226 
APRIL. 5 
waste the most, precious part and human life, 
like an unstopped vase of effervescent and per¬ 
ishing quality, exhales and throws off into the 
absolute and the eternal, the very best portions 
of itself. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is knowl¬ 
edge applied to disposition and to conduct. 
That's the whole of it. The whole genius of 
the Gospel was so to teach moral truths as 
that men should build up their minds and 
dispositions on it. Whoever commits a wrong, 
knowing it is wrong, and on purpose; whoever 
neglects a duty, knowing it to be a duty and on 
pmT>ose. affirmatively, or negatively, violates 
God’s law. In the name of conscience, that 
ought to satisfy even a theologian, A Chris¬ 
tian life is an education, and no man can 
become or continue to be a Christian without 
that same persistence and that, same resolute¬ 
ness by which men attain to knowledge in any 
department of human learning. Men have 
said to me, “I wish I could be a Christian but I 
haven’t time/ 1 as if it took anymore time to 
tell the truth than to tell a lie; as if it took 
any more time to be pure than to be impure. 
The life of a truly born Christian man should 
be automatic aud grow more so. No man has 
manners who is thinking about manners. 
When a mau lias to open the door of his soul 
and call down, "‘Patience! Patience! come up 
here, you’re wauted,” that man hasn’t learned 
patience. When a man has to say, “John, go 
aud call down Conscience; here is a case for 
him,’’ that man has no conscience All high 
pleasures that do not take hold of practical 
life aud reform it—making it better, brighter, 
more useful—are pernicious in the long run. 
Dr. Collyer.— “Love, the Pole Star.” 
What is the first commandmentf “Thou 
shaltlove thy God with all thy heart and thy 
neighbor as thyself.” I have caught the 
meaning of this great question and answer, 
and may translate them into our own times. 
What the master said then, he would say to 
us. There was only one condition that Jesus 
imposed—the love of God aud of one’s neigh¬ 
bor. Ou this bung all the law and the proph¬ 
ets. This declaration was the divine chart, 
pole star and compass of the divine life. The 
same idea was like a golden thread through 
St. Paul’s writing and tlmough the New Tes¬ 
tament. 
Prof. Patton.— “Origin and Cause of Sin.” 
The doctrine of sin is one that can not be 
given up, for by the constitution of our nature 
meu are obliged to think about it. Sin is per¬ 
sonal. It cau be dealt with within the area 
of one’s own life. Studying human history 
is simply like standing in a gilded saloon and 
beholding one's self in a mirror. We gain 
nothing except to see ourselves. Mere bigness 
is not virtue; mere littleness is not sin The 
interpretation of sin is found in the word 
“ought’’ and the word “right.” Therefore, 
when we say that a man “ought,” or “ought 
not” to do certain things, we mean that there 
is a standard by which we measure couduot, 
Aud this fundamental idea of sin involves the 
proposition that sin is the doing of something 
that ought not to be done, or the omission of 
something that ought to be done. Sin is self¬ 
ishness. but all selfishness is not sin. By every 
faculty of our being we arc committed to this 
doctrine of right and wrong. There is a law 
of ought and of ought not. The Scriptures 
do not come telling us there are right and 
wroug, but assume that, as known. They por¬ 
tray to us the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and, 
having put before us sin and holiness, the 
Scriptures teach us to pray for conformity to 
the life of righteousness. 
BOOK NOTICES. 
Easter Cards.— We acknowledge, with 
thanks, the receipt of a sample package of 
Easter Cards for this season, from the Flue 
Art Publishing house of Praug & Co., Boston, 
Mass., than which nothing in this line could 
be more beautiful. Such artiste as Mrs. O. E. 
Whitney, Miss F. Bridges, Miss L. B. Hum¬ 
phrey aud Walter Satterlee, could uot. fail to 
produce superior work. The card which, per¬ 
haps, would be considered the most elaborate, 
represents a bunch of Narcissus ou a while 
satin panel, set. in a frame of light-blue plush 
an<J blue satin. Perhaps the next in beauty is 
one representing the cross, which is in silver 
ou a delicate pink background, trimmed with 
a gracefully-arranged bunch of white lilies. 
But all are beautiful! 
CONDUCTED BY MIS: KAY CLARK. 
“HOW TO SPEND THE EVENINGS.” 
MRS. W. C, GIFFORD. 
In a latitude like ours, where for half the 
year the evening hours at our disposal are 
equivalent to from one-third to one-sixth the 
hours i>1 daylight, this is an important ques_ 
tion to consider. The father has been from 
THE BUBAL NEW-YOBXEB. 
home, or occupied through the day with neces¬ 
sary work; the mother has been busy with her 
multifold cares, and the children have been at 
school, so that the evening hours are the only 
ones in the entire 24 in which the family can 
come together for social converse. 
