706 
©6T 25 
orders as per advertisement, and promised to 
do so in all cases; but we find that, as in the 
above instance, this promise has been broken. 
It is a common practice with concerns of 
doubtful integrity to fill nil orders in a satis¬ 
factory way at first, and then, when their 
trade has become enlarged in consequence of 
such conduct, either to neglect to fill orders 
absolutely, or to fill them w ith inferior goods. 
It is only within the last six months, or so, that 
complaints have l>c«n made against, this con¬ 
cern, and we at once cautioned our friends to 
be careful in dealing with it. We repeat this 
caution more emphatically now. 
Knowlos & Maxim, l’ittsfleld, Mass., pub¬ 
lishers, ink manufacturers, etc., advertise 
three chances to make money, by the “Golden 
Gems of Penmanship and Self Instructor,” 
“Patent Ink Capsules, and an ornamental pen 
picture entitled “Baby and his Friend," ull of 
which, together with an elegant order book 
and a gallon of ink, t hey offer to send for 
$1.35, as an outfit for agents. Inquiries about 
the concern have been sent to us from as fur 
north as Western New York, and as far south 
as Texas. There really is such a firm, but. 
mercantile agencies give it no rating, and we 
would therefore advise caution in dealing 
with it. 
To various inquirers; Willis Woodward, & 
Co., music publishers of this city, have moder¬ 
ately good credit; the Peabody Medical Insti¬ 
tute or Dr. W. H. Parker, of Boston, isquite 
trustworthy; the Keystone Stationary Co., 
Lansdale, Pa., is a humbug; Davidson & 
Co., “cards,” etc., of this city, have been 
doing a steady business for some years in the 
same place; but that is the only recommend¬ 
ation we can give the concern. The Chicago 
Enterprise Co. was a fraud which we de- 
nounced months ago. It has lutoly burst up 
to the sorrow of many dupes; the Cincinnati 
Ledger, which offers loans of $100 to $500 at 
four per cent, is Still as big a humbug as 
wheu we denounced it six months ago; the 
credit of Jones Brothers, publishers, Cincin- 
uati, Ohio, is “ very good.” 
t’ilciunj. 
“MY SAY.” 
The columns of the Rural New-Yorker 
have always been open for the free expressions 
of thought on every good subject, so 1 come 
askiug if J, a woman, cau have my little talk 
ou a subject suggested by the season of the 
year? It is not on the fashions, nor house 
cleaning, nor pickling, nor preserving. All 
of these are good, hut especially the l«st 
two, as we hope to testify t.o by ami by 
wheu the cold days are here, and there is u 
generous roast of pork for dinner and delic¬ 
ious light biscuit tor tea. 
As I have told you what my subject is not, 
perhaps i should right, here state what it is. 
Well, it belongs at the sideof the plate of rosy- 
cheeked apples,the pitcher of cider,and the dish 
of nuts—and is the Winter’s reading. No home 
can afford to be without well-selected read 
ing matter; more especially in these days 
wheu the price of the best is so very low, and 
within the reach of all. There is also no 
good reason why young people who have 
had limited advantages, should not be as well 
educated as those ruore highly favored and 
have a graduate’s diploma. The Chautauqua 
Association of N. V., offers the best course of 
study we know, and on the easiest terms. It 
requires only forty minutes each day for 
reading. The prices of the books are moder¬ 
ate, and these with the course of studies, can 
be had by addressing the society at Chuutuu- 
qua, N. Y. Forty minutes is a very short 
time to give for study each day, and we 
think even the busiest persons could secure 
for themselves these few minutes. It is sur¬ 
prising how much cau be learned by tukiug 
up this course, and the result is highly grati 
ify ing to one's self. 
Or if light reading is preferred, after the 
hard work of the day, when the head is too 
tired for study, the Franklin Square Library 
supplies some of the best; and any one can be 
suited, excepting, perhaps, Those who desire 
the trashy stuff that is not worth the paper it 
is printed on, yet which is almost devoured 
by thousands of young readers. To my 
mind, there is no sadder sight than to see the 
young girls and boys, going home ut 
night after a hard day’s work, straining their 
eyes to road this abominable stuff—which lias 
a large circulation among the lower classes— 
by the dim light of a street car, or on the 
ferryboat, constantly dodging to get out from 
shadows that, are made by the crowd as it 
passes between them and the light, so fascinat¬ 
ing is this reading and, alas! go pernicious, too. 
