544 
3) omtstit (totwraj). 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE 
MOP-HANDLE PAPERS — NO. 3 . 
“ How nice yon keep your floorsaid a friend 
to Mrs. King, “ You must find it a great task 
with your large family.' 1 
' There was not a yard of oarpeting in the 
whole house ; therefore each floor in the build¬ 
ing must be scrubbed at least once a week, for 
Mrs. Kiog was no slattern. Her housekeeping 
was her pride. 
“ Indeed, yon may think it a task, but my 
floors stay clean for a white. I could never Bee 
the sense of nearly killing one’s-self for the 
sake of a dean floor, and the very next minute 
have it completely covered with the tracks of 
muddy boots, as some folks do. But my folks 
know better than to track my clean floor, as I very 
soon give a walking paper to one who enters my 
door without properly cleaning his boots. Why 
no longer ago than yesterday I brought forty 
pails of water—its a fact—from the well out by 
the road—a distance of five or six rods—to clean 
my floors, and I had to climb over that rail fence 
with every one. My floor gets a pailful of clean 
water for every square yard, and I wash every 
bit of it with a cloth, getting down upon 
my knees to do it. That's the way I work, and 
when I get through I am bo tired that I am just 
fit for the bed. But you could not find a tea¬ 
spoonful of dirt iu my house if you were to try. 
And when I put on a clean gown and fresh col¬ 
lar, and get seated in my easy rocker, I am as 
happy as a queen, or at least I should be if my 
whole body did not quiver bo with actual weari¬ 
ness. But I never let my husband or children 
step a foot into the house until my floor is dry. 
They must take themselves off to the store or 
barn, whichever they please, but they cannot 
come near my work." 
And I knew all this was too true. She would 
not have her floors covered with carpets—they 
were always full of dust. She knew no. other 
sphere of usefulness than keeping her house in 
order according to the old Puritan style, and at¬ 
tending to the bodily wants of her family, con¬ 
sisting of herself, her husband, three children, 
and a dozen boarders. Sho Beldom kept a girl, 
because one “wasted more than her wages 
amounted to, to say uothiug of her board.” She 
had broken down a once strong constitution by 
hard work, and so much of this work was un¬ 
necessarily hard, that I felt sympathy was wast¬ 
ed on such a nature. 
Not many months later she was confined to 
her room with a lingering consumption, brought 
od, the physician said—and for once he was right 
—by overwork. And when her little daughters 
were needing a kind mother’s care and oounsel, 
they closed her eyes, folded her bands across 
her motionless breast, and then followed all 
that remained of their mother to the Silent 
City. 
She had just as surely taken her life by her 
own hand as though she bad taken poison or 
thrown herself in the swift-flowing river. And 
how many thousands of her sister women are 
following in the same traok! 
Voluntary slaves! they exile themselves from 
cultivated society, eschew books entirely, frown 
upon all works of art. and make their families 
desolate and homeless, while they preside over 
the hearthstone. Almost invariably we find the 
scrupulously cleau housewife an inveterate 
scold. And the husband and children of such a 
one are no more to be envied than are the wife 
and children of a common drunkard. My moth¬ 
er says when a floor is too clean for the family 
and friends to walk upon, it had better be hung 
up out of the way. 
Dear Rubai, sisters, aon i worship your floors 
to the destroying of body and soul. Garnish 
the floor of your hearts and adorn the mind 
with a cheerful spirit that Bhall be so attractive 
that an occasional bit of dust in your oottage or 
palace, will not be noticed. Kind words and 
beaming eyes go much farther in making a pleas¬ 
ant abiding place, than frets and frowns, 
though your floors are as white as milk and the 
print of a child’s foot on them is never seen. 
May Maple. 
-♦ » » 
A NEW DISH. 
I beceivkd last spring from the editors of the 
Rural, a package of assorted fancy beet seeds. 
