AUG 27 
566 TME BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
Womans Work. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY LOUISE TAI’LIN. 
CHAT BY THE WAY. 
We heard the other day of a girl who frac¬ 
tured her collar-hone in a very painful man¬ 
ner in her efforts to reach around to the 
pocket in a new frock. Whether this is to be 
regardful in the light of a warning or not, we 
cannot say. Assuredly, prevailing styles 
make the disposal of the pocket rather a diffi- 
eult. matter; we never realize man’s superiori¬ 
ty so much as when we see the innumerable 
pockets bestowed upon him by a beneficent 
tailor. 
* * * 
The classic girdles worn by Bernhardt in 
Theodora arc imitated in all sorts of metals, 
and worn w'itb all sorts of gowns, often with 
the most incongruous effect. Sometimes they 
are worn around the waist, and sometimes 
hanging loose, like a Marguerite chatelaine. 
There seems some likelihood of the revival of 
the chatelaine, to the delight of ladies who 
like an accompanying jingle, like the young 
lady in the nursery rhyme who makes music 
wherever she goes. 
* * * 
How we pity the unfortunates compelled to 
remain in a crowded city during the warm 
weather! But it often seems as if those who 
are able to go to a good many of the watering 
places are still more deserving of our pity, 
when w c consider the discomforts they often 
have to encounter. This summer seems to 
have been unusually prolific of insect 
plagues. At many seaside resorts land breez¬ 
es have prevailed and this Invariably means a 
plague of mosquitoes. Up in the Adiron- 
dacks the black fly makes life n burden, audat 
a great many summer hotels there is the ever¬ 
present liability of sickness from defective 
drainage. Truly summer vacations have 
their drawbacks. 
* * * 
One of the San Francisco papers chronicles 
the pitiful history of a girl dying in that city 
in the last, extremity of disgrace. She was a 
murderess and a suicide, deserted and dis¬ 
honored, and her last coherent words w. re, 
“Don’t tell mother.” Poor erring sister! per¬ 
haps those words give a clue to the descend¬ 
ing path she trod. We never hear a girl say 
“Mother mustn’t know” without trembling 
for her future. And wo con never go very 
far astray while “mother” is chief confidant 
of everything that befalls us. The confidence 
between mother and daughter should be the 
fullest in the world—and it depends entirely 
on the mother. If she is always sympathetic 
with childish joys and sorrows, she will al¬ 
ways be consulted in later years in spite of 
newer lies and interests, and she will save 
many a heartache for herself and child. 
RELATIONS-IN-LAW. 
One of the first questions asked of a newly 
made bride is how she likes her husband’s re¬ 
lations, and if circumstances compel her to 
take up tier abode with them, the question is 
usually a sympathetically pitying one. 
Considering the frequent disagreements we 
set; in families it is hardly surprising if we see 
occasional troubles among those of different 
blood, and often totally different training. 
The patriarchal system, while it would give 
unity to the nation, is not without individual 
objections. It is the hardest of all lessons, to 
b urn to accommodate one’s own angles to the 
angles of others. 
When u newly-made wife goes to live with 
her husband’s people she often loses sight of 
the fact that she is simply a daughter of the 
house, with no more than a daughter’s privi¬ 
leges. In the flush of her new dignity sbo is 
apt to forget that she is simply on the same 
footing as her husband’s sisters, as far as the 
management Of the house is concerned. While 
she should aid her new mother by every 
means in her power, she cannot expect to give 
orders independently, but submit to direction. 
No household cun be a success with two mis¬ 
tresses, and most assuredly it in the part of 
the younger to defer to the elder, though it 
may not always seem a pleataut duty. 
Really and tiuly we don’t think anything is 
more difficult than to live happily with rela¬ 
tions-in-law. Even where they love one 
another, there are so many little traits aud 
peculiarities which euuse internal vexation, 
if the jarring elements never come to the sur¬ 
face. There is no remedy for it, save ever¬ 
present patience aud kindliness; and the 
model daughter-in law must stand aloof from 
family disagreements. She roust never side 
with John against Fanny, or throw her weight 
with her husband in a difference with bis 
parents. She must always remain neutral, 
or she will widen breaches instead of healing 
them. 
