know the great difficulties of £ t.hls question, and 
how much wisdom Is required to solve them. But 
whatever weaken* the permanence or marriage 
tends to dissolve, society; for permanent; homes are 
to the social state what the little cells are to the 
body. They are the commencement of organic 
life, the centres from which all organization pro¬ 
ceeds .—Rev. Jas. J\ Clark, 
Jewish Population of the World. -Accord¬ 
ing to the latest statistics that have been gathered, 
there are. in round njimbere. 9,000,000 of Jews in 
the world, who arc tfcus divided: United States, 
7?,?'V>; Great Britain and Ireland, 42.000; Italy. 
25,000; France, - 10 , 4 : 19 -, German Empire, 512,153; 
Netherlands (Holland), 6?,003; Austria, 1,<100,000; 
Russia In Europe, 2,612,179; Turkey. 150,000; llou- 
mania, 247.424; Morocco, 340,000; Denmark. Bel¬ 
gium, Swedcu, Switzerland, Canada have com¬ 
paratively few Jews—they number there from 
1,500 to 7,000. --while Asia has 2,186,000. Most per¬ 
sons will bo surprised at the statement that t here 
are less than 73.300 Jews In this country, which Is 
generally supposed to contain a. great many more. 
Some reports made the number as high as 150,- 
000 ; but this is probably an exaggeration. The 
statistics given hero are .,ald to be as trustworthy 
as can be had at present, though no published 
figures can bo wholly depended on. as the Jews 
are scattered all over the globe, and In many 
places where such a t lung as a census has never 
been taken. The Jewish population of the world 
is loosely estimated at from 3.500,000 to 15,000,000— 
a very broad margin surely—but there is reason to 
believe that 8,000,000 is pretty near the truth. The 
two countries where Jews are scarcest are Spain 
and Scotland. 
The Teov (S'. Yclergymen have adopted reso¬ 
lutions recommending that at funerals all un¬ 
necessary expense, such as an exhibition of How- 
ers and a distribution of crape and gloves, be 
avoided, and that there be a brief and simple 
burtal service. They also suggest a consultation 
with the officiating clergymen before the time and 
place of service Is fixed, private funerals and a 
discountenancing of long-continued mourning. 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
Eiurttiml from a Back Window. By J. 51. Bai¬ 
ley, the Danbury - News Muu. Boston: Lee & 
Shepard. 
Mr. Bailey U a captivating traveling compan¬ 
ion. He is a keen observer, and his comments on 
the manners, customs and people of England are 
most entertaining. The hook fairly overflows with 
humor that is as enjoyable as it Is spontaneous. 
There's not a line of manufactured fun in it, but 
the reader finds an account of a drive or of a visit 
to a ruined castle, made irresistibly comic by the 
happy turn of a phrase. Mr. Bailey is quaintly 
funny, and his drollery is genuine wit, for It de¬ 
pends on neither crude spelling nor puns fonts 
effect. As this book Is both Instructive and amus¬ 
ing, it is especially well adapted for reading aloud 
in the home circle, and many a n otherwise cheer¬ 
less evening may bo made thoroughly delightful by 
glimpses through Mr. Bailey’s “ Back Window." 
Any one can hare a - peep" by sending ?i to the 
publishers. 
Prrirv l.iitlc Countess Zuri. A Kurslaii Story 
By Uv (.ft r >* t.t 't ranslated bv Mary YZ' r 
Bubrvool' Philadolphpi f. B. reterfon & Brae. 
Price 76 centr. 
Tde novel Is pleasantly readable, and although 
the situations are not particularly strong, the cur¬ 
rent of excitement is rather mere intense than is 
usual in high Hie society stories. The little Count¬ 
ess captivates by her ingenious and sometimes dar¬ 
ing schemes in protecting her subdued hut determ¬ 
ined cousin. Her mother, the Countess Koumias- 
slne who Is severe, hut conscientiously arbitrary, 
furnishes abundant, opportunity for strategic be¬ 
havior on the part of her household, of course, 
love and marriage are (he golden hinges of the 
story, and th <•. denouement. Is sufficiently withheld 
to gho piquancy to the plot. The translation is 
exceedingly clever, the original evidently not hav¬ 
ing materially lost In the operation. 
