816, IS MOORE’S RURAL WEW-YORKEB. 
MATRON DAYS. 
BY ALIQUA. 
The late November days go on their weary ways 
In trailing robes Of quiet color dressed. 
While rarely one more fair and smiling deigns to 
wear 
A darfe-eyed, purple pansy on her breast. 
We hold them loved and dear, the matrons of the 
year. 
Who much of Joy and love behind them leave, • 
Who nealh the evening sky with weary sob and sigh 
O’er graves of their dead sisters brood and grieve. 
The summer's shining gold has slipped from out 
their hold, 
The winter’s touch Is on their dusky hair. 
With gray, unfailing eyes they scan the cloudy skies, 
And tread the path of duty brown and bare. 
Ah! stately matron days I we gtve you song and 
pral’e. 
We press your hands In love within our own. 
And o'er our darling dead for hope and brightness 
fled 
With you we make our weary sigh and moan. 
A STUDY. 
BY KENNETH DUNN. ■» 
I know a little woman, and she lives In a 
little house. She is not rich, and she Is not 
poor. Sue lives in a pleasant village on a pleas¬ 
ant street; a village with pleasant homes and 
pleasant streets, fine churches and cultured 
society; a village with one or two saloons, a 
licensed bar, and, an the natural result, a lock¬ 
up, The little woman lias five sons and two 
daughters, deprived of a father’s care when 
Annie, the youngest, was but three years old. 
The little mother lived alone and brought up 
her large family; led them in paths of virtue 
on to prosperity. Not one of those sons ever 
had the slightest inclination to join the low 
society of the village -society which often draws 
lo itself promising youth from lofty' homes. 
Not a young lady In tho village but Is proud to 
receive the attentions of these young men; 
they are gentle-men Indeed. 
What were the attractions of this home, or 
what were the means used? I will tell you all 
1 can find out about it, and perhaps some mother 
heart can tell the rest. When it was remarked 
to Heiuieht, the youngest son, that It was re¬ 
markable that all of them bad grown up exem¬ 
plary young men, he laughed, and glanced at 
bis mother, saying' “O, natural disposition 
has a great deal to do with it,” 
Yes, there is pride In the blood, doubtless, 
but there Is nobility as well. The little house 
Is clean and well furnished; pictures every¬ 
where; a great book-ease full of books, history 
and poetry occupying a large place. The most 
pleasant, best furnished room In the house Is 
tho mother’s room, where all arc free to come 
and go. The house Is well warmed In wlntor, 
and the doors opening frjm room to room arc 
always kept opon. Everything is fur use and 
enjoyment. The garret Is full of nutB, and tho 
cellar Is full of fruit and all good things, which, 
under the skillful hands of the mother and her 
daughters, make her table always a picture of 
plenty. 
The little house overflows sometimes with 
laughter and song, but the little mother never 
utters a reproving word. If It were possible 
that the roof should raise with the noise, she 
would only laugh one of her ringing laughs, 
anil order the carpenters to fasten it more 
firmly next time. Their mirth Is not riotous; 
their wit Is keen and fine ; they are young aud 
strong, and the mother rejoices In their youth 
aud strength. 8he seems not to govern them ; 
they were early iaught to use their own judg¬ 
ment; to govern themsetves, appealing to her 
as umpire. I know that this mother Is strong, 
that her “ no ” once uttered was never twisted 
into a “yes;” from her thoughtful, carefully- 
made decision there was no appeal. Now she 
Is reaping her reward. And what does the 
mother heart say, but that It is wise to give all 
that Is best in herself to her children—that 
there Is health and strength for herself in the 
giving? 
• -- 
PIANO MUSIC AND SINGING SCHOOLS. 
Mr. Editor:—I have Just read Mary A. E. 
Wager’s comments on “Girls and Music.” J 
wish you would allow me to have a little say 
on the subject. Neither do I believe in de¬ 
voting too much time at the piano, yet I am in 
favor of giviug enough of one’s spare time (say 
an hour each day) to understand notes suf¬ 
ficiently well to amuse one’s self, and our own 
immediate friends perhaps; and for instance 
at the family altar, when we make It a means 
of praising God, aud on the Sabbath. Oh! 
what solid roinf >rt we have taken sitting at 
the otelodeon singing praise to Him with none 
else to hear. 
I think if people understood better what 
notes axe written In our books for, we could 
perhaps enjoy our meetings more by having 
two or three note books In every seat, all sing¬ 
ing as with one voice. But how Is It In most 
village churches of to-day? We have a few 
selected singers, and perhaps one-half cannot 
read notes, hut we are obliged to endure it for 
the prenent at least. If the most of us could 
read notes, we think congregational singing 
would soon be the fashion (and a right good 
fashion it Is) in country as well as In most city 
churches. 
