JAN. 22 
vlded for” even to their pocket handkerchiefs, that 
they actually dread going to town to shop, or to 
"trade.” 
There fs such a thing as to fall so far from the 
grace of moving about In the world, as to live very 
much like a vegetable—to grow up, or to be planted 
In a certain spot, and to remain there until nipped 
by the frost or Death. There are women who be¬ 
come just such vegetables from a continued habit 
ofataylDgat home. It may bo comfortable, and 
It may be easy, for the faiher and husband to at¬ 
tend to the entire business of the family, but It Is 
a kindness of such texture that sooner or later 
parts into Bhreds of a very poor sort. 
Someone writing from Mentor not long ago, 
mentioned having seen Mrs. Garfield standing m 
her kitchen door, gltltigdlrectlonnto the ‘•hands” 
In regard to the marketing of half a dozen or more 
barrels of cider. Whether the stated occurrence 
was true, or not, one feels certain that, the wife of 
the President-elect la fully capable of transacting 
business Intelligently and in a business like way, 
and no one doubts but that she possesses womanly 
qualities of a high degree. 
I mention this, as some young women pride 
themselves upon t.helr Ignorance and their help¬ 
lessness. They Imagine that to be purely woman¬ 
ly, they must be helpless, and delicate, too. Such 
persons are not womanly In the true sense! they 
are simply effeminate. A girl should be taught 
self-reliance from her Infancy, and from an early 
age Bhould regulate her own expenses so far as It 
la practicable. 1 f a frock of calico or gingham Is to 
be bought for her, take her to • ‘ the store ” with 
you, and let her select It and pay for It herself. 
Habituate her to expending money carefully and 
discreetly. By choosing for herself, site learns to 
decide for herself. It, Is better t hat she decide for 
herself, and make a poor decision a great many 
times In unimportant things, than grow up to he 
an undecisive women. The man who wrote 
“Frailty, thy name Is Woman,” would have hit the 
truth more nearly, had he put It ** Indecision, thy 
name is Woman.” Business men dread to do bus¬ 
iness with, or for, women, because the latter so 
rarely know what they want, and are so slow In 
coming to a decision. They fall to distinguish be¬ 
tween Important and unimportant matters, and 
dally as long over the one as the other. Thlade- 
fectln character of many women Is by no meanB 
Innate; It la the result solely of their education 
and training. They have not been accustomed to 
decide for themselves, und the nirrow scope of 
their lives, has forced them to regard even trivial 
matters as Important ones. They look as long be¬ 
fore they leap In deciding between two pieces of 
black silk, as In comtnllt l ng matritnony. But then 
It sometimes happens that husbands are more 
easily to be had than are silk frocks. 
It Is alwayB a good training and an essential part 
of a child's education, to have a bank account, 
however Binall. It la not always practicable to 
give a child a real hank aocouut; hut you, your¬ 
self may be the banker, receive the small deposits 
of the child, oblige It to draw out Its savings when 
desired by moans ol checks, and so far as possible, 
transact the business as at real banks, interest 
may be allowed on the deposits which the child 
hould compute. Of course, the child should he 
aided as much as possible In making deposits, and 
in spending the withdrawals Judiciously. Care 
should be taken to Inculcate a spirit of generosity, 
as well as one of frugality, and to teach that 
money has but one value the use to he made of It. 
The Investment and security of money form a 
good topic of talk with children, occasionally, and 
girls especially should be made to understand the 
meaning of bonds and of mortgages, and the value 
and requirement of securities. 
The cust oin In France of giving a dot, or dowry 
to a girl when she marries, Is a most excellent one. 