Davies and Peck's Elementary Arithmetic. 
Now York A. S. Bamea k Co. 60 cents. 
Tujs book, designed as the Introductory volume 
of the Two-Book Course of Davies and Peck, Is 
especially adapted to beginners, it Is suited to iho 
capacity of any child old enough (o begin the study 
of a rtilunetjc, and the subjects are treated In an 
interesting and attractive manner, while compre¬ 
hensive fleflnltions Introduce each subject. The 
hook may be said to be divided Into five parts; the 
first consists of easy, simple lessons In numbers; 
second, fundamental operations, followed by gen¬ 
eral principles and properties of numbers; third, 
Fracl tons, currency and the Metric System; fourth, 
Compound Numbers a i\d Reduction; while Percent¬ 
age, interest, Discount, Ac., occupy the closing 
pages of the book. Among iho methods or per¬ 
forming examples, that of computing interest by 
aliquot parts is specially commendable. 
The Bov Trapper. Bj Hakhy Oasti.icmon. Phli- 
ndolphia: Porter A: Ooutos. 
Thk boys who road and enjoyed Burled Treasure, 
to which this book Is a sequel, will hr* glad to meet 
again some of the characters as old acquaintances, 
and to follow them through new scones ?nri ad¬ 
ventures equally as Interesting as (hose they have 
already witnessed. The author has a pleasant and 
natural way or telling stories which cannot fall to 
entertain his young renders. 
A bi-i’AOU quarterly, the Eclipse Era, is a new 
launch lu a channel that seems of late to be filled 
with literary ventures of the same character, it 
Is reasonably well filled with elegant extracts from 
the contemporary press, mostly without credit, 
and it finally concludes with a disquisition on the 
merits of some particular piece of mechanism, be¬ 
tween the owners of which and the owners n£ the 
paper ihore seems to be no distinction: in fact. It 
Is hard to determine whether the paper is intended 
to enlighten mankind on current literature or the 
oeauties of steam on the farm, You may know for 
ourself at 20 cents a year, 
THE BUBAL 
NEW-YOBKEB. 
$or Mo men, 
OOND.7CTED BY MISS FAITH RIPLEY. 
AN OLD STORY, 
They Blood alone in the light- of the West, 
He satrl that be loved her well. 
He loved her well, but ehe loved the best— 
Thore were none but the birds to tell. 
" Sweet day," s.mg they- 
" Sweet, sweet day!" 
The. bluebells were nodding in ‘be green glen, 
The waters were laughing a eoug, 
The birds were telling the deeds of men 
When (ho world knew never a wrong: 
" Sweet day," sang they 
" Sweet, sweet day:" 
He whispered low in her wtlliDg ear, 
" Thou art dearer than life to me 
There were none but the laughing waters to hear, 
And none but the birds to see , 
** Sweet day," sang they 
" Sweet, sweet, day! ” 
The bluebells laid their fair heads to rest, 
The birds flew over the wave, 
The heart of tho woman who loved the best 
Lay mute in a silent grave ! 
For the love of the nwa who loved her well 
Lived but the life of a fair bluebell! 
THE WOMAN’S CLUB. 
Dear *' Club ”-ites I do think this is the fun¬ 
niest Club 1 ever heard of. We women are sup¬ 
posed to meet once a mouth for the discussion of 
any and all topics likely to interest feminines, but 
the drollest part of it is, we don't discuss. Each 
writer discharges her load of ideas and ret ires with¬ 
out provoking any return fire. I've a theory that 
most of the women of the Rural don’t read the 
Club at all, but that those of them who have any¬ 
thing to say just use the Club for the purpose of 
advertising ihelr Ideas, not knowing or caring 
whether anybody la benefited or entertained by 
their writings. I propose to amuse myself In tho 
same way. so here goes. 
