APRIL S 
American Naturalist for April, contains Ani¬ 
mal Music, its Nature and Origin, Xenos Clark; 
The Artificial Mounds ol the island of Marajo, 
Brazil, Orville A. Derby; Native Bitumens and the 
Pitch Lake of Trinidad, W. o. Crosby: Notes on 
an Extensive Deposit of obsidian In the Yellow¬ 
stone National Park, Wm. ir. Holmes; Decent Lit¬ 
erature, Mafffarlane’s Geologists' Traveling Hand¬ 
book—Recent. Books and Pamphlets; General 
Notes; Botany.—The Number of stamens in Brase- 
nla pel lata.—A Fairy Ring.—Insects as Uncon¬ 
scious selectors of Flowers.—Botanical News; 
Zoology.—The Ovlposltlon of the Queen Bee and 
Dzlerzon's Theory -McErill's OndthoKigy of south¬ 
ern Texas—A u insect Borer In Powder Barrels—A 
Large. Saw-Fish—'Wrens and the Bee Moth—An 
Owl's Revenge, Anthropology.—The International 
Congress of Anthropological sciences held in con¬ 
nection with the Universal Exposition at pans, 
August Hi-21, 1878—List of some Anthropological 
Catalogues oi the Paris Exposition, ists -Anthro¬ 
pological .\o\vs ; Geology and Palaeontology.—'1 he 
Genus Ccelodon - Dawson on Eozoon—A New Genus 
of Pcrlssodactyla.—A New Genus of tehMiyoptory- 
gla—Muschclkalk Fossils in UlaJio: Geography and 
Travels.—The Dutch A relic Expedition—'The Nor¬ 
wegian North Atlantic Expedition—Geographical 
News; Scientific News; Proceedings of Scientific 
Societies; Selected Articles in Scientific Serials. 
$or Ml a mm. 
OOND7DTED BY MISS TAITH RIPLEY. 
THE WOMAN’S CLUB. 
A ‘‘CLUB REVIEW." 
I have been very much Interested In reading the 
different letters published In the Woman’s club, 
and although 1 acknowledge my Inability to write 
anything worth printing, ! would like to notice a 
few Ideas that have been presented- ! would like 
to say to Free Lance that -there Is at least a 
small minority who will be Interested In hearing a 
little about, the Boston Society to Encourage 
Studies at Home." All honor to “the ladles who 
first conceived the thought of this Association. - ’ I 
think the though! carried into effect is splendid, 
and Chat this society will be the means of educat¬ 
ing and refining a number of ladles throughout, the 
land. I am sorry that there arc any women 
who do not care to avail themselves of such good 
opportunities formenl.nl Improvement. Though 1 
behove that the •• life Is more than meat, and lhe 
body than raiment, 1 1 cannot close my eyes toxue 
fact that we have both to care for, nnd however 
commendable and beautiful it is to be round at the 
feet, of Jesus, having “chosen the belter part,’’ 
Martha's position must also be filled, our physi¬ 
cal natures demand both rood and raiment. 
I would say, too, Unit the fashion atll&Os and de¬ 
signs for fancy work are very acceptable, especially 
to Invalids, who are compelled to remain at home 
so much. They like to know something of what. Is 
going on in the outside world ns to the fashions, and 
they find I hat the designs for fancy work help to 
make bright many an otherwise cheerless hour; 
for there are many In out-of-the-way places where 
the Rural goes who can not afford magazines and 
similar helps. The combination ol so many Inter¬ 
ests in one paper and nl a price attainable, Is one 
of the Rural's strongest recommendations, it Is 
one of the best papers tor a family to take, when 
they can afford a variety ot periodicals, and when 
they can have but me* n Is//>.«? t'vrg hesu l would 
not have It different from what. It Is now, except 
I would proper to have it printed on paper strong 
enough, so l hat wo could read it all we want to 
and still have it preserve Its crisp and nentappear- 
ance. so do not complain F. l.. until we women 
get more lime, than half Uic paper. 1. lor one. will 
be willing to relinquish a few columns of our side 
of the paper, to pictures ol me latest style of dress- 
coats, smoking-capB, Are., when we women have so 
far degenerated as to make It necessary for you 
men to remain Iu-doors and fashion and wo Ac 
your own garments. 