Not many years ago most farmers’ wives, 
with a family of children, would have no 
need to ask, “ How shall Ispend my evening?” 
There, before her, lay the pile of uudarned 
stockiugs or unmended garments, or the knit¬ 
ting of numberless socks and mittens wailing 
to be accomplished, which left her no choice. 
But, thanks to the stocking loom, which fur¬ 
nishes us with stockings for almost as little as 
the yarn costs, aud the sewing machine, which 
takes so many stitches for us—most mothers 
may, if they will, find at least a little time for 
recreation and mental improvement. In a 
house abundantly" furnished with books aud 
periodicals, and where there is a love for read¬ 
ing, this questiou will"never be asked. There 
is a hungering and thirsting after knowledge 
which continually increases the more its de¬ 
mands are gratified, and time is never a bur¬ 
den, But let every parent see that this read¬ 
ing is pure, elevating, ennobling. Better that 
your children never knew oue letter from an¬ 
other, than to fill their minds with trashy, 
sentimental literature, or the rehearsing of the 
foul crimes which are so faithfully served up 
in the daily papers, aud thus, perhaps, in¬ 
fluence their whole life. 
No doubt more young meu and women are 
started in the many paths to moral wreck or 
eutire ruin through improper reading than 
through any other meaus. It need not neces¬ 
sarily be grossly impure; but if it is weak and 
of the sentimental, love-siik sort, it can be 
productive of no good, and is, to say the feast, 
time misspent. Besides, we should cultivate 
a taste both in ourselves and iu our children 
for that which is improving and strengthening 
to the iniud. A strong, physical body is uot 
built by a diet of sweetmeats and spices, neither 
is a strong, mental nature fed upon trash. 
It would be a blessing to the rising genera¬ 
tion if many of the family papers would leave 
the leaf devoted to stories blank But, I re¬ 
member. uot every house is furnished with 
plentyof good reading, notwithstanding books 
and papers are so cheap, that the fact seems 
inexcusable; neither has every one acquired 
a taste for.reading. There is sueh a variety 
of pretty things made nowadays, in so many" 
kinds of what we call taucy work, and the 
materials are so cheap aud the necessity for 
them in making our homes pretty" aud cheer¬ 
ful seems so great, that the girls of the family" 
need never be at a loss what to do. There are 
pretty devices for saving every scrap of silk 
or ribbon, every bit of pretty worsted, and 
making them into charming things of useful¬ 
ness—besides the many kinds of embroidery, 
lace work and crocheting which almost every" 
miss knows how to do. 
A scroll saw in the house is a source of de¬ 
light, as well frequently of profit, for both the 
boy's and girls. I have in my mind a young 
miss of Hi who. iu the few weeks preceding 
the holidays, sold some 88 worth of small pal¬ 
ettes and easels made of holly, to the young 
ladies of the school, on which to paint pictures 
for gifts to friends ou Christmas. She sawed 
and smoothed them herself in her leisure mo¬ 
ments, and used the money to pay for mate¬ 
rials for a mantel lambrequin, which she em¬ 
broidered exquisitely, and gave her mother 
for Christmas. This she did in the evenings, 
for she attended school, and in the short days 
there is little daylight after school-hours. She 
was very proud, and satisfied at earning the 
money with which to buy the gift. 
A pleasant aud profitable way of spending 
part of an evening, and one in which the whole 
family can join, is to have a spelling school 
Then there are puzzles, aud conundrums, and 
many harmless games, with which to pass 
away an hour. But these should always be 
secondary, ami introduced only as dessert to 
the more substantial meal There are fami¬ 
lies who spend whole evening* at cards, and 
even argue that if the children are not taught 
to play at home they will be sure to go else¬ 
where, perhaps to some objectionable place, to 
leurn. Possibly this may sometimes be true; 
hut where the right homo iufluenoe is thrown 
around the children, and they are impressed 
with the value of time, and a taste for good 
leading is cultivated, there need bo little fear. 
Certain it is, if boys never learn to play cards 
they will uevor gamble. 
It is well to make it a rule not to do or say 
anything before our children which we would 
uot wisli ttiom to imitate, nor teach them any¬ 
thing which can by any chance result in harm. 
Judge Tourgee, in “ Figs and Thistles,” makes 
his hero, Markham Clmrr, say to Boaz Wood- 
ley, who had employed him to ferret out a 
theft; “ I am ashamed to say that 1 do uot 
know one card from another.” And the reply 
I'aiuu from the man w hom the sequel allowed 
to know, from bitter experience, the truth of 
his answer: “Ashamed, ch?” said Woodley; 
“ that is the very root of the evil. Don’t be 
ashamed, sir; but thank God for your ignor¬ 
ance. Man}' a heavy heart wmuld be light to¬ 
day if others had been as ignorant as you. 
