834 
Timothy. There is a preface by Frances A. 
Willard, in which she expre-ses a wish 
for the book to find open hearts in every 
household. We hope it may meet with the 
success it so fully merits. 
Vocal and Action Language. Culture 
and Expression.— By E. N. Kirby. Lee 
& Shepard, Publishers", Boston Price, $1.25. 
The author, is the teacher of Elocution, in 
the high schools, of Lynn, and be has given 
very concisely, the uses of the vocal organs, 
and it is a great help to all who wish to be a 
good reader;—and who does not ? 
CHATS. By G. Hamlin Lee & Shepard, 
Publishers, Boston. Price, $1 00. 
This is an exceedingly pretty little book, 
containing forty five “chats" on as many dif¬ 
ferent subjects. The one prominent, personage 
through the whole calls herself “Our Tender," 
and we think any girl or boy reading this vol¬ 
ume, will leurn to admire her. 
Elements of Morals. —By Paul Janet, 
translated by Mrs. C. R. Coraen. A. S. 
Barnes & Co. Publishers, New York City. 
It is a system of morals, practical rather 
than theoretical, setting forth man’s duties 
and the application thereto of the moral law. 
“The Mountain Anthem,’’ and “ From 
Greenland’s lev Mountains.’'— Lee & 
Shepard, Publishers, Boston. Price, $1.75 
each. 
These are two of the Golden Floral edition, 
haviug illuminated fringed covers. They 
make a handsome gift for lovers of the beau¬ 
tiful, 
Farneli," 8 Folly.— By J. T. Trowbridge. 
Lee & Shepard, Boston. Price, if 1.50. 
Out of the Wreck, or was it a Victory. 
—By Amanda >vl. Douglass. Lee & Shep¬ 
ard, Boston. Price, $1.50. 
We have just received these as we are going 
to press, so we can speuk for them ouly on the 
merits of the authors, whose names are farnil 
iar to the reading public. 
The Story of the Stars. A descriptive 
astronomy. By Joel Dorman Steele, Ph.D. 
A S. Barnes & Co., Publishers, New York 
City. 
The author states in his preface that, “this 
work is not written for the information ol 
scientific men, but for the inspiration of youth. 
Therefore the pages are not burdened with a 
multitude of figures which no memory could 
retain. It contains one star map, and is fine¬ 
ly and profusely Illustrated. 
German Simplified. By Augustin Knottaek, 
Author and Publisher, Tribune Butldiug, 
New York City. Price 10 cents. 
A concise and lucid explanation of the prin¬ 
ciples of the German language, especially in¬ 
tended for self instruction; but, well adapted 
for use in schools, academie?, and colleges. 
How TO Live a Century and Grow Uld 
Gracefully. By J. M. Peebles, M.lJ. 
New York: M. L. Holbrook & Co. Price 
50 cents. 
“In pjcparing the following pages, I have 
aim< d to be practical, rigidly practical, rather 
than origi ml or elegant; aimed to bring to 
mind and clearly present the vital importance 
ot air, food, clothing, drink, sunshine, and 
sleep. My utily purpose as an author is to in¬ 
struct and benefit my fellowmen." 
Fresh Fields. By John Burroughs. Hough¬ 
ton. Mifflin & Co., Publishers, Boston. 
Price, $1.50. 
The author, who is well known, gives bis 
readers, pleasantly and happily, a glimpse of 
Nature in Knglaud, describing a most delight¬ 
ful walk through the familiar places; calling 
the opening chapter, “Nature in England," 
followed by others, of equal interest. 
tor lUomni. 
CONDUCTED BY MlSi. RAY CLARK. 
CHURN SLQWLY. 
A uttlk maid in the uiurulug sun 
Stood merrily Klnubiu and churutnK— 
“Oh, how I wish this butter was done, 
Then oft to itu> fields I’d lie turning!” 
So she hurried the dash, r up aud down, 
Till the farmer called with half-made frown, 
“Churn slowly!” 
Don’t ely the churn so fast, my dear, 
It Is not Rood lor the butter. 
And will makeyour arms ache, too, I fear, 
And puts you all in a flatter— 
For this is a rule whenever we turn. 
Don’t be in haste, whenever you churn, 
Churn slowly. 
If you wantyour butter to come nice and sweet 
Don” churn with a nervous Jerking, 
But ply the dasher slowly and neat— 
You’ll hardlf know that you’re working, 
And when the butler has come, you’ll say, 
“Yes, this Is surely the better way”— 
Churn slowly! 
Now.little folks, do you think that you 
A lesson can find In butter? 
Don’t be in haste whatever you do. 
