THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
JUNE ? 
about to speak to tbe United States in general, J 
as visitors from every State and every leading 
town, to say naught of men and women from 
other countries, form a part, of his audience. 
The membership of Plymouth numbers 
between 2.700 and 3,800 and, after the hymn is 
sung, Mr. Beecher reads a long list of names 
of persons desiring to join the church, persons 
from Virginia, from Maine, from Scotland, 
from Chicago, from everywhere. Then follows 
various announcements, made in characteristic 
Beecher style, and then, oh, then, alas! Mr, 
Beecher hints that he is not to preach that 
morning—and as if to make matter* better 
says that in the 40 and more years of his min¬ 
istry at Plymouth church helms not had any 
one to till his desk when he was present more 
than ten times. But he had with him that 
morning Martin Lutber-Berger, of the Mc¬ 
Call Mission in France, who had the wonder¬ 
ful story of that marvelous mission work to 
relate; and the tolling of that much fired Mr. 
Beecher into a glowing exordium, and utter 
introducing the modern Martin Luther, he sat. 
down to the Bighs of the congregation, a num¬ 
ber of whom immediately left, while others 
continued to follow at intervals, while others, 
openiug the doors to enter, and hearing un¬ 
familiar speech, promptly turned away. 
After relieving himself of some stilted and 
heavy preliminaries, Martin Luther entered 
ardently into his theme and delivered a very 
stirring arid instructive narrative for such as 
were not already familiar with the origin and 
success of the McCall missions. Mr. Beecher 
said if any oue wanted to hear Mr. Beecher’s 
sermon lie could come iu tbe evening to Ply¬ 
mouth ! A collection was taken up for the 
missions, another hymn sungaud the congre¬ 
gation bowed under the benediction. 
We buried some time in the church, until 
Mr. Beecher came down from his desk, aud 
our host, introduced ns, aud the laddie’s eyes 
glowed as the baud of the great preacher 
rested on his head. Anaximander talked 
with him about the wonderful grandson in 
Washington Territory, and Mr. Beecher 
laughed delightedly over “Herb’s baby” and 
what the two grandmothers thought of it. 
And perhaps you who read this would be 
pleased to know about this baby and how he 
came to las planted on the Pacific coast. Mr. 
Beecher’s son, Herbert,i* captain of a steam¬ 
boat on Puget Sound. He is a very good and 
clever fellow, but. does not resemble his father 
in any noticeable degree whatever. But he 
bus a boy baby, which, when Anaximander 
saw it last winter was somewhat over a year 
old, that is the exact image of his grandfather, 
Henry Ward Beecher, eveu to the gestures it 
makes! Anaximander says it was passing fun¬ 
ny to see a baby such a perfect picture of iU> 
grandfather. And the child is extremely 
bright, too, and mayhap has inherited the 
paternal mantle of oratory. '1 he baby’s moth¬ 
er is a California woman, one of the best, ar¬ 
tists on that coast. She came to Puget Bound 
to make sketches for her pictures, mot Cap¬ 
tain Beecher who straightway captured her for 
his wife. If it were not for that wonderful baby 
oue could not. help feeling that it was a pity to 
spoil so fine an artist for the sake of a wife for 
Captain Beecher, or any other man. But so 
goes the world. 
Mr. Beecher and his white haired wife—a 
most devoted and brave and t rue wife has she 
been—walk hand in hand from the church to¬ 
gether, and as one watches them and muses on 
the eventful years that have been theirs, emo¬ 
tion fast gets the better of him, and he hurries 
on to lose himself in the outstreaming throng 
of Plymouth worshippers. 
£or Women. 
CONDUCTED BY MI Si, KAY Cl .ARK. 
RECREATION. 
restorer” in very truth; and I knew one wo¬ 
man who taught, school ten years, working 
nine mouths in the year, who enjoyed perfect 
health all the time, never having lost a day by 
sickness; nod yet her only recreation was an 
occasional walk, or horseback ride, on busi¬ 
ness. But. Tier vacations wore always spent in 
out-door work on the farm, and, more than 
this, she never indulged in late hours at social 
party, or dance; she seldom drank anything 
but water or milk, and never alcoholic drinks. 