We believe that some of the squibs and 
jokes scratched on the walls in Pompeii make 
fun of the mothers-in-law. This estimable 
member of society has been an object of 
derision of centuries, just as if it were our 
fault that we become mothers-in-law under 
some circumstances. Many a mother-in-law 
is as self-sacrificing as a mother; many a man 
has reason to bless the woman who stands in 
that relation to him. There may be scolds 
and mischief makers anlong them, hut they 
would display the same objectionable traits 
in any other relation. The implied dislike lo 
mothei's-iu-law is about as reasonable as the 
dislike for those unappropriated blessings, old 
maids. 
We can hardly wonder if the loving mother 
shows anxiety for the happiness and comfort 
of her married darling. The mistake is in re¬ 
garding such interest as officious. This is a 
mistake on the part of the son or daughter-in- 
law; and the mother’s mistake is in thinking 
that her child’s household cannot he comfort¬ 
able without her constant supervision. A 
young housekeeper is very tenacious of her 
dignity; she likes the pomp and circumstance 
of domestic management, and the young man 
just advanced to the proud position of hus¬ 
band feel sail thedignity of the patriarchs vest¬ 
ed in his person. Bo, perhaps, the qualities most 
needed among relations-in-law are considei’a- 
ation, kindliness, and a discreet tongue. If 
only wo all possessed these qualities what a 
golden age we should enter upon ! 
COMMON SENSE DRESS. 
We, women, receive plenty of information 
about our clothes—plenty and variety. It is 
particularly varied when one of the superior 
sex begins to tell us what to wear and what to 
avoid. 
Mrs. Lucy Stone, a reformer who has the 
courage of her convictions gives her opinion of 
our clothes in the Philadelphia Press. She 
says that the advice to women to promote 
their health by out-door exercise is never 
wanting. But no amount of fresh-air exercise 
can save women from the evil effects of their 
present style of dress. It is their clothes that 
kill them. 
Every step a woman takes, her foot con¬ 
tends with her skirt. She lifts it on the instep 
and she lifts it on the heel. The weight may 
be ounces or pounds, but it is taken up at 
every step. The heavy skirts, with flounces, 
over-skirt, bustle, braid, beads and other trim¬ 
mings hang their many pounds and many 
yards flapping around t he l’eet and legs of the 
wearer. The corset does not allow space to 
take a full breath, and the light sleeves cause 
the muscles to cry for room. Dressed in this 
fashion, tin- wearer comes back from her walk 
for “fresh air and exercise” tired through aud 
through, and is the worse for it, because she 
bits lifted and carried hundreds of pounds. 
Stand at any city street corner, and watch 
the women as they pass. How tired they look! 
How their dresses Hun around them! Contrast 
them with the men. Men's feet IPt. no weight 
of clothes. Men’s steps contend with nothing. 
Every inusele has its natural exercise. Out¬ 
door air and exercise are good for them. 
The advice women need is for shorter, 
lighter and looser dreasee. Mrs. Jeuness-Mil- 
ler has not come a day too soon with her bet¬ 
ter costume if the health of women is to be 
improved. Mrs. Celia B. Whitehead has 
shown “what’s the matter.'’ Before her Mrs. 
Amelin Bloomer, nearly forty years ago, set 
the example of short loose dresses. 
That style was adopted by many women, 
among them Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 
Miss Susan B. Anthony and the present 
writer. How light and comfortable and neat 
it was! How easily we went up-stairs without 
stepping on ourselves! How wo came down 
stairs without tear of being stepped on! A 
walk on a rainy day or in a muddy street had 
no terror, for there were no yards of drag¬ 
gled skirts to clean. We bad room to breathe, 
and freedom lor our feet. But this healthful 
dress was “despised and rejected*’ by the 
great public. On one occasion, Miss An¬ 
thony, in company with me, started to goto 
the post-office in New York, in the Bloomer 
costume. But. we w ere surrounded and wedged 
in by a crowd which hooted and jeered. 
We escaped only by a carriage sent by a 
friend who saw our dileminu. 
It wus so difficult to wear this dress, with 
the odium that was cast upon it, that we re¬ 
turned sorrowfully to I lie bondage of our 
bodies for the suke of freedom to live unmo¬ 
lested. That was long ago. Now women 
might accept the light, sensible dress which 
Mrs. .leimests-Mlller wears and commends, 
without fear of unpleasant comment. In it 
they may take fresh air and exercise and 
gain in health. 
