FEB. 23 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
<27 
LONDON. 
London*!* the greatest city the world ever saw. 
Babylon, Thebes, Romo wore never so populous, 
while the largest city of India at the present 
time, contains less than a million Inhabitants. 
Within the borders of the metropolitan and 
police districts, a circle ot fifteen miles, it. Is com¬ 
puted there are at the present time upwards of 
four million persons. London Is three times 
more populous than St. Petersburg, tv\ ice as pop¬ 
ulous as Constantinople, with two-thirds more 
people In It. than Paris, a nd one-fourth more than 
even the hlviug multitudes or Pekin. All Scot¬ 
land but equal!) It In the number of its people, 
and half us many Yorkshlrcmen again as are 
numbered In their own county could find ac¬ 
commodation within It s circle. Every eight min¬ 
utes of every day ot every year a soul goes out 
of London, and In every live minutes ot every 
day a new Immortal enters upon this scene of 
Its prob ill >u, 11 is at once the court, the seat or 
government, the ceutcr of fashion, the home of 
all the charities, a id the general rendezvous ot 
all orlnuluil and desperate characters of the 
United Kingdom. 
-- 
PARROT-TOED, 
C. If. 12.11. asks why parrots always hold their 
food with their left foot. Well, now for a *' scien¬ 
tific why.” The parrot stands upon his right foot 
because it is right to do so, and as he has hut one 
foot left, ho is compelled to hold his food with 
his left foot. <- 1 - E. D. Patent applied for. 
BRIC-A-BRAC. 
BV C. 11. E. B. 
Tub following anecdote Is told or Lord Brough¬ 
am. “ Mr. Brougham (afterwards Lord Brough¬ 
am) was Junior with Mr.—, a leading counselor 
the day, In a ciwsecele.biT that nearly concerned 
the royal family. Tim leader, oppressed with the 
respouslblty of his charge, and weary with his 
exertions, had been addressing the court in close 
argument for several hours, when It. was appar¬ 
ent. to every one that Ills mind had suddenly 
ceased to act In unlslun with his speech. Mr.— 
became Hurried, stammered,aud began to plunge. 
Brougham saw what had happened, and lusfaut- 
ly rose, Interrupted Ills chief, and addressed the 
court. Wearing upou his race an expression of 
great suffering, he assured their lordships of his 
deep regfet at having to trouble, ( hem at such a 
time with a matter personal to Himself, llo did 
most, unwillingly, hut he was sure their lordships 
wou'd forgive him If they only k new the agony ho 
was enduring In his right ear by reason oi the 
killing draught that rushed through “that door 
leading Into tbc Common Pleas." lie was nearly 
mad with ouruehe. What he ahouhl do ir the nui¬ 
sance continued he pould not tell. Might he. In 
the Interest of lcs clients, entreat the InlrrpoM- 
ttnn of the Bench? The Bench condoled with 
Brougham on his suffering, and at once ordered 
measures to betakeu lo slop the draught. “ The 
door loading Info the other court” was shut, but 
still the draught came; windows were examined, 
and sandbags were placed against the openings 
in t hem till the nuisance Was abiled till a good 
quftvleror an hour had been consumed, and Mr. 
Brougham’s leader had had time to recover him¬ 
self, JUs, perhaps, needless to add that tho In¬ 
telligent junior "had not an ache or pain In all 
Ids groat, body.” 
Bo Inscrutable may the human face become, 
that frequently It la but a mask which conceals 
t he real character. Tho men and women most 
famous for lioarLleaHcruelty have utten been cele¬ 
brated tor their handsome faces; writers of fic¬ 
tion have not been unmindful of the racl, and 
Faust Is represented as being a handsome man; 
while the German U3hermen sing of the sirens 
who drag men’s souls down to perdltlou with 
tlielr lalul dower of beauty. Some faces are un¬ 
readable, und tell nothing of tho owner’s cbaruc- 
te.r. The merriest men now and then Lave sol¬ 
emn laces, and the mast serious Irequently have 
Cheerful ones. Frequently the most heartless 
c lquette has all t.he sUy graces of a girl of six¬ 
teen, while the heart ot some woman who looks 
you through with cold, steady eyes, may be filled 
with love and tenderness that you are too blind 
to discover. Bo we all go on, wearing disguises of 
different devices, never quite concealing, never re¬ 
vealing, the life within. And thus It will ever he. 
lUou tKD Cu; oh-demon once took the Bishop or 
Beauvais prisoner lu battle. The Pope, hearing 
of It, sent to him to say that ho had broken the 
privilege oi holy church and taken his son. The 
king, In reply, sent him the armor lu which the 
bishop was taken, with this, lu writing, “ Vide 
num hteo sit vestts tllil tul ” (Sec whotlier this 
be tliy son’s cualor no.) 