Their growth has been luxuriant, the leaves of 
many now measuring over two feet from base to 
apex, while the petioles are often three inches in 
width. These last, that is the petioles or 
stalks, are very crisp and lender, and when 
boiled and served with drawn butter, make 
a most palatable dish. Friends, upon eating it 
at our table, dressed in this way, have oalled it 
asparagus and remarked on its tenderness and 
freedom from striugs. Upon being told what 
they were eating, a few have made the bold as¬ 
sertion that they “ preferred it to asparagus.” 
While I cannot say I prefer it to asparagus, I 
may say that I have found the petioles and mid¬ 
ribs of these fancy beets, especially those of 
what is termed the white and Bilver-ribbed vari- 
ties, a very good substitute for it. Although 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
AUG. 24 
heretofore cultivated chiefly for ornament—at 
least in this country—I have little doubt that 
the ribs, if prepared according to the following 
recipe, would prove an economical, acceptable 
dish. We shall call it 
MOCK ASPABAGUS. 
Wash, out into lengths of eight inches and tie 
into bunches ; boil in salted water until tender, 
whloh will be in from twenty to thirty minutes. 
Have toasted some slices of bread nice and 
brown; dip into hot milk, butter and place the 
stalks on them. Pour over a sauce made of 
milk , butter, pepper and salt, thickened with a 
trifle of oorn-staroh. Serve at once. The sauce 
may be omitted and the stalks garnished with 
poached eggs, in which case vinegar or catsup 
would be a savory addition. 
Another way to prepare it is to cut into inch 
lengths; boil until tender, drain, add milk, but¬ 
ter the size of an egg and pepper and salt to 
taBte ; roll three or four butter crackers and add 
juBt before it is served. 
-♦ •*-+- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Chowder. 
One peck of green tomatoeB chopped fine; 
soak over night in a strong brine ; then drain, 
and add one large head of cabbage chopped fine; 
cover with vinegar, and cook slowly one hour. 
Prepare one pound of sugar, one tablespoonful 
each of cinnamon, olove6. allspice and pepper, 
four tablespoonfuls of ground mustard, and a 
pint of grated horse-radish; mix all together 
with two quarts of vinegar ; bring to the boiling 
point; drain the cabbage and tomato, and pour 
this mixture over. Pack tightly in a j ar, and set 
in a cool place. Two red peppers and six onions 
may be added if liked. 
Mbs. M. P. Aldrich. 
Canned Grapes. 
Squeeze the pulps from the skins, and heat 
until they separate from the seeds; Btrain 
through a colander; boil the skins a few min¬ 
utes in a little water; then add the pulp and 
sugar—one-half pound of Bugar to each pound 
of fruit after the seeds are removed—and boil 
one-half hour. If once tried, I do not believe 
any one will cut each grape In half and take out 
the seeds. 
Canned Quince. 
Pare, halve, remove the ooreB ; boil in water 
until soft; then make a Birup, allowing three 
pounds of sugar to seven or eight of quinces; 
cook the quinces for a few minutes in the sirup; 
then put iu jars and seal. 
Tomato Chowder. 
For two gallons of chowder, take one-half 
bushel of green tomatoes, one head of cabbage, 
six green peppers, two onions, one teacupful of 
grated horse-radish, one tablespoonful of ground 
mustard, two teaspoonfuls each of ground cloves 
and cinnamon, and three teacupfuls of sugar. 
Chop the tomatoes at night; Bprinkle a teacup¬ 
ful of salt through, and Let drain over night in a 
colander; then oook slightly in vinegar, drain 
again, and add the cabbage, pepper and onions— 
each chopped separately; mix all together with 
the Bugar and spice; put into a jar ; pour over 
fresh, oold vinegar. Let it stand a few days be¬ 
fore using. Mbs. Bobt. 
Tomato PickleE. 
Slice green tomatoes; place them in salt and 
water over night; in the morning, drain ; scald 
them in vinegar ; again drain, pack in jars, and 
pour fresh, hot vinegar over, to which has been 
added horse-radish and spice. 
BJpe Tomatoes. 
These may be kept part of the winter by put¬ 
ting them in one part vinegar to two of water, 
with a weight on top to keep them under. 
Lima Beans and Sweet Corn. 
