480 
MARCH 02 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
gettln’ stronger every mlnit, lifted herself out of 
some awful canyon, tore along the crags and peaks, 
and finally tumbled down on the level and started 
eastward, mad as a grizzly and powerful as a mil¬ 
lion runaway horses! Them three herders waren’t 
halt a mile away, and all mounted, but yet only 
one reached the cabin. The other two were struck 
as dumb and numb as If hit with cannon balls, 
and they waren's our of the saddle a mlnit before 
they were covered with six luches of snow.” 
•' Must have been cold7” 
“cold! Mabbe It wasn't 1 I dld'nt have no 
thermometer to look at, but I didn’t want one. 
Our Jug of whiskey froze solid and split the Jug lu 
tenmlnita. Frost, settled on the taller candle 
within an inch of the light. Every board In the 
ranch cracked and popped with cold. We bad a 
big store, hut the fuel was mostly under a shed 
fifty feet away. I thought to go after a load, but 
as I opened the door 1 tell back as if ten thousand 
needles had been fired luio my face. Thai one 
breath of the blizzard froze my nose and ear.' 1 
“ And you were out of tuel 1 ’ 
“ Yes, In half an hour I burned up stools, 
benches, table and all else that would burn, but 
after midnight the fire went out. Then 1 lost my 
toes—frost bitten even when 1 was dancing over 
the floor. Ours was a tight cabin, and yet there 
was a foot of anew on the floor belore daylight. 
The awiul wind drove It through every crevice. 
Did you ever hear the gale which goes with a 
blizzard 7 Well, you’ll face a cannon soonor than 
hem' it a second time. The wind screamed louder 
than a locomotive whistle, it raged and raved 
like a glum In chains, and It struck down every 
living thing It came to. 
All at once It would stop Mowin' for half mlnit, 
and the stillness would be awful. Then I’d hear 
It siglfin' and groanin' alar off, as if poor lost chil¬ 
dren were cryin' for home. Then the groanin’ 
would change to a screech—the screech to a wild 
shriek, and the gale would whirl ’round and ’round 
the cabin as ir bound to lift it from the earth in Its 
teeth. The gale knocked over trees a hundred 
years old, and rolled rocks weighing a thousand 
tons down upon the level 
“ And about your stock?" 
“ When that blizzard struck my ranch I had 500 
cattle, 2,000 sheep, and about 200 hosses, all alive 
aud klckln.’ it died away about daylight, and 
after an hour's work we got ou(. of the cabin and 
through the snow. Far as the eye could reach all 
was h dead level. Gulches, ravines and dips had 
been filled up with from five to thirty feet of snow. 
Every horee, sheep and steer had gone down in 
his t racks to die and be coffined in white, and we 
two, frostbitten and frozen, were fifty miles from 
any white man. Don't sneer at a blizzard I You'd 
better meet a thousand she tigers!’’ 
NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
How to Educate the Feelings or AflcrUnn*. 
Ur Chaulhs Hrw. IllUBtrat.nl, Price, *1 50. New 
York : s. K. Well* & Co., Publishers, 73, Broadway. 
No subject to-day Is of greater importance 
to our people than the cultivation of the feel¬ 
ings, from which character and happiness 
spring. The world has studied and labored 
In the direction of intellectual culture, and 
great advancement has happily been made in 
this field; but the systematic and properly direct¬ 
ed culture and regulation of the propensities has 
received too little attention, because the public 
mind has not understood this part of huinau na¬ 
ture in such a sense as to be able to educate and 
regulate it. An ounce of prevention In the field of 
human depravity is worth a ton of cure lu the line 
of imprisonment, stripes, and the halter, inflicted 
upon the wrong doers. If we can educate the pas¬ 
sions aud propensities so as to make them subser¬ 
vient to moral and social law, we have worked 
toward the disuse of jails, prisons, and the gal¬ 
lows, and prevented the great and sad waste of 
human life, hope and happiness, which Is so con¬ 
spicuous in our day. The virtuous portion of the 
people must bear the expenses of crime—the thefts 
and forgeries are a tax on virtuous Industry, and 
then all theco3t of police, courts. Jails, and prisons 
are a burden to be borne by the law-abiding part 
of mankind. For the good ot those who may be 
saved to virtue, as well as of the virtuous, the 
feelings ought to be educated and brought Into 
obedience to law and morality. To promote such 
ends tats book Is put forth. And as it is a discus¬ 
sion ot the subject on a sound practical basis It 
deserves tho careful examination ot ail who would 
have a better condition or affairs In general society. 
