THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Hratiiiij) for tjjr Jjrattg 
TALKS WITH THE CHILDREN-No. 2. 
JENNIE E. J. ALGER. 
Dear Little Friends.— I have told you about 
the tiny Chinese shoe, but dkl not say what It was 
made of. Not of “ French kid'’ or of (Lick, warm 
leather, but of silk or satin, embroidered with 
curious futures. Those 1 have seen were ornament¬ 
ed with what my baby niece called a “ COekel-do- 
del-do-o-o 1” wrought with silk thread, and other 
curious pictures. They a re somet imes embroidered 
with seed pearls, l think you will want to know 
how the little girls endure the torture of this cruel 
fashion, strange as it may seem, some of theta 
are anxious to have It, begun, because they wish to 
be fashionable. Sometimes their feet will ache so 
badly that they will slyly slip off the bandages, 
which arc replaced, however, as soon as this is 
discovered by the older members oi the family. 
A missionary, Avhen writing one day, was much 
disturbed a nd distressed by the piteous Crying of a 
child. When he could stand it uo longer, he laid 
down Ms pen and went around the corner Into a 
narrow, dirty alley, to llnd out what the trouble 
was. The child cried, 44 o Auntie, Auntie, don’t 
do so, It hurts; It hurls so much! 0-o-oh!” He. 
pushed open a door t hat led Into a court-yard, and 
there, on a high bench, sat a little girl about five 
years old. Her leel were dangling half-way to the 
ground, and the tears were pouring down her 
flushed cheeks. Seated In a eludr near her was 
that dreadful AuuLlo, who held one of the child’s 
feet In her hfttld, while the other hung down, so 
tightly bandaged that It looked more like a large 
pear, tied up In blue cotton cloth, than a. naturally 
shaped foot. The old Auntie <,1 should call her a 
very naughty one) was looking very carefully at 
the other loot, especially the places w here the little 
toes had been turned under. These parts were full 
of cracks and sores. Into which she put powdered 
saltpetre to keep them from mortifying. Then she 
bound them up again and left the poor little thing 
sitting on the high bench, crying. 
Rev. Mr. Houghton says that the skin often 
cracks or bursts Just over the Instep, and severe 
disease sets In ; and, as It. would be considered very 
dishonorable to have the foot cut off. It Is not 
allowed, and the little sufferer soon dies. This 
seems terrible to us; but, I am sorry to say that 
we, or many of the ladles and girls of America, 
have a custom which is as bad (the Chinese say 
worse) and kills as many, to say the least. I hope 
no little girl who reads these letters will ever adopt 
the waist-pinching process. The bandages which 
are put upon the feet of the Chine*; gins, must 
be worn all through their lives, as it. would be Im¬ 
possible for them to move at all without them, or 
course these beautiful (?) footed creature® can do 
no work, 'fills Is done by servants or ot her mem¬ 
bers of the household, who have natural feet. Not 
only the daughters of the rich people, but those of 
the poor mechanics, day laborers and farmers, 
have their met bound, as t he poor people think if 
their daughters have small foot , they may marry 
rich men and live without work. 
It seems that the girls sometimes, If not always, 
make their own shoes, for, in the “Girls’Classic,” 
which is written for their Instruction, we tind that 
they are commanded to “diligently make shoes or 
sew seams.” In this we also And the question, 
“Why are your feet boundr and the answer, 
“ Nut because It looks well for them to be arched 
as a bow. but, to prevent your constantly going out 
of the house-door; theretore they have a thousand 
bandages and ten thousand wraps." 
One would not think that a person with such 
small fed could go over very much ground In a 
day, but it Is said that they will walk ten or twelve 
miles In t hat t ime oil their way to and from some 
sacred temple, or when making visits to their 
friends. On their way to some temple., '1 say, tor 
they worship Idols. Vou would he surprised il you 
could see a collection or idols from different heathen 
lands. I have seen some no larger than the end of 
your little Unger, and they are all the way from 
that size up to the large ones found only hi tem¬ 
ples. Horrible looking images they are, too; I 
Rave never seen a good-looking one. Nothing but 
the light of the Bible and the teachings of the Gos¬ 
pel avI 11 banish Idol-worship. 1 hope you will help 
to give them these that they may learn the way to 
Heaven. 
THE ANSWERS. 
