FEB. S 
THE RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
94 
We came first to a pavilion In which a company 
of children were engaged in a game, which, while 
affording them an Infinite amount of merriment, 
seemed to be wanting In that rude and boisterous 
hilarity which 1 had so Often observed among 
children at their games. 1 was always very fond 
of children, hut this group Interested me beyond 
any that I had ever Been. I had often gone Into 
ecstacy over a plump, healthy, sprightly, and 
sweet-tempered child, but here were at least forty 
of such children all In oue company, so It may he 
Imagined that I was full of appreciation. 
I looked over the. company, and narrowly ob- 
served each ll‘tie one, but l could not discover a 
single one of that pale, nervous, sickly, or gaunt, 
and tall class which Is always so welt represented 
in every gathering of children In my own country. 
On the contrary, they were all so well grown, so 
finely developed and so healthy in appearance 
that, but lor their number and the variety In their 
more prominent features. 1 would have taken them 
all to he children of ono parentage. What was 
more delightful to me than any other feature of 
the scene was the unvarying courtesy and t he un¬ 
selfish respect for each other’s rights and feelings 
with which their sport was conducted. They bore 
themselves like perfect little ladles and gentlemen, 
while acting with the unconventional freedom of 
children. 
We came next to a large pavilion In which a 
company of young men and maidens were engaged 
In such miscellaneous pastimes as might he ob¬ 
served among a social gathering of young people 
la my country. 
Here was a group seated around a table engaged 
In a game of chess, there a knot was gathered 
round a work of art, discussing Its merits and ad¬ 
miring Its beauties. Another group seemed to 
have in their possession some curiosity which 
greatly excited their wonder and admiration. 
Others were promenading, and others still were 
engaged in earnest conversation, while, here and 
there a couple moved or set apart from the rest, 
whose tender looks and countenances suffused 
with an internal content and pleasure told tne old 
story as plainly to the observer as their lips would 
utter It to each other. The middle of the tloor was 
occupied by many seta of dancers, who moved 
with tho utmost precision in complicated evolu¬ 
tions to the most delicious music that ever greeted 
my ears. 1 gazod In rapture upon the moving 
figures; such beauty of form and grace of carriage 
seemed little less than divine. While the absence 
of that ostentatious display of finery and those 
affected ways by which so many young people 
attempt to hlghten their charms, seemed to set 
off to the best advantage those graces with which 
they were all so richly endowed by nature. 
“ Surely, sir,” said I, turning to my companion, 
«this must be an exhibition of the best specimens 
of your people gathered irom all parts of the coun¬ 
try.” 
He looked at me in mute surprise, while his ex¬ 
pressive countenance seemed to say: “ Surely, Blr, 
your mental equipoise must be seriously disturbed 
or else you are vvoeiully green.” 
“ Now, In my country,” said I, In an explanatory 
manuer, “there could scarcely be collected so 
many splendid specimens of young men and women 
as are here assembled, while If they were gotten 
together people would come by tens of thousands 
to see them," 
“Your country,” said my companion, smiling 
facetiously, “must he In a very out of the way 
place, where It remains unaffected by the progress 
of our age. This company of young people 1s by 
no means remarkable, but such as might be found 
at this moment lu any of tne many parks of the 
city. And, further, 1 would agree to travel with 
you over Hie whole extent or our country and find 
you In every section of It as flue looking men and 
women as the best of those who have here excited 
your admiration." 
“indeed, sir,” said 1, "I grow each moment 
more Insignificant lu my eyes; and yet I must see 
more of your wonderful country and people If I 
dwindle to ihe condition of a miserable, deformed 
pigmy.” 
“ l hope,” replied my conductor, a benevolent 
smile lighting up his noble face. “ that your visit 
among us will have a directly opposite effect, 
namely, to Inspire you with loftier aspirations by 
giving you visible proof of what your nature Is 
capable.” 