For a change I cook these together, outting 
the oorn from the cob and cooking with the 
beans until tender and about dry. Season with 
butter, cream and pepper, salt being added 
when they are put on to boil. 
Mbs. C. MoCoy. 
Recooking Boiled Fish. 
Take two pounds of oold fish and cut into 
quite small pieces; soald a pint of sweet milk; 
mix in one-fourth pound of butter; a table¬ 
spoonful of oorn-staroh; pepper and salt to 
taste and the beaten yolks of three eggs; butter 
a dish, put in, first a layer of fish, then one of 
paste; thuB alternate, leaving the paste on top; 
bake three-quarters of an hour in a moderate 
oven. 
Cauliflower. 
Put to Boak in salted water for an hour or 
more; look over carefully, remove the hard 
stalk and leaves; soald for five minutes; cut 
into pieceB and put into a pie dish; add a little 
milk, and season with pepper, salt and butter. 
Cover the whole with dry grated cheese and 
bake. 
A Side Dish. 
Boil some eggs until hard; remove the fhells; 
cut in half; take out the yelks and beat up with 
a little chopped parsley seasoned with pepper 
and salt; refill the whites and serve with drawn 
butter. 
Okra aid Tomatoes. 
Peel and slioe six ripe tomatoes; take the 
tame amount of tender sliced okra and one sliced 
green pepper; stew in poroelain for twenty or 
thirty minutes. Season with butter and salt 
and serve. 
Summer Squash. 
When young and tender, do not peel or take 
out the seeds, but boil in as little water as possi¬ 
ble, from one-half to three-quarters of an hour; 
dram, mash and set on the back of the range to 
dry out for ten or fifteen minutes, stirring 
often; season with pepper, salt, butter or 
cream. If the squash be old, peel and remove 
the seeds before boiling. 
Vegetable Curry 
Take carrots, celery, parsley, potatoes, onions 
and cucumbers; out small and add to some good 
stock properly seasoned. When sufficiently 
stewed, mix in a pieoe of butter with flour to 
give it thickness, a table-Bpoonful of curry pow¬ 
der and the juice of a small lemon. Boil up 
knd when serving add a spoonful of catsup. 
Ripe Tomato Pickle 
Peel ripe, round tomatoes—do not soald—put 
into a jar; Bcald spice—tied in a bag—in good 
Vinegar and pour while hot over the tomatoes. 
Cauliflower Pickle. 
Cut away the leaves and pull apart the flowers 
in bunches; soak in brine twenty-four hours: 
drain, put into bottles and pour hot, spiced vine¬ 
gar over. Seal at once. 
Mock Olives. 
Gather plums just before ripening; make a 
pickle of vinegar, mnstard-seed, cloves and a 
little salt and pour hot over the plums ; let them 
remain over night; drain off the vinegar, reheat 
and pour over. 
Apple Preserve. 
Peel, halve and core six large appleB, selecting 
those of the same size, have prepared a sirup 
made of one pound of granulated sugar, and a 
pint of water ; when it boils, drop in the ap¬ 
ples with the rind and juice of a lemon, and two 
or three cloves. As soon as they are tender, 
care must be taken that they do not fall in pieces, 
take the halves out one by one, and arrange,con¬ 
cave side uppermost, in a glass dish. Drop a 
bit of currant jelly into each pieoe; boil down 
the sirup, and when cool, pour around the ap¬ 
ples. This makes a very nioe preserve for tea. 
Apple Rice Pudding. 
Peel, halve and core Bix tart appleB; place 
them in a flat atew-pan, with a little water, two 
tablespoonfuls of sugar, two or three cloves, 
and a stick of cinnamon; when tender, take up 
oarefuily ; boil the sirup a while longer, and 
pour over the pieces. Boil two-thirds of a tear 
cupful of rice in milk, with a scant teacupful of 
white sugar, and the rind of a lemon, until the 
rice is thoroughly cooked; then take out the 
rind and stir in the beaten yelks of three eggs. 