The success of my questions, and the Interest 
shown In the competition are very gratifying. I only 
regret that 1 cannot give a book to every competi¬ 
tor. Many ot the unsuccessful asp I run is have an¬ 
swered their questions comprehensively and in a 
way ihat indicated that they had Thought twice, on 
the subject, others have been very careless, as 
for instance, giving the number or square inches 
Instead of feet In an acre. Again, those who had 
started out on the right patjl tailed because they 
did not keep to the strict limitations of the ques¬ 
tion. This Avas particularly Hie casein questions 
live and ten, and 1 ha vest retched a point by giving 
fractions of a mark when but a part of the quest ion 
was correctly answered, l regret, also, to have 
to discriminate against two competitor-), throwing 
out their answers; not being subscribers they are 
manifestly not entitled to participate in the com¬ 
petition. One young gentlemen av rit es me t hat he 
“ indcavcretl" to supply correct answers, but It is 
plain why he failed. I only regret one circum¬ 
stance, and that Is Dial 1 did not pul more ilimcult 
questions; but, that can be easily remedied in the 
future. 
The prize winners are MlssS. M. Potter, Syracuse, 
N. Y., and Miss Mary Jack, Chaleaugua.v Basin, 
Canada. J shull give Miss Jack's answers, as 1 
consider them the best received and 11 is unfortu¬ 
nate she should nut have remembered that llarloy, 
Earl of Oxford, and not Sir John Blount was the 
Originator of ope of the greatest swindling schemes 
on record. The prizes avUI be mailed to-day, and I 
should like to send In the same package the felici¬ 
tations of Uncle True, 
answers by miss jack. 
1. Tennyson's Princess. 
2. Fromzoou, animal, and logos, a discourse. 
3- 43,560 square feet . 
4. Byron. 
5. Lucius Junius had received an excellent cdu- 
cat lnn from his father and had, naturally, strong 
sense and an Inflexible at tachment to virtue, but 
knowing that Tarquln had murdered his father 
and eldest brother, he counterfeited a fool in order 
to escape the same danger and obtained the sur¬ 
name Brutus. 
a. Jason was a prince of Thessaly, who, Avlth the 
aid of Medea, brought away from Colchis the Gold¬ 
en Fleece, which Avas guarded by a sleepless dra¬ 
gon. 
7. By the first, the waters of Egypt were turned 
la to blood; by the second, the frogs were sent in 
stn li numbers that they literally covered the land; 
by the third, the (lust Of the land became lice, on 
man and beast; by the fourth, a swarm of flics 
grievously infected Egypt; by the fifth, a murrain 
or distemper among the cattle, of which most, of 
them died; by the sixth, Hie Egyptians, both man 
and beast, Avere afflicted Aviih bolls; by the seventh, 
God caused a very grievous hail—such as had not 
been In Egypt from the foundation thereof until 
that time, to tall upon man and beast; by the 
eighth, Innumerable locusts destroyed the vegeta¬ 
tion and ale up every blade of grass, nothing green 
remaining; by the ninth, thick darkness prevailed 
over Egypt for three days; by the tenth, AVlileh 
Avas yet more dreadful, more immediately affect ing 
Pharaoh, for at mid-ulght the Lord smote all the 
first-born In the land of Egyptthere Avas not a 
house in which there was not one dead, 
s. sir John Blount. 
». 6,069, 000 , 000 ,OUfl.Olin,000,000 tons. 
10 . CharlesMackaysays,of “TubalCain,” “And 
he sang— 
” Hurrah, for my handiwork!" 
And the red sparks lit the air 
Not alone for the blade Avas the bright steel made, 
And fashioned the first plowshare. 
The first plow's were said to be of Avood—some- 
tlflng like a forked stick. 
I enclose a sketch of a wooden plow, used in 
Canada titty years ago. 
-- 
CULTIVATE GOOD MANNERS. 
UNCLE TRUE. 
I am especially desirous that all the Cousins 
should be ladylike and gentlemanly In their con¬ 
duct,. By tilts I do not, mean to say that they are 
not so, hut wo all knoAv that even the best people 
may occasionally say or do things for which they 
afterward arc sorry, it is mistakes of this kind l 
Avlsli to guard against. 
You Avill no doubt agree Avlth me when 1 say that 
tills may best be done by forming proper habits 
and manners in childhood and establishing them 
so flnuly that one avUI do the right tiling automat¬ 
ically and without effort. 