It may not be etiquette to criticise Club letters, 
but I think two or three rousing disagreements 
would enliven our meetings wonderfully, and be¬ 
side. 1 think some articles (and their writers) are 
good subjects for hostile criticism. Now there’s 
Free l.ance. I think ho is an Insufferable prig 
(shouldn't wouder if he wore eye-glasses, parted 
his hair in the middle and affected the Dundreary 
drawl), lie Is forever nagging at 11 s women. A 
long while ago he- accused us of being dirty about 
feather beds; this brought out May Maple, who 
gave him what the little boys call •• Hall Colum¬ 
bia.” Ho subsided, and staid so, until Ermen- 
garde ventured 10 assert that women would purify 
politics 11 the right Of suffrage were granted them, 
when lo 1 F. L. arose In his might and protest¬ 
ed that women were not nearly so good as was 
popularly supposed. After this chivalrous out¬ 
burst ho went Into retirement, but I find In the 
Rural of 4th January, he comes once again to the 
front. He rales women soundly for being inter¬ 
ested In eating a nd dressing, and wants us to run to 
intellect or to Boston, vhlch amounts to the same 
thing. Free Lance, you dear boy, dent you know 
we bunt up all tho “ goody " recipes so as to make 
toothsome concoctions for the lord and master" 
Exit F. L. Now, 1 want to enter an objection or two 
against Margaret B. Harvey’s eulogy ot blaiksilk 
dresses. I disagree entirely with her that a black 
silk Is a good investment unless one has another 
good dress. But to purchase a black silk for wear 
at church, receptions, theatre and for visiting is a 
bad speculation. It’s a dress suitable for many oc¬ 
casions, but unfortunately, it ism. as durable as tr, 
Is convenient. I’ve bought. French and American 
silks, had'em made long and short, and my expe¬ 
rience Is that for durability, a Cashmere Is Infinite¬ 
ly preferable. To be sure, It isn’t so dressy, but: 
what is more dowdy than a black silk that has lost 
Its pristine freshness ? Have your silk If you want 
to, girls, but be sure and provide yourselves with a 
second dress to save tt. 
A writer in last Club wants something said 
about temperance, aud she avows herself as an ad¬ 
vocate of fight ing the liquor question at the polls, 
I don t.see why temperance should have anything 
to do with politics. This Is a moral reform, and 
we want to persuade men to he temperate. Christ, 
was a reformer, and yet did He ever say to Ills fol¬ 
lowers that they should try lo wire-pull In the 
council chambers of Judea, m order t.o force men 
to accept his gospel v The trouble with most re¬ 
formers Is, that they are in such hoi haste to con¬ 
vert, the world to their Ideas that they cannot wait 
until men reason over the matter, hut they want 
to insist on their reform not ions being adopted ot¬ 
to be able to Invoke t he terrors of the law against 
those who hesitate. Have a little patience, my re¬ 
form friends. 1 could say more, but I fear the ed¬ 
itor may object to such an effusive letter. 
Washtenaw. 
-- 
SHORT SKIRTS. 
Madam Anderson, the professional pedestrian, 
who accomplished tlw stupendous feat of walking 
2700 quarter miles in 8 t 0 (i quarter hours, wore her 
skirts to her knees. She could not afford to he 
hampered with even the average walking skirt, 
and 1 wonder if her sisters ran afford to go through 
life permed In and drugged down by petticoats.’ 
My object in drawing attention to the costume of 
this famous little lady Is not to urge On women the 
adoption of knee skirts, exactly, hut to bring to 
tlielr notice the terrible wear and tear of skirts. 
Women regard the walking dress rs a great boon. 