Jtcy to hostisin. Science and art unlock its 
Mraenea. by Kk v. Xuoiias Mitchell. author of 
Bhiiosonhy of God and the World," etc. 12mo no 
249. Clpto, price *L»u New York : a. R, Wells & 
Co., Publishers, 737 Broadway. 
The literature of the day Is not wanting in at¬ 
tempts to refute the philosophy and to expose 
the arts of Spiritualism. Some writers have de¬ 
voted much time to analyses of the peculiar men¬ 
tal condition of the multitudes who are more or 
less taken in the tolls of this belief, and have given 
to th3 world treatises which are more distin¬ 
guished for profundity of reasoning than for clear 
and practical teaching on the subject. Mr. Mitchell 
strikes at the root of the matter In the outset by 
imputing the existence or Spiritualism to man’s 
love ot the marvelous. AS a preliminary to the 
special treatment Of his subject he analyzes the 
nature of mind, showing lu relation to the body 
and the laws of Its exercise. This part of the 
work helps, lu Itself to clear away much of the 
obscurity which to the uninstructed eye envelopes 
Splrltu dism. Proceeding next to discuss the sub¬ 
ject proper of his book, Mr. Mitchell drawa largely 
110 m the avowals of ••mediums," ana of men and 
women wno have been engaged In practicing up¬ 
on the credulity of the public for gain, ne shows 
how science and Invention are made subservient 
to deceit—how magnetism, electricity, and pres¬ 
tidigitation may overawe the Ignorant and super¬ 
ficial. Appreciative of the influence of the late 
book published by Mr. Kiddle, he devotes some 
space to its particular consideration, and there 
wields a vigorous pen. Further, he has given 
much time to personal Invest igation, and gathered 
evidence from all sources of authority, and pro 
duced a book which Is full of Interest to the read¬ 
ing and thinking community. 
“The Literary Revolution."— The success of 
the unique enterprise, which has earned the above 
title, has hardly a parallel In literary history. 
.Started but little more than a year ago, with one 
book and one printing press, It already rivals, In 
magnitude and number of thousand volumes 
manufactured dally, the oldest and largest pub¬ 
lishing houses of the country. 
The publications are all of a high order ot lller- 
ary merit, clear In print, on good paper, In neat, 
strong binding, such as lovers of books who value 
contents rather than covers, and wish a little 
money to go a long way win desire. Prices are 
held so very low, so greatly In contrast with 
prices generally, that many people have natu¬ 
rally doubted the responsibility of the publish¬ 
ers and even the possibility of making good books 
at such a small cost; the possibility seems to be 
demonstrated by the large fist ot standard books 
already published and sold In large editions; the 
responsibility of the American Book Exchange 
Is unquestioned. Whoever sends money to them 
need have no fear but he will get promptly all 
they promise to send In return. 
J. B. Lippincott & Co , of Philadelphia, an¬ 
nounce that an entirely new and thoroughly re¬ 
vised edition of their Invaluable " Gazetteer of the 
World” will be Issued towards the close of this 
month. A competent editorial corps has been 
engaged for the last five years on the work of 
revision. 
MAGAZINES FOR MARCH. 
Harper's Magazine.— contents: The New 
School of Italian Painting and Sculpture, J. J. Jar- 
ves, Illustrated; Isis, a poem, Frances L. Mace; 
Among the Arrapahoes, Lieut. 11. R Lemly, U. S. 
A., Illustrated; “ Pinafore’s” Predecessor, J. 