The Scandina vians have a saying, “ llvad man 1 
Ungdotnmen nemmer. man sjelden 1 Alderdommen 
glemmer,” that Is, whatever habits, manners or 
lessons are learned in youth, sue apt, to ding to one 
through lire. (It, might be translated, “As the 
twig Is bent the t ree Is Inclined.") 
This being true, and knowing that those Avho 
are always pleasing arid agreeable aa'UI get along 
In the Avorld much better than tile uncouth or care¬ 
less, you avUI understand the importance of at¬ 
tending to these apparent trifles. 
Just notice two boys, the one rude, noisy, selfish 
and overbearing, the other polite, respectful and 
pleasing in his manner, and of the r wo you have no 
hesitation In choosing the latter foi your friend, 
while you naturally aAOld the company of the 
former. Il Is exact ly the same, way among grown 
people. A true gentleman may always be recog¬ 
nized by his good manners, and his respect for the 
rights and feelings of others. But I did not mean 
to “lecture” you. Hoping, liowet'er, you avUI 
think ol these things I add a fetv rules of conduct 
Avlilch are ofteu violated: 
Shut every door after you, without slamming it. 
Never stamp, jump or run in the house. 
Never call to persons up-statrs, or In the next 
room. If you Avish to speak to them, go quietly 
where they are. 
Always speak kindly and politely to others, espe- , 
dally to your playmates, if you Avould have them i 
do the same to you. 
When told to do, or not to do a tiling, by either i 
of your parents, never ask why you should or 
should not do It, 
Tell of your oavu faults, not of those of your 
brothers and sisters. j 
<larefully clean t he mud or suoav from your boots i 
or shoes before entering the house. 
Be prompt at every meal. 
Never sit down at t he table, or in the parlor, i 
with dirty hands, or with uncombed or tumbled 
hair. 
Never interrupt any conversation, but Avait pa¬ 
tiently for your turn to speak. 
Never reserve, your good manners for strangers, 
but, be equally polite at home and abroad. 
Let your first, last and best confident be your 
mother. ] 
Never smoke, chew nor snuff tobacco In any 
form, on the streets, or In any public conveyance, ' 
or In any place whatsoever. 
I upon as an annual diet), I would like to give you a 
hint here, at what seems to me to be a field unoc¬ 
cupied at present, it seems unkind to hint at any¬ 
thing further, after the tmproA'ements you have 
made, for I think you aro earnestly and really 
Avorklng for t he good, and not only the dollars, of 
your subscribers. Those youths (meaning farmer’s 
boys) ought to be attracted to the Rural. 
“ First. because it Is belter to furnish them with 
Improved 1 notions ’ of farming before they are prej¬ 
udiced towards • father's Avays.’ 
“Second, they need the wholesome influences 
which t he Rural exerts upon its readers—most all 
of the current literature put in their hands unfits 
them for steady toll and tends to fret, them under 
their necessary labor. 1 have long used the 
•moral’ and ’homelike* Illustrated periodicals as 
assistants in their education. It Is Avonderfully 
efficient. 
“ Third, and perhaps the strongest reason for the 
Rural Is, that the Rural Avould secure lasting 
friends in those avJio grow up Avlth H as an associate, 
and thus a broad foundation tslald for future and 
continued success, if a tnau tells a neighbor he I 
has taken 4 such and such a paper for so many I 
years,’ he uses the most powerful argument I 
possible tor t he paper’s acceptance and spread. 
I know you have a column devoted to ‘Reading 
for the Young,’ but it has not in t he past occupied I 
the prominent position I would suggest for it.” 
Now, it is our desire lo make the " Reading for I 
the Young ” as Instructive, Interesting a nd admira¬ 
ble as it is possible to make it,; and to this end wo 
Invite suggestions from all of our readers, Avho arc I 
interested in this department of the Rural. It 
should please us much if parents Avould show their 
Interest in the subject by writing to us. and In¬ 
ducing their children to do the same. Uncle True 
will be glad to anstver through the Rural, as far 
as space will permit, all Intelligent questions put 
to him by his many relatives. 
-♦- 
SINGULAR HANDWRITING. 