Put half of the rice at the bottom of a pudding 
dish; spread over the apples; cover with the 
remaining rice, and place in a oool oven for ten 
or fifteen minutes ; beat the whites of the eggs 
into a stiff froth, add the juice of a lemon, three 
tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and spread 
over the pudding. Return to the oven until of 
a delicate brown. e. m. 
ftftos uf \\t 
POLITICAL. 
Monday, August 19, 1878. 
Newspapers In Texas are once more agitating 
the policy of making two or even three States out 
of that huge commonwealth. Such a division 
would give them more political power, tend to 
foster the diverse interests of different parts of 
the state; but would at the same time necessi¬ 
tate the expense or different governments, and 
be Ukely to check public works, which are best 
prosecuted In a thinly settled State by the united 
action of the great body of citizens, on the 
question of electing a U. 8. Senator, the Legis¬ 
lature of North Carolina Is said to be divided 
thus: Vance, 73 votes; the present Senator Mer- 
rlmon, 39 votes; republicans 68 votes on the first 
ballot. As it takes 86 votes to elect, the repub¬ 
licans will hold the balance of power and prob¬ 
ably re-elect Merrlmon. Special attention la 
drawn to this 'State, by the fact that It is the only 
Southern State In wblcb, under the new order of 
things, the republicans have any show. 
Gen. J. B. Gordon, of Georgia, Is sure of being 
returned to the 0. 8. senate, 117 members of the 
legislature having already declared In his favor. 
The Mexican border troubles seem to be about 
to come to a belligerent conclusion. For some 
time back parties of Mexicans have been drill¬ 
ing across the Rio Grande with a view of resist¬ 
ing any future expeditions of the U. S. troops in 
pursuit of cattle thieves. The “ greasers " have 
been boasting very loudly of the ease with which 
they could whip the contemptible Yankee nation, 
and now it, Is reported from Washington that an 
opportunity will be given the braggarts to come 
Into collision with the “boys In blue;" for orders 
have been Issued to Gen. Mackenzie to continue 
to pursue any bands of white men or Indians who 
may run Texan stock Into Mexico. Mackenzie 
will probably have so strong a force that no one 
will venture to attack him; but the prospects of 
war are said to be more threatening than they 
have been for years. 
During the past week the Potter Investigating 
Committee has been in session in this city, the 
two principal witnesses examined being Mr. 
Roberts of the N. O. Times, and a Mr. Leete. its 
Washington correspondent. The former’s testi¬ 
mony was mainly In confirmation of the evidence 
already given as to Hayes’ readiness, before be 
was declared President, to bargain with the 
South for their assistance; ho Insisted, however, 
that the whole transaction was perfectly honest 
and honorable; but owned to Butler that what¬ 
ever tended to benefit, his own side bora that char¬ 
acter. Locte out-did red-headed Jim Anderson, lu 
glibness and seir-concelt. lie was a clerk in the N. 
O. Custom-House, and several other things down 
there, was the confidant of everybody and knew 
everj body’8bu8lne88,probabiybetter than hlmselt. 
His role was that of the Irishman at DOunybrook 
Fair—whenever he saw a head to hit It. Accord¬ 
ingly every man he spoke about, visiting states¬ 
man, governor, senators, politicians, were all ras¬ 
cals, and he knew and could prove It. Even his old 
friend, Anderson, waaarogue and, worse still, a 
fool. He was very amusing at any rate, and there¬ 
fore ’tls pitiful that, yesterday evening he became 
crazy; thought that so many had reason to fear 
his revelations, that they were secretely following 
him about; he fired three or four shots at Imagin¬ 
ary enemies through his room door at the Astor 
House and slept last night In the lock-up. 
England has come to an agreement with Tur¬ 
key as to the reforms the latter Is to Introduce 
Into the government of Asia Minor. Those arc to 
be the work of the Turks themselves, John Bull 
acting merely as spectator so long as everything 
pleases him. But he Is mighty apt elthur to take 
the whole matter In his own bauds, should the 
Ottomans prove Intractable, or else leave them to 
their fate and the Russians, retaining lor his own 
share of the spoils Cyprus and whatever else he 
might be able to appropriate. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
The government has started In the manufac¬ 
turing business, Secretary Thompson having, at 
the cost of $9,000, set up a rolling-mill In the 
neighborhood of the Navy Yard at Washington. 
