D£S.  23 
THE  ByRAL  HEW-YOBS^ER. 
ammonia.  Let  It  remain  there  about  ten  minutes. 
Our  paper  Is  now  ready  tor  the  “  printing,”  or  to 
receive  the  Impressions  by  the  action  of  light.  It 
A  CHRISTMAS  CAROL. 
1m  the  bleak  mid-winter 
Frosty  wind  made  moan  ; 
Earth  etood  hard  as  Iron, 
Water  like  a  etono ; 
Sntrw  had  fallen,  snow  on  snow, 
8now  on  snow. 
In  the  bleak  mlU-winter 
Look  ago. 
Our  Ood,  heaven  cannot  hold  Him 
Nor  earth  sustain, 
Heaven  and  earth  shall  flee  away 
When  Ho  comes  to  reign : 
In  the  bleak  mid-winter 
A  stablo-ptace  sulHred 
The  Lord  Ood  Almighty— 
.Icsns  Christ. 
Enough  for  Him  whom  Cherubim 
Worship  night  and  day, 
A  broaetful  of  milk 
And  a  inang)>rful  of  hay ; 
Enough  for  Him  whom  AiikoIh 
Fall  down  before. 
The  ox  end  ass  and  camel 
Tillich  adore. 
Angels  and  Archangels 
Alay  have  gathered  there. 
Cherubim  and  Seraphim 
Thronged  the  air ; 
But  only  His  Mother 
1  n  her  maiden  bliss 
Worshiped  the  Beloved 
With  a  kiss. 
What  c.sn  I  give  Him, 
Poor  as  I  am  ?— 
If  I  were  a  Shepherd 
I  would  bring  a  lamb ; 
If  I  wore  a  Wise  Man 
I  would  do  my  part,— 
Yet  what  can  I  give  Him,— 
Give  my  heart.  [ChrMhm  JRossetli. 
—  ♦  »  » - 
LEAF  PHOTOGRAPHS, 
AlSrJD  HOW  XO  A1A.I-CJ0  XHKM. 
BY  PROF.  WlLt.IA.M  ROB’T  BROOKS. 
Altuodoh  one  of  the  first  applications  which 
was  made  of  the  photographic  property  of  light, 
was  the  obtaining  of  Impressions  of  lace,  leaves 
Fio.  2.— Peparino  the  Paper. 
and  ferns  upon  sensitive  paper,  of  late  years  It 
has  never  been  pracUcod  to  that  extent,  or  re¬ 
ceived  that  attention  which  the  beauty  of  the 
results  In  our  opinion  seenis  to  demand. 
The  practice  of  the  art  of  making  leaf  photo¬ 
graphs  Is  BO  simple  and  easily  acoulrod  by  any 
one  of  taste,  whethor  having  any  previous  knowl- 
edge  of  chemistry  or  not,  that  the  following  dlreo- 
tdons  will  enable  any  of  the  readers  of  the  RcRAh 
to  produce  them  with  ease  and  certainty. 
preparation  op  the  paper. 
The  first  thing  bo  do  is  to  prepare  the  solution 
for  sensitizing  the  paper ;  that  Is,  to  prepare  the 
paper  In  such  a  way  that  when  exposed  to  the 
light  It  will  turn  black.  There  are  several  ways 
of  doing  thl%  but  the  simplest,  and  at  the  same 
time  that  giving  the  most  brilliant  results,  is  the 
following:  Dissolve  one  ounce  of  nitrate  of  silver 
In  twelve  ounces  of  pure  wator  (melting  Ice  Ist  he 
most  convenient  way  to  obtain  It),  add  two  drops 
of  liquid  ammonia  and  two  graln.s  of  alum.  Filter 
through  paper  or  a  tuft  of  cotton  placed  In  the 
neck  of  a  glass  funnel.  Keep  this  solution  In  a 
glass  stoppered  bottle  until  required  for  use. 
Procure  of  the  photographer  In  your  neighbor¬ 
hood  a  few  sheets  of  albumenlzod  paper.  This  Is 
a  paper  made  expressly  for  the  purpose  and  coat¬ 
ed  with  the  whites  of  eggs  In  which  has  been  dis¬ 
solved  some  chloride  salt,  usually  ammonium. 