But all constitutions are not alike, aud the 
great need of women now is something to in¬ 
vigorate. to bring the flush of health to the 
cheek, Iteauty to the figure, and that irresisti¬ 
ble sparkle to the eye! How much better the 
world would be if these conditions of mind 
and body came oftener. And they would if 
women were not so “troubled about much 
serving.” or afraid to take exercise because 
‘it is not customary, and they do not like to 
be called odd ” But you deceive yourselves 
when you think you have no time for recrea¬ 
tion. You can better afford to spend an hour 
every day for the preservation of your health 
than you can afford to be siek or, perhaps, 
“half sick”—“just able to drag around” and 
be fretful and let your work go half done. 
You cannot afford to have poor health and an 
unpleasant home. Your home needs all the 
brightness and sparkle that you can bring 
into it. and you will find it so much 
easier to keep the children with you. 
No picture about your dwelling presents so 
many interesting features as a mother’s beau¬ 
tiful face, and if rightly eared for that face 
will become more lovely each year; no music 
is so sweet as mother’s loving voice, and the 
strains of a song will float down through your 
children’s lives and become a sweetly solemn 
charm as the years roll by. 
Then tear yourself away from household 
cares for a time each day, und give your 
thoughts as entirely to the work which rests, 
os you do to your general work. T know of 
nothing better suited to all women than gar¬ 
dening. The sowing aud the planting in the 
joyous Spring and early Summer, added to 
the anticipations of a delicious gathering time, 
makes tbe work doubly pleasant, bringing, as 
it does, both mind ami body into action. Then 
there is horse-back riding. Did you ever have 
your pulse thrill and your heart beat wild in 
the excitement of a gallop? If YOU have not, 
you have missed your share of the good things 
of earth, and it is not only the pleasure of a 
moment, for it does you good to think and 
talk about it afterward, And what can bring 
more of true grace and beauty to the girls 
and women of our country than coasting and 
skating in their season? If you live in a town 
where the boys monopolize the streets, a short 
walk to the neighboring hills of the country 
where you might reign supreme for the time 
being, would do yourself and a few friends 
much good. 
In the Summer you have ball, and croquet, 
aud fishing—by all means go a-fishing. So 
tuauy women say they have not the patience to 
fish, but I am safe iu saying it is only those who 
make this excuse that havenever felt the pride 
which comes when our “ first catch” struggles 
upon the liank. As another very pleasant out 
door exercise, let me name rowing. It is true 
the ride is pleasant when a stronger arm than 
our own bends to the oar, but you miss t.he 
quiet inspiration which comes to you when 
alone. If you doubt your strength, give a 
trial by degrees, but get all the pleasure out 
of it you can. lily hemlock. 
-- 
Perhaps it would be well to define recrea¬ 
tion, so that no mistaken ideas may be enter¬ 
tained as to the real nature of our subject. 
Recreation means diversion with an underly¬ 
ing idea of action; heuce we conclude that the 
real object of recreation is a resting or renew¬ 
ing of the weary spirits. Aud the question to 
be considered is whether this can best be at¬ 
tained by spending part of our time in amuse¬ 
ments which tiring no permanent benefit he- 
yond that which results to the person amused, 
or whether as good rest to the mind, aud con¬ 
sequently to the body, may not be gained by 
a change of occupat ion only. Generally speak¬ 
ing, those amusements, or exercises, are best 
which engage our vacant fancies most, and 
which bring into usa the greatest number of 
muscles and which bring us most into the open 
air aud sunlight. 
The first and most important requisite is 
daylight, and I really think if the fact that 
night, was made for rest, were known and 
heeded there would be less need of recreation, 
for a good night's rest is “tired Nature’s sweet 
foundations for half the ailments of tbeir later 
life. The most important, part of tbeir educa¬ 
tion should come from their mothers; bu t how 
few women are capable of so instructing the 
lives committed to their care! Truly, “our 
girls are vary Ignorant, but our boys don’t 
know enough to find it out,” says Bishop 
Whately. 