Brander Matthews; Obstinacy, a Musical Adven¬ 
ture, Charlotte Moseheles, illustrated; A Winter 
Idyl, william Hamilton Gibson, illustrated; Da¬ 
kota Wheat Fields, C. c. cofiin, Illustrated; Val¬ 
entine, a poem, Philip o. Sullivan, Illustrated; An 
Irish Wake, J. L. Cloud, illustrated; Vacation As¬ 
pects of Colorado, A. A. Jlayes, .Jr, Ulusoabd, 
White Wings a Yachting Romance, William 
Black; Miss Beulah's Bonnet, Rose Terry Cooke; 
Transportation by Railway and snip canals, E. II. 
Derby; The SlfUng of Peter, a Folk-Song, H. W. 
Longfellow; Karin, a Romance ot Swedish Life, 
z. B. Gustafson; The Snow-Messengers, a poem, 
Paul 11. Uayne; Mary Anerley, a novel, R. I). 
Blackmore; The Preservation of Hearing, Samuel 
Sexton, M. D.; Ilonorla, a poem, James T. Fields. 
Editor’s Easy Chair. Editor’s Literary Record. 
Editor's Historical Record: Political: Disasters, 
Obituary. Editor’s Drawer. 
THE SIFTING or PETER.—A FOLK-SONG. 
‘ Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he 
may sift you as wheat.”—S t. Luke uu, 31. 
Iu St. Luke's Gospel we are told 
How Peter iu the days of old 
Was sifted; 
And now. though ages intervene. 
Sin Is the same, while time and scene 
Are shifted. 
Satan desires 11 s great and 6tnall, 
As wheat, to sift us, and we all 
Are tempted; 
Not one, however rich or great 
Is by his station or estate 
Exempted, 
No house so safely guarded is 
But he, by some device of his, 
Can enter; 
No heart hath armor so complete 
But he can pierce with arrows fleet 
Its center. 
For all at last the cock will crow 
Who hear the warning voice, but go 
Unheeding, 
Till thrice and more they have denied 
The Man of Sorrows, crucifiod 
And bleeding. 
One look of that pale, suffering face 
Will make us feel the deep disgrace 
Of weakness; 
We shall be sifted till the strength 
Of self-conceit be changed at length 
To meeknesB. 
Wounds of the soul, though healed, -will ache; 
The reddening scars remain, and mako 
Confession; 
Lost Innocence returns no more; 
We are not what we were before 
Transgression. 
But noble souls, through dUBt and heat, 
Rise from disaster and defeat 
The stronger. 
And conscious still of tho divine 
Within them, lie on earth supine 
No longer. 
—H. W. Longfellow, in Harper's Magazine 
March. 
for 
The Atlantic Monthly for March, 1SS0.—Con¬ 
tents : Remlnlsceuces of Washington, II, The John 
Quincy Adams Administration, 1925-1829; Peplta, 
Thomas Bailey A Id itch; Accidentally Overheard' 
Horace E. seudder; Flowers In the Dark, Sarah o. 
Jewett; Egypt under the Pharaohs, Francis h! 
Underwood; Some Intimations of Early Child¬ 
hood, Mrs. Edward Ashley Walker; Areopagus- 
The Undiscovered Country, VII l-xi, W. D. How¬ 
ells ; New Year Bong, Celia Thaxter; Literary and 
Philological Manual; Her Shawl, Oscar Leighton; 
Hannah Dawston’s Child, Lucy Lee Pleasants; 
English In England. Itlchard Grant While; Helen’s 
Cup, Louise Chandlur Moulton; Tho Memoirs of 
Madame de Iiemusat; A German Agitator and a 
French Dilettante; Washington Irving, Charles 
Dudley Warner; The New Departure lu the Pub¬ 
lic Schools; Prisons and Penitentiaries; The Brit¬ 
ish Civil Service; The Contributors’ Club; Publi¬ 
cations Received. 
GENTS. 