The  silvering  or  sensltDlng  of  the  paper  should 
be  done  In  a  moderately  dork  room  by  the  light 
of  a  lamp,  or  in  a  room  In  which  the  windows  are 
covered  with  yellow  paper,  for  ueilow  light  will 
not  affect  the  sensitive  paper. 
Pour  the  silver  solution  Into  some  Hat  dish  of 
earthenware  or  glass,— a  flat  iue  dish  answers 
well  for  experiment,— then  having  cut  the  paper 
Into  sheets  a  little  smaller  than  the  dish,  take 
one  of  them  and  very  gently  lay  the  same  down 
upon  the  surface  of  the  aiver  solution,  albumen 
side  downwards,  and  be  careful  not  to  let  any  of 
the  solution  flow  on  to  the  back  of  the  paper. 
Should  It  curl  up,  drtatMng  upon  the  back  of  the 
paper  will  make  it  He  flat.  Let  It  float  from  one 
and  a-half  to  two  minutes,  then  gently  lift  Hoff 
by  one  edge,  and  pin  It  up  against  a  board  to  dry. 
When  dry  It  must  be  fumed  by  hanging  or  pin¬ 
ning  It  to  the  top  of  a  box  (a  clean  soap  or  candle 
box  will  answer)  and  pouring  into  a  samter  In  the 
bottom  of  tbe  box  a  few  drops  of  strong  liquid 
Fio.  1.— TmsTtE. 
rattsl  be  carefully  kept  In  a  dark  box  until  wanted 
for  use,  as  It  would  turn  black  If  exposed  to  the 
light.  It  should  also  bo  prepared  the  same  day  It 
Is  to  be  itsed,  as  il^ deteriorates  by  keeping.  We 
arc  now  rearly  for 
THE  FRINTINO. 
Procure  a  number  of  lileces  of  clear  gla.s!?— say 
four  Inches  wide  by  five  Inches  long,  and  others 
2>i  wide  and  four  long,  some  pieces  of  thick  cloth 
the  same  size  a.s  the  larger  pieces  of  glass,  also 
a  few  spring  clothes  pins.  Then  having  selected 
the  leaf— which  we  will  supposo  to  be  a  rose-leaf 
—lay  It  face  down  upon  the  middle  of  one  of  the 
larger  pieces  of  glaas,  then  upon  the  leaf  a  piece 
of  the  sensitized  paper  (albumon  side  next  to  the 
loaf),  upon  that  a  ploco  of  cloth,  two  of  the  smaller 
pieces  of  gla-ss,  and  damp  the  whole  together  at 
the  edges  by  foiir  of  the  clothes  clips— as  shown 
In  Klg.  a ;  then  place  the  whole  In  strong  sun¬ 
shine,  leaf  aide  uppermost.  The  paper  around 
the  loaf  will  bo  seen  to  rapidly  cbirkon,  and  after 
four  or  ■  ve  minutes  It  should  bo  taken  In  from  the 
light  and  examined  by  removing  one  or  the  nar¬ 
row  pieces  of  glass  at  tbe  back,  tiirnlng  down  the 
paper  t*j  see  If  the  Impression  Is  sufllclently  deep. 
When  such  Is  the  case,  not  only  will  the  outlines 
of  tho  loaf  be  aticurately  shown,  but  every  vein, 
fiber  and  delicate  marking  of  the  Internal  con¬ 
struction  a  result  beautiful  In  the  extreme.  If 
It  Is  not  printed  deep  enough  to  show  all  these 
markings  plainly,  restore  the  parts  to  their  places 
and  expose  again  to  the  light. 
WASni.VO,  TOXINd  AND  FIXINO. 
After  a  sufllclent  number  of  copies  are  made  of 
this  or  other  leaves,  the  photographs  must  be 
washed,  toned  and  made  permanent  for,  as  they 
come  out  of  the  printing  frame,  they  would  soon 
spoil.  The  prlntH  are  first  washed  by  soaking  In 
several  changes  of  clean  water  In  an  earthen  dish, 
after  which  they  are  Immersed  in  the  "toning 
bath”  made  as  follows :— Procure  of  the  dealer  or 
some  photographer,  a  few  grains  of  chloride  of 
gold,  and  dissolve  In  water  at  tbe  rate,  of  oue 
grain  to  tbe  otince.  Keep  this  for  a  stock  solu¬ 
tion.  When  ready  to  tone,  pour  Inlo  an  earthen 
dish  enough  water  to  cover  the  prints,  add  say 
half  an  ounce  of  the  gold  .solution  and  a  pinch  of 
bicarbonate  of  soda.  Immerse  tho  prints  In  this. 