Or get yourselves In a flutter: 
Aud while you stand at life’s great churn, 
Churn slowly! 
CHERISH YOUR CHILDREN’S LOVE. 
“Edgar! oh Edgar, please leave the room 
long enough for your poor mamma to get a 
little rest and sleep an hour or so; take all 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER." 
©Ef$ 43 
your playthings with you. Your pa, when in 
the house, keeps up such a racket, rattling bis 
paper and walking over the room in his heavy 
boots: he never once seems to think of my 
shattered nerves and ruined health; some 
time you may regret that you were so noisy in 
your play, when you see your poor mamma 
laid in her grave, and come back home with¬ 
out her. < >b, dear dear, I cannot stand it long 
this way, I must go South. It nearly drives 
me crazy’ to hear the wind blow around shriek¬ 
ing like mad. I will go to Atlanta to spend 
the winter; you will all miss me when I am 
gone." 
She ended with a long drawn sigh, and an 
equally long whiff at her smelling bottle. The 
words were perhaps soon forgottenbyt.be 
speaker, but on Edgar’s usually happy face, 
there was a pitiful expression. He was a 
healthy, hearty boy of eight, with an intense 
love of vigorous exercise; he had no compan¬ 
ion but his toys, und not an over supply of 
them for fear of disturbing “poor mamma,’’ 
and now “poor mamma" had ordered him out 
ol the house, with the information that she 
was going away for all Winter, aud maybe 
would die while gone, aud he wondered what 
kind of a fix a boy would be in who bad no 
mother. Slowly be wound up his ball of 
string, stuffed bis pockets till they were well 
rounded out, aud then carefully tiptoed out of 
the room. 
“What am I to do?"’ he said to himself, “I 
cannot play in the room where mamma is, 
and papa is ulways gone to his store or some¬ 
where else, except when he hurries home to 
eat or sleep, and then hurries away again, and 
Debbie keeps herself shut in the kitchen, and 
will not. allow u fellow around in her way. 
Where is a boy to go? I know what 1 wish; I 
wish 1 bud a great big room all to myself, 
away high up, or else deep down in the ground 
somewhere, anywhere, just so my noise did 
not disturb anybody’s net vea I guess I haven't 
got any nerves. Glad of it tool Wish mamma 
was well enough to stay at home; 111 lie 
lonesome without her. Wonder what wiil be¬ 
come of rue? Wonder where 1 will stay and 
what 1 will do? Wonder how Christmas will 
be without mamma, and what sort of presents 
I’ll get? But it seoms strange to a boy like 
me, bow a sick woman can endure traveling, 
who cannot stand the noise of one boy at 
home. I’ll tell you what, is so. 1 went once 
with papa to the State Fair, aud oh my! such 
a noise. There were six trams in the depot, 
two of them long, crowded passenger trains; 
while all the whi'tles were screaming, bells 
were ringing, buss drivers were calling, street 
car conductors shouting, and above all, were 
the newsboys crying, “terrible wreck on the 
road, twenty live lives lost !” Wonder how 
mamma would stand that? When at home, 
according to the doctor’s orders, she must not 
hear anything unpleasant-; if she does happen 
o hear something a little bud, she nearly has 
ts; so if she hears som-thing bad, I wouder 
rbo, way down in Atlauta, wilt heat irons, 
ub her. go for old Mrs Blades, and do a 
housatid other things f I’ll not be along to do 
hem. Who will carry all her parcels? Who 
rill help her up aud down the stairways at 
he hotel? Wonder how she will stand all 
heso things if she eanuot stand me? 
But yonder across the street is Ned Jordan 
reckoning to me; wonder if they aregoiug to 
lave some fun at Jordau’s, they are always 
loing something a fellow likes, popping corn, 
naking wax, roasting apples, and we can play 
vhaf weplease—1 meau nice plays; but best 
jf all, Mis. Jordan is a real boy’s angel, none 
tf your prim sort, too nice for any use, but a 
•eal good, roaring uiauima. We had a boy's 
tarty tlteie last whiter and played blinduian’s 
tuff, and we could hardly catch her. Tom 
Wilkins couldn't, so we blindfolded another 
toy, aud it took both of them, for she conld 
rip so lightly aud quickly over tbe floor. 
1'hen we blindfolded her, uod she caught, all 
tf us in a jiffy. There is no end to the plays 
she can teach us; we nearly laughed ourselves 
;o death when she taught us to play ‘Old 
Mother Ho ble Gobble sent me to thee.’ She 
flayed s<> hard, when we got through she had 
to take the corner of her big white apron to 
wipe off her face, aud che was as rosy’ as a 
ri r i_never saw my mamma look that pretty 
way. 1 don’t see why other women couldn’t 
play too aud still be ladies. Well, I suppose 
my mamma will stand all tbe jolting and racket 
and noise of traveling, she always does, I 
don’t see why it wouldn’t do just as well for 
her to get on some of our sleds and coast down 
Hodge's long steep bill with us boys; it would 
cost notbiug. Mrs Jordan coasted last wiuter. 