One day, several years ago, when I was rather a 
young man, the editor ot one of the great New 
York dallies, for which I was doing occasional ar¬ 
ticles. called me into his sanctum. He held a 
manuscript of mine in bis hand, and on his coun¬ 
tenance was an expression which I hastily and In¬ 
accurately translated Into '• declined with thanks.” 
“ I notice the word pent here." he said, thought¬ 
fully tapping the paper with his forefinger; “have 
you spelled It correctly ?” 
“ Haven’t I spelled It g e-n~t ?" I asked In aston¬ 
ishment. 
“ I believe so; but won't you have the goodness 
to look It up In the dictionary 7 ” 
I turned confidently to Webster’s Unabridged, 
and presently became rather red In the face at 
not being able to find the word In that bewilder¬ 
ing store-house. 
“ Perhaps there is no such word in the English 
language." slyly suggested the editor; “In which 
ease we had better strike It out of the article." 
ThlB little lesson made so deep an Impression on 
me, and instilled Into my heart such a hatred or 
the word gent, that T believe If 1 were naked and 
starving I would relusetobe clothed gratis at a 
‘‘Gouts’ Furnishing Store.” or accepta compliment¬ 
ary dinner In a “ Gents’ Saloon." Mr. Richard Grant 
White wittily remarks tbaL “gents" and “ pants * 
belong together, lor the former always wear the 
latter. If “gent" Is to he tolerated by careful 
writers, then let us accept “pants” for trousers, 
“transpire” ror happen or occur, and, m brief, 
adopt all 1 he variegated aud wonderful vocabulary 
of the average newspaper. 
The word “ gent,” however, does describe a 
class. Whca you see a greasy young rellow who 
seems a cross between a rustic and a negro min¬ 
strel off duly—a person with cap set far back on 
his closeft cropped head, tight trousers that grow 
suddenly rail at the ankle, and shoes with turned- 
up, pointed Ups (wheredoes he get those shoes!)— 
when you see this vulgar little object, you see “ a 
gent.” You will encounter him on street corners 
In shabby neighborhoods, gazing admiringly at the 
lithograph of some famous clog-dancer or cheap 
blonde in a drlnklng-sliop window; you will meet 
him there, hut Heaven preserve you from ever 
meeting him In decent literature l—Atlantic. 
Lippincott's Magazine opens with a description 
of the Lakes of Minnesota, with their healthful 
and picturesque summer resorts, which are 
already much frequented by Northern tourists, 
and which, Judging from this article and Us at¬ 
tractive illustrations d-serve to be better known. 
There are two other illustrated papers la the num¬ 
ber,—the JXtb Chapter of Dr. Oswald’s “ Bummer- 
land Sketches," which treats of Y r ucatan, and the 
conclusion of Edward King’s account of “Old 
aud New Itouen.” •• The American Suez" Is the 
title of an article which will be read with special 
Interest. Another timely paper Is devoted to the 
“ I'te Matter," “ At the Foot of the Sierras ” con¬ 
tains some capital sketches of life and manners In 
the most bcamltm regions of the West. The well- 
written and suggestive description of “ Decorative 
Art and Its Dogmas," by St. G. Van Rensselaer, is 
concluded in this number. There is a fresh instal¬ 
ment of “Adam and Eve," by the author of 
“Dorothy Fox;" a very pathetic and realistic 
story, entitled “A Mother’s vision,” by Sarah 
Winter Kellogg; and a bright little Italian 
Sketch, by the author of "Signor Monaldlnl's 
Niece." “Playing a Part,” by J. BranderMat- 
thews, Is a witty and neatly-constructed comedy, 
well adapted for amateur acting. The poetry Is 
by Paul Hay no and Howard Glyndon, and a large 
space, as usual, Is devoted to the “ Monthly Gos¬ 
sip ” and the “ Literature of the Day,’ 
St. Nicholas contains Alfred Tennyson’s Child- 
Song, “Minnie and Winnie,” set to music, and 
Mrs. Alfred Tennyson’s revised score of the music 
for the Laureate’s other St, Nicholas song, “The 
City Child." 