>• There, sir," he continued, pointing to a vener¬ 
able looking man whose magnificent head and 
face at once riveted my attention, “that la Pro¬ 
fessor Cameron. He Is explaining a recent dis¬ 
covery which he has made In electro-magnetism 
to some of his scientific mends, if you want to 
study a really fine specimen of the human race, 
look at Ulm. in his younger days he was regarded 
as the finest man both physically and mentally, 
that the city con'amed. Ho has not lost any of 
his mental energy yet, while he Is as hearty and 
fresh, physically, as many a man of a hundred.” 
“ A hundred what ?” I mechanloally Inquired. 
“A hundred years of age. 1 know you will 
scarcely believe me, but that worthy man Is one 
hundrtd and thirty years old, and he has every 
prospect of living to bo a hundred and seventy.” 
“ Indeed,” said I, " then longevity Is another 
of the remarkable characteristics of your people.” 
“ I do not know that you can call It a remarks 
hie characteilsllc or our people,” he replied, “ since 
It is only occasionally that one reaches a hundred 
and seventy. While the average of human life 
among us is only one hundred and twenty-five. 
Doubtless, In the course of time It will Improve, as 
the people learn greater self control aud the laws 
of hereditary transmission become more thorough¬ 
ly obeyed. Id my young days tbe average was 
only a hundred and ten, now it has reached a hun¬ 
dred and twenty-five, aud 1 sliould not be at aU 
surprised but that In two or three generations 
more, It, will nave reached a hundred and fifty.” 
At this juncture a chime or bells rang our. a 
most delightful piece of music. Immediately the 
play of the children, the dancing, the games, and 
every other occupation at which the people were 
engaged, ceased, and they all stood up in their 
places and became reverently silent. Then a 
choir in a conspicuous pavilion led off In a hymn 
of praise in which all the people Joined. And such 
a hymn of praise, 1 thought, never swelled to 
neaven. in the pauses of the hymn I could hear 
the chimes and voices of other quarters of the 
city, and I conjectured, as my companion after¬ 
ward Informed me, that this was the closing exer¬ 
cise of the social entertainments in the different 
parks throughout the city. Promptly at nine 
o'clock, the chimes began to ring and then, after 
the hymn of praise was sung, the people dispersed 
to their homes. 
My companion gave me a very pressing Invita¬ 
tion to become his guest, but 1 politely declined, 
and requested him to show me to the nearest hotel. 
This he consented to do with hospitable reluc¬ 
tance, and following In the wake of the populace 
from the now deserted park, we soon parted at an 
elegant hotel. 
I stepped up boldly to the register among a crowd 
of those who had just returned fromtnepark. ifelt 
that l was an object of no very flattering curiosity 
to the grand people among whom 1 had fallen, 
and I resolved to show them that I was Indiffer¬ 
ent to their criticisms. My hold, confident air 
must have caused them much amusement, for 
they might Justly consider me a mere pigmy both 
in mind and body, as compared with themselves. 
Yet I could uot discover a disposition on the 
part of any of them to resent my assumption of 
importance. Even the hotel clerk, proverbially 
scornful to the man of Indifferent appearance, 
treated me with the utmost courtesy. 
Tne guests had soon all retired, it being an In¬ 
variable rule with this people to be In bed by ten 
o’clock—and I found myself alone with the clerk 
and other employees of the hotel who seemed 
preparing to follow the guests. 1 felt Jaded, dis¬ 
pirited and generally dissatisfied with myself, and 
as 1 had often found beneficial results In such a 
condition, from a glass of brandy, I inquired of the 
clerk where the bar was. 
“The bar!”he repeated with a puzzled look. 
“ There Is probably oue out in the storeroom; hut 
I cannot conceive what use you can have for a bar. 
Is It an Iron or a wooden one you want ?” 
To be continued. 
THE EYE-OPENER. 