They  will  at  flrsc  turn  slightly  reddish,  but  In  a 
tew  minutes  will  change  to  a  beautiful  rich  black. 
They  should  now  be  removed,  Immersed  In  water, 
and  placed  in  tho  "fixing  bath,"  composed  of  hy¬ 
posulphite  of  soda  one  ounce,  water  six  ounces. 
and  mounted  upon  cards  with  good  flour  or  starch  Habited  In  a  white  robe,  high  buskins  and  a  huge 
paste.  flaxen  wig,  he  swung  a  basketful  of  presents  over 
Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  these  leaf  his  shoulder  and  tnuigt^  through  the  snow  to  the 
prints  when  properly  made.  All  kinds  of  leaves  houses  of  hla  friends.  His  coming  was  not  an  un¬ 
can  be  used,  but  those  luivhlch  the  veins  are  mixed  blessing,  bocause  of  a  queer  habit  he  had. 
strongly  maxkad  should  be  chosen.  Ferns,  dried  He  would  sternly  question  the  parents  as  to  the 
or  green,  make  beautiful  subjects,  and  at  Mils  conduct  of  hla  little  friends  during  llie  year,  and 
aea.son  of  the  year  tho  leaves  of  a  largo  number  on  this  Impartial  report  would  largely  depend 
of  our  bouse  plants  will  afford  tho  amateur  do  the  rewards  bestowed  on  the  deserving.  Hence, 
llghtful  occupation,  giving  him  a  gooil  expHrlcnce  Kneoht  UcPERTwasaname  not  always  mentioned 
and  practice  for  tho  larger  range  he  will  and  in  with  Jovial  frankness  among  children, 
outdoor  vegetation  tho  coming  season.  Tlic  salubrity  of  our  climate  or  our  tast  way  of 
I  give  In  connection  wltli  this  article,  two  views  living  ha.s  told  even  on  so  conservuUvo  a.  fellow 
of  different  kinds  of  leavas  from  actual  sped-  as  Santa  Claos,  as  we  find  lliat  he  uow  disdains 
mens.  By  following  the  above  directions  with  to  trudge  on  toot,  when  reindeers  are  procurable, 
care  and  cleanllnes.s,  avoiding  contamination  of  and  Instead  of  asking  annoying  qucsllons,  lakes 
the  different  solutions,  all  may  succeed  In  this  It  for  granted  American  children  ai-e  the  best  In 
fascinating  art.  I  will.  In  some  future  article,  the  world,  even  going  so  far  as  to  wink  at  trilling 
give  directions  for  making  fern  and  leaf  mottos  subterfuges,  such  as  feigning  to  own  stockings 
on  this  principle.  that  In  most  cases  would  adwiuakdy  servo  as  an 
Phelps,  N.  Y.,  Dec,  entire  garment,  for  the  wearer ! 
1 1  ■  I  I  .  ■  .1  In  some  districts  in  Mormany  KrcERT  Is  not  on 
_  visiting  terms,  In  which  case,  recourse  Is  had  to 
^  iv’l’iviiyrt  fftV  4(va  Christmas  trees.  The  pre-sents  are  hung  tasto- 
,IUI  Ujl  TjUUUHt  fully  from  branches  that  are  cheerfully  lighted 
^  ^  ^  up.  The  name  of  tho  person  for  whom  the  gift  Is 
- —  Intended  Is  Inscribed  on  It,  l)iit  In  no  case  tho 
THE  HOLIDAYS.  name  of  the  giver.  Immediat  ely  siicceedlng  tho 
- -  illatrlbuWon  of  tho  presents  a  very  wholosonio, 
Ah  !  don't  yon  romomber !  'Tin  almost  December,  but  not  particularly  dellgbtful,  scene  ensues. 