Jacquellna commands my admiration for her 
courage In expressing what many others would like 
to. 1 would add that It Is ft truth too glaring to pass 
without notice, that the Gospel la lu many ways 
too dear. How many, think you, of the poor are 
hindered from attending where the "glad tidings” 
are told, -• because the church is too tine and the 
people too well dressed?" I have been answered 
thus in reply to “ Why do you not come to church 
and Sunday-schoolV” I know many who persist¬ 
ently keep away from the house of worship, be¬ 
cause they feel so common that they shrink from 
going where they will feel so keenly the contrast 
between themselves and their surroundings. 
Again, I have heard persons say, “Oh, 1 cannot 
attend church regularly, for I do not always have 
the ready funds for the contrlbuilou-hox, a mil will 
not go and he made to feel so cheap." I pity all 
possessed of such a weakness, and would Unit, all 
of us could have the strong! h and courage to dress 
as neatly as circumstances will allow, take gifts in 
our hands for the altar If we cun, and If not, go 
without; hut. in either ease endeavor lo take the 
sacrifice of a “ broken spirit, a broken and a con¬ 
trite heart," remembering that wo arc trull crea¬ 
tures, and need to assemble where prayer and 
praise is wont to be made, uud partake of the 
bread ot life broken In the sanctuary. Another 
way lu which the Gospel Is dear, Is lu the litera¬ 
ture of the church. While I iidiult that the pub¬ 
lishers of religious periodicals are doing a noble 
work: a work that will toll In eternity, yet I would 
like to be Inform ‘d why it Is that so many. If not 
nearly all, of the aforesaid periodicals remain at 
the same price or a Utile above what they were 
when a dozen of eggs ora pound of butter cost 
twice as much as 11 does now ? One will say, what 
have eggs and butter to do with religious reading 
matter? This much, that it takes much less to 
support the publishers than It did years ago, and 
where subscribers have the produce of the farm to 
THE RURal. 
ER, 
sell, and must put up with reduced prices, It Is 
plain that something in the Ust of needfuls must 
be left out. In many Instances It Is the religious 
paper with the remarkthat “ It’s too dear, anyway; 
we’ll have to do wit hout, it." l have In mind now 
a nlco, little Sunday-school, that found Itself com¬ 
pelled to do without tlm childrens’ papers for sev¬ 
eral months, because they could not raise the 
means to get them. God speed t he day when all 
lovers of Christ 's kingdom shall be willing to make 
sacrifices, In order to proclaim the good news “ to 
every creature." Sarah. 
- »» ■<- 
TEMPERANCE IN POLITICS. 
Washtenaw, in her letter to the Feb. Club, 
seems inclined to ridicule the members because 
they “ don't discuss," and she throws out several 
personal challenges, as well as a general one on 
the subject, of temperance in politics. She says, 
“ I don’t see why temperance, should have anything 
to do with politics. This IS a nu/ral reform, and 
we want to persuade men to be temperate." Yes, 
but wheu persuasion Is ol no avail, what then ? If 
men could be persuaded to abstain from all wrong 
and crime, it would be unnecessary to have any 
laws for their piuilshment, but unfortunately, de¬ 
praved appetites and deadened consetojices are 
not always to lie persuaded, and the strong arm of 
the law becomes necessary to remove the tempta¬ 
tion to wrong-doing. But. leaving the hablltial 
drinker entirely out of the account, would not the 
danger to young men and boys, under the prohibi¬ 
tory system, be very much less thou if a nun bole 
were allowed to nourish on every comer? We 
know that vice begets vice, and statistics show 
t hat where there is no legal restraint put upon the 
sale of spirituous liquors, there drunkenness and 
crime abound to a much greater extent than In 
places where there is a prohibitory law In force. 