Instead of putting a pretty penny Into the pockets 
of speculators by the sale of scrap Iron at a nomi¬ 
nal price, It Is there manufactured Into excellent 
sheets, well.sulted for naval purposes, at less than 
half the cost of a similar article In the market. 
It Is now In order for manufacturers to grumble 
at unfair government competition: Insurance 
against storma, a German practice, Is getting a 
foothold among the farmers of the west,—the St. 
Paul Hail insurance companyfuvtng just paid out 
$19,000 In Carver Co., Minn., for damage to crops. 
The Indian war In the Northwest Is virtually 
over, the hostiles having brokeu up Into small 
parties, most of which are anxious to submit. 
Train robbing seems to be becoming more fre¬ 
quent and easy In the Far West. The other day 
four armed men captured a train near Atchison, 
Kansas, took $6,000 from the express safe, and 
escaped unhurt, the attack being made on the 
express car, and the passengers being entirely ig¬ 
norant of the occurrence until It was all over. 
Along the Connecticut River, and elsewhere, In 
New England, large quantities of fish are being 
found dead m the waters, and the blame Is laid 
upon the liberal use of Paris-green to destroy the 
potato beetle. The poison. It Is claimed by some, 
Is washed Into the rivers In such quantities as to 
be fatal to the finny tribes, while others say that 
the fatality Is due to the fact that the flsh eat the 
poisoned beetles washed from the vines Into the 
streams. Large numbers of birds are also round 
dead In different parts of the country; it Is sup¬ 
posed from the same cause. It la not unlikely 
that less Parls-grcen will be used next year. The 
revenue and judicial troubles In South Carolina 
have been arranged amicably. The “ moon¬ 
shiners ” are surrendering in largo numbers on 
promise of pardon for past offenses, made to all 
with the exception of the notorious Redmond and 
a few others, who have shot at the revenue offi¬ 
cers. The United States officials, held by the 
State In defiance of the authority of U. S. Court, 
have been surrendered under protest to the U. S. 
Marshal. In making the surrender the Sheriff 
acted on Instructions from Gov. Hampton. 
At Ottawa, Canada, on the 12th, 600 Orange 
Young Britons celebrated, by a procession, the 
anniversary of tbe closing of the gates of London¬ 
derry during the war between James II. and bis 
son-in-law, William of Orange, In 1689. The Ro¬ 
man Catholics of the city, taking this exhibition 
as an Insult to their religion and to the Hibernian 
nationality of most of them, mobbed detached 
members of the organization. The Orangemen 
retaliated, sacked several bouses, used pistols 
and bludgeons freely, and threatened to burn 
down the Catholic Cathedral. A huge crowd of 
their opponents collected about the building for 
its defense; for one night and a couple of days, 
the city was hourly In danger of a bloody riot, 
but by the intervention Of the military, and the 
exertion of tbe mayor, tbe visiting Young Britons 
were sent quietly off, from a distant railroad 
station, and quiet waa finally restored. 
The ravages of yellow fever in the South are be¬ 
coming truly terrible. Yesterday there were 
In New Orleans 116 new cases and 47 deaths, and 
during tbe past week tbe dally average was only 
slightly leas. Every year the type of the disease 
differs more or less from that of former visita¬ 
tions. Sometimes It is much less fatal than at 
other times; but this year the proportion of deaths 
to cases is greater than at any time since 1853 in 
the Cresoent City; and the disease has been un- 
precedeutly fatal lu Grenada, Mias., where nearly 
every one attacked has perished. This town Is 
depopulated by by Its ravages; alt who could 
do so have fled; and few remain except the stok, 
the nurses and the doctors, in Vicksburg there 
were, on last Saturday night, 4S cases, and,lt is es¬ 
timated that about twenty new cases occurred 
yesterday. Memphis has been also terribly vis¬ 
ited but there It Is just now abating, only thir¬ 
teen deaths having taken place yesterday, and 