It Is, but It doesn’t go tar enough nr rather H goes 
too tar —down. Even a single skirt moderately 
short and plain though h be, Impedes the free 
movements of the legs, it you doubt- this, put on 
a gymnastic costume, or better still, slip off all 
your skirts except the short white one and make 
a tour of your room. Notice what a delicious sense 
of Ireedom you enjoy. Probably you never before 
realized the tyranny of skirts, and now that you 
do realize It, will you continue to hang yards of 
material Horn your waist to the agony of your 
hack and the discomfort of your heels? Why a 
woman should be compelled to drag her life out of 
her for the sake of keeping her ankles covered, I 
never could understand. The most cultured and 
critical society permits and encourages women to 
appear at entertainments with toilettes so exces¬ 
sively decotette, as to be positively immodest, and 
yet a skirt which displays the foot and ankle of 
the wearer, Is pronounced immoral:: One benefit 
resulting from 1 be (deservedly ) much abused pull¬ 
back stylo, Is that by it many women have been 
taught there is no occasion for two or three petti¬ 
coats under the dress skirt. Worth, the man 
dressmaker, calls the dress of the Persian women 
the “Ideal costume,” aud recommends It for its 
elegance and comfort. Well, it isn't my ideal- The 
blouse anti short skirt are good, but tire baggy 
trousers are simply intolerable, both as a spectacle 
and for ease. Why can’t pantaloons for women be 
modelled after those which are at present fashion¬ 
able for small boys? Rural sisters, cant you, 
won’t you begin a skirt, reform ? .Tic es. 
-» » » - 
WAS SHE TO BE COMMENDED? 
A religious newspaper lately went into pious 
ecstasies over a young girl tv ho, though compelled 
to earn her living by bard work at machine sewing, 
yet contrived by dint of denying herself all but the 
barest necessaries of life, to contribute quite liber¬ 
ally to a rund for the erection of a church edifice. 
The- periodical aforesaid praised the girl most 
lavishly and held hers up as an example worthy of 
imitation. 
I question whether she ought not to be severely 
censured for such a course of conduct . Girls who 
support themselves by taking in sewing do not fare 
at all sumptuously if they have work all the year 
round (which is of rare occurrence) aud when they 
expend all of them meagre earnings on themselves. 
To say of a girl of this class that she confines her 
expenditures 10 “-bare necessities " means that she 
lives on bread and tea, goes without proper under¬ 
clothing, and denies house It the comfortable wrap 
which she needs to protect her from cold and 
storms. She moreover leaves herself without any 
reserve fund, and when work is slack, or when it 
stops altogether, how is she to subsist ? if sick¬ 
ness overtakes her she Is compelled to go the hos¬ 
pital and add one more to the host who, through 
Ignorance, sice and Indolence have become biu’dens 
on the public. Burdens which you, my thrifty 
mends, are t axed to support. It la the self-respect¬ 
ing, self-denying and frttgal In the community who 
are taxed for the maintenance of hospitals, prisms 
and alms-houses. Has any one a right to Inert, 1 so 
the pauper class or to recommend measures which 
will land those who adopt them in eleemosynary 
Institutions? Besides being a burden the poor girl 
vlll not hare tire care and attention she would re¬ 
ceive at a private house, she wlU bo very much at 
the mercy of doctors and nurses, who are not 
always the most humane of people. Most, like ly 
she will be experimented on by half-tl edged plry- 
9 !clans, and subjected to treatment which, although 
perfectly legitimate, cannot till to be extremely 
distasteful to a woman, however low in the scale of 
refinement she may be. And the object of all this 
self-sacrifice is what ? To clothe the naked or iced 
the starring? No, it is that a certain congrega¬ 
tion may have a fine building in which to hold 
its services I 
You, my Protestant reader, need not com¬ 
placently say “yes; it’s really shocking for the 
Roman church to grind the poor as they do,” for in 
this instance It was a P/vtestans church for which 
this girl starved iierself. And then they have the 
effrontery to call this “giving to the Lord," Where 
In the Bible Is It- comma iwled or even Intimated that 
costly churches aiv a, necessity or that they are 
particularly desirable; and where Is the chapter 
and verse whcrelu we arc enjoined to reduce our¬ 
selves to abject poverty In order that the “'Temple 
of tho Lord " may be beautified ? “ Giving to the 
Lord,” Indeed! Ir/s vanity a ad pride and not right¬ 
eousness which dedicates plies of marble and stone 
that cost from fifty thousand to one million 
dollars to the service of God. 