Chic! Justice Noah Davis of the Supreme t'ourt, 
lu a, re.eeni speech on temperance, cites so many 
incontrovertible facts In support of this that. I will 
quote from him. feeling that, bis arguments ate 
stronger, and more unanswerable than anything 
which 1 can offer. He commences with this asser¬ 
tion: “ Among all the causes of crime, Intomper- 
unce. stands out the unapproachable chief," and 
establishes the truth ot what he claims by a moun¬ 
tain ol evidence. But as temperance Ln polities is 
what 1 wish to deal with more particularly, 1 will 
only quote a Utile of what lie says about, the 
“ Benefits of Prohibition." 
“ The relation of Intemperance to crime Is also 
plainly manifest, where drunkenness Is repressed 
hy partial, or complete prohibition. The cases of 
towns and villages where, by the arrangement of 
their founders, no liquors or Intoxicating drinks 
li ne ever been allowed to be sold, furnish strong 
evidence. Vineland, with its iu,otio people, with¬ 
out a grog shop, and with a police force of one 
constable who Is also overseer of the poor ;with a 
salary for both offices of $75), reports in some 
years a single crime, and a poor rate swelling to 
the aggregate of four dollars a year. i-roMey In 
Colorado, is anot her town or 3,000 people, and no 
liquor shop. 11 neither uses nor needs a police 
force, and ln two yearsuml a halt, seven dollai.- 
only was called out of Its poor fund. Bavaria, 
Illinois, u town of the same population, with abso¬ 
lute prohibition, was without a drunkard, without, 
a pauper, and without a crime. In Maine, under 
the prohibitory law, the convictions for crime In 
ism were one for every 1,689 population, while in 
onr own state during the same time, the average 
was one ln 020, In Conneoticut under the prohibi¬ 
tion law or 1851, ciime is shown to have diminished 
75 per cent, on the restoration of license In 1873, 
crime Increased 50 percent, in a single year, and 
In two years In Hartford, crime Increased too per 
cent, lu New London the prison was empty, and 
the Jailor was out of business fur a while after 
prohibition went into effect, lu New York, the 
Metropolitan Excise law of 1366, was absolutely 
prohibitory on Sunday. Prior to that law, t here hail 
been no material difference ln the number of 
arrests on that, and on other days of the week. 
After the law went into effect, the number ot 
arrests on the Sabbath was diminished more than 
one-half. On the day of our annual elections, a 
statute draws around each polling place a circle 
ot absolute prohibition, within which no Intoxica¬ 
ting drinks may be sold or given. Contrasted with 
former days, vvno tails to recognize the change 
from excitement, disorder, and crime, to almost 
Universal quietude and peace ? And who does not 
see that the measure ot peace depends upon the 
vigilance with which the police enforce the stab 
ule ?” 
The address contains many more statistics that 
are just, as convincing, but these ought to suffice 
t o prove to any reasonable person that a prohibi¬ 
tory law can bo effective In the suppression of the 
sin of Intemperance and Its attendant evils, as 
well as for the prevention of oi lier climes. 
Mrs. w. o. g. 
■-- 
TOO PEACEABLE BY HALF; BEAUTxFUL 
WOMEN; UGLY MEN. 
So Frmengarde has offered to “make up" with 
her old antagonist! There Is nothing left lor us 
but to settle down to a “preaching" club. No 
quarrels, no excitement, nothing but humdrum 
moralizing. It's all wrong, I have too, an uneasy 
consciousness that I was instrumental In bringing 
Ermengardc to a public acknowledgement of her 
change of sentiment toward Frao Lance. Why 
must wo be a “ happy laiully "? 
As being terribly lu earnest about something or 
other seems to lie the ruling Idea of these feminine 
gatherings, I suppose I may as well fall In line, 
dOQ my moralizing cap and begin, l shall take a 
speech of the lately deceased sir Owen uhevenlx 
the brutal husband In Weaker Than a Woman 
for my text. When he announces his desire to 
enslave an unfortunate woman for life (only lie 
don’t put it exactly in that way) lie says, “ I would 
rather marry a woman of great beauty with a 
thousand faults than a plain woman with the vir¬ 
tues of an angel.” 