But ilia will come home well I guess. I reckon 
noise agrees with her—enough of it.” Bo, 
with this relieving conclusion, Edgar was 
soon out on the street, in search of jolly Ned 
Jordan. 
This is no extravagant sketch, nor an uuus 
ual one What idea of home can children 
have under such circumstances? Can we af¬ 
ford to turn their affection from us, expecting 
by and by if we should need it—and we will— 
to receive as much as we need? If we do. the 
disappointment will be greater than some of 
us will be able to bear. No, no! mothers, let 
us cherish that one thing worth having almost 
above every other, the love of our children; 
and when we are going down into the shad¬ 
ows of life, they will be with u?, to keep alive 
our hearts and bring into them the joy of 
human love. maggie plane. 
LETTER WRITING. 
In these days of hurry and bustle, of eager 
strife for riches and drain of public work 
upon private duties, it is not strange that, let¬ 
ter writing should be neglected. But occu¬ 
pants of rural homes surely need not allow 
this art to die in their quiet homes. There 
must be odd moments—rainy days or long 
afternoons—when pen and paper and thoughts 
of and about absent friendsare best company. 
De Quincy gives English ladies the compli¬ 
ment of pieserving in letter writing the 
purest and best iaioms of tbe English lan 
guage. When novels and histories grow old 
on our reading list, we turn to some book of 
letters or diaries and read there the true pic¬ 
tures of the home life of a nation. We can 
read the letters of Jane Carlyle and learn 
more of her history and that of her husbands 
than we can of all their biographies. 
Many a woman who bas not the time to de¬ 
vote to music or painting, has left a legacy of 
letter writing for a world of readers to be 
thankful for Let us devote a few hours 
every week to this delightful task, and keep 
in fashion those good old friendship letters. 
If we do not we will in a few years dread to 
sit dowu to write a letter of congratulation, 
of business or condolence. AY hen, if we keep 
up tbe habit of writing ofteu, such letters as 
these will be as merely note* by the way. 
Aside from conversation, there is uothiDg 
more beneficial to society, nothing more 
strengthening to individuality t han epistolary 
correspondence 
Now aud then we may be ullowed to step 
out, of our daily treadmill of duties, pleasant 
though they be. and eujoy visiting or travel¬ 
ing, then our habit of w ritiug will be doubly 
useful, for when we return home our notes or 
letters will be a memory's album richly 
stored. kmma c. stout. 
the same kind of life that one may who is 
childless, will find to her lasting sorrow some 
time that she has left undone many thiDgs 
which she ought to have done. If mothers 
could look upoD their duties with what I will 
call a professional interest, what an advance 
there would be in all that comes under tbe 
head of home education. e. w. B. 
Query. Will some one send to the Rural. 
for tbe Woman's Department, directions for 
crocheting a shoulder cape? Also the amount 
of material needed ? And oblige, D. P. H. 
A communication from one signing the in¬ 
itials “E J. M.” is received, and we will glad¬ 
ly make a reply by letter, if we can learn the 
P O. and State of the writer, there being 
neither on the letter. EDS - 
- ♦ « «--— 
Rural New-Yorker posters and Premium- 
Lists are now ready. Send for them. We 
will gladly send them to any address free of 
charge, postpaid. 
NOTES FROM THE FARMERS’ WTYES 
CLUB. 
“Speaking of ‘little things’," said Mrs. Wil¬ 
liams, “I would like to mention a thought of 
miue. Wheu we make an engagement to 
spend some particular day with a friend, we 
ought, if possible, to keep our engagement. 
We cannot always mensure tne disappoint 
ment which will be felt if we fail to do so. 
Perhaps the toiling farmers’ wife wliodoes her 
own work, has made herself much extra work 
to have her house in apple pie order and her 
table well supplied, to eutertaiu her 
expected guests, and her isolated manner of 
life renders her peculiarly alive to tbe delights 
of social intercourse with those she loves; then 
let no light thing come between you aud your 
promised visit. It might seem a small thing 
to us who can leave home whenever we like, 
and with our grown daughters to assist us, 
can entertain our company whenever we wish, 
but to oue woman, who must beforehand aud 
always, take every step herself, we should 
take particular care to be at her house at the 
time agreed upon unless something very 
serious forbids. In my early years of labori¬ 
ous housekeeping, 1 have sometimes spent two 
or three davs in preparing for some expected 
guest, and 1 have felt the disappointment so 
keenly when they have failed to keep their 
engagement, often lor some trivial reason, 
that 1 have tried to be very careful myself 
about such things.” dorinda. 