Then, of course, mother must have her 
magaziue; Harpers, Century, Our Coutiuent, 
and, perhaps, one treating of the fashions, 
too, because now that the days are growiug 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
longer, she has time 'to make new ’dresses, 
and it requires no more to make them up in a 
tasteful manner than in the homliest. And 
they wear better, for everybody knows there 
is comfort in a good fitting, well made dress, 
no matter what the material is. 
And we would not forget the heavier read¬ 
ing, the more substantial kind, that is re¬ 
quired by father. The Rural New-Yorker, 
Scientific American and the family church 
paper are the stylo of reading he would 
select; aud these are as necessary to the home 
as any already mentioned. 
An acquaintance of ours is employed in 
the subscription department of a large pub¬ 
lishing house, and often in conversation, we 
have heard of some of the perplexities and 
trials surrounding one holding such a position, 
and many of which occur from sheer want of 
forethought, ou the part of those who sub¬ 
scribe for the different journals and maga¬ 
zines. We quote one or two so that others 
may know what they are, and perhaps avoid 
the same thing themselves. 
Amoug The instances are the following: 
“Twenty dollars will perhaps be remitted for 
eight subscribers; but neither post-office, 
county uor state to tell us where the papers 
are to be sent, can b« found anywhere in the 
letter. Very soon after, there is received 
another letter from the same party, asking 
why the papers have not come, and accusing 
the publishers of trying to defraud them be¬ 
cause on a certain day some two weeks ago, 
twenty dollars was sent, for eight subscribers, 
and up to the time of writing nothing had 
been received. Who was to blame for this? 
Not the publishers, because it is very essential 
to know the name of the place where the sub- 
scrit*ers li vo, And ou th is letter bringing such 
loud complaint, there is neither county nor 
state, but the post office only ! If this should 
be Norwood, for instance, we refer to the 
postal guide, aud find there are eighteen Nor¬ 
woods, in the United 8tat.es What then fol¬ 
lows? Why of course this letter is filed with 
the former, there to await another from the 
party, perhaps containing louder charges of 
rascality and what not. 
In another case money had been remitted 
from the extreme West where three or four 
days are required for transmission. The person 
sending tins after patiently (?j waiting say 
perhaps throe days and getting no response 
sends a postal asking where the journal is that, 
he ordered some days ago, not saying just bout 
many days, though. Had he done so, the 
clerk would have known the “reason why.” 
without spending ten minutes or more, right 
in the great, rush of the busy season, only to 
ascertain that the fact was the remittance had 
been received only the day before, and by no 
amount of promptness on the purt of the 
clerk, could the first copy sent have reached 
its destination at the time of the second 
writing, not even if it was possible to deliver 
it in person, aud going on the lightning ex¬ 
press tiain at that.” 
My friend tells me that auother kiud of 
trial,clerks in newspaper and magaziue offices 
meet with, is after this style. “The writers of 
many of the letters seem to think that the 
right thing to do is to fill four pages iu detail¬ 
ing their genealogy, or the state of their 
health for months past, or subjects just, as 
foreign to the matter iti hand—which was to 
enclose remittance for the journal for one 
year. Then, at the very bottom of the last 
page, and on the very last line, they state their 
business.” 
Aftei listening to this account from one of 
the very many clerks employed iu offices in 
different cities, 1 resolved to tell the Rural 
frieuds just what was told me, because the 
rneu forget such little things, aud the women 
of the household always know when the maga¬ 
zines aud papers are to be subscribed for. 
Then I thought we could avoid making errors 
such as had been related, and so cause much 
less trouble. 
When I send my remittance for the year’s 
reading, 1 shall date my letters; then write 
the post office, county and state at the top, 
and iu as few words as possible make my re¬ 
quests known. If I should have any questions 
to ask, as I very ofteu do, especially when I 
subscribe for the Rural, and to which I have 
always received the most courteous and satis¬ 
factory replies, 1 shall write them on a separ¬ 
ate sheet, because 1 think that they go into 
t he Editor’s drawer, and uolesss I do so, the 
questions would have to be copied by some 
already tired clerk, before they cau be put iu 
the places designed tor such. J shall then 
buy a money order, because no one but the 
party for whom it is intended can draw the 
money; aud if by any chance it is lost in 
Transit, a duplicate order is easily obtained. 
I sincerely hope that the object aimed at 
in writing this will uot fail of its effect, aud 
that the clerks in the Rural office, at least, 
will have a seasou this coming year devoid of 
any tiling to cause unnecessary «ud perplexing 
thought. Then 1 feel confident tuey will be 
grateful to me for the little help 1 gave them 
in thus relating my friend's experience. 
AUGUSTA. 
BOOK NOTICES. 