The excellent Report of the Kansas State Horti¬ 
cultural Society, just received, says that at Its 
ninth semi-annual meeting frauds and humbugs 
received the strongest condemnation. The propri¬ 
etors of the Hill Home Nurseries, ot Tadrnor, Ohio, 
and ot the Rose Hill Nuiseries, of Iowa city, Iowa, 
were specially scored for their efforts to swindle 
the people of Kansas with such frauds as the Con¬ 
over’s Seedllug Qrape, and statements “meant to 
deceive ” about Hybrid Russian apple trees and 
many other worthless articles. A fellow named 
Fullhart was also “handled without gloves’’tor 
selling the Lombardy and Broad leafed Peaches as 
valuable fruits, and also such frauds as the Sweet 
Rhubarb, Tree strawberries, Grape-vine Rasp¬ 
berry, and monster pears, “originating in the 
swamps of France ”!!! The sense ot the Society 
was that sensible men should not he duped by 
wily agents or by fine-colored fruit hooks, or even 
bv bottles of specimen fruit grown elsewhere, and 
If gudgeons are caught by such bait, why, they are 
apt to learn some wisdom, though they pay pretty 
dear for the lesson. 
At the change of life nothing equals nop Bit¬ 
ters to allay all troubles incident thereto. 
Sorafstu (irtottomi). 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
CONCERNING THE SAVING OF LABOR. 
MART WAGER-FISHER. 
I think actual housekeepers, who keep 
house well, must often be amused at the sub¬ 
stance of many of the articles which from year 
to year appear in the “ household" column of 
newspapers, telliDg women how to do their 
work in order to get through with it quickly, 
have plenty of leisure, and be always bright 
and uufatigued; for they well know that in 
housekeeping, as in most other businesses, 
“ eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” and 
that lor every day of neglect there is always a 
“day of reckoning.” At all events, that has 
been my own experience. 1 find that, in order 
to keep affairs running smoothly and well, 
there is always a great deal of work to be done 
and always a great many steps to be taken. 
In economizing labor, both for myself and 
those whose work I direct, I aim ebielly at two 
things—to make the various tasks of the day 
*« dove-tail” into each other, and to save steps, 
The latter, I thiuk, is of very great importance, 
and the most difficult to compass, because it 
requires constant forethought. Aside from the 
architectural conveniences of a house—on 
which u loug chapter might be written—there 
are some arrangements, simple in themselves, 
but which contribute largely to “ keeping 
things in order,” at little cost of trouble or 
expense. In the kitcheu hang a bag so that 
the mouth be always open, iu which put all 
rags ot every description—especially worn-out 
house-cloths that drift to that part of ihe 
house. Have another bag, with mouth ajar, 
for paper of every description. Allow never a 
ra<j or paper to be thrown out of doors. When a 
broom is utterly worn out, chop off the stump 
end and put it in the fiie; put the handle in the 
work shop. Have a box or drawer in the 
kitchen for needles, thread, thimble and 
shears; they are always needed at times. Have 
in every occupied room in the house a similar 
outfit, for scarcely a week passes hut a stitch 
needs to be taken in something. A half dozen 
steel thimbles, with needles and thread and 
seissoiB. judiciously placed, will save five 
thousand steps a year. 
The same may be said of dust-pansand dust- 
brushes. In a large house there should be from 
two to three on each floor. They will wear for 
years, aDd in the end cost no more than when 
one is made to do for the entire house, besides 
saving all the steps. To come down-stairs for 
what should be up-stairs, and vice versa, should 
be accounted an intellectual sin. True, one 
cannot always go about with the mind charged 
with small matters, but there is an oJd saw 
about killing two birds with one stone, that is 
worth rernemberiog. If there is a shelf or chair 
by the stairway, on which articles are placed 
that are to go up stairs, many steps can be 
6aved in that way. The same for the cellar, if 
there is a shelf put in the cellar-way on which 
things may be placed temporarily that are 
either to be carried down or to be brought 
up, and left until required. 