Christ could be content with •• upper rooms," hut 
we of this century must Have our tua rble-Ironted 
buildings finished with sulnc«l-glass windows, cost¬ 
ly altar-pieces and expensive upholstery. We 
count it, too, as a thing worthy of all commendation 
that the poor should starve their bodies and their 
minds In order that our church edifices may be ar¬ 
tistically frescoed and provided with all the modern 
requirements of elegant worship. 
“Giving iq the Lord!” It’s rank blasphemy to 
say that. Jacqueuva. 
-- 
HIS MOTHER, 
J. M. M’C. 
“ I am so glad to see you, Aunt Cyntlila," sakl 
Uttle Mrs. Pryor, as she greeted the good, motherly, 
old maid with a half tearful kiss. * come tight 
into the sitting-room. 1 have moved the cradle in 
there, it is so much cooler.” 
“ I hope baby isn’t very sick?" said auntie kindly. 
“ I don’t know Jusl how sick lie Is, as I am not 
much used to babies. I was up with him all night 
and he was very restless.” 
“Poor little teller l” said auntie tenderly, as she 
lifted the hot baby to her ample lap. “ Just, bring 
a basin of water and some soft towels and a little 
blanket, and we will soon make him more comlort- 
able.” Aunt Cynthia speedily railed him In a towel | 
wrung our of warm water, and then wrapping the 
little tlunuei blanket smoothly and snugly aoout 
him soon “ hush-a-byed ” him Into a quiet sleep. 
But the young mother's race did not lighten as It 
ought, even though her baby seemed so much re¬ 
lieved. 
“I don’t mind telling you, auntie.” she said, in 
answer to a kind inquiry; “tmt John thinks Ivan 
keep the house and the table up to the old standard 
and take care of a sick baby too. He said his 
mother brought up nine children and always did 
her own work, and spinning, knitting and sewing 
besides. She even wove a rag carpet once on a 
neighbor's loom." 
•• John Is a goose, my dear," said auntie placidly. 
“I know him like a book and Ills mother before 
hhn. Ue is well enough disposed, as men go, but 
hts judgment about woman’s work is about on an 
average witli that of most, men’s. lie was the 
fifth of those nine children, and before he was old 
enough to notice how things went- on, Mm Uia and 
Sabina were able to take a good share of the 
work on their stout shoulders. And 'they did it. 
Seth and John had plenty ot steps to take before 
they were six years old, and so did all the rest. 
They saved as much work as they mode from that 
t ime on. J ohn’s mother was an excellent, capable 
woman, but she wasn’t perfect any more than you 
or T, and She didn’t pretend to be. if she was liv¬ 
ing she would take John In hand and set him tight 
about her ro ily housekeeping days, and she would 
comfort your heart by telling you Just- what a hard 
time she had to get on when Martha was a baby, 
and how her John used to tell how it was with his 
perfect mother. They hive a great deal moro 
sense at forty than they have at twenty-five, clear, 
you’ll find It so. Then John will begin to brag 
everywhere bow my wife manages, it will all 
come right, Nelly, only have faith and patience. 
I’ll have a good, quiet talk with John, and it will 
do him good. He will take It well from his old 
aunt by and don't you ever worry any move about 
these perfect mothers. I've seen the inside of a 
great many homes in my day. and the young 
mothers I have known were glad to get along just 
as you do. the best way they could. That is all 
that any of us can. 
A great many conscientious little women are 
burdened "1th the self-accusation that they are 
not doing as well as they might, because they 
do not come up to a mothor-ln-law’s standard. 
