642 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
tax t |t |0nu^. 
MAKE CHILDHOOD SWEET. 
Wait not till the little hands are at rest 
Ere you fill them full of flowera; 
Wait not for the crowning tuberose 
To make sweet, the last sad hours; 
But while in the busy household band. 
Your darliUKfl still need your guiding baud, 
Oh, hll their lives with sweetness. 
Wait not till the little hearts are still. 
For the loving look and phrase; 
But while yon gently elude a fault 
The good deed kindly praise. 
'The word you would speak beside the bier 
Falla sweeter far on t ie living ear; 
Oh, fill young lives with sweetness. 
Ah 1 what are kisses on clay cold lips 
To the rosy mouth we press, 
When our wee ones fly to their mother’s arms. 
For love’s tenderest careas ! 
Let never a worldly bauble keep 
Your heart from the Joy eaoh daj' should reap, 
Cirehug young lives with sweetness. 
Give thanks each morn for the sturdy boya, 
Give thanks for the fairy girls; 
With a dower of wealth like this at home, 
Would you rifle the earth for pearls ? 
Wait not for death to gem love’s crown, 
Bnt daily shower life’s blessings down, 
And HU young hearts with sweetness. 
Remember the home where the light has fled, 
Where the rose has faded away; 
And the love that glows in youthful hearts, 
Oh! cherish it while you may l 
And make your home a garden of flowers, 
Where Joy shall bloom through childhood’s hours. 
And fill young hearts with sweetness. 
[Christian Register. 
SMALL C0TJRTESIE3 AT HOME. 
MARGARET B. HARVEY. 
There is a great lack of minor refined ha.tms 
In some places—especially In tile arrangement of 
the table. Setting a table la pre-eminently a 
lady’s work. It should not be left to any frowsy 
Gretchen, or blundering Biddy, or shift less Dinah. 
A woman, with any of the Instincts of a lady 
however dormant, ought to want to see her table 
beautiful, and attend to It herself, or give her 
girl special training In this department. 
Country housekeepers, alasl while too solicitous 
of the substance, often completely Ignore the 
symbol. In most cases their cloths are clean.— 
usually In some districts, that la all. They are 
often wrinkled, frequently there are no napkins, 
the glass la dingy, the knives unpolished, the 
food arrayed more as regards quantity than ap¬ 
pearance, and altogether, to sit at such u board 
long, would effectually check any attempt to rlso 
above the gross materiality ot the subject. 
There Is scarcely a woman who in her secret 
heart would not desire better. But the thought 
of a set of hungry, impatient, dusty, sweaty, 
farm hands hangs upon her like a millstone. 
Perhaps she has read Mrs. Diaz’s excellent little 
book, ‘-The School-master's Trunk,” and from it 
has learned,—or perhap3.not, and some one has 
told her,—that rich cakes and pics and not bread 
are abominations; In despftlr, she remembers 
that she still has this famishing crowd to feed. 
She may herself believe that plain bread, light 
cakes, uncooked fruit,, and simpler meats, would 
be wholesome;—but, oh, the “ meu-folks!” Above 
all, to lmcglne them brushing tlrelr hair and put¬ 
ting on their coats and sitting down to smooth, 
snowy linen, glittering glass, sparkling sliver, 
shining steel and fresh flowers,—no more I 
I might tell you to determine to have plain 
white dishes, uniform if not priceless; glass like 
crystal; sliver reduced to absolutely solid spoons, 
forks and butter-knives (more If you oan afford 
it), and tbe money saved from the shams of plated 
pitchers and sugar-bowls, going to cnrloh your 
damask and then your china,—but 1 know I 
should frighten you, were I to add, “ Use them 
every day, arrange them with exquisite care, and 
embellish them with fragrant flowers.'’ 
I know, 1 am familiar with every difficulty 
which can beset Hie mistress of a f irm-house. 
Yet think what cause you have to hope. Your 
men and boys all go to the pump and splash 
themselves plentifully with water as though by 
instinct. If they know that you Btneerely doslrerl 
it, they would soon form the habit of taking just 
a minute or two more to arrange their toilets. It 
Is pretty safe to say that 11 the table invariably 
presented an exquisite appearance for two weeks, 
they would be sorry to see a relapse tbe third. 
You may not bo able to reform the food Itself,— 
but the accessories, with patience, you may. 