We regret that there axe so few singing schools 
at the present time. We cau remember the 
time when there was one In every neighbor¬ 
hood and village within a radius of forty miles, 
each scholar paying one dollar, which secured 
a ticket for tho quarter, and the result In every 
Instance was very satisfactory Indeed. 
And now In closing we want to say to the 
boys and girls of the Uural, when you write 
your letters don’t forget to mention whether 
you have a singing school In your neighbor¬ 
hood. If not, start a subscription paper at 
once; next, hire a good teacher and have a 
good singing school this winter. Then If you 
are so situated that you can take lessons on an 
instrument, you will also find that your singing 
school has been a great help to you. 
Catsklll, N. Y. t Deo,, 1875. Brownie. 
- 
WELCOME CHRISTMAS GIPTS. 
Scribner for December-has these sensible 
suggestions on a very seasonable topic:—The 
usual practice in choosing Christmas gifts is to 
start out with a full portemannate and come 
homo with it empty, having scoured a dozen 
book and print and curiosity shops meantime, 
to " fiud enough pretty things to go round." The 
gift sent to one friend might have been offered 
with eqi_al propriety to a hundred others. Now 
everybody (worth remembering at all on Christ¬ 
mas day) has a fancy, or whim, or association, 
which a trifle will recall aud gratify. Now that 
we have so little money, let us set our brains to 
work to remember these whims or bobbies, and 
to find the suggestive trifles, and, our word for 
It, we will startle our friends with a more real 
pleasure than If we had sent them the costliest 
unmeaning gift. 
Tbero must he a nice discrimination, too, In 
assorting these trifles, There are certain folk 
whom we know to be sorely In need of articles 
for the wardrobe, and to whom we must there¬ 
fore give utterly useless follies, because they 
know that vve know It; and there are other and 
better folk In like condition, who will receive 
a collar or a pair or gloves with as hearty and 
sincere feeling as though the offering were a 
strain of Christmas music. There Is one cousin 
whose gift must smell of the shops and the 
dollars paid for It, aud an other who, If we sent 
her our worn copy of George Herbert, or the 
little broken vase which has stood for years ou 
the study table, would receive them with wet 
eyes, and And them fragrant with old mem¬ 
ories. 
THE TRUE RELATION OF THE SEXES. 
The Popular Science Monthly thus forcibly 
concludes an article on this subject:— 1 There 
can be, then, no real conflict of Interests be¬ 
tween man and woman, since there Is a mutual 
dependence of each npou the other, bringing 
mutual good. Neither can It be a misfortune 
to be a woman, as so many at the present day 
would have ub believe, although her position 
may be In some respects subordinate to that of 
man. 
In fact, the subordination of mati to woman, 
different in kind from its converse, Is equally 
apparent; both seem to be matters of common 
consciousness. It may be readily seen how, In 
early times, when muscular strength and gen¬ 
eral physical power were held In tho highest 
esteem, that the position of woman should 
have been a subordinate one. Animal courage, 
endurance of physical hardships, the strength, 
cunning, and ugllity, which enabled men to 
cope wiLh wild beasts and with each other, 
were tho traits of character most prized, be¬ 
cause most conservative of life hi those times; 
hence the Idea that, woman’s position Is nat¬ 
urally a subordinate one, has acquired the 
force of a primal Intultlou, and might almost 
he claimed as a “datum of consciousness,” 
But, us the necessities of existence have been 
gradually modified by civilization, both the 
character and degree of her subordination have 
notably changed. 
Those qualities, regarded as pre-eminently 
femluiue, have risen In common estimation, 
and mere muscular superiority, and even Intel¬ 
lectual power, are now put to the test of com¬ 
parison with tho higher moral qualities. 
•-- 
KEEP YOUR TROUBLES SACRED. 
A worthy wife of forty years’ standing, aud 
whose life was not all made up of sunshine and 
peace, gives the following sensible and Im¬ 
pressive advice to a married pair of her ac¬ 
quaintance. The advice Is so good and so well 
suited to all married people, as well as those 
who Intend entering that estate, that we here 
publish it for the benefit of such persons: 
Preserve sacredly the privacies of your own 
house, your married state, ami your heart. Let 
not father or mother, steter or brother, or any 
third person, ever presume to come in between 
ou two, or to share the joys and Borrows that 
elung to you two alone. With God’s help 
build your own quiet world, not allowing your 
dearest earthly trloud to be the confidant of 
aught that concerns your domestic peace. Let 
moments of alienation, if tuey occur, be healed 
at once. Never, no, never, speak of It outside, 
but to each other confess, and all will come out 
right. Never let the morrow’s sun still And 
you at variance. Review and renew your vow ; 
it will do you good, and thereby your souls will 
grow together, cemented lu that love which Is 
stronger than death, and you will become truly 
one. 
leading for th$ §flung. 