HALF AN HOUR.—IL 
THE COMMON ENGLISH BRANCHES. 
We will suppose the case of a young person 
whose early education lias been neglected, and 
who, at. 17 or 18 awakens to the fact, and 
earnestly desires to make up for the deficiency 
as far as possible. Being occupied through 
the day, ho or she cun only command a very 
limited amount of time, and therefore the 
best possible use must be made of the little. 
Ordinarily, in going through the public 
school, geography is made a daily study, for 
four or five years, and 1 still find many gra¬ 
duates of a common school who have little 
idea of all that is worth kuowiug about it. 
Too much time is wasted over voluminous 
text-books, and iu committing to memory 
much that is forgotten in less than the time it 
took to learn it. In one month, with the use 
of a globe and maps, you should be able to 
learn all that is necessary. From the globes 
you will get a good idea of the general out¬ 
lines and relative localities of the continents 
and seas. Then study the mops until the out¬ 
lines of the countries, the mountain ranges, 
the principal rivers, gull's and bays, and the 
great cities of the world are fixed in your 
mind. Dive especial attention to the study of 
the map of your own State, and when you 
have learned this, you have all that any oue 
except a professional geographer or navigator 
needs to know. 
If you are going to study arithmetic by 
yourself, yon must- expect to do some pretty 
hard thinking, and yet you will seeat a glance 
much of what would have appeared hopeless¬ 
ly obscure hml you learned it. at the age of 10 
or 12 years. Don’t bother your head with the 
rules; dig below them for the principles. I 
remember that when a child, as arithmetic 
was taught in the little country school-house 
where 1 studied my “seven times seven,” so 
long as the pupils brought in the correct 
answers it was all right. We were never 
questioned as to how we got them, and very 
often, except, ('mm the help of having the true 
answer given in the hook, we should not have 
knowm from any principle involved, whether 
we were right nr not. The only fundamental 
rules in arithmetic are addition, subtraction, 
multiplication and division; all the others are 
but applications of these. There is uo use- iu 
working from a rule, if you do not under¬ 
stand the principle involved. If you have no 
clear conception of that, you will find your¬ 
self greatly at, a loss in after years when the 
rule may have escaped your memory. 
George Cary Eggleston says: “There is noth¬ 
ing so good as concrete study, and the student, 
of arithmetic should make an exorcise out of 
every combination of numbers he can get 
outside of an arithmetic. When he reads in 
a newspaper, for instance, that there were 
250 persons ou board a wrecked vessel, of 
whom 28 were drowned, and eight died of ex¬ 
posure, he has an excellent exercise in the calcu¬ 
lation of the percentages involved;” the student 
who goes through the day with his eyes opeu, 
will find a hundred ways of applying this 
suggestion. The real, practical problems, in¬ 
volving intuugiblc facts, afforded by these 
every day object lessons, will be found the 
best way of making oue’s-self master of arith¬ 
metic, without a master, if they are persist¬ 
ently made use of. 
Iu our next, talk we will endeavor to see 
how the best use cau be made of half an hour 
a day, applied to the study of grammar. 
SELMA CLARE. 
GOLDEN GRAINS. 
Religion is the tie that connects man with 
his Creator, and holds him to his throne. If 
that tie is sundered or broken, he floats away 
a worthless atom iu the universe—its popular 
attractions all gone, its destiny thwarted, und 
its whole future nothing but darkness, desola 
tion and death. 
The real nature of a man or woman is 
never full;' revealed until temptation makes 
its presence felt.... . 
Flowers about a farm-house give evi¬ 
dence of refinement. They cost something, 
but tney are as well worth their cost as any¬ 
thing else raised ou the farm, for if they can 
not be turned into money, they add to the 
comfort, pleasure and happiness of home; aud 
money can hardly do more. 
We ought always to do justly, not only to 
those who arc just, but likewise with those 
who endeavor to injure us, and this, too, for 
fear lest by rendering the evil for evil we 
should fail into the same vice. So we ought 
likewise to have friendship; that, is to say, 
humanity and good will for all who are of the 
same nature with us. . 
It is not so much a question of what you 
have been or what you will be, hut what you 
are just now.... 
Forbearing one another, and forgiving 
one another; even as Christ forgave you, so 
also do ye..... 