“The Disadvantages of City Boys," by Wash¬ 
ington Gladden, appears In this number. It Is 
based on actual facts, and ts a stirring talk with 
boys on a subject of vital Interest to them. They 
will find pleasure, too, in the seasonable “Out- 
Door” Paper, “ Kite Time," by Daniel c. Beard, 
which gives diagrams and ruil instructions how to 
make and fly kites of all sorts and shapes, 
Among the short stories are “Chy Lung,” an il¬ 
lustrated tale about a Chinese fisher lads’ curious 
adventures; “ Buttercup Gold,” by Laura E. Rich¬ 
ards, telling how a little girl found gold through 
boiling buttercups; “ The Tea-Kettle Light," with 
a picture by A. O. Redwood, a true account of bow 
a New England boy made IBumlnaung gas from 
birch bark. 
Of the two Serials, the installment of Louisa M. 
Alcott’s “ Jack and GUI," with two fine pictures 
by Dlelman, brings Its young people Into a peck of 
troubles; and William o. Stoddard’s “Among the 
Lakes,” Illustrated by Taber, tells how Its boys 
and girls enjoyed themselves In an old farm-house. 
A commander of tfie U. s. Navy, with the aid or 
pictures by It. Rlordau, describes the “ Gathering 
of caoutchouc In Nicaraguaand John Kleler, in 
an article entitled “Longitude 180 degrees," ex¬ 
plains how travelers lose a day in going to China 
from San Francisco and gain a day on the return 
voyage, 
one of the striking Illustrations is a portrait of 
Bable Stuart,” the Infant daughter of Charles I., 
engraved by Muller after the painting by Vandyck! 
The Departments “For Very Little Folk," “Jack- 
ln-the-Pulpli,” “Young Contributors," “Letter- 
Box," and “Riddle-Box,” have varied and lively 
Items, some from the boys and girls themselves. 
Threshold of the Gods, by Maurice Thompson 
Little Traveler, by Miss s. o. Jewett, author of 
Deephaven; and After Ffteen Y'ears. 
The writer of Acer Saccharlnum baa a charm¬ 
ing article, Snow Pictures. Austin Blerbower 
sets forth with much distinctness the fundamental 
differences of the Republican and democratic 
parties. There Is a careful account of the treasury 
department, aDd Its present head, non. John 
Sherman, by “David Copperfield.” Mr. u. M. 
Towle's biographical sketch is about Victor Hugo. 
There are also The Indian as he Used to Bo, 
Roman Mosaics, Adam and Eve; and poems by 
Mrs. Wyeth, and Herbert Hall Winslow, the young 
western poet whose creditable work Is to some ex- 
ten familiar to the public; also the editorial de¬ 
partments. 
Victor Hugo’s Old Age —It Is pleasant to 
think that the green old age of this master spirit 
of literature, this man who is renowned alike as 
a poet., a novelist, a dramatist, a philosopher, an 
editor, and an orator, who has worked so splen¬ 
didly In the cause of the lowly, who has given 
forth ideas that Rill surely live, who has uttered 
truths which must make men better as they 
spread, and who has shown In his own noble, un¬ 
selfish, frulttul file, w hat good things are tem¬ 
perance, benevolence, and self-sacrlflce-lt Is 
pleasant to think that his green old age is being 
passed In the Paris he so dearly loves, and amid 
the scenes of all his triumphs; that he may con¬ 
template, with serene delight, the founding or a 
French Republic likely to endure, and may him¬ 
self sit as a lire Senator of France among its grave 
counselors. 