WHEN WE ARE MEN. 
A dialogue in rhyme for two boys. 
First Boy— 
We are only boys, but are growing fast, 
Soon our boyhood will be past. 
And I nsk tuyself again and again, 
What shall we do when we are men 1 
Second Boy— 
Better ask wbat shall we do as boys. 
What shall we do with our books and toys ? 
With lessons to learn and teachers to please, 
Better ask what shall we do with these; 
For they will go, when our youth is past, 
And, us you say, we are growing fast. 
First Boy— 
Oh, but books get stupid, uud teachers cross, 
I am sure they will be no very great loss. 
And when we grow to be our own men, 
Oh, 1 wonder now, what we shall do then ! 
Let us be good and let us be great, 
We will do something at any rate. 
Second Boy- 
Hut you forget, us boys make men. 
We must labor now and prepare for then. 
And our bookx and lessons so bard und dry, 
Are fitting us now fur the by-and-by. 
If we pluasi; uur toucher, and mind each rule. 
And are prompt and punctual at school; 
If we try to do right ugaln and again, 
We’ll be ready to work, when we are men. 
First, Roy— 
I see I am wrong in looking abend. 
When the lessoDs hard, that l so much dread. 
Lie waiting to teach me tho good and true; 
For shame lo be Idle, with so much to do! 
Second Boy— 
Yes, for Bhame to be Idle, for boys though we be, 
God has a work for both you and me. 
iu»T ei : 
We’ll choose for a guide in our childhood days. 
Him, who is worthy of prayer and praise: 
We'll serve Him in boybood, und then, und then. 
He’ll help us to serve HJm when we are men. 
]\orthwestcrn Educator. 
-- 
LETTERS FROM BOYS AND GIRLS. 
From a Canadian Boy. 
Dear Mr. Editor 1 This Is the first time I 
ever tried to write for or to a paper. I am 
twelve years old. My brother James has taken 
the Rural the last year, and we boys all, and 
ma also, think very much of it. Pa thinks he 
will take It next year on account of Its being 
your Centennial. Pa sayB I have your Oeuten- 
W.in wrong; ho says It n hou!cl have been :'iir 
Instead, for we claim to be American*?, although 
we have been all born in Canada. The weather 
Is very cold here; the thermometer down to 20° 
below zero. We have a large farm, and I have 
a nice lot of Brahma chickens and sli: calves to 
feed. I also go to school, and evenings read 
the Rural and Harper's Weekly. So you see 
we take the American papers. \ urn going to 
try and get some subscribers for the Rural. 1 
do not kuow how 1 shall succeed, but will try. 
I have shown It to a good many and they all 
like It. I hope you may long live to ho the Ed¬ 
itor of the Rural, and l wish you would put 
your likeness In the paper so we could ceo how 
you look.— Everett Blanchard, Leeds Co., 
Canada. 
From an Iowa School Girl. 
Dear Rural:-I don’t know as you will 
think this worthy of appearing In your columns. 
Wo haye not taken your paper long, but I have 
become much Interested in the Boys’ ami GlrL* 
Letters. 1 have never written before, and 
probably should uot now, but that I felt a little 
out of patience when 1 read “ Voting Tom’s ” 
la ,t letter, I should like to have him under¬ 
stand that girls are no worse about fashions 
than hoys. They will run after every little sim¬ 
ple thing that fashion brings up. First It Is a 
small necktie ; next It Is a very large one which 
covers their shirt bosom all up. And If they do 
not talk about fashions as much a» the girls do 
It Is because they have something worse to 
talk about—such as balls, the last foolish novel 
issued, or of carrying on down town, where 
they have played tricks on the mercha its until 
they are plagued half out of their senses, and 
have lost their temper altogether. As for my¬ 
self, l detest all the fashions from beginning to 
end. Any one who tries to follow them must 
hare a great anxiety resting upou her for fear 
she will not catch every crink and curl as soon 
as It comes out. I believe in dressing in the 
most becoming manner, regardless of the lat¬ 
est style. Now I have told you some of my 
opinions, and if T see these In your paper, then, 
perhaps, T will write and tell you something 
about the place In which I live.— School Girl, 
Iowa City , fount, Nov., 1875. 
From an Ohio Boy. 
Mr. Editor:— I have been thinking for some 
time of writing a letter to the Rural, and now 
I will address a few words to the boys and girls. 
I live on a farm near a village on the Siota 
river, here I attend school. But what l want 
to tell you about U my cabinet of antiquarian 
curiosities. I have specimens of nearly all the 
stone weapons used by the aborigines of our 
country, and many othter things. Among them 
Is a remarkable tooth, (t Ls four Inches long 
aud three Inches wide; the roots have been 
broken off till they are but a few inches long. 