And  soon  will  the  Holidays  come ;  The  mother  takes  t.hls  oc<!aslon  for  saying  to  the 
o,  'twill  ije  80  funny !  I've  plenty  of  money,  glrLs,  privately,  and  the  father  to  the  iXius,  what 
ru  buy  me  a  award,  and  a  drum.  been  Observed  most  faulty  lu  their  conduct, 
Thue  sMd little  Hurry,  unwilling  to  tarry.  Wise  oounsol  for  lutiiro  guKlanop. 
Impudent  to  burry  from  school ;  In  morrlo  England  UhrlstimuH  is  a  great  holiday, 
But  we  shall  discover,  this  boll dny  Inver,  and  In  former  Mint's  the  ceremonies  extended 
Spoke  both  like  a  child,  and  a  fool.  until  Candlemas  (Feb.  2),  every  day  being  a  hoU- 
For  when  he  alighted,  bo  highly  .IcUghted,  Twoltth-nlght  (J an.  «).  The  nobles  did 
Away  from  his  sume  and  his  books,  things  on  a  grand  and  generous  scale,  A  "  lord 
Though  playthings  surrounded,  and  good  things  Of  misrule  ”  wu3  lustiiUed,  wh0.se  duty  It  vv.is  to 
aijounded,  inveiil  or  suggest  the  games,  pa.sllines,  etc.  What 
Chagrin  stUl  appeared  in  his  looks.  Visions  of  good  things  picture  themselves  to  our 
churches  and  houses  with 
WINTER  EVENING  AMUSEMENTS -No.  3.  greens  Is  not  dm  lvcd  from 
Christian  tradition,  but  Is, 
Though  first  they  delighted,  his  toys  were  now  i  the  contrary,  very  hoathonlsh;  which  should 
admonish  u.s  to  view  with  great  liberality  the. 
for  tljc  goun^, 
THE  HOLIDAYS. 
Ah  !  don't  you  remember  !  'Tis  almost  December, 
And  soon  will  the  Holidays  come ; 
O,  'twill  ije  so  funny !  I've  plenty  of  money, 
ru  buy  me  a  sword,  and  a  drum. 
Thue  said  little  Hurry,  unwilling  to  tarry. 
Impudent  to  burry  from  school ; 
But  we  shall  discover,  this  holiday  Inver, 
Spoke  both  like  a  child,  and  a  fool. 
For  when  he  alighted,  so  highly  delighted, 
Away  from  his  sums  and  his  books, 
Though  playthings  surrounded,  and  good  things 
abounded. 
Chagrin  stUl  appeared  in  his  looks. 
WINTER  EVENING  AMUSEMENTS -No.  3. 
Fi«.  3.— Fern, 
Allow  them  to  remain  about  ten  minutes,  when 
they  should  he  taken  out  and  washed  In  several 
changes  of  water  tor  a  number  of  hours,  dried 
slighted, 
And  thrown  away  out  of  his  sight : 
He  spent  every  morning  in  stretchiug  and  yawning, 
Yet  went  to  bod  weary  at  night. 
lie  hud  not  that  trnasiire  which  really  makes  pleasure, 
( A  secret  discovered  by  few ; ) 
You'll  take  tt.for  granted,  morn  playthings  he  wanted ; 
O  no.  It  was  something  to  do. 
He  found  that  employment  created  enjoyment. 
And  paused  tbe  time  cheerful  away ; 
That  study  and  reading,  by  fur  were  exceeding 
Ills  rakes,  and  his  toys,  and  his  play. 
To  school  now  returning,  to  study  and  learning 
With  pleasure  did  Harry  apply. 
He  felt  no  aversion  to  books ;  'twae  diversion, 
And  caus'd  him  to  smile,  not  to  sigh. 
CHRISTMAS. 
My  Dear/Children  :— Although  It  has  been 
your  delightful  privilege  to  celebrate  the  birth  of 
our  Saviour,  doubtless  It  has  not  occurred  to  many 
of  you  to  Inquire  Into  the  origin  nr  Mils  festival, 
or  how  It  is  observed  In  other  lands  than  our.s. 
How  expectantly  we  look  for  the  coming  of 
Santa  CiiA us,  feeling  sure  the  gerfial  old  follow 
will  not  have  forgotten  us,  notwithstanding  we 
may  have  more  or  loss  deserved  a  somewhat 
smaller  recognition  than  wo  provided  for,  judg¬ 
ing  by  tho  length  and  capacity  of  our  stockings. 