Suomab, a Tale or Bethesda. A poem 
by James A. Whitney, LL.D.. cloth $1; and 
Sonnets and Lyrics, cloth 50c , by the same 
author, both published by N. Tibbals & Sons, 
134 Nassau Street, New York City. The first 
of these is a poem of 145 pages in blank verse, 
treating, in »u imaginative way, of the story 
of the paralytic who laid helpless for so many 
years near the pool uutil hc-aled by the Sa¬ 
viour. The subject is finely conceived; the 
diction is soft and mellifluous; the imagery 
appropriate aud beautiful; the style easy and 
natural, and the treatment throughout, truly 
poetic. In this age when the world is flooded 
with gushing rhyme, it is a genuine pleasure 
to come across a work instinct with such po¬ 
etic spirit as Shobab. Sonnets and Lyrics 
embraces some recollections of travels in Scot¬ 
land; a reminiscence of Italy, and a number 
of graceful, short poems, full of exquisite 
beauty and tenderness. We can heartily re¬ 
commend both works to our readers. 
tor Wjcmtfn. 
CONDUCTED BY MISl RAY CLARK. 
PRESENT ENJOYMENTS. 
MAY MAPLE. 
“When we get a new house, I am going to 
have a nice flower yard;” said Mrs. H. “No 
one loves flowers better than 1 do, but there is 
no use trying to cultivate them where we are 
now; for the grass and weeds overrun them 
before the seeds are fairly out of the ground.” 
How many, many people there are, who 
throw away half of the real joys of life, in 
just the same way. The future is a great 
store house of bright, possibilities, but the 
present is as bare of pleasures, as the barren 
desert is of vegetation. To a true lover of 
flowers, what an ever present enjoyment is a 
plot of gay colored annuals. And the little 
fairies are not so particular about their sur¬ 
roundings. A grand house with handsome 
furnishings for a back-ground or side view, 
does not udd a particle to their delicious fra¬ 
grance or bright coloring. Given appropri¬ 
ate soil, moisture, light and warmth, they 
grow just as lovely by the cabiu door as in 
the elegantly laid out grounds of a Stewart, 
Vanderbilt or Gould. The labor of caring for 
them is much the same. But little that is 
truly desirable comes without labor; and flow¬ 
ers that have become domesticated, must have 
the ground properly prepared for their recep¬ 
tion, and then to thrive well, like human 
children, they must be kept out of bad com¬ 
pany. And for want of a certain spirit of 
ambition, Mrs. H. goes hungering for the 
beautiful, a greater pare of her life; for no 
new house is likely to make its appearance 
for long years to come, if ever, on her domain, 
except in imagination. 
Mr. and Mrs. Jones lived in the old pioneer 
cabin that looked for many years us though 
it would tumble down around them. The 
nice large farm was paid for: they bad large 
flocks of sheep, aud line herds of cattle; and 
the stables were occupied with valuable 
horses. They were out of debt, and well to do 
farmers in every respect. Then, why did 
they live in the little old cabin, with its many 
lowly additions? Because. Mrs, Jones must 
have a lordly mansion, or none stall; and so 
they plodded on to acquire more means. And 
when the bank account was satisfactory, she 
must look across the way, and covet a portion 
of her neighbor’s orchard, for a site ou which 
to build. But. for years the neighbor did not 
choose to sell, and still the palatial residence 
was delayed. At last he was prevailed upon 
to relinquish his claim, for a liberal compen¬ 
sation. The new bouse was built, and the 
first, family gathering beneath its roof, was 
occasioned by the death of Mr. Jones, now 
“well-stricken iu years.” Did Mrs, Jones en¬ 
joy her graDd house and its elegant furnish¬ 
ing in her old age, as sue would in her more 
youthful days one of simpler design and of 
less dimension: We thiuk not.. 8he was iu a 
constant fret about something or somebody, 
and her face was a perfect index of her char¬ 
acter; selfish, exacting with charity for none. 
It is well to look out for the future, that we 
may not come to want. At the same time, 
we may have many enjoyments as we step 
along through the journey of life, if we choose 
to take them as they go, and really be none the 
poorer iu purse; but. richer in mind, because 
we have garnered sweets, as the bee does 
honey from the wayside flowers. 
■■ - 4 «» - — 
LETTERS FROM “DAISY FARM.” 
Fall is a thing of the past, and W inter is 
upon us in good earnest. It. has been mild, 
but this mox-ning it is bitter cold, and we can 
scarcely see the barn for the whirling snow. 
