla beautiful and interesting 
book, adapted as aboliday present. It isindeed 
timely, and will be perused w ith pleasure by ail 
the young lolks—and vve trust that will be 
host—who shall become its possessor. The 
stories are good, emphatically brief, and weil 
illustrated. The book presents an attractive 
appearance externally, and is altogether a 
credit to its popular publishers, 
Hester Howard’s Tetnptniion i A Soul's Story. 
—By Mrs. 0. A. WARYUXD, imtUOr ot ” The 
Household of Bouverte.” [izmo,—pp. Sail.) Phil¬ 
adelphia : T. R, Peterron ft Bros. 
A well-told Story, exhibiting tho patience 
and endurance of a wife with a dissolute hus¬ 
band. Pom® nf the scene* and Incidents seem 
exaggerations, yet similar ones arc occasionally 
met with in society. Like the author's other 
romances, the plots in this one are highly 
wrought, making her hero and heroine accom¬ 
plish incredible things. 
National School Singer for Day Schools and Ju¬ 
venile Binging ClaeSes t Con taming Long Lesroii?. 
bthool songs, and a great variety of Occasional 
Bongs by tho bust authors. Now York; A. B. 
Barnes « Co. 
Tbb title, which we gve in full, indicates the 
contents and objects of this work, which is a 
credit to lta compiler and publishers. Conven¬ 
ient in size and cheap iu price, it will become 
popular. 
■ • 
l’urkwnter ; or Told iu the Twilight,—by Mrs. 
IIenby Wood— has been issued by the Peter¬ 
sons, Philadelphia, from advanced English 
proof sheets, simultaneously with its publica¬ 
tion in Europe. It is a handsome paper-cov¬ 
ered octavo of 210 pages, iu large and clear type. 
Life in I’uris; or. The Adventures of Alfred 
of Rasann in the French Metropolis— by Geo. 
W. M. Reynolds— has just beeu published in 
159 page octavo, paper cover, by the Petersons 
of Philadelphia. 
-- 
NEW MUSIC. 
We have received from Wm. A. Pond & Co., 
547 Broadway, N. Y., the following Music: 
“Sleep, Baby, Sleep"—a Cradle Song; by A. 
H. Pease, A simple, pleasing melody. 
"ive a Letter from my Darling;” by Will 
C. Hastings. A good song. 
“ Under the Elms." RomaDza for Piano; by 
E. C. Phelps. 
“ The Blue and the Gray." Song and chorus. 
By David Bbaham. Very gushing—some will 
like it, 
“ The Passing Beil.” Song for Contralto. An 
excellent song of bist range to display contralto 
voice. - * 
“ Upside Down." Comic Song ; by Howard 
Paul. It has little comicality, and no wit. 
* Fro in F. W. Helmick, 278 West Sixth St., Cin¬ 
cinnati, O.: 
“ De Old Church Yard in de Laneby John 
T. Rutledge. Easy and commonplace. 
“ The Brave Boy’s Plea;" by Charlie Baker 
"A beautiful Song and Chorus,’’ the publisher 
calls it. We do not admire it. 
-*-♦-*- 
Miss Florence M arhyatt— or rather Mrs. 
Ross-Cuukch— the editor of London Society, 
fcaa a daughter who is taking to the stage. The 
young lady’s name is Eva, and very shortly she 
will make her debut here. 
Miss Young, the Euglish High Church nov¬ 
elist, is to give a paper on “ Woman’s Work in 
the Church,” at Stoke-on-Trent, before a 
Church Congress. 
$abbalh pleading. 
CONSOLATION OF THE CROSS. 
What comfort when with clouds of woa 
The heart is burdened, and wc weep 
To feel that pain taust-end—to know 
“ He gireth His beloved sleep.’’ 
When in the nlld-day inarch we meet 
The outstretched shadows of tlio night, 
The promise, how divinely sweet, 
" At eVcn-tlmo it shall be light.” 
f Alice Cary. 
-*-*-♦- 
CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 
hr may maple. 
“ And Peter followed afar cff.”— Bible. 