But If they could have gone through those same 
establishments when the babies were taking their 
degrees Lo teething, measles and ehickeu-pox, they 
would sit down with a smile of content In their 
own homes, aud think they were not so much 
worse off than other people alter all. Take for 
your comfort the assurance that your son will hold 
you up hi Just the same way to some little wife 
when the time comes around. ” 
-- 
THE WALKING MANIA! 
Oh, why did Madame Anderson walk so much 
and so fast, and thus furnish a new test for men 
to homlllze about for the benefit of women I 
Since this plucky woman brought her undertak¬ 
ing to a successful Issue, the press has fairly 
bristled with arguments and conclusions drawn 
from her extraordinary performance, and have 
striven to prove by it that unlimited walking, is 
to be the grand panacea for all the fils of womanly 
riesh. 
1 wish to mildly pretest against this wild Walk¬ 
ing Crusade; a moderate amount of exercise Is not 
only beuellclal for most people, but It is really 
necessary for their health’s sake; but there are 
many who will be seriously injured if they become 
Infected with the pedestrian mania, and take to 
tramping for health. 
It is a question which each should decide for 
himself and herself. Very many women ought 
never to walk more than a quarter of a mile at a 
time , they should be In the open ah’ and sunshine 
as much as practicable, but never should they 
permit themselves to be tempted into taking lODg 
walks. They can take a sunning In their rooms in 
the winter, or on the piazza, doorsteps or In the 
yarl Iff summer. There are beside women whose 
lives are too full of hard toll to inane walking 
either pleasant or beneficial. They would employ 
their time much more profitably if they ensconced 
themselves in easy chans, or on lounges and “took 
a nap." In many forms of nervous diseases, rest Is 
preferable to exercise. Men aud women are often 
obliged to work all day In stores and offices, and 
when night corues, in most eases, bed and not 
walking should ho recommended. 
However, as i said before, each one should be 
his own judge hi the matter, only do not become 
so possessed of the “tramp ” fever as to lose sight 
of all reasonable ness in the matter. Hygiene. 
-♦♦-*- 
AN INTEMPERATE ASSERTION. 
lx a recent discourse Frof. Felix Adler, a gentle¬ 
man of culture. who lectures before a society of 
Rationalists every Sunday, made a statement to 
the effect that •* poverty caused tntempevaQce and 
not Intemperance poverty." That many men are 
cowardly rnough to seek ihe warmth and the 
doubtful attract ions ot' ’.ho dram-shop because of 
the wretchedness of their homes, will not pvobubly 
be disputed, but as intemperance is cot confined to 
the poor, on what hypothesis does tho brilliant 
Mr. Adler account for Inebriety among those who 
have enough and to spare of the luxuries of life? 
ihe superbly fitted up wine-moms which area 
disgrace to our large cities are not supported by 
poverty but by wealth. It Isa common occurrence 
for men to drink up their fort unes and reduce their 
families and themselves to want. What has Mr. 
Adler to say of such eases ; Is poverty or liquor 
drinking responsible for such a deplorable state of 
affairs " As well might one defend DifiUitlclde or 
homicide.on the ground of the mans not being 
able to provide for his child or wile as to excuse 
wine bibbing because a man Is poor. 
An Anti-Ration llist. 
A TOBACCO GRIEVANCE. 
I »o not know whether I am justified in ventila¬ 
ting my personal grievances in the columns of 
the club, or in hoping for any suggestions In 
response tending to their alleviation. 1 have 
noticed nothing so far sullsiactory as to remov¬ 
ing ihe dreadful necessity of iish Hashing so 
bitterly complained of not long since. ,\iy gvlev- 
ance is Thai up husband ts confirmed in in 
Inveterate use of tobacco in every shape a ud to m. 
My lime boy is growing up and 1 look fra ", ai d with 
dread to Hu Influence of Ids (ether’s example upon 
him, 1 1 strikes me as being a lerribly ;Vl thing* 
that a mother should dread her husband's inllu 
cnee upon her child, bur It Is nrobabh not a sin¬ 
gular case, and I should like to hear some views on 
the subject. Matrix, 