There is no use in talking. Hard labor, as hard 
labor, in Itself Is degrading. It Is constantly en¬ 
croaching upon and threatening previous quali¬ 
ties of mind and heart. It Is false morality to 
try and teach otherwise, and it is well for all, es¬ 
pecially the greatest tollers, to look this matter 
squarely in the face. Once warned ot the danger, 
they can study intelligently to avoid It. The end 
of living Is not to labor, but labor is the means of 
living. High above it and beyond It and Jealous¬ 
ly guarded from its spoiling Influences must be 
kept life itself. Not until wo comprehend, as we 
should In this enUghtoned age, that since the 
days of bur ancestors the world has wakened to 
the grand truth that we, ourselves, and our souls 
are our true Inheritance, to which all external 
thlngs'are to h«subordinated, will we understand 
the rear mission of labor,—that Is, It Is a useful 
machine, which wo must rule and which must 
noth? permitted lorulo us. in order to derive 
permanent benefit from It, we must believe that 
we owe to ourselves as much rest and recreation, 
and 'refinement and culture, as possible. What 
folly to work so hard lor temporal riches that 
m ty never come, and neglect dally opportunities 
to live intelligently in the present I 
Would It not be a constant delight, a favorable 
occasion lor the steady conquest of coarseness, 
this simple matter of the family meal ? With 
carefully arranged appointments, agreeably dis¬ 
posed viands, preBentablo toilets, combined with 
seemly leisure, as though a company of Chris¬ 
tians (not a herd of famished animals), gathered, 
and afterwards lingered lor the sprightly Jest 
and pleasant chat, what other Influences could 
follow than good ones ? 
I know a family whose man-of-thc-house hear 
ing the dinner-bell as he works among his cab¬ 
bage plants and tomato vines in tbe exposed 
garden, tbe perspiration pouring down under bis 
broad straw hat and drenching his shirt sleeves, 
while the broiling sun glows fiercely overhead, 
places bis hoes and rakes under the pear-tree, 
wipes his streaming lace with a snowy handker¬ 
chief, and as he leisurely saunters towards the 
house to give himself an opportunity to cool off 
somewhat, he frees his hands and nails from 
temporary lodgments, now and then shaking 
from his clothes loose particles of dirt. On a 
bench at the kitchen door Is a basin and a black¬ 
ing-brush, while overhead hang a light coat, a 
whisk and his cuffs. In a very lew minutes the 
transformation Is complete,—hair, boots, nails, 
necktie, and all are Just right. You are soon 
aware that be changes often enough and Is care- 
ful enough to keep hla shlrUjosom, with his 
gold studs, immaculate, and the rest is easy. He 
presents hlmsell in the dining-room,—whether 
his mother and sister only' are with him, or 
whether there Is a largo company gatherod-tho 
perfect gentleman, whose appearance, except lor 
a little flush of face and hands, perhaps these un¬ 
marked, Indicates nothing different than It might 
if he had passed the morning on the piazza with 
his favorite books. It is the saino In the winter— 
only then lie goes from the chicken-house and 
corn-crib to bis room for a little while. I will 
add, lest some may whisper, *• fancy chap," that 
he Is accounted one ol the most successful mana¬ 
gers In that place. His vegetables and his 
poultry are hla pride and they might be known 
anywhere. 
Begin, mother, with the little boys, ll the big 
ones are beyond you. Teacb them the small 
proprieties, such as coining to the table neat, 
eating with their forks, using their napkins 
properly, etc. Tire older may make all these 
things habits, but the younger will grow with 
them so. I have heard of farmers' boys who 
have said and felt that they are not treated and 
considered as gentlemen, because they had to 
work hard. They were wrong. It was not the 
work, but because they did not hold themselves 
above the work. To them I would say, “Be gentle¬ 
men, and the reputation will follow.” There la 
no reason whatever why you should not. You 
are, or will be, your own masters. Kings of your 
own domain. Your position is secure, adorn It. 
Work, and receive its benefits, but religiously 
efface its deleterious cffectB, both In your minds 
and bodies. Read, study, think, observe, travel, 
be considerate ol women, respect yourselves and 
your vocation, seek to improve your manners, 
tastes and habits, and by the time you reach the 
State or National Legislature, you will find that 
In tbe world's great arena you aro worth as much 
as the best ol men. 
<Tl)f fttgkr. 
CROSS-WORD ENIGMA. 
My first Is In Robert but not In Abel, 
My second Is In Homer but not In Mabel; 
My third Is In Cyrus but not In Mary, 
My fourth Is in Oscar and also In Sarah; 
My filth Is In Alfred but not In Bert, 
My sixth Is In Cora and also In Gert; 
My seventh Is In Horace and alRO In Nora, 
My eighth Is in Esther but not In Flora; 
My ninth Is in Tommie but not In Fannie. 