But  what  would  you  think,  my  charming  little 
nelce  and  robust  young  nephew.  If  your  old  fogy 
Uncle  should  fetch  you  a  nice,  sluek,  Iiislnuatlog 
switch,  and  you  could  not  tell  the  antecedents  of 
the  donor?  You  would  say,  I  think,  that  Its  ap¬ 
plication  was  deserved  in  a  way  and  place  quite 
foreign  to  the  Intentions  ol  him  who  gave  11. 
Santa  Cr-Acs,  who,  since  taking  out  his  natural¬ 
ization  papers,  has  become  8t.  NicnobAa,  came  to 
these  shores  with  our  Dutch  forefathers,  landing 
In  New  York.  A  fellow  naturally  so  secretive  and 
mysterious  In  character  would  have  many  abases, 
as  a  matter  or  course,  so  when  we  discreetly  in¬ 
quire  into  hla  Old  World  history  and  belongings, 
we  are  met  by  still  another  name.  Before  leav¬ 
ing  Germany  for  Holland  he  was  known  to  a  large 
and  enthusiastic  dlentuge  as  Kuecht  Hci'ert. 
career  of  those  whom  we  think  arc  loici  lor,  as 
the  spirit  of  Charity  the  most  blessed  of  spirits  - 
could  only  have  animated  the  heart, s  of  I  hosc  who 
believed  that  by  an  using  evergreens  sylvan  spir¬ 
its  would  find  shelter,  and  remain  secure  from 
King  Frost  until  a  milder  season.  Wc  owe  this 
practice  to  the  Druids. 
In  Roman  Catholic  countries  Christmas  la  nok 
to  so  large  an  extent  a  domosllc  festival  as 
among  iTotestants.  The  church  services  are 
much  grander,  the  pomp  and  ceremony  going  to 
uncomrqon  lengths  In  Italy  and  France.  Chiisl- 
mas  Is  u.shcrcd  lu  by  thi  ee  mas-sps.  one  at  mid¬ 
night,  at  which  hour  It  Is  .supposed  llie  Saviour 
was  bora.  This  custom  dates,  however,  from  tho 
Hl.vth  Century  only,  it  Is  a  period  of  great  honor 
to  the  virgin  .Mart,  her  counterfeli.  presentment 
being  caiTlod  around  In  procesftlon,  decked  out  In 
raiment  that  fairly  dazzles. 
The  custom  of  singing  carols,  which  were  In¬ 
tended  to  emulate  the  songs  of  ilio  Shepherds, 
dates  from  the  time  when  the  coL-inon  people 
ceased  to  understand  Latin. 
Traditions  referring  to  Chrlstm.'is  arc  numer¬ 
ous;  many  singularly  lovely.  Ta  Le/onshire  the 
oxen  were  supposed  to  fall  upon  .nelr  knees  ao 
midnight  and  moan  like  humans.  A  hawthorn, 
supposed  to  be  a  part  of  the  staff  Of  Joseph  of 
Arlmathea,  legend  says,  was  planted  on  the  ovo 
of  the  ctnclfixlon,  and  Imroedbately  budded  and 
was  on  tlie  following  day  covered  with  llowcrs. 
This  remarkable  shrub  was  supposeiJ  to  bloom 
regularly  on  Christmas  day,  and  persons  traveled 
great  distances  to  behold  the  miracle.  Twelfth- 
day  la  thought  to  be  in  honor  o:  the  magi,  who 
brought  presents  to  the  Bethlehem  manger. 
Home  very  pretty  Christmas  games  are  played  in 
England,  especially  noteworthy  oeLig  a  Twelfth- 
Night  party.  I  think  1  cancon-inend  It  to  somo 
of  my  enterprising  little  rclatlo.'.s,  v/lio  may  hap¬ 
pily  enliven  the  evening  by  its  rr-eans. 
First  we  must  make  and  bake  a  l.u.y  cake — vis¬ 
ions  of  a  huge  frosted  plum  cake  haunt  me— and 
Inside  of  which  Is  placed  a  dried  pea  and  bean. 
The  e.xtent  of  ornamentation  on  such  a  cake  can 
be  limited  only  by  the  resources  of  the  pantry  or 