A good reputation should be preserved with es¬ 
pecial care, for when ouee lost, It is always dlffl- 
cult, and sometimes even Impossible, to recover 
if. Good renown is into ice, which, when ouee 
broken, can never be made whole again. The tol- 
lowlng fable affords a very useful lesson on this 
subject. It. happened one day that Fire, Wafer, 
and Reputation were traveling together: they 
were deliberating how they should meet again, 
In case of losing each other. Five said, •• You will 
bud me, when you see smoko.” Water said, 
“ w bere you sec marshy places, you will find mo.” 
Hut imputation said, “ Take care you do notsep- 
arate from me; should you do so, you run a great 
risk of never meeting me again ; for when I am 
onee lost, It js very seldom 1 am ever recovered,” 
*P 
^CONDUCTED BY MISS FAITH RIPLEY. 
LOVE. 
A volume in a word— 
An ocean in a lour.- 
An old, a nerer-endhiB- souk. 
That auyels stoop to hear. 
A seraph's perfumed kiss— 
An .Etna of unrest: 
A word, tho royal kiny of words. 
Writ on Jehovah's breast! 
[Transcript. 
-M-t- 
LETTERS FROM A COUNTRY GIRL. 
MARGARET B. HARVEY. 
NO. I. 
Country life has In If. glorious possibilities of 
beauty, loveliness and happiness. Fragrant Mow¬ 
ers, graceful trees, smiling skies, rippling brooks, 
and grand hills, arc all around to feast the eyes; 
pure air, clear water, wide space, and fresh 
breezes contribute to lhe healt h; and the fields, 
the orchards, the streams, and the forests, are 
ready to give of their riches to the table. 
But, alas! In how many localities do we find 
country life hard,cold, and contracted, especially 
among women! Unnoticed are the glorious sun¬ 
sets, unheard the songs of the birds, unknown are 
all the attractions of art, literature and science— 
al' such thoughts, Inclinations, and opportuni¬ 
ties are trodden out In the everlasting tread-mill 
of the work of a farm-house. 
A farm-house I What, more beautiful picture 
than the average one on a bright, spring day, as 
It, stands back In Its ample lawn, sheltered by tall 
trees und adorned by Its vines and shrubbery? 
Perhaps, on near examination, the fence may 
prove a little dilapidated, (he lawn weedy, the 
trees wormy, and the Mowers coarse; neverthe¬ 
less, it la a charming sight. And what more dis¬ 
mal picture than the Inside ot the same house on 
a rainy day, when there Is no escape to the lawn 
or woods, and one la Compelled to remain Impris¬ 
oned within Its bareness and gloom? Yes. No¬ 
tably In the country, with boundless ungalbered 
harvests lying all around, does tho soul starve. 
There arc immense barns for the crops, ample 
stables for t.he cattle, great cellars for tho provis¬ 
ions—but for the hearts and the souls, are there 
homes? 
In some places, yes; but In most, no, llow dif¬ 
ferent It all might he! The farmers are the 
princes ot the soil, the kings of the earth; h it 
this royalty, after all, is of an Inferloi. corporeal 
kind. Yet It might be and ought to be, in every 
respect, "agoodly heritage-” 
Take ft farmer’s wire. All around her, rolling 
on every side, are broad acres which, in name at 
least, belong to her. Great is her wealt h in tin- 
and herds. Large Is the amount of money she 
can think of as her own. Commodious is tho 
house of which she Is mist t eas. But the acres do 
not know the sound ot her footfall; of the Mocks 
and herds she cannot dispose of one head; ot the 
money, a few pennies now and a few dollars then 
are all she can touch; of the large house, all Is 
dreary, and tho kitchen her constant abiding- 
place. 
What can she do to elevate the members of her 
household, to say nothing of the country round? 
Hopeless Indeed, seems her task. But there never 
was a worse that could not become better. To 
suchaono l would say: first ot all, you must bo 
perfectly willing to try; second, keep up heart, 
even through years of effort and discouragement. 