victor Hugo has never affected the roughness of 
life aud dress, and vulgar familiarity of manner, 
by which the demagogue sometimes seeks to gain 
ravorwtth the multitude. He has always lived 
like a gentleman and a scholar. Ills house, has al¬ 
ways been the center or elegant literary reunions; 
his chosen companions have been men of culture 
and intellect. Ills modest though cozlly garnished 
house In llie Rue Cllcby has become, since the 
return of the great exile, the center of frequent 
political and literary receptions, at which the first 
minds in France have gathered 1o discuss meas¬ 
ures and books. Thilce In 1 fine 3 ears the shadow 
of death fell upon his house, depriving him or a 
faithful and beloved wire, and two sons on whose 
future he had rested tho most .-anguine hopes; 
these great grids passed, and left the grand old 
man sadly serene; for he believes In a. future life 
with all his soul, and knows that ere long his own 
summons must come to rejoin them. No one 
can approach him without being irresistibly at¬ 
tracted by his benetlcent lace, his big, kindly 
glowing eyes, his cordial, almost affectionate 
warmth of greeting. To every one alike he is ap¬ 
proachable, genial and talkative. As his sympa¬ 
thies reach down to the humblest, so his bearing 
with all men is outwardly fraternal. What he Is 
In hls books, he Is In his dally walks; and one has 
only to read them, to derive an excellent Idea of 
hls conversation. It Is sparkling, epigrammatic, 
flowing, fufi ot warmth and feeling, accompanied 
by expressive action of the features and the hands. 
He la ready and glad to talk about everything, and 
amazes by the extent of hls erudition, especially in 
common things. He Is easily aroused to a long 
and brilliant, monologue by the Introduction of a 
subject that especially Interests him. He never 
tires of flcclalmlng-for It Is declamation—about 
the hopeful outlook for the Republic; about the 
enormity of the coup d’etat ; about the necessity 
of abolishing, by the spread of knowledge, all 
crime, war, and poverty. Ills Ideas naturally take 
poetic and grandiose forms as he warms to hls 
theme. He quotes freely from hls own works, 
with graceful apology; and there Is throughout 
an air of what would be called vanity in a lesser 
man, but. which In him is warranted by the con¬ 
sciousness ot hls pre-eminent fame, and of the 
admiration of all the world.—Good company. 
BBIC-A-BRAC. 
An art exhibition: “ That picture of X's Is a 
fearful daub, don't you think?" The gentleman 
addressed—“ I beg your pardon, but 1 am the ar¬ 
tist.’’ •• Oh, I beg ten thousand pardons. The 
fact Is, 1 don't know anything about art—I just 
repeat what I hear every one saying.—Art Journal. 
A man bought a horse. It wa3 the first one he 
had ever owned. He saw in a newspaper that a 
side window would make a horse's eye weak on 
that side; a window behind him would make him 
squint-eyed; a window on a diagonal line would 
make him shy when he traveled; a window In 
front would hurt lils eyes by the glare; and a sta¬ 
ble without a window would make him blind. 
Good Com fan f Number Six, Is as usual rich in 
stories. They Include Better Times, Ellen W. 
Olney; Cousin Beraphlna, by Sydney Hall; Aunt 
Hetty’s Story, by Mrs. E. D. R, BlancJardl; and 
Old Barry’s Son, There are these sketches:—The 
“amazing grace." 
The following Is vouched for by one of the most 
reliable of Philadelphia divines: 
A young clergyman having agreed to supply 
the pulpit or an older brother absent from home, 
escorted to church the daughter or the pastor, 
and after seeing her safely in her father’s pew, 
ascended to the pulpit, unconscious that this 
natural attention to the young lady was suf¬ 
ficient to excite lively Imaginations and Inquiries 
in t he audience. 
Upon reading the hymn to be sung, the young 
clergyman was surprised to perceive evident ef¬ 
forts In the congregation to suppress laughter. 
The daughter or hls friend possessed the melliflu¬ 
ous name of Grace, and, all unsuspicious of that 
fact, he had chosen the hymn beginning with the 
words “Amazing grace," aud proceeding with: 
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear. 
And grace my fears relieved. 
How precious did that graco appear. 
Tho hour 1 first believed ? 
Through many dangers, toils and snares 
I have already come; 
’Tis grace has brought roe safe thus far, 
And grace wifi lead me home ? 
[liar per's Magazine for January. 
