848 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEC. 24 
CHRISTMAS COMES BUT ONCE A YEAR 
ALFRED SELWTN 
Christmas is corning, ho, ho, and ho, ho I 
Now bring on your holly, and do not move slow, 
We'll deck the whole house with the branches so 
green; 
On wall and on picture the leaves shall be seen. 
Oh! merry the time when we all meet together 
in bpite ot the cold, and t.he wind, and the 
weather; 
When grandparents, uncles and cousins we see 
All gathered around the mahogany tree. 
It stands In the hall, that mahogany tree; 
very nice rrult lr, will bear, yoil's agree, 
Could you look on the turkeys and puddings and 
pies 
That on Christmas Day least—something more 
than our eyes. 
The poor and tho needy, they come to our door! 
And carry off with them a bountirul store 
Of all the good tilings that we have for ourselves, 
In cupboard and cellur, on tables and shelves. 
When dinner is ended, what sound do we hear 
Prom tho holly-decked p.trlor ring merry and 
clear ? 
’Tls Uncle Tim’s fiddle! The tune Is a call 
To all the good people t o come to our ball. 
They come, old and young, and partake the good 
cheer, 
For Christmas dawns on us but once In a year ; 
Then hand up tne holly, and let us prepare 
The house for the frolic In which we must share. 
HUatinig for tjjt gomtg. 
THE CHEMISTRY OF METALS.—Continued. 
W. H. WALENN. 
As we approach to the purely chemical experi¬ 
ments, It Is necessary to sound a short prelude, 
especially as In the proposed method of treating 
the Bubject It Is not Intended to sacrifice Impor¬ 
tant und Interesting experiments to a fancied 
difficulty or danger In trying them. The way to 
surmount difficulties is not to avoid them, and 
this la quite as true In experimental chemistry as 
In any other department ol learning. The true 
way to surmount a difficulty Is to encounter it, 
and by a careful study of its peculiarities as they 
arise, to strip it of Its ugly and intractable ap¬ 
pearance, thence, by perseverance, to overcome 
It and to produce a perfect success. It Is weak¬ 
ness to be satisfied with a partial success—the 
true inventor Is always the most difficult to 
please; the test of devotion to a cause is the per¬ 
fection of the result obtained. Be careful also to 
fully understand the subject before engagltg 
practically in it. In trying each experiment, the 
whole of the account of the experiment herein 
detailed (and of its and pecullarites, whether set 
forth before or after the ex¬ 
periment itseli), should be 
thoroughly read and under¬ 
stood, and the apparatus and 
materials collected befbre be¬ 
ginning to work ; strict ad¬ 
herence should be given to 
the lnstriiei ions. No chemi¬ 
cal experiment, however sim¬ 
ple, should be tried In the 
drawing-room (if the Integ¬ 
rity of the carpet Is to 
be preserved), except by a 
practiced hand; and he some¬ 
times meets with a mishap. 
If It Is required to produce 
some “show expertmcuin” 
to friends, they should be 
well rehearsed in private with 
the same apparatus and as¬ 
sistance that are to be ulti¬ 
mately used. In any case It 
is well to have assistance, 
and a senior friend Is to 
bo preferred. An uncarpoted 
floor and a clean wooden 
table, together with cloths, 
plenty of water, and clean 
apparatus are very helpful 
accessories. When a spirit- 
lamp Ls used, It must be tilled, 
at a distance from any light 
or Are, with spirits or wine 
or with wood naptha. Poisons 
should be markid with the 
word Poison In large letters; 
and every bottle or other re¬ 
ceptacle, should be properly 
labeled. Stoppered bottles 
should bo used lor highly 
acid or alkaline substances, 
and for volatile bodies. The 
complete adoption of atten¬ 
tion to direction, cleanliness 
of materials, and apparatus, 
and ot activity of handling, 
win insure success. 
Tho two following experi¬ 
ments show the tarnishing, 
or “oxidation,’’ of copper— 
that ls to say, Its union with 
oxygen when exposed to cir¬ 
cumstances favorable for 
that result to take place:— 
Experiment 1. — Copper 
does not rU9t, as iron does, 
when exposed to the action 
of the weather. It slowly 
tarnishes. If, however, a pen¬ 
ny (of earlier date than 1S58), 
or other piece or pure copper 
be held In a flame by a pair 
of pincers, the films that suc¬ 
cessively form upon Its sur¬ 
face appear of various and 
beautiful colors, which 
change with tho thickness of 
the film, and tbe heat of the 
coin. The best flame for this 
purpose la the flame of a 
spirit lamp, as It burns with¬ 
out depositing soot or carbon 
upon anything held In it. 