Its weight 1» 8& lbs. It Is supposed to be a 
tooth of the Mastodon or Mammoth. 1 found 
It ou our farm. It is thought to be the greatest 
curiosity ever found in our County. I do not 
agree with “Young Bacb,” I think the ladles 
as short tonguud as some boys.— Young Buck¬ 
eye, Marion Oo., Ohio. 
From a New York City Girl. 
Dear Mr. Rural ; — I am a little girl of 
eleven years. L have written a piece of poetry 
for the first time. It Is about my kitten. It ls 
not very long, and mamma said it would find its 
way to the waste basket, but I told her I would 
try. It ls as follows: 
TO MY PU88T. 
Oh, Pussy, you are cunning, 
Oh, Pussy, you are ntco; 
But you’d be a little darling. 
If you only would catch mice. 
Now, Pussy, you must try, 
There’s plenty, round the house. 
Anil you can’t bo good for much 
If you cannot oatoh a mouse. 
Now, Pussy, you must try, 
For never n thtng do yon do, 
But under the stove to lie— 
Now. Pussy, you’ll have to try. 
New York, Dec., 1876. Florence R. 
From a West Virginia Boy. 
Mr. Moore :—The list of premiums which I 
have seen In your useful paper has encouraged 
me to try to get up a club for you. I will try 
very bard for a Youth’s Microscope. I think I 
can get four subscribers at 12.85 each. Y r ou 
will please send me a specimen for canvassing, 
and l will see what I can do for you. I am a 
boy sixteen years of age. I am going to school, 
aud 1 like niy teacher very much. I have read 
your paper a great deal, and I t hink it Is worth 
reading. Benjamin U., Marion Co., West Va., 
Nov., 1875. 
[Wo have mailed specimens, etc., to the writer 
of the above, and also to many other youug 
friends who propose to form clubs and thus se¬ 
cure premiums. May they all, and scores of 
others, succeed.—E d.1 
From a Philadelphia Girl. 
Dear Rural:— I read with Interest the let¬ 
ters from the young folks in your last paper, 
and wondered whether a few lines from me 
would appear In Us columns. I find a great 
source of amusement lu “The Fuzzier,” and 
am delighted to tell you that I huve been suc¬ 
cessful in guessing the Illustrated Ilebus of 
Oct.MO lL : “This paper is the beBt agricultural 
periodical In the United Ntatcs.” We have a 
very quiet horse ano a Utile red sleigh, aud I 
look anxiously for the snow to coine, os I like 
winter so much better than summer. I have 
two cunning little kittens, but 1 will tell you of 
their tricks some other time.—M. 8. 8. 
From a Bmait Western Now York Boy 
Mr. EDITOR:—My fat her takes your paper, 
aiul I have read the Boys’ aud Girls’ Letters 
with interest. 1 have never wrlileo for the 
Rural, because I had uotbiug special to write. 
Father says It might Interest some oT the boys 
to know what I did this fall. I dug 225 bushels 
of potatoes la ten hours with a potato hook, 
I dug 7,tXX) hills. Father measured the potatoes 
lu a bushol basket, if any of you boys, or old 
men, should doubt this statement come and 
see, anil 1 will bring witnesses to prove It. 1 am 
eleven years old; my weight 70 lbs. Name— 
Norman Keyes, Oak Bill , Mt. Morris, Living¬ 
ston Co., N. Y. 
®he $uzzUr. 
ILLUSTRATED REBUS.-No. 10. 
MISCELLANEOUS ENIGMA,—No. 6. 
I am composed of 17 letters : 
My 16,14, 7, 5, 2, 7, 5, 13 was a scientific Inven¬ 
tion of the fourteenth century. 
My 7, 0,17,16,8,1 is a town In New York. 
My 9, 7,2,7, 4,5 was one of the greatest of Ital¬ 
ian painters. 
My 10, It, 7, 13, 12, 5,15 was a man of much learn¬ 
ing (hiring King Alfred's reign. 
My 3,1,16,11, 4, 9,15 ls a river In Africa. 
My whole was one of the greatest advances 
la science. P. Boyton. 
{2® r_ Answer next week. 
DIAMOND PUZZLE.—No, 9. 
1. A consonant. 2. A cover. 3. Barter. 4. A 
precious stone. 6. 1» made of wheat. 6. A 
conjunction. 7. A consonant. The oeutrals 
lorm the name of a precious stone. 
Answer next week. 8. c. 
PUZZLER ANSWEBB.—Eeo. 4. 
Illustrated Rebus No. 9.—Postal cards. 
Historical Enigma No. 1.—“ Of wild beasts, 
that of a slanderer; of tame, that of a flat¬ 
terer.” 
Cross-word Enigma No. 18.—Mark Twain. 
tST" Answer next week. 
L. G. 