French parents, no matter how poor they are 
never expect tuelr daughter to marry without a 
dot, and tUc various members of the family, some¬ 
how manage to secure It. Of course. It is often 
very small—one or two francs maybe—but It is 
something— and it Is to belong to the young wife 
exclusively; Is duly invested and secured lor her 
sole use. The custom 1 am glad to see, is being 
Imitated In this country, A young California lady 
who was recently married had an Income of fllty 
thousand dollars secured to her; half by her 
faiher, and half by her prospective husband, of 
course,that was an exceptional case In amount,but 
the principle is a good one. Every married woman 
ought to have a certain Income which Is secured 
against all probable misfortune, and which no one 
but herself can control. It ought to be regarded 
by every father and mother as their duty to see to 
that their daughter, when she marries, has such 
n Income as It- is possible to give to her thorough¬ 
ly secured to her. it should be made a genuine 
matter of business, legally arranged, and In no 
way be left to a mailer of sentiment. Sentiment 
Is all right lu Its way; women are over much 
guided by it, but u well-certified legal document 
Is apt to berrtend one better in the long run. It is 
much better to give a daughter a frugal “ out-set” 
and a dot, than to make the former sumptuous 
and the latter altogether lacking. Secure to her 
an income at all events, I would say, and the man 
to whom she Is to be married should be given the 
Opportunity to contribute to the fund. A wife is 
worth aa much now-a-days us when Abraham 
sent his servant to bargain for a wife for Isaac. 
If husbaBda and fathers were sure of living for¬ 
ever, there would bo no need of post-mortem pro¬ 
vision for their families. It Is not pleasant to talk 
of death, or to keep the possibility of it ever pres¬ 
ent to one’s mind; but how mucli^roublemight be 
saved If there was a clear understanding by the 
elder members of the family as to what would be 
best to do in the case of the death of a parent— 
whom to consult, by wnose Judgment to he guided, 
what disposition to make of the property, etc. 
In case of the death or Lbe husband and father, 
or of the mother—If the only paieotthe family 
then, would not bo plunged into suen rayless 
perplexity, not knowing what to do, whither to 
turn, and In their grief taking the first hand 
proffered, and living to regret It ever after. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 50 
That all people have confidence In their near 
relatives Is right. They Bhould have ; the world 
would he a sorry place without such trust and 
confidence. But a9 regards the management and 
trust of property, there are two reasons why they 
should not be entrusted with one's relatives. In 
the first place the business is not conducted in a 
businesslike way, whereas it should be regulated 
precisely as It would be with a stranger, in the 
second place, If the management Is had and money 
is lost, hard feelings arc engendered, and few 
things are more deplorable than anger between 
kindred. It 13 a common remark that if you wish 
to retain the honest affection of a person, don’t 
put him under pecuniary obligation to yourself; 
for if he finds hlmseir unable to discharge It, he 
never thereafter feels comfortable and happy In 
your presenoe. It Is always better In matters of 
finance to bo guided by the advice of a competent 
lawyer (not a " pettifogger ”) than by the gratu¬ 
itous advice or suggestion of the best and dearest 
relative tn the world, unless the relative chances 
to be an entirely disinterested party and a person 
of experience and good judgment In business mat¬ 
ters. Even then there la safety in having a good 
lawyer. 
My great aim In ref rrlng to this matter at all la 
to urge upon parents—especially upon husbands 
and r.uhers—the necessity of educating their 
wives and daughters in matters of business, oblig¬ 
ing them, so far as they can, to become familiar 
with the oommon details of financial transactions, 
and to have a tolerably clear comprehension of 
what they could do, and what they should do, in 
case of necessity, and to urge upon young women 
the advantage of thinking and acting for them¬ 
selves. 
- +. ♦ ♦ - 
OLD MAID.—No. 2. 
I nevbr read "Twaddle," stuff that women 
write, about cooking, etc,, but in turning from the 
Agricultural news to “Inmates of Lester Hall,” 
my eye fell upon a letter which attracted my at¬ 
tention. since then I have look on with, some in¬ 
terest, and as that “ Young Bachelor” is about to 
get the worst of it, I step upon the arena, for my 
share of—Oh I what shal 11 call It? No. 2 ’s anti- 
pathy or approval ? 1 am older than Bachelor 
No. 1,1 meet ladles with a fro wn and I’m crusty. 
I like the ring of No. 2’s metal. Give me always 
and forever a woman who thinks she hates men, 
and my Interest to win her Is excited. 
Old Bach. No. 2. 
ABOUT WOMEN, 
Miss Morse, the daughter of the inventor of the 
telegraph, is about to be married to Mr. Rummel, 
the pianist. 
The Duchess of Marlborough will send 16 
Irish families, with complete farming outfits, to 
Manitoba, In the Spring. 