The air Is ebb fly composed 
of two gases, one—oxygen— 
that will untie with raetals. 
All chemical union ls pro¬ 
moted by hbat; when the 
coin ls held In the flame, the 
oxygen of air unites Itself In 
various but definite propor¬ 
tions with tho copper, and 
forms “oxlde3” of copper 
of various tints; this lc 
could not do at the ordinary 
temperature. 
Eppkriment 2.—Ir the polished coin (cleansed 
from grease by boiling In a solution of common 
washing soda) be boiled in a little water (about 
a wineglassful), to which four or five drops of 
nitric acid have been added, Its surface will be 
covered with a brown “oxide” upon its being 
taken out of the water and allowed to dry In the 
air. This process ls sometimes employed to give 
the metal a bronze-ltke appearance. 
In this crb 6 the oxygen comes from tne liquid. 
The following experiments show how the metal 
can be dissolved, or obtained in solution 
Experiment 8.—At the bottom of a test tube, 
pr & tall, narrow glass, Ilk* a champagne glass, 
place Borne clean turnings of oopper, and pour a 
small quantity of strong nitric acid upon them. 
Powerful action will Immediately take place, 
and the tube will soon be oiled with a red gas, 
evolved rrom tbe nitric acid during the solution 
or the oopper. In a few minutes the action will 
cease, the copper will have disappeared, and the 
liquid will be of a fine green tint. “Nitrate of 
copper,” or “cupric nitrate" la in solution; If 
the tube be allowed to remain quiet in a cold 
place for a few days, blue crystals of cupric ni¬ 
trate will be deposited. 
The red gas ls very poisonous, and care should 
be taken not to breathe It. The gas will cause a 
lighted taper to burn brilliantly, lflt ls Immersed 
therein. Nitric acid ls the most powerful acid 
known, therefore great caro must be taken, when 
pouring It, not. to let any of It drop upon the skin 
or clothes. It corrodeB tbe akin, turning It ol a 
yellow color, and dyes the clothes (especially If 
black) a bright red. It Is well to wash the stop¬ 
pered mouth of the bottlo thoroughly with water 
arter having poured out any acid. In adding 
nitric acid to thecopper turnings, tho face should 
be kept away irom the red fumes, so as to avoid 
breathing them; a small cup inverted over tho 
tall, narrow glass, as soon as the acid ls added to 
the copper, confines tho gas, so that Its color may 
most distinctly bo observed, and affords the 
means and opportunity of salely taking the ap- 
“ FARMING UNDER THE SEA.” 
The fact ls not generally known, that within 
three hours’ ride of Boston a large and profitable 
business has beeu carried on ever since 1848 , 
along the sea-shore, and which Ls nothing more 
or less then “farming under the sea.” Every¬ 
where upon the coast of New England may be 
found, about ten feet below tho water-mark, the 
lichen known as carrageen,—the "Irish Moss” 
of commerce. It may be torn from tho sunken 
rocks anywhere, and yet the little port of Scltuale 
la almost the only place in tho country where It 
ls gathered and cured. This village ls the great, 
center of the moss business in the country, and 
the entire Union draws its supplies from those 
beaches. Long rak03 arc used in tilling this ma¬ 
rine farm, and It does not take long to fill the many 
dorle9 that await the lichen, torn from Its salty, 
rocky bed. Tho husbands and fathers gather the 
moss from the sea, and the wives and daughters 
prepare it for market. Soak it. in water and it 
will melt away to a Jelly. Boil it with milk and a 
delicious white and creamy blane-mange Is tno 
result. The annual product ls from tou to flrteen 
thousand barrels, and It brings $50,000 Into the 
town, which sum ls shared by some one hundred 
and fifty families. Its consumption In the manu¬ 
facture of lager beer ls very large, and tho entire 
beer Interest lu the country draws Its supplies 
jSa&kty jUairutg. 
THE HOLY NIGHT. 
Silent night, holiest night I 
All asleep—lonely light 1 
Where adoring watch the pair, 
Watch, aa is his Father’s care. 
Sleeps the infant Cbriafc— 
Sleeps the infant Christ. 
Silent night, holiest night 1 
Shepherds saw angels bright. 
Heard from heaven the white-robed throng, 
Bearing down to earth the song : 
Christ the Saviour’s come! 
Christ the Saviour’s comet 
Silent night, holiest night! 
Son of God 1 oh, bow bright 
Beams the ray of heavenly grace 
In the infant Saviour’s face— 
Saviour born lor us ! 
Saviour born for us! LFvrolui O^rol. 
RUNYAN’S IDEA OF THE DOOTRINE 
PERSEVERANCE. 