Nothing keeps the heart as fresh and 
young, saves it from bitterness and corrosion 
through the cares and conflicts and disap¬ 
pointments of life ns the daily enjoyment of u 
happy home. May we always keep this in re¬ 
membrance and do everything that lies in our 
power to make home the happiest spot on 
earth for our children.. 
An hour of suffering is worth years of hap¬ 
piness for bringing out a man’s true, good 
nature .. .......... . 
Carelessness and lack of forethought 
have as much to do with many of the trials 
and troubles of life as actual siu and wrong¬ 
doing .... 
I feel convinced that every man has given 
him of God much more than he lias any idea 
of, and that he can help ou the world’s work 
more than be knows of. What we want is 
the single eye, that we may see what our work 
is, the humility to accept it however lowly 
the faith to do it for God, the perseverance to 
go on till death. 
When engineers would bridge a stream, they 
often carry over a single thread. With that 
they stretch a wire across, then strands are 
added until a foundation is laid for planks; 
and then the bold engineer finds safe footing— 
walks from side to side. So God takes from 
us some golden-tbreaded pleasure and stretch¬ 
es it hence into Heaven. Then ho takes a 
child, and then a friend. Thus he bridges 
death, and teaches the thoughts of the most 
timid to find their way hither and thither be¬ 
tween the two spheres. 
CONDUCTED BY MRS. AONES E. M. CARMAN. 
A QUEER BILL OF FARE. 
TnAT was what Robert called it when I 
showed him the menu, and l replied that there 
was no use in being a graduate of a cooking 
school if 1 had to dine my friends on plain 
rice soup and beefsteak. So I will tell the 
readers of the Rural just what we had for 
dinner, and let them judge if it was not a 
good one. » 
Consommd it la d’Orsay.—I wish l could 
give a less high-sounding name to this very 
simple soup. Cut three tablespoonfuls each 
of small dice of carrot aud turnip, and boil 
until tender in salted water; boil also until 
tender a dozen very small onions, uo larger 
than a small hiekory-nut, drain all these and 
set aside. Make a rou.e with a tablespoon fill 
each of butter and Hour, add aquartof boiling 
beef broth and the vegetables; drop four egg- 
yelks in boiling water aud poach them soft; 
put the soup into the tureen, add the egg 
yelks and serve. A very nutritious soup, but 
not cheap unless eggs are plentiful. 
Fried Porgies, Tartar Sauce.—This fish is 
so cheap that it is not as highly esteemed as it 
ought to he. A noted epicure oilce said if 
porgies were only a dollar a pound they would 
be considered far superior to trout or salmon. 
Pare off the fins, scale aud cleanse them, wash 
and wipe dry, score them about an Inch apart 
on each side, shake them iu u napkin with a 
handful of flour, and fry a nice brown in very 
hot fat. Nothing is suupter than tartar 
sauce, or better for many kiuds of fried and 
broiled fish aud incuts. Put a saitspoonful of 
salt, with half as much each of pepper and 
mustard and a very little grated nutmeg, into 
a fiat dish; mid slowly a gill of oil, stirring 
constantly with a fork and always one way; 
when the sauce gets too thick add a tea 
spoonful of lemon-juice uud one of vinegar. 
Finish with two tablespoonfuls of finely 
chopped gherkins, capors, chives ami parsley 
mixed. Bond to table in a boat. It is really 
nothing more than the above ingredient 
chopped line and added to a mayonnaise. 
Veal A la Fermiere. —Have your butcher 
cut a slice one inch thick from u leg of veal; 
cut this into neat squares, and if you have 
not a larding needle, fasten on one side of 
each a thin slice of salt pork, using a small, 
thin skewer to keep it in place. You cau 
make these from a bit of wood with your pen¬ 
knife, or take broken knitting-needles or 
stout broom-splints; lay them iu a baking pan, 
the pork uppermost, with a sliced carrot and 
onion; moisten W'tb a little broth or water, 
cover with buttered paper, and cook in ft 
moderate oven for one hour. Put the cutlets 
of veal on a dish, surround with small French 
carrots, small round potatoes and sprigs from 
a head of cauliflower, all of which have been 
boiled until teudi r In salted water; pour over 
the strained gravy from the baking-pan. 
A French cook, whose stock-pot is always 
When Baby was sick, we nave her Castorla 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castorla, 
When she became Miss, she eluiiK to Castorla. 
When she had Children, sh i save them Castorla. 