What is needed in the kitchen, have in the 
kitchen, so far as possible. If there is no 
place for these things, make a place. So of 
the dining-room. Have your table-cloths and 
napkins there, and not up-3tairs in a bureau 
drawer. In brief, put the requirements of an 
office in the office, and, as I said of the kitchen, 
if you have no place for them, make a place. 
A small cupboard may be hung against a wall, 
which will prove a great convenience. In¬ 
stead of talking and wishing for conveniences, 
have them. In nine cases out of ten, if you 
want a thing in downright earnest you’ll get 
it. Only, never ask to have an extension to 
the back part of the house when you have 
front rooms that you don’t use! American 
women have a mania for extensive houses, 
until they are worn out in their efforts to take 
care of them. 
One wav to “get on” with work, and so 
economize iu labor, is to have a goodly number 
of irons In the fire at the same time. I find 
that a thing once begun is half done; then, 
too, one does not always feel like doing certain 
tasks at all times, and a diversity of work is 
more pleasant. One may lack materials to 
finish one article, or a certain piece of sewing 
is up-3iaira and one is too tired to go for it, so, 
if there Is other work at hand already begun, 
it will probably receive attention. Sewing and 
repairing for Spring and Summer wear should 
now be attended to, so that when the warm, 
relaxing days of Spring come there will be no 
need of over-work for the sake of having some¬ 
thing to wear. 
Apropos conveniences, a lamp huDg from 
the middle of the ceiling in the kitchen will 
light the whole room, be out of the way and 
out of danger from breakage. Plain hanging 
lamps are now among the least expensive of 
lamps, aud with a good top piece, or shade, 
are very useful. 
For cleaning frosted lamp globes, wet a bit 
of cloth in kerosene and rub the glass. Use 
no water in cleaning lamp chimneys and the 
breakage of them will be almost nothing. For 
plain chimneys I know of nothing better than 
soft paper and human breath. Put the paper 
over one end of the chimney, blow into the 
other, which warms and moistens the glass, 
and then rub with the paper. Some steam the 
chimney slightly at the spout of a teakettle. 
Whether the way in which lamp chimneys are 
cleaned has actually something to do with 
their breakage or non-breakage I don’t know, 
but I do know that in my own housekeeping 
the chimneys that are washed with soap and 
water have to be replaced three or four times 
as often as the chimneys that are cleaned with 
steam and paper or with kerosene. Have a 
shelf on purpose to set lamps on. 
Have plenty of hooks all through the house 
to hang things on—hooks in the hall for hats, 
coats, rubbers, shoes, and everything wearable 
that can be hung up ; that is, if you can afford 
nothing better than hooks. In the kitchen 
hang up everything “ hangable.” Iu this way 
tables, shelves, chairs and the floor will be 
ktpt clear of obstructions ; you can tell where 
everything is at a glance, and sweeping, dust¬ 
ing and cleaning can all be done with the 
greater facility. Four dozen hooks, well 
screwed in the right places, will prove great 
sources of convenience and comfort. If bed¬ 
rooms have no closets, or only small ones, put 
hooks ou the back of the doors to hang night¬ 
gowns on, as they should be aired throughout 
the entire day. 
Have a high stool in the kitchen to sit on 
when tired, to continue your work if neces¬ 
sary. Perched on Us top you can wash dishes 
or iron, clean windows or “ can " fruit with 
ease. A low stool placed iu a woodtn chair 
forms a snbst’tute, but a poor one. 
I find a carpet-sweeper as necessary as a 
elothes-wringer. It saves greatly in strength 
and raises almost no dust at all. I think it 
wears a carpet less than do brooms. It costs 
about $3.00, and will last a great many years. 
A child can operate it. 
-- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Soft-Soap. 
Pot one and one-half pail of lye that will 
bear up an egg into your soap barrel and to it 
add eight pounds of melted grease, free from 
sediment. Thin with weaklycasitiaobtained 
from the leach. Stir occasionally. It should 
thicken and be ready for use in two or three 
days, providing the weather is warm or the 
barrel stands in a warm place. This method 
makes very good soap and it is a saving of 
time, strength and fuel, which is sufficient to 
justify one in throwing away the scraps, 
which may not be quite so thoroughly “ tried 
out,” as in the old method. As to the scraps, 
the best use they can be put to, is to throw 
them to the hens,—they will repay you. 