OF 
The doctrine of perseverance ls also across to 
the flesh; which ls not only to begin, but to hold 
out, not only to bid fair, and 
to say, “ Would I had heaven, 
but, so to know Christ, put on 
Christ, and walk with Christ 
so as to come to heaven.” In¬ 
deed it is no gTeat matter to 
begin to look lor heaven, to 
begin to seek ibe Lord, to 
begin to shun sin ; O but it 
Is a very great matter to con¬ 
tinue with God'a approbation: 
“My servant Caleb,” saith 
God, “ la a man of another 
spirit, he hath followed me 
(followed me always, he hath 
continually followed me) 
fully, he shall possess the 
land.” Almost all the many 
thousands of the children or 
Israel in their generation, 
fell short of perseverance 
when they walked from 
Egypt towards the land of 
Canaan, indeed they went 
to work at. first pretty wil¬ 
lingly, but they were very 
short - winded, they were 
quickly out of breath, and In 
their hearts they turned back 
again Into Egypt. 
it is an easy matter for a 
man to run hard for a Bpurt 
for a furlong, for a mile or 
two: O. bat 10 hold out for 
a hundred, for a thousand, 
for ten thousand miles, that 
man that doth this, ha must 
look to meet with cross, 
pain, and wearisomeness to 
the flesh, especially it as he 
goeth he meeteth with briars 
and quagmires, and other en¬ 
cumbrances, that make hla 
Journey so much the more 
painful. 
Nay, do you not see with 
your eyes dally, that perse- 
verence is a very great part 
ot the cross? why else do 
men so soon grow weary? 
1 could point out many, who, 
after they have followed the 
ways of God about a twelve- 
month. others it may be two 
three, or tour (some more, 
and some less) years, have 
been boaten out of wind, 
have taken up ihelr lodging 
and rest before they have got 
hair-way to heaven, some In 
tblp, some In that aln; and 
have secietly, nay, some¬ 
times openly said, that the 
way is too strait, the race too 
long, the religion too holy, 
and 1 cannot hold out, I can 
go no farther. 
THE LITTLE GARDENER. 
paratus to the chimney or tne wlndow-Htll, so as 
not to fill the apartment with the gaseous fumes- 
Experiment 4.—Place In a small saucer, or 
evaporating dish that will bear heat, some cop¬ 
per filings or turnings, and pour thereon a mix¬ 
ture of three parts (by measure) of water, with 
one part of oil of vitriol, so that a comparatively 
large surface of the liquid is necessarily exposed 
to the air; then heat the contents of the dish (by 
means or a spirit lamp) to nearly the boiling point, 
adding water from time to time as the liquid 
evaporates. The metal will gradually dissolve. 
If the dish be loosely covered over, and stood In a 
quiet place for Borne days, beautiful blue crystals 
of “ sulphate ot copper,” will form, 
from tho fidtuate beaches, as the Importation 
from Ireland has almost ceased. It Is generally 
known that the rnoss, ns an article or food, ls 
called “Sea Moss Farlne.” 
The pretty Christ mas poem “Christmas Comes 
ButOnco A Year"pictures a scene of mirth and 
good-cheer that, we hope will And a counterpart 
in many a Rural household. It originally ap¬ 
peared in The Nursery. 
The Juvenile literature of the period Is getting 
a pretty vigorous handling by our college pro¬ 
testors, our monthly magazines and the public 
press. Parents should scrutinize every line of 
every Issue of (he flash literature which, under 
so many alluring disguises, ls polaouing the 
minds and corrupting the morals of the rising 
gene ration. 
“ The weeds grow faster 
tuan the flowers,” said a 
boy, as with a sigh he pointed 
to the patch of ground his 
father had given him tor a 
garden. 
“ But the (lowers and 
shrubs are worth cultiva¬ 
tion,” antwered his father; 
“and It only requires care 
and attention to destroy the 
weeds one by one when they 
appear abovo iho soil. Noth¬ 
ing useful is done without 
trouble. Win you, my son, 
give your garden the care it needs ?” 
“ Yes, rather," said tho buy, “ I will try." 
" And if you try, you will succeed.” 
He tried, and after a time he was successful; 
but not at once. Many an Idle habit had to be 
overcome, and much self-denial exercised; and 
what troubled him more than all was that the 
garden seemed as If it produced weeds or Itself In 
the night whilst he was sleeping, and the In¬ 
sects came and ate the leaves and buds of the 
flowering plants when there was no one near 
to destroy them. But when tho summer and au¬ 
tumn came, he was well repaid for his labor. 
HIb garden was filled with blossoms, amid which 
the bees hovered with a drowsy murmur, and 
uround which the sunshine 9eetned to rest with 
a softened splendor. 