Prominent among distinguished living Ameri¬ 
cans is the young inventor, Prof. Edison. He has 
nA'ented a style ol writing, which though peculiar, 
s capable, in his bands, of being written with 
treat rapidity. While In Virginia City, Nev., the 
Professor stepped Into a telegraph office and gave I 
in exhibition of Ids penmanship. A local paper I 
lius describes it: 
One of the boys asked him to put his name in an 
LUtograph album. lie wrote a line that looked like 
Tint, and signed Ids name to the bottom. Every- 
>ody admired the marvellous penmanship, which 
vas emphatically, a new style. The letters Avere 
wkwardl.v made, taken singly, but when grouped I 
lu a line, all looked exactly alike as If engraved on I 
copper-plate, 
“You couldn't lake thirty Avords a minute and 
Print like that,” said one. 44 1 can take forty,” Avas 
the reply. The fastest operator present took one I 
end of a wire, and Edison, sitting at the receiver, 
picked u]' a sheet or paper and said,« Let the mes¬ 
sage come." lie sat uimr three minutes anddook 
one hundred and thirty words avUIi apparent..case, | 
doing better than he promised. The dispatch was 
Avrlttcn In the faultless hand that graced the auto- I 
graph album. 
Practice and care at any endeavor, avUI give one 
proficiency like that.—American Rural Home. 
-♦ ♦ ♦- 
“WANTED, A BOY!” 
A tradesman oncc advertised In the morning pa. 
pers lor a boy to work in the shop, run errands, 
and make himself generally useful, in a few hours 
the shop was thronged with boys of all ages, sizes 
sorts and conditions, all wanting to find a situa¬ 
tion. 
The shopkeeper only wanted one boy, but how 
to get the right one was the great difficulty, lie ■ 
thought he must find some plan to lessen the num¬ 
ber of applicants, and give him a better opportu¬ 
nity or Selecting a good one. So he sent them an , 
away, and thought the matter over a little. The i 
next morning the papers contained the following j 
advertisement: 
“ WANTED, A BOV WHO OBEYS HIS MOTHER !” I 
Now, then, thought the tradesman, I shall see 
soon Avho will apply. He also put a bill In his avIii. s 
doAv Avitli these words on It,. And hoAv many do s 
you suppose did come? The story Is that there 
Avere only two of all the numerous boys seeking 1 
employment in that big city Avho felt that they 
could honestly come and say, 44 J ohm my mnltier 1 
The crowd or lads was indeed quickly thinned 
out most effectually, and the tradesman had not ‘ 
much trouble lu selecting a boy. 1 
Such boys as these-boys that obey their mothers 1 
—are In great demand, My little boy, iryou saw c 
an advertisement for such a boy, could you truth¬ 
fully go and offer yourself for the situation? It 
not, I fear there Is something Avrong about you. . 
Look to the matter; seek the I.ord’s salvation; be , 
an obedient son, and God will bless you— Children's 
Friend. 
AN OLD “ SETTING” CAT. 
TO OLD AND YOUNG. 
Wk publish the following ext ract, of a letter from 
M. oakey, A. \L, Principal of Jamesburg Institute. 
Jamesbnrg, N. J., because we sincerely concur 
avUIi fits views, and desire, to call the attention of 
our readers to Lpo subject. Having mentioned 
some business mailer, he says; 
“If suggestions are not out of place, (1 knoiv iioav 
many different courses of advice & journal 
Fancy the amazement of a mother-cat at having 
fifteen added to her family in the mysterious way 
here related: 
At a farm-house not far from Newton Stewart, 
Orange County, iiul., a rather uncommon elreum- 
stance took place recently. A hen’s nest had been 
made In an out-of-the tvay place, In which eggs t o 
the number or seventeen hud been laid. The cal 
took possession of the nest, covered the eggs over 
with straw, and there brought forth kittens. P ush 
and the kittens remained In the nest for a consid¬ 
erable time, and the result Avas that fifteen out of 
t he seventeen eggs sent out birds, 't he eat Avas 
seen lying with Its brood, but uo one ever saw a 
hen near the nest, or knew the eggs were there 
unUl the birds came out. The gude Avife Avas 
“ uneoly ta'en” Avhen the fifteen chickens present¬ 
ed themselves .—PQUtsvtUe paper, 
iitbballt failing. 
HYMN. 
REV. WASHINOTONjGLADDEN. 
Lord, I believe in Thee, 
In want, in pain, in Brief; 
I trust Thee where I cannot see; 
Help Thou my unbelief ! 
Thy law is in iny heart; 
With that I follow Thee; 
If sin still rule the worner part, 
Be merciful to me ! 