TOY DISHES—FOR BOYS AS WELL AS 
GIRLS. 
Domestic 0conomi) 
CONDUCTED BY EMIJ V MAPLE 
FLANNELS THAT GROW SMALLER. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
There is a rhyme going the rounds of the 
press about a man who bought a flannel shirt, 
and after the first wushing it descended to the 
small boy to wear, and after two or three 
more it could only be donned by the baby. 
Of course, it seems un exaggeration, but 
every housekeeper who has bad experience 
in this class of goods, knows how very trying 
it is to find the garments gradually shrinking 
until they become quite useless in mauy cases 
where there Is no “small boy’’ or “baby" to 
bequeath them to. From a long exoerieuee 
1 am convinced that, although there is a great 
difference in tbe quality of goods, there is a 
still greater in the manner of washing. Those 
who have no interest-in caring for the shrink¬ 
age of a garment, will hardly give it us much 
care as those who have; yet upon this very 
care depends the successful wasliiug. 
The best way is to cut up whatever soap is 
needed into the water, as it makes flannel 
thick to rub the soap on it, as you can easily 
discover. A little ammonia aud borax make 
the dirt come out quickly and easily, as soon 
as the garment is sufficiently rubbed in the 
hot suds, put it in still hotter for rinsing, aud 
shake out each piece well from both wuters, 
and Hup in the air to shed all the water possi¬ 
ble before hatigiug out. Rub as little as possi¬ 
ble; more dependence can be placed on 
squeezing through the hands, but the quicker 
the operation is performed the better the re¬ 
sult. Red flannel should always be washed 
before making up. I know it will fade a lit¬ 
tle from the pretty scarlet shade, but there is 
a poison to someskins in the red coloring, and 
it is safer to wash it out; besides this,the smelt 
of new red flanuel is very disagreeable, aud 
the least perspiration brings it out. The 
wringer is very bad for flue flannels, as it 
rolls up the nap and hardens it Always 
choose a fine day for washing flauuels, if you 
wish t,o keep them soft and clear; for they 
are ofteu spoiled by being left in water, or in 
the basket till the weather clears up, and then 
they become muddy and discolored. Woolen 
hose need to be well rinsed a second time 
after they are turned, then pulled into shape, 
and dried quickly. They must be wrung or 
squeezed tightly, and no water left to drip 
and drain out of them. 
HINTS. 
Don’t laugh at your boy for liking to play 
with toy dishes. A set of little dishes is a 
necessity for children; a sort of humanizer, 
for boys as well as girls. There is nothing 
about the hearty, happy play which will 
make the boy an unmanly man. It is often 
and wisely advocated that tbe girl shall be 
allowed more of the boy’s freedom from re¬ 
straint, that she shall have an active interest 
in the outdoor sports and games of her bro¬ 
ther, or of other girls’ brothers if she has none 
of her own; and while this is as it shoul-i be. 
let us advocate also giving the boy a share in 
the gentler pastimes of the girls. It often 
appears that if sons were encouraged to take 
the same interest in the home that daugnters 
are, the best results would follow. If tne 
boys were taught to contribute something to 
its decoration and adornment in the same way 
that girls arc, the sweet ties that bind them to 
their home would be strengthened. Children 
are a great care. The woman who has chil¬ 
dren, aud yet who hopes aud expects to lead 
Chloroform will remove paint stains from 
clothes when nothing else will. 
Spots from sperm candles can be removed 
as follows: Scrape off as much as you can with 
a knife, then cover tbe spots with a piece of 
soft, white blottiug paper and press with a 
warm iron. Repeat until the spots disappear. 
Don’t waste money on quack medicine. 
Dimples on tbe face are caused by eating im¬ 
proper food, and can only be cured by dieting. 
Ten drops of carbolic acid in an ounce of 
glycerine 1 have found excellent for chapped 
bands and lips. mrs. j. g. b. 
ECOSOMY NOTES. 
E has always objected to our tall glass cel¬ 
ery dish, and usally succeeds in throwing 
most of the celery on to the table while tiuding 
his favorite hard pieces. The last time I was 
in tbe city I found a substitute for the tall 
celery dish in the form, of a glass boat about 
16 inches in length. These boats are of col¬ 
ored or white glass, aud cost 87 cents each. 
We find “our boat” a great improvement over 
tbe tall dish. 
Talking with a dentist recently, he said 