My whole Is my own name, 
If you do not guess It I’ll not be to blame. 
Answer in two weeks. 
HOUR-GLASS PUZZLE. 
l. A church of New York. 2. A State or Nev 
England. 3. a city of Louisiana. 4. A town o 
Maryland. 6. A Southern sound. 6. A county o: 
Kentucky. 7. The goddess or evil. 8. A conso 
nant. 9. A city of Asia. 10. A city of China, 11 
A river of nindoostau. 12. A city of Greenland 
13. A city of Greece. 14. A native ol a Mlddh 
State, is. A stream of water in New Y’ork. Cen¬ 
trals form a olty of Virginia. 
Answer in two weeks. Little One. 
--- 
CHARADE, 
A man carne to my first 
When at the county ralr, 
And lounging arouud and in the dirt 
He saw my second there. 
“ Now water from my whole,” he said, 
“ To quench my second’s thirst,” 
And tins be got without delay, 
And brought it to my first. 
UST- Answer In two weeks. Mermaid, 
PUZZLER ANSWERS.-Sept. 21. 
Hidden Trees.—1, Cutnlpa; 2, Poplar; 3, Hem¬ 
lock; -1, Pa paw; 5, Buobob; ti, Buttonwood; 7, Bnt- 
rernut; H, Arhor-vlta?; 9. Ropcwoo<1; 1(1, Llndon; 11, 
Atrave; 13, Alder; 13. Almond ; 11 , Hazel; 15. Birch; 
10, Ifamboo; 17, Mistletoe; 18, banian. 
Enigma.— 
Cares Is a noun of plural number, 
Fee to sleep and quiet slumber; 
Now, any other name you take, 
Bv addin*! “ s” you plural make. 
Bat It to this you add an “ 
’T<s Cares ' tin more, but now caress ; 
Plural Is plural now no more, 
And sweet wbat bitter was before. 
Transposition.— 
Fair Luna travels Into view, 
Diffusing many a silver ray. 
And twinkling stars are coming too, 
In troops across the mllky-way. 
Itcatitni!, 
THE TRIAL OP JESUS CHRIST. 
Men have too much forgotten that the central 
event In history assumed the form of a Judicial 
trial. The prodigious influence of the life and 
personality ol Jesus of Nazareth Is admitted by 
all. And his tragical death, early and passionate¬ 
ly accepted by Christianity as the significant fact 
of his career, lias become more tban any other 
lucldent the startlug-polnt ot modern history— 
his tomb, as Lamartine put it, was tbe grave of 
the old world and the cradle ol the new. But 
that memorable transaction was the execution ol 
a capital sentence, proceeding upon a two-fold 
criminal trial—upon one process conducted ac¬ 
cording to Hebrew and one according to Roman 
law. 
In Its Judicial aspect, as some others, It Is pecu¬ 
liar—perhaps unique. There have been many 
Judicial tragedies recorded In history. Capital 
trials, like those ol Socrates, of King Charles and 
of Mary of Scotland, have always had a fascina¬ 
tion for men. And this trial has Impressed and 
attracted the world more than any or allot these. 
But I wish to point out that It has In addition a 
purely legal Interest which no one of them pos¬ 
sesses. 
The questions, for example, are at once raised, 
Were there two trials or only one? What was 
the crime for which the accused died ? Was the 
decision in either case right In form, and attained 
by steps In conformity wltb tbe process binding 
or observed at the time 7 
These questions of law proceed of course upon 
an assumed history of fact. This history is abund¬ 
antly familiar; and, fortunately, there is no 
special necessity that we should commence this 
Inquiry by an examination ol the sources. Men 
are not agreed how far back they can exactly 
trace the three earlier Gospels on the one hand, 
or the later Gospel ol John on the other. But the 
detail, verisimilitude, and authoraLlve calm of 
these documents Impress the reader with a sense 
of the closest proxLmity to the life whose course 
Is narrated. And they have no competitors. To 
some readers It will appear a singular advantage 
that In the documents on this special subject 
there is no reference to a miracle. I n none of the 
lour records ol the trial Is tbere (after the first 
arrest) any touch of tho supernatural In that 
sense ot the word. The whole narrative of ex¬ 
ternal fact might have been told of any morning’s 
work ot the Sanhedrim, of any forenoon condemn¬ 
ation by tho procurator. In truth the Incidents 
of the trial are most natural and probable, and In 
so far as the four traditions agree there seems no 
excuse for doubting the history. 