The gentleman but voiced the sentiment of his 
sbx. Men insist that women shall be beautiful. 
No speech Is too coarse or too bitter to character¬ 
ize their utter contempt ror plainness in a girl. 
Even the rotmed and kindly Dr Ludgato In George 
ElUott’s jMlddlemarch, regarded’til-favored women 
“as something to he faced with philosophy and 
Investigated by science.'’ Jt did my vindictive 
soul good to have his beautiful Rosalind make Ills 
life a burden to him.) It is natural to admire love¬ 
liness and to prize it. but why make the lot ot ugly 
women all lint unbearable by insisting that not 
having fulfilled the first, requisite, no amount- of 
moral excellence or Intellectual brilliancy can 
make amends tor their lack of physical charms? 
To the sins or Ignorance (sometimes both) of 
their ancestors, children are Indebted for bodily 
1 in perfections, and yet one would suppose, to read 
what men say, that ugly girls were responsible for 
their own plainness. 
Is it. any wonder that every possible device Is re¬ 
sorted to by these unfortunates to improve their 
appearance? Yet even these endeavors are made 
the subject of no end of sat ire, and men lake Im¬ 
mense delight, in detecting the false coll or the 
rouged face. 
So long as women must be beautiful above all 
things, they are Just ified ln using every contriv¬ 
ance—whether artificial hair or teeth, powder or 
rouge—which will add to their attractiveness. 
(Now I suppose tn Imagination you'll picture me 
ns most awfully •• made qp_" Even, however, at 
the risk or your holding such an opinion. 1 still 
maintain that If we must be pretty, let’s use all 
means at our command to accomplish the desired 
result.) 
Men arrogate to themselves the monopoly of 
physical llldeousness. A man may be utterly de¬ 
void of beauty and yel it Is not counted as a re¬ 
proach to him. He may be as plain as It la possible 
for a man to be, and he is not made to feel that, hts 
life Isa failure on that account. And then Hie 
presumpt ion ot them! T hey mate womanly beauty 
with masculine ugliness and eull It nn equitable 
match. Have women no taste for masculine 
beauty? Do coarse red skins, bristly beards and 
misshapen forms enchant us? is a plain-looking 
man a more engaging-looking object than a home¬ 
ly woman ? Washtenaw. 
A SUGGESTION OR TWO. 
Would It not be well If parents regarded more 
scrupulously than many of them do, the little per¬ 
sonal rights of their children ? ln one of the best 
families I ever knew, each buy and girl had a lit¬ 
tle fund of Ills or her own, acquired lu various 
ways by the help of I heir parents, and U t he troys 
wanted a knife, letter paper, stumps, or any such 
thing, they bought it out of their own resources, 
wit h a proud sense of responsibility ; If t he girls 
wished a ribbon, or a magazine, it gave them a 
pleasant sense of personality to purchase for them¬ 
selves. And If their mother. In any of her busi¬ 
ness transactions, needed some extra money they 
were pleased to be able to lend It to her, and she 
always repaid tl. as carefully as it she had bor¬ 
rowed It from an outside individual. It was yrao- 
iice as well as precept with them to be not only 
affectionate, hut Just to each other. These chil¬ 
dren arc now nearly all grown, and are doing busi¬ 
ness on their own account, and the young men are 
proverbial tor then-exact business habits,their high 
sense of honor, and general excellence ot charac¬ 
ter ; the young women are held In equal estimation 
by nil who know them. Tic- happy mother when 
questioned as to how this result was brought 
about says that if it is her doing, she thinks it 
was owing to their being trained In little, things to 
regard others’ rights as well as their own. 
A never-tailing source or amusement to the lit¬ 
tle folks of all ages, Is the making of scrap-books. 