With jour small means, and amid the Hard rou¬ 
tine of you re very-day work, how shall you te gin ? 
This ts the hardest part of your task. But, the 
best commencement Is, to determine to malm one. 
Now and then you do get a little money Horn 
selling the produce or your own tittle garden- 
piitch, or from eggs and chickens, perhaps; but 
onee In a while, like a school-gU), you have a lit¬ 
tle, With your ouc end lu view, this Is to be laid 
sacredly aside for—books. 
Yes, books. You always ward them and must 
havo them—there Is no such thing as growth 
without them. We must havo the choicest 
thoughts of the best rnluds to correct our mis¬ 
takes, discover oi r needs, and receive our Inspi¬ 
rations. It Is not enough that you have a ponder¬ 
ous Bible, a Psalm-book and a gay Anuuul on 
your parlor-stand -books must be purchased Just 
as continually and surely as clothing. Under or¬ 
dinary circumstances, buy according to your own 
fancy; hut now you have a purpose in view, so 
buy specifically. Purchase then, first" House and 
IIo.no Papers,”by Miss Ukkcjikr and Mrs. stows; 
then you want. “ The Kchuolmasfei's Trunk,” by 
Mrs. Abb v Morton L>iaz: get a good Botany- 
Gray’s or .Mrs. Phel p's and as soon as over you 
can afford It, “Appleton's Cyolopm 11a " Now you 
are well armed for your attacks on Ignorance, 
stagnation and tllseomiorl. 
Read carefully the first-mentioned book, and 
keep it by you as a reference. Many Of Its sug¬ 
gestions are of no use to you, but many others 
will be just what you want. Ah! now 1 see that 
you are awake. You realize henv much there Is 
for you to do, but you also realize that you can do 
more than you thought. 
I havo a line house, you say—why not use It ? 
Us rooms shall be all thrown open and thorough¬ 
ly aired. There Is plenty of wood, and the buys 
shall make fires all through to dry out the narnp 
and mold. And l will keep fire always In the par¬ 
lor and sitting-room as well as In the kitchen, 
and open the doors straight through, and keep up 
a constant summer heat—not have one room like 
an Ice-house, the next like an oven. So the up¬ 
stairs shall be kept warmed, and the children can 
use the center-room to dress In, and 1 will keep 
llretherp. We con afford comfort at least, and 
this we will have, first of all. 
Some of your family may talk of extravagance. 
But, you can talk of chills and colds and cramps 
and CElarrlte and medicines and doctors bills, aod 
continue to no so until they alt IlKe the new order 
of things too well to object any longer. 
Next, survey your possessions. You will prob¬ 
ably tlnd yourself growing dissatisfied with your 
rooms. This is a good sign. The pictures and or¬ 
naments soon go to the garret, t he gaudy shades 
disappear, the flaming papers come off, and every¬ 
thing you own takes a thorough, overhauling. 
The walls soon aro covered with a plain, neat 
paper, or palnlcil With some neutral tint. If the 
carpets arc too gay, you resolve to replace them 
as soon as possible; but for the present, you will 
try todlrcct the attention from i.hem; If too dull, 
you relieve them by bright i ugs. You may do up 
the furniture yourself wllhouttho aid of any one, 
for a mere ti l Me. Make a mixture of linseed oil 
and amber and rub all (lie bare places, aud when 
dry, apply a coat ot varnish. When, everything 
Is bright and eloan and full of light and warmth 
and sunshine, put clear, fresh muslin curtains to 
tho windows, and let them fall In full, ample Tolds. 
Yon arc now lu a good way. It will not be long 
before (lowers and vines are everywhere, cliolce 
engravings adorn the walls, tasteful ornaments 
appear on tho mantels, and the select library 
grows. Of all this also, mote anon. 
And your house must be used. Take time- 
make time—to read, plan, and rest. At first, per¬ 
haps, the " men-folW wilt not want to sit, In the 
parlor or Billing-room, or they will go In with 
hoots fresh from the born-yard. But you can Im¬ 
press upon them that no one has abetter right to 
enjoy a house t han lls owners, and coax them to 
wear the comfortable clippers you have provided, 
and they will soon appreciate it All as much as 
you do, 
Aud now you have done wonders, though—as 1 
shall presently show you—not half enough. You 
have laid the foundation of a refined home, and 
tho superstructure will rise almost insensibly. 
New beauties will be continually added, as your 
taste develops and your love ot home Increases, 
and like rays from a focus, Its Imluenee will reach 
out as a continual Inspiration. 