Farmer’s Wife. 
Rusks. 
One quart of light bread sponge, two cups 
of sugar, one-half cup of shortening and a 
beaten egg. Make into a soft dough, When 
very light, roll out an inch thick and cut into 
rounds. Let rise again and bake in a moder¬ 
ate oven—a heat that will not form a hard crust 
at top or bottom. These are very nice with 
coffee or tea. When stale, split them, toast 
slightly, butter and eat at once. 
Soda Cracker*. 
Fourteen teacups of sifted flour, half a cup 
each of butter and lard, two caps of milk or 
water, two teaBpoonfulsof cream-of tartar and 
one of soda. Mix. do not pound, roll thin, cut 
into squares, prick wita a fork aud bake in a 
moderate oven. 
Good Doughnuts. 
Seven coffeecupfuls of light bread dough (it 
should be spoDged with milk). Into it mix 
one and one-half cupful of melted shortening, 
one of sugar and a teaspoonful of saleratus. 
When this has again become light, roll it out— 
not too thick—cut into small squares, or any 
shape you please, aud cook in boiling fat. 
Cookie*. 
Two caps and a half of sugar, two cups of 
butter, four eggs, half a teaspoonfnl of saler¬ 
atus, caraway seed if you please, flour to roll 
thin. Cat round. Mart B. 
Salt lu Starch. 
“Salt should never be used in starch. Al¬ 
though it gives the linen a good appearance 
and makes it iron smoothly, it surely destroys 
the fabric, I have tried it to my satisfaction, 
and know it is uot a fancy.” Thus writes a 
friend. _ 
Potted Meat*. 
It sometimes happens from unforeseen cir¬ 
cumstances, that large quantities of cooked 
meats remain on hand. How to preserve them 
is the question many ladies are unable to 
answer. Pot them. Cut the meat from the 
bones, chop fine, in fact, it should be rubbed 
to a paste, season highly with cayenne, salt, 
cloves or any spice you like, moisten with 
melted butter, wine, vinegar, cider or Worces¬ 
tershire sauce, according to the kind of meat, 
and pack into small stone jars. Cover the top 
with half auiueh of melted batter and keep ia a 
cool place. It will keep weeks and is very 
nice for lunch or tea. J. R. J, 
Cold Buckwheat Cake*. 
If any cakes are left from breakfast, soak 
them in warm water or milk, rub them fine 
aud put with the fresh butter. It is as much 
an improvement as it is a saving. 
Bread from Grown Wheat. 
Add several potatoes to the bread—three to 
each loaf, boiled and mashed fine. It restores 
the starch and makes excellent bread. 
Potato Salad. 
Thin slices of cold boiled potatoes, thin 
slices of hard boiled eggs, minced pickled 
onion. Into a salad dish put a layer of pota¬ 
toes, cover with the eggs and strew over a few 
bits of the onion. This alternate until all are 
in. Make a dressing in the proportion of one 
lablespoonful of vinegar to three of salad oil- 
one teaspoonful of salt to one-third teaspoon, 
ful of pepper and the same quantity of made 
mustard. Mix thoroughly and pour over. Let 
stand half an hour before eating. 
Mrs. E. L. C. 
- - - : - 
Note. —The article in a late paper by Mary 
Wager-Fisher is especially valuable to young 
housekeepers’aud even those of experience 
may learn something new from its practical 
hints on dinner-giving. To readers in the 
country removed from contact with those who 
see the oft changing style of table etiquette, it 
is of special value and its perusal cannot be 
too highly recommended. Annie L. Jack. 
With children strive to inspire love not dreai 
-respect not f.’ar. 
No hospital needed for patients that use Hop 
Bitters, as they, cure so speedily at home. 