I trust my brother, too; 
In bim, though lost, I find 
Some spark Thy breath may yet renew; 
For Thou to him art kind. 
All that are Thine are mino; 
To sive men Thou didst come; 
Live in ray life, O Love divine. 
Then I, too, may save sotno. 
[Sunday Afternoon. 
THE APOSTLES’ CREED. 
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of 
heaven and earth: 
And In Jesus Christ Ids only Son our Lord; Who 
was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Vir¬ 
gin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was 
crucified, dead and buried; He descended into 
hell; the third day lie He rose from the dead; He 
ascended Into heaven; and sltteUi on the right 
hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He 
shall come to Judge the quick and the dead: 
I believe lu the Holy Ghost,; the holy Catholic 
church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness 
of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life 
everlasting. Amen. 
-- 
SUPPLEMENTARY “CREDOS.” 
f Ed ward Everett Hale in a Recent Discourse.] 
I have no other objection to the so-called Apos¬ 
tles’ Creed than that most people of to-day take 
It in much that fashion. For myself, I understand 
Its Avords; and, so far as they go, I haA'c no ob¬ 
jection to the use of them, lr you can only make 
people see that, they go only lo the statement of a 
part or the faith of the second century, when this 
creed got Itself written. I have often repeated it, 
hi religious service. But! never repeat It, ivlthout 
Hie Avlsli that t he decorum of the place would per¬ 
mit mo to add aloud, what In my own heart I do 
add, “ 1 believe all that,; and, thank God, I believe 
a great deal more.” l observe, for Instance, that 
Avhoevormade the Apostles’ Creed Omitted all 
reference' to man’s duty lo man, which Is, lu truth, 
an essential part of religion. Some- expression of 
It belongs lu any statement, of religion. And If 1 
had the Apostles’ Creed to repeat to-day, I should 
like to add to ft the creed of one disciple of to-day. 
1 should like to speak of a few ot the duties which 
press on us now and here. 1 should like to say, 
for Instance, for myself 
1 believe that every exile, on arrival here, should 
be welcomed at. the pier, and the way made easy 
for blrn to Ills new home. 
1 believe that. 111 practical methods, the state 
Should give a homestead to each husband and Avife 
who are willing to work upon It to produce their 
dally bread, 
I believe l hat the state should offer an educa¬ 
tion to every child horn In It,-as good for the 
child of t he beggar as the child of the prince. 
I believe that every man lias a duty to the state, 
and that no man should give up to party Avhat was 
meant for mankind. 
I bellev’e that the blaekman and the red man 
should be truly enfranchised, and have the same 
rights before the state as the whitest of us all. 
I believe that every woman should be as pure 
as the mother of Christ, and that society should 
threw around Avornan eA r ery protection and help 
for such purity. 
1 believe that eA'ery man should be as pure as 
every woman. 
1 believe that every man tempted by liquor 
should receive from every one around him all pos¬ 
sible help, protection and care. 
I believe, thus, In the gradual abolition of sick¬ 
ness, disease, and famine; for 
r believe, that the average age of man should be 
three-score years and ten. 
That will do for a beginning. Such a statement 
as that expresses, tn the language of lo-day to the 
people of to-day, a part or the duty of to-day as It 
appears to men who live In the life of the large 
cities of to-day.—Springfield Republican. 
Mkuca' Is like the rainbow, Ave must never look 
for it after nlgbt; It shines not In the other Avorld; 
If we refuse it here avc must have justice In eter¬ 
nity.—fire Taylor. 
Filling up time Avlth and for God, is the way to 
rise up and lie down In peace.— Oi'alntnyt. 
As the shadow of the sun is largest Avhen his 
Reams are lowest, so avc are always least when we 
make ourselves the greatest, —Sirleer. 
The more believers love God, the more they love 
one another; as the lines of a circle, the nearer 
t hey aro to the center, the nearer they are to each 
othe r.— ('hnninvlx, 
A good conscience Is the palace of Christ, the 
temple of the Holy Ghost, t he paradise of delight, 
and the si a in II eg sabbath of the saints .—.1 uyusline 
No moment should be allowed to pass unim¬ 
proved ; for If oner lust, it la lost for ever.—Rev. R. 
Ray. 
--- 
We wish It to be distinctly understood that Ave 
do not endorse all the religious Ideas published In 
this column, our object Is to give matter which 
will stimulate our readers to study questions of 
conscience and conduct for themselves,—E ds 