All readers know that the Hebrew common¬ 
wealth, and the Institutions which regulated It, 
were pervaded by a deep sentiment ol Justice, 
righteousness, and law. But all are not aware of 
the extent to which that sentiment was devel¬ 
oped In the later history of the people. In the 
more ancient part of the traditions of the fathers 
we read, “ When a Judge decides not according to 
truth, ho makes the majesty of God to depart 
from Israel. But II he Judges according to truth, 
were It only for one hour, it Is as If ho established 
the whole world, for It Is In Judgment that the 
divine presence In Israel lias Its habitation. ’ It 
has recently been pointed out that that whole 
vast later literature of the Jews which wo call 
the Talmud Is *• emphatically a cycloprBdla of all 
law,” which may best be Judged by analogy and 
comparison wltb other legal codes, more especial¬ 
ly with that ol Rome and Its commentaries. It 
contains many ether things, but this is lt 3 basis. 
Aud what Is more Important lor us to notice Is 
that this legal basis Is tbe older part. 
Accordingly, while portions of the general Tal¬ 
mud commentary did not come into existence for 
centuries alter the Introduction of Christianity, 
tho Mishna or central portion Is generally admit¬ 
ted to have been complied by Rabbi Judah, some¬ 
where about a.D. 200 . B ut It was compiled as an 
oral law which had been growing in use and au¬ 
thority ever since tho return of the nation from 
Babylon—as a " brief extract of about eight hun¬ 
dred years’ legal production.” Hence, modern 
Jewish writers refer to It without hesitation asln- 
cludlng the code of criminal law which was In ex¬ 
istence at the date of the hlgh-prlestsblp ot Annas 
and Calaphas. 
What, have been called the four great rules of 
their criminal Jurisprudence—“strictness In the 
accusation, publicity In the discussion, full free¬ 
dom granted to the accused, and assuranceagalnst, 
all dangers or errors ol testimonyare carried out 
even In the Mishna In minute and scrupulous 
rules, leaning almost ostentatiously In every 
point to the side of the accused, and having force 
most of all In the case of a trial lor life. Indeed, 
so far does this go, that modern Jews have been 
disposed to represent capital punishment as ab¬ 
horrent to the whole genius of Hebrew Jurispru¬ 
dence. 
Tho question whether the nebrew trial was ac¬ 
cording to tbelr own rules of law has perhaps not 
been exhaustively considered by any one writer, 
though it has been touched upou by many. 
On a Thursday night In that month of March, 
the Thursday towards the end of the passover 
week, unquestionably took place the arrest —the 
first step before most modern trials. The ques¬ 
tion has bean raised whether tho arrest was 
legal. There is no reason to douht that It was by 
authority of the high priest; and the addition of 
ft Roman speira to the officers of the temple must 
have been procured by Jewish authority, and thus 
tends rather to favor legality. But was arrest be¬ 
fore trial at all lawful by Jewish law ? It seems 
not to have been so unless resistance or escape 
was apprehended. In this ease no escape was in¬ 
tended, but resistance, though not intended, was 
looked lor; and the lawfulness of the arrest really , 
06T. 5 
turns on the question whether It was to be tho 
preface to a regular trial or not. If so the legal 
course after It was that followed a little later by 
tbe captors of Peter and John, who “ put them in 
ward until the next day, because it was even¬ 
tide." It was to be otherwise here. 
An examination by night followed (he arrest. 
Jesus was first led by his armed escort to the 
presence ot Annas, by far tbe moat Influential 
member ol the Sanhedrim. 
By Annas Jesus was sent, bound to Calaphas, 
perhaps only to another department of the sacer¬ 
dotal palace. But before one or other ol these 
princes of the Church the accused was certainly 
subjected to a preliminary investigation before 
any witnesses were called. It is extremely diffi¬ 
cult to decldu whether this examination by “ the 
high priest," recorded by John alone, was made 
by Annas or Calaphas—so difficult that It la fortu¬ 
nate that scarcely any legal question turns upon 
tbe point. 
But the main point with regard to the high 
priest’s examination Is Independent ol the ques¬ 
tion who the examiner was. It appears In any 
case to have been wholly Illegal. It was there 
the right, of the accused to be free from all such 
personal Investigation out! I he was brought for 
trial before his congregated brethren. This rule 
of publicity seems to have been delved Irom 
principles both as to Judges and witnesses. “ Be 
not a sole judge," was one of the most, famous 
aphorisms, “for there Is no solo Judge but One.’’ 