Many a crime would not have been commit¬ 
ted, many a life would not have been blasted, 
but for this accursed temptation, which no¬ 
body condemns till it bears bitter fruit.” 
Domestic Cemtomi) 
CONDUCTED BY EMH-Y MAPLE. 
SUGGESTIONS TO CHARITY. 
In the first place I would say that 1 am a 
farmer. I was born and raised ou a farm, and 
have spent all my life there except from the 
Summer of 1863 to the Fall of 18G5. With 
the experience I have had on a farm and 
among my fellow men, I think I understand 
Charity’s feelings, and may be able to offer 
her some suggestions that may do her good. 
I may say some very plaiu thiugs to her, but 
I hope she will not inter from them that I do 
so to give her pain, for, on the contrary, I 
pity her too much to say anything that would 
add to her present uubappiuess. If there is 
any on* in this wide world who is an object of 
pity, it is he who is dissatisfied with the lot 
that God has assigned to him. Instead of 
grumbling at her lot, Charity, I think, has 
very good reasons for being thankful for what 
her Creator has done for her. She is very par¬ 
ticular in informing us iu regard to the scant 
means she has enjoyed for storing her mind 
with useful knowledge, and yet the language 
she uses in giving us that information is such 
as would put to shame a great many of our 
semiuary and college students. Whore did 
she obtaiu this great attainment ? According 
to her ow n showing she did uot obtaiu it by 
going to school or by reading books. There 
is only one source from which it could have 
come—a benefioient Providence has end owed 
her with a good intellect and strong mental 
powers. In other words. God has given to 
her directly an endowment that many would 
be glad to possess, although they have the free 
use of books aud the best of school facilities. 
My first suggestion to Charity would be t hat, 
instead of worrying her brain to find things 
to complain about, she should look around her 
on the good things that God has done for her, 
for which -he should return her warmest 
thanks. 
The trouble w'ith Charity is that she looks 
upon honest labor as degrading. Now" let her 
deny this as indignantly as she may. yet the 
whole tenor of her articles, from beginning to 
end. show that it is true. Her neighbors have 
already arrived at this conclusion, as is indi¬ 
cated by the manner in which the young man 
asked her to dance with him. And then, in 
her account of the game of “authors,” over 
which she grew* so indignant at the ignorance 
manifested by some of the players. I think we 
find an indication that she was iu company 
w hich she thought beneath her. When one is 
in the company of persons one doesn’t like, 
it is very likely one will see all their bad and 
none of their good qualities. But let one’s 
attitude towards those same persons be 
changed, and it will be wonderful how many 
good qualities oue will see in them, that will 
be worthy of emulation. And so I think that 
if Charity had been playing with some city 
boys and girls w ho were not accustomed to do 
physical labor, all such mistakes would have 
passed by unuoticed by her. and she would 
have beeu happy. 
And if Charity doesn’t know it. I can tell 
her that there is as much ignorance ou the 
part of city folks iu regard to such matters as 
there is among tboir “ eouutry cousins.” I do 
not wish to be understood, in what I have 
said, as defending ignorance. Ou the con¬ 
trary, I deplore it. In this land of religious 
liberty aud free schools, there is no excuse 
for any person being as ignorant as Charity 
portrays her neighbors to be. It certainly 
does not speak well for the community in 
which she dwells. And while 1 am free to 
admit that the expressions of her companions 
were sufficient to try her patience, yet she had 
no right to worry over them to such an extent 
as to destroy Iht happiness. 
My second suggestion to her would be that 
she change her att itude toward her neighbors. 
Let her so deport herself, while in their pres¬ 
ence, as to remove from their minds tin idea 
that she thinks herself better than they are. 
In short, let her do everything that Is right 
and honorable to wai their friendship. If she 
cau do this, she will then be in a position in 
which she may be able to do them some good. 
She will at least be able to live among them 
with some degree of comfort. 
My last suggestion to her is that she culti¬ 
vate feelings of “charity” towards her fellow" 
creatures among w hom God has cast her lot, 
aud especially towards those of her own 
family, and, my word for it, it will do her 
sweet heart good to see how much of good she 
will find wrapped up in those rough exteriors. 
And let her be careful after this never to do 
or say anything that would create an impres¬ 
sion on the minds of those who are not iu a 
position to know better, that all farming 
communities are like her’s. a farmer, 
- -- 
SLEEP FOR MOTHERS.—CREAM PIE. 