Two things the child should learn first of 
all—order and observation; and a woman ig¬ 
norant of all 'ologies aud “book-learning.” 
can teach these. I am often surprised to find 
how little the latter is cultivated, alone or 
with its adjunct, memory. The system of 
object-lessons would be found excellent for 
both. Let the children bring home from their 
walk anything they deem worthy of notice— 
it may bo wood, stone, plant, flower or insect 
-and it is surprising what an interesting con¬ 
versation may be held about it. Any science, 
physiology, geography, geology, botany, etc., 
may be taught orally to great advantage, 
benefiting both teacher and pupil. It Is bard 
for the busy mother always to answer the 
thousand and one questions her children ask; 
but an answer, or promise to find out. is better 
for the child than an impatient “Don't know ,” 
or “Don’t bother.” 
I do not mean, by what, 1 have wr itten, that 
a child is never the better for public school 
discipline, or that all public'schools are mis¬ 
managed. But after seeing the lamentable 
results of cramming for the regular examina¬ 
tions, T begin to think that regulating a school 
on the Gradgrind system, turning out a cer¬ 
tain number of graduates warranted to pos¬ 
sess such and-sucli knowledge or Ignorance, as 
per contract, is likely to end iu something 
worse than failure. EMILY LOUISA taplin. 
I think the Chinaman was very wise in bis 
precautions, and if I were a young man I would 
find out in some way tbe facts about a young 
lady's disposition before it was too late to 
retreat. “ Taming a Shrew” may come out 
very well in a play, but it never works that 
way in real life, in our age and times. 
EV ALINE. 
THE CHINAMAN’S INQUIRY. 
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 
We hear much, these modern days, of our 
excellent public school system, where the rich 
and poor may leara, side by side, all that may 
make them good citizens. But tbe question 
sometimes arises, whether we may not drill, 
aud organize, and educate too much, so that 
our scholars become like Dr. Blitnber’s im¬ 
maculate young gentlemen, to whom the sub¬ 
lime thoughts of the poet or orator were but 
a collection of parts of speech, arranged ac¬ 
cording to the rules of prosody and syntax. 
Tbe great fault in tbre public school is its 
lifelessness; the system of marks aud grading 
is entirely mechanical. No wonder that grow¬ 
ing girls, in the most critical stage of their 
development, come home Horn their gradua¬ 
ting class tired, nervous and hysterical, laying 
Miss Nellie Arthur rides an Indian pony, 
“calico colored,” which the chief of the Sho¬ 
shone Indians, “Sharp Nose,” gave to the 
President. 
-- Ml 
Many a country girl will get rosier cheeks, 
and deeper dimples, chasing butterflies in the 
early morn, barefooted, through tbe dewy 
lawn thickly dotted with tbe yellow dandelion 
and fragrant with the clover blossom. 
Domestic (Economy 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
I listened, notloog ago, to an address from 
a lady who has labored much among the Chi¬ 
nese women ill San Francisco. There are but 
a few of them compared with tbe Chinese 
population, and the majority arc young girls 
stolen from their homes and brought to this 
country to be sold as slaves, to a life of degra¬ 
dation. The prices vary from $800 to $1,000. 
Many of these slave girls have been brought 
into a mission school, and taught, that they 
are free in this land, and are now pursuing a 
course of Christian education. A large num¬ 
ber have been hopefully converted Their 
simple, absolute faith in Jesus, the Saviour, is 
a rebuke to many m our Gospel-hardened, fa 
vored communities. 
“The Jesus women” who go about and read 
t.he Bible in the crowded tenement houses of 
the Chinese are everywhere well received. 
Mrs. Van S said that she had never heard a 
disrespectful word as she went about among 
them. 
Often a converted Chinaman—and there are 
many such trophies of God’s power—will come 
to this school, to seek a Christiau wife. He 
does not wish uow to marry a heathen womau. 
If his testimonials and conversation are satis¬ 
factory, he is allowed to come into the school¬ 
room and talk with the girls. Finally, he se¬ 
lects one whose appearance pleases him— 
though how he can see auy difference, is a 
puzzle to us—aud to her he pays especial at¬ 
tention, talking iu their native tongue. At 
length, he says to the teacher, “I likc-e her; 
she likee me. She say, ‘I want, to be married 
allee same Amelicau fashion.’ ” There is one 
very important question he first asks in confi¬ 
dence—one on which he feels that much of his 
future happiness depends. It is simply. “Is 
she good-tempered?'’ A negative answer here, 
would cast down all his hopes and hers also. 