---- 
HOME SKETCHES. 
BV ALIQUA. 
Dot Is my daughter, four years old. I Introduce 
her thus at Mist, because If I am to write from my 
home, and of It, you often will hear of her. The 
lady readers of the Rural know how Important a 
part of home llle are the children. 
Dot assists me In fancy work by her admiration 
and advice, and occasionally by tangling my 
i-pliyr or making tree with my patterns. When¬ 
ever I Mud a leally pretly pattern that I think 
may be of use. I put it away in a box for the pur¬ 
pose; aud when I need a pattern 1 Invariably 
Undid my collection one that Is Just the thing. 
These patterns make excellent ornaments for 
doll-houses, and sometimes aro confiscated for 
that purpose, but always are returned in good or¬ 
der. The other day l went to this box to find a 
pattern for a toilet cushion; and selected a bunch 
ot leaves and sprays to be worked la satin-stitch. 
Over this 1 basted a square of Swiss tnusllu. 
through which the pattern waB distinctly seen, 
and embroidered It with shaded green zephyr. 1 
took single zephyr, but split It a needle!ul at a 
time. Care must be taken lo leave the stitches 
sufficiently loose, as the Swiss will draw easily; 
also to use a medium-sized needle which can be 
done by wax lug the end oi the zephyr; a large 
needlu will tear the muslin. For the border 1 
used a two-inch pleating of t.Ue muslin, fiulshed 
on the outer edge with buttou-liotc stilt bln green 
spliL zephyr, and headed the pleating with a nar¬ 
row green ribbon laid on plainly and held In place 
by cross stitches of gold color, T hts cover placed 
over a white cushion is pretty and efflectlve. 1 
have made still more delicate ones by selecting 
patterns of Mowers, and using shaded embroldery 
sllks instead of zephy r. Charming Swiss tidies 
are made In exactly the same way onlyatrlUo 
larger. 
The autumn leaves that I bad this winter, were 
mostly of sott maple, and most beautifully shaded 
and spotted- When trimming my rooms, 1 laid 
aside some of the smallest and brightest and var¬ 
nished them with earn, though they had been 
ironed with wax when gat hered aud afterward 
pressed. When dry, l arranged them lu groups 
on hack-grounds, some ol white brlstol-board and 
others of Hated pebble-board. Mucilage can bo 
used to fasten them, but l used a line needle aud 
brown sowlng-sllk. I made for them rustic frames 
of walnut splints, oiled with linseed oil; It a 
higher nnlsla Is desired they cuu bo afterward 
varnished. 
out of pebble-board I cut a letter-case of taste¬ 
ful shape, [finked It around all the edges with a 
pinking iron, and with a shoe-maker’s punch 
made a hole In each scallop. This L ornamented 
with some of the smallest und brightest of the 
the autumn leaves, and being fastened with 
thread they can be replaced at any time without, 
spoiling i he foundation. Dtraleouiania or trans¬ 
fer pictures of leaves and (lowers are very pretty 
for those lutter-caees and similar articles ot use 
and ornaioelM. and do not need to be remedied. 
Dot lias stopped playing "btlud-buff-mau" with 
Lot dolls, to tease me to go and make “purple- 
cake,” otherwise nurble cake, which is her fa¬ 
vorite. 
Knoxville, Tenn. 
A PLEA FOR THE CHILDREN. 
Another “ Family Talk.” 
CLINTON. 
Y r omt correspondent, Mrs. Potiphab, lr: her 
article In Rural of !)th February, deprecates the 
natural Increase of our native population. She 
assumes that so large a proportion of the Infants 
who arc born Into our world are doomed to •• lives 
of foil and privat ions,” that It has In come a duty 
to “sacrifice numbers to superiority;’* in other 
words, to raise fewer children, and better ones. 
Precisely how this Improvement Is to be effected, 
she does not mrorm us—whether by the “selec¬ 
tion of the fittest,” or otherwise, is left entirely to 
our own Inference. 
She does, however, promulgate a new “ bill of 
rights," which, no doubt, has a bearing on tho 
subject. While kindly admitting the right of a 
man and woman to marry, ir they “ love each 
other sufficiently,” even though they are poor, 
she asks, “ What right, have they to bring little 
children into their world of deprivation?” “ Pa¬ 
rents wlio are physically, morally, or JtnnnciaUij 
weak,” (mark the latter disqualification), “havo 
no right to children.” Putting this and that to¬ 
gether, it amounts to the positive declaration that 
poor people have no right to become parents. Ergo 
—thill light belongs exclusively to the wealthy; 
aud lo clinch the matter, she asserts that a child 
has a right to he “well born.” This right, then, 
Inheres prior to birth. 