From time to time, there come to my notice 
in the Rural, and other papers, articles in 
defense of the “tired mothers” throughout our 
land. Tmly, such mothers are a class to be 
sympathized w ith, and yet I think that many of 
the ills pertaining to their lot might be greatly 
mitigated, were they in the lmbit of preparing 
themselves, beforehand, to meet the emergen¬ 
cies which are constantly arising In the va¬ 
ried, and constantly changing duties which 
occupy the attention of the housekeeper, there 
exists sufficient recreation to prevent them 
from becoming monotonous, but to the woman 
who fills (or tries to fill) the double position of 
mother aud housewife, it is au almost impossi¬ 
ble task to be always bright., aud cheerful; 
and. as nothing so conduces to home comfort 
as the bright, cheery presence of the mother, 
we cannot but. long for some remedy to meet 
her case. The true wife would over strive to 
conceal all petty annoyances from her hus¬ 
band, so that his home may be to him a “ha¬ 
ven of rest’' after the toils of the day are 
over. Id older to do so, she must exert her¬ 
self to the utmost, i. if her strength has 
been previously overtaxed. To prevent this 
extra effort, and to make her home a sunshine 
spot, she must have sleep. This, to my mind, 
seems the one sovereign cure. Instead of 
rushing into the battle, O! sisters, w ithout our 
armor let us strive to make the most we can, 
of the opportunities for rest, with God’s help 
ever looking on the “bright side.” Truly, we 
mothers cau exclaim with Jeau lngelow: 
“ O Sleen ! we are beholden to thee, Sleep, 
Sleep In the world to come, 
How strange 'twill be 
Never to want, never to wish for thee !” 
CREAM PIE. 
Oue large cup of flour, in which put one tea¬ 
spoonful of cream-of-tartar, aud a small piuch 
of salt. Break into this three eggs, add one 
cup white sugar and stir all together. Lastly, 
add three tablespoonfuls of thick, sweet 
cream, in which you have dissolved one-half 
teaspoonful of soda. This makes two pies or 
cakes. 
cream for filling. 
Set oue pint of good milk to boil; when boil¬ 
ing add, after stirring together, one egg. two 
tablespoonfuls of flour, one-half cup sugar, 
flavor with vanilla. MRS. J. e. e. 
CUCUMBER PICKLES. 
I have read quite a number of recipes for 
making pickles, uot one of which comes up to 
my idea of making a really good article, such 
as I w’ould want to set before au experienced 
first-class farmer’s wife. In the first place, 
gather the cucumbers when not larger or 
longer than a man’s little finger; cut them 
from the vines with a knife or scissoi* (do uot 
pull them off, breaking off the stem close up 
to the cucumber aud thus giving them a 
chance to become soft from the wound), • 
leaving the stem an inch long ou the cucum¬ 
ber; handle with care, and do not break the 
little pickles ou them, Theu make a weak 
pickle with a little salt; put them in this 
pickle aud allow to) remain 86 to 48 hours to 
to soak out the mucilaginous substance. Then 
put them into a stone pot with vinegar that 
has been used the previous year, and allow 
them to remain in the vinegar for two weeks, 
adding to them each day those that are gath¬ 
ered from day to day aud have been iu the 
salt aud water 24 hours, until you have enough 
to fill a brass kettle that has been w ell scoured 
before using (don’t be frightened, you will 
uot be poisoned, fori have done just this thing 
year after year, aud am all right yet), put¬ 
ting iu as much new vinegar as will cover the 
pickles two inches deep when put iuto the 
pot. i’ut the cucumbers into the hot vinegar, 
and allow them to remain until they 
heat through, then skim them out carefully, 
so as not to break, or cut them, into a pan. 
Add white sugar, say one pound to two gallons 
vinegar, anil put into a small hag two table¬ 
spoon fills of ground cloves, cinnamon, allspice 
and mace. Sew the bag up tight, leaving 
sufficient room for the spice to swell; boil 20 
minutes to half au hour, shimming frequent¬ 
ly; add a piece of alum the size of a common 
walnut, powder it aud mix with the vinegar. 
Place your pickles (carefully again) iu a jar, 
and pour the hot vinegar over them, placing 
the spice bag on top. See that they are cov¬ 
ered two inches deep with s inegar. Set them 
away iu a cool place. Occasionally examine 
them, aud if a scum arises skim It off, turn 
out the pickles, drain them, and put the vine¬ 
gar over the Hre with the spice bag, and give 
it a good scalding. Rinse out tie* pickle jar, 
replace the pickles, anil pour the boiling hot 
vinegar over them, place the spice bag ou top 
again, and set away, if you use pure cider, 