It might be a good question for other than 
Chinese young people to ask before commit¬ 
ting themselves too far. and quite as import¬ 
ant for the young lady as for the other side of 
the house. Hardly anything besides intern 
per a nee can make a home so wretched as ill- 
temper in either husband or wife. 
If a young inau is furious towards his horses 
when they do not please him, or gets out of 
temper over trifles generally, aud takes no 
pains to curb his temper, let him go, even if 
you are convinced that it will break your 
heart. He will almost surely break your 
heart dozens of times over if you accept him 
Hearts heal with comparative ease iu youth, 
but old heartbreaks, day after day, are very 
bai d to bear. 
TRAINING THE BOYS AND GIRLS. 
I have no sympathy for “ Charity Sweet¬ 
heart,” “Farmer’s Wife,” or any of that ilk. 
Not a whit! If they are so timid and pigeon- 
hearted as to allow their husbands, brothers 
and fathers to make abject slaves of them, let 
them grin and bear it. I despise a milk-sop, 
male or female. A woman of spirit and cour¬ 
age, with a freckled face and carroty head, 
would rather “ fight till the last armed foe 
expired,” than be abused and maltreated as 
they profess to be. For their benefit let me 
relate a little reminiscence. 
My mother was a very small woman, but 
she was game from the crown of her head to 
the tip of her foot. She raised a smull matter 
of lfi children, besides doing the house-work, 
cooking, washing, mending, etc., etc., etc., 
and attending to the poultry and duiry. She 
never had a hired girl in the house. She sold 
enough butter and eggs to keep herself and 
children clothed, and bought a great many 
groceries besides. And yet she found time to 
read the papers and to keep posted on political 
matters, of which she was very fond. 
Her children were not little angels; neither 
were they second editions of Moses, Samuel 
or Job. They were just as mean and “onery” 
as other youngsters: just as expert in fighting, 
tearing clothes, playing hookey, telling fibs, 
etc,, and when out of the house could ran, 
jump, climb as high and fall as flat and bellow 
as loud as any gamin that ever lived. But 
when they entered the house, “u change came 
o’er the spirit of their dreams.” The yells 
ceased; tbe hop and jump became a quiet 
walk, the tumult was calmed, and peace 
reigned supremo. 
When eight years old, the girls did their 
own patching, mending and darning, aud the 
boys sewed their own buttons on when they 
polled them off. Each one cared for his own 
clothes, hats, boots, shoes, etc., and nut them 
away properly, or hung them up iu nice shape. 
Once, when in a tremendous hurry, I threw 
my Sunday coat aud baton a chair und forgot 
them. Mother saw thorn, and allowed me half 
an hour to rccal 1 the matter to my mind. Then 
she came to the door and called: “Peter, 
come here, dear!'’ in the blandest tone imag¬ 
inable. When I came, she firmly caught me 
by the ear (,I was half a head taller than she), 
quietly led me to the bed-room, pointed at the 
coat and hat, and, quick as lightning, hit me 
a spank that made my cheek tingle fifteen 
minutes. She said not a word, but quietly 
walked away. 1 hung the things up, aud 
sneaked out like a sheep thief, and it was the 
last time I forgot them. She rarely punished 
us, but when she did, it was done so calmly 
and effectively that we remembered it dis¬ 
tinctly, though she never afterwards alluded 
to it. 
If all boys and girls were taught to care for 
their owu clothing as we were, and to do tbeir 
galloping and screeching out-of-doors, there 
would be fewer worn and weary mothers, and 
tired, anxious sisters in the country. It is 
the lather's place to set the example to the 
boys, and the mother's to enforce it; and she 
should do it without fear or favor. 
If the girls wish to avoid oceans of toil and 
trouble, let them marry only young men who 
have been properly trained. But, pshaw! they 
won’t do it! They’ll marry the first lunk¬ 
head who asks them to. provided he drives a 
nice team, and murmurs sweetly. I would 
not be afraid to bet my newest hat that 
“ Charity” would do the same thing!” 
“ILLINOIS.” 
TO CHARITY. 
While you are young and there are great 
possibilities of love and friendship for you in 
the future, I miss from my side the one who 
for thirty-five years was ever there to listen 
to my speech. When we joined hands in our 
life-journey we were young; now age has sil¬ 
vered my hair. I am alone, but my life is not 