Mrs. Elucn Grant Sartoris has now three 
children—two little girls and a boy. The fourth— 
her eldest son—is dead. 
Adelina Patti Is undoubtedly, says Mrs. Hooper, 
coming to this country next Autumn to remain 
two years. All arrangements are made, and the 
contract signed. 
Miss Schoonmakkr, or Kerhoneson, New York, 
at the age of U, Inherited a large farming property 
very heavily mortgaged, and had at that time, five 
helpless people dependent on her. In the 14years 
that have since elapsed, she has caught school, 
managed the farm, going Into the field herself out 
of school hours, has paid off the mortgage, Im¬ 
proved the property, and become an extensive 
stock-raiser. 
FASHIONS. 
The skirts of walking-costumes are certainly 
as a rule, much toiler than they were last W Inter 
although the bodice la quite as clinging as ever. 
Bonnet crowns of copper-colored plush are 
made very effective by amber-headed appliques. 
Sliver Jewelry la very much a la mode, and shows 
very effectively with the rich, dark dresses of ihe 
season. 
sleeveless polonaises of figured materials over 
velvet skirts and sleeves form not only very fash¬ 
ionable, but convenient toilets. 
Flush Is the queen of materials this winter hut 
still many ladles prefer brocaded silks and sat¬ 
ins, which not being so thick, are more beoomlng 
to all hut very slight figures. 
Woolen fabrics are Innumerable; tartan plaids 
In dull colors are much worn, mixed with plain 
materials for ladles, but by themselves for little 
girls and children. Other woolens, such as cash- 
mere, vigogne, camel's hair, armure, rep, beige, 
and diagonal, are mostly trimmed with fancy 
wool and silk brocade, velvet, or plush. 
The Marguerite gauntlet sleeve la very fashion¬ 
able and stylish. The top Is made of ihe material 
or the dress, and the long cuff which reaches to the 
elbow is made of plush velvet or satin. The cuff 
fits closely to the arm, and Is buttoned or laced 
up the back. 
As regards colors gray la not much worn this 
Winter; black toilets are always very atsttngue. 
Tbe shades most fashionable for drosses are dark 
greens; garnet, always In favor; violet, very be¬ 
coming to blondes; lapis-blue, seal-brown, prune, 
and all shades of deep red; the latest name lor 
copper-red Is ttson, or ember-red. 
Fashion Is very lull of whims and fannies this 
Winter. Upon fur cloaks, caps, and muffs she 
has decided to place the paw of some wild beast— 
lion, tiger, or panther—with gilt claws. In artis¬ 
tic Jewelery we see the most fantastic devices— 
beetles, cockroaches, spiders are the favorites; 
the latter especially is Just now the pet of the 
season. Ittsmadeot gold, silver, diamonds, and 
every kind of precious stone, and used as eardrops, 
broodies, charms, and ornaments for hats and 
bonnets. 
■ - » ♦ ♦ -- 
Ice water Is rendered harmless and more re¬ 
freshing with Hop Bitters in each draught. 
lontfsfir <2rcoitomu. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
GOOD MANNERS AT THE DINNER TABLE. 
Good manners, when carefully heeded at home, 
Will carry politeness wherever you roam. 
Gaze not at a guest, nor at any one’s plate. 
Nor boorishly hold up your knife and fork straight. 
Forbear at the table to mimic the ape, 
Nor spread out your limbs in an uncomely shape, 
Rest not on your elbowB, nor knife and spoon lick, 
Nor finger the forelock, nor use a tooth-pick. 
Kpnak never of sickness, nor death of a friend, 
Nor nauseous nostrums, till dinner shall end. 
Beware, when at home, or abroad, of the fault 
Of thrusting your knife in the butter or Balt, 
Sruack not with your lips, neither glower around. 
Nor swallow your coffee with gurgling sound. 
One should never be guilty, wherever one goes. 
Of hemming and hawking and blowing the nose. 
Raise not an unsavory dish to the nose, 
Nor turn it to scan it suspiciously close. 
If knife, fork, or spoon chance to fall to the floor, 
Defer not to wipe, and unsullied restore. 
When butter is furnished with insipid hair. 
Remove it, unnoticed, affecting no oare. 
Cut thin and small slices; but eat with a fork; 
And turn from the table when drawing a cork. 