For years Peter had been oue of Christ’s 
professed friends. Together they had eaten 
and drank. Up and down those old Judean 
hilis—back and foith from the great city of 
.Jerusalem to tbo tea of Galilee—had they trav¬ 
eled in company ; and while they walked by the 
sea or climbed the mountains there was always 
a rich intellectual feast spread out for Peter 
and tho other disciples who might chanbe to ha 
with them, by this Friend. And once when 
Peter would have shown not only hla excess¬ 
ive boldness and bravery to bis brethren, but 
bis faith in his own powers, by walking on the 
water, Jesus h«d saved him from » watery 
grave. PETEH knew t hat lie was a loved and 
chosen disciple. And he had declared that, 
though all men should deny Christ, bo would 
no:. He would even die for Him. 
No doubt ho thought his friendship was as 
firm as the everlasting hills. As yet no breath 
had ever stined the shallow, stagnant pool; 
and in the summer sun it sbeha as silvery 
bright. as the waters of The tar < IT see, whose 
depths knew no soundlnga. But the time was 
not far distant when the little pool would be 
shaken as by a mighty earthquake—wben the 
vail of the temple would be rent in tv. ain, aDd 
he would see that his boasted friendship was 
yet like tho " sounding brass and tinkling sym¬ 
bol." When Christ was frequently found 
talking with the chief priests, scribes and eld¬ 
ers, then It wes that the poor fisherman felt 
honored, and was glad to be known as ono of 
His Intimate friends. But wbeq the sun nf 
Christ's life seemed to he darkened, and Ho 
was surrounded by a mob sent by the chief 
priests, Deter felt that it would no longer be 
popular to he seen Walking by tho side of Him ; 
notwithstanding his promise to die for his 
friend, he followed afar off. No.' sympathetic 
hand clasp now, and, as Christ had prophesied 
of him that very morning, ho thrice declared he 
did not know the man. How quickly we de 
nour.ee the perildPuns Peter ; aud yet fewtber 
are who do not display tho exact counterpart of 
this particular point In his character. 
IT one Is beautiful, ta'ented, and, above all, 
wealthy, basking in the sunshine of luxurious 
ease, clothed in purple and fine linen, with ser¬ 
vants at his command, he is courted and flit¬ 
tered, and made to fed that he is truly u king 
Sri the hearts of his‘five hundred friends. But 
let his wealth bo takeD from him and how many 
of those who have professed unwavering friend¬ 
ship, and who have roceived “gifts of gold, 
frankincense and myrrh," will stand by him in 
his adversity? Frequently not one. Instead, 
the Whole multitude Will be ready to traduce 
him and accuse him of 6lns aud iuiquities of the 
darkest hhe. When he need* assistance they 
make anaw er, by their .lotions, that- they “ know 
not the man." They prefer to “follow afar 
off"—and the further off the better, ir this were 
not the case how few suffering ones, in com¬ 
parison, would we find stowed away in garrets 
and cellars.’.eking > uc a pitiful existence. 
Think you, you would meet so many hollow- 
eyed, emaciated ghosts of men, women and 
children, at every street corner, 11 they had not 
had too many-professing Peters for their 
friends in palmier days? Not one of all that 
sorrowful throng but at some time has known 
the sunshine of better days. Calamities came; 
loss of comforts, loss of character, and,-worst 
of all, loss of friends. Not one to help retrieve 
the fallen foriune-not one to defend the ohar- 
acter—not oue to say, "You made a mistake, 
but try again, and/will help you.” Sad indeed 
is the fate of the friendless one. 
Reader, know you net some long-ago friend 
who is now suffering from want and neglect? 
Oh» do not, like Peter, declare you never 
kuew him or her. Arise at odcc, and put on 
the garments of Christian friendship, and seek 
out that one, and give of your abundance, 
something more substantial than words. Pos¬ 
sibly you may And an expiring mother. Com¬ 
fort tier by Miking Ler little ones to comfortable 
homes, where they will be sutreunded by lov¬ 
ing influences. If possible, take on© to your 
own heart and home. Remember, some have 
entertained angels unawares. If each obo of 
the readers of the Rural New-Yorker would 
at once seek out even one long-deserted needy 
iriend, aud render that one such assistance as 
is iu bis power wbat an array might be rescued 
from the now despairing throng, who could 
give thanks with joy on our National Anniver¬ 
sary. Oh! help tueweak aud erring to come 
iuto paths of righteousness. Do not expect to 
gain favors of tho great All Father by being 
of a sad couutenance, and allowing His children 
to suffer untold agonies of body and mind, 
when by using your energies you might make 
them capable ot accepting a stev/ardsnip in the 
Master’s vineyard. 