The hedge is a tangled mass of snow wreaths; 
the evergreens are bending to the earth with 
their burden; bee hives are French roofed, 
and even the old pump looks like au etching 
in white. Everything has a weird, fantastic 
look under the gray sky, and seemingly we 
live in a world by ourselves, for the village, 
our nearest neighbor, is now beyond our 
vision. Dismal, you say i Yes! but wait 
until the storm is over and the sun shining; 
how beautiful we shall look then It is not 
dismal now inside. Our cosy dining room is 
bright enough aud full of comforts, of which 
the glowing fire in the grate and well-spread 
break fast table are not the least. The former 
is not an everyday affair, for except iu very 
cold weather it is not needed, the stoves in 
sitting room and kitchen warming this room 
sufficiently, so we appreciated it accordingly, 
as a luxury. 
Our leisure days have not come yet, for we 
are now preparing for Christmas, and as we 
expect to furnish turkeys for a great mauy 
dinners in New York this year, we must next 
week have two days of—to me—very dis¬ 
agreeable work. Every living thing belong 
ing to us is a pet, from the dear old pony 
down to the silly turkeys, my especial care. 
I cannot bear to think of their being killed. 
Then there is the “muss,” which every woman 
hates, and the real back aching work in 
the bargain. All of which you city folks 
don’t think of when you choose your Christ¬ 
mas turkey. May be, Will, you would like 
to know something of our work. Well, we 
do it all in the “shop.” By the way, as that 
useful part of our establishment was uot 
when you visited us, 1 must tell you what 
and whore it is. Ernest built it of odds aud 
ends of lumber, so it is not very ornamental, 
though as it is painted like the other out¬ 
buildings, and is nearly covered by a thrifty 
grape-vine, it is by no means an eyesore. 
Located only a few steps from the kitchen, it 
has on more than one occasion proved a valu¬ 
able adjunct to that very necessary part of 
a home. It is furnished with an old cook 
stove, a work bench, a tool chest aud an old 
cupboard, which serves as a resting place for 
the thousand aud one articles needed by a 
farmer to iix things generally. Here on 
butchering days a good lire is made, and all 
the litter, unpleasant smells, etc, is kept 
from the house. Wheu it is turkey butcher¬ 
ing, pieces of old carpet are spread, for as we 
sit down to our work, the feet are likely to 
get eold. A big boiler of water is put over 
the lire, aud we women dressed warmly, with 
sweeping caps to cover our- hair, large aprons 
to protect our dresses, and old gloves, minus 
thumbs and fingers, on our bauds, we are 
ready for work. Each picker has a tub or 
basket for feathers. The turkeys are hung 
up heads down, and bled. As soon as dead, 
they are taken into the picker, and the 
feathers are pulled as quick as possible, while 
the bird is warm. We pick them all without 
scalding, except maybe the tips of their 
wings. After all are picked, they are plunged 
in hot water, wiped off carefully aud laid in 
good position on a clean hoard; when cool, 
they are ready to pack for New York mar¬ 
ket. Our turkeys always look nice, and we 
get the highest price for them. You would 
lie surprised to see how soon three or four 
pickers will dress a hundred. The feathers 
are all clean and dry, and are quickly cared 
for; carpets are shaken, the floor swept, and 
the shop left in its usual conditiou. And we, 
when caps, aprons and mitts are doffed, are 
clean, dry, and comfortable, except, maybe, 
a few aches in fingers and back. 
Some of our neighbors still scald aud pick 
in the old fashioned way, thinking it easier. 
They get themselves and their room badly 
wet, generally take cold, have a mass of wet, 
dirty f eathers to dispose of and a lot of half¬ 
skinned turkeys to sell at a low price. 
Other Christmas work aud more agreeable, 
is preparing that indigestible compound 
called,“mince meat.” Our mother used to 
think that ought to be done two or three 
weeks before wanted, and as no pies ever 
taste so good to me as her’s, I try to follow 
her directions, and that is part of my work 
this week, after that 1 must finish up my 
Utile Christmas gifts—some of them com¬ 
menced long ago. For I never like to be 
hurried half to death at the last, aud then 
have some unfinished. My gifts, this year, 
will be very inexpensive, for you know this 
has been a “lean” year for us. At first 1 
thought 1 could uot give anything, aud felt 
sad accordingly, for it is “more blessed to 
give than to receive.” The dear grandma, 
who always kept the children in mittens, has 
“entered into rest,” and thinking of her, I 
said, I cau take her place in this, aud so with 
yuru aud Saxony and silk my fingers have 
been very busy. 
It is going to be a hard Winter, they say; 
shops and factories are already cutting time 
and wages; so, as there are likely to be many 
calls for them, I have been sorting out the 
best of the cast-off clothes, cleaning, mendiDg 