Tbe carver, when carving and serving the meat, 
Should deem it unskillful to rise from his seat. 
When serving the courses, distribute the best 
To matrons and sages, or some honored guest. 
Let gourmands and gluttons beware of the sin 
Of ending lh‘ir courses ere others begin. 
Mince not between courses, when you’ve had enough; 
And turn from the table to stifle a cough. 
Sip not your hot coffee, nor blow your hot meat, 
Nor gulp them untasted, nor surlily eat. 
Good manners at dinner forbid one to look 
At letters, or papers, or read In a book. 
Be cheerful, feel grateful whenever your food 
Is wholesome and fragrant, all steaming and good. 
When one cannot eat what Is dry as a stick. 
Trueetiiiuette warrants the plea, “I am sick !” 
When leaving, untimely, say M Will you excuse ?” 
Thus honor your manners, nor credit abuse. 
Suck not your soup with a bubbling sound, 
Nor heedlessly spatter the gravy around. 
Encircling tbe table, set U something; yet fear 
To speak in a whisper what others may hear. 
Say something; yet, after another’s begun, 
Forbear interrupting before he is done. 
Say Something, if naught but " This Bugar is sweet,” 
Or coffee is fragrant, or juicy the meat. s. e. t. 
ONE WEEK FROM MRS. CLAY’S JOURNAL. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
Friday. —This morning Janet undertook to 
give the children's bed-room an extra cleaning 
while abont the regular upstairs woik, so 
Nora and I did the baking, which, if possible, 
is done up on Friday to last three or four 
days. I often think what folly it is for us to 
be always over the oven and baking board, and 
there is as much need of economy in that di¬ 
rection as anything else to which we turn our 
attention. Economy iu work means a saving 
of strength, and the saving effected in this 
respect meant more to 6pare for mental labor 
and the development of our children. When 
Alex, comes to me, as he often does, and says, 
"Mamma, how do the leaves come?" or. 
“ What makes the leaves fall off ?” if I am 
thinking of him and his naturally inquiring in¬ 
fant mind, I tell him in the simplest language 
the story of Nature and of Nature’s God. But 
if I am tired with over-wotk or worry, I very 
likely say, " Run out and play; don't ask so 
many questions.” Am I not right, mothers ? 
While we were all very busy Karen undertook 
to sweep the living-rooms, and when I went in 
to go to my bed-room to dress, my first thought 
was that they looked neat and tidy- But, alas ! 
a further examination proved disastrous to 
this opinion—tor the comers had been neg¬ 
lected. I cilled the little girl and gave her a 
word of advice, telling her that it would never 
do if papa only plowed Ihe middle of the fields; 
and what would happen if those corners were 
left dusty every day ? Why, they would grow 
heaps and heaps of dirt and have to be shovel¬ 
ed out, at which Karen laughed gaily and went 
for the broom to try again. And now I find 
that my thoughtless words said the other day 
are about to be put to the test, for Janet came 
in just before dinner, ana, with her honest 
eyes looking shyly away, told me that Sandy 
Mucklemau, who Is just out from the High¬ 
lands. has asked her to be hiB wife ; that she 
hesitated because he was going off to Nebras¬ 
ka and she ‘‘eouldna’ thole ta leave the 
weau6.’’ And then she told me for the first 
time the history of their long waiting, how his 
parents depended on him for support, and she 
came to America to earn money a few years 
and then go back to Sandy. But now he was 
alone in the world and l ad sold his possessions 
and bought a farm in the West. I am very 
sorry to lose her; we shall miss her honest 
face and helpful ways, for we have (rusted in 
her, since she came to us. But we are glad 
her future is assured, and think that Sandy 
Mucklem&n is a lucky fellow to win such a 
wife ; for she will make a home wherever she 
goes and give it the adornment of her pres¬ 
ence, while the touch of her busy hands will 
beautify the plainest of furnishings. And for 
us, I think there will be no trouble. Equally 
divided work the " many hands ” make light, 
and if I have any doubts I shall lay them aside 
and say:— 
"Yes, leave it with Him, the lilies do so,and the 
row— 
ey grow in the rain aud they grow in the dew. Yea 
they do.” 
And I shall not fear for our future whils 
health and loving hearts are left to help ns.” 
--- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Apple Pudding. 
Four large apples pared, cored, and chopped 
fine, two-thirds of a cup of raisins, seeded 
and chopped, two tablespoonful3 of minced 
suet, one-half cup of sugar, a pint of sweet 
milk, some slices of light, stale bread, two 
eggs, nutmeg. Line a shallow pudding dish 
with slices of stale bread well buttered, put 
in the apples, raisins, suet, Bugar and nut¬ 
meg. Scald the milk and pour slowly over 
the beaten eggs, sweeten with two tableapoon- 
fuls of sugar and pour over the ingredients. 
Cover and bake in a moderate oven three- 
quarters of an hour. Eat cold with powdered 
sugar. 
Polled Fowl. 
Cold roast fowl, a little lean ham, two 
spoonfuls of batter, salt and pepper. Cut all 
the meat from the bones, rejecting skin, shred, 
then pound in a mortar till a paste, add 
the butter, season, mix thoroughly, put into 
little pots, and tie down with thick paper or 
bladder, 
Sweet Rusk. 
At night make a sponge with a pint of 
warm milk, two spoonfuls of yeast and flour 
for a batter. Keep in a warm place. In the 
morning mix in one enp of sugar, half a cup 
of butter, two beaten eggs, a teaspoonful of 
salt, and flour for a soft dough. Mold into 
little balls, put into a greased pan and let 
them rise until very light. After baking, you 
can, if you please, wash the tops with sweet 
milk, egg, or molasses and water. 
_ MRS. J. L. 
Butter Crackers. 
One quart of flour, four tablespoonfuls of 
butter, two large cupfuls of sweet milk, salt, 
and half a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in 
hot water. Cut the bntter up in the flour, add 
the other ingredients, mixing well. Work 
into a ball aEd pound with the rolling pin 
half an hotr or longer, turning the dough 
often. Roil into an even sheet a quarter of 
an inch thick, cut .into little rounds, prick 
deeply and bake iu a moderate oven. 
Lady Cake. 
One pound of sugar, one-half pound of but¬ 
ter, whites of ten eggs, one half pint of milk, 
one-half pound of flour, a teaspoonful of 
cream of-tartar, and one-half teaspoonful of 
soda. Flavor with bitter almond and bake in 
squares. Flavor the frosting with vanilla. 
Marble Cake. 
One cup of bntter. two cups of granulated 
sugar, four eggs, one cup of milk, two even 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, three cups of 
flour. After mixing the cake take out a tea- 
eupful and into it stir two tablespoonf nls of gra¬ 
ted chocolate wet with a very little milk. Into 
your cake-pan pour in the yellow batter until 
an inch deep, then drop In a spoonful of choc¬ 
olate mixture iu two or three places. Give to 
the brown spots a little stir with the spoon 
and pour in more yellow batter. Again drop 
in the brown mixture, pouring over the yel¬ 
low. 
Orange Snow. 
Juice of four large sweet oranges and 
grated peel of one, juice of a small lemon, a 
coffee-cupful of powdered sugar, a package 
of gelatine soaked in a cup of cold water, 
whites of four eggs beaten until stiff, a pint 
of boiling water. Mix the juice aud grated 
rind of the oranges and lemon with the 6oaked 
gelatine, add the sugar and lei stand an hour. 
Then pour in the boiling water, stir and 
strain. When the liquid becomes cold whip 
in the whites an 1 pour into a wet mold. 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
Frozen Fruit. 
E. E. P., Racine, Wis., says that a friend 
has a large supply of canned and preserved 
fruit—peaches, pears, jellies and jams, which 
lately froze. As they are in sealed glass jars 
he fears they will burst, or at least become 
spoiled when they thaw out, and our friend 
asks will either of these mishaps occur, and 
what should be done. 
Ans.—I f the glass jars had been filled *' to 
the top with fruit,” they would necessarily 
have burst. As they did not burst while freez¬ 
ing they are not likely to do so afterwards. 
The fUvor of the fruit will not be injured and 
it will keep as well hereafter, if air-tight, but 
the pears aHd peaches will become soft from 
the freezing and thawing process. 
Keep the kidneys healthy and unobstructed with 
Hop Litters and you need not fear sickness. 