The materials are almost always at hand, Vol- 
mnes of patent-office reports, or even small pam¬ 
phlets which have become useless lumber In so 
many houses onu be made use of In this way. Cut 
out as many leaves as seem necessary, perhaps 
every other one, and you have a foundation. Pro¬ 
vide the Utile ones with a pair of blunt-pointed 
scissors and let them cut out and t run neatly, the 
pict ures from papers you do not. care to preserve, 
circulars of farm machinery or anything they tau- 
cy, and then, armed with a cup of boiled starch 
and an old tooth brush (If you have oueh let them 
exerctse their ingenuity In filling the book with 
their collections. QtULe small children find en¬ 
chantment in this kind of work. A large picture 
may be put ln the center ot the page, and the 
space around It tilled with small ones, or short 
pieces of prose or poetry. I have seen very pretty 
ornaments for these juvenile scrap-books cut out 
of the illustrated books lor children, which had 
become badly tattered with use so that the pic¬ 
tures were all that was worth preserving. When 
two pages are lull the book should be left open 
until dry before going on. This amusement need 
not make much litter about a house, and t he little 
workers can easily learn lo pick up their scatter¬ 
ing scraps after themselves, and wash up the 
starch-cup and brush after using it, so that it will 
be ready for the next rainy day- b. c. l>. 
--- 
SILK DRESSES, DISH-WASHING AND HOW 
TO COUNTERACT BANEFUL IN¬ 
FLUENCES. 
I aokke with MISS Harvey on the “ silk dress’’ 
question, though I should hardly think anyone 
would need a silk who had uot “ a second best." 
Everybody should own one nice dress suitable for 
extra occasion?, I do not think Miss Harvey In¬ 
tended to convey the Idea that Hie “black silk" 
should be worn tor “ traveling ’’ and to choir-moot¬ 
ing and on all ordinary occasions; but that It 
should be ready so Unit one might be saved the 
vexation and annoyance that often arise irom hav¬ 
ing nothing suitable to wear, l am willing “ Jleks ’ 
should don her short, skirts and “ pantaloons,” but 
I think them— abominable. 
Should there be “ anything satisfactory ln remov¬ 
ing the dreadful necessity of dish-washing,” T fear 
something as terrible would stare us in the face. 
I like washing dishes much better than cooking, 
but dislike housework generally. Yet It Is through 
our dislikes that we are disciplined, and I think 
that the cares and trials of us housekeepers are 
sent to make us nobler and bettor women. It Is 
those who have suffered most and learned the 
great lesson of L-ndurunce who speak the sweetest 
words of sympathy, Many a wire and mother 
learns dally to “suffer and be strong" through 
“ seas of i rouble " that would dro wn dlsh-washlng. 
If we reject, t he small trials, heavier ones will he 
sure to come. Let us then accept the inevitable, 
and 
" Cheerfully take what God bestows; 
And, like His own fair flowers. 
Look up in sunshine with a smile; 
And gently bend, in showers-” 
I truly sympathize with Matrix ln regard to her 
husband’s inffuence. Let there be no contentions 
before your boy. They will do much harm. If 
your husband speaks what you know will hurt 
your boy it he follow It. be still ln his presence, 
but take the first opportunity you have alone with 
your child to counteract that influence; but not to 
the detriment of his father, choose your words 
wisely, it you study a long time to do so. Be sure 
you have and keep your child’s confidence. Above 
all. leach bun the great principle of right; let It. be 
thoroughly Inculcated in ills mind. Ulead with 
God that your efforts maybe blessed and your child 
saved from all evil-doing. Bittersweet. 
- • - 
SUGGESTIVE. 
In these days of bankruptcies and failures, the 
Prohibition city of Portland. Me., gained ln valua¬ 
tion tn Isis, $480.000; while Boston, with Its wil¬ 
derness ot saloons, lost in valuation $ 70 , 000 , 000 . it 
will not do to say the “ almighty dollar " longer, 
fur there Is a duly more powerful than the dollar. 
What Is It? 
Two Ways of Eradicating an Evil. 