Mrs. Port phak (unfortunate selection of a name 
—11 It was selected) appeals to Scriptural author¬ 
ity, to sustain her strange doctrine. Now let us 
examine the Scriptures briefly, and see what that 
authority teaches. We find In the very Hi st chap¬ 
ter of Genesis, not merely a permission, but a di¬ 
rect rnmmand to the only representatives of the 
entire human family, to “ Be fruitful and multi¬ 
ply and replenish the earth.” Precisely the same 
command was subsequently given to Noah and 
Ills t hree 80ns. We find the. same command, vir¬ 
tually, repeated In numerous Instances afterward. 
It. was substantially Incorporated with the Jewish 
law. No greater misfortune could befall a wife 
than to be childless. No greater blessing could 
she ask, thau “ to be a Joyful mother ot children.” 
llow natural was the regret, expressed by that 
ancient Hebrew husband when he said, " .Seeing 
1 go childless!” How touching the appeal of that 
later Hebrew wife, when she cried out., In her 
grief at her childlessness, “Give me children, or 
else l die!” 
The Saviour had a fondness for little children, 
and said *’ oi such Is the Kingdom of Heaven.” He 
did not discriminate between the “well-born,” 
and tho “children of toll and of privations.” 
Possibly tho number might, have Included some 
who were as ** ill-favored" and as “Ignorant" as 
those of whom your correspondent now speaks so 
dtsdalniuiiy. 
Out, upon such a theory as your correspondent 
advances! Asa father and as a citizen l protest 
against It. Bourn of tho uesr. aud greatest men 
that ever lived were the children ot poverly, and, 
apparently, were born to lives of toll and of pri¬ 
vations. Biu by noble energy they succeeded In 
overcoming the adverse circumstances, and 
gained for themselves honorable reputations, 
which became world-wide. Iu our own country, 
two, at least, of such, have occupied the highest 
seat In the gift ot their country men. let no one, 
therefore, be discouraged because he had not the 
good forLuuo to bo well-born. But, “ Did our Cre- 
tor design that woman should spend her whole 
life ina nursery?” No, not her whole lUn, certain¬ 
ly. But if she be a true woman, acting on the 
right impulses other womanly nature, she will 
not object to giving proper attention to that Im¬ 
portant portion ot her duties—lo care for and 
properly educate her Infant offspring, both physi¬ 
cally and memallj'. She will find much pleasure 
Inso doing. It she lovesheroffsprlng. Ifsho right, 
ly loves herself, if she loves her husband, If she 
loves her country. It she loves her God, she will 
not consider it a “sacrifice of all the grand pos¬ 
sibilities ot her life,” but rather a pleasure, to 
devote a portion of her lime even to the “petty 
details” of the “ routine of cradle-tending.” 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
“ A Reader op the Rural.”—S ome few ladles 
have sent money sufficient to pay for two yards 
of muslin with orders to stamp an Initial In tho 
center of each yard, but most ladies have simply 
ordered the Initial stamped on a piece of paper. 
L. 15. S.—White hats aro suitable only for dress 
occasions. It would be In better taste for you to 
have a pearl gray felt. 
1.IU.1K W.—West Indies.—Prepared chalk will 
whiten your skin quite as effectually as any ot 
the much puffed powders, and there Is no danger 
of Its Injuring your complexion. 
Mrs. II.),. Johnson, summer silks sell as low 
as i53 cents a yard, nu 1 tor $1.3.'* one can buy an 
excellent quality of silk, American manufacture. 
Tine Polonaise —In reply to the many Inquiries 
concerning prospects for the continuance of tho 
popularity of the polonaise, l can assure tne 
ladles that there is not the slightest possibility of 
tills convenient form of garment going out of 
sty lo. Several new models for It have been intro¬ 
duced, illustra lions ot which I will publish next 
week. 
Cora.— Begin with Dickens’ Child History of 
England. Get the facts well fixed in your mem¬ 
ory and then you will be better prepared to at¬ 
tack a more elaborate history. 
Miss Nkli.ie Boardman.— Send on your silk; I 
will match it for you. 