Still more clear was It, not from tho Mishna only, 
but from tho Pentateuch, that there was to be no 
such thing as a sole witness; and that, the “two 
or three witnesses ” at whose mouth every matter 
must be established must appear publicly to give 
t.hetr testimony. Their deposition was the be¬ 
ginning of every proceeding; and until It was pub¬ 
licly given against a man, he was held to be In the 
judgment ol law not, merely Innocent, but scarce¬ 
ly accused. It Is this principle which gives the 
fullest explanation ol the answers of Jesus of 
Nazareth to the midnight questions of the high 
priest. The ecclesiastical magistrate, probably 
Bitting privately, and certainly before witnesses 
were called, asked Jesus ol hla disciples and of 
his doctrine. 
“Jesus answered him, “ I spake openly to the 
world; I ever caught I u the synagogue, and In the 
temple, whither the Jews always resort; and In 
secret have 1 said nothing. Why askest thou 
me ? ask them which heard me, what I have said 
unto them: behold, they kuow what I said.” 
It was In every word tho voice of pure Hebrew 
justice, founded upon tbe broad principle ol their 
judicial procedure, and recalling an unjust Judge 
to tbe first duty of his great office. But, as one 
who studied that nation In older times observed, 
“ When a vile man is exalted, tue wicked walk 
on every side ” around him; and when the ac¬ 
cused had thus claimed his rights, one ol the 
officers ol court—a class usually especially alive 
to the observance ol form and of that alone- 
struck Jesus with the palm ol his hand, saying, 
“ Answorest thou the high priest so ?” The reply 
of Jesus Is exceedingly striking. In It he 
again resolutely took his stand ou tho platform 
ol the legal rights ol a Hebrew—a ground from 
which he afterwards no doubt rose to a higher, 
but which he certainly never abandoned: “ If I 
have spoken evil, bear witness ol the evil: but If 
well, why smltest thou me?" 
The words are no doubt a protest lor freedom of 
speech and liberty to the accused. But they ap¬ 
peal again to the same principle ot the Hebrew 
law—that by which witnesses took upon them¬ 
selves the whole burden ol responsibility, and es¬ 
pecially the whole initiative ol every accusation, 
even as they were obliged to appear at the close, 
and with their own hands to hurl tho stones. 
And the renewed protest was so far effectual. 
For now the witnesses came forward, or. at least, 
they were summoned to bear their testimony; 
and only when they came forward ean a formal 
trial be Bald to have commmenced. 
But did all this not take place by night? And 
was a trial by night legal 7 
On tbe question of fact, It Is well known that 
the four Evangelists give a confused aocount of 
what took place. Matthew aud Mark, omlttlDg 
the seemingly private Interrogation or which we 
have already spoken, distinctly narrate a double 
and very strlklug trial by night,—first by wit¬ 
nesses, and then by an attempt to obtain a con¬ 
fession; but all before the high priest, the scribes, 
and the elders, to whom Mark adds, "all the 
chief priests.” Their narrailve reads as If the 
first part or this trial might have taken place al¬ 
most as soon as the prisoner was brought from 
tho Mount ol Olives. At all events, in tbelr nar¬ 
rative It took place by night., while In the morn¬ 
ing there was a second and separate " consulta¬ 
tion ’’ of a similar, but seemingly larger and more 
authoritative meeting. John, ou tho other hand, 
narrates the interrogation by the high priest, the 
transfer from Annas to Calaphas, aud the deliv¬ 
ery to Pilate In the morning, but does not allude 
to any trial before the council. These two repre¬ 
sentations, though not contradictory, are unsat¬ 
isfactory ancl Inconsistent; and the tradition of 
Luke which differs from both, completes the 
confusion, but helps us to a result. He omits the 
earlier part, ol the alleged trial—the Interrogation 
of witnesses; but narrates the confession and 
condemnation as at one meeting of the council, 
which took place •* as soon as it. was day,” and 
after which the wholo multitude “ led him to Pi¬ 
late.” Putting all these representations together, 
there was no difficulty in arriving at the order of 
the historical transactions, though t here will al¬ 
ways be insuperable difficulty to those who Insist 
on their legal validity and regularity. The visit 
to Annas and the transfer to Calaphas came first, 
with the Interrogation of tho accused by one or 
other of the high priests. About this earlier hour 
ocrluluiy took place tho denial ol Peter related 
by all the Evangelista, while some time must 
have been consumed In sending lor witnesses and 
summoning either the whole council or Its mem¬ 
bers.—[To be continued. 