A thistle took root, flourished, and bore fruit, tn 
the fair field of a farmer. The winds or autumn 
scattered Hie feathery seed far and wide, and when 
spring came again, all over the fields and gardens 
the green plants of the thist le came peeping through 
the sod. 
“This will never do," quoth the farmer; *• a 
thistle plant here and there may be pretty and 
picturesque, but who wants a harvest ot thistles? 
No other crop can flourish while these vile, crowd¬ 
ing things monopolize the" soil.” 
so he sot lo work bravely to cut down the plants 
all over the farm, preserving only a few ot the 
thistles lu the garden; but alas! these seed hearers, 
with the roots or the old plants, despite all the 
watchful care of the farmer, brought forth a har¬ 
vest so plentiful that, the poor man was ready to 
fold Ills hands In despair. 
“ You remind me of some temperance workers," 
said a brother farmer coming forward to the help 
or Hie sorrowing man. “Your fields bring forth 
bad fruit; so does the broad field of humanity. 
Ever since Father Noah discovered, to his shame 
and sorrow, the mischief contained in the fer¬ 
mented juice or tiie grape, the deadly plant has 
been scattering Its poison seed, till the world Is full 
of evil. Now some good and Intelligent people say, 
‘License the high-toned saloons — preserve the 
garden plants, and put down the low groggeries.’ ” 
“WeU, you hit, hard my friend. It Is a pity it I 
can’t take care 01 a few plants. They are quite 
curious and pretty.' 1 
“ Especially wheu your land Is covered with them 
so that nothing else will grow, eh?” 
“ Confound the Haunting tilings. If they can¬ 
not stay where I wish them to I’ll turn them out- 
root and branch.” 
“A very wise, and the only safe decision." 
Mrs. £. J. Richmond. 
IN DEFENCE OF BEAUTIFYING OUR 
CHURCHES. 
Dear Friends.— Please let me speak a few 
words la behalf of the sewing girl who was so 
severely criticised H might say condemned) by 
Jacquellna at our February meeting. Our friend 
must have forgo thou about the “Widow's Mite” 
and how when Moses was building the Tabernacle 
t he women gladly gave t heir je welry to him to be 
made into ornaments ror the House of God. 1 do 
not suppose the splendor ot any ot our modern 
churches equals the magnificence of the Temple 
built by Solomon. God gave him special direc¬ 
tions how to build it, yet Jacquellna would have 
us believe that He does uot approve ot our beauti¬ 
fying our places ot worship. I believe we should 
give tin* best to God tor has lie uot given us every 
good thing that wo possess? 
Jacquellna need not fear that she will have to 
contribute towards the support of that girl, tor 
sorely t he good Father above will not let her want 
because she de nied herself to help along His cause. 
1 do not believe I 11 people being Improvident, but 
If a ghi chooses 10 give her rnouey for a good pur¬ 
pose Instead of spending it on fashionable gewgaws 
etc, (its most of the girls do who sow, statu! In 
stores and support themselves lu other ways) I 
think she Is to lie commended for it. There la a 
happiness and satisfaction In denying ouesself for 
others or ror a good cause that the rich can never 
know. Weill Washtenaw will not have to la¬ 
ment any more that "each writer disc lunges her 
loud ot ideas and retires without provoking any 
return lire," but I do not write this for the sake of 
arguing but because 1 Ihlnk the weight of .Juc- 
queUint’H remarks was thrown in the wrongseale. 
There Is too Utile given to the church and 
for charitable purposes In,stead ot loo much. I 
was once visiting a very rich family where there 
were several girls and when we were getting 
ready for church I laid the coin l exjtectcd to put 
In the collect ion plate on the table, when (me of 
the girls said “Why do you put more than a 
penny on he plate? 11 > aerer do" Vet 1 have seen 
those same gn is spend two and three dollars at 
a time for caudles oranges etc., and think noth¬ 
ing of It. People would be happier If they spent 
less money (or their own selfish gratification and 
more for the good of others. UKUOTRoru, 
